Title: Love Runs Deeper: Chapter Three, Exhausted
Rating: PG [mild language]

Summary: Lily's world gets shaken up, but luckily Lindsey is there to...





Pulling up in front of a three-story building, Lindsey glanced out of the window. The building clearly had seen better days. It reminded him of the shithole he and Stevie lived in before moving in with Keith. It did not sit well at all with Lindsey and he instantly wanted to take Lily back to his hotel with him. However, he knew she would balk at this.

The longer he stared at her building, the more uncomfortable Lily became. She knew the building was not at all impressive and sadly, it looked better on the outside than the inside. Not that she had been considering it before, but after glancing at the look on his face, Lily was not the least bit interested in inviting Lindsey up. Besides, the whole purpose of his driving her the few blocks was so she could get more sleep. Having him up would completely obliterate that.

“Thank you again,” she reached for the handle. “When will I see you Sunday?”

“We can talk about it tonight,” Lindsey responded with a slight smile.

“Tonight?”

“You do work tonight, right?”

“Well yeah.”

“Good. I’ll see you tonight then.”

“You’re coming back to the diner?”

He nodded, “Unless you don’t want me to.”

“No. I mean it you want to come, then you should come,” Lily responded.

“Good. Go get some rest. I’ll see you tonight.”

Pulling away from the building a moment later, after watching her disappear through the door, Lindsey frowned. He himself was tired after staying up all night and all he had done was sit in a booth and watch her work. He had not carried heavy trays laden with food or mopped floors. Heading back to his hotel, he would have the luxury of sleeping as long and as much as he wanted; she did not have that. It concerned him, much more than he would admit to her. As he pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, he knew that their Sunday date was not going to be like anything like she expected. He was going to see that she got the rest and relaxation she deserved; he just was not entirely sure how.



Sitting at her desk, supposedly minding the phones, Lily twirled her hair about her finger. While an extra fifteen minutes of sleep probably meant little to most people, it had meant the world to her. Not necessarily just because of the sleep, but rather because Lindsey seemed to think it important, and he wanted her to have as much as possible. They had only known each other two days, but he already made her feel… important. Of course, as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she tried to temper it. He had not really done all that much. She was likely just so tired that… any tiny bit of attention made her think it was much bigger.

Shaking her head, she attempted to turn her attention to the stack of papers on her desk. Picking up the first one she stared at it for a long moment, trying to figure out exactly what it was she was supposed to be doing with the papers. Sighing she set it back down and pushed away from her desk, heading to the mailroom. At least that was something with a built-in task. She did not need to think to pick up mail and deliver it to the correct office.

Accepting the large basket-full of envelopes, Lily headed to a table to sit and sort. She mechanically made piles, matching names. Midway through the basket, she lifted a non-descript envelope, glanced at the name on it and froze. Why would someone be sending her mail – at her job?

Seeing no return address, she pushed the basket to the side. Her finger slid under the flap, breaking the seal. Dropping the envelope on the table, she unfolded the sheet of paper, turned it right side up, and quickly read it. Glaring at the paper, she crumpled it up and threw it into the nearby trashcan. With an angry sigh, she sat back down and quickly flipped through the rest of the envelopes.

Quickly delivering the mail, she headed into her boss’s office. Standing in the doorway until he looked up from whatever he was pretending to read, Lily tapped her foot. He eventually groaned and glanced up, his eyes widening slightly.

“I’m taking the rest of the day off. Maybe when Liz is done sucking your cock, she can work on the pile of papers I left on her desk,” Lily stated acidly before turning away, her long hair swinging freely.

Scooping up the papers from her desk and depositing them on Liz’s desk, Lily yanked open the large drawer on her own and pulled out her purse. Not even caring that her boss had apparently fixed his pants and headed towards her, she rushed out of the office. Lily sprinted across the street, hopping on the bus that pulled up a moment later. She quickly found a sit as the bus lurched forward.

“Where does this bus go?” she muttered to the white-haired woman beside her.

“Fisherman’s Wharf,” she replied.

