Thursday morning, I picked Robin up from his house. My heart skips a beat, the minute I see him wave his hand at me. He walks slowly toward the car, pops open the backseat, and drops his bag and a few hangers with clothes on them inside.
When he takes the passenger seat, and closes the door, I bid him a bright, "Good morning!"
"Morning," He murmurs back in response and rests his head against the seat with a tired sigh.
Sunglasses cover his eyes, but I know they are closed. Robin slouches in the seat like a sandbag, reviving my theory from the motel of his limbs being extremely heavy when he sleeps. I feel the urge to pick up his arm and shake it as a test, but one glimpse reminds me of what it was like to have that arm slung over me while I slept. Before I know it, I'm absorbed by the echoes of him curled around me and it occurs to me: I know exactly how heavy it is. I've felt it.
That's enough to promptly kill my dreams and put me in my place again. I must have been an idiot to think all I wanted was to be friends. My gaze traces over him, still completely oblivious to my feelings, and I roll my eyes at myself. Come on, girl. Sober up, you've still got a job to do.
My heart drops at repressing my feelings again. Like a petulant kid it flings itself to the floor, kicking and screaming, "I don't want to!" Meanwhile, my mind recognizes the infeasibility of those feelings being acted on. Robin and I reconciled as friends and friends are what we will stay unless I decide to act selfishly and ruin everything. Besides, far more complications lie between us other than the potential of unrequited feelings.
I still hadn't told him about what happened with the Crawley's at the studio, there were burdens from Maizy and the media should we get involved, and the last thing this group needed was more relationship drama. We had enough on our plates with Desi and Henry not communicating... adding a secret tryst on top of that was just asking for strife.
Then. Quit. Pining. I exhaled, dragging that yearning feeling from the bottom of my lungs and forcing it out of my mouth yet again. But it was no use...a secret, invincible, hope reinflates me again and I'm back where I started.
"Here," Resisting my feelings takes a backseat as I reach toward the drink holders. I offered him the cup of gas station coffee I made just in case, "I thought you might need this. Black, no sugar, right?"
He moves his head enough to see what I'm holding, then removes his sunglasses to reveal sleepy, but surprised eyes. Reaching to take the cup, Robin sweeps his gaze over to me as our fingers brush. His expression becomes bewildered, bottomless, and absolutely absorbed by whatever he's thinking. It's the same look he had from the amusement park.
All my resistance and rationalizations fall futile in an instant, and the voice in my head rings: Robin's going to kiss me over a cup of coffee.
Just as I think it, his lips part, and he shifts forward. Every muscle in my body strains to push me toward him. To give in, and for once, not question my intuition. That's until Robin stops, drops his eyes to the lid of the cup, and clears his throat, "Uh, thanks."
I swallow hard, gradually retreating to my seat. Staring hard at the road, I nod once before placing the car in gear and whispering, "Yep."
It doesn't take long before we are cruising on the highway toward my parents' house. I let myself play with the music until I find a playlist that suits the tone. Eventually, Robin drifts off in the passenger seat again, holding the cup of coffee in his lap the whole time.
I won't survive this for another hour, let alone the weekend.
***
We parked the car at the bottom of the street and began walking up toward the house. It was a lovely day, with white clouds and blue streaks in the sky. Birds were chirping and there were dogs barking in the distance. Smells of cooking filled the street from top to bottom, making my stomach grumble with anticipation.
The rest of the road trip had gone exactly as I expected it would. The moment this morning faded away while Robin slept for the first few hours. When he woke, we stopped for snacks and a pee break. Then he insisted on driving the second stretch. At that point we chatted, worked on aspects of the book, and listened to my music. Robin switched to his playlist just as it started to drizzle with rain, and before I knew it, I was the one being shaken awake.
"Hey, we're here." His voice was soft, far away, and somehow still all too near.
When my eyes opened there was a large black hoodie draped over me and my own jacket was tucked under my head. Robin came into view soon after that, and I wondered briefly if he was a dream. That is until he slowly smiled upside-down at me, lifted a cup of coffee he got from who-knows- where, and said, "Thought you might need this. A little cream, no sugar, right?"
