Warning: After the fluff withdrawals you have been suffering, this chapter may cause you to overdose.
Robbie's gone.
I'm sitting in Trina's darkened room, silence resting heavily within the air. Only the pale green of the machines wired up to my sister illuminates me. I'm sitting in a chair at Trina's bedside, cradling my limbs close and trying to suppress the gnawing feeling in my stomach. Only an hour ago it had felt like everything was falling into place, that things were finally getting better. Now I'm here alone, Trina has fallen into unconsciousness once again and Robbie is gone, he's not answering his phone either. I sigh into my knees, peering at my phone and hoping for a reply from him.
"Hey." A voice breaks through the silence. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I missed the sliver of light widen as the door opened. Brushing the hair away from my eyes, I look over to the source of the voice. I feel my throat tighten as Beck's form comes into my line of vision.
"Hey there Beck…" I greet him with an uncertain wave, nervousness creeping into my voice. I haven't really talked to Beck since Jade kissed me, so I don't know how much he knows about what happened between us. Beck's eyes are soft though, compassion radiating from him as his gaze sweeps over the room. I don't think he has any idea about what happened.
"How's your sister?" He asks, barely allowing his voice to rise above a whisper. I watch him carefully as he tumbles into a seat next to me and wonder why he's here. Beck and Trina have never really been that close and we've sort of drifted apart recently.
"She was awake before. I think she'll be fine with a little rest." I reply, the same hushed tone from Beck's voice infecting my own words. He nods at my words, seemingly placated by my response. Silence falls over the room once again and this time it feels just a little bit more crushing, a little bit more suffocating. I wonder why there's a feeling settling in the bottom of my gut that's telling me there is another reason for Beck's sudden appearance, that it's something I'm not going to like.
"Hey Tori, can you come downstairs for a while?" Beck's voice stutters through the dark and swirls around me. I peer over at him, he's lazily draped over the chair next to me, his arms lying lazily at his side. There's something in his eyes that betrays him though, he's not as calm as he appears.
"Uh, I guess. Why?" I reply, tucking an irritating strand of hair behind my ear. I glance away from Beck and study Trina for any sign that she's going to need me in the immediate future. I haul myself into a standing position, deciding that I don't need a reason. I just need an excuse to go for a walk; my thoughts are driving me crazy in this room.
"Somebody downstairs wants to see you." He replies vaguely. As he rises out of his seat, the feeling of dread in my stomach only grows stronger and I start to feel myself tense up. Beck holds the door for me as I stiffly walk past him and I can't help but dwell on how rigid and abrupt our conversation was. There's something hiding behind Beck's caring demeanor, something that's causing him pain.
"Do I even want to know who's down there?" I ask as we stride down the hallway. Beck's head whips around, his eyes focusing on me. He purses his lips in thought for a moment, mulling over my words thoughtfully. My eyebrows knit together and I wonder whether or not he'll answer me or not.
"You'll see. Don't worry, seriously." The tension between us seems to abate at his words. For an actor Beck's always been an awful liar, so I can tell he's being truthful with me right now. As we wait in the elevator, I recall his distance demeanor only moments ago. Beck's often like that when he's lying or trying to hide something. He removes himself from the situation emotionally, like distancing himself from the subject of his deceit will make lying easier.
"Are you alright Beck?" The words push through my lips before I can halt them. His gaze pierces through the air and without even facing him; I can tell Beck's staring at me. Swallowing my fear, I focus my gaze on him. Beck shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket and avoids my eyes, choosing to look away as soon as turn to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He replies. There's a gruffness in his voice that I've never heard. It's almost like he's simultaneously trying to choke out the words and stuff them back into his throat. Before I can utter another word, I feel his fingers encircle my wrist. Before I know what's happening, we're hurtling out of the hospital and towards the garden. My hair flies before my eyes and it feels as though the world is nothing but a blur.
Then our movement comes to a halt.
We're outside and the freezing wind whirls around me, weaving through my hair and seeping into my bones. Shuddering slightly, I wrench my hand away from Beck and hug my own shoulders, trying to contain what little heat remains in my body. I'm about to ask Beck what we're doing outside, but as my eyes fall on the solitary figure in front of me, the question dies on my lips.
"Uh, this is a song I wrote for you." Robbie sits behind a microphone, his guitar resting on his lap. He's seated on a simple wooden stool within a gazebo in the hospital's garden. There are fair lights draped all over the structure and a singular spotlight illuminates Robbie. The shadows play heavily over his features, and between the fairy lights, he almost looks like something more than human.
