Just Like Animals

№ 1

Ricky felt a soft hand touch his shoulder and he turned to his girlfriend, Jaime, leaning in towards her. "I'm going to go find Chris and say 'hi'." She explained, trailing her fingers down his arm to his hand, giving a firm squeeze before slipping through the crowd of people.

Everyone was gathered to celebrate the New Year, it being one of the few times their entire friend group convened in one place.  The party was fairly large but still quiet, people gathered in little groups as they talked.

The voice on the television warned of the oncoming countdown and Ricky's plastic cup was filled with champagne. He said a quick goodbye before breaking away from the little group of people that had been keeping him company in an attempt to find his girlfriend so they'd be able to kiss at midnight like always.

Jaime and Ricky had known eachother since childhood but had only become close friends, eventually dating, in their recent adult lives.  It was a comfortable relationship for both of them, things always being relaxed and conversation never hard to come by.  The two clicked perfectly, there being no issues that couldn't be fixed with a good discussion. 

The two nearly read each others minds, so Ricky wasn't surprised when he saw Jaime and Chris coming his way, quietly talking. They exchanged a quick hug before parting ways, Jaime's eyebrows furrowed as she came to Ricky's side, holding his hand in anticipation of the countdown.

"Everything okay?" Ricky wondered, turning his attention to the television. Jaime nodded but didn't respond, keeping her eyes straight forward as she tapped her foot anxiously.

People started to chant as the ball dropped, cheers ringing out as it officially struck midnight. "Happy New Year." Ricky wished sweetly to his beloved, giving her a soft kiss on the lips. She pulled away after a moment, taking a sip of her champagne and stumbling a bit as someone bumped into them.

"Can we get going?" Jaime begged, "My feet hurt from these shoes." She fibbed, finding a flat surface to set her cup down on and pulling her jacket tighter around herself.

Ricky nodded, "Of course!" He assured, setting his cup down too and saying a quick goodbye to some friends before walking Jaime out.

It was a rather cold night, so the two huddled close as they walked down the driveway and onto the snow covered lawn, getting in Ricky's car.  He started the vehicle, letting it warm up before he drove off the lawn and onto the road.

Usually the roads would be completely empty at such an hour, but despite the time, they were rather busy, a lot of people heading home from their own New Years parties.

"Do you wanna stop and get some food on the way home?" Ricky offered, thinking a late snack might be nice. Jaime just shook her head, looking out the window as she explained that she was tired.

Ricky could tell something was wrong, but he didn't want to push it. He knew that the next morning Jaime would probably feel a bit better and be more willing to open up to him.

The drive went by quickly, the two getting home and going inside.  While Ricky took his coat and shoes off, Jaime went straight to their bedroom, shutting the door.  To not upset her anymore, Ricky stayed in the living room for a while, giving her her space.

Nearly an hour had passed when the door opened, Jaime not saying anything to Ricky before she crawled into her side of the bed.  Ricky made sure the house was all locked up for the night before he joined Jaime, taking his pajamas to the bathroom to change and get ready for sleep.

He put his hair in a bun and turned on their little night light before slipping under the covers, staring up at the ceiling.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ricky wondered quietly, not even knowing if Jaime was still awake. He caught a glimpse of her head shaking from side to side out of the corner of his eye and turned to face Jaime even though she had her back to him.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" He offered, reaching a hand out to touch her shoulder, feeling her jerk away from his touch.

He couldn't help but feel rotten inside as he heard a tearful gasp for air leave his girlfriends mouth. "I'm sorry... You can wake me up if you change your mind." Ricky assured, scooting away from her a bit but leaving his arms open in case she decided she wanted to be held. 

Normally Ricky would spend hours trying to fall asleep, but the little bit of alcohol in his system and the exhaustion from the party helped him doze off in a matter of minutes.

Ricky slept soundly throughout the night, not even waking up when Jaime slipped out of bed to start packing her things. By the time Ricky woke up the next morning, he was all alone, just the note on his nightstand keeping him company.

He held the paper in shaking hands, reading it over and over.  Jaime had explained she was leaving and going to her mom's house, but not why she was leaving in the first place.  The only thing Ricky could think of was the night before.  Everything was fine until Jaime went off to talk to Chris. 

With tears in his eyes, Ricky got dressed, grabbing his keys and going outside. It was another knife in the heart to see Jaime's car missing, a reminder that she had left him.  After a moment to recover from the emotional recoil, he got in his car and started the drive to Chris' house. 

He had to pull over twice during the half-hour trip to dry his eyes, being so devastated from the sudden loss.  Eventually he made it to the destination, going up to the front door and knocking with a heavy fist.  He could hear footsteps approaching him and wiped his cheeks one last time.

The door opened and before Chris could get out a single word, Ricky shoved him back with an open hand to the chest. "What did you do to Jaime?" He demanded, pushing Chris over and over until they were in the living room.

"Ricky, I didn't do anything." Chris insisted, unsure what Ricky was referring to.  The answer wasn't one Ricky wanted to hear and he balled up his fists in frustration starting to pound on Chris' chest.

"Ricky-" Chris tried to get a word in, but Ricky just kept hitting him. "Ricky, calm down." Chris wrapped his arms tight around Ricky's torso, squeezing him until he stopped flailing.

"What did you say to her?" Ricky snapped as he broke down in tears again, "What did you say to her to make her leave me?" He sobbed.

Chris just sighed and let Ricky down, directing him to lay on the sofa.  Chris kept a hand on Rickys shoulder as he cried, handing him tissues every so often. By the time Ricky was done crying, he couldn't do anything more than fall asleep right there on the couch, exhaustion taking over.

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