A/N: I love you all. The moment you (might have) waited for.
Chapter 22: Under the Pines
"Do you want some water or soda?" Steph asked Robbie with her head inside of the refrigerator. "There are two diet lime drinks left and then one orange soda. I was hoping to save the orange for a night I'm craving it, but you can have it if you want."
"Doesn't matter, Pinky." Robbie replied, his eyes trying not to gaze at Steph's body. "I just want to crash on the couch and watch TV with you."
She threw a can of diet lime at Robbie, who caught it effortlessly. Steph closed the door and walked to the counter, deep in thought.
"We're going to have to figure something out if you're staying here for the rest of the school year," She said. "My Mom and Dad are hospitable, but you can only act eighteen for so long."
"I can leave. I can always sleep in the woods somewhere." Clearly joking, Robbie played cool.
Slugging his arm, Steph said, "I don't want you to leave. I just mean you can only lie so much before I feel bad for hiding a strange man in my house. You heard their concern for you. I don't want them ready to yell at your parents. Though, you might be on to something with that woods thing. I can set you up a tent past the tire swing. That group of pines will hide it really well. And I can sneak food out to you."
"Now you're thinking. Wait – I'm strange?"
"Hehe. A little bit. Come on, help me set the tent up." Stephanie chugged her water and ran outside.
Following her to the porch, Robbie watched in awe as Steph set up a place for him to be safe, to be himself. He took off his wig and carried it through the tree line to the tent. Steph had it up in a few minutes with no help. Relieved to be out of a sweaty wig, Robbie threw it inside the tent.
"You should shower before my parents get home. Your hair looks kind of matted down and, well, like a dead animal." Stephanie chuckled.
With that, Robbie lunged after Steph. "I'll teach you to make fun of my hair!" He shouted as he tackled her. Soon, Steph was pinned against a tree with an angry Robbie in her face. Out of breath, Stephanie studied Robbie's chiseled jaw line and gradually found the centers of his eyes. Around her, the world blurred. Robbie's gaze softened.
"I caught you." Robbie said with a gentle yet rugged voice, as if he just woke up.
Stephanie had no vocabulary. Her lips sat millimeters away from Robbie's, aching and itching to bloom. In the next second, her body quivered as Robbie allowed his lips to graze hers. She caught her breath as he closed in on her.
One small kiss on the lips sent both souls skyrocketing into a different plane of existence.
Robbie pulled away immediately and backed up.
"Uh, so, you think I should . . . um. I should take a shower." He said.
In a haze, Steph replied, "Yeah. Yeah, before they come home. Right. And I'll, um, make you a couple of sandwiches for your camping trip out here."
Robbie started to walk away. He stopped, turned to face Steph, and swooped in on her. With both of his hands resting below her cheeks, he kissed her again. Their lips parted and met, separated and melded together. Eyes closed, Robbie felt himself wanting to kiss her forever. Steph, eyes rolling in the back of her head, never imagined such a hateful man showing so much tenderness. Her arms dropped to her side without life. She felt Robbie's hands smooth down to her shoulders, where he gently tugged her into him. They stood entwined for moments that lasted an eternity. Finally, with heavy breaths, they parted.
Stephanie exhaled and said, "Holy cow."
"Steph . . . Pinky, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. You're just standing there . . . looking drop dead gorgeous. I'm such a fool. I didn't mean to-"
"Stop," Steph place a finger on Robbie's lower lip. "You don't need to say a thing. I . . . Robbie, kiss me again."
Her words shot through his heart, where they sat and manifested. Without wasting time, he allowed his instincts to take over and took Stephanie's mouth once more. Somehow, they simultaneously knelt down to the tall grass. Robbie pulled away from Steph's mouth panting. His hungry eyes dug into hers fiercely. Stephanie took in the moment of pure serenity and discovered how deep Robbie's eyes were.
"Now what?" Stephanie asked. "Do you admit you have feelings for me? Or do we sit here like lost puppies?"
A thousand thoughts ran through his mind. Robbie Rotten, a man of evil-doing, had fallen to the ground for a girl. He could not wrap his head around how badly he wanted her. Doing anything further than kissing was not what he intended. At first, he was cautious and timid. Stephanie found this cute. Neither one of them seemed to know what they were doing. At the same time, nature led them through an act of beauty so powerful that even flowers closed their eyes. Under a canopy of fading sunlight and pine trees, Stephanie allowed her beloved villain to win. He caressed her, took his time exploring her soft skin and natural loveliness. Stephanie never imagined anything to feel so scary and wonderful and complicated and simple. She never guessed that she would give herself so easily; yet, she knew it was right.
A perfect moment of pure high was shared between Robbie and Stephanie. Nothing would ever be the same for either one of them.
"I can't speak," Robbie said, lying down with Stephanie's head on his chest. "I can't even think right now. Pinky."
Stephanie stared up at the sky. The night sky was ready to move in, which meant her parents would be home soon. She didn't want to worry. Here in the woods, in a different reality, no one could puncture her bubble. She snuggled into Robbie and giggled.
She said, "We just shared something no words can express. Robbie, I've been waiting for you all my life, I think. Tell me I'm wrong. What just happened was unreal."
"It was." Before Robbie could confess his love to Steph, the sound of two car doors startled them.
"Shit." Stephanie struggled to gather her clothes and put them on. She looked down at Robbie, who was watching her dress. "You stay here. Get situated in your tent and I will be back tonight."
Running with her sneakers in hand, Stephanie made it to the porch in time for her parents to enter the house. She greeted them quickly and lied, saying she had just gone for a run. She dismissed herself to the shower where she spent several minutes glowing and grinning from ear to ear.
Back in his clothes, Robbie leaned against a tree and enjoyed a moment of peace. He shook his head, wondering if what he did was stupid. There was no going back from here. This was a commitment. He could not break Stephanie's heart, nor did he ever want to. On the other hand, he felt frightened of being happy. Nothing ever went his way. As he juggled these afterthoughts, a crunching through the woods caught his attention. Robbie stood tall from the warm earth and leaned his head forward to listen more closely. The crunching became louder and closer. As a man in blue emerged from the pines, Robbie's heart sunk.
0o0o0o
Stephanie explained to her parents that Robin had finally been picked up. They both had a few angry words to say, but were distracted soon by horrible news of a missing child a few towns over. The world was crazy, unstable, disheartening. Stephanie prayed for the child. She went up to her room and cried, remembering that the world was a cruel place. She wanted to tell Robbie she loved him. She needed to. In her mind, life was too short. A lot had changed from a few weeks ago. Stephanie apologized to a higher force for her curses against her life. With Robbie saving her from ignorance and self-pity, Stephanie wanted to thank him. She went back downstairs to hug her parents. She told them she loved them. They stood around the television, huddled as if they were around a fire. Nothing was said.
"Mom, Dad, I'm going to go outside for a bit." Stephanie said, "I need to reflect."
Truth was, Stephanie did need to reflect. On her way to Robbie's tent, she mustered up the courage to tell him. How was it, she wondered, that humans can make love with only a little hesitance, but cannot find an ounce of courage to say 'I love you?'