You will never be left behind again, my love

Chapter Three : Finding a new place

Robby had finally finished visiting the apartments for the day. Miguel had accompanied him, and it had been a good day spent with him. He had decided to choose one of the apartments, the last one they had visited. It was a three bedrooms apartment with an elevator, a basement, and a parking lot. Maybe later, he'd look for a roommate, he didn't know yet, but anyway, he had really loved it and he could afford it, so he had said yes.

" I can't believe this is it. "

" What ? "

" You're leaving. "

" I'm moving out, yes but that doesn't mean we won't see each other again. I promise. We'll still be as close as ever. " Miguel looked away, sadly.

" I never had a brother before. Growing up, it was always me, mom and my abuela. I didn't have a dad until I met yours and I never thought I'd get a family one day. But you're my brother now. Your dad is now also my dad. We have a sister. After our past, who would have thought that, huh ? And yet, I'm scared to let go. I don't want to lose our family. " Robby smiled, touched, and put an arm around Miguel's shoulders.

" You won't. You're my brother too. I'm not leaving because I want to leave you, guys. I just need my own space, that's it. But that doesn't mean anything else. I'll still be here, don't worry. And you will come too, Liyah too, Dad, Mom … This is just a fresh start for me. "

" Did you tell Dad ? "

" Not yet but I will, when we get home. "

" Okay. "

" So, what would you say we go celebrate by eating at that Italian restaurant we like so much ? Come on, brother ! " Miguel smiled and nodded. Robby playfully ruffled his hair and went to get the car. About forty minutes later, they were sitting at a table in their favorite restaurant and were waiting on their order.

" By the way, thanks for having my back yesterday. "

" You mean, with Tory ? "

" Yeah, when she got mad at me for punching that dude. "

" Well, he had it coming. I'm not for violence, you know that, but he was disrespecting her, and I understand why you lost it. "

" Thanks. "

" Now … " He smiled maliciously at Robby " What happened between you two when you went after her ? "

" I apologized and asked her to be my friend again. I said I missed her and that I wanted another chance with her, as a friend. I really thought she would turn me down but after some convincing, she agreed. "

" Wow. "

" Yeah … I ended up hugging her, the best part of my night. " Miguel smiled, happy to hear that.

" So, I assume that when you left last night and that she was nowhere in sight, you were the one to drive her home. "

" Yeah. I didn't want her to take the bus at this hour. I wanted to make sure she got home safe and honestly, I needed to spend more time with her. Sorry for bailing on you like that, guys. "

" No. Trust me, you two were not being subtle at all. We understood and we were happy. So … Friends, huh ? "

" Yeah. "

" You're really okay with that ? "

" I am … for now. "

" I knew it ! "

" What ? "

" You can't just be friends ! There's too much history here ! "

" Well, that's all we are now. Look, I can't be without her. I know that. These two last years were the best of my life but there was always one thing missing and it was her. I was missing her like crazy and I'm not ashamed to admit it. You were right, I tried to date other girls. It never worked out because they were not her. " Miguel nodded, understandingly.

" So, what are you going to do ? "

" I'm going to fight for her, like I should've done two years ago. I'm going to be her friend, win back her trust and then, win her back but this time, I won't let her go. I want to be there for her. I want her to be able to rely on me because this time, I will not let her down. "

" I'm happy to hear you talk like that. You look … confident, sure about yourself. "

" Oh, I have no guaranty that it will work … that we'll be back together again but I'm going to make everything in my power to make that happen … when the time is right. And if it doesn't work out, I'll do everything in my power to still have her in my life, even as just a friend because man, the one thing I know for sure is that I can't not have her in my life. "

" I understand that. I can't imagine my life without Sam. Even in the past, it was hard when we were broken up, but I never lost hope that we'd be back together and now that we are, it's been two years and I will never let go of her either. She's the one for me. She's it. " Robby smiled.

