Sorry for the delay, it's been pretty hectic and my muse decided to take a holiday. She's here now, so on we go. Sorry for the mistakes. I proofread till I had a headache, but unbeta-ed otherwise :)
enjoy!
The next month passed by so quickly. One moment it was fall, the leaves falling and changing colors, and the next, the pavements are blanketed by snow. October seemed so distant now, as the first week of December breezed by. Cardigans were replaced by thick coats and everyone seemed to be nursing cups of coffee or tea just to warm their hands. Of course, Cora and Robert both had better, both having each other to warm the other's hands. It was something to be thankful for this coming Christmas anyway.
"You know, for an American, you didn't seem to celebrate Thanksgiving," Robert had told her one day when they had been out and about in the Covent Garden, about to have lunch. Her hands were clasped in his as she had looked through the window shops they'd passed by for anything interesting.
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I'm in England, how was I supposed to celebrate? Besides, I had a video chat with mother," she said, shrugging. She remembered Thanksgiving, but of course by then she'd been busy with the recent change in her relationship status, so the usual blues hadn't been as bad as it usually felt whenever there was any celebration back at home. "But I had you over for actual Thanksgiving day." She gave him a salacious smile that told him exactly what they'd been doing.
He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her nose, making her beam at him. They walked a bit more until they found a place to eat. It was one of those Saturdays when both of them had nothing to do, and since they'd stayed at Cora's the night before, after her performance, they decided to go out and make a day of it in the city. It was different now—even when they were both familiar with the city, it was different when they were together, it was different seeing it with each other. In the few weeks that they have made their relationship finally official, they had known so much about the other that it didn't even seem like weeks, it felt like years.
"What do you want to do today?" Cora asked him as she munched on her salad, lifting her head and looking at him questioningly.
He shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "Watch a movie, maybe? Or shop? Whichever you like?"
"Whichever I like?" she asked with a waggle of her eyebrows that made him laugh out loud, and she felt proud, felt something stirred inside her as he threw his head back and laughed with abandon—she did that, she was able to make him laugh like that, and she relished in it.
Robert, she realized, was a man of propriety and grace—too much, perhaps sometimes. He was always so dignified. And the fact that she could have him laugh loudly in public—well, that, that was something to be proud of.
When his laughter ceased, he picked up her hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a ghost of a kiss on her knuckles. "Whatever makes you happy," he said, winking, and she couldn't help but feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
What made her even luckier was that she was going to spend the whole weekend with this wonderful man.
…
Along with the snowy pavements and colder weather during December, came the influx of final exams and a billion other requirements. Cora, of course, was no stranger to this—this wasn't her first rodeo after all. But the stress of the finals and having to cram her subjects and all the requirements still got to her, and by the time Wednesday rolled in, she was ready to set fire to everything. She should have studied all weekend, not go around the city with her boyfriend, but that had been more fun and really, she'd thought she had the time.
Only, she didn't. She'd forgotten that she had two exams Thursday, and not just the one she'd been studying for the past hour. She had focused on the essay that was due the same day. Now she had to study for her exams and pull an all-nighter, not that she'd had any decent sleep since Monday.
She had even missed a night at the Castle, leaving her band mates having to make do with their back up as the lead for a night. That had been yesterday, and she was determined not to miss Friday as well. That just wouldn't be fair to them. Luckily for her, her last exam was on Friday and she had the whole weekend free. Besides, she missed hanging out with Robert. True, they had seen each other yesterday, for lunch when she had been able to make a window in her incredibly busy schedule. He'd taken her to his office where he had take out delivered and it had been the perfect place for her to finish studying until it was time for her to come back to university and take the blasted exam. She didn't even have the time to realize that she was stepping foot on her boyfriend's office for the first time ever until after the exam. The up side was that she didn't see his colleagues and employees staring at her, had they been doing so. The downside was that she didn't know if they were.
It had been an ingenuous idea though, and she'd been grateful for the quiet and peace offered by his office, and the fact that she was in the same room with him, encompassed by his calming presence. The thing was, despite being together, she had been entirely too busy to actually spend time with him.
Even now, as she stayed in her apartment on this cold Wednesday night, she missed him and was dismayed to know that she wouldn't be able to spend time with him because as it were, she didn't even have a moment to spare to even get up and shower, unless she was bringing her books with her. Hell, she couldn't even have the moment to pee.
