A/N: Another long long chapter because I just had so much I wanted to add in here! This chapter is based on a suggestion from one of my readers at the start of this story, and I loved it so much that I had to find a way to incorporate it. Little did I know, it would work really well for the overall plot.
Lots of developments in this chapter! I hope you all enjoy...
Robby woke up with his head feeling like it was the heaviest part of his body. He rolled over in bed and had to tightly close his eyes as the dizziness washed over him.
He swallowed to quench his dry mouth and cringed at the painful way his throat clenched from the movement.
The past few days he started to feel a little run down. Then a sneeze or stuffy nose began to creep up on him. Waking up this morning, the grossness of his cold finally hit him with full force.
Robby hated being sick. It kept him from enjoying the things he wanted to do — even eating or drinking water were made unenjoyable while sick.
When he was a kid, his mom used to let him stay home from school for every little cold he had. It would be one of the few times when they got to spend an entire day together. She couldn't afford to take off work, so she'd bring Robby, dressed in his favorite dinosaur pajamas and warm fuzzy boots, to work with her. He was given animal crackers and ginger ale to snack on throughout the day as he nodded on and off with naps on the floor by her feet. Then they would go home and watch movies together until he was asleep for good.
Sometimes Robby pretended to be sick just because he didn't want to be alone that day.
It had been a while since he'd gotten sick. And even though he is much older now, it felt strange to not have his mom around to take care of him.
Groaning as his head spun when he sat up, Robby began to slowly make his way out his room in search of a box of tissues. His bare feet padded on the hard floors across the tiny apartment and into the bathroom. He searched under the cabinet for a box of tissues and was disappointed to find none. Rolling his eyes at his dad for not buying tissues, he decided to steal a roll of toilet paper instead.
Robby walked back into the kitchen and living area and blew his nose loudly.
"Jesus, you look like hell," Johnny informed him from his place on the couch.
Robby glared at his dad from behind his balled up piece of makeshift toilet paper. "I'm si—" Robby tried to speak, but was cut off by an intense cough that overtook his body. "Sick," he finished nasly.
"Obviously," Johnny said. He shifted on the couch to get a better look at his son's sickly state. "Do you need like...soup or something?" He scratched the back of his neck.
The glare on Robby's face didn't change. He rolled his eyes at his dad and marched off toward his room. "Don't bother. I'm fine taking care of myself," he closed his door behind him.
Johnny threw his head back on the couch. He took a minute, thinking over his options. Should I even bother to try? He asked himself. He's never taken care of Robby when he was sick before — he's never really taken care of him before in general. Not to mention, his kid was still pissed at him for everything with Miguel. But maybe that's just more reason why he should attempt to take care of him. He needed to show Robby that he was going to try, no matter what.
Giving it a moment to think over, Johnny reached for his phone and called the only person who could give him advice on this subject.
"Johnny? To what do I owe the pleasure?" Shannon's voice rang through his phone clearly.
"Hey Shannon," he grumbled. "So, Robby has come down with a cold, and I don't really know what to do. He doesn't want anything to do with me — what else is new— but I don't know, there's got to be something I can get for him to make him feel better. Like, what about those Flinstone vitamins? I loved those as a kid," Johnny said.
"No, he's 16, don't get him children vitamins," Johnny could practically hear the shake of her head through the phone. "Robby hates being alone when he's sick. I used to take him to work with me every time. So even if he says not to bother him, try to keep him company," she suggested. "I also used to give him animal crackers and ginger ale and it kind of became his go to food when he wasn't feeling well. You should also just make sure you have the basic things like tissues, a thermometer and some Advil just in case he gets a fever or something," she added.
Johnny nodded along as he took in all the information. In hindsight, he should've already had all these supplies ready in the event that Robby would get sick, but thinking proactively was never really his strong suit. "Alright, got it. Anything else?"
"Um, that's pretty much it. Oh, sometimes we'd watch movies together. I don't know what you have available, but if it's anything like it was 20 years ago, then it probably would be best to just set him up with Netflix," she suggested.
