"I found the cure to growing older
And you're the only place that feels like home."
Beck throws the truck into park and leaps out of the driver's side door with more enthusiasm than I think I've seen from him all week. To my side, I feel Robbie shift and leap outside as well, his uncoordinated limbs failing through the air as he jumps out of the door. As I shuffle along the seat, I suppress a chuckle, noting just how difficult Robbie had made this look.
I peer over the horizon, noting just how far away from the buzz of the city we are. Then from the corner of my eye, I see a streak of black brush Robbie out of the way and tear something from Beck's hands. As Jade races up the cobble stone path, I realize just how truly massive the house we're staying at is. With its massive walls and glossy windows, it's more mansion than cabin.
With a shrug, I dismiss Jade's behavior and step over to Robbie where Robbie is conversing with Beck. I drop a hand on his shoulder, sending him spiraling into panic as a massive quake goes through his bones before he turns around and realizes it's me. Though he's hunched over and sucking in ragged breaths, a smile hitches itself to his lips and I link arms with him before turning to Beck. While Robbie's composing himself, I can at least find out what Jade's up to.
"So why did Jade go running away like a crazy lady?" I ask, my eyebrows knitting together slightly as the crack of the front door slamming echoes around us. Beck runs his fingers through his hair, pursing his lips as the peers up the house Jade has just disappeared into. Behind us, the sounds of Cat's happiness sail through the air as Andre allows her to leap onto his back. There's a kind of childish glee written in their faces as they stumble around.
"She wants the best room." Beck replies, gritting his teeth and smiling painfully as he watches Cat and Andre loop around us. I feel my heart clench for him as I watch the pain in Beck's eyes grow. There's so much love between him and Jade, yet neither of them have the first clue about how to express it properly. I feel Robbie's form shift beside me as he returns to his full height. A smile drifts onto his lips as he notices me peering over at him and he entwines our fingers. My heart unclenches and begins to thrash wildly in my chest as the warmth of his hand rushes through me. I'm not sure if I'd label what Robbie and I have as love just yet, but I do know I can't picture being here without him.
"What the chizz?" I shriek, whipping my gaze away from Robbie as something brushes past me. Seeing velvet red hair and dreadlocks sailing in the opposite direction, I realize exactly who it had been. My eyebrows draw together as it takes my brain a split second to catch up to the event that so clearly just happened. With outrage on coloring my features, I jump into action. Literally. Without a word of warning, I leap onto Robbie's back, mounting him as though he's the steer that's going to stop us from getting stuck with the least amazing room.
"After them!" I yell, bass coming into my voice as Robbie wheezes painfully beneath me. With a stumble, we're galloping after Cat and Andre and Beck is left in our dust. Robbie takes long strides and to my surprise, we're actually gaining ground on them and aren't lying in a pile of bones three feet away from Beck. With each passing stride, I chastise myself even further for doubting my boyfriend. My hair flails wildly as the air swirls around it and takes hold. Hearing Cat's giggling grow louder, I know we're really gaining on them. Feeling as though Robbie might be tiring, I lean down and whisper in his ear.
"Beat them inside and I'll make it worth your while." I purr, lowering my voice suggestively to something just barely above a rumble. As I feel Robbie's legs pushing us toward the house his even greater urgency, I can't help but wonder why he draws this out of me. I've never been this outright flirtatious with any other boy, I've never felt so alive with desire with any other boy.
My mind is so lost in my thoughts that I barely notice as we pass Cat and Andre, just in the nick of time. We tumble through the doorway, barely taking in the sights around us before Robbie spots a staircase to our left. His breath rattling forth, Robbie pushes up each step with surprising dexterity. From what I can spot around us, luxury seems to seep into my bones, like just dwelling here increases your monetary value.
"Is…this…good?" Robbie chokes out, coming to a halt in front of a large ornate door. Patting him on the shoulder, I carefully detach my limbs from Robbie, moving carefully as though he could crumble beneath me at any moment. Swinging my gaze away from the door, I watch Robbie as bends at the waist and drags in as much oxygen as humanly possibly. His throat rattles with each inhale and my heart thuds against my chest as fear grips me. I can't tear my eyes away from him, but my mind swirls with irrational fears about what could happen. I can't hear a thing over my beat of my heart and I'm half way to a full-blown panic attack when I feel a moist palm sweep over my forearm. Falling back into reality, Robbie rises upwards and within seconds we're face to face. Rivets of sweat trail down his face and he's still inhaling as much oxygen as possible, but he's just fine.
