I've been thinking about this all week, until today I didn't think I wanted to write this but decided why not so I came up with a little resolution to Ted finally telling Robin about Barney's set up with candles and rose pedals in her room. Based on why she needed to know that Barney was serious about getting back together with her. Think of episode 7.24 but with Robin finally figuring out what SHE wants but thinks it's too late.
Roses: They can mean anything depending on the color, whatever you're feeling, whatever the mood is reflects on what color rose to use. In fact, a red rose means love. A simple color to express how you feel about in that moment. In this moment however roses mean a whole other thing something that Robin didn't even think about a few months earlier on that boat ride/party. Frankly, everything from those two days is such a blur to her now that everything before it and everything after it doesn't even seem real to her. The thoughts on her mind that night was to get over with breaking up with Kevin because the only thing on her mind in that moment was Barney. She wondered what he was doing, did he breakup with Nora, did Nora take the news that he cheated on her rationally. Did he not breakup with Nora and bagged her to forgive him in a moment of weakness with his ex. These are all the things plus a whole lot of other things on her mind that night.
So, her logical thinking went to Kevin. He's a nice guy, a nice guy who seems to love her despite all the problems he knows about from her sessions in therapy. The facts: She told him in the first few minutes of knowing Kevin that she still has feelings for an ex. An ex that she sees every day, who is her best friend. But, despite all of the issues Robin was dealing with plus her abandonment and parent issues are all the things Kevin seems to like about her.
But, that was a different time. A time when realistic reasoning and guilt set in. She cheating, they both cheated but why was that? Why did they end up making one mistake and regretting it but then later realizing that the reason they cheated was because they both knew it. They knew they were in love, they knew that all the months/years of being scared to take the risk again and get back together finally came to a head on that night they finally gave into the temptation which lead them both to realize that neither was quite over each other so desperate to get to each other not knowing the outcome on either end, ended up being the second worst mistake of her life. The first being cheating and not telling each other how they were feeling for month, years since they broke up.
Until now she didn't realize just how serious Barney was about meeting her that night to discuss their relationship. With the way he was acting she thought he wasn't at all serious about getting back together so that's why she chose to stay with Kevin rather than break up with him the way she wanted to that night.
What if Barney wanted to propose? He doesn't just set rose pedals and candles for anyone let alone her. Robin knows full well that Barney isn't the type for romantic gestures but what if he had planned to propose it would've changed everything.
"He really did that?"
"Yeah. I saw him with a garbage bag putting all the roses that were scattered on your bed in it and then he blew out the candles. I didn't stay there watching the whole scene but it seemed he was ready to be with you. Or at least ask you to get back together with him. Barney Stinson doesn't just do something spur of the moment romantic like that."
"Oh, my, god. What did I do? I could've been with the love of my life but instead I made the biggest mistake of my life. I'm sorry Ted, but I have to go."
Robin ran out of the bar so fast forgetting her purse. In tears she jumps into the next cab, she knew exactly where Barney was going. Even if he isn't there or is there, at the airport with Quinn she has to see him. She has to tell him that it was all a mistake, a misunderstanding and that she loves him, always has. She has to beat this traffic and get to the airport on time, before he takes off with Quinn to Hawaii. Hawaii, she thought. It's a romantic place for a proposal and even a wedding but she can't have him leave with Quinn without explaining herself. Telling him how she's been feeling, how sad, alone and miserable she's been trying to stay in denial about this whole thing, this whole time choosing safety and stability over being happy. For once in her life she has to take a risk and tell Barney how she really feels, how she always felt.
She gets to the airport on time, there's only 5 minutes until his plane takes off. She bolts through the airport trying to get to the gate that Barney is about to board his flight. She runs and brushes past the crowd hoping beyond hope that Barney's still in line to board the flight and isn't on the plane yet.
He can't marry Quinn. Is the only thought she has on her mind as she runs trying to get to Barney. He can't marry her, he can't go to Hawaii without him knowing how she feels. She can't be too late, she has to get everything she needs to say out there for Barney to know why she did what she did back in November. Why she stayed with Kevin, why she thought she could be pregnant with his child and that she's been thinking about him this whole time while dating Kevin. Barney has to know everything so luckily she caught him right as he's about to board his flight with Quinn next to him, she doesn't even pay her much mind, her attention is all on Barney at this point.
Out of breath and in tears she shouts out Barney's name and he turns around at the sound of someone calling his name. Shock came on his face when he sees Robin running towards him looking like she just came from the gym. With her face wet from her tears Robin brushes past the line to the plane.
