Thank you to those who reviewed and followed/ fave'd my story! Here's chapter two.
Raven awakened when she felt someone shaking her slightly. She opened one lazy eye to see a grinning Robin and immediately narrowed her eyes from the sun that was behind the boy. She promptly pushed back her sunglasses that had slipped down her nose in her sleep as she got out of the car to stretch.
"Sorry to wake you up like that, but we're finally here!"
Raven nodded, noticing the slight elevation of Robin's voice that indicated his excitement and happiness of finally arriving at the beach. She walked to grab her bag when Robin placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"That's ok Rae, I kinda already got your bags in our room."
"Our room?"
Raven asked slightly confused but without much curiosity to draw out care. She had an idea that their other companions wanted to have time to themselves, this being their last chance to spend time with each other before they all had to face college. Besides, Robin was her best friend, and come to think of it- her only friend. Cyborg always felt more like the older brother that she always wanted to have. She was comfortable in sharing her personal space with him and relaxed around him knowing he had much respect for her.
"Yeah, you know Cy and Bee wanna have some alone time and there's no use really arguing to those two. Besides, I don't ever see you having girl talk with Bee so I thought you'd be ok with it."
"You know me so well."
Robin smiled despite it being sarcastic and took Raven's hand as they walked towards the entrance. They were staying at one of Bruce's many properties. This though was a beach house which was isolated and fully furnished and was by the shore. It was two stories high and had a homely yet luxurious aura to it. As they neared, they saw Cyborg already blowing into an inflatable volleyball while Bee was applying even amounts of sunscreen on various parts of her bikini-clad body.
"Need some help?"
Robin offered a breathless Cyborg and he quickly pointed to two inflatable beds. Robin sweat dropped and said he would go get the air pump instead and walked into the house looking for it. Raven gave a disbelieving look towards Bee while she shrugged at her boyfriend and their friends' actions. Raven decided to walk around the property a bit and take in the new place. She walked slowly, stepping on the cobbled path and observed the tropical plants growing from the sand and some things of interest like a small boat and a swing on the far, east side of the area.
She sat down at one the swings and placed a menthol cigarette between her lips and expertly lit it with her lighter. She swayed a bit as she closed her eyes and inhaled smoke, calming herself. She opened her eyes when she heard water splashing and saw Cyborg was chasing Bee around in the water, laughing like crazy. Her eyes softened at the scene and took a long drag. There were times she longed to be with a person, just like that. To bond so much with a person and be accepted fully and be loved back without worry you will be the one to ache after it painfully ends.
Like most people, she was once naïve and thoroughly believed in the sweet nothings an attractive boy told her. Raven and Rorek, despite their obvious attraction to each other, knew they would never work out in the end. They had been too alike, in so many little and big ways. They had loved the same music, books, and had so much to talk about and Raven was drawn to his charming way with words and his unusual appearance that matched hers. But when you get so much dosage of the same thing, no matter how inclined you are with it, you are bound to get sick of it eventually. And that was eventually what drove Raven to end her painful yet beautiful affair with him.
The pale girl admitted it to herself she sometimes missed his presence and although they kept in touch, she knew she had no regrets and she learned a lot from the relationship and from Rorek. After all, a year of dating and you're bound to miss that person. She felt something buzz in her pocket and took out her phone. Arella had left a text message.
When will you be back home dear?
Raven texted her back, and finished her cigarette and tossed it to the ground and stepped on it. The swing beside hers made a sound and she turned around to bright blue eyes that shone in the sunlight.
"Hi Rae, I've been looking for you. Wanna go for a swim?"
Raven appeared to be debating this in her head when Robin started swinging back and forth and spoke up again.
"Or we could always stay here and smoke those lung cancer sticks if that's what you want."
Raven ignored his comment and took a fresh one out and lit it. She took a long drag with obvious pleasure and glanced sideways at Robin's direction and caught the disapproval in his features.
"Raven, you know how I feel about your smoking habit way back when you were 15, and I still don't approve of it any more than I did back then."
"Richard. I'm glad you care but really, I decide what I want to do with my body."
Robin rolled his eyes at Raven's response and turned to look at the other two who were now playing with the inflatable volleyball.
"And I suppose you're content with inhaling that thing and damaging your body with your unhealthy habits until your lungs rot off and then you'll die a happy girl."
"Exactly."
Raven answered back, pleased that she got the upper hand of the argument. She tossed the cigarette at her feet and stood up and stomped on it.
"I think I'm going for a swim. The hot weather's getting to me."
She walked towards the house and left an annoyed Robin behind as she looked around and found what she supposed was their room. She opened her bag and got what she needed and dressed swiftly. She glanced at the huge mirror mounted on the bedroom wall and grinned. She was not one to care much about her looks to care what people thought, but there was no harm in trying to look good. She walked down the stairs but not before applying sunscreen and walked out the door.
