Chapter 4: Its Only A Pretend Kiss
"Maria, time to get up."
Maria grimaced. She turned around and covered herself with her blankets.
"Come on, you said you wanted to get up early. Your breakfast will get cold." He pulled the covers off her.
"Please just 15 more minutes," she pleaded.
"You need to study,"
Maria glowered but finally gave in. She stretched and sat up. "Is something burning"
"Shit the eggs!"
Robin ran out with Maria slowly trudging behind. They fell back into place that morning. The awkwardness of last night was gone, as though it never happened. However, Maria did notice a small change. Though he was back to his carefree self, he'd linger around her. When he passed by her, he'd put his hand on the small of her back. When he handed her a plate, his fingertips graced her hands. When she cracked her neck, he offered her a massage.
As he was massaging her back, a skype call came through. The profile picture was of a blonde man with a strong jaw and crystal blue eyes.
"Bill? Bill? What kind of name is that?" Robin asked with a look of disgust. "And how convenient, another blonde, and let me guess—another rugby player?"
"Nope, hockey, and as if you have any right Roh-bin." Maria playfully shoved him away. "Bill's German and my study partner. We're quizzing each other before the exam."
Robin rolled his eyes but left her alone. She put on her headphones so he couldn't hear much of the conversation, though judging from her answers, they were indeed studying. The couple of times she laughed, he made it a point to walk behind her, pretending to be busy with something.
"Oh no, he's just my friend." He heard Maria say. Robin scowled, that bloke was definitely trying to get at her.
Right before her exam, she complained to Robin about being tired and wished she could nap the exam away. He gave her a hug and kissed her head as he gently pushed her into her room. "You'll do great," he said with a two-finger salute as he closed the door behind her, leaving her a bewildered and fluttery mess. In the company of silence, Robin went into the kitchen and took out the large box of beets. He had work to do.
"I'm free!" Maria shouted as she burst out of her room a couple of hours later.
Robin slid a freshly baked chocolate cake onto the table. It had a shiny glaze topped with blackberries.
"Wow, what's all this?"
"Dunno, I was bored. Reckoned we could celebrate you finishing up your exam. Guess what it's made out?"
"What?" Maria narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Beets," Robin said smugly.
Though she could taste the faint flavor of vegetables, she was surprised by how good the cake was.
"I guess no one can 'beet' me when it comes to being the complete package," Robin declared proudly.
"A pun?" Maria raised her brow. "And what did we say about that ego?"
Robin leaned in. "It's well earned," he said with a wink.
They ate their cake and drank plenty of Maria's wine while watching old movies. Maria even brought out her bow and showed him how to hold it. As he stood strong and tall with her bow, she hated to admit that his ego was indeed well earned. It was the most fun either of them had all throughout covid. Robin thought to himself that being stuck in a flat with her was actually not bad at all. She'd be the only one he would want to be stuck with.
The afternoon faded into the evening with the emptying of the first bottle. As Maria nursed her first cup of wine into the second bottle, she became gloomy. She couldn't help but stare at Robin and admire his laughter and the crinkle of his eyes. His stupid jokes. His never-ending conceit. The way he cared for his friends and animals. The way he looked at nature. She wondered if he would ever look at her the same way.
Maria grumbled to herself, here she was jealous of some stupid trees. She downed her cup and reached for the bottle but Robin intercepted her hand. "I think that's enough for you, you're as red as your hair." With his other hand, he took the bottle from her grasp.
"What's got you so down?" His warm and calloused hand still held hers.
Feeling emboldened, Maria grasped his hand. "Robin, why don't you want to kiss me—for the play that is?"
"It's weird."
"You've never cared about kissing other actresses! Why now?"
"I'm not doing it. If you want a kiss, I'll have one of my mates take the role—wait no. Definitely not that either." Robin pulled his hand free and turned away from her. "Like I said it's different."
"How is it different?"
"It just is."
"That's a shoddy excuse and you know it! Tell me the truth! I'm your friend. Is the idea of kissing me that horrid to you?"
"That's not it."
"Then what is it?"
"I don't want it to change things between us!"
Maria rolled her eyes. "It'll be fine. Besides what could it possibly change? I know you know how I feel about you. It's never prevented our friendship before. Why now?"
"Things have already changed," Robin muttered.
Maria groaned. "Care to enlighten me then? Because as far as I know, it's just a bloody stupid kiss. I know my feelings mean nothing to you, so I can't possibly understand what's the problem!"
"Is that what you think?"
"Well yeah. You said I was like a little sister."
"No, I didn't! When?"
"Years ago! When we went to Manchester."
"For fucks sake Maria you were 13! Of course I didn't see you that way! A lot has changed... You-you're a woman now."
"Oh…" Maria paused as the words hit her. Hope flooded her heart. Did that mean what she thought it meant? Was that why he had been acting strange?
Maria giggled. "So…I'm a woman now?" She waggled her eyebrows and inched closer to him.
"...Yes," he drawled.
"And what does this fine man think of this woman?"
