October 2nd, 2015 – 11:50pm

It all started with a Twitter message. Psyche was spending her last night in Atlantic City alone, it seemed, as she was going back to New Orleans the next morning. She was sending Bryan texts, asking where he was, but hadn’t heard from him. Twitter, however, gave her an idea of where he was. He commented on something she had posted and when she asked where he was, he replied that he was at the casino. While this normally wouldn’t bother Psyche, she was starting to have a bit of an issue with it. Not because he wasn’t with her. And not because he was with Perry Wallace and Darryl Walker. It was that he had been at the casino almost every night for the past couple weeks. Even when she was there for her short spans of time.

It was the messages that followed that turned her issue into a concern. She simply told him to come up to her room when he was finished down there so they could spend the rest of the night together. Bryan, however, told her to come down to the casino and then they could go back up together after. It wasn’t the flirtatious way he put it, since that was normal for them. It was the messages she got from his friends. Telling her to come down, to join them. Darryl was mentioning something about Psyche and him testing their kissing skills, which she had jokingly mentioned to Bryan. That didn’t bother her much either. The last message came from Perry… “Bryan isn’t coming home tonight.” That’s when it hit me. Perry was probably right. And Bryan was probably not going to come back with her. Bryan was probably drinking.

She got herself dressed and made her way down to the casino. She was right. The boys were drinking and having a great time down there. She played along for a little while. Bryan was getting rowdy and louder by the minute. But he wasn’t drunk enough to be obnoxious or get kicked out. After a little while, Psyche tried to convince Bryan to go upstairs. Maybe if she could get his mind on something else, the gambling and drinking would stop. She didn’t want to be the naggy girlfriend that wouldn’t let her boyfriend have fun with her friends. She was just concerned about him. The gambling was getting out of hand. And so was the drinking. It was a nightly thing.

She finally got him upstairs, spending a little while with him. She had, in fact, gotten his mind off the drinking and gambling. For a little while. Bryan was getting text messages the whole time, but ignoring them for obvious reasons. The two fell asleep for a little bit until his phone started going off again. But this time, he didn’t ignore it. Now he was up and ready to have fun again. Once again, Psyche tried to stop him from going down, but that didn’t happen. He kissed her on the forehead and left her alone in the room. A fuck and run, if she’d ever seen one. She was sour about the whole thing, but fell asleep anyways.

October 3rd, 2015 – 6:00am

Bryan spilled into the room, the door slamming against the wall beside the frame. Psyche’s eyes popped open and she sat up, the loud bang startling her. She looked around the room. It was dark only because she had the curtains drawn around the hotel room. Bryan stumbled into the bedroom area, hands slapping the walls as he walked. He was trying to keep himself up. He tried whispering to her, but it basically came out as a whisper-yell.

Bryan: “Babe! You awake? Honey! I’m home!”

Psyche adjusted her eyes, now realizing it was Bryan making all the noise. She pushed the sheets off of her, getting up from the bed.

Psyche: “Bryan… are you serious right now, love?”

Bryan: “Shhh. Psyche… you have to whisper.”

He wasn’t whispering. Psyche shook her head and walked over to him, grabbing one of his waving arms. He still hadn’t adjusted his eyes to the dark.

Psyche: “Where have you been?”

Bryan: “Downstairs with my dad and possible brother.”

Psyche rolled her eyes. The whole ‘dad’ thing was a bit weird, but whatever got him through the day. He moved his head towards her, going in for a kiss. She quickly pushed her head back, smelling the alcohol on his breath even worse now. She could deal with drinking and could drink a lot of people under the table, but not at 7am. Bryan made an audible sigh at her. She directed him to the bed, ripping the sheets away so he could get in.

Bryan: “Why won’t you kiss me?”

Psyche: “Because you smell like a bloody toilet mixed with stale beer.”

Bryan: “You’re a bitch.”

That caught her off guard. He had never said anything like that to her before.

Psyche: “And you’re bloody drunk. Get your arse into that bed and go to sleep. Before I put you to sleep.”

She was serious. He huffed and sat on the bed, crossing his arms over his chest like a child.

Psyche: “I’ll get you the bin. Use that instead of the floor or bed, please. I’d rather not sleep in your sick.”

Bryan: “Don’t tell me what to do. You're such a cunt!”

That word… any other time would make her laugh. But this early in the morning after being woken up like she had been, this was not the time for it. She stopped at the doorframe of the bathroom, keeping her back towards him.

Psyche: “Oh… Bryan… Keep your fucking mouth shut…”

She clenched her jaw and finished walking into the bathroom, grabbing the garbage. She turned around and dropped it at his feet. She walked around the bed, getting back in. Any other time, she would be sympathetic to him. But not right now.

Psyche: “Go to bed.”

Bryan: “Whatever.”