"If I rent a Netflix movie now it won't come in the mail until like next week," Johnny confidently opposed.
"No I — you know what, never mind. I guess Iron Eagle will have to do," she shook her head.
"And Iron Eagle 2," he clarified. "Thanks Shannon. You know, I knew being a good parent would be hard — it's why I gave up so early — but being just a decent parent is way harder than I ever imagined. I didn't give you enough credit. You've done a lot for him, and I'm glad you're getting to take care of yourself now," Johnny admitted.
Shannon was quiet on the other end of the phone for a minute, and he thought he may have said something wrong. Then he heard a faint sniffle. "Thanks Johnny," she finally said, her voice a little broken with tears. "And um...for what it's worth, I think it's really great that you're finally trying to make this work with him. I know that he doesn't make it easy, but just know that he does want you there. Even if he says different, Robby has always wanted his dad. And he's getting older so quickly! Don't wait any longer to have those hard conversations with him," she instructed with a shaky voice.
Johnny nodded his head even though she couldn't see. "Alright. Thanks again Shannon. Take care," he gulped, hanging up the phone.
He sighed out a long breath, running his hand over his face. He knew Shannon was right. He needed to strike first.
Johnny came back from the convenience store clutching bags filled to the brim with all the necessities Shannon advised him to get, plus a few extras he figured would help — Flinstone vitamins being one.
He bypassed the kitchen and went straight into Robby's room, kicking the door open with his foot.
Robby lifted his head from its face-down position on the pillow to find the source of the noise. He rolled his eyes and let his heavy head fall back down in a huff when he saw his dad standing there in his room. "What do you want," he coughed.
"I went to the store, and I got some stuff I think you might want," Johnny placed the bags down on the floor of his room. He dug through them, pulling out the box of tissues, Animal Crackers, and Advil, and throwing them to where Robby rested on the bed.
After he was hit by the flying box of tissues, Robby sat up and caught the following items before he got hit in the head. He looked down at the box of Animal Crackers in his hands. His face softened for just a second, feeling for a moment like a kid again. Only this time his dad was here to take care of him.
"And finally," Johnny grunted as he pulled out the case of ginger ale. He set it at the foot of Robby's bed.
Looking at the items surrounding him, Robby couldn't help the feelings of nostalgia and the warmness it brought to his chest. He tried to uphold his stoic expression, but his eyes shimmered with the feeling of hope and naiviette. "Thanks," he nodded to his dad.
Johnny sucked his lips in, thinking for a moment. He watched as Robby cracked open a can of ginger ale and took a generous gulp, closing his eyes at the soothing feeling of it going down his throat. Taking a few hesitant steps forward, Johnny pulled a stool up next to Robby's bed.
Robby eyed him suspiciously, and naturally cowered back a bit on his bed.
"So uh," Johnny started over the sound of his heart beating rapidly in his chest. "I'm not really good at these things — you know, talking about feelings and stuff. When I grew up that shit was for girls," he crudely added. Swallowing to wet his dry throat, he continued, "But I already wasted 16 years of my life being afraid to fail at something, so I'm not going to waste another moment to get it right."
Without looking up at his dad, Robby fixated on the can in his hands. He ran his finger nails over the tin structure and waited for his dad to continue.
Taking the fact that Robby hadn't pushed him away yet as a sign to continue, Johnny spoke again, "I know that you're still mad at me for telling you I'm done being a Sensei and then going back to Miguel, but I know there's more to it. What else is bothering you, Robby? If you want to yell at me or punch me, whatever it is, I can take it. Just let it all out."
Robby didn't move for a moment, his jaw set firmly as he stared down at his can. Then without warning, Robby jumped off the bed, walking across the room to pull out a wrinkled piece of paper from one of the dresser drawers. He brought it back to his place on the bed and handed it to his dad without explanation.
