"Come on let's go!" Priestly yelled impatiently from the living room of Tish's house. He was standing by the door trying to smooth out the wrinkles in his 'I didn't fall. The floor just needed a hug' tshirt. He was feeling good this morning, but that was probably from his anxiety pill he had taken earlier. His medication was working well enough that he felt relatively normal if not a little guilty for still not informing Tish about everything. He felt in his pocket for the ever present bottle and relaxed when he rubbed his fingers over it. The bottle of pills had become almost a security blanket in the last month, offering strength and peace of mind when he needed it.
"Don't rush me!" came the muffled yet still shrill reply from the bedroom.
It had been two months since Joe's departure and everything was going well for the most part. Tomorrow was Priestly's twenty-fifth birthday and he had decided he wanted to go to Vegas. Of course Tish had been ecstatic, she hadn't been there in years. So here they were, late in the morning with Priestly trying to hurry Tish along so they could get on the road.
"I'm going to leave without you," he shouted down the hall. He smiled when he heard her growl.
"Like hell, it's my car! Plus…" she entered lugging her giant suitcase behind her, "I'm ready." Priestly smiled and grabbed her suitcase lifting it with ease.
"Then let's go!"
Four hours into the drive Priestly was getting bored. You could only make so many faces at passing cars before there was the very real possibility your face would stick like that. He decided he needed to strike up a conversation, being a male his mind instantly went to sex. "So I got a question." Tish turned down the radio and glanced at him. "What age did you lose your virginity?"
She smiled, typical Priestly question. "Sixteen. His name was Todd Mesters, blond hair and blue eyes. He was a senior and captain of the football team." She paused before her expression became bitter. "He was also the worlds biggest asshole."
Priestly arched an eyebrow in disagreement.
"After Tadd of course. What about you?"
Priestly grinned, "I had just turned seventeen. Her name was Sarah… I think. She was twenty two, and..." He trailed off, a glazed expression appearing on his face. Tish looked over and scowled. Snapping her fingers she asked, "That's it?"
He looked at her innocently. "Well I didn't get her last name or occupation. I was seventeen Tish, details didn't matter."
There were a few silent minutes before Priestly spoke again. "You ever been with a chick?"
She rolled her eyes, "We are not talking about sex stuff for the next five hours."
Priestly huffed but agreed. "Still though, answer the question."
A smirk appeared on her face and Priestly's eyes widened. "I've messed around a bit but never all the way."
Priestly stared at her with a faraway look, obviously creating a mental picture. "Awesome."
Tish shook her head fondly, he was such a guy. She couldn't help but rib him. "What about you, ever been with a guy?"
"No."
Now it was Tish's eyes that widened. Instead of getting weirded out by the question like she figured, he had answered totally nonchalantly. Like it was something he just hadn't gotten around to. "You make it sound like a possibility."
Priestly shrugged and looked out the window. "I just don't see why gender is a big deal. The world is a big scary place and if you can find just one person that makes you happy, even for a little while it shouldn't matter if they're a guy or a girl."
Tish's jaw actually dropped. That answer was totally unexpected. She grabbed his hand and squeezed, "That's why I'm with you."
Priestly turned towards her, confusion written on his face, "What do you mean?"
"You're a special person Priestly, don't ever forget that."
He grinned, "I know I'm amazing but you're making me blush."
She pulled away her hand and backhanded his bicep.
The rest of the nine hour drive went well for the most part. They laughed at each other's jokes and ate copious amount of junk food. There were one or two arguments about traveling music and driving abilities but in the end the drive went by without any major hiccups.
"So where are we staying?" she asked as they passed the 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada' sign.
"The Venetian."
They pulled into the valet and walked inside the large and beautiful lobby to check in. Priestly walked up to the counter and handed an ID to the woman across from him. Tish looked at him quizzically but noticed the subtle shake of his head and stayed quiet. The woman typed on her keyboard then handed the ID and keycards to Priestly.
"Enjoy your stay Mr. Stark." He thanked her and grabbed Tish's hand.
She raised her eyebrows. "Mr. Stark?"
He grinned mischievously, "Jim Stark, that's my name. Or at least that's what my fake ID says." Hell of a lot better that Mr. Smith.
"Where did you get a fake ID? And why Jim Stark, you definitely do not look like a 'Jim'."