A haunting melody begins to fill the air around me and I'm suddenly painfully aware of just how much effort must have gone into planning this. I see his shoulders draw back for a moment and his gaze shifts away from his guitar and towards me. I'm entranced; I begin to step towards him without a second thought. I feel my heart skip a beat as his eyes catch my own. I'm lost in his spell and everything drops away from us. I barely noticed Beck walking past us and towards the source of the spotlight.
"In the moonlight, your face it glows,
Like a thousand diamonds, I suppose .
And your hair flows like the ocean breeze,
Not a million fights could make me hate you .
You're invincible , yeah, It's true,
It's in your eyes, where I find peace."
Robbie's voice passes through the speakers strew throughout the garden and deep within my chest, it feels as though my heart is caught between hammering against my ribs and melting. I never thought that Robbie could sing this way, it sounds nothing like when the songs he sings at school. His eyes remain lowered, focusing on either the ground below him or the guitar in his hands.
Is it broken? Can we work it out?
Let's light up the town, scream out loud!
Is it broken? Can we work it out?
I can see in your eyes you're ready to break.
Don't look away.
My throat tightens as he begins to sing louder, screwing his eyes shut as he pours his heart into the microphone in front of him. I feel him drawing me ever closer. I'm standing only about a foot away from the Gazebo that contains Robbie, transfixed by his spell as he continues to avoid looking directly at me. I've always been the one that wrote the songs for others, even then I needed Andre's help to write something half as moving as this. If it wasn't for the speakers drowning me within their sound, I'm not sure I'd hear him over the beating of my heart.
"So here we are now , in a place where
The sun blended with the ocean thin.
So thin, we stand across from each other.
Together we'll wonder if we will last these days.
If I asked you to stay would you tell me
You would be mine? "
Even if I weren't the only person in front of him, I'd still know Robbie was calling out to me. The urge to run up those last few stairs, to grab him by the shoulders and answer his question almost overwhelms me, but I collect myself and remain rooted to the spot. Robbie's eyes flicker away from the ground for a brief moment, sparkling as he notices how close we I've come.
"And time , Is all I ask fortime, I just need one more day
And time, you've been crying too long, time.
And your tears wrote this song, stay In the moonlight
Is it broken? Can we work it out?
Let's light up the town.
Your face, it glows."
My heart begins to hammer against my chest, I know this song can't go on forever. What's going to happen when the last chord is silenced? I chew on the inside of my cheek, nervousness pumping through my entire being. The last word of the song passes Robbie's lips and I can scarcely believe that somebody wrote such a beautiful song for me.
"That was beautiful, Robbie" I murmur, the sound of my voice barely rising above the ambience of the night around us. Robbie's lanky frame still rests on the seat beneath the pale glow of his spotlight. He's finally looking at me though, eyes no longer fixated on anything but me. My breath hitches as our eyes met, I'm pretty sure this is the most perfect moment of my life.
"You're beautiful." Robbie replies without hesitation, lifting himself upward with a grace that I don't think I've ever seen from him. I fumble nervously, unsure of what to say next. He's gliding towards me and as the space between us slowly disappears I can barely hear a thing over the sound of my heart shuddering and slamming against my chest. His lips are only inches from mine and I lean towards him, longing to fall into his arms forever.
Then it all comes crashing down.
"Whoops." Jade's disinterested voice rings out in the distance as I see a familiar silhouette disappear into the darkness. Robbie whirls around and I look last him to see the crumbled remains of a spotlight littering the gazebo. Robbie cups his head in his hands and a pitiful whine escapes his lips. I stifle a giggle at just how spectacularly Jade ruined our moment.
"I'm going to have to pay for that." Robbie mumbles morosely. Tilting my head towards him, I see that he's still staring at the ruined equipment. Biting down on my bottom lip, I feel the urge to laugh well up in me once again. He's such a mystery. One moment he's a talented musician, the next minute he's a feeble guy standing next to me. The strangest part is that I'm not even sure which side of him I like better.
"I'll get you out of it. It's the least I can do." Without thinking I place my head on his shoulder, tendrils of brown hair tumbling over his shoulder. I feel Robbie tense up for a brief second before his fingers creep between my own, filling the spaces between them.
"I'm sorry it wasn't better, I tried my best." The words crumble forth, leaving his lips in a pathetic jumble. I feel my heart leap into my throat, concern welling up within me. I draw him ever closer, linking my arms around his waist and inhale deeply. I scrap together whatever courage I can and proceed to pour my heart out to him.