Johnny took the paper, confused by the boy's actions. When he looked down and read the first line, he knew exactly what he was staring at. Johnny's hand came up to wrap around his chin and mouth. He finished reading the letter and then set it down, scratching the side of his neck.
"You found this?" He sighed.
Robby finally looked up at him, and Johnny noticed that there was a glistening of tears in his eyes. The tears hurt more than a punch ever would.
"Why didn't you ever send it to me?" Robby asked sharply.
Johnny sighed, "You were training with LaRusso, you were looking up to him like...like the way you should be looking up to me. I didn't think it mattered what I said to you anymore. My chance at fixing things was gone."
Silence passed between the two. Robby knew that training with Mr. LaRusso would bother him — that's why he did it, but he didn't realize it would cause him to give up. In fact, he was hoping to do just the opposite. He wanted to get back at him for training with Miguel. He thought that maybe if he understood the pain Robby felt seeing them together, he would stop.
Maybe Miguel is my dad's Mr. LaRusso, Robby considered. They both seemed to find a substitute for the person they longed for, but it still wasn't the same. Maybe we do need both, he realized.
"Did you mean what you wrote?" Robby asked, breaking the silence.
"I did — I still do. Like I said, Robby, I'm not going to run away again, I want this chance —"
"No, not just that. Did you mean…" he sighed. "The way you ended the letter. Did you mean...those words," he hesitated, afraid to speak those three words aloud.
Johnny looked back down at the letter. He read his closing statement and then the three words, 'I love you,' that followed.
He closed his eyes. Of course I love you, Johnny thought. But he couldn't get the words to leave his mouth.
Since his mom died, he hadn't spoken those words aloud to anyone. He knew he loved his kid. He's loved him before he was even born — why else would he be so terrified about screwing up his life?
The fact that Robby was staring at him right now, questioning whether Johnny actually loved him was just proof that he screwed it up regardless.
Johnny suddenly got up and went to the corner closet in the hallway. Robby's eyebrows furrowed as he watched Johnny come back in carrying an old Reebok shoebox. He set it down on the bed and began to open it up.
Robby peered inside and squinted when he recognized his own terrible artwork he did as a child. Drawings of superheroes with "Dad" written across the bottom in crayon and poorly made paper cards with his name signed in big letters: "Roddy," because he had trouble deciphering between b's and d's were all in there. There were even photos of him and his mom at various soccer games or playing in the park together stuffed in this box.
Robby looked up at his dad with questions in his eyes. "You saved all this stuff?" He asked.
"I've always loved you, Robby," he managed. Once the words came out of his mouth, Johnny felt like he could sit up a bit straighter. His shoulders rolled back and he looked his son in the eyes. "I love you so much that I didn't want to crush you when you found out your dad was a failure," he admitted.
Robby swallowed and looked back at the saved drawings. There weren't a lot of examples of love surrounding his childhood. He felt loved by his mom, and he knew he loved her, but he never had a clear image of what love looked like. His mom and dad never were in love — he wasn't created out of a loving relationship.
He dated a few girls growing up, but obviously nothing serious enough to call love. It wasn't until he met Sam and was around her family that he started to see what love might look like. But of course he messed that up before he could really figure it out.
Looking down at the box of saved momentos and missing pieces of his childhood, he felt something he never felt before.
Robby turned to look at his father who had a desperate gaze in his eyes. "I love you too, dad," his voice shook.
Johnny let out a sharp puff of air. He leaned forward and pulled Robby in for a big bear hug. Robby chuckled at the unfamiliar affection and squeezed his dad back. He broke away when the air constriction became too tight and he needed to cough.
"Oh right, sorry I forgot you were still sick. Which reminds me," Johnny got up and rifled through his bags from the store. He took out a container of Flinstone vitamins. "I thought you might like these," he said, tossing the container over to Robby on the bed.
Robby caught it and stared down at the bottle. "Gummy vitamins? You know these are for kids ages like 4-12, right?" He quipped.