Sighing, she leaned forward on her desk and let her head fall to the heels of her palms. She was so tired. So tired and hungry—something that she hadn't even realized she was feeling until her stomach grumbled loudly. But she didn't want to waste time to get up and make herself some food. At this point, she couldn't be bothered to call for take-out.
Her phone vibrated against the wooden table and she startled, head snapping up from her hands. She sat up straight, trying to stretch the kinks out from her back before reaching for her mobile phone. A smile involuntarily appeared on her face as she found out who it was that had sent her a message.
Robert.
'Hi love. I hope you aren't taxing yourself too much. Have you eaten?' he asked and she'd frowned, thinking how odd it was that he knew exactly what was going on her brain, or stomach—or the lack thereof.
It was almost scary how much he knew her, wasn't that supposed to come later into the relationship? When they'd been together for more than just a few months?
She shook her head and let a smile tug at the corner of her lips as she quickly typed out her reply: 'Finals is what it is. And no, maybe later. You?'
She placed her phone back down as she waited for her boyfriend to reply, but when minutes passed by and he still didn't, she gave up, he was probably busy too. Sighing, she went back to her studies, willing the texts on her books to be absorbed by her brain and mean more than just stupid letters and words.
She hadn't even realized that more than an hour had passed until she heard her doorbell ring, prompting her look at the clock. Pushing her chair back, she stood and then stretched, her arms over her head. She heard her bones popping and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of relief washing over her as some of the tension was relieved. She was going to make an appointment with her masseuse soon, she thought, but that would be later, much later.
Padding quietly through the door, she was quite surprised when she opened it and found her boyfriend standing on the other side, a wide grin on his face.
"Robert!" she exclaimed with happiness, the surprise evident in her voice. "I didn't know you were coming!" But she was happy with his surprise, happy that he was here, if only for a moment that he could be beside her despite the million things that she needed to do.
She would gladly push those back for a few hours for a chance to be with Robert.
…
Robert couldn't help but bask in the glow that emitted from Cora when she opened the door and found him on the other side. The smile on her face was enchanting, and she truly looked happy to see him there. It made him feel proud—that his presence could make her happy like this, and at the same time, he felt gratified. He was gratified that she could be this happy with just his mere presence.
It had been a battle between leaving her alone for the night to focus on her studies or coming down the Belgravia and into her apartment complex just to be with her, even if it meant that she would ignore him for the next hour. He could stand to be ignored, since he knew she had a good reason, and could and would gladly entertain himself until it would be time for bed—as long as she was just right beside him.
He'd missed her. Since Sunday night, he'd been unable to get her undivided attention, and that had been fine, he was alright with that, was happy with the scrap of time she'd been able to clear to spend with him. But he did want to be there for her, if it wasn't troubling for her. And since the day before when they had lunch at his office had proved that they could be in the same room, do the things that they were supposed to and not go at it like rabbits—granted they were both busy with their own things. The fact that when he'd texted her late that Wednesday night, asking whether she'd had her dinner or not and she'd replied that she still hadn't and seemingly not so keen on having it any time soon—well, that had cemented his decision.
After all, he, himself, had come out of a particularly late meeting and was in dire need of food, he'd thought, why not bring the food to his stressed girlfriend and make sure she had something to eat. And if she threw him out of her apartment after a satisfying meal, then at least he could console himself with the thought that they'd seen each other at all that day.
Convinced and determined, he'd driven down to her apartment and waited patiently for her to answer the door. It had proved to be all worth it when she'd opened it with a wide smile, happiness radiating off of her.
"I wanted to surprise you," he said with a smile, when she'd told him that she hadn't expected him. He lifted the bags of Thai food takeout in his hands. "And I came bearing gifts."
She laughed, ushering him inside. She stepped forward, closer to him and kissed him softly, making a stirring to begin where it shouldn't begin at all. "I missed you," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck for a second, and though he struggled, he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.
"I missed you too, darling," he said, pulling her close and inhaling her sweet gardenia scent. He had always adored the way she smelled—so sweet and so fresh, so innocent but with a kick—just like her.
