Chapter 4
It was three hours later that Robin found herself sitting on the couch in her living room, staring at her laptop. It showed her Email, open on one particular mail.
Hey, Robin.
I don't understand. We had such a great time that one week four months ago, and when you came to New York. You said you had fun and that I make you laugh… I just don't understand. Did I do something wrong? Please answer me, you've been avoiding my emails for a few days now and I'm starting to worry something might have happened to you.
Please just tell me what's wrong.
I miss you,
Barney.
She scrolled down the screen and saw her last reply to that Email; I'm sorry. Please stop contact me. It's over.
Sixteen years old her was pretty harsh. She didn't think she would ever see him again, but apparently she'd been meeting him almost everyday, without even realizing it.
She had hard time to grasp the fact that Barney from the bar and her Barney were the same person. They had two different personalities. Her Barney (she can't believe she just referred to him as her Barney) was sweet, kind and naïve. But the Barney she spent drinking scotch and playing Laser Tag with these past few months was completely different. He was colder, always calculated, smug and sarcastic. He lured innocent girls into his bed and then abandoned them.
She couldn't help herself from wondering if she had a part in making him that way. She put the laptop down on the table and let her mind drift to memories she buried from the past.
Robin sat in a very uncomfortable chair in a plane to New York. She couldn't believe she was doing this. She was actually going to visit New York, a city she only heard about, but wanted to visit all her life. Sure, she was only sixteen so that wasn't that long, but still.
She knew her mother would never let her do that, fly alone to a different country, but she couldn't resist herself. So she bought the ticket in secret with the money she made from her last concert as Robin Sparkles, and told her mother a lie about going to spend Christmas with her father. She knew her parents didn't speak to one another and there was a very small chance her mother would find out.
She was really exited. She was going to spend the holiday in Staten Island with Barney's family. And she was going to see him again, after four months of exchanged emails.
She still remembered the time they spent together at Toronto in the summer. On the day she met him she had a point of break down; she couldn't take all of the stress from the concert and her agent's high expectations. Then this American boy came out of nowhere and offered to talk to her, and he acted so normal and didn't recognize her, which was a nice change. After that day they met each other everyday of his vacation, mostly spending their time at the beach.
She still remembered his blue eyes and his sad smile on his face when they hugged goodbye at the airport, when he and his mom had to get back to NY. She still remembered the taste of his lips on hers.
"I'm really happy I met you," he told her then, "and I really want us to keep in touch."
"Me too," she smiled at him. "We'll write every day!"
Robin couldn't wait to see him again.
Half an hour later she exited the plane, stepping her foot out of Canada for the first time. She found her luggage easily and walked outside of the airport, searching for Barney and his mom. It was snowing outside, and while she was used to it, she tighten her jeans coat around her.
Suddenly she heard her name being called, and turned around to see Barney standing in front of her, with his hippy sweater on and a big smile on his face.
"Robin, you made it!" he came closer, and after a second of hesitation pulled her closer for a hug. His body warmed her instantly, and she wrapped her arms around him. She had missed him.
"Hey," she smiled at him when they drew apart.
"Hi." He smiled back. "Here, let me take that," he took hold of her suitcase.
"Where's your mom?" she asked him, looking around.
"Oh," Barney grinned, "she couldn't come, something at work came up, so I said I could come and get you by myself."
She was very glad for that. It meant some time for them to be alone together. And she wanted time with him for quite some time.
"Come on, let's go find a cab."
Robin couldn't believe it had been ten years ago. Now that she had that memory in the front of her mind, she could actually feel the warmth of his arms around her. She was still shocked it was Barney.
She was really surprised it was him, and that she couldn't figure it out for herself, because he did look like himself. Except for the suits, of course. Oh, and his short blonde hair, the cocky grin he always worn and the coldness of his eyes. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that hard to believe that she didn't recognize him.
She knew he recognized her. The way his eyes winded when she commented on the Email gave it away immediately. She wondered when he had figured it out, and why wasn't he talking to her about it, and acting as if they only knew each other for a few months.
When she tried to ask him about that Email after the rest of the gang had left the bar for the night, he acted as if he didn't know what she was talking about and hurried to walk out of the bar and into a cab. She didn't know why he was acting that way, but she was going to find out.