He laid on the bed, his back to her. She shook her head and turned onto her side, her back to his. The two fell asleep again. After a little while, Bryan woke up, looking over at Psyche. He was confused by where he was. He grabbed his phone, checking the time. He sent out a quick tweet, since that would be the first thing a person would do. After using the bathroom quickly, he came back and fell asleep. A few minutes later, Psyche stirred, now up to do the same. Her phone made a pinging sound from Twitter, seeing she was tagged in something. She read the message Bryan posted about blacking out and possibly waking her up. You think? She rolled her eyes, writing a message of her own.

“We need to have a chat when you get up…”

He was passed out again, not even moving an inch when his phone goes off from her tweet. She gets back into bed and falls back asleep herself.

October 3rd, 2015 – 12:21pm

Psyche had been up for an hour or so at this point. She was quietly packing her things up, since her flight back to New Orleans was at 5pm. She liked to have most things done before then and have enough time at the airport. They usually gave her a hard time, being from England. She turned her head as Bryan started to stir. He made a few grunting sounds as he got up and sat on the side of the bed. He put his head into his hands, rubbing his face. He looks over at Psyche after a moment.

Bryan: “Hey babe.”

Psyche: “Hi.”

She turned her head back to her things. She was still holding a bit of a grudge about earlier in the morning. He was confused by her dismissal of him.

Bryan: “Everything okay?”

She didn’t look at him.

Psyche: “Not exactly, Bryan.”

Her tone said enough for him. His mouth opened for a second and then closed, unsure of what to say. He stood up and walked into the bathroom for a few moments. He emerged afterwards, leaning on the frame, watching her.

Bryan: “What…uh… exactly did I do last night?”

Psyche: “Don’t remember what happened when you blacked out, hmm?”

He raised a brow, still confused. She looked up at him for a moment.

Psyche: “Check your twitter. You did black out.”

Bryan walked over to the table beside the bed, picking up his phone. He scrolled through twitter, reading his post in the morning and hers right after.

Bryan: “Shit… what happened?”

Psyche: “You know, Bryan. I can put up with a lot of shit. I’m English… we can drink. But what I can’t put up with is you blacking out and making an arse out of yourself.”

Hurt came over Bryan’s face.

Bryan: “Fuck.”

Psyche: “Yea. Fuck.”

She threw a piece of clothing into her bag, unfolded unlike the rest of the items in there. She stood up in a quick movement and faced him, arms on her hips.

Psyche: “I don’t enjoy being the naggy girlfriend, Bryan. I really don’t. That’s not me. But when you call me a bitch and then a cunt, I feel like I need to say something.”

He was shocked.

Bryan: “I called you a cunt…? Not in a joking way?”

Psyche: “Definitely not in a joking way. You know me, Bryan. I can take that stuff… but you were malicious. I don’t like that version of you.”

She frowned, remembering earlier in the morning.

Bryan: “I’m so sorry.”

Psyche: “I’m concerned, Bryan. I’m really concerned about you. You’ve been gambling a lot… drinking even more than that. I don’t care what you do in your spare time. I don’t care if you’re with another woman… but when it affects me, that’s when it’s a problem.”

Bryan: “I wouldn’t be with another woman…”

Psyche: “I know that. I’m using it as an example, Bryan. Your drinking is getting out of hand. And you’re wasting your time and money on gambling. Are you daft? What about all the things you said to Skyler? You said you wanted to cut down on that shite to help him. You’re probably drinking more than when you said that to him!”

She was getting more flustered by the minute. Her hands balled into fists. Bryan’s brows furrowed, watching her. He was getting frustrated as well. He didn’t exactly like being called out about this stuff either.

Bryan: “Hey wait… What I do is my own business, Psyche.”

Psyche: “It’s my bloody business too!”

She pushed weakly at his chest. He didn’t move much, as it wasn’t meant to do much either. He shook his head at her.

Bryan: “Of all people, I thought you would have understood why I needed to do this stuff.”

Psyche: “How am I supposed to understand that? You haven’t talked to me much about things. I find out about some things on twitter. And then never get the full story from you because you never want to talk about it. I understand things are hard, but not hard enough to drink your life away and become addicted to gambling.”

Bryan: “I’m not addicted to anything!”

Psyche: “Going out every night to do the same thing is addicted, Bryan!”

He moved away from her, walking to the other side of the room.

Bryan: “It’s not an addiction. It’s an out. Something to keep my mind off the bullshit around me.”

Psyche: “Like what bullshit? I don’t understand!”

Bryan: “I’m being attacked weekly by people. My tag partner in 4CW is fucking one of the dudes that attacked me worst. And he abducted her. Her taste is piss-poor.”

Psyche’s face sunk a bit. It was a small amount of things and not as much into detail as she had been looking for, but it was a start. Now she was getting it a bit more.

Bryan: “I’m just stressed out. I need a way to let things go. To not think about anything at all for a couple hours.”

His head fell and he looked at the ground. Psyche walked over to him, putting her hands on his arms.