She pulled away and beckoned him to the kitchen. He set the takeout on the counter as she moved around her kitchen to get the plates and utensils. Side by side, they moved the Thai food out of the carton and transferred it on the plates. He knew she had been craving for Thai food all day, had texted him at one point that day telling him that she'd wanted to eat some but they both knew she didn't have time to go down her favorite restaurant to get it. Well, he solved that one for her.
She sent him an appreciative smile that told him that he'd just scored some major boyfriend points, and he couldn't help but feel happy, glad that he was able to relieve one of the many things that stressed her out and make her happy with this—even if it was just food.
Quietly, they walked to her living room and placed the plates on the table. They settled on the couch, and once he was sat, she threw her body over his, looping her arms around his neck and giving him a long, toe-curling, tongue-filled kiss. He sighed into her mouth, his own arms wrapping and tightening around her body.
"What was that for?" he asked once they pulled away, adding, "not that I wasn't thrilled or anything."
She sighed happily, pulling away and shrugging. "For being a great boyfriend," she said with a smile, and he could not even begin to express the feelings that ran through him every time she called him that. He smiled. "You brought me food—Thai food. Thank you, Robert." She peered at him through her impossibly black lashes before tucking into her noodles.
"You're welcome, love," he said, reaching down to squeeze her knee, once before reaching for his own plate of food and digging in.
In no time at all, they both finished their dinner, and Robert offered to clear it all up so Cora could either study or have a shower. She opted for the latter, thanking him with a kiss. He responded happily, not minding in the least to be doing these things for her. Anything to make her load lighter.
He was putting away the last of the leftovers when she'd emerged from her bathroom, her face shiny and scrubbed free of makeup. She was clad in a pair of white flannel pajamas, her now shoulder length hair tied back in a measly bun. She was wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a smile that could melt glaciers—it certainly melted his heart.
"Hi love," he greeted, wiping his hands with a paper towel. His suit jacket had long since been abandoned and so were his shoes, his grey shirt was unbuttoned and untucked. A dishtowel rested on his left shoulder and he pulled it away, placing it back where he'd originally found it. "I didn't know you wore glasses."
She shook her head. "I don't usually," she confided. "I only use them for reading and whenever I get headaches—astigmatism and all that crap."
He nodded. "No matter," he told her with gait, unable to stop smiling at the sight of her. "You look adorable in them."
She scrunched up her nose in a manner that made her even more adorable if that was at all possible. "I look ridiculous."
He crossed the little distance between them and took her into his arms, kissing her senseless. "Never," he whispered in a ragged breath when they'd pulled away. "You can never look ridiculous."
She beamed at him, but didn't comment further, only snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest and sighing. "Are you staying the night?" she asked.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I don't want to be in your way. I just wanted to make sure you get to eat something."
She smiled at him and shook her head. "You can't ever be in my way," she told him sincerely. "Please stay." She looked back towards the direction of her bedroom and then back at him. "Your suit from last Friday is still here. I've had it dry-cleaned, so you could wear it tomorrow, and then I'm sure we could find you something to sleep in." She raised an eyebrow at him. "If all else fails, I swear I won't have any qualms about you sleeping buck naked beside me," she added making him chuckle.
He nodded, nuzzling her nose with his before placing a kiss on its tip. "Sure," he said, unable to deny her anything. "Let me go get a shower and get changed. I did bring some of my paper works, you could set up camp in the living room and then I'll come up and sit with you."
She nodded and pulled away. Instantly, he felt the loss of the warmth of her embrace. "I'm going to go find something for you to wear while you shower, then I'd start studying."
"Alright," he conceded, nodding. He watched her sashay back into her bedroom, no doubt looking for something for him to wear, while he walked to the bathroom to get showered.
He took of his work clothes, placing them on the side before walking to the sink to brush his teeth and wash his face. He noticed how her sink now seemed to be more cluttered than when he'd first come in here—her moisturizer sat right beside his aftershave, the soap he used to wash his face with sat beside her facial wash, and that bottle of whatever it was that she put on her face. His toothbrush was sitting right next to hers in the holder. He couldn't help but look up at his face in the mirror, finding his own shocked reflection staring back at him.
Since when had they become so domesticated like this? They were only together for a few weeks, months at the most. How easily it seemed that they have settled into something like this. They had been able to weave each other into their lives so much.