Robin looked at her and grinned, forgetting about their short argument. Raven wore a black bikini, not a surprise with her taste. Her hair was slightly ruffled due to the wind and changing so abruptly and she looked rather cute. Her pale skin glowed in the sunlight and her eyes shined brightly, his eyes setting on her long slender legs that he knew other guys often stared at when they went out and Raven wore one of her short outfits. He had admitted it to himself and sometimes to other people long ago that he found Raven attractive. Her unusual looks drew him to her, being a nice change from the usual bubbly and light haired people. She raised one of her brows at him, knowing he was staring even though he was wearing sunglasses. The ball hit Robin right in the head and he fell backwards on the sand with a thud.
"Hey man! You okay?"
Cyborg ran towards him and pulled him back up.
"Uhh yeah, I'm ok."
His sunglasses had fallen down. Cyborg picked it up and noticed that Robin was staring at Raven's back, who was walking out farther into the sea. He smiled knowingly and handed him his eyewear.
"Uhm, thanks."
Robin said rather awkwardly and didn't notice Bee walk towards them.
"That was a good spike, Cy!"
She chuckled and high-fived her bigger built boyfriend. She had been playing against Cyborg when Robin approached them and smugly challenged then. Bee having a competitive streak couldn't decline and ended up teaming up with Cyborg against Robin who proudly claimed he could fare out against the two of them. She almost believed him when Robin started getting distracted and fell down.
"I'm thirsty! Let's bring out the beers and start grillin' some food, it's gonna get dark soon."
"We should probably start doing that. You coming, man?"
"Yeah sure, just let me go tell Raven first. She said she was hot so maybe she wants a drink too."
Bee and Cyborg both smirked at Robin's way of words and Robin blushed lightly and ignored them as he ran towards their dark-haired friend. They saw him call her name out and slipped on something and fell forwards while Raven rolled her eyes and walked towards him, wading against the current of the sea. They both laughed at their friend's sudden awkwardness and Bee raised a brow and smiled at Cyborg knowingly.
"Hey, he's called boy blunder for that exact reason."
Bee laughed once more and started walking towards the cooler. She knew that Cyborg knew what she meant even though he didn't acknowledge it out loud and dismissed it as that. She had first noticed how Robin was around Raven about a year and a half ago and when she mentioned it to Cyborg he laughed and told her it was how those two always were. She drank half the bottle of beer then smiled, refreshed. But it was not only her though, that noticed how things quickly changed between the two best friends when a certain white-haired boy came along and how Raven started paying more attention to him and then Robin started dating a tanned redhead. Her name was Kori and was a bubbly girl who a lot of boys at their school was attracted to. She shrugged off those thoughts and walked towards her boyfriend who was firing up the grill. The two couples were broken up now though, and she always wondered if there was ever a chance the other two would get together, romantically.
"Are you ok?"
Robin answered with a grunt and grabbed Raven's pale outstretched hand and stood up all wobbly. He didn't think the current was strong and wasn't careful. He blushed a little and scratched his head.
"I'm fine. Just caught by surprise with the current."
"Ok then.. Why were you running towards me anyways? I wasn't that far off the shore."
"Well, uhm.. Cy and Bee are firing up the grill and getting a head start with the beer. And I thought maybe you wanted a drink since you know.. Well you said it was hot out here."
Robin scratched his head awkwardly while raven continued looking at his face and inwardly laughed at Robin's play of words and decided to ignore it.
"Sounds good but I wanna go for a short swim first."
"D'you mind if I join you? I haven't been sparring for a while and I need the exercise."
"Sure. Whatever."
And with that, Raven gracefully dove into the cold water and swam farther out the sea. Robin watched her a few seconds then drew out a deep breath and did the same. They were swimming for a while now when Raven stopped and was trying to dry her hair with her hands. Robin swam towards her, panting when he drew up.
"I think I'm gonna head back. Maybe they need some help and being thirsty and swimming in all this water is really making me crave for that ice cold beer."
"Alright, let's head back."
Robin's eyes fixed upon Raven's soaked form. Her hair was wet and damp and clung to her neck. She brushed her bangs away from her face which revealed the small red gem on her forehead. Raven had explained long ago it was part of the tradition in her old country and he thought it oddly suited her.
Cyborg and Bee managed to cook a decent meal enough for four and after they ate they circled around a bonfire they made by the shore. All four of them had quite a number of beers and Raven could tell they were all starting to feel the effects. She was a bit tipsy herself but didn't let it show and to others she seemed completely unaffected. Bee's laugh ringed in the cold night air. She had laughed at something Cyborg had said while Robin punched Cyborg lightly and playfully on his arm.
"Stop making jokes at my expense!"
Robin yelled aggressively but with a tint of amusement and familiarity.
"Hey not my fault you embarrass yourself often, boy blunder!"
At the mention of his unwanted nickname, Robin flushed with annoyance and Raven snickered.
"Stop calling me that, Victor."
Robin stressed Cyborg's real name with narrowed eyes while Cyborg looked at his friend questioningly. He was about to say something back when Raven cut him off.
"Ooh. Real scary, Dick."
