Driving Me Crazy • •

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

Bridget shrugged her shoulder, grinning. “Actually I figured it was seeing hot babes in bikinis,” she said, trying to sound like one of the surfer guys who had tried too hard to hit on her and her friends during their California day trips. She knew Dylan wasn’t about that on those diving trips, but he was a guy and Bridget did enjoy teasing him whenever she could snag a chance. “My dad used to take a full week off during the summer and we’d go out to this one area and camp for a night just us and we’d lay out under the stars and I could tell him anything while we were out there. Then whenever I fell asleep, he’d carry me back to my tent and in the morning, we’d drive back to Vegas, pick my mom up and we would go somewhere, anywhere, just drive,” she said, reminiscing. She laughed at a memory, shaking her head. “My mom had a rule that we couldn’t plan to go anywhere farther than 8 hours away because it was the longest she could sit in the car without pulling a “personality one-eighty” and developing claustrophobia.” She’d never told anyone that story before, any of those stories. They weren’t secrets but she’d never thought anyone she knew would care to hear them and no one made her so comfortable she would just let the words flow without thinking about them; no one but Dylan at any rate. And spilling that story proved that.

“That you are,” she agreed, easily. The Irish Doctor was still surprising her, even when she thought she’d figured him out. That was a thing with Bridget. She hated being lied to. Anyone could get more from her if they just told her the truth. Her students didn’t need to come up with an elaborately woven tale when she would accept the truth when she heard it. She could be annoyed if the truth was simply “forgot” but she would accept it and make plans to remedy the situation. It was the opposite if they lied to her and a few students had learned that the hard way. “You’re just saying that so I don’t stop baking for you,” she said, lightly, though she honestly appreciated it. “Thank you for that though, I needed to hear it,” she said. And she really did. Nearly every day feeling like you were just space filler in someone else’s life, it was nice to hear that she was needed. And Dylan didn’t lie to her so she knew he meant what he’d said.

“Mm, how else am I supposed to get waffles and mixed berries?” she asked, teasing because it felt like things could turn serious and Bridget couldn’t do that to Dylan. She was in no state to be starting anything with him. She wouldn’t lie, she’d thought about it. She didn’t know a single woman who wouldn’t, but being in the weird relationship, if you could call it that that she’d been in she didn’t act on those feelings. And now she wasn’t sure if that was over or if he was going to try and find some way to get her back. She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back to him; not again. After everything, it felt over to her. He didn’t take her seriously and that was a problem for her. She was making a life of her own, living on her own and taking care of herself without him. They didn’t live together, and Bridget didn’t want to. She liked her freedom too much to have to answer to anyone, be home every night for someone. At least with Katherine and Heathcliff, she had a couple people she could call if she wouldn’t be there to walk them or feed them if she didn’t make it home that night. During the school year, she spent a few nights in her office, taking catnaps on the small couch in her office.

Now though, Bridget wasn’t worrying about her relationship status or anything at all. She liked Dylan’s company; he made her laugh whenever she was at the beginning of a foul mood. He helped to lift her out of her foul moods just like her baking did; only Dylan took less flour and sugar. She had never gotten that with Koda. He made her tense, had her questioning herself. And she hated that more than anything. She wasn’t that girl and that needed to stop. It was for the best that they were in this fight thing, this end, because she needed a lot of time away from the city and now she had a couple months ahead of her to get out of the city and clear her head of everything. Who knew, maybe she wouldn’t even come back though she honestly hoped it didn’t come to that. She would miss a couple people way too much to ever really leave them high and dry like it would seem if she did stay in Vegas. Sighing, Bridget snuggled into Dylan’s side more feeling her lids dropping again. “Am I interrupting your plans today?” she wondered sounding sleepy, even to her own ears.