Lily shrugged. The destination really did not matter. Only getting away from that office did. The more space she put between herself and them was better. She would go home and relax later. Hopefully.



Waking late in the afternoon, Lindsey showered. Clad in only a towel, he returned to his room, found his guitar, and sat down to practice. As his fingers danced over the strings, his mind emptied of all the little things dragging his mood down. With worries over responsibilities and others’ expectations wiped from his thoughts, his melody completely transported him. Lingering in the clouds for a few moments, Lindsey plucked his way back to the ground. A smile teased the corner of his mouth as he realized the one waiting for him on the ground was none other than Lily.

He continued to play with her face and eyes prominently featured in his thoughts. The tune was light and airy and happy; something he was not entirely sure where it came from. The melody began to shift though, become slower, sadder, and perhaps a bit more tired. As he followed the song out to its completion, he realized what he had discovered. The light, airy, and happy part was what Lily could be if the immense, unknown burden was lifted from her shoulders. He did not know how, but he wanted to help her. He wanted to show her the melody within her.

Setting aside his guitar, Lindsey got to his feet. He headed to the fridge and pulled out a beer. Three drinks into it, he realized he was hungry, but it was a bit too early to go to the diner. He did not want to seem too eager. Instead, he sat down and slowly drank the beer, considering calling for room service. That would definitely be too much food, unless he waited until after sundown to head to Lily’s diner.

With the late arrival decided and the beer finished, he got to his feet and headed to the closet to decide what to wear. He did not want to appear as if he was trying too hard, but he did not want to appear slovenly either. Stevie had liked his blue shirt. He would wear that with a pair of jeans. It would be perfect.

As his fingers reached for the shirt, the phone on the nightstand rang. Forgoing the shirt for the moment, he headed over and the receiver off the base. He barely got a muttered greeting out before she launched into him.

Sighing, Lindsey sat on the bed, “Stevie, let it go. That was a week ago. I’m not even in LA now.”

“With who? Who are you with?”

He glanced around, “No one. What difference does it make?”

“I don’t believe you. Why would you be in a hotel and not at your parents’ house?”

“Because they were driving me nuts, that’s why,” he retorted. “Why are you calling, Stevie?”

“Because you walked out and–”

“What are we doing any more? Why do we keep doing this?”

“Keep doing what? Fighting? Because you keep ignoring me.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” he replied.

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“I…” he glanced at his guitar, his thoughts going back to the melody he played not long before.

“Lindsey?”

“I think I made it pretty clear when I got in the car and got as far away from you as I could,” he responded darkly.

As she started to cry and scream at him on the phone, Lindsey hung up. He stared at it for a long moment, daring it to ring again. Rather than wait for it, he picked the receiver back up, made sure there was a dial tone and not a voice, and set it on the nightstand. If she called back – which he was certain she would – he was not going to talk to her. She had already killed his good mood; he did not need it to worsen.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to push it all aside. He needed to be in the best of moods to go see Lily, though he thought seeing her would instantly lighten his mood and soul. At least he hoped it would.



Like a thousand pins shooting through her skull, a ringing bell punctured through the veil of deep sleep that held Lily captive. She suddenly bolted upright, tossing aside the well-worn blanket. Rolling out of her squeaky bed, she headed to the door a moment before a loud pounding sounded. Rubbing her eyes, barely caring that she was only wearing a short nightgown, she pulled the door open.

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” he asked.

Peeking out between her fingers, she sighed upon seeing her landlord, “What time is it?”

“Almost midnight,” he replied. “Are you okay? You look half-dead.”

“Fuck, midnight?” she turned around, leaving the door open as she headed into her room.

“Lily, what’s going on?” he followed her, closing the front door behind him.

“Don’t worry about it. I have to get to the diner and–”

“They called. That’s why I’m here. I told them I would make sure you were there within the half hour,” he stated, sitting on her single chair, his back to her bedroom. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I’m sorry I’m late on rent again. I’ll have it–”
“By Friday. I know. If you had bothered to read the letter I taped to your door, you would know that.”