A million thoughts ran through his mind within a second.
Cora hadn't even been into his house. Or met his parents or his sister.
God. Were they moving too fast?
Robert splashed water into his face and swallowed. He looked back up at his reflection, seeing fear in his own eyes. He shook his head and tried to relax. He shouldn't feel like this. Cora was a wonderful woman who deserved better than a man who cowered at the first thoughts and signs of a deeper level of commitment.
He was determined to be that man— the man she deserved, and so he tampered down the urge to run away.
…
Robert was taking a long time in the shower, Cora thought absentmindedly as she penned her interpretation of the passage she was trying to review on her notebook. She'd been reviewing for about an hour now, and she'd been able to go through a good deal of the coverage of the exam. Just a few more and she'd be able to finish this subject and move on to the other.
She could actually foresee the possibility of sleeping tonight, and in Robert's arms, too, imagine that.
She sipped the coffee she'd made, all caffeine and sugar without cream to keep her even more awake. Placing the mug down on the table next to her, she tried to focus on the next passage, trying to register the words enough to understand it as she gnawed at her bottom lip whilst waiting for her boyfriend to get out of the shower. She wondered if he was okay—he couldn't have possibly drowned in the tub now, could he? She had heard him start the shower. And Robert had admitted to him that he wasn't very fond of baths unless she was sitting between his legs in the tub. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, a stirring in her belly she tried to squash. She couldn't possibly think of sex right now, she needed to focus. That could come later—a reward for all her hard work. Yeah, maybe after they'd both finished their work.
But for that to happen, she needed her boyfriend alive and well—not in the bathroom where god knows what has happened to him. Getting up from where she was lounging comfortably on the sofa, she padded through the hall and knocked on the door of the bathroom.
"Robert?" she asked.
"Yeah?" came his muffled reply.
"Are you alright?" she asked hesitantly. Clearly, he sounded okay, but could there be something wrong?
"Yes," he answered. She heard shuffling from behind the door, and a moment later, a fresh-faced Robert emerged from the bathroom. He nipped her by the waist and kissed her nose, making her scrunch it slightly against her lips. He chuckled, but it sounded off, distant even. "I'm alright, Cora."
She peered up at him curiously for a moment before nodding, conceding. "Alright," she said. She jerked a thumb towards her bedroom. "I laid out your shirt and pajama bottoms on the bed." He nodded, smiled, and thanked her. "I'll see you out at the living room." And then she left him to his own devices.
She plopped down the couch with a sigh. She didn't want to smother him, really, she'd just been worried. She didn't know what was happening, and she was a natural born worrier. And she'd been right to worry for he sounded different, like something bothered him. She didn't want to badger him, wanted him to come to her in his own terms and his own time, but she wanted to know—wanted to share his burden.
Maybe, in time.
Sighing once more, she tried to focus on her studies and managing to get a bit further on the passage when she felt the couch behind her, shifting with Robert's weight as he took a seat. She shifted, placing the book on her other side as she turned to him. She stifled the groan that wanted to flow from her lips at his choice of sleepwear. He'd obviously gone rogue and ixnayed the pajama bottoms in favor of his boxers. It was cold, even if she'd lowered the thermostat, but Robert didn't seem to be phased by it at all.
"Hello," she said, peering up at him for any changes that might have happened in a span of an hour. He looked tense, strained even. She wanted to ask but didn't want to annoy him or anything so she pressed her lips together and tried to smile.
"Hello," he said back, leaning in to nuzzle noses together, and despite herself, Cora could feel the tension lifting from her shoulders, most of it anyway—those brought by the fear that Robert might be changing his mind, maybe he didn't want this after all. She tried to push away those thoughts.
"You alright?" she asked once more, kicking herself after because she did just say that she wasn't going to ask.
"Perfect," he said, pecking her lips. "You on the other hand aren't." He urged her to turn around, and she did as he bid, sighing in bliss when he placed his hands on her shoulder and started to knead. "You're so tensed."
She could say the same about him, she thought, but didn't say it aloud, only moaning audibly when he pressed on a particularly tender spot, his thumbs working on a knot in her muscles. She felt Robert's hand slide through the fabric of her shirt, and then felt his warm hands caressing the skin of her back, slowly, gently. He pressed his thumbs down on the dimples at the small of her back, making her groan in sheer pleasure. She craned her neck and turned to look at him.
