A shoulder to lean on

Part 5 - Ball of fire

Brett Tuggle was one of Lindsey's closest friends, sitting across from him at one of the local bars, catching up on their lives. He was about to find out everything as they shared a pitcher of beer.

There was something different about Lindsey and he was mindlessly picking at the coaster under his glass, the ring on his finger had disappeared, catching Brett's eye instantly. "Lindsey, man, what is going on with you? Are you fighting again?" speaking of Kristen.

Rubbing the middle of his brow, Lindsey sighed with the shake of his head. "No, we are far from that now."

"Alright, well, you know that I've listened before so don't feel like I won't now."

Nodding his head, Lindsey sat back with a groan. "We are divorcing."

"Holy sh1t, are you serious?"  leaning forward into the table.

"Shhh, yes, I'm serious. We're almost a month in to this bullsh1t now and she's turned in to an entirely different person."

"Are you fighting for custody?"

"Of course I am but the way her career is, she doesn't need to be touring all over the world at various times - she looks like the more nurturing candidate. She wants the house and you know that my studio is there! I haven't played guitar in weeks and I left everything there like an idiot! She's promised to not touch anything and I can come and get it when I please but she's not going to give up the house, going to fight for it, and that is what pisses me off. It's not as if she needs that type of house just to raise our kids in, though they are familiar with it! Will wants to move in with me and Kris wants to keep the girls since they're not of age to have any say in it at all, which I think is unfair since the girls are old enough to understand what is going on. The judge said that I need to find my own place to settle in before he can start even considering who he thinks the kids are better off with..."

"Okay, well, why haven't you found a place? Where are you staying?"

"I'll be selling the condo on the beach but haven't had the energy yet. I was staying at an Extended Stay but it was getting on my nerves, reminding me of being in a hotel, not that it was a bad place but it was lonesome. I'm staying with Stevie."

"Whoa, really?  I am shocked that you two are getting along enough to withstand that," giving a chuckle, knowing how the two of them could really be. "Why don't you just start looking so you can rebuild? It seems as if you're in an incredibly low point right now, it may do you some good to get back in to the groove of things. You've been with Stevie for a month?"

"Yeah, I have, and we have butted heads a few times but it's a pretty big house. I have my own room and it's just been complimenting my situation. If I need someone to talk to, you know that she is willing to listen, that's just how she is. I've been appreciative to how she is being so hospitable..." staring off in to the distance, thinking of just how much he was in love with her.

"But...?" Brett knowing, just knowing that there was something else behind all of this. Things were never easy with those two.

"She's...fvck, I don't even know if I should say anything because this is her life - she's so private about everything."

"Let me guess," holding up a finger, "...the two of you are now capable of a relationship but afraid of what may become of it because there's not another woman in the picture?"

"Boy, you sure know how to just jump right in there!"

"Lindsey, brother, really...? Everyone knows how you feel about each other, it's on your faces everytime you get close! Before you could have boundaries because you had that little band of gold but now that there's no walls holding you back, you don't even know what to do about it."