Okay, guys, so tell me if you can view the video up top 

here. 

If not it's 'Why Am I the One' by fun. (the period is in the band name)  

Also, drool over this absolutely DELECTABLE pic of Leonardo DiCaprio in the 90's, have a good day! 

-*-*--------------*--*--*------------*-*-

It was dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. 

Soren stared at the letter in her hands, frozen. His lips parted, his eyes glassy. There was a reason the letter was by his bedside. It was a constant reminder his old friends. His old girlfriend. His old life. He had even left behind his parents, who didn't even know what to do in these circumstances. 

And then, of course, Soren was Soren. He was in a manic phase. In short, it would be a while before the weight of the situation crashed on him, and for now he was just happy he didn't have to tell her himself. 

Now she knew. 

"Come on! The beach is waiting for us Dolly!" He smiled brightly at her, even though she couldn't move or say anything. She was just too shocked for words. She quickly pulled out her phone and changed his name in her text messages from 'The Famous Bipolar' to 'Soren'. She felt so bad. It's so rude to just think of somebody by their mental health labelization!  

"Dolly. Please don't tell me you're telling everyone you know." 

"Of course not! Who do you think I am?" She asked, offended. 

He grinned. "My Dolly, of course." 

She blushed pink and followed him out of his mansion, which she knew she would get lost in some day. "What's your favorite part about the beach, Dolly?" He asked timidly once they were in his limo. 

"I love the marine life. They're all so peaceful. So nice." She said, smiling fondly, and never had she ever been more beautiful than in that moment. 

"Dolly I want to know how your paintings are going." 

"Oh! Erm, they're good. They're getting better, according to Glen." Gwen said, like she was talking about her bed-ridden grandmother rather than her paintings. 

"They'll get better, with love, like all things." 

"That was such a sweet thing to say! Maybe you should've been a motivational speaker, Soren." 

"I could be," he agreed, smiling slightly. "But alas, I was born to entertain the lonely teenagers out there looking for a new guy to crush on." He said wistfully, winking at her to show it was a joke. 

"Lonely women, like myself." 

"Not just women, Dolly, I'm sure there are dudes out there who'd like to get a bite out of me." 

Gwen laughed, but, she couldn't help but feel less comfortable around him since she found out about the letter. She didn't really understand Bipolar II Disorder, but she was going to. Then maybe she'd understand Soren a little better. 

Because that's what friends are for. 

It was silent until they reached Marshall Beach. "We're here!" He exclaimed excitedly, practically jumping out of the limo. She was about to hop out too, when her phone started ringing. She came out, looked at the caller ID and saw it was Glen. "Hey brother." She answered easily, motioning to Soren she had to take this. "Where have you been? I know you got a boyfriend 'n all but 3 hours? Really Gwen? I'm not one to worry, you know this but it does really bother me-" 

"Glen, he's not my boyfriend. And we went to get froyo and then came to the beach. Did you also know that he's bipolar? Did you know that Glen??" 

"No, I did not." 

"It's kinda freaking me out." 

"We 'll google it when you get home, Gwen." 

"Okay, bye Glendolyn." 

"You're lucky I'm such a good brother." He growled out, annoyed before he hung up. 

I met Soren at a spot with their towels put on the burning hot sand. "Come on, the ocean is calling us!" He exclaimed, smiling at her. 

He was so confusing to Gwen. Why would he just be okay with Gwen breaching his privacy? Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied him. "Why aren't you angry with me?" She asked him, blurting without thinking. "Well, you know now. It was a huge pressure to just have on my shoulders the whole time. I don't have to stress myself trying to find the perfect time to tell you. You just know." 

It was that simple in his manic phase mind. 

(If you aren't completely familiar with bipolar disorder, you should visit this site: 

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml

If you're too lazy to do that, like myself, I'll dumb it down for you: 

There are 2 sides to bipolar disorder. 

There are "manic" phases, where the person is energetic, restless, hyper, irritable, touchy and reckless. They have an overly high sex drive and tend to make bad choices. They have a decreased need for sleep and loss of appetite. They may feel like their thoughts are racing or that they can do a lot of things at once. They also may talk really fast about a lot of different stuff, and they may feel strangely talented, important and powerful. This, of course, I got from the website listed above.

Then there are "depressive episodes", where they feel sad, hopeless, and empty. They have little interest in doing anything, a decreased or absent sex drive, or an inability to experience pleasure. They feel unable to do even simple things, talk slower, they feel like they have nothing to say and they forget a lot. They have trouble concentrating or making decisions, and they experience increased appetite and weight gain. They either have trouble falling asleep, wake up too early, or sleep too much. They often feel slowed down and restless. Like I said, I got this from the website above, I take no credit for this.) 

Gwen sighed. "Okay." She just hoped this wouldn't bite her in the ass later. "Come on, Dolly." No boy, other than of course Glen, had ever seen her in a swimsuit. She wasn't enough to be on My 600 lb Life, but she wasn't a size 2. And so, she hugged herself as she made her way to where Soren was. "That suit really makes you look good." He winked at her, grinning. She blushed and followed him to the ocean and dipped her feet in. A shiver of pleasure raked up her spine. The ocean was just, simply, incredible. There was no other way to explain it. 

Soren was waist deep by the time she had her ankles completely submerged, and he walked back up just to drag her in with him. "Come on, the water's nice." He whispered as he held her close to him. "The goosebumps on my arms beg to differ," she retorted, her teeth chattering. 

"Listen, Dolly. You have to let go. Stop worrying about what's gonna happen next. Stop focusing on the worst part about the situation. Focus on the good parts, and I promise your life will be better." He assured her quietly, his arms still around her. "Focus on the ocean's nice, rhythmic waves, and don't think about the looming depths under it. Don't think about how harsh the waves get, don't think about the dangers that lie in it, don't think about it. Just think about the feel. Be in the now, Dolly.

"Pay attention to the sounds, the smells, the feels, think about everything around you and nothing else. Sometimes being inside your head is not the best. Your head is cramped with stuff you're afraid of. Let it air out. Give it some space. And for once, don't use logic. Just feel." 

She focused on his warm, strong arms around her, and the ocean's gentle sway. She forgot about the sharp coral, slimy seaweed, the possibility of crabs and sharks. 

She closed her eyes, and heard the faint caws of seagulls, felt the slosh of the waves against her body, smelled the salt in the air, and bathed in the feeling of being full- for once in her life. She no longer felt empty. She hadn't even realized the emptiness was there until now. Now, she felt alive. The world was a miracle of creation, and she was here, living it! How lucky she is! She smiled against Soren's chest and lifted her head up to smile at him. 

He stopped. He froze as he stared at her, an actual smile on her face. She never really smiled... she only gave what he would call a grimace that went up instead of down. But now, she was smiling. At him. He felt like the luckiest man alive. He almost dropped her, just from shock. His pink lips parted as he stared, entranced. 

Lord knows this was nothing like the feelings he had had for Miranda. 

This was, this was Gwendolyn Foley. 

In full happiness, in full spirit, this was his Dolly. Smiling. And actually looking happy. 

He had an urge to just kiss her, right there right then, and stop beating around the bush. It was clear that whatever this was was not something that just happened, and he felt he should take advantage of it. 

And so, with that, he did. 

He kissed Gwen, and didn't really think about the consequences.