Tag || Dylan!
Words || 867
Clothes || Hung Over Honey
Music || Summertime -- Bon Jovi
Notes || <3

[Dylan Ellis Griffin]

Rolling his eyes, Dylan gave her a heart-hearted shrug and a small smirk. “I suppose there is that too…”

[/color] He mused before shaking his head. “Most of the time I see them, they’re in wetsuits and with twin diving cylinders on their back.”[/color] He stated honestly. Dylan had never looked at those women like that before, mainly because he only saw them every now and then and because in the last year two of them had also gotten married to their long term partners; two great guys Dylan also dived with. He listened to her remembering, smiling softly at the story. “That sounds nice.”[/color] He said, just imagining the tale as Bridget told it to him. “We used to have seaside holidays when I was a wee boy, until we moved to New York. The five of us would be in a caravan on some cliff edge somewhere, usually spending the evenings in some crazy kid’s club. I busted my lip one summer when I tripped over the stage.”[/color] Things were so very different now, and his mom took the girls to Justin’s parent’s house in Arizona most summers. Dylan had been once when he was younger, but after that he was at college, working to pay tuition and on his way to chasing his dreams. He didn’t keep those things a secret, but Dylan had a theory that if people didn’t ask then people didn’t want to know. The right questions and Dylan was an open book.

Dylan couldn’t bring himself to lie to anyone, even if the truth was painful to hear. No matter whom the person was he simply found that he had to be truthful. He thought back to his younger years and the frustrations he had felt when his parents or the doctors held things back from him. Back then all he had wanted was for someone to be honest with him and give it to him raw and uncut; no matter how bad it was. After that, he seemed to take honesty over most other things. He figured that if he could feel that way at twelve, then everyone else had to feel the same when they got older. “Yeah, you’re the reason I’m going to be overweight in twenty years.”[/color] He joked with a small smile before hugging her close once more. “Anytime, hun.”[/color]

“You could always try knocking on the door sometime.”[/color] Dylan joked; although he would always be more than happy to cook for the pretty blonde woman he called his neighbour. He had always thought that she deserved better than to be feeling anything like this, but he also respected Bridget and any choices that she might make. Dylan wasn’t the kind of man to overstep a friendship, or tell someone that they shouldn’t be doing something that made them happy, even if he didn’t agree with it. With the amount of time he had been spending with Bridget lately it wasn’t a surprise that Dylan liked being this close to her. He actually liked taking care of her and the hours they were together for helped him forget all about the stress and worries that came with his job. He sensed that she was growing sleepy again and moved the breakfast tray and coffee mugs out of the way before letting her curl more into his side. “What plans?”[/color] He joked quietly, reaching up with one hand to play with her hair. If he spent some more of the day in his bed then no harm could come to anyone and it wasn’t like he had anywhere else to be today.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bee <3
WORDS! 644
OUTFIT! Morning Madness!
LYRICS! The Fog - - - Maroon 5
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

There was a teasing spark in Bridget whenever she was around the Irish doctor. He was charming and sweet and he got her to relax when she was stressing about work. There wasn’t much to stress about and she knew better than to drop everything on him. If anything, it should have been the other way around. Dylan had a far stressful career on his hands while all she had was a bunch of students where half of them would rather be anywhere else but her classroom; a frat party or something, maybe. But it was rare to see Dylan shook up about work. Bridget wasn’t even sure she’d ever seen him upset about anything. Then again, not everyone needed to be around people when they were in moods. She would mope around and pout into her baking and then she would make up plates and do something about her mood. “Mm, that must have hot,” she said, grinning, feeling much better already.

“You say that but you do not want to be in a car with my mom when we hit eight hours and five minutes,” She said shuddering. They’d made the mistake of picking a place a little too far away and not enough breaks involved. Her mother had started getting so impatient and fidgety. It was easier to just pull over and give her mother some time at the shops around the small little town until she was alright again to finish the last hour of their trip. When they went to New York or Colorado for Christmas holiday’s the drove as far as the airport and the big cabin they rented was very much in the eight hour timeline. Aside from those, there weren’t many trips anywhere else. Her father didn’t like sand so whenever her mother thought up a trip south or to Europe, it was just the two Delaynee girls. Bridget leaned up to look at Dylan’s long ago busted lip. “It healed nicely,” she teased. “But that sounds lovely. I’ve never been, though I’ve always wanted to go," she said, imagining a smaller Dylan running around, getting all bruised and having adventures in Belfast and area.

Bridget didn’t like liars. She knew there were times when it was safer to withhold the truth but those, in her eyes, led to good things; like surprise parties or unexpected visits from family. Her mother had done that more than once in the handful of weeks Bridget stayed in New York. She loved that her mother showed up and it gave her an excuse to slack off on all her other plans. Bridget couldn’t consciously just leave her mother alone when the things left to be done could be put aside for another time. But those were the only times Bridget agreed with holding back the truth, any other time, she hated it. “Twenty years? Clearly I’m not doing my job right if it’s going to take that long,” she said, playing around. She didn’t think she baked that much but one look in the icebox or count any of the plates she made up and gave away to friends told another story.

