Page 35 of Psycho

I laughed as I kissed her again.

“And in the shower. The bedroom. On the couch. Against the wall.”

She grinned.

“If that’s a promise, you better keep it.”

I squeezed her hips, toying with that gasket-ring on her finger.

“You know I will.”

Epilogue

Bobbie - Six Months Later

I woke in the middle of the night to find Arrow’s side of the bed empty. The sheets were cold, indicating he had been gone for a while.

Sitting up, I turned on the bedside lamp, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the light.

“Arrow?” I called.

My voice echoed back to me. No response.

Our wedding was only two weeks away. To minimize stress, it wasn’t a big or lavish affair. Just a small party of friends at the clubhouse, with pizza catered for the reception. Jenny practically begged to make a cake for us though, so we finally gave in and agreed.

Grabbing my robe, I pulled it on over my sleeping shirt. Arrow gave it to me when I officially moved in as a welcome home present. I had bought one or two lacy nightgowns, since I wasn't sleeping in the back of my car anymore. But they remained unused, hanging up in the closet. Arrow’s shirt was more comfortable anyway.

As I descended the stairs, I found Arrow on the living room floor wearing just his sweatpants, taking apart the washing machine with parts scattered all around him in a halo of debris.

“Arrow, what are you doing?”

I crossed my arms with a shiver. The chill of winter was still hanging on, despite the first green buds of spring beginning to show. I couldn’t wait for the warmth of summer to return.

“It’s two o’clock in the morning," I added.

“Can’t sleep,” he said without glancing up.

“What’s on your mind?” I prompted. “Wedding stress? Or…something else?”

Arrow didn’t reply right away. He took a deep breath, rubbing his chest. Then I noticed his hair was damp from sweat and his hands were shaky.

I sat next to him, resting my cheek against his shoulder.

“Did you have a panic attack?”

He swallowed hard and said nothing, continuing to work.

“Arrow,” I scolded gently. “You’re supposed to wake me up when that happens so I can help you through it.”

He shook his head.

“No, you need to sleep. And I’m…I’m tired of this shit fucking up my life. My father never raised his hand to me. He got drunk, he raged, and his paranoia was off the charts, but he never beat me. I was damn lucky, compared to some of those kids in foster care who had it harder than me. I don’t know why I can’t…just get over it.”

“Because you were only a little boy, Arrow,” I pointed out. “You were so young. It’s okay to be impacted by what you went through. It makes you human.”

He nodded and rested his palm on my knee, brushing his thumb back and forth.

“I guess it’s the wedding that has me thinking about things too much. I don’t want my bullshit to get all over you.”