PART TWO
Robin drew in a ragged breath and forced her best news anchor smile. Halfway around the world, and Barney Stinson could still manage to find her, still manage to sweep all logic and reason out from under her. "That's probably best. I don't talk about my personal life at work." Robin's gaze dropped from his.
Barney broke the silence. "Is that why Maurice thinks we don't know each other? Does he even know you have an ex-husband?"
Robin fidgeted with the fringe on her wrap, unspoken words dying on her lips before she answered him. "Like I said, I don't talk about my personal life at work. It's stupid."
"Nothing about you is stupid." The pure honesty in his voice cut her to the quick. "So, Paris, swanky party, you and me, and nobody knows we know each other. We could do anything here. An-y-thing, and they would totally buy it because they don't know any better."
"Options." Robin inclined her head in a curt nod. "We sure have them." She bit down on her tongue, to keep back whatever words might spring up of their own will. She'd run halfway around the world to get away from the shambles of their failed marriage, but there Barney was, the man who wanted to stay in New York. The impact of him hadn't lessened one bit. I am desperately in love with you and I always will be and that's the real reason I never mentioned you to anybody here. She took in a deep breath. Facts. Focus on the facts. Gather information. Breathe. "Are you here with anybody?"
The corners of Barney's mouth twitched. "I'm single. I've been single. I will remain single."
The admission sent a shock racing along her spine, triggering the instinct to escape. Barney. Single. Panic churned in her gut. Adrenaline racied through her system.
She knew that he, the one-time master faker, wasn't faking anything, that the naked vulnerability she sees in his eyes was all too real. "You really didn't know I was going to be here?"
"I really didn't. If you want me to leave now, I will." The inner corners of his brows flashed upwards by the slightest degree.
"I don't want that."
Relief warmed his eyes, the flicker of mischief, beautiful, distracting mischeif. Some grand and glorious scheme so they could fall back into what was most comfortable. Like drunk hotel sex before offering him a divorce. "So what do we do now?"
"I don't know."
"Take a guess."
Robin affected a casual shrug. "Awkward small talk?"
Barney nodded at the possibility. "We could have awkward small talk", he allowed, or we could try something different."
"Like what?"
"We're in the most romantic city on earth. Nights like this only happen once in a lifetime." This was the Barney she remembered, the Barney she loved. The Barney she thought she'd had to leave behind forever.
They both paused for placid smiles and a casual wave as their host danced by, at the head of a conga line, a frilly hot pink cocktail hat perched on his dark hair. She didn't want to know why. "Not for Maurice. This is pretty much Thursday for him."
Barney scoffed. "Forget Maurice. Forget everything else. Five minutes ago, this was another boring business event, for both of us but now it's something else. Because you and I are in the same place at the same time, it's something better. It's fate. It's the universe telling us we have unfinished business. What if we do pretend this is the first time we've ever met? Nobody else here knows that. To them, Robin and Barney are two extremely attractive exotic strangers. They don't know any different."