She leaned out, twisting her hair on the back of her head, “The letter? What did it say, Joe?”

“That… that I’m waiving your rent for this month,” he answered softly.

Her eyes widened, “What? Why?”

“Because I’m worried about you.”

“About me? Why? I’m fine. And I’m horribly late,” she said as she pulled on her white shoes.

“It’s okay. They know you’re coming,” Joe responded, looking in her direction. “And I’m worried because you’re always working and yet still barely make rent. What’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on. It’s the same as it has been since I moved in here, Joe,” she looked around for her purse. “And now I got to run. I’ll have rent by Friday. I swear.”

“But, Lily, I just said–”

“I don’t need your charity,” she pulled open the door. “Thanks for coming to wake me up. I owe you.”

Practically sprinting down the street, she did not even bother to skirt around to the back entrance of the diner like she should. Her fingers yanked open the door, her hip holding it open as she quickly pulled her hair back into a single ponytail. She took a deep breath and glanced around, freezing in her place. His blue eyes met hers as he turned in a pace, his own steps halting. Before she could say anything, he hurried over to her. His hands quickly framed her face and before she knew what was happening, Lindsey kissed her mouth. Her eyes fluttered close, focusing on the tingling sensation of his mouth on hers.

He pulled back a moment later, realizing what he had just done, “I’m sorry. I… I… I was worried. When I came in, they said you hadn’t shown up and when they called, your number was disconnected. I thought… I thought… I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” she breathed, her eyes still closed.

“I… Are you okay?” he asked softly.

Her eyes fluttered open, looking directly into his, “I just… slept through my alarm apparently.”

“Slept? I thought you–”

“We can talk about it later. I need to go let Dana go home,” she slowly pulled away.

Stepping aside, he watched her head into the kitchen, looking for the other waitress. Feeling more at ease now that she was there, Lindsey headed to the same booth he sat in the previous two nights. Sinking onto the shiny vinyl, his eyes focused on the door. He wondered what was taking Lily so long, though he supposed she needed to clock in as well. A moment later she reappeared, her purse still slung over her shoulder. Her eyes met his and she hurried over to the table, but did not sit. He tried to read her expressions, but could not quite figure them out.

“I… I… I just lost my job,” she muttered softly. “Um, so I gotta go home and get out of this dress and bring it back. So um… yeah.”

“I’ll drive you,” he offered, quickly getting to his feet.

“I… okay,” she relented, her eyes a bit glazed over. “But wait in the car. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

Unsurprisingly she did not speak at all in the car. Almost before he put the car in park, she bolted into the building. In the time that she was gone, he could not have smoked a cigarette, much less do anything else. As she pulled the door open, pink dress in her hand, he could have sworn he saw the glimmer of tears on her cheeks, in her eyes. However, Lily quickly evaded looking into his eyes, remaining silent. He honored that and turned around, driving back to the diner.

“Do you want me to come in?” he asked, pulling up in front of the lit building.

“No. You don’t have to stay either.”

“Bullshit. I’m staying and we’ll… go somewhere else.”

“Lindsey, I…”

“Please.”

She nodded and opened the car door. As quickly as before, she disappeared and returned. This time the tears on her cheeks were unmistakable. He wanted to reach over and embrace her, but thought it would be a bit awkward in the car. He would wait until they found some place quiet to talk. Only he was not sure where to go.

“Are you… heh… are you hungry?” he asked.

“Not anymore.”

“Well I am starved. However, I cannot think of another place to go eat. Would you mind returning to my hotel with me and having room service?” he asked.

“No,” Lily instantly replied. “There’s another diner not far from here. We can go there. They tend to be busier than us – my former employment – anyways. Maybe they’re hiring.”

While he did not particularly care for her answer, he understood it. Nodding he followed her directions, pulling up in front of a much busier diner than the one they had met in. He instantly hoped she did not find a job there, knowing if she did her nights would be far busier and far more exhausting – nevermind the likelihood of her having time for him would be drastically reduced. But he said nothing and held open the door for her. Though they were seated promptly, their server did not grace them with his presence for nearly twenty minutes. Lindsey could see Lily wiggling in her seat at his approach.

