The Regularʳᵒᵇⁱⁿ ᵇᵘᶜᵏˡᵉʸ

9| Later, Robin

Chapter 9

Later, Robin

Tuesday 9th July 1985

Knock, Knock, Knock.

Jaya was wallowing in self-pity when someone showed up at the door. The last couple of days had been spent the same. That was until Rohan had burst into her room and ruined it all. He, for one reason or another, was adamant that Jaya had to talk to Robin and Jaya was adamant that she shouldn't. However, when push came to shove Rohan was stronger, which is the only reason Jaya was downstairs preparing to leave the house. 

Jaya didn't want to see Robin. She believed that her not calling was Robin's way of turning her down, she's clearly ruined everything by holding her hand and Robin never wanted to speak to her again. That was the only explanation Jaya could think of so it must be true. So, in short, standing in front of the door with her shoes on and her brother blocking her from just walking back to her room was the absolute last place Jaya wanted to be.

That feeling multiplied ten times when she opened the door to see the very person that had been taking up so much space in her head. "Robin."

"H-hey, Jaya." The girl's previous thoughts of Robin not being scared of anything suddenly changed. Looking at the girl now Jaya was certain Robin was scared. She couldn't make eye contact with either Wilson at the door, choosing instead to fix her eyes on some random point on the floor. Robin's arms were crossed in front of herself, her hand rubbing her arm in hopes of soothing whatever nerves she had and Robin couldn't seem to stand still, constantly shifting her weight from side to side. 

"Yeah, hey." Rohan nudges his sister, "Um, come in." She steps aside and watches as Robin steps inside. Jaya glances at Rohan who just smiles at her before walking away. Robin had made her way to the sofa when Jaya looked back at her.

"You, um, have a lovely home."

"Thanks." Jaya didn't understand, she had waited days for this very girl to call her and after being completely forgotten about Robin just shows up at her house. Jaya makes her way to where Robin is sitting, taking a seat next to her. The two are silent for a moment, "You never called."

"I didn't." Robin looks at her hands on her lap, "I'm sorry. I was... scared."

Jaya's eyebrows scrunch together, "Why?"

"You make me nervous..."

"I do?"

"Well, yeah." Robin sighs, "I was gonna call you, I swear I was. I just freaked out, I didn't think you actually wanted me to call, and, y'know, it was just one of those things you say to be nice and polite, not because you actually mean it. Steve kept telling me I was being stupid and that you did mean it but I don't know, he's stupid so." Robin stops, not really knowing what to say, "Sorry, I don't really know what the point of that was."

"I wasn't lying, I like talking to you so I wanted you to call."

"I'm sorry I didn't."

Jaya smiles at her, "It's ok."

Robin looks at Jaya with a goofy smile, "I don't know what I was thinking, I guess the nerves kinda just built up and I couldn't deal with it. And- and I'm not always great with, um, understanding tones and stuff, I wasn't implying that you would lie to me. It was purely just me misunderstanding."

"It's fine, Robin."

"Sorry, I can't help rambling when I get nervous."

Robin looks at the girl in front of her slightly longer than she maybe should have, smiling lightly. Jaya returns the smile, "You make me nervous also, for the record." Robin's eyes widen and look at Jaya in disbelief, "You're really cool and you're funny and I don't understand how to not get nervous around you."

Jaya stares at her hands fiddling in her lap, therefore unable to see the look of utter disbelief on Robin's face as she goes on, "Y'know there's a reason I always come to visit you at work." She glances up quickly to see Robin's brow furrowed in confusion as she shakes her head. Jaya sighs, "Please don't make me spell it out." But Robin's face doesn't change.

Jaya jumps to her feet, walking past the sofa to glance up the stairs. No one was downstairs, obviously, she wouldn't dare have this conversation if they were, but she wanted to make sure no one upstairs was close enough to hear what was being said between the two girls. Jaya turns back to Robin to see she had followed Jaya from the sofa and was now standing a little bit too close for just friends. Robin chuckles awkwardly, scratching her arm as she steps back, putting some space between them. 

Jaya smiles at Robin and Robin smiles back. 

It's a simple gesture, one that shouldn't have as much meaning as it does to Jaya. But it has meaning nonetheless. It tells her that no matter what Robin thinks of her she will be ok, Robin is a good person, she's kind and smart. So smart in fact that Jaya wouldn't have been surprised if she had already figured out how Jaya felt. 

Jaya didn't know if she could actually tell Robin how she felt but she wanted to, so very badly. Something deep inside her, something dark and cold that whispers everything she hates about herself told her that she shouldn't. It held her back. Told her it was safer to stay silent about the way she felt. At least that way she knew for certain how things would end, rather than putting things up to chance and risking everything.

Jaya didn't like it but she couldn't disagree, it was safer that way, but she couldn't not be around Robin either. There would always be that force pulling them together. Robin was the sun and she was the moon, never meant to be together but destined to be near. Trying to walk away from Robin, now, like this, smiling at Jaya with stars in her eyes would be like trying to escape the gravity of the sun: a futile mission.

"So, our date?" 

"Right, our date." Robin seems to have snapped out of some trance, something similar to what Jaya assumes she must have looked like. The girl nods to herself, shoving her hands in her pockets and rocking on her heels. "Well, Scoops kinda burned down so I don't have anywhere to be at all."

"That is such a coincidence 'cause I just found out Burger King burned down too, just last Thursday." Jaya joked and Robin cracked a smile.

She gave a faux shocked look, "On the same day too, that's insane." The two of them laughed together and everything was right. The previous awkwardness between the two was so wrong but it had all been corrected now, everything is how it should be. Almost.

Jaya thought for a moment, "Well, I'm on dinner duty tomorrow but what about Thursday?"

Robin nods, "Sounds good." Things go quiet for a moment, neither knowing quite what to say but it wasn't awkward like before, it was a calming, reassuring kind of quiet you could sit in for ages and be perfectly comfortable because there is no need for awkwardness anymore. "I should probably get going." 

"Ok," Jaya follows Robin to the door and watches as she grabs her coat. "You want a lift?" 

Robin shakes her head as she steps outside, turning to face Jaya on the other side of the doorway, "I can walk, it's not far."

Jaya nods, "See you Thursday, think you can not go missing before then?"

"I'll definitely try." Robin chuckles.

"Good, 'cause it'd be a real hassle, y'know." 

The two share a laugh, "I'll keep that in mind. See you later, Jaya."

Robin starts to step away, "Yeah, later, Robin." 

----

1295 words

It's all coming to a close, guys. Are you ready?