"Yeah but I bet they still taste good," Johnny shrugged. "When I was a kid the red ones were my favorite," he took the bottle back from Robby and unscrewed the cap. Pouring a few out into his hand, Johnny picked out the only red ones in the bunch and popped them into his mouth. He slowly nodded his head in approval.
Robby's mouth fell open, watching the vial action. "They gotta do a better job child-proofing these things," Robby quipped sarcastically. He took the bottle out of his dad's hands and moved it out of his reach.
"Funny," Johnny deadpanned. "So, come on, are we going to watch a movie or what?"
Robby perked up, "A movie? You want to watch a movie with me?"
"Yeah of course. We've watched movies together before," he said, trying to not make it into a big deal.
A smile painted Robby's face. For the first time, he felt like he had a dad who loved him and wanted to be around him. That was more than he ever thought he deserved.
"Alright, but not Iron Eagle again — or Iron Eagle 2," he stressed before Johnny could suggest it.
Johnny weakly protested, but ultimately let Robby choose the movie.
About halfway through the movie, Robby began to nod off. He eventually fell asleep peacefully in his bed. Johnny peered over at him and smiled at the gentle rise and fall of his chest. For all of the crap they've gone through together trying to fix their relationship, today felt like a leap forward in the right direction.
Three periodic buzzes from his phone caught Johnny's attention, and he picked up his phone from the table beside him to see what the notifications were.
There were three messages from Miguel one right after the other:
Hey Sensei
So our kitchen sink has a leak in it and it is spewing water all over the floor. Do you think you'd be able to come over to fix it?
My mom says she'll just call the plumber but that's going to cost like $500 and we can't really afford that right now while we're still trying to pay off my medical bills.
Johnny sighed reading the texts. A leaky faucet was an easy fix that a plumber would love to overcharge for. He didn't want Miguel's family to have to take on more bills for something that he could easily do, but at the same time, now wasn't really a good time.
Do you need me right now? Or could it wait until tomorrow? Johnny texted back.
It's kind of a big leak… Miguel responded right away.
He sighed once again. Johnny remembered what Shannon said about Robby not wanting to be alone when he was sick, and he thought of how happy he looked to have Johnny there for him. The last thing Johnny wanted was for Robby to wake up and think he left him.
Running a hand through his hair, Johnny stood up and dialed a number on his phone.
"LaRusso Auto, this is Daniel LaRusso speaking, how can I help you?"
Johnny rolled his eyes at the rehearsed greeting. "Hey," he replied.
"Johnny? Why are you calling me at work? Is Robby okay?" He panicked.
"Calm down Danielle, Robby is fine. Well, pretty much fine. He has a cold and I need to leave for an hour or two, and I was wondering if you'd be able to come by to be with him," he muttered. Coming to Daniel for help, especially help related to his son, was never easy.
Daniel chuckled at him. "He'll be okay if you leave him for an hour. A cold doesn't need to be monitored," Daniel patronized.
"I know that — Robby doesn't like being alone when he's sick. Apparently it's something that bothers him. He's asleep right now, but I just don't want to leave him and have him wake up to an empty house. If you could just come over to watch him for an hour, I promise I'll be back soon." He really hated that it sounded like begging.
"Well you know I would if I could, Johnny, but I'm at work. We have a big meeting with the marketing team in 10 minutes and I can't miss it. I'm sorry," Daniel shrugged on the other end.
Johnny sighed. "Well about your daughter? School should be out by now, right? Could she come by to be with him?" Johnny paced back and forth in his kitchen.
Daniel let out a nervous chuckle, "I — I don't know about that. I don't know how I feel about having Sam be at your house to hang out with Robby with no adult supervision," he protested.
Johnny scoffed. "Didn't they live together under the same roof for an entire summer? I'm pretty sure if anything was going to happen when no adults were home, it already did," Johnny pointed out.
Daniel's face turned white as a ghost. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him with a terrified look on his face.
"Honey? What's the matter? Who is that on the phone?" Amanda asked from her desk in the office.
Daniel blinked. "Uh — " he stuttered, concerning Amanda even more. "You know, that doesn't really make me feel better," he said.