"Would it be easier if I got rid of my top?" she asked in all innocence, but the lust that glazed over his eyes said that he'd heard it in a completely different way. She shook her head. "I mean, if it's okay." Her voice sounded husky even to her own ears.
He didn't answer vocally, only nodded his head in agreement, detaching his hands from her body and sitting back to watch her remove her top. She unbuttoned it slowly, her fingers fiddling as it shook and trembled, the low heat that pooled low in her belly now turned into scorching heat, consuming her. God, she needed to keep it in her pants. She slid the flaps of her now opened top down her shoulders and let it drop down the floor. She turned her head to look at him once more but before she could even make the move, she felt his lips pressing down on her nape, sending shivers down her spine. She felt him pepper soft kisses down her shoulders, nipping gently at her shoulder blades before he made a path down her back, kissing down her backbone with reverence. His hand gripped her waist, squeezing once, making her relax back into his arms as he kissed upwards this time, landing on the crook of her neck and shoulders, nuzzling the soft skin her found there. She felt his hands inch upwards until they were resting just under her breasts before he cupped them, testing their weight. He traced one puckered nipple with his index finger, making it stiffen more almost to the point of pain before he pinched it. His erect member now poked her from behind.
"Robert," she sighed breathlessly as she looped her arm around his neck, bringing his face next to hers so she could steal a kiss. Their lips twined together, tongues meeting passionately as the kiss deepened.
God.
When she felt one of his hands slither down and slide inside her pajama bottoms, all her thoughts disappeared, the battle lost before it even began, and she ignored the voice in her head reminding her of the million things she needed to do.
She could do them later, she thought as his fingers flicked over her hardened bundle of nerves and his other hand pinched and pulled against the puckered peaks of her breasts. Right now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.
…
The week was over. They had survived the finals week, and now Cora had more time in her hands. It delighted Robert to no end. They'd ended the week with drinks at the Castle, just right after her performance. And then they made a repeat of their little intermission from last Wednesday when they got to his house.
He'd invited her over, feeling like it was just right to do so since they had been spending so much time in her apartment lately. Her apartment had felt lived in—by the both of them, and he longed to make the same out of his own house. He wanted her there, wanted her to make it as homey as her own apartment.
The truth was he used to live in a different house than this—another house on the other side of the city. He'd lived there with Adeline, much to Mama's consternation, but when they'd broken up, when she'd run off to be with someone else, he'd sold that and bought this house. He'd usually invite his parents over should they wish to, or sometimes they'd live with Rosamund for a while, after they'd sold their own London house upon moving to Yorkshire.
The thing was that the house was new and seemingly unlived aside from himself and his butler or housekeeper, or whatever the hell Molesley was supposed to be anyway and two other servants, the cook and the maid. It now felt lonely and pale in comparison to Cora's apartment.
Just the sight of her in his bed now as the morning broke and she remained asleep in his arms after a particularly busy night filled with lovemaking, as some sort of celebration for her finishing this semester—that made his heart flutter and filled him with a sense of belongingness that he'd never ever felt anywhere. He tried to wrack his brain for any time or moment that he'd felt this way with Adeline, after all, he had always considered her his first true love, but he came with zilch. He had never felt this way before.
And that scared him, frightened, terrified him to the depths of his soul, down to his very core. He wondered if this was it, finding that one person destined for him. He wondered if that were even true. He didn't know, and truly, he didn't want to overanalyze, because this was where he was at the moment, in the present, in the now, and that was exactly where he wanted to be.
His thoughts were broken when he felt Cora stirred, shifting in his arms as her eyelids fluttered. She was beautiful, extraordinarily so, and he couldn't help but run his fingers down the side of her face before leaning in to press a kiss against her brow. Slowly, her eyes opened and a smile stretched her lips as the blue orbs focused on him. He found himself smiling too, unable to do anything but, her happiness contagious.
"Morning," he murmured against her skin as he leaned in once more to kiss her forehead.
She reached up, looping her arms around his neck, until her face was level with his before leaning in and nuzzling their noses together. He liked it, liked that they had their own brand of affection, something that was theirs.
"Morning to you too," she whispered, kissing his nose. She was adorable.
