28: Aurelia
1059 Words
"You're back," I almost ran to the front door as soon as Robin opened it, and he was confused at my overenthusiastic greeting.
He took the groceries through to the kitchen and I immediately started to unpack them with him.
"You're making it seem like you didn't expect me to come back," he frowned, but I shook my head and wrapped my arms around him.
"I know you aren't going anywhere," I said as I slid my hands down until I could pull the carton of cigarettes from his back pocket.
He looked contrite, and murmured something about being stressed; I couldn't blame him for feeling stressed when my parents were making him feel like he wasn't good enough all the time.
"I spoke to my dad while you were out."
He didn't really know how to respond, but he smiled anyway.
"Maybe you can take him out somewhere soon?"
"He's not ready for that; he's starting to accept us, though. He assumed you were my Mate."
The look of panic on Robin's face almost made me smile.
"I don't…we…"
I laughed, and kissed him lightly to put an end to his misery.
"I know. We agreed to raise the baby together, and to give our relationship a chance - I don’t expect you to consider me your Mate, it’s not what you signed up for."
"You can just say I'm immature and irresponsible. Everybody else does."
I raised one of my eyebrows, but turned back to putting the food away.
"I don't think that about you. You made it clear you weren't looking for anything serious before we hooked up, and we're both responsible for the fact our situation has changed."
"That's not how your mother sees this."
I sighed, and sat back down at the table. My stomach was churning again and I felt light headed.
"She should worry about her own personal life," I murmured.
"I didn't mean to upset you, baby girl. I'm just being stupid."
"You're not being stupid, and I'm not upset. I don't feel well," I said, and looked down at my hands.
"Aurelia-"
"-it's nothing to worry about."
He sighed - I don't think he was really convinced, but he didn't want to undermine me.
"Maybe you should go back to bed - I can make you something to eat while you rest?"
I shook my head.
"You don't need to fuss over me."
"I may not be your Mate, but it's still my duty to take care of you, and that includes when you're feeling like this."
"Alright," I smiled. I didn't need or want to go to bed, but he wanted to take care of me and he needed to see I had faith in him. It would probably help Caius see him in a more positive light if I made sure he knew that Robin was looking after me, anyway.
It felt better than I expected to lie down, but I wasn't going to admit that; I didn't want Robin to worry about me, and Talia would tell me that it was my own fault.
I closed my eyes so I wouldn't feel as nauseous, and I was almost asleep by the time that Robin came up with water and plain toast.
"If I didn't know any better, I would think you had experience with this," I tried to joke.
He blushed fiercely, and the fact that I laughed didn't make it any better.
"I looked it up, OK? I didn't want to f**k up and make things worse. If I do the wrong thing, or don't do the right thing, your parents are probably going to castrate me or something."
"You're being dramatic," I laughed.
"I just want to look after you," he murmured, and pushed a strand of hair out of my face.
It was more than wanting to keep my parents happy.
He loved me - or something close to it.
I could see it in the way he looked at me, and I felt it in his touch; reverence, hope, a belief that the future was ours. I had experienced those feelings enough over the years to see the signs clearly, but I didn't think that Robin realized it.
"Are you sure everything is OK? You seem exhausted."
"I am exhausted. It's exhausting being caught up in whatever is going on with my parents and your sister. Caius is confused, and Talia is taking her frustration out on me. I can see that, but I can't ignore it."
He glanced at the door, frowning.
"I don't think Saga is playing games anymore. She was bored, and then she was proving a point to your mother, but she would have lost interest after that normally. I think it was a game at first, but she won, and now–"
"–my father is her prize? Or her plaything?"
"Something like that," he muttered. "I can try to talk to her, but it will probably make things worse. She doesn't like being told what to do."
"She's spoiled."
"She's a lot of things; that isn't top of the list..." manipulative, selfish, vain, vacuous,"...her heart is in the right place. She doesn't like it when people treat her like she's stupid because of the way she looks. I know you understand what she is but to most people she is just an airhead with bleached hair and designer clothes. Your father doesn't see her the way other people do - he doesn't understand that the way she carries herself is perceived a certain way, so he doesn't think she's a bimbo. I think she likes him because he challenges her without patronizing her. It isn't my place to demand her to back off, and if I try to do that she'll stay with him to prove a point."
I refrained from adding petty and spiteful to my mental list of Saga's flaws.
"It isn't like my dad is helping things. He's leading her on - perhaps speaking to him about it would be more productive."
"Or maybe we should just stay out of it?" he brushed my hair back over my shoulders and kissed me, successfully distracting me for long enough that my heart was racing when he pulled away.
"You're probably right," I sighed.
"And if I'm not, we don't have to stay here."
- Writer