“What can I–”

“Are you guys hiring?” she blurted out.

“Um… we are, but only for the overnight shift, that I’m aware of,” he responded, light seeping into his tired eyes.

“Perfect. Is there a manager or shift leader I can talk to right now?” she asked.

“Normally not, but the manager is in tonight since we’re short-handed.”

“Great,” Lily smiled. “Do you think I can talk to him?”

“I’ll let him know to stop by your table when he has a moment,” he answered. “Do you know what you’d like to eat?”

After the waiter left to place their order, Lily grinned across the table at Lindsey, “Finally something going right today.”

He frowned slightly, “Are you going to tell me why you were late tonight?”

Lily sighed, her smile disappearing, “I left my other job early for… personal reasons… and I ended up going home and sleeping. I must have slept through my alarm.”

Lindsey reached across the table, his fingers curling around hers, “What happened at your other job?”

“Nothing,” she quickly responded.

“Lily,” he warned softly, “we may not have known each other long, but I think I can tell when something is wrong.”

She reached for her glass of water and drank deeply, “I… well… first of all you should probably know a bit about my other job.”

Lindsey nodded, not saying anything to direct the conversation.

“I’m a secretary at a lawyers’ office downtown. I’ve worked there for about… six months now. Before then I was a receptionist for an eye doctor. Just the other day I found out that the reason my non-working co-worker still has her job is because she’s been sleeping with the lawyer we report to directly,” Lily explained, briefly. “And today… today when I couldn’t seem to focus on my work because I kept thinking of you…”

He could not help but smile, though he bit his tongue to keep from speaking up.

Waiting while their plates were set before them and the waiter assured her the manager would be by before long, she continued her story, “Anyways, I went to the mail room because I figured that was a mindless task I could do all right without much worry. As I sorted mail, I found one addressed to me, which is odd because very few know I work there. It had no return address and come to think of it, no postage either. What it had inside the envelope was…”

When she did not continue, but rather turned her attention to her meal, Lindsey wiggled a bit. He really wanted to know what was inside the envelope, figuring it had to do with whatever had driven her to skip out of one job and sleep through the other. But he did not want to push her at all.

“It was the most vulgar thing I have ever read… written on my boss’s stationary… about all the things he would do to me if he had the chance,” she stated softly. “It wasn’t his handwriting. It was the other secretary’s but… I couldn’t… I couldn’t… so I stormed into his office and I just know she was under his desk… um… you know… and then I left. I ran across the street and got on the first bus. It took me to Fisherman’s Wharf where I transferred to another bus to come home. I hadn’t really intended to… sleep so long. It just kinda happened. And… the rest you know.”

He wanted to read what it was that had set her off, figuring that would give him a glimpse into her that her story had not, but he presumed the letter was long gone. Instead, he watched as she pushed food around her plate. He needed to say something, say anything.

“If I don’t get a job here, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she muttered.

“I know it’s not really my place to interject, but… if you have a good job as a secretary for a lawyer, why do you need another job? I’ve seen your building. The rent can’t be all that hi–”

“Most people don’t get everything they want handed to them nor does many rain down from the sky,” Lily replied, a touch of acid in her voice.

“Lily, I did not mean to imply–”

“Good evening, folks,” an older man approached their table. “Jermaine mentioned that someone was looking for a job perhaps?”

Lily instantly wiped her mouth and perked up. Though he was a bit disappointed to be interrupted, watching her sell herself for the waitress position was interesting. She bubbled about how much she liked making her customers happy and about her work ethic. While she did admit at times she could be late, due in part to another full-time job, Lily focused on what surely were her positive traits. In that moment, Lindsey found himself becoming even more… enamored with her. It was not often that one could to observe their romantic interest convince someone else they were perfect for them. If he were in charge of the diner, he would have hired her.

