When I got home, my dad was standing in the kitchen. I knew what was coming. Interrogations.
"How was last night?" He sat down at the kitchen table, his fingers laced together in front of him.
"Good, I had a lot of fun." I was going to keep it vague, than I wouldn't have to explain myself. I knew from past experiences that I only dug a deeper hole when I tried to get out of things.
"That's good." He glanced at that days paper, the front page article about outrageous gas prices. "When Rob called to say you were staying there, he forgot to say why. What were you two up to?" I knew what my dad thought we did. I shuttered at the thought.
"It was nothing. I just fell asleep in his car and he let me sleep on his couch. Than this morning I was a little hung over." Okay, so it was more like a lot, but I wasn't going to be the one to tell my father. "Don't worry, dad. I'm a responsible adult." I smiled and got up out of my chair to go change.
"I know, I just keep thinking of you as the little girl you used to be." My dad picked up the paper and began to read the sports section.
"I know." I gave him a quick hug and than ran upstairs to take a shower and change.
On Monday, my dad had another meeting, so I had to drive to work by myself. I blasted the radio and rocked out the entire way. When I got there, Rob was leaning against his car with two Starbucks cups and a paper bag. Yum, he got breakfast.
"One Chai Tea and one lemon poppyseed muffin for you." He handed me the cup and bag, and took a sip of his tea.
"Thank you." I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek. He blushed slightly and walked with me into the studio.
The shoot was normal, nothing too exciting. We finished up late, it was nearing 11:00 when I got home. I was tired, so I went straight to my room and plopped down on my bed. Plink. I sat up and glanced around. Plink. I walked across my room and glanced out the window. A tall figure was standing on the beach, throwing rocks at my window. I opened my window and leaned out, only to get hit in the head by a pebble.
"Ow! If I knew you were going to do that, I wouldn't have opened my window." I climbed up in the window and sat in the windowsill.
"Sorry, but I have something to tell you." Rob smiled, but his voice held something I couldn't figure out. "Come here." I spun around and ran down to the deck, not even taking time to put on shoes. Rob wrapped his arm around my waist and lead me to a blanket on the sand. Rob laid down and put his hands behind his head and I rested my head on his stomach. He played with my hair while we stared at the stars, each one sparkling brightly.
"So, you wanted to tell me something?" Rob stopped playing with my hair and sighed.
"I don't know how to say this, but well, I got a lead in movie." Rob was silent. I lifted my head and looked at him.
"That's great!" I wrapped my arms around in a hug, but he didn't seem excited.
"We're filming in Ireland. Which means I'd leave for 6 months." He pulled me to him tight, as if he'd never let go. I buried my face in his chest for a moment
"You- you can't go. I need you here." I tried to hold back the tears that stung my eyes. Rob pulled me on top of him and pressed his lips to mine.
"I could never leave you, but I have to. This is a one-in-a-lifetime chance. I promise to call you everyday and you can come and visit. I love you more than there are stars in the sky, but I need to do this." I tried to look him in the face, but I couldn't. I buried my face in his chest and let the tears stain his shirt. He stroked my hair and sang softly in my ear.
When I woke up, we were still on the beach. Rob was asleep, his warm breath running through my hair. I put my head back on his chest and hoped the moment would never end. Rob was leaving and I couldn't stop it. I tried to picture those 6 months. Every second away from Rob lasted centuries and now he was going to be gone for 6 months. I could feel the tears coming back. I felt hopeless and lost.
"Claire, are you awake?" Rob's voice was groggy. I nodded into his chest, not wanting to expose my tears. We laid silent before I could finally speak.
"When do you leave?" I could feel Rob tense up. It wasn't a good sign. I braced myself for it and waited as Rob prepared to speak.
"As soon as we wrap." I wasn't expecting that. We wrap in a month. I let the tears fall and Rob returned to soothing me.
I tried to make the month go by slowly, but they rushed by. Before long, we were wrapping up and Rob was packing. On the day before he left, I was sitting on his couch watching him pack.
"Rob, I'll miss you so much." I hugged the pillow tight, trying to hold back the tears that fell once a day for the past two weeks. "So, what's to become of your loft?" Rob was piling up his luggage by the door. Rob shrugged then paused.
"Why don't you stay here and keep an eye on it. There's no one in the world I trust more. Do you want to?" I perked my head up and stared at him.
"Seriously? I would love to." I jumped up and wrapped my arms around Rob's neck. "Thank you." I pressed my lips to his in a swift motion before returning to the couch. Even though I was excited to live in the loft, nothing could get rid of the sick feeling I felt. I didn't want Rob to leave, but I knew it was what he wanted. I just wanted him to be happy, but why did it have to cause me unhappy. I crossed my arms and sighed. There was nothing I could do now.