“There is no fun in knocking on the door and asking for someone to cook for you,” she stated seriously, though she’d already done that once. To be fair, she’d smelled the food cooking in the hallway and just wasn’t in the mood to cook for one. When she knocked she’d asked if he was alone or if he was cooking for company before breezing past him and asking him to make a little extra while she made dessert. “No plans? Hmm, guess now you have time to curl up and watch a movie or six, oui?” She asked, getting comfortable. She’d be disappointed now if he said he couldn’t or even moved for that matter. She was quite cozy curled into his side, and now that she had some food in her stomach to soak up whatever alcohol was left swimming in there, she was feeling tired again; like sleeping beauty, she could probably sleep for a hundred years.

Tag || Dylan!
Words || 687
Clothes || Hung Over Honey
Music || Summertime -- Bon Jovi
Notes || <3

[Dylan Ellis Griffin]

Dylan had never liked burdening others with his worries or problems. He didn’t think it fair to come home and then call someone or visit a friend just to unload all of his stresses onto them. The Irishman didn’t have a problem with others coming to him for reassurance and cheering up; he welcomed it, even when he was having his own problematic days. He had just always felt guilty when he was in their shoes though, and so he let it out through his favourite creative outlets, although they didn’t always work. “Yeah, totally gets a guy worked up when you’re under water and counting down the minutes until you run out of oxygen.”

[/color] He said with just a hint of heavy sarcasm.

“But is it a genetic trait? I need to know in case you’re ever in a car with me.”[/color] He teased, a smirk on his lips. Part of him was thankful that he didn’t go away with the family now. As much as he loved his little sisters and would happily take them for a weekend whenever he could, he couldn’t imagine being in a car with them for some of the road trips he went on. He often drove to his diving destinations and even they were a good several hours to get to with minimal stops along the way. The girls were excitable enough and could barely sit still through a movie, so a car journey seemed almost completely out of the question in his mind, and from the tales his mom had told. “I even had a healing touch back then.”[/color] He joked with a small wink. Shrugging casually, Dylan took a moment to consider his phrasing of the thought currently dancing through his mind. “Well, y’know, if you ever fancy it, I’d happily go back and play tour guide.”[/color] Flashing her a charming smile, Dylan thought about the idea a little more, thinking it really would be nice to head back to the country he called his home and to take someone with him.

Since all of his family currently lived in the city, Dylan didn’t have to travel far to see them and they could call around whenever they needed to. Obviously, it was better to call first since Dylan had found Freddie just chilling on his doorstep more times than he cared to count whenever he had returned from work or from shopping. “Well, I still hit the gym now; in twenty years I might not.”[/color] He said like it was such an obvious answer.

Rolling his eyes, Dylan nodded along and sighed. “Of course, what am I thinking? It’s much more fun to sneak into a bed in the middle of the night and scare the person who owns the bed.”[/color] Chuckling at her idea for the rest of the day, he shook his head and pushed the hair back from his face once more. “You do realise one of us will probably have to move to pick a film? I doubt there’s anything good on the TV.”[/color] He reached over to the side table for the remote control and turned the TV on anyway, pulling up the guide for them both to look over from where they were laying. “Anything taking your fancy?”[/color]
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• • •

TAGGED! Bee <3
WORDS! 588
OUTFIT! Morning Madness!
LYRICS! The Fog - - - Maroon 5
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Bridget Cameron Delaynee]

As much as Bee wanted to help her friends with their problems, she couldn’t do that when she couldn’t take care of her own problems by herself. She baked whenever she was feeling anything at all. And now this morning she was less impressed with herself than the night before when it had seemed like such a good idea. She was all for a good time out with friends, but the night before she drank well over her own set limit, and that wasn’t good. “Mm, I bet,” she teased, ignoring the not so subtle sarcasm dripping from Dylan’s words. She’d never been diving before, unless snorkeling counted when she and her mother spent a week in Jamaica, but she didn’t think it did. Bridget grinned shaking her head. “Don’t keep me in a car for more than eight hours and you’ll never have to worry,” she replied mysteriously. But there was laughter only a moment later when she shook her head. Thankfully, that trait had skipped her, though she wondered if any of the cousins were like that. She never saw them, or it was rare when she did so she didn’t much care either way.