Raven's calm, monotone voice came out of nowhere, annoyed by the two's usual banter. Cyborg and Bee couldn't help but laugh while Robin just sat there and stiffened. He was irked, and Raven knew it. They all knew of their friend's short temper. The conversation between the two steered to a football game they'd been watching and Bee shared a look with Raven which seemed to silently thank her for her intrusion. They both knew what would've happened if they'd continue down that road. Both boys would've argued and argued, eventually turning more serious then settling things with a stupid dare or bet, and since they'd been drinking things probably wouldn't end very nicely even though those were entertaining to watch.
They continued on their conversation and eventually veered onto the topic of college. All except Raven were at it with excited voices on what they would do, what clubs they'd join, and other things that didn't spark an interest with her. She sighed. Her discomfort with topic made her disconnected with the group and she stood up to get another beer. When she came back though Bee suggested they all go for a night swim. Cyborg agreed obviously, while Robin stated he wasn't up to it and he felt a little dizzy. The couple both got up and turned to the black haired girl.
"What about you, Rae? You comin'?"
"Nah. I'd rather sit by the fire."
Cyborg smiled. He was secretly hoping he could go swim with his girlfriend exclusively and the other two got the hint.
"Race ya to the water!"
Bee squealed running and got a head start.
"No fair!" Cyborg yelled, running after her. Both obviously intoxicated.
Raven sat down and drank her bottle of beer. It was ice cold and she shivered involuntarily. She felt something warm around her shoulder and noticed Robin had scooted closer to her and his arm was draped around her. Raven didn't mind and her head sunk comfortably on Robin's shoulder. The two were close and often time words didn't need to be exchanged between the two. To them, this seemed completely natural, and had happened multiple times before.
They knew each other well. Raven knew him like how she knew all the lines to her favorite book. She found the familiarity and predictability with Robin soothing, while Robin acted naturally on his instincts without malice. He knew his best friend wasn't one who voiced out her thoughts much like others, and could tell what Raven was thinking or feeling through the most subtle of her actions. He knew so much of her and had grown so accustomed to having her close to him, seeing the familiar pale, stoic face of his best friend that he wondered how he was ever going to survive college without her. Yeah he had Cyborg and he'd make new friends and acquaintances – but this was different. He knew it. They both knew it.
"What are you thinking?"
Her smooth throaty voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked down as his eyes refocused on deep violet eyes that gleamed with meaning. She was questioning him. And he was sure she had a fair idea of what was bothering him. Robin knew that Raven knew this and wondered why she bothered to ask when she already knew. He continued to stare at her, his eyes focusing then focusing again as Raven's questioning eyes bore into his own. He felt nauseated and struggled to keep level-headed. He looked down and took a deep breath.
"You know what I'm thinking."
He continued to stare below, his arm still around her small form. She looked down at her hands, already knew the answer before the words could formulate from his mouth. The two shared stretched minutes of silence, both lost inside their heads, their thoughts immobilizing them.
"I'm gonna miss you, Rae."
Robin finally broke the dreadful silence and looked down at Raven's face. She knew this was his way of coming to terms with things and saying good bye. She looked up and met his eyes and frowned. They were a deep, dark blue and gleamed hazily. She saw different emotions in them. Confusion, anxiety and something she couldn't decipher. She looked away and dismissed it as the alcohol. The other two arrived before she could say anything and said they were going to bed, but their actions making it blatantly obvious they were not going to do anything closely resembling slumber. The fire was dying out so they decided to leave it. Raven stood up first and lit a cigarette. Robin managed to stand up and remain balanced. He was staring at the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes, illuminating his fair skin. Raven was halfway through her cigarette when he sighed and looked at her direction.
"I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted."
He walked past her and halfway to the house he called out.
"You coming, Rae?"
Raven closed her eyes and exhaled. Her back to him, she answered with her eyes closed.
"I'll be right there, Robin."
With that, she heard Robin's feet shuffle in the sand towards the house. When she was sure he had gone inside and heard the door close, she opened her eyes and took a drag. She ran her hand though her silky hair, sombering up. She was tired. Tired of over thinking and tired of feeling the anxiety boiling at the pit of her stomach. She finished the last of her cigarette and threw it carelessly into what was left of the fire. What little light the moonlight gave illuminated the fine white sand as she looked up into the sky, the stars reflecting on her eyes, her eyes reflecting on the stars.
Her eyes, looking, searching for something she knew she would not find. She shivered once more and made her way to the house and up the stairs into the room she shared with Robin. There was once huge bed enough to hold 6 people she settled down on her side of the bed, careful not to make too much noise, but had a feeling Robin was not fully asleep. She looked at his face visibly thanks to the moonlight. Her eyes squinted, noticing the even breaths he took and his lidded eyes. She lay back and got under her separate blanket. Her head hit the pillow and just when her eyes were about to close, she heard a raspy voice call out from the other side of the bed.
"You know I'll always be here, Raven."
And the edges of her lips curved up into a smile as she drifted off to sleep.
Thanks for reading~