Psyche: “This is what I need, Bryan. You have to tell me these things to help me understand you. Understand why you do things.”

She ran her hands along his arms, trying to comfort him a bit.

Psyche: “You need to let things go, love. Aiden’s choice in men isn’t your business, really. Let her do what she wants. If she wants to date a pathetic fool of a man, then so be it. But don’t let her choices get you down.”

Bryan: “But I can’t help it. It makes me hate being partners with her. It’s on my mind all the time.”

Psyche: “Let it go, Bryan. Honestly. You’ll feel that much better. Then you won’t need an out like this. I want you to be able to do what you want… but the coming home blackout drunk and talking down to me is not okay. I want to see you when I’m here. I want you to be around on my last nights. We can’t do that if you’re acting like this.”

She moved her hands up to his face, cupping it. She frowned at him. She was still concerned about his choices, but she was starting to understand it more.

Bryan: “Letting it go is going to be hard.”

Psyche: “Well at least try and find another out, love. You can always call me to vent. Or come see me. Anything you need.”

He nodded at her. She kissed him on the lips.

Psyche: “Thanks for brushing your teeth…”

She smiled at him. He smiled back at her, nodding.

Bryan: “Had a feeling I’d get a kiss at some point.”

The two laughed for a moment.

Bryan: “Did we just have our first fight, then?”

Psyche: “I think we did, love. Let’s not have another for a while now, hm?”

They smiled at each other. The rest of the day went well from there. Now that she knew what was going on, she could accept what he was doing. But she still hoped he could find something else to do. Within a few hours, she was on her plane.

October 4th, 2015 – 1:45pm

After being spoken to by the third person today about something she had done wrong in the past little while, Psyche was at her wits end. It seemed as if everyone was on her case about something. Each thing was insignificant as well. Small things that didn’t even need to be picked at. But they were. The latest was a woman in a grocery store.

Psyche was picking out some fruit for herself to take home. To her left, a person had dropped a bunch of apples. They rolled all around the floor, hitting random objects. The man that had dropped them, started picking up a couple. But they kept falling at this point. Normally, Psyche would be quick to help to person. But with her day going the way it had been, she ignored it and continued with her fruit picking. She wanted to avoid any interaction with other people unless it was a clerk ringing her through. A few moments later, a woman in her mid-fifties came over, nudging Psyche in the back as she went past. Psyche turned her head, eyebrows furrowing in a tinge of anger. The woman snapped her head towards her, glaring.

Woman: “How about instead of just standing there, you be productive and actually do something.”

Psyche’s eyes widen and she tilts her head to the side, staring at the woman with her mouth open. Was she serious? Was it her job to help everyone that fucks up something they do?

Woman: “You young… deviants… and your lack of respect.”

The woman looked Psyche over. She was wearing an outfit that was a bit more out there, which was, she guessed, what the woman was referring to.

Woman: “It’s disgusting how you don’t get taught proper manners. Just do whatever you want. All those piercings and dyed hair… It’s disgraceful!”

Psyche blinked a few times. She dropped her basket, which didn’t have much of anything in it, to the floor and turned her heel, walking away. She was done.

Woman: “Walk away. Of course. Useless girl.”

Psyche turned towards the woman again, stopping her walking.

Psyche: “I have more respect in my pinky finger than you have in your entire body. I could have said many things to you just now. But my respectfulness stopped me. Maybe reconsider how someone else’s day is going before you pass judgment on them.”

Psyche turned back around, leaving the store. She needed to just stay home, it seemed. Today was just not her day. Out of anger, she made a tweet about hating everyone. Bryan, of course, was quick to answer. He asked what was wrong. Psyche responded to let him know it was just a bad day and that she needed a hug. Unfortunately for her, she was now back home and he was still in Atlantic City. She ignored her phone for the next few hours. Finally, when she had calmed down after a lengthy movie session, she checked her phone. Bryan had made a post, which she had replied to. She simply said, “Life is brutal. Come hug me.” In a few seconds, Bryan responded. He said that he was getting on a plane right then. She took it as a joke, but still saying that she really hoped that was true. His response to that is what made her day.

“What if I told you I’ve been on a flight down there for the past few hours?”

Butterflies. This was why she was with him. This was why she liked him. This was why she knew he was right for her. 30 minutes later, she was picking him up at the airport. They had only been apart for a day, but seeing him like this was amazing. Their embrace was the most perfect she could think of. This was what made everything better. Him.
The rest of the night was spent together. The two enjoyed each others company, Psyche sharing the terrible day she had. Bryan opened up more to her about what was going on with him. They just had a great night in her flat together. The next morning was the same. They spent the day just hanging around. At one point, they went for a hike in some forest-y area near her flat. They had an amazing time just being together. And the rest of the day went the same. Sitting back and enjoying movies and food and good times together. This was what she would continue to look forward to. More times like this. More surprises like the one he had done the night before. He was everything she wanted and needed. And more.