"Come on, nothing is going to happen. Robby is sick, they're not going to do anything," Johnny reasoned.
Daniel shook his head out of the fog, "Alright, fine. I'll give Sam a call and see if she can stop by," he gave him, already regretting it.
"Thanks," Johnny said and hung up.
Johnny walked back into the bedroom where Robby was asleep and gently shook him awake.
Sleepy eyes fluttered open, and he wrinkled his forehead when he saw his dad standing over him. "Why did you wake me up?" He groaned, turning face down on the pillow.
"I need to leave for a little while, but someone is going to come by to stay with you," Johnny explained.
"You got me a babysitter?" Robby raised an eyebrow.
"No, not a babysitter. Sam is going to come by to keep you company while I'm gone. Your mom said you don't like being alone when you're sick," Johnny walked over to the full length mirror in Robby's room and began to check his appearance.
Robby felt his stomach jump at the idea of Sam coming over to take care of him. They hadn't been alone together since he was living at the LaRusso's. Some time to be together and just talk and laugh again sounded like just what Robby needed to feel better.
He peered over at his dad and watched him fix his hair in the mirror. "Where are you going?" Robby questioned, a smirk forming on his face.
Johnny cleared his throat, "Miguel's sink is leaking so he asked if I could come by to fix it so they wouldn't have to call a plumber," he said cautiously and tried to sound unenthused.
Robby looked down a minute. He supposed that he should feel upset that Johnny was leaving to be with Miguel, but after their day together, it didn't hurt as bad. He glanced back up to his dad who was finishing the buttons on his shirt, "Do you always try to look that nice when you see Miguel," Robby teased, laughing a bit at his dad's dumbfounded look.
It wasn't hard to notice the sideways glances and nervous body language between Miguel's mom and Johnny. Robby had seen her a few times on her way out the door to work, and he had come to realize that that same time of day would be when Johnny conveniently had to take out the trash or "run a few errands" so he could pass by her and say hi.
Johnny's motions stilled at his son's teasing words. He glared at Robby's smug reflection through the mirror. Ruffling his flannel and trying to make it look like he wasn't just fixing his appearance, Johnny threw one of the new tissue boxes at Robby's head.
"Alright, I'm leaving. Sam will be here soon — don't make a mess in the bed, those are our only spare sheets," he lectured seriously on his way out the door.
Robby felt his ears burn bright red at his dad's insinuation. Touché, he thought.
After his dad left, Robby got off the bed and tried to do some cleaning up around his room before Sam came. He didn't want her to see his underwear and socks lying haphazardly around the room or the step on the Animal Cracker crumbs that littered the floor.
Straightening out his bed so that it looked like he hadn't been laying in it all day, he got a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Robby cringed at his disheveled appearance: He hadn't shaved in a few days and it was evident, his hair was wild, and not to mention he had dark circles under his sick eyes.
While he still had some time, Robby hopped in the shower to hopefully fix his unruly hair. The steam from the shower felt good in his sinuses, helping him perk up a bit. He shaved his face when he got out and gave himself a once over.
The dark circles were still under his eyes and it was pretty obvious that he was sick, but it was definitely a step up from before.
The knock on the door sent a flutter through his chest. He inhaled deeply through his nose to calm his nerves, then made his way through the tiny apartment to get the door.
Robby opened the door to find Sam on the side, and she was adorably holding up a container of soup and ice cream in each of her hands.
"Hey," she smiled sympathetically. "My dad said you were sick. I wasn't sure if it was an 'I need to eat soup' kind of sick or an 'I need ice cream' kind of sick, so I brought both," she showed him each of the containers.
Robby instantly felt better having just seen her smiling face. He stared dreamily at her for a moment, and then caught himself. "Uh — yeah, they're both great. It's really nice of you to do this...I'm sorry my dad called you over here. I could've taken care of myself so..." he chuckled nervously.
"You can, but you shouldn't have to. No one likes having to be alone when they're sick," she offered.
