Trouble In Shangri-La

Dirty Laundry

"I don't know..." Lindsey says.

"You don't know?"

"I don't know..."

"How can you not know, Lindsey? Either it is or it isn't!" Stevie says, angrily, a tear escaping her eye and rolling down her cheek. "How could you?! How could you do this to me?!"

"I didn't...at least, I don't think I did."

"What does that mean?" Stevie asks and Lindsey shrugs. "Is that why you left last night, all dressed up? Who did you meet?"

"Lydia." he says, hanging his head and Stevie's eyes go wide. "I agreed to meet with her, I wanted to talk some sense into her and convince her to leave us alone...But I didn't sleep with her!"

"I guess I should just be thankful you were protected."

"Stevie, I didn't sleep with her, I love you, baby." He tries to touch her and she moves out of his grasp. Lindsey looks upset.

"If nothing happened, what did? Tell me..."

"I went to her house and she was in this teeny tiny piece of lingerie. She started kissing me and touching me and I pushed her off me. We started on a bottle of wine but it wasn't helping to relax me at all so she made me something stronger. I started to get tired and that's the last thing I remember. When I woke up, I was alone. I put my clothes on and got out of there."

"Really?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes...do you believe me?"

"Sure." she says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh my god, thank you, angel!" he says, kissing all over her face. After the first couple times, she pushes him away.

"Are you kidding me, Lindsey?! Do you really think I'm that fucking stupid?!" she shouts. "You must think I'm such a fool. I believed you last time when you said nothing happened, that you only kissed her and made out with her and I tried to forgive you. This time, you rush out of here looking like you're dressed for a date, claiming you just went over to a beautiful woman's house to talk?! You cheated on me with her before, why wouldn't you do it again?! You just expect me to sit here and wait for you, hoping that my love for you will keep us together!"

"What can I do to prove to you I'm not lying?"

"Tell me the truth, the whole truth."

"That is the whole truth...maybe she drugged me. I don't remember anything past taking a sip of that last drink."

"A woman like that doesn't have to drug anyone to make them sleep with her. Look at her! Tall, beautiful, tiny waist, big boobs...she's every guy's dream."

"She's a plastic bitch. I don't want her, I never have."

"Fine, Linds."

"Is this a confidence issue? It doesn't matter if you've gained a little weight, Steph. Maybe we can go to the gym together or swim some laps. That should slim you right down again." Lindsey says, as if that's at all helpful.

"This isn't about my confidence, Lindsey. It's about trust and I don't trust you! How dare you say those things about me! You're just trying to deflect from the real problem that you can't keep it in your fucking pants!" she yells. "I was sitting here wondering where you were, hoping you're safe and worrying about you all night but that doesn't matter. You're willing to throw away years with me for that woman."

"I'm not, Stevie, and I'm sorry I kept you waiting. When I saw you laying on my bed in your little nightie, I felt awful. I know I shouldn't have gone, I just want one more chance..."

"I've run out of chances to give, Lindsey"

"Just one more...please." Stevie turns away from him, thinking hard about something, he did not know. He walks around so he's looking into her eyes again and she looks away. "What were we celebrating last night? There was champagne on the nightstand." She looks up at him, fresh tears threatening to fall.

"Nothing, I don't know if it matters now" she says softly, shaking her head.

"Don't shut me out, Steph. I will do anything to make this up to you. She means nothing to me but you mean everything. I need you, baby. I need you." He lifts her chin to force her to look at him but it doesn't calm the storm raging in her mind at all. She pushes past him and opens the laundry room door. "What are you doing?" he asks, turning down her radio to talk.

"Get out of my face, I need some time away from you."

"Don't be like this"

"Be like what, hurt, sad...embarrassed? Of course you wouldn't want me after coming home from being with her."

"I never meant to hurt you--"

"But you did."

"I want to fix this."

"You can't."

"What are you saying? Are we breaking up?" Lindsey fears the answer, watching her fold clothes, cross legged on the floor. After moments of waiting, he is relieved when she shakes her head.

"I don't want to leave you" she says, looking up from the basket in front of her. "I don't, I just...I need time."

"How long?" he asks. "Last time it was two fucking years and you still never forgave me. What am I supposed to do, be miserable the rest of my life while you're just stringing me along as I beg for mercy?" Stevie's eyes narrow and she gets up, placing an empty laundry basket on her hip. "Are you going to answer me?" She walks out of the room and up the stairs. He follows closely behind, arms crossed in frustration. She goes into his bedroom, going about her business, picking up clothes he had left on the floor as well as ones sitting on top of his hamper. "Talk, Stevie" he says, roughly turning her around to face him."

"There is nothing to talk about. You feel no remorse, you feel you did nothing wrong and I'm the one being emotional about it."

"Did your buddy Dr. Montgomery feed you that bullshit?" Stevie opened the french doors to get away from him and Lindsey once again followed. "Why is it that you can listen to everyone else in the world except me? Why is it that when I try to tell you the truth, you always think I'm lying. You're more than happy to tell what's going on in our relationship to anyone who will listen."

"Fuck you, Lindsey!" she says, tipping basket of his laundry over the balcony and onto the grass below. The pieces that were left behind, she threw as hard as she could.

"What the fuck was that for, Stephanie?!" he yelled.

"Oh you know, just airing out our dirty laundry like I always do..." She smirks at him, feeling triumphant as he scrambles downstairs. She makes herself a cup of tea then returns to the balcony to watch as he picks up every last piece of his clothing in the garden.