I knew he had to be a dream then. I also understood why he nearly kissed me this morning. When you wake to the thing you want most being offered to you... It's quite an emotional experience. So, when Robin grinned at me, I was happy to have the coffee as an excuse for smiling back the way I did.
Now carrying the fruit salad carefully in both hands, with our bags slung over each shoulder, Robin strolled along the path beside me. Meanwhile, I sipped my coffee and carried our clothes over my arm.
As we walked, I couldn't stop staring at his pressed button-downs draped over my dresses. Just the sight of his button-down conjured dazing memories from the party and the boat house. But there was something more about it that felt symbolic. In a strange way, I fell in love with the way his shirt looked hung over my dress... and realized, for that tiny moment, in that tiny way, he was mine to hold. We belonged together. If not in life, then in the little ways at least.
"Thank you for coming to this." I spoke hastily to escape my own thoughts before thier consolation started to feel more like condemnation. "I mean, I know it wasn't the most orthodox way to do one of our tropes, but I'm glad you're here."
"Me too," he responded warmly, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes. "Thank you for inviting me. I honestly can't remember the last time I ate a thanksgiving meal that wasn't a frozen pizza."
I smiled, despite myself, "Well, it won't be anything to write home about, but if my mom is cooking then dinner won't disappoint. If it's my Aunt Nora, then there's always coffee and dessert!"
Robin laughs at this, nodding his head, "There's always coffee and dessert."
Arriving at the door of my house, we climbed the steps to the door. I hadn't even twisted the handle before my uncle opened the door, smiling brightly, "Ah, look who it---- Who are you?"
My Uncle AJ stops dead in his tracks when he sees Robin. His eyes trace instantly to the fruit salad in his hands, and he narrows his eyes protectively, "You her dweeb boyfriend or something? Who the hell invited you?"
"Hi, AJ." I say tensely, smiling through the pain of embarrassment.
Robin's eyes widen along with a very amused smile. Before my uncle can say anything else I swoop in to hug him. He pats me distractedly while I make introductions, "This is Robin Moore. Remember, the actor whose helping me write my book? I invited him."
AJ scans Robin a bit longer, then when my words sink in his eyes widen considerably, "Robin Moore!!" He shouts, capturing the attention of everyone in the house. Heads peek out of every room to look at the two of us standing in the doorway. "Guys!! Leah is here with Robin Moore!!"
Like flipping a switch, the AJ I know, and love, welcomes us in. He starts running down what's on the menu to us quickly as well as shaking Robin firmly by the hand despite seeing his hands were full.
"I'm AJ, nice to meet you! I loved you in that movie with the kid. You're one tough bastard! That scene where he comes crawling from the ceiling and you run down the hall from him with that giant ass knife in your leg! I was shitting my pants for you dude, no lie!" Uncle exclaimed excitedly at Robin as we walked into the house.
"Language!" My grandmother calls from the couches. AJ apologizes before going right back to cussing while he talks about the movie with Robin.
AJ's daughter's Olivia, and Haven, stare up at me and Robin as we pass through the living room. I wave to them and stop to give hugs as quickly as I can before letting them go back to playing. The tv is blaring at top volume for my grandparents who are sitting on the couch together. I hug and kiss them too.
I can hear my uncle conversing with Robin across the room as we move. I rushed to catch up, hearing him say, "We almost thought she had made you up, kid. Everyone said Leah had some imaginary boyfriend who was an actor, and I cracked up. Nice to see her imagination not too active. I swear if she brought home another dry-ass pencil neck dork-bot I would have to put my head through a wall! What was the last one's name? Desmond? Dexter? Couldn't hold a conversation to save his life."
"It was Daryl, and he was not my boyfriend. He was an intern picking up my manuscript and you are the one who asked him to stay." Rolling my eyes at his dramatics, I groan at him, "Besides that was one time! And Robin isn't--"
AJ makes a fart noise at me like the rest of that sentence was inconsequential. Despite him being my uncle by marriage, we're more like brother and sister rather than uncle and niece. I attribute this to his general lack of maturity... He attributes it to "the fact that I'm a hopeless nerd in need of fraternal guidance." One of these things is truer than the other...