Heaving a sigh of relief, I sweep his fingers up with my own, whirling around, pushing the door open and coming face to face with the room, our room. My jaw hangs loosely and my tongue flails uselessly in the bottom of my mouth, I don't think there are adequate words to describe what we're seeing. The furnishings are simple, but elegant, lending the room the appearance of a luxury hotel. The last vestige of today light leaks through a massive windowpane at the far end of the room, bathing a king sized bed in a brilliant orange glow. Peering over at Robbie and catching my bottom lip with my teeth, I realize this is where we'll be sleeping together for the next few days.
"This is better than good, this is great. I think you picked the best room in the place!" I gush, throwing my arms around him and making sure he knows just how much I love this room. His teeth flash before me as a lopsided smile crosses his lips and makes my heart skip a beat.
I honestly couldn't care less about what the other rooms look like anymore. This one is just perfect; my eyes fly though out the room, never sticking on one point for too long. I can't halt my gaze as it drifts along the walls, along the floor, out the window, trying to absorb every detail. Once I've taken everything in, my eyes fall back on Robbie. He's still peering around the room just as I had been. My heart swells within my chest and I realize that Cat running off with Andre may have been the best possible thing to happen to me. I hadn't come to a decision when we arrived, but now I can't imagine sharing this room with anyone but Robbie.
With a sudden rush, I drag Robbie towards the bed, the sound of my giggles filling the air when he almost trips over himself. We clear this distance of the room in seconds, coming the halt at the foot of the bed, our bed. Robbie pivots away from the breathtaking vista in front of us, his eyes brimming with questions. Allowing my hands to rest on my hips, I try to ignore the way my heart is pummeling my ribcage and focus all of my will on holding my nerves together.
Robbie's lips part, but before he can speak, my lips stretch into a devious smile. The words die on his lips as my arms shoot out and send him hurtling backwards. Robbie's limbs fly around him, clawing for something to halt his descent, but it's to no avail and he bounces off the mattress like a ragdoll. Biting down a smile, I realize that the chances of an act like this being graceful between the two of us was remote at best. Peering down at him, my breath catches. The brilliant orange light bounces off Robbie's features, giving his jaw an even more chiseled look and masking the insecurities that had only just been present in his eyes.
"You look beautiful." Robbie murmurs, recovering from the fall and propping himself up on his elbows. His lips quirk into a smile and my eyes stay locked on him. Silence surrounds us before I swallow the distance between us. Bending at the waist, one of my hands lingers on his hip while I use the other to propel myself up the bed, to come face to face with Robbie. With one leg between his, my thigh brushes against his crotch, electricity shooting through the both of us as Robbie's hips jerk beneath me. My hand still lingers on his hip, so I brush my fingers over the skin between his shirt and his shorts, eliciting a gasp from the boy beneath me. A deep red flourish settles on Robbie's cheeks, one that's echoed on my own features as I try not to show my inexperience. Wisps of my hair tumble over my shoulders, tickling Robbie's collarbone as I find myself only inches away from his face. We're so close that I can even feel his ragged breaths caress my face.
Words begin to form on Robbie's lips again, but before he can say anything, I steal his lips in a searing kiss. It's like none of the ones we've had before, while those had weakened my knees, this one is like an explosion within me, leaving me just barely clinging to the air in my lungs. It's like nothing I've ever felt and as my hair blankets us, it feels like we're cocooned, the only two people in the world. Robbie's tongue brushes against my lips, leaving sparks in its wake. I grin into his embrace, it seems as though his shock has passed and his body has taken control. Without any further hesitation, I deepen our kiss, suppressing a moan as one of his hands skates down my spine.
"Get a room." A familiar voice cuts through the moment, sending everything crashing down. Robbie's hands instantly fly away from my, his lips stiffening completely. Reluctantly, I pry myself away from him, sitting upward and arcing my back to see Jade leaning against the doorframe. Feeling my blood simmer, I don't even attempt to hide the irritation from my face. The emotion dies away when I see the expression on Jade's face though. Despite her tone, there's a sense of longing in Jade's eyes, something swimming behind the hardened image she's trying to keep up. My mind floods with thoughts as I attempt to reconcile the look in her eyes with her actions. Memories of Beck and Jade's relationship from when I first arrived at Hollywood Arts spill forth. They were so close, never quite prying themselves apart, their eyes never staying from each other for more than a few moments; they were just like Robbie and I are now. It dawns on me, Jade's not jealous of me, she's not jealous of Robbie either. She's just jealous of what we have together, haunted by the ghost of what she and Beck used to have.