Apparently, the man agreed because he shook her hand and told her to report to the diner the following evening for training.

“That went well,” Lindsey commented once they were alone again.

“Thankfully. I don’t know when I would have time to look for another job,” she stated, turning back to her food. “And I suppose this means, instead of crying over the lost job, I can worry about starting a new one.”

“While I am glad you do not intend to cry, this does concern me,” he admitted.

“What does? Why?”

Lindsey motioned to the busy diner, “Look at how much busier this place is, Lily. With your other job and the lack of sleep you already have, it’s going to–”

“I’ll be fine, Lindsey,” she assured him. “Really.”

“I want to believe you but today you slept through your alarm because you actually allowed yourself to–”

“I’ll be fine,” she repeated. “And you don’t have to worry about our date being cancelled. We might have to shift it slightly now, as I don’t know what days I’ll have off at this diner, but I still want to go out with you.”

Her statement suddenly derailed his line of thoughts. If it had been any other time of day than three in the morning, he would have whisked her out of the diner right then, on a proper date. It nearly made him forget his intentions for their ‘date’ as it were. Maybe though, he could put his thoughts into action that night.

“As long as you think it’s okay…” he trailed off.

“I’ve been doing this for over two years. It’ll be okay.”

“Two years?”

“Longer than that. Since I turned eighteen,” she commented casually. “I guess prior to then too, since I would spend the days at school and the rest of my waking time working some job too.”

He remained silent for a moment, “Lily, how old are you?”

“I’ll be twenty-one in October. You?”

“I’m six years older than you,” he responded. “Also born in October.”

Her eyes went to his, “Are you surprised at my age?”

“Well… yes. I thought you were older.”

“Sometimes life makes us grow up a lot faster than we should.”

Her statement instantly made him want to know more. However, he was not certain she was actually inviting him to ask. Maybe it was the late hour, but he could barely restrain himself. Her statement was so very tempting, especially since he wanted to know everything about her.

“What made you grow up faster than you should have, Lily?” he asked softly.

Her eyes snapped to his, “I… lots of things did, Lindsey.”

“You don’t have to… you don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to, but… I want to know everything I can about you,” he responded, keeping his voice low.

“I… I haven’t really ever told anyone, so it’s not a simple matter,” Lily responded. “But it is only fair since you did pretty much spill your entire life to me the other night. So I’ll tell you something, but not here, okay?”

“Fair enough,” Lindsey agreed. “Where would you like to go then?”

“If it were nicer outside, not as cold, I would say down to the bay. But since it is… we can’t go to my place. I only have one chair,” she stated.

“Only one chair?”

Lily nodded, “No sofa or anything either. I live… simply.”

“Well… we could go to my hotel room,” he offered. “I can’t really think of any other place we can go at this time of night.”

“But just to talk. I’m not going to sleep with you, Lindsey,” she instantly disclaimed.

“I would never be so presumptuous.”

“Then all right. We can go there,” Lily agreed. “But only after pie.”



Heading up to the hotel, Lindsey softly grasped Lily’s hand. As she did not pull it free, even squeezed his hand a bit, he knew it was the correct choice. Leading her into the building, he barely glanced at the front desk attendant before heading to the hotel. As he stepped into the elevator, he felt Lily’s hand tighten on his.

“It’s okay,” he muttered softly.

She nodded, watching him press the floor button. The elevator ascended quickly, though not quickly enough for her. The moment the silver doors slid open, she hopped out, not even caring if it was the correct floor. Lindsey chuckled softly and quickly took the lead down the hallway, heading to the suite. Stopping in front of a door, he fished his key out of his pocket and opened the door, stepping aside to allow Lily in after flicking on the light.

Dropping his hand, Lily slowly entered the hotel suite. Her large golden eyes looked around, widening slightly as her mouth dropped open. She had never been in a space so nice before. Everything from the linens on the bed to the nearby sofa appeared to be not only high quality but luxurious. She was nearly afraid to touch anything or else sully it with her presence.

“Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable,” Lindsey instructed, upon realization that Lily was frozen where she stood. “I have beer, hard liquor, or soda. Would you care for a drink?”

“Um, soda, please,” she responded, slowly approaching the sofa.

He watched her gingerly sit on the couch, almost as if she was afraid of dirtying the white couch. Keeping his gaze discreet, he pulled out a soda and beer from the mini fridge, opening both bottles before heading to sit next to her. After handing her the Coke bottle, he sat down, sinking back into the couch. He propped his boots on the coffee table, trying to casually and subtly let her know it was okay to relax.

After sipping from the bottle, Lily turned to face him, her back pressed to the armrest, “I’ve never… been anywhere like this before.”

“It gets tiring after awhile. Sometimes I just want to go home… but then I catch myself and realize I don’t really have anywhere to go,” he responded.

“What about wherever you were living with Stevie?”

His eyes darkened slightly at the mention of his… of her, “Our apartment was never my home. And I have no desire to go back there, to live and be with her again. I suppose I could make myself a home somewhere, but half of what a home is, depends on the people with whom you share. A home alone isn’t really a home in my mind.”

“So you’re just going to stay in a hotel until you find someone to live with?”

Lindsey chuckled, “Not really. The band is supposed to meet up soon to start working on our next album. I’m sure Mick will have some place figured out for us to stay. And then we’ll tour and tour and tour.”

“It still sounds to me like you’re avoiding making a home just because you’re… unattached.”

“Perhaps. I suppose I’ll make the effort to make a home when I absolutely have to.”

She remained quiet for a moment, taking a drink of the Coke and glancing around at the room again, “I think I know what you mean though. It would be nice to have a home.”

Though her eyes were turned away from him, Lindsey could feel her words were heavier than even she likely intended. Rather than comment or agree, he remained quiet, hoping she would continue. Instead he took a drink of the beer, slowly swallowing as her eyes turned back to meet his.

“I was just barely eleven when I lost what could have been termed a home by those outside of it, though it really wasn’t,” she stated softly. “I don’t know who my father is, probably never will. And when I was little, prior to what happened in ’67, my mother really was not around much to make wherever I ‘lived’ a home. I guess when I said that some of us have to grow up faster than they should have; I meant that… it would have been nice to be a kid. But I didn’t really ever have that. As soon as I could, I was taking care of my mom. And I suppose I always will.”

“Lily…”

“I don’t tell many people this, because I don’t want to be pitied. Yes, I’m paying for my mom’s mistakes. I suppose I am the result of my mom’s mistakes, but nevermind that. I’m surviving and managing,” she claimed. “Tonight… when you paid for our food at the new diner… that’s the first time anyone has spent money on me without immediately guilting me about or asking me to repay them. And yet I already feel bad about it. I know I shouldn’t. But… when you’ve been alone, taking care of yourself and the one person who should take care of you, for as long as you can remember, something as simple as a bought dinner, is hard to process.”

Leaning forward, he set his beer bottle on the coffee table before reaching for her Coke bottle and doing the same. Lindsey faced her fully, his right hand reaching up to cup her cheek, his left hand grasping hers. Without saying a word, he leaned forward and kissed her gently. Though her lips parted slightly, he pulled back instead of deepening it.

“Stay here tonight. Let me take care of you,” he requested.

“Lindsey, I’m not having se–”

“I am not asking you to, nor would I. I merely wish you to get the sleep you deserve, perhaps even take a bath. Today has been long and stressful for you. I want nothing but for you to relax and not worry about anything at all,” he explained. “I’ll even play for you, if you so desire.”

Her eyes brightened slightly, “I think… I think I would like that very much.”

“Then stay here with me. I promise I will get you to work on time tomorrow,” he declared. “Please.”

Eyes holding his, wavering slightly, she tried to read his sincerity. She did not see pity in his eyes, which she supposed would come later if she told him more. Lindsey meant what he was saying; she could trust him. With a slight crooked smile, she nodded, agreeing to stay the rest of the night in his hotel room.