"Robbie, that song was the most amazing thing that anybody has ever done for me. I've never felt so important, so happy. It was all because of you and your song. You didn't have to set up all of this, I would have been happy with you. Just you." The words spill forth, my tongue taking a life of it's own and spinning wild sentences without even registering Robbie's reaction. Feeling my throat tighten as silence fills the air around us, I begin to detach my arms from Robbie, fearing that I've said too much. It's then that he jumps into action, draping his arms over my shoulders and holding me close.
"I just have to know though, why a song?" The question dances forth, filtering through the air around us. Robbie shifts slightly, bristling at my words. My brow creases in concern, the fear that he's going to pull away welling up within me again.
"Think about it, every important moment in your life has revolved around music and…" His voice is thick with emotion as he pushes the words forth. Shadows from Robbie's curls shield his eyes for the most part, but I can see them shimmer as his voice falters.
"I had hoped I could be one of those moments." Robbie finally finishes his though, the words not coming easily. His mouth contorts into a slight smile that's hopeful, but timid as he avoids my gaze again. I almost feel as though he's waiting for a reason to run, but looking for a reason to stay. My tongue pushes through my lips, wetting them ever to slightly.
"Robbie, look at me." I state, willing myself to sound both tender and authorities at the same time. It's not an easy task to accomplish with my heart threatening to pummel it's way through my chest at any moment, but I hold my tone in check. Robbie's eyes find their way to my own after a few nervous seconds.
Without any of the grace that I fake on stage, cup his cheek in my hand and guide his lips towards my own. When we connect, I don't feel a simple spark, when the kiss deepens I feel atom bombs in my veins. With the simple caress of his lips, the brush of his tongue, I feel more like I'm more than just Tori Vega. I feel like somebody that's truly loved. My lips linger against his, drinking in this new sensation greedily.
Reluctantly, I pry myself away from the heat of our embrace. With great regret, I see his eyes open questioningly. One of his arms leaves my shoulders and I see him press it to his lips, like he's trying to make sure this is real life. I'd do that same, but I don't want to let him go, I don't want him to vanish in the cloud of smoke. We stare at each other through half lidded eyes for what feels like an eternity and only the blink of the eye. Robbie's lips part and tremble several times. I wonder if he's lost to ability to speak, so I take the matter into my own hands.
"Hang on, Mr. Articulation. I need to do something…" I state, gently taking a step away from him and fumbling within my pocket for my phone. As I scroll through the menus, I see a confused look on Robbie's face. My lips curl upward, a secretive smile crossing my lips as I find what I'm looking for. Robbie's eyebrows turn upward and a look of utter confusion swims within his eyes as the sound of a simple piano melody floats through the speakers of my Pear Phone.
"Will you be my boyfriend, Robbie Shapiro?" I ask, feeling my a red flourish come across my cheeks. As much as I wish I could just stand still, heart beating at a normal pace, my body has other ideas. In the brief moment that Robbie's eyes flicker between the phone I'm holding aloft and the hopeful grin on my face, I feel like I have the heart of the hummingbird and veins filled with magma.
"First time a girl had ever asked me that, is it usually set to music?" The confidence seems to turn to Robbie's voice, apparently accompanied by the ability to tease me with his response. Taking in the sight of him holding me close, a crooked smile on his face, the concern begins to fade from my mind. My heart begins to slow down and the magma seems to cool within my veins, I feel normal again.
Better than normal.
"No. But this is an important moment in my life, it needed music." I reply, a twinkle in my eye as Robbie's confidence falters and he crumbles into a mess of stammered words and upturned eyebrows. For a second it looks like he's about to choke on his own tongue, thankfully he manages to regain control of his body though.
"Offer expires in 3, 2…" Remembering his earlier teasing of me, I decide to call his bluff, seeing whether or not he'll ruin the moment before I have a chance to do it. Robbie's eyes blow wide open dramatically as I begin to count, panic shooting across his face.
"Yes! Yes!" He shrieks, tightening his grip around my back. I melt into his embrace, contentment washing over me. I rest my head against his shoulder, my hair spilling onto his back. Everything is perfect. I may have had to ask him out, I may have set the scene with a song and I may have almost reduced Robbie to a pile of mush, but he's mine now. The words soak into my brain, washing away all of the problems, all of the drama.
He's mine now.
It's so good to have finally wandered out of the darkness.
If you thought this was fluff, you ain't seen nothing yet though. Next time is going to be Rori's first real date.
Do leave a review if you aren't suffering from some kind of fluff induced convulsions :)