“No ego on you,” she teased, grabbing his side playfully. Ireland had been one of the places she’d always wanted to go, as well as a few others. And she was thinking a while now that she should start on that long list of places. There was so much of the world she hadn’t seen and some she wanted to see again. France had been so pretty but she had been ten when her mom brought her to there to see where she’d grown up for the first sixteen years and meet her great grandmother. She had only been back once, three years later to bury the kind old woman who slipped hazelnut chocolates into one pocket and money into the other. “I might just have to take you up on that offer,” she said, smiling.

Bridget didn’t have much time through the week to hit the gym. Thankfully, though the campus had a gym and she grabbed a few hours there when she could spare the time between classes. Probably for the best since she ate just as much of her food as she gave away. “You’ll be hitting the gym in thirty years,” she said laughing. He had to keep up the ego somehow. “What? Did you think some burglar broke in to borrow half your bed?” she asked unable to stop more laughter from erupting from her. “Oh! Or maybe one of your friends can pick locks and broke in to snuggle,” she said continuing the speculation. “I’ve already said I’m not leaving this bed all day,” she reminded him, as she checked out the TV screen. “Blah, no. Guess you’ll have to get up and find something,” she said, unwrapping herself from Dylan’s side so he could get up and find something entertaining to make the time fly.

Tag || Dylan!
Words || 499
Clothes || Hung Over Honey
Music || Summertime -- Bon Jovi
Notes || <3

[Dylan Ellis Griffin]

Sometimes drinking until a person passed out was the only way to deal with certain problems. It never offered a solution, but it offered a temporary cure and a night of freedom from whatever it was playing on the mind. Dylan had been there before and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. Sometimes forgetting and acting reckless was what it took to help put things in perspective. Other times it didn’t work so well and a person was left with nothing more than a raging hangover and blank spaces from the memories of the previous night; Dylan had been there, too. Rolling his light blue eyes, Dylan teasingly reached across to flick Bridget’s nose, smirking as he did so. “I’ll be sure to carry a mild sedative, just in case.”

[/color] He offered, joking around again.

Squirming away just a touch, Dylan kept his hold on Bridget and pretended to be more offended by her actions than her words. “Hey, watch it! Wandering hands get people in trouble.”[/color] He joked, though his mind did slink back to the wake-up call he had given himself when he felt someone else’s body in the bed next to him. If he’d been just a little sleepier at that point, then he might very well have landed himself in trouble! Dylan hadn’t seen too much of the world himself, but he had always wanted to see it with someone else. Most of his dream vacations had diving adventures in them, but they were also in lovely, exotic places that really ought not to be experienced alone. For now he was content with the get-away trips he did have and there was a nice little saving fund for whenever he did find someone to accompany him on those worldwide adventures of sun, sea and blue oceans. “Well, you know where my door is, if you ever fancy it.”[/color] Returning to Ireland was one of the less exotic places on that list, but it would always have a permanent spot on it; it was home, after all.

The young neurosurgeon found that a quick workout at the gym most evenings was enough to unwind after a tense day in the operating theatre. Even if things had gone smoothly and without any complications, Dylan still found himself feeling stiff and in need of doing something to unknot the muscles that had been tight through the hours of careful surgery. Sometimes just half an hour on the treadmill was enough if he didn’t feel like completing a full workout. “Oh, am I not allowed to let myself go?”[/color] He asked, laughing loudly at the idea. He had never been a fitness freak, but he had found that exercise was a good way to end a long day sometimes. “You don’t want to know what I was thinking.”[/color] He mumbled, running his fingers along the slight roughness of his jaw. Letting out a dramatic sigh of annoyance, Dylan swung his legs from the bed and removed the dishes from the room, since he had to leave it anyway to find some movies to keep the hung-over blonde entertained. He dropped the remains of their breakfast into the kitchen sink and then moved to the shelving unit by the TV to find some DVDs. Quickly, he snatched a variety up and then returned to the bedroom, dropping the boxes on Bridget’s side of the bed. “Pick one.”[/color] He stretched out while he waited, cracking his back as the pretty blonde looked over the choices.
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• • •

TAGGED! Bee <3
WORDS! 623
OUTFIT! Morning Madness!
LYRICS! The Fog - - - Maroon 5
NOTES! <3 <3 <3