"Thank you," he looked at her lovingly.
Sam tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, blushing from his gaze, "So...do you want to get started on this ice cream?"
He laughed and moved out of the way for her to come inside.
Robby pulled down two bowls from the cupboard and gave one to her. Then he swiped two spoons from the drawer and offered Sam the first scoop.
"I never thought to eat ice cream when I'm sick," Robby said, watching her scoop both their bowls.
"Really? I always think to eat ice cream," she joked.
He laughed, which quickly transformed into a cough. He turned away and coughed into his shirt, raising it up to meet his mouth.
Sam noticed the way his shirt pulled up, revealing his toned abdomen. She tried to divert her eyes quickly, pretending she didn't notice.
"How are you feeling?" She asked and slid him his bowl.
"Well, better now," his eyes lingered on hers for a moment longer. "But, today I was pretty wiped out. I pretty much slept the whole day and stayed in bed."
Sam nodded. "That's good though, I think rest is really the best way to get better. Well, that and maybe soup and ice cream," she smiled.
"And Animal Crackers," Robby added, pointing his spoon at her.
"Animal Crackers?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "I never heard of their magical healing powers before."
He chuckled softly, "It's something my mom used to give me all the time when I wasn't feeling well. I don't know why, she just knew I liked them so we would eat Animal Crackers and drink ginger ale and just watch movies all day. I would get to come with her to work some days if I was sick — it was nice. It made me almost wish I could be sick everyday," he smiled at the memories.
Sam was silent, letting him reflect on the memory uninterrupted. "That sounds really nice. You should have told me before, I could've brought Animal Crackers and soda," she said.
"Actually, my dad went out and got me all of that, so I'm all set. We were watching a movie together too before I fell asleep and then he had to go out," he explained, and took another bite did the cold ice cream.
Sam thought for a moment. "So is...everything...okay between you two then?" She asked hesitantly.
Robby smiled reassuringly at her. "Yeah, it's — it's better. Definitely a lot better," he started. "I told him I found the letter, and he explained why it never got to me. He um...he told me that he...that he loved me," he said quietly.
A string pulled at her heart, and Sam realized just how vulnerable Robby really was. He took care of himself for a lot of his life because he had to, but that didn't mean that he didn't need validation, or for someone to express his problems to and tell him everything was going to be alright. Having his dad say those words to him meant everything.
"I'm really happy you got to hear that from him. I mean, of course he loves you. You're his son. But the fact that he was able to say it out loud — that's huge," she recognized.
He nodded slowly, "Yeah, it was. And I need to thank you for being there for me the other day at practice. I'm sorry I got mad at you, I had a lot of feelings and I can't always express them well. But I know you did what you thought was right, and I just want you to know that I don't blame you for anything. You were right, I just need to let my dad learn how to do both, and hope that he means what he says."
Sam smiled at him, grateful for the apology. Her instincts drew her closer to him, and before she realized her actions, she found herself pulling him into a hug. Robby willingly accepted it, pulling her smaller form into his own. She breathed in his familiar scent of body wash and deodorant. It immediately transported her back to being in the middle of her kitchen with her face tucked into Robby's strong chest. He used to always shower before dinner, and she would notice because she could smell his fresh scent from across the table. After her parents and Anthony were all in bed, both of them would sneak back into the kitchen and enjoy their limited time together as a couple.
Being back in Robby's arms reminded Sam of that wonderful feeling of when they could be together like this.
Robby pulled back first from the embrace. "I uh...don't want to get you sick," he told her sheepishly.
"Oh, yeah, that's a good point," she nervously agreed. Sam bit her lip, "Did you want to watch a movie together or something? You said that used to make you feel better?"
Robby's eyes widened momentarily. He ran a hand through his mostly dried hair. "Yeah, if you want to do that we can," he gulped. "We don't have a very broad movie collection here. My dad kind of only owns like 2 movies, and they're not very good. But I did introduce him to Netflix today, so we could probably find something to watch on there."
