Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer...


No, of course Barney's not okay, is what should be the answer to Lily's question. How can he be? It's Robin, it's Ted.

Yeah, he knows he can tell her anything (she'll blab, though, she hasn't yet), and he knows that she cares about this whole thing because their friends.

He's lying to her anyways, and when he smashes the TV outside behind the bar, in the alley.


He's in lover with her. He does. But this is Ted, and sleeping with Robin had been a mistake - and now, he's in love - and now Ted knows.

"That's why - "

Barney doesn't even want to hear it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Positive?"

Yes, I am, is what should be the answer.

But he lies, anyways.


"Is it?"

Is it so obvious?

He hopes it's not.

Because he's nervous, and he can't speak clearly, and she hasn't caught on yet, and -

"Yeah, it's Ted."

She's wrong. She's so wrong, but she can't know that he cares, and he cares a lot, and -

"I love you."

He shouldn't have said that. He knows this, and she's no fazed by it - she has no idea what he's just said, and it's killing him.

It's killing him, and it hurts.

It hurts like hell, and he can't do anything about it.


Ted sees it now.

He sees that Barney lied.

He sees it in the way he's looking at her.

It's shocking, and it's a dull kind of pain that he's feeling - but that's blocked out, mostly, for the time being, by the fact that Barney is in love with Robin.

But he's not going to say anything, because the idea of Barney - in love - is just ridiculous.

...right?

Right?