He continues to guide Robin and I to the center of the action: the kitchen. Mom is at the table with AJ's wife (and my mother's younger sister) Nora. My dad stands beside mom with his brother, my uncle Jordan, his wife Caragh, and their kids Joey, Rosie, and Cade standing around the kitchen snacking.
They all light up, welcoming me and Robin warmly. My mom takes the fruit salad from Robin, beaming at him like he made it just for her. My dad shakes his hand with a friendly smile, the only normal reaction out of everyone, and welcomes us home.
***
The carousel of affection and noisy introductions begins. People flood into the kitchen and before Robin knows it, he's being passed around, hugged, and kissed by everyone in my family. Aunt Nora participates a little too eagerly. So does Rosie, who has been watching every movie, despite Jordan and Caragh's protests, since she heard I was working with him.
When he's met everyone, mom sends us upstairs to get ready. She acts like a bodyguard, ushering us upstairs while defending Robin and I from the questions and attention of the family. All the while she lists the exact location of rooms, utilities, and other necessities.
"You can sleep in Leah's room, she can sleep in the living room down here. That's what she gets for not telling me we were going to have a guest!" My mother narrows her eyes pointedly at me, and I shrug as innocently as I could. "Leah's room is clean, but the rest of the house is just a disaster! I hope you don't mind."
When we reach the top of the stairs, mom guides us toward the towel cupboard and points out the main bathroom for Robin to get ready in. She loads his arms up with three sizes of towels, a toothbrush (even though he's brought one) and a bathrobe she admits she "accidentally packed" on thier last vacation but has never been used.
Robin looks a little dazed, but manages to say in response, " Thank you, Mrs. Aplin. I'm sorry for imposing---"
"Oh stop! It's just Lilly." My mom waves dismissively, "You get ready here, and Leah will take our bathroom. Just use anything you need; our home is your home now. Leah take those bags to your room for him, honey."
Robin takes a small step away when I try to take the bags from him. Standing halfway between me and my mom, he replies, " Oh, it's okay, I'll take mine with me."
I shift behind him and attempt to slide the strap of my bag off his shoulder anyway. If he was taking his, I could take mine. But before I get my fingers under the strap, Robin reaches behind his back with his other hand and stops me.
All the blood rushes to my face, and I gape at his hand blatantly holding mine. Resting them against his middle back, he strokes my skin with his thumb before saying unaffectedly to my mom, "I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here. I'm lucky to join you all."
Mom makes a pleased chirp noise. I see her take Robin's face between his hands before saying, "We're lucky to have you, sweetie! Go ahead and get ready. Dinner is in three hours, so you both have plenty of time."
When she removes her hands from his face and moves to leave us, Robin loosens his hand on mine. I let it slide out of his and adjust my hair, trying to breathe normally.
Unable to hide the burning in my cheeks, I pretend to itch my nose while listening to the last of my mom's demands before she leaves us to get ready. Thankfully, she doesn't notice anything. Chaos resumes downstairs while we stand alone in the all-too-quiet hallway above.
After a moment, Robin faces me with a pink face and ears. "She... pinched my cheeks. I've never had anyone do that before."
I laughed; happy I wasn't the only one blushing after that encounter. "Still happy you came?"
Robin surprises me when he grins, proclaiming, "I love it here."
***
The table is crammed tight with bodies from end to end, and Robin sits beside me and AJ who keeps winking at him for no reason. It makes me want to facepalm every time I catch him doing it. Robin doesn't seem to mind, but he is quiet, more so than I've ever seen before. I look over at him until he notices, and he passes me a small smile in response.
"Leah, how's the book coming?" Mom asks, her eyes passing over me like I've hidden pages and am prepared to pass them under the table to her.
"Still in the research stage but I've got the first draft done. I'm working on edits now... so, I might be a little busy this weekend."
"I suppose that's where you come in?" Dad chimes in before my mom can start lecturing me about work. He's looking at Robin, who nods.