He shrugged, grin still in place. "I know a guy, and how can you not know where Jim Stark comes from?"
She gave him an irritated look; she was quickly losing her patience. Priestly rolled his eyes, "Jim Stark is James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause. It's awesome, now come on. Enough questions."
After dropping off their bags in their room Priestly practically dragged Tish downstairs to gamble. When they got to the casino floor he just stood taking in each and every thing with fervent eyes. He loved Vegas: the lights, the sounds, the people, the money; it was infectious. He felt his heart rate increase as his eyes swept the room; it was an instant high that he embraced fully. Everywhere he looked was drenched in sin, a perfect fantasy world. Beautiful women dressed in next to nothing: Lust. Restaurants, buffets, and bars every few feet: Gluttony. Money passing hands back and forth: Greed. People lounging drunkenly on plush couches: Sloth. A man attacking another over slurred words: Wrath. Regular women glaring as they watched beautiful goddesses walk by: Envy. Money being thrown onto tables to impress companions, even though they're losing everything: Pride. He fingered the wad in his pocket with eager fingers.
Tish couldn't help but smile, he was so excited he was practically vibrating. "So I take it you like to gamble."
Priestly nodded enthusiastically, his blue spiked hair never moving. "You play craps?"
Tish shook her head, "I'm more of a blackjack girl, but I'll watch you play."
Priestly found an open craps table and squeezed him and Tish in. He threw down a few bills and collected his chips before placing them around the table. She watched as people rolled the dice over and over before crapping out and passing to the next person. Bills and chips, hands and dice were everywhere but Priestly seemed completely at ease, observing the table and rollers carefully. Tish watched a cocktail waitress in a skimpy outfit walk around the table taking drink orders and breathed a sigh of relief when Priestly ignored her. She began to grow nervous though when she noticed him throwing down hundred after hundred dollar bill onto the table.
She gently tugged his arm, "Priestly."
His eyes never wavered from the table, "Ya Tish?"
She bit her lip as he threw down two more hundred dollar bills and grabbed his chips. "You're going through a lot of money."
"Gotta spend money to make money," he answered distractedly. Tish's nervousness was quickly turning into anger as Priestly kept his attention on the table, brushing off her concerns.
Fed up she harshly whispered to him. "Forget it I'm out of here." She turned around and forced her way through the people disappearing from Priestly's view. He didn't understand why she was upset but knew he better find out now and fix it before it got worse. He quickly cashed out and looked around for his girlfriend. He found her sitting at a dollar machine about twenty feet away, not playing. He sat down next to her and twisted her chair towards him. "What's up, what's wrong?"
She looked at him with a serious expression. "Priestly, I thought this would be fun but now that we're here I'm nervous."
He knitted his brows together, "Nervous of what?"
She sighed heavily, "Of you, here. You're a recovering alcoholic and there's alcohol everywhere. Then on top of that you just keep throwing hundreds down like they're nothing. You're making me nervous."
Priestly grabbed her hands and smiled softly, "You think I have a gambling problem, is that it?" Seeing her nod he explained. "Tish I have a lot of vices, most of which I had to quit for obvious reasons. I have an addictive personality I can't help it, but gambling is the one vice I'm completely in control of."
She looked at him skeptically. "But you're spending so much money."
He pulled black and green chips out of his pocket and handed them to Tish, "You have to spend money to make money. Do you know how much I laid down?"
"Like seven or eight hundred?"
"Ya, and how much do I have there?" She counted the money and frowned. He grinned, "Seemed like I was hemorrhaging money huh? I'm only down eighty bucks, I would have been up but…"
She leaned forward and hugged him, "I'm sorry."
He kissed her, "No worries. As for the alcohol you don't have to worry about me Tish. If I was alone I would probably be struggling right now but you're here and you keep me grounded." He grabbed her hands and rubbed the backs with his thumbs. "The last thing I ever want to do is disappoint you Tish."
Tish leaned forward and kissed him, "You never disappoint me, now go have fun."
He looked at her unsure but she shooed him away, "Go, go I'll be right here."
Hours later the two stumbled into the hotel room exhausted but content. Priestly had done well at the tables and Tish had lasted a couple of hours at the blackjack table before finally losing all her chips. They undressed slowly already half asleep before they climbed under the overstuffed, thick white comforter and fell asleep.