Chapter 3: Of Softbois and Flowers

The next morning, Maria sleepily walked out of her room. There was a plate of eggs and toast on the table waiting for her. Maria's eyes darted between Robin and the food. "Who are you and what have you done with Robin?"

He chuckled. "I'm already an unwelcomed guest, so let me help you out with this much."

"You're never an unwelcomed guest," Maria hugged him from the side. "On the contrary, you waited too long to visit." She bumped him with her hip on her way to sit down.

Robin sighed; he could never tell her it was because all his girlfriends had been jealous their friendship. He always claimed they were ridiculous, but now he was beginning to wonder if there was some truth to it. "How do you like your coffee?"

"Sweet please."

"Why do you have so many beets?"

Maria sheepishly laughed. "They were on sale and I thought I would do something with them."

"Do what? Survive covid on pure beets alone?"

"Let me live," Maria cried out from behind her laptop.

Robin shook his head as he took note of the items in her fridge. Aside from beets, there was wine, eggs, and orange juice. Clearly the basics of a university student.

Robin's phone rang. It was a video call from his father. "Morning."

"Robin my boy, I need you to be my leading man."

"Again?"

"Yes. It's for a play that we're broadcasting to the history society."

"Why don't you get someone else?"

"I need your talent. This role is perfect for you!"

"What's the genre?"

Mr. De Noir paused, "Adventure."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes, of course," he said a bit too dismissively. Maria then passed from behind to grab some juice.

"Ah Maria, perfect timing! Would you like to be my leading lady?"

"Good morning Mr. De Noir! Ooooh yes, it sounds like fun! I've always wanted to be in your plays."

"Perfect I'll email you both the scripts. Thank you, Maria, you've saved me! And please, call me Coeur, we've talked about this before! I'll be in contact with more details."

After breakfast, the threat of tomorrow's exam began to neg at Maria. With her headphones on, she went into full study mode and hardly paid Robin any attention. This left him bored out of his mind. He did everything he could to stop himself from bothering Maria, though, during her classes, his resolve broke. A few times he came up from behind and pestered her with questions about her lessons, prompting a laugh as she pushed his face away. Once he even tried to listen in, but he quickly got bored. Eventually, Robin decided to make better use of his time and went out for some groceries. He then spent the next few hours busy in the kitchen, much to Maria's curiosity.

Her mind fried and overwhelmed, she closed her laptop at the end of her last class and let her head drop to the table.

Robin finished prepping for dinner and set Maria's kettle to boil. When the kettle's shrill whistle sounded, he poured two cups of lady grey tea. He set one by Maria along with some biscuits, "Have a break."

He took his tea to the coffee table in front of the sofa. Then he grabbed his book and fell back onto the seat. Robin let his hair fall loose and massaged the tension away from his head with a content sigh. Finally, at ease, he lost himself in his book. Unfortunately, that peace didn't last long. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Maria watching him as she slowly drank her tea and ate her biscuits. When she finished, she grabbed her notes and sat on the other side of the sofa. She then proceeded to make him the subject of her study instead of the discarded notes on her lap.

As he took a sip, he noticed Maria still staring at him over the rim of his cup. Robin tried to ignore her and shifted away from her. Yet her gaze remained persistent.

Robin's face grew warm. "Can I help you?"

Maria pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "You know Robin, ditch the black earring for a pearl, get some pastel clothes, and you could become a softboi yourself."

"Take that back!" Robin grabbed a pillow and flung it in her direction. Maria easily evaded it. Tossing her notes to the side, she ran into her room. She came back out with a beige cardigan and a headband of faux flowers. "Put these on."

"No!"

"Accept your fate!" Maria yelled as she lunged for him. She held the cardigan like a straitjacket and tried to pull it over Robin's arms. He held her back, trying to push her off him, but she was slippery. They wrestled, Maria trying to pin him down while he tried to get away. As she tried to climb on top of him, her foot slipped from the couch and Robin finally got the upper hand. He spun her around so that she was pinned underneath him, her hips stuck between his knees. He was bent over her, his long hair casting a shadow over his face, but she didn't miss the glint in his eye and that smirk that always sent her heart pounding.

Maria pouted, "I don't know why you're so against it. You'd look so handsome, and all the girls would be lining up to date you."

"Is that what you'd like? Want me back the market?" He said in a smitten manner.

Maria blinked. "Hmm what do I want?" She hummed. She then quickly raised her arms over his head and brought the headband crashing down. They both burst into laughter and Robin fell beside her. He turned on his side and was face-to-face with Maria.

"You do look dashing," she said with a wink. "Maybe now someone of my caliber may find you more enchanting."

