All by chance (A Robert Downey Jr story)

Chapter 9: Traditions Broken

A few months went by until it was February. Robert had decided to split rent with Jason and temporarily move up to Syracuse. Nicole and Robert spent at least 3 days together each week. They became closer than they could ever imagine. Going from not even knowing each others name to knowing so many details they seemed to have known each other for their entire lives. Caroline had tagged along with the two when she was not with Jack (it wasn't a lot that she tagged along). When Caroline had brought Jack over for dinner Robert was there sometimes and met him. They weren't close but they got along. As for Otis, however. Nicole told him that she and Robert were hanging out but she made sure they would never meet each other. Otis and Nicole went out whenever he didn't have lacrosse, so every other weekend or so. But they still saw each other everyday when they went out for lunch. Every day. None of either of their friends would bother to ask to go out to lunch. That was their thing. Until February.

Nicole had just got out of her What People Want Marketing class. She started to walk towards the student parking lot with Caroline. "So where are you and Otis going toda- Shit!" Caroline yelled as she tripped but recovered.

"Are you okay?"

"Ya its just hard to see cause of all this damn fog" This time around every year Syracuse was kniwn for getting fog, so it didn't come as that big of a surorise to anyone. Not that it stopped them from hating it.

"Anyways, I think we are going to Subway. Nothing fancy."

"Fancy or not food is food and Subway has some good shit." Caroline said looking down. Nicole knew Caroline for a while, so she could kinda tell what she was thinking.

"Want me to pick you up something?"

"YES THANK YOU SO MUCH!" 'I know her way too well' Nicole thought to herself proud that she once again got it correct.

They walked to the parking lot. Nicole saw someone waiting by their car. She couldn't exactly tell who it was due to the fog but who else would be waiting there? She said goodbye to Caroline who reminded her to get her that sandwich. Nicole ran up to Otis, leaped and gave him a big hug. "Yay lets go im starving. Oh and Caroline wants us to get her something."

"Wow this whole entrance just for little ole me?" Nicole froze. She did recognize that voice, but it wasn't Otis. She looked up to see Robert holding her in his arms with a goofy smile plastered on his face. "So where do you want to go to lunch?" Robert said gently setting Nicole down and reaching in his pockets for his keys.

"Well actually Robbie," Nicole had started to call him that since mid January. "We can't go to lunch." Nicole said nervously, she really had no idea how he was going to react to this.

"Why not? Is it my breath?" Robert joked, making a face as if he had smelt something pretty bad.

"No, its just, Otis and I have gone out to lunch everyday since the beginning of the year, its kind of like a tradition."

"Nicole come on, just this once?"

"Robbie I would love to but its our thing." There was no way Robert was going to give up this easily.

"Come on Nicole," Robert said picking her up by the waist and sitting her on the front hood of his car, "how can you say no to this face." Robert gave Nicole te puppy eyes. As much as Nicole tried to give in the softness of his brown eyes made it impossible not to.

 "Fine. You win. But Otis isn't going to be too happy about this."

"Don't worry Nicole. Traditions were made to be broken." Robert said as Nicole texted Otis and got in the car.

"I think you mean rules."

"Traditions are just rules that people convince themselves not to break long enough to make them think it was their choice not to break them."