"Introduce him? What do you mean, he's never heard of Netflix before?"
"It's actually kind of impressive how the man manages to operate a microwave with how little technology he understands. I swear it's like he's been hiding under a rock since 1989," he joked. Robby began to lead Sam toward his room to watch the movie.
As they got closer to Robby's room, Sam started to feel her heart beating a bit faster in her chest. She had technically been with Robby alone in his room before. They found ways to sneak off to be together while he was living with them, but the threat of a parent walking in was usually enough to keep things PG13. Not to mention, they weren't together anymore. Sam didn't know how to feel about going into this uncharted territory.
"Is this your room?" She commented more so than asked as they made their way inside.
Robby noticed her nervous tone. "Oh — uh, I — I'm sorry Sam, is this weird? We don't have to watch the movie here if it makes you uncomfortable, it's just that this is where all my stuff is," he sputtered.
"No, no it's fine. Don't worry about it, I don't mind," she decided.
"Are you sure?" He asked, not entirely convinced.
"I'm sure, it's not like we're going to do anything," she clarified, immediately kicking herself for her phrasing. We aren't going to do anything, she reiterated to herself. Robby never made her feel pressured or nervous before, so there was no reason to feel that way now — especially since they weren't even together.
Robby smirked at her and then moved the items off his bed to make room. They each sat with a fair bit of spacing between them and leaned their backs against his headboard. Robby held his laptop in front of him and sorted through the movies.
Sam couldn't help but notice the tabs up on his laptop: "How to get your GED on your own" and "Online classes for high school students"
Glancing up at him, Sam felt a hesitancy to ask about his situation. It wasn't something she was very knowledgeable about, but at the least she wanted him to know she supported him.
She cleared her throat, "Are you...thinking of finishing your education online?"
Robby double glanced at her, "I was looking into it," he answered frankly. "I don't really know if it's worth going through with though," he trailed off.
Without taking her eyes off the screen she softly continued, "Why is that?"
From the corner of her eye, Sam watched his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed. "I...it's a lot of money. I don't want to waste money on something if it's never going to amount to anything in the future," he said.
It made her angry to hear Robby talk so negatively about himself and his future. She wanted to slap him in the head and yell at him for not believing in himself, but decided a gentler approach might be more effective. Turning to look at him, Sam gave Robby a disappointed glare.
"You don't think you're worth the investment? Robby, I would place all my money on you succeeding. You're so much more capable than you give yourself credit for. Stop punishing yourself for your mistakes. You deserve to have the future you want," she lectured.
Robby didn't say anything. He continued to stare at his computer screen, biting his lips tightly. For a moment, Sam thought that maybe said something wrong.
Suddenly, Robby let out a shuddered breath. He turned to Sam with a glistening in his eyes, "You're the only person who's ever said that to me," he whispered.
Sam felt her heart break and fill up all at the same time. She hesitantly brought a hand up his face to wipe the tear that trailed down his cheekbone. Upon her touch, Robby closed his eyes and leaned into her hand.
Her eyes searched around his face, marveling at how innocent he looked, and she noticed the dusting of faint freckles across his nose. The open canvas of his face beckoned her to move closer and press her lips to his clear skin. Sam licked her parted lips. Hesitantly, she moved in closer and pressed her lips to the side of Robby's cheek.
His green eyes fluttered open and locked in with her large blue ones. She didn't move away, and instead stayed there staring into Robby's hopeful gaze. He opened and closed his mouth like he was going to say something, but decided against it. Swallowing thickly, Robby quickly shifted his gaze down to her lips and back up.
Without pause, Robby sealed the gap between them both with a kiss.
Their lips met softly at first. The familiarity of each other came back quickly, and the warmth of the feeling kindled a fire in the pit of their stomachs. The fire burning inside of her from Robby's smooth lips sparked something inside Sam that she felt like she had been missing for the past few months.