His finger traced the edge of her face to brush away some strands of hair. "... I don't think that was ever a problem." Her skin was warm. There were new freckles around her nose. "Besides I think this crown looks better on you, princess." Lured in by her beautiful brown eyes, he hadn't realized how close he'd gotten until his nose brushed against hers and sent a jolt through his heart.

Robin froze.

He pulled away. "Come now, you should get back to studying."

"Oh- erm right," Maria sat up. Her face was red. She avoided his eyes as she grabbed her notes from his hands. She quickly picked up her things from the table and dashed to her desk in the safety of her room.

Her heart was beating wildly. She hadn't imagined it… had she? Was Robin about to kiss her?
Maria buried her head into her pillow and let out a muffled scream. She was doing so well! She had it all under control! ...And now this.
After a few more silent yells, she slapped her cheeks and reminded herself she had an exam to study for. That she was Maria Merryweather and had lived with her unrequited love for ages. She could deal with this later; her heart could continue waiting. After all, that was a signature Merryweather trait—lord knows how long her uncle pinned after Loveday!

They kept their distance the rest of the evening. Maria had gone back to normal, but over dinner, she noticed Robin's unwillingness to look her in the eye. She gave him his space, choosing instead to read the script sent by Mr. De Noir on her mobile. It was about an old Moonacre legend of two cursed and fueling families brought together by the discovery of their long-lost pearls. As she read, her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. She looked at Robin. His eyes were glued to his own phone watching a video.

Maria winced and cleared her throat. "Robin, have you read the script?" Her voice was stiff, almost formal. Her cheeks were red.

"Not yet."

"Oh…did you know there's a kissing scene?"

"A what?"

"A kiss—or two...maybe more? Between the leading man and lady. Check page 35 and 46."

Robin's blood ran cold. He quickly downloaded the script to his phone and scrolled to the page. He cursed under his breath, "He said this was an adventure story!" What's worst, he was sure he'd heard this story before and it did not end in a kiss, much less a snog. He had a strong suspicion Loveday was behind these new edits.

"Well, it technically is… and fantasy…and romance too," Maria said as she tried to dismiss the butterflies in her stomach. "It'll be fine. It's not a big deal. I mean we've kissed others before."

"This is different; I'll talk to my father about removing it."

"How is it different?"

"It just is."

The silence between them grew oppressive with each passing minute. She was upset, not at Robin but herself. She shouldn't have let her hopes up. She quickly finished her dinner and muttered a thanks. She left to her room, choosing to bury her pain with her schoolwork.

When she was gone, Robin let out a groan and dropped his head onto the table with a thud. They were having a perfectly good time. Why did his dad have to go around and ruin it? He sent his father a strongly worded text—and one to Loveday as well.

It was well past midnight when Robin came into the room. Maria had fallen asleep at her desk. He carefully hooked an arm behind her neck and another under her knee and lifted her into the air. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her head on his chest.

Robin set her down on her bed but Maria wouldn't let go. She was still fast asleep.

"It's cold…Stay with me," she whispered in her sleep. He pulled her into his lap as he sat on her bed. Robin knew she wouldn't be so cold if she wore something more than just shorts and shirts… but honestly, he didn't mind it… and frankly, he was annoyed with himself for enjoying his current predicament.

"…fuck," he muttered under his breath. Robin could no longer deny the meaning behind his fluttering heart.

"At what time do you have to be up tomorrow?"

"Eight…exam at one…"

"Alright." Robin stroked her hair; it was as soft as it looked. Eventually, Maria loosened her grip and he was able to set her down to sleep.

He moved to his bed and sat down facing her. Robin shook his head. He didn't know when it had happened. Perhaps it was after she left Moonacre for her studies, when he realized he no longer enjoyed Moonacre as much without her. Or perhaps it was when he found that baby badger and fought with Alice over caring for it. She insisted they leave it, going on about all the bacteria and dangers of them. He knew Maria wouldn't have thought twice about helping it. That incident was like a bursting dam because soon after, he couldn't stop comparing her to Maria—her smile, her laughter, her voice. That spark Maria brought into life, the one he had been missing until she first arrived so many years ago. The spark that was now missing since the day she left, leaving a gap in his heart. Soon after, Robin realized he couldn't be with Alice. It just wasn't fair to either of them.

He didn't know when it had happened, but one day, he just couldn't stop thinking about her. Wondering how she was doing, hoping she was safe, and asking Loveday about her. It was after a particularly stressful day of covid preparation several months ago, that Loveday exasperatedly said, "Really Robin, if you want to know so much about Maria, why don't you ask her yourself?" But he never did, afraid to come to terms with what he was denying.

Robin covered his face with his hands and fell back onto the bed, 'Get it together Robin.' There was no way he was about to ruin his friendship with her. They were perfectly fine as they were. She was too special to him, and he didn't want to lose her.