" Yeah, you two were meant for each other from the start. I learned that the hard way. "

" Yeah, sorry about that. "

" It's in the past. I moved on. I guess Sam was my first love, but Tori is the love of my life, and I will never mess that up again. "

" How did that go yesterday when you dropped her at her place ? Was that awkward ? "

" A little, yeah but I don't care. At least, she got home safe. Come on, now. We should go. I want to tell dad that I found an apartment. " The brothers called for the addition and left.

" You're sure about your decision ? "

" Yes, dad. If you want, you can come check the apartment with me to see for yourself that it's the right one for me. You'll see I'm not making a mistake. "

" I trust your judgement. I'm just sad to see you go. "

" Dad, you understand I need my space, right ? That's just what this is about. Nothing else. " Johnny nodded, sadly. Holding Liyah in his arms, he saw that she had just fallen asleep.

" Damn, this is hard. "

" Dad … "

" I love you, son. I know I wasn't a good father to you all these years ago and I know I can never make up for the lost time. It makes me so sad … "

" I already forgave you for that. "

" Yeah … " Johnny got up and without another word, left to put Liyah in her bed. When he came back, he went straight to Robby and hugged him. He had tears in his eyes.

" Dad, I love you. I hope you're not going to be mad at me. "

" Never. You're all grown up now. I can't keep you for making the decision you think is best for you. I'm just going to miss you, that's all. It won't be the same not having you here all the time. "

" It's okay, dad. "

" My beautiful baby boy. " Damn, that touched him because never in his life before, his dad had used these words to describe him. Robby hugged his dad back, with tears in his eyes. He loved his dad with everything in his heart and he was so happy to have him in his life, but it was hard for him too. He just wanted to be independent, to have his own space. He was an adult now and he wanted to show that he could do it. He was ready to live on his own. That didn't mean he wouldn't miss his family.

" See you tomorrow. " Tory had just finished her shift and was saying goodbye when she saw Robby, waiting for her next to his car.

" Hi. "

" Hi. What … What are you doing here ? " Robby smiled at her.

" I came to pick you up and drive you home. "

" It's two am. "

" I know. "

" How ? How did you know I would finish this late ? "

" I know you. If yesterday, you finished at this hour, it means you're probably doing extra hours because you need the money for your family. And I assumed it wasn't a onetime thing. Am I right ? "

" Just this month. I mean … "

" Isn't that Brandon's birthday soon ? " Tory looked at her ex-boyfriend, surprised.

" You remember ? "

" Of course, I do. I didn't forget anything about you or your family, Tory. " The young woman bit her upper lip, trying not to cry. She was touched by this and mostly, sad … " I know I wasn't the best boyfriend, but I hope you know how much you meant to me back then. "

" It doesn't matter now. I don't … " She sighed. " I don't understand what you want from me. I don't know why suddenly, you want to be my friend again. You were fine without me these two years. "

" I wasn't and I tried to make amends with you, multiple times but you pushed me away, every time. So, I gave you space but Tory, I need you back in my life. I mean it. Can we go back to being friends ? I miss our friendship. "

He just missed their friendship. He was not trying to get back with her. Tory and Robby were over for good. Deep down, she always knew that, from the moment he had broken up with her like she meant nothing to him, to this day. And she also knew that it was better for him because she could not offer him anything expect pain, sadness, and disappointment. She had nothing to give, and he deserved better than her. So why was it so hard for her to hear him confirm what she had thought all this time ? She hated having all these mixed feelings about him. She thought it would be easier to let go of him, she thought she had already done that but apparently, not. It was time to move on and forget about Robby Keene. Just like yesterday, she concluded that it was better to have him in her life as a friend than not having him at all.

" Okay. " Robby closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relieved.

" Thank God. " Tory smiled.

" It still doesn't explain why you'd come pick me up at my work. You don't have to do that. "

" I want to. It would give us the opportunity to talk again. Yesterday, we didn't talk much. So how about you talk to me while I drive you home ? Come on, I want to know everything about you. "

" You must be exhausted. "

" So are you. And I don't mind. "

" Okay. Thank you, Robby. " He opened the passenger door, for her.

" You're very welcome. "