Robin rolled his eyes. "She's fine." He said taking a sip and still refusing to look her way.
"Just fine, eh?" Maria crawled closer. She placed her hand by his, just barely touching his fingertips. "So fine he can't even give her a pretend kiss?"
"Between us, it wouldn't just be a pretend kiss."
"Then it doesn't have to be pretend."
Robin grabbed her hand, "Maria, you're crossing a line."
"I've been wanting that line crossed, don't you?" She interlaced her fingers with his own.
"You don't understand. There's no turning back."
"Why would I want to turn back?"
He tossed her a side glance. He didn't say anything. His hand still held hers.
Maria crawled closer. She could feel his rapid pulse and the growing heat emanating from his body. She could see his flushed cheeks and his quick, yet shallow, breathing. After a moment of hesitation, she hopped over and settled between his legs. "Tell me you don't have feelings for me, and I'll stop. Tell me you're uncomfortable and I'll stop. Tell me you don't want this, and I'll stop." Maria let down her hair and shook it loose. She pulled her jumper over her head, revealing a tight white vest and those teal lounge shorts. She placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned in, accelerating his heartbeat. Placing a soft kiss on his cheek, she whispered, "If there's even the smallest of chance for us to be together, I want to take it."
Robin rested his forehead on hers and looked into her eyes, "I don't want to lose you."
Maria caressed his cheek. "You won't." She ran her fingers through his hair, eliciting a shiver down his spine. He leaned back into her touch and Maria kissed his exposed neck, her warm lips burning against the cool skin of his neck. He gripped her hips.
"You have no idea what dangerous game you're playing," his hoarse voice vibrated through her stomach.
"Oh...I think I do—"
Robin's hands hooked under her thighs and lifted her so that she was straddling his hips. That smoldering glint was alight in his eyes. "I've been playing nice this whole time."
She wrapped her arms around his neck with a devious smile. "Who said you had to?"
Robin closed the distance with a searing hot kiss. His heart pounded against his chest, wanting more of her soft lips coated with the faint taste of wine. He gripped her waist, pulling her closer to him until there was no space between them. Maria's hands dragged his shirt up and over his head. She relished the ripple of his muscles against her fingers, but it wasn't enough. She needed to feel the heat of his chest against her own. She pulled apart just enough to take her own shirt off before kissing him harder, not letting his surprise register. One of Robin's hand fisted her hair while the other roamed her body. Skimming just beneath the hem of her shorts before cupping her bum with a squeeze. His hand traveled to her back, his thumb caressing her smooth stomach along the way. A finger slipped under her bra strap. He toyed with the idea of removing it but decided to wait for a more sobered time.
Breathless and driven by thundering hearts, they kissed each other senselessly. Tasting one another and getting to know each other in a whole new way.
Eventually, Maria's exhaustion caught up and she slowed to a stop, pulling away with a satisfied smile. "So, how was that for a rehearsal kiss. Think I'll make a solid leading lady?"
Robin softly kissed her lips. "You'll make the best one."
Lulled by sleep, her eyes hung heavy and she settled in, ready to fall asleep when Robin lifted her and took her to her bed. Maria grabbed his hand when he tried to walk away. "Stay with me?"
Robin crawled in and enveloped her in his arms. As he rubbed circles on her shoulder, he began to hum a song. It sounded vaguely familiar to Maria "….story at the bottom of this bottle and I'm the pen..." his voice was just audible in between his humming, "…When the lights go up, I wanna watch the way you take the stage by storm…" Maria narrowed her eyes as he sang softly, "...cause I got your picture, I'm coming with you Dear Maria, count me in..."
"Really Robin?"
He shrugged his shoulders with a sly smile. It was a good song.
The next morning, by some miracle Maria was the first to wake up. Perhaps it was her body registering the new source of warmth, or perhaps it was due to being tangled in said source's arms. Whatever the reason, here she was, shirtless and pressed tight against the very warm, and very solid, body of Robin. Now with her liquid courage gone, she felt a wave of embarrassment over her behavior from last night. She tried to move without waking him up, but it was too late. He was studying her face through squinted eyes, completely misinterpreting her expression with a pang through his heart.
"It's ok, we can pretend it never happened," his throaty voice startled her, "we didn't go far."
"What no!... unless that's what you want?"
"No."
"Good, good, I just need a moment to compose myself... I can't believe I did that."
"Me neither. Can't say I mind though." Robin pulled her back into bed with him. He brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed the base of her neck. "The Maria Merryweather: straight-A student and model citizen- seducing her innocent friend. Who would've thought?"
"You, innocent? Far from it."
"Damn right," he said as he brought her in for a kiss, ready to show her just what he could do now that they were sobered.
A/N: O.O... If you liked the spiciness, give a thanks to my boyfriend because he had to write it for me. He's also the creative mind behind the yoga scene. I kept squealing and hiding my head under my pillow.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! ^_^ I'd love to hear your thoughts on this piece: did you like the modern aspect of it? Was their relationship built ok and realistically? Were they too OOC? Whatever your thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Stay safe out there!