Girl Next Door (Editing)

magical moments

       Robins POV

I kept fiddling with my fingers in the car. I was seated at the back with Eli and for some reason I was nervous. I liked that he had sacrificed his day to be with me. I know uncle Ted asked him but it still seemed awesome he was going to New York with us.

"Hey, Eli. Thanks for coming along"  I finally said, breaking that small tension I could feel. I wonder if he felt it too?

"It's fine Robin. I'm glad I could be of help" I nodded, a bit disappointed. Robin, what are you thinking? He should fall for you? The idea of Eli falling in love with me was a bit scary.

"Can I call Julian now?" It was lame but he didn't seem like he wanted to have a conversation.

"Sure. Lemme call him with my phone." I saw him pull out an IPhone from his backpack and pressing some keys on it.
"Julian, hey. No, I didn't call you because of Annaliese" who was this Annaliese anyway? An exotic girlfriend? I made a mental note to ask Julian about her. " Robin wants to talk to you"He handed over the phone

"Hi, Incredible"

"Hi, RoAn. Where are you and my pal headed off to?" Boy, was he direct!.

"Well, Uncle Ted is taking me to New York and asked Eli to come along"

"Wait, why wasn't I invited along?" His whining was cute and I chuckled a bit. Sadly, it drew Eli's attention. I just shrugged.

"Eli said you have food poisoning. That's why I called in the first place. To know how you're doing" I said it as if it was something he ought to know. After all, he had food poisoning.

"He said that, didn't he? Of course that backstabber did that. Tell Eli he should know he's up for payback. Later RoAn"

"Be safe, Incredible" I handed back the phone back to Eli. His dark eyes boring into mine. I turned away before he saw me blush. Why did he affect me like no other guy could? It didn't take long for Stan to reach the airport which was crowded with people.

"Uncle Ted, are we going with first class again?" I asked because we'd skip the queue if we were. Eli chuckled behind me but I chose to ignore him. Score one for me!

"Even better my dear. We're using my private jet." It took everything in me to not let my jaw drop. I thought back to how my parents were suffering and almost cried. Uncle Ted hugged me as if he knew my train of thoughts.

"I'll do anything to help my sister but she's stubborn. She won't accept anything from me. I'm surprised she agreed to let you come stay with me. We'll figure out something, Robin. You trust that?" I nodded because I wholly trusted Ted McCurdy.
As soon as we boarded our plane, it took off. Being a businessman had its perks I guess. I was seated next to Eli but chose to look out the window. I realised the flight was going to be a long one indeed.

"Robin, have you decided on your new classes?" That was a safe topic I could immerse myself in.

"Not really. I haven't had the chance to think about it."

"And here I thought you were all about the books" his teasing caught me off guard but I loved how his eyes twinkled with mischief.

"I am about the books. That's the whole point of school. Ophiuchus offers more intriguing courses so it's a bit hard to decide on what to do." I hope I didn't sound too much on the defensive.

"That's understandable"
I took out an old book my dad had given me. It was a book of crafty puzzles. I had complained once to my dad about being bored and he'd gotten me it. I took out a pencil and started solving a couple of puzzles.
"Hey, what's that?"

"Just an old puzzle book. Wanna try your hands on some?" He nodded, looking genuinely interested in solving the puzzles with me. The two of us working together was a force to be reckoned with. Eli was smart. Maybe, he'd be a worthy challenger in school. It didn't take us long to start laughing and teasing each other about the mistakes we made and the words we couldn't find. I decided to take a nap so I'd be well rested.
After what felt like minutes, Eli was shaking me gently. I realised my head was on his shoulder and a blanket draped around me.

"We're about to land, Robin. Sorry I had to wake you"

I gave him a little smile. "Hey, it's alright" Minutes later, the plane descended. I followed my uncle's lead with Eli right behind me. JFK looked cool. We stepped out and saw Stan. He stood by a black Honda Odyssey. He opened the door for me and that earned him a smile which he returned.

"747 Madison Avenue. Let's try Alexander McQueen first" I saw Eli messing with his phone, wildly texting and thought maybe he was texting his girlfriend. It hurt to think he had a girlfriend but I couldn't tell why. I just focused on the sights.
We got to Alexander McQueen too soon and I felt shy. Uncle Ted and Eli had to coax me out of the car. Inside the shop was heavenly. Beautiful clothes everywhere.

"Robin, remember, you can choose whatever you like no matter the price okay?" I nodded numbly and started walking around. I picked up an off the shoulder embroidered poplin top and matched it with some leather moto pants. Then fashion instincts kicked in. I picked up a couple of dresses, skirts and jackets and tried not to feel guilty about their prices. Uncle Ted paid for them. Stan and Eli helped me moved the bags to the car.

"Where are we going next, Uncle?"

"Stan, drive us to fifth avenue. There are quite some interesting shops over there" Stan merely nodded. We headed to Tiffany & co. I wasn't privy to jewelry much but I was looking around because of my uncle. Eli had wondered away from my side. I chose the double interlocking drop pendant. It was copper and silver coloured and felt like I was mixing my old world and new world together. Eli surprised me and got me a double interlocking bracelet. I forgot myself and hugged him. He hugged me back. The rest of the afternoon was a blur. We marched through different shops. Burberry, Saint Laurent, Chanel, Alexander Wang. I sort of lost count but it was actually nice shopping for new clothes and shoes. I had enough to fill a new closet.
Stanley took us to Burger Heaven because we were starving. Well, mostly me. I had the buffalo chicken sandwich and it tasted heavenly indeed.
Our last stop was the Godiva Chocolatier. The chocolate covered giant strawberries had my mouth watering. Stanley drove us back to the airport. I began to wonder what would happen to the car. I placed my head on Eli's shoulder again and  fell asleep on the plane, exhausted but happy.