Sam moved her hand up to grasp the back of Robby's head, threading her fingers through his thick hair. The pull of her fingers in his hair jolted him in his core, inviting him to deepen their kiss, pulling on her bottom lip gently.
Their lips moved together in unison, sensing each other's movements as if they were performing the wheel technique at Miyagi-Do. Parting her lips slightly, Robby's tongue poked through meeting with her own.
To Sam's surprise, Robby abruptly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. "Now you're definitely going to get sick," he breathed with a light chuckle.
She grinned, looking up at his face only a mere inches from hers. "I know, but it's definitely worth it," she smiled.
They stayed close together grinning at each other for a few moments. Robby pulled away from her face and grabbed her hand that was resting near his lap. "I don't want to sound impatient, but...do you know whether you've made a decision on your feelings for Miguel and I? Because not that I didn't enjoy that, but I don't think I could handle it if we kissed like that again only for you to decide you want to be with Miguel," he said, the hurt clearly evident in his voice.
Sam looked down guiltily understanding the effects her confused feelings have had on both of the boys she cares about. "I know, I'm sorry Robby. I didn't think I would be so torn for this long, and trust me, it's not fun for me either. But I think it's good that I had this time to figure things out because I'm realizing that I don't want to lose either you or Miguel, and that just because my feelings for you both are different doesn't make either of them any less strong," she said.
Robby furrowed his eyebrows, "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that," Sam squeezed his hand and smiled up at him, "I want to be with you, Robby. You make me feel like the most important person in the world, and I can't imagine being near you and not being able to hold your hand if I wanted to or kiss you if I wanted to. Being around you just feels...right."
Hearing Sam's words brought flutters to his chest. He tipped his head back and breathed a sigh of relief that the girl in front of him chose him over anyone else she could have in the world. Feeling his joy spread throughout his body with lightning speed, Robby leaned forward and tackled Sam to the bed in a hug. She giggled as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. He rolled onto his back and brought her on top of his body so that he could see her face clearly.
"So does this mean that you're my girlfriend again?" He asked cheekily.
She giggled, "Yes, we can be boyfriend and girlfriend again," she smiled brightly. "But before we officially are together in public, I need to talk to Miguel first. Like I said, it's important to me that I'm not going to lose either of you just because my feelings are different. Miguel is a really good friend, and I don't want to hurt him," she explained.
Robby frowned, "Fine," he grumbled, earning a small scowl from Sam. "We can wait until you tell him, but I really just want to finally be with you in public without hiding it from anyone. I feel like we deserve that," he said.
"We do, don't worry, I'll make sure I tell him soon because trust me, I want that a lot too."
They smiled at each other for a moment longer. Robby leaned in to peck her lips before sitting up and pulling the laptop back in front of them.
"Alright, now will you quit distracting me so we can watch a movie? You're supposed to be taking care of me because I'm sick," he teased. Sam slapped his arm lightly with a false-appalled look on her face.
Scrolling through the movies on the laptop, one in particular caught Sam's eye.
"You really like 80s movies don't you?" He asked when she pointed to Back to the Future on the screen.
"What can I say, I was born in the wrong generation," she shrugged.
He chuckled and shook his head. "People used to always tell me that I look like the male lead in an 80s or 90s movie. I don't really know how to take that," Robby thought aloud.
"You know, now that you mention it, I'm definitely getting 80s heartthrob vibes," Sam laughed.
Robby blushed. Heartthrob? He thought — he liked the sound of that.
Sam noticed the redness painting the tips of his ears and cheeks. It struck her as adorable that someone who tried to uphold such a tough exterior, would blush at a compliment. She wondered if he knew how handsome he really was.
They started the movie and fell into a comfortable silence together, sitting a little bit closer than before.
A/N: And with this 6,000 words, I am going to have to probably take some time away from writing this week. I am moving into finals and the end of the semester so things are getting really busy for me, and I need to make sure I don't procrastinate by writing this story lol. But I'm hopeful that it won't take me away from writing for too long! I love writing this story so I know that I will be itching to get back to it sooner than later.