"I don't wanna go out tonight." Joyce mumbled to Hopper. They had plans to go out for dinner since it was a Friday night and the kids wouldn't be home. "I already made the reservation." Hopper argued back. "Then cancel it." He looked at her with a
'are you serious right now' look. "This was supposed to be a nice little date. I don't know why all of a sudden you don't want anything to do with me." He responded. "If I didn't want anything to do with you, we wouldn't be together." She snapped. He was startled by the sudden aggressiveness in her voice.
It was silent. Hopper was trying to come up with the right words to say. Usually he wouldn't say anything back, just apologize and kiss her on the cheek. But he was in a petty mood today. "Well I'm not so sure of that because it seems to me like you don't." He was testing the waters. "We went bowling last week remember?" He remembered the Saturday prior, they both went bowling then out to dinner. "Well fuck me for wanting to spend time with you!" He snapped at her. "We're spending some time together right now." She said simply. He was trying to push her buttons and she knew it.
" good time." He corrected her statement. "I thought your idea of a good time would be getting wasted at the bar." He was astonished by her bringing up his past. But one thing was for sure, If she wanted to push his buttons, he knew how to do it right back. "Yeah I'll go do that. Then I'll go home with another lady and get laid and forget this ever happened." Her heart stopped beating for a moment. Complete silence fell over the house. But if she was going to taunt his past after knowing everything he went through with Sarah, he was gonna do the same to her. "Or would you rather me be more like Lonnie." Her hand collided with the side of his face. First one slap, then the second. She pushed and shoved at him. She hit her fist against his chest.
"Joyce." He warned. But she didn't stop. He realized he had over stepped a line. A big one. She had been mentally and physically abused by her ex husband, and he used that as an insult to try and win a stupid argument. "Joyce." He warned again. When she didn't stop he grabbed both of her wrist mid air. She fought against him but he didn't let go. "Let go of me!" She shouted at him but it came out sounding like a loud cry. He pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tightly.
She stopped fighting and cried hard into his chest. He had one hand on her back and the other on the side of her head, holding her head to his chest. "I shouldn't have said that. Im sorry, baby." He admitted softly, kissing the top of her head. He picked her up bridal style and carried her over to the couch.
She sat in his lap. "I need you to tell me what's going on." He said, moving her hair out of her face. "This isn't like you." He added. Their eyes met, and for a moment they just stared into each other's eyes. She looked away first. She knew she would have to be honest with him. "I've been having lucid dreams. Bad ones. Like of the Russians. And it really feels like I'm there with you and we're being tortured." She paused for a moment, not making any eye contact with him until she started again. "Even though I've never been in that situation, it almost seems as though my mind knows what that pain feels like. And it's burned in my mind like a real memory." He somewhat knew how she felt. He too had gone through the awful dreams. "So that's what's been weighing on you recently?" He asked. She could feel him staring at her but she continued to look down. "yeah. They've been draining me. I can barely get any sleep at night. My anxiety is through the roof, and the only comfort I'm able to get is when we're in bed getting ready to fall asleep. Everything just seems so 'okay'" He rubbed her hand with his thumb.
"How often are the dreams?" Hopper asked. Joyce shook her head. "Like every other night. They're random." He bent down to press his lips to hers. "We'll figure this out. This won't continue." She just nodded at him. "You're not like Lonnie, hop." She spoke softly. Their eyes met again. "You care more in this moment than he did in all the years we were together." She added. "I should've never brought Lonnie up in that argument." He admired her hand that was in his. "I shouldn't have brought up your drinking." She admitted, watching him rub his fingers over her hand.
She fell asleep in his arms. He didn't notice until he said something and she didn't respond. So he just stood up with her still in his arms, and walked towards their bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and covered her up. Getting in bed next, he snuggled up behind her, spooning her. He felt her relax against his chest. He thought she was asleep but she spoke again. "Hey Jim?" She asked, tiredly. "Yeah?" He asked back. "I love you." He smiled against the top of her head. " I love you too, baby." He said back. "And I do like going out and spending time with you" He rubbed her arm. "I like spending time with you too. I didn't mean what I said earlier." He sighed. "It's okay." She said, in a voice slightly louder than a whisper. She fell asleep almost immediately after that. He held her against him tighter, and eventually they both fell asleep.