He pulled her close for a brief second before letting her go. "Breakfast?" he asked, and when she nodded in acquiescence, he rolled over and climbed out of bed. The cold air brushed against his overly exposed body and he plucked his robe from where it was hanging just near the bed. He donned it on and not a second later, he felt her arms wrap around his waist, her naked skin burning through the terry cloth. "Something wrong?" he asked as he pulled her arms further before turning around to wrap his around her.
She laid her head against his chest and shook her head with apprehension. She looked up into his eyes and he could see the anxiety in those clear blues, and watched as she worried her lip. He decided to wait her out, knowing that whatever it was, she'd tell him in her own time.
She snuggled further into his embrace, her voice muffled as she said: "I'm just a little nervous," she admitted, and he'd responded with a nod, he could see that clearly, "to meet your sister and her fiancé."
Ah. There it was.
He pulled her away from his body just a bit to look at her eyes. "Love," he began in a soothing voice knowing how nerve-wracking it was. If he ever met her parents or her brother, he'd probably be just as nervous, maybe even worse. As it was, it was just Rosamund, and it's much easier than meeting Mama, for sure. "You have got nothing to be nervous about."
"But Robert," she protested mildly, shaking her head.
He tipped her chin up, pecking her lips. "No need to worry," he reiterated. "Ros would love you." And he meant that, too. "And so would Duke. You'll love them and this afternoon will go swimmingly."
So he hoped, anyway.
It was a big step for him: letting his girlfriend meet his sister. It had been a long while before he'd admitted to Rosamund that he'd been dating Adeline, even if they'd known each other a long time. He'd always been apprehensive, and he'd never let Ros meet any of his girlfriends before and after Adeline, until now. Until Cora—Cora he wanted his sister to meet, knowing that they'd get along well. They mostly liked the same things, and despite the fact that Ros was at least a year older, he knew how good an influence Cora would be for his wild sister.
He couldn't help but be excited, even if there was a bit of fear that had taken root in his chest. This was a good thing.
"You're amazing, Cora," he breathed as he looked at her once more, "There is no reason why Ros and Duke wouldn't love you."
Like I do, he thought, but he gave those words no voice before he pecked her lips and ushered her downstairs for breakfast.
Deep inside, he knew he meant it more than anything.
…
Lunch time rolled by too quickly for Cora's tastes—she was a nervous wreck despite Robert's reassurances, and quite frankly she either needed this day to be over or not happen at all. But happen it seemed to have to be, she realized as she applied her lipstick and then wore her shoes. She'd chosen a tastefully classy but comfortable wear for today. She'd gone for her pair of black skinny jeans and black leather ankle booties. She wore a white dressy jumper and a black woolen infinity scarf. She'd worn her favorite gold and diamond earrings, wearing on her right fourth finger its matching ring. She'd pair it with her favorite black pea coat, hoping she didn't look to morbid or gothic in her black and white attire. She'd worn light makeup, just enough to brighten her face, but nothing too heavy. She really hoped she passed. She knew she wasn't meeting Robert's parents yet, but his sister was just an important and she really wanted to make a good impression. She didn't want Rosamund to think that Robert just dragged her off the streets.
"Cora, my darling, are you—," she heard Robert say then pause, making her smirk. She wasn't wearing her coat yet so she grabbed it from the bed before meeting his eyes. He was looking at her so intently, making her blush. She wasn't even wearing anything special.
"Jaws off the floor, Robert," she teased as she crossed the room to where he was standing, still gaping. "Really, Robert," she snorted as she nudged him with her elbow.
"I apologize," he said, closing his mouth and shaking his head. "I just—you're gorgeous."
He wasn't so bad himself—decked out in a simple blue woolen jumper that brought out his eyes and a pair of dark wash jeans, he had his black coat already on and seemed to be ready to leave.
"I'm barely wearing any makeup and I'm in not so fancy clothes," she told him with a shrug. "I think I'm anything but."
He shook his head once more and took her in his arms, kissing her. "You're always gorgeous," he argued. "And I won't hear anything different."
She chuckled, but kept her mouth shut. If he thought she was gorgeous, then very well. She loved the way she looked in his eyes anyway.
..