"Don't go. Barney I love you. Please don't go I made a mistake. I really terrible mistake a few months ago. I chose the safe route, I thought I wanted that kind of relationship and at the time I thought I wasn't making a mistake by staying with Kevin but..." Robin wipes her face with her sleeve as a tissues then continues.
"It was a mistake. I love you, loved you then, I love you now and I can't have you. No, I can't watch you make the biggest mistake of your life by marrying Quinn when that's not what you want. It's never what you wanted. You wanted me. It took me a while to realize, to understand how much I need you. How I've tried to forget about our relationship and pushed the pain of seeing you with other people away was the only way to prevent myself from dying a little bit more every day I'm not with you. I didn't think I need this, I didn't think I needed you. I didn't want a relationship but it's been so god damn hard to stop loving you when I do. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone and it took Ted to remind me how badly I screwed up.
I know about the roses and the candles in my room. I can't have you leave on that plane without telling you that I know everything now because I will forever live with the biggest regret of my life by not telling the only man I've ever really loved that I love him and I know you love me." The tears start to sting her eyes and stick to her face but she doesn't care. She doesn't care that everyone around them is watching her pour her heart out, she doesn't even care that Quinn watching with a shocked/wtf face on her face watching Robin tell the man she's about to leave on that plane with that she loves him.
"So, please forgive me for what I did. I know I broke your heart, I broke my own heart by not following it the way I should have. All along, I've ran from relationships, I ran from commitment because I thought it would be better for me but it's not. I can't let you get on that plane without telling you that I'm done. I'm done fighting my feelings for you. I'm done running from the pain of being in love with you. I've fought and ran for so long that I was slowly dying inside knowing that I still love you. So, please forgive me for everything. I love you Barney Stinson."
Barney's standing there watching and listening to Robin say what she needs to say smiling lightly as she's pouring all of her feelings out to him in front of everyone in the airport watching it. He can't believe she's here, saying all this stuff that he's been wanting to say to her this whole time. He's so caught up in Robin that he forgets for a minute that Quinn's there too.
"Is she right? Do you still love her?" Quinn asks a bewildered Barney who seems to be staring at Robin and not paying any mind to what Quinn's asking.
This is all so weird, it's weird that after all this time Robin is telling him that she loves him and wants to be with him which is something she should have known back when he wanted to propose to her. At the time it was all such a crazy time that after everything they had been through, he would've proposed because he realized that she's his soul mate and his true love. But, that was then and now things has changed for them both in the months that followed the worst and most devastating time in his life. Watching her walk into MacLaren's with him and breaking his heart. But, if he told her everything he wanted to at the time he wouldn't be here with Quinn on his way to Hawaii to propose to her. He would be with Robin, probably planning a wedding. Their wedding...
"Um." Is all Barney could say in this moment. It took him another minute to realize that Quinn's still here watching Robin tell Barney how she feels. It's all such a shock to him that he doesn't know what to say to either one of these women.
"Do you still love her? It's an easy question to answer." Quinn's now annoyed and getting a little angry at the silence of Barney and Barney and Robin.
"Yes. I do still love her." Barney finally says after a few minutes after the shock of the situation wore down and he was back to the reality of what just happened
The smile on both Robin's and Barney's faces is the first time they felt happy in along time. They just stare at each other, into the other ones eyes as the moment of Barney revealing his own feelings comes out. They don't even care about anything or anyone in this moment and in this moment all they wanted was to kiss. And so they did as Quinn walked off in the other direction leaving the two people kissing alone but in front of the people around them.
"I love you. More than ever. I didn't realize it till earlier when Ted told me about your little set up in my room. Were you going to propose?" After the shock of the moment and the thrill of reuniting past there was one more thing Robin had to ask and if it's true then there's no more doubting that he doesn't truly love her anymore.
'At the time, everything that had happened between us was so confusing to me and obviously to you too so when you asked me on the boat if I was serious about us talking about our relationship I was serious but didn't really think about really being together until I went to meet Nora's parents. Her father went on about meeting the right person, who's your best friend and your soul mate and all I thought about was you. So, I then broke up with Nora and went to get a bunch of roses, candles and a ring. A ring that my dad had given to me if I were to ever ask someone to marry me. I laughed at that at first and didn't want the ring but then I realized that I couldn't spend my life without telling you how I felt.
Yes, I was going to propose to you that night." Robin feels like crying again. This had become too much for her to take in. Now, knowing that Barney was actually serious about being together, for good this time made her realize all over again what a terrible mistake she made last year.
"So, after hearing that I have one other question for you." Barney looks at her, into her eyes seeing them light up with a glow that made her beautiful blue eyes more beautiful if that's even possible.
"Will you marry me?" There's no verbal answer his lips said everything she needed to hear.