"We have a room. We're in our room." I finally retort, shooting for intimidating, but missing spectacularly, I've never really been very good at frightening anybody in all honesty. Shaking my head and feeling my hair tumble across my shoulders; I feel wisps of it spilling across my face as well. Jade's eyes narrow as she sees me bite down on my bottom lip, trying to suppress a moan as Robbie shifts beneath my core. Without another word, she whirls around, streaks of blue hair flying through the air behind her as she stomps down the hallway.
"We should probably go downstairs." Robbie mumbles with resignation in his voice. I purse my lips and turn back to him, noticing the look of bliss fading from his eyes as he returns to reality. There's a disappointment in his features that I know is echoed within my own expression. I roll off him reluctantly, straying only far enough to lie on my side next to him. Resting my cheek on my palm, I prop myself up and admire the way Robbie's untamed hair bounces slightly as he sits up next to me. He peers over at me, the disappointment dropping away as his grin threatens to envelop his entire face. I'm sorely tempted to just lock the door and keep him to myself, shaking the thoughts away; I know that would be a mistake. I need to take things slowly with Robbie, I'm almost certain this is entirely new ground for him. I know it is for me. I've never shared a bed with my boyfriend before.
We we amble down the stairs a few moments later, I feel four pairs of eyes following our every movement. Next to me, Robbie's cheeks match my own heated face, the realization that they've all pieced together what we were doing upstairs sinking in. I'm so focused on the thoughts driving through my mind that I scarcely notice Robbie's fingers entwine through my own. Once my mind catches up to reality, all of the concerns seem to melt away. This is one of the first times Robbie has initiated physical contact between us around other people; he's shy almost to a fault.
"Where were you guys? I've been searching everywhere. I even looked in the fridge, because this one time, my brother got locked in a fridge." Cat's voice skitters through the air as we step towards everyone. Her little hands are pressed together in front of her chest, just as they usually are when she's worried. Her forehead crinkles in a way that would melt even the coldest heart and I wonder how Cat's gentle spirit avoids being crushed by the word around us.
"Is he ok?" I ask, fumbling for a response. I'm never quite sure what to say when Cat brings up her brother, so I dive for the most obvious response. I feel Robbie's fingers tighten their grip on me, the very mention of Cat's brother putting him on edge. Between the strands of her fluorescent red hair, the usual brightness within Cat's eyes fades. I feel my heart clench painfully, realizing that Cat's spirit might be resilient, but it's not bulletproof. The suddenly downtrodden girl before us scarcely reminds me of my friend.
"No." There's no effervescent tone in Cat's voice. The flat answer that escapes her lips is one that's more befitting Jade. From the corner of my eye, I see Andre shuffle towards Cat. He drapes his arm over Cat's lap and as I watch Cat's face light up the concerns seem to drift away. As Cat's lips curve upward and her petite fingers pool in his palm I feel more at ease, like she's not going to fall apart at the seams.
Robbie shrugs his shoulders, taking a step forward. My mind is again trying to catch up with the real world and I don't react straight away. Gathering myself, I fall into step with Robbie as we push towards our friends. Ever the gentleman, Robbie slides his palm away from mine and as the harsh sounds of Jade's gagging fill the air, he pulls a chair out for me. Robbie takes a seat next to me and falls into an easy conversation with Cat. Their shared jokes that can only come from being close friends for so long swirl around the table. Opposite me, I see Andre's eyebrows knit together as he tries to follow their conversation. His eyes cloud over and I can tell he's having trouble following their train of thought as they leap from seemingly unrelated topic to seemingly unrelated topic.
Laying one hand on Robbie's thigh, I place the other beneath my chin and prop myself up with it. I don't feel the need to inject myself into Cat and Robbie's conversation; or even to follow it too closely. The ambience of their laughter and the low hum of their words is the perfect score as I peer out at the endless water of the lake. The last rays of sunlight dance off the water and I lose myself in the endless possibilities that seem to shimmer before me.
Rightio then...so this way the last T rated chapter. From here on, things are going to get a little busy from time to time. I tried to write this in a way that's a satisfying closer for those of you that aren't going to read on though :)
Massive shout out to abi for being review number 200, you don't have and account but 3 you and everybody that took the time to say something!
Anyway, leave reviews and stuff if you're wanting a speedy update, they fuel me.