The bitter cold December air nipped against her skin as they walked down the streets of London on the way to Rosamund's favorite restaurant. Robert said that Rosamund was a fussy eater, fussy everything, in fact, and he'd wanted this day to go on without a hitch so the restaurant of choice had to be Rosamund's. He'd told her not to worry because she'd be sure to like something in there too, he was certain. But she'd only responded that it was the least of her worries.
To be honest, she was more worried about Rosamund herself than what Rosamund's choice of restaurant. She wasn't even sure she could get herself to eat something, anyway.
When they'd stopped at a fancy and exclusive restaurant off the side of the Covent Garden, Cora breathed in a deep breath and brazed herself. They entered the establishment, the Maitre greeting them pleasantly and helping them off their coats. Cora heaved her purse against her shoulders as Robert took one of her hands in his.
"Table for Crawley," he said in a clear voice.
The Maitre nodded cheerfully before leading them into a table further into the restaurant where a beautiful redhead and a tall, brown-haired man already sat, waiting. Cora swallowed as they made a stop, her heart in her throat, wishing she could go with the Maitre when he'd left. Robert's hand was firmly holding hers and so she dispelled any thoughts of wanting to run away.
She never backed down any challenge, and this was just another. Besides, what harm could it do? To meet his sister? If Robert was pleasant, then surely his sister would be too (not that she believed that to be strictly true, herself and her brother being an exemplary case in point).
The redhead stood from her chair and then first greeted Robert with a hug and a kiss, a murmur of 'It's been too long dear brother', before she moved aside to let her male companion (Cora assumed that he was her fiancé) greet her brother as well. Cora looked at her intently, taken a back with how seemingly laid back she was. Of course, she had that air of flamboyance that Cora imagined her to have: decked in a pair of acid-wash jeans that were tight and skinny, paired with a red long-sleeved blouse and a pair of red suede ankle boots. She wore a chunky necklace and her engagement ring, and nothing else, her lips painted in a deep red that looked wonderful with her red blouse.
The man she was with complemented her with his simplicity and understated class—wearing a grey button down shirt and black slacks, paired with what seemed to be Italian leather shoes.
Robert smiled and greeted them with an equal enthusiasm before he moved aside and gave her hand one firm, fortifying squeeze. He gestured towards her with his head. "This is Cora Levinson," he said to both his sister and her fiancé. "This is my sister Rosamund and her fiancé Marmaduke Painswick."
Cora felt Robert loosen his grip on her hand as Rosamund moved in to embrace her, kissing her cheek. She'd expected a range of greeting—from polite disinterest to barely suppressed disgust—but not this, not this warm hug and kiss on the cheek as if they had been long time friends and not what they were now, merely acquaintances.
"Hello, Cora," Rosamund greeted pleasantly as she moved away. Ros took Cora's hand in hers and squeezed. "I don't know what you saw in my brother, but I do hope you keep seeing it, because it was about time he got himself a girlfriend." She chuckled, allowing Cora to chuckle too, as Robert shook his head.
Rosamund moved aside to allow her fiancé to greet Cora with a polite smile and a kiss on the cheek. "We're to stick together, if we want to live amongst the Crawleys," he teased with a chuckle, earning himself an elbow from her fiancé.
Cora shook her head at their antics before letting herself be led to her seat by the man she called her boyfriend. Now that she'd met them, it seemed silly to her now that she'd been borderline paranoid about meeting them. They were a bunch of nice, out-going, charming people, not at all as Cora imagined them to be. And though, admittedly (but never aloud) Rosamund looked as haughty as Robert had described, but she was the complete opposite—she was a jovial, chatterbox with a spitfire attitude and quick wit, just like Robert had said.
Cora liked her, liked Duke, liked this, being here with them and knowing she was accepted as Robert's significant other, and that very thought celebrated amongst them.
She couldn't help but feel thankful, a huge weight lifting from her shoulders.
Now if it was just as easy to win over Robert's parents…
…
Robert watched with adoration as Cora laughed merrily at Rosamund's stories of their childhood. He'd told her plenty enough about where and how he'd grown up, but not in so many details, and not those that Rosamund regaled now with gait and fondness. They were embarrassing enough that he'd cringed at the mere memory, but even he could not deny the pleasure that it gave his girlfriend as she heard them. She threw him an amused look when Rosamund told her of that one time they'd almost set fire to the barn when he'd been nine, Rosamund eight, and how both their backside still quite stung after their mother doled out their proper punishment.