Dad's interjection works in distracting her from lecturing me. Mom shakes her head smiling, "I just can't believe you're here! Leah said she was working with you, but it's incredible to have a real actor here at my table. How many cliches has she made you live through?"
"I have a feeling we're only getting started." Robin smiled back, passing a glance at me. It felt like warm water poured directly over my chest.
"With Leah, that's no question." My dad laughs, cutting into his turkey before popping it into his mouth.
My mom picks up his line of thought, "She probably has a list a mile long. I should have made her middle name "thorough" instead of Anne."
"Anything would have been better than the most common middle name in the world." I joke, rolling my eyes.
Mom clicks her tongue, addressing Robin, "Emilia thinks that Anne is a name to be ashamed of." She looks pointedly at me, "But she should be honored to be named after Anne. Especially as a writer."
"Brontë?" Robin quirks an eyebrow.
"Hah! She wishes!" My Aunt Nora chimes in from down the table. I resist the urge to roll my eyes at her, but Aunt Caragh shushes her for me and distracts her by mentioning the turkey is a little dry. My aunt Nora burst into protest.
"Shirley Cuthbert," I correct. "Of Green Gables."
"Ahh," Robin nods, scooping up a bit of mashed potato and chucking. "I should have guessed. You don't seem to be the brooding rebellious type. Overzealous dreamer however..." he pauses to look at me, "Well, that makes sense."
I feel myself beginning to flush, so I take a drink of ice water. Mom smirks to herself and stabs a potato with her fork. When she pops it into her mouth she flashes me a look. I blush deeper, clearing my throat. "Which Robin are you named after? Hood?"
He shakes his head, finishes chewing his food, then says, "When my mom got pregnant with me, she had a dream that a Robin landed in her window and sang to her. She says that it was my way of introducing myself."
"Are you a singer too?" Rosie asks from down the table, leaning forward.
Her giant brown eyes go sparkly just at the opportunity to speak to him directly. I can see how shy she gets the minute Robin's gaze finds her. She tucks subconsciously into her dad's side. My uncle Jordan smiles fondly at her, before answering Oliva who is tugging at his sleeve.
Robin chuckles in response to Rosie, "Not really."
"Of course you have a cool conception story." I smile at my plate, shaking my head at how many things there still are to learn about him. If he wasn't already easy to like, it would be impossible to deny how adorable this makes him. "You got to choose your name via prophetic dream... I got Anne."
Mom baulks, offended at my continuous lack of enthusiasm, "Anne is a great name!"
Robin nudges me, "If it's any consolation, my middle name is Gilbert."
Mom drops her silverware from mid-air. It clatters so much that the nearest family turn to look at us. I narrow my eyes at him skeptically, "It is not."
He laughs in astonishment at my direct rejection of this fact. Robin continues resolutely, "It was my great grandfathers name. The last few generations of men in my family have the middle name Gilbert."
My mom's eyes look like they'll bug out. I can hear her internal squealing at the coincidence. I reached over and touched her hand, narrowing my eyes, "Don't let him fool you, Mom."
When I shake my head at Robin in disapproval, he beams at me. I say, "His middle name is Lewis. Robin Lewis Moore."
Robin winks at me. Then leans over his plate and grins at my mom conspiratorially, "She is thorough."
-------
Hello lovelies!
OH.MY.GOSH.
What is life lately? I have been on a roller coaster ride from the cosmos and let me tell ya, I am ready for a nap, a bath, and a tub of chocolate ice cream! The number of blocks I've had is insane. Thankfully though, I think I'm over that and should be getting back on track!
Bit of a long chapter, but YAY we get to see Robin and Leah together with the fam!! What do you all think? I am so excited to see things progressing between the two of them. I can't help it I just know Robin changed at the amusement park. He is out here wildin with these lingering looks and secret touches and Leah is READY TO RISK IT ALL for him hahahah!
You guys are going to love what happens next ;) hehehe
Anyway, I love you each dearly! Thank you so much for 2.6k reads!!! <3
I'm gonna take that nap now, but I will see you soon with another update. Please vote, comment, and share if you are enjoying it. :)
with love,
e.g.