"Sansa!"
Sansa kept walking, despite the fact that she did hear Robb calling after her as she hurriedly walked to her car from Whole Foods with a bag of groceries in each hand. Of all the dumb luck, she thought.
It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Robb. It was that she…okay, yes, she didn't want to talk to Robb. After an awkward dinner at their mother's the night before she kind of figured that was enough to last them for a while. Or at least until Sunday when they all got together again for "family dinner". Catelyn had sent out the email to them both that morning about how she wanted to reinstate family dinners.
It wasn't as though Sansa could tell her mother that wouldn't work for her since it was weird being around the brother she used to fuck on a regular basis. Oh, and hey, did I mention that the dinner table we ate on is the very one Robb and I fornicated all over one night while you guys were out to a movie? Somehow she didn't think that would go over well.
"Sansa, Jesus, did you hear me?" Robb asked when he unfortunately caught up with her.
"Where did you even come from?" she asked.
He pointed over his shoulder as he bent over, panting. "Home Depot."
She arched a brow. "Little out of shape, Robb?"
He shot her a glare and straightened. "That was mean."
She shrugged and clicked the button on her keychain to open the doors of her car.
"I haven't been running in a while." He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jeans pocket and held them up. "And I'm sure these don't help."
Sansa's eyes went wide as she opened the back door, placed her grocery bags in the backseat and shut the door. She turned to face him, hands on her hips. "What the hell are you doing smoking? Mom never mentioned that."
"She doesn't know. Talisa doesn't even know."
Sansa tried not to let the mention of his wife bother her.
"Why are you smoking?" she asked.
"Stress," he said with a shrug.
"Moving?"
"Among other things."
She bit her lip. Don't do it, Sansa, just don't… "Mom told me about…" she gestured to him. Oh my god, Sansa, why?
"The affair?" he asked with a smirk. "I figured she had already. Like when it happened."
"She didn't. She just told me yesterday after you and Talisa left. Something about having to kiss every time one of you leaves the room?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's supposed to help me learn how to show affection. Apparently one can't just leave the fucking room anymore without having to make it a big fucking deal."
While Robb had never shied away from using an expletive or two it surprised her to hear him swear like that, and so vehemently, too.
"You're angry," she said.
"No shit, Sherlock. Wouldn't you be?"
"If Willas cheated on me? Yes, of course I would be. I just…I don't understand though…"
"What don't you understand?"
How you have a problem showing affection. That was never a problem for you. You couldn't keep your hands off me.
She waved a hand. "Never mind."
He studied her for a moment as though trying to decide if she should say or do something. She had a feeling he knew exactly what she was thinking and was debating whether or not he should comment on it.
This was the hard part: navigating through the millions of land mines that were between them. How did you make a comment on your brother's inability to show affection to his wife when your experience with him in a romantic capacity was that he had no trouble showing affection at all? How did you show sympathy for his plight in having a wife that cheated on him when you didn't like his wife for the simple fact that Talisa got him and Sansa didn't?
"You're not carrying anything," Sansa said to change the subject. "Did they not have what you were looking for?"
He sighed. "No, they didn't."
"Willas might be able to help you out with whatever it is. He's a contractor…"
"I know," Robb muttered. "I hear all about how handy he is from Mom."
He sounded bitter about it, too.
Sansa shifted on her feet. "Well, um, I should get going. I have frozen stuff in there."
"Could I follow you home?"
She blinked. "What?"
"Could I follow you home?"
"Why?"
"Because I haven't seen your house yet and I'd like to?"
How did she say no? How could she say no?
She couldn't.
"Sure," she said. "Where are you parked?"
He pointed over his shoulder again and grinned. "Right behind you as a matter of fact." She recognized his cherry red truck and nodded. "Just wait for me."
She nodded again and climbed into her car. She started it up and watched Robb in the rearview mirror get into his truck and start it up. He flashed his lights and she backed up and then pulled out slowly to make sure he was behind her.
The whole drive home she wondered what the fuck was even happening. He was coming to her house now? She didn't want him in her house. She didn't want to imagine him there after he left. How was this not hard on him? It actually kind of pissed her off that it wasn't. Just a five minute conversation in the parking lot of Whole Foods and Home Depot and she was maxed out. Now she was going to have him in her house? Alone?
I do not want this, I do not want this, I do not want this, she said to herself over and over until she was pulling into the driveway of her one story ranch with a wrap-around porch. Robb's truck made a lot of noise behind her and she climbed out of her car and frowned as she watched him cut the engine and climb out.
"What?" he asked.
"Your truck is loud."
"So?"
"I hate trucks."
"Since when?"
"Since they're loud. Plus, their drivers can be really obnoxious."
He looked almost amused. "How's that?"
"In the winter they think because they're in a big ass truck they own the road. One nearly caused me to drive into a ditch."
He held up his hand and made the Boy Scout Salute. "I solemnly swear to never do that to you or anyone else. Even if you are driving a pretentious Prius."
"It's better for the environment, and it's not a gas guzzler like yours," she pointed out.
Robb dropped his hand and sighed. "Sansa, have I done something to piss you off? You seem really on edge."
You met and married Talisa after only a year of being away from home! I couldn't even date anyone because I kept comparing them to you and you were already in a serious relationship! she screamed at him in her head.
Well. Apparently she'd been carrying that around for a while.
She opened the back door to her car and grabbed her grocery bags. "I'm sorry," she said a bit tightly. "I've been a little stressed lately too."
He didn't respond. He remained silent until they got inside the house. She started to unload the groceries while Robb looked around. She loved her house; it was her sanctuary, and she had made sure to decorate it in a way that would make it feel as such. The style was shabby chic – furniture that looked worn, overstuffed couches and chairs with a country-style print, white washed walls and hardwood floors. Plus, flowers – real ones, whenever she remembered to get some.
She was just putting the last of her groceries away in the fridge when Robb came back in. He looked grim. She frowned. "What is it?"
"What?" He shook his head. "Nothing. I like it. It's nice. You've even got a backyard with a fire pit. Nice grill, too."
"Thanks," she said. What did one really say to that?
Silence fell.
"So, this is in your name then?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yes. I told Willas we'd put him on the deed after we got married."
Robb nodded and looked toward the door. "Well, I guess I should get going."
Oh, thank God, Sansa thought.
He headed for the door and Sansa followed him out. He jogged down the four steps to the ground and looked up at her, his hand over his eyes like a visor blocking the sun. "I'll see you on Sunday."
"Yep. Sunday."
"Fish again?"
"No, I think it'll be okay if Mom has steak then."
He nodded. "I'll bring some and grill them up."
"Willas can show you how to use the new grill we got her."
Robb scowled. "I can figure out how to use the goddamn grill without his help, Sansa."
She hadn't expected him to snap at her like that, and she didn't know what to say to him in return, but then she didn't have to really worry about it. He marched off to his truck, climbed in, and lit up a cigarette almost immediately.
Sansa went back in the house before he even pulled down the driveway. She was aware that part of her had wanted him to stay while the other part was happy he'd left. She felt tears sting her eyes and she shook her head and marched down to her office to check her emails. Nope, she wasn't going to cry. There was nothing to cry over anymore.