"In my defense, it was your fault," Robert argued, finally chiming in the conversation when he'd heard his sister place all of the blame on him. He was being honest, it had been Rosamund's idea, she'd been the more cunning of the two of them, often getting away with it because Papa not only favored her more, but also because she was younger and Robert had to be more responsible.
"Robert, you were the one who stroke the match and threw it on the pile of hay," Rosamund quipped with a roll of her eye—typical of her.
"You were the one who suggested a campfire in the barn! You said you wanted it to be like that in your camp!" Robert gesticulated with force and disbelief that even after all these years. Rosamund did not see that it was her fault.
"I never said it had to be in the barn!" Rosamund argued back, and henceforth commencing a bickering and bantering of some sort, which had driven away their significant others with a laugh, telling them they were going to run to the nearest Starbucks for some hot coffee as the siblings sorted it out.
"She's wonderful, Robert," Rosamund breathed out, eyes twinkling, once Duke and Cora were out of earshot. Her cheeks were red from the quite taxing activity of bickering with him, but she was smiling, looking quite taken with the idea that her brother was finally dating someone she liked. "And that thing about playing in the pub because she just wanted to—inspired. I wish I could just do that, too, not play in a pub, Lord knows I haven't got the voice for it." And wasn't that the truth? "But you know, doing things freely, because she wanted to. Must be the American in her."
Just like him, there was nothing derogatory in the way his sister had said it, nothing like in the old ages, or the way Mama would have said it—she said it with just pure fascination, perhaps even amazement. Although he was quite sure his sister would balk even at the thought of moving there herself. Well, at least, they shared the same sentiments.
"She's a free spirit," Robert said in agreement, his eyes landing to the coffee shop where Cora and Duke were. "It's one of the things I love most about her. She's the 'have gun and will travel' kind of person."
He chuckled, and his sister joined in nodding.
"You love her?" she asked in quite a serious tone once their laughter died. She was looking at him quite deeply, intensely, expecting nothing but honesty from him.
"I think I might," he responded with as much honesty as he could. "I'm pretty sure I'm feeling something strong for her, I'm falling in love with her. I'm not quite there yet, though, but close." He looked back up at his sister as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his coat. It was the truth. And though he'd never admit that he feared more than life itself this feeling that seemed to have taken over him, that he feared the intensity in which he seemed to love her or how quickly he's falling, he knew that his sister knew, could read it in his eyes.
"Then don't be afraid," his sister said as though reading his mind. "She's a lovely woman. And though I couldn't figure out why the hell she is, she seems quite besotted with you." She smirked at him and he shook his head good naturedly, deep inside wondering the same thing. "Don't push her away because she seems to be all too willing to catch you."
Robert pondered his sister's words as it echoed in his ears, and he looked away, trying not to let it get the better of him. Rosamund's hand is warm on his bicep, and he sought solace in that. From a distance, he spied his lover and his sister's fiancé coming towards them, cups of coffee in hand, laughing as they talked to each other.
He liked it, too much perhaps even, but he liked the comfort she'd found with the people that were dear to him. He had always had a good relationship with Duke, loved the way he loved and cared for Rosamund. And now he loved the way his sister and his girlfriend seemed to bond with each other, loved that they seemed to be thick as thieves quickly. Cora had already whispered to him how lovely she found his sister and her fiancé, and that had pleased him immensely.
Cora sidled next to him, just as Duke stood beside Rosamund. She handed him his own cup of coffee and he'd taken in with a soft 'thank you'. He looked down and found her gazing up at him, a look of concern in vibrant blue eyes. They were so beautiful that he wanted so much to dive into them.
"Are you alright?" she asked with worry, she snaked her arms around his waist and snuggled for warmth before holding her cup in one hand as she smoothed the other up and down his back.
He pecked her lips softly before nuzzling his nose with hers, and then letting them touch, just resting his forehead against hers. "I've never been better," he answered with a smile, and never in his life did he mean that more than he did now.
A/N: So I hope that wasn't as crappy as I feel like it is.
Thank you to Zaibi for the prompt which i used for this chapter!
Let me know your thoughts! :)