AN: SO. SORRY. Again. It's like every time I come on I end up apologising for five minutes before posting new material because I'm a completely irresponsible person who had been depressingly busy. I just had a truckload of assessments and I'm getting my report card for the first term soon, so my brain didn't really have time to breathe and refresh itself these few weeks.
I'm wide-awake; it's morning. Robin thought as she took a sip from the cup of coffee she had brewed herself with the hotel room portable water boiler. She was sitting in the armchair, her face freshly made up and her hair combed out neatly, her soft curls resting gently on her shoulder. She held the cup using both hands and slowly directed her gaze towards Barney, who was sprawled on the giant double bed, still sound asleep and gently snoring. She smiled, recalling the happenings of the previous night and stared at her hands, her fingers tapping against the cup in a quiet rhythm.
She had been up early, and when she had tried to return to sleep, she found that her mind simply would not allow for that to happen. She had planned on doing some sightseeing in the morning, but as she noticed how peaceful her lover looked in his sleep, she got up on her own and left him to his sleep, not wanting to disturb the tender look on his face.
She leaned forward, left her half drunken cup of coffee on the table and reached for the in-room dining menu, hoping to get a bite or two with him as soon as he woke. She flipped through the menu in anticipation, but to her dismay, had found nothing to satisfy her sudden craving for an American breakfast. She sighed and heaved herself off the chair, arching her back slightly as she stretched, both hands on her hips.
Robin decided it would be a good idea to head out on her own and return with breakfast for two, and she did according to plan. She wasn't an expert on the city but she knew enough anyway, and what was better for a man than to start the day with breakfast in bed? With that thought in mind, she reached for the spare hotel room key and slipped into her loafers, heading out the door in a silent motion, still careful not to wake Barney.
Halfway through closing the door, she hesitated before opening it again and re-entering the room. Quite clearly she had forgotten to write a note. Now that they were more than just friends, she thought it was only good for the both of them for her to leave a few words on her whereabouts in case he woke suddenly and wondered if she had bailed from their new relationship. She knew he tended to think like that.
So she tore a piece of paper from the pile of hotel room notepads and scrawled a quick note, promising a quick return and ended it by leaving him a kiss, placing the piece of paper to her lips and leaving a fresh print of her lipstick-covered pout.
Smiling in satisfaction at her capability of handling their new relationship, she made her way towards the door and closed it behind her as she heard the lock quietly click shut, giddy with the thought of him.
Robin knew she was never good at relationships. It was not even a personal opinion – she was so bad at them, the statement was nearly factual. Ask anyone about Robin Scherbatsky and her relationships and you would get a sigh and a sympathetic pat on the back. That was who she was and who she always had been – the woman who focused on career and put her love life second. Her past relationships had always ended up disastrous, to the point that even Ted, the hopeless romantic of the group, was starting to feel like there was something wrong with that girl and love itself. The two just did not mix well.
But this time, she was determined to be the best version of her idea of a girlfriend, because she felt like she was finally ready for something serious. And she hoped Barney was, too.