Grab N' Go [Robin Arellano]

39: Hungry Eyes

Finney wanted to cry out for her, he really did. However, it was too late for that by the time he realized what was going on. When he opened his mouth to scream, his capture was quick to counter with a spray to his eyes and mouth.

The chemical was sour. It burned his entire face so bad he had to gasp for breath, he could barely breathe let alone scream. Not to mention the sleepy side effect it had. He was out like a light before he knew it, and when he woke again he was somewhere new. Somewhere eerie, with a stale smell- like dry wall, or an un-lived in home. His hand was still clutching his rocket, blood coating its tip as well as between his fingers. Thankfully, the blood wasn't his own.

In his confused state, all he could do was listen to the man say meaningless things to him about soda while brushing his hair aside in an uncomfortable way. His vision was still blurry, and he couldn't focus on much around him. Then, the masked man left. The best thing for Finney was to sleep some more and hope to be somewhere else when he awoke.

Meanwhile, Valentina had barely slept at all that night. She reviewed her situation with Finney first, unable to escape the image of their last few moments together. Like a loop, she could feel his hand gripping onto hers while he patiently walked beside her. Then, his mop of messy hair disappearing around the corner after giving her an encouraging smile.

It makes her shake with tears to think about.

She remembers every single time he's been there for her. All the times he was the only one to notice her mood shifts (before she met Robin). The times he was the only one around to bring her comfort and peace. All the years they spent relying on each other without ever growing tired of the other. She can't even remember a time they fought. Not seriously. Not anything that lasted over 30 minutes. He was her rock, and she was his. She loves Finney like no other.

It all makes the pain in her chest unbearable.

She spends forever dwelling on that. Then, she allows herself to review her problems with Robin.

Did she approach the situation the best way? No. Was she in the wrong? Also, no.

Still, she wants to be with him. To be held by him and play with his hair and smell his shirt and kiss his cheek and be assured that everything will be ok. But she stands her ground.

No matter what way she thought about it, she didn't feel wrong for the way she handled everything with Robin. Truthfully, some of her tone and aggression was misplaced stress over Finney, but all of what she said rang true. Robin hurt her. He made a mistake that was not to be swept under the rug, but to be punishable by solitude. And as much as she hated being away from him, and wanted more than anything to feel his warmth- he deserved to sleep alone with time to think about what he did.

And think, he did.

Robin didn't receive an inch of viable sleep. Sure, he dosed off for 30 minutes every few hours, but only to reawaken in a puddle of sweat and a chest full of anxiety.

His nightmares were a mix of being trapped in the grabbers basement again, Finney being trapped there, and losing Valentina in a number of ways. He didn't realize just how much he had grown to depend on the girl until a night spent without her. She's the reason his nightmares were less frequent. The reason he could get a solid night of sleep. And her absence made all those bad memories, and new ones, flood back to him.

By the fifth time he awoke in a panic, he gave up on sleep altogether. He cried, both out of frustration from not being able to sleep and being tired, as well as because of his stress from everything happening. He fucking hates the thought of Finney in that creepy fucking basement. He hates the thought of the same thing that happened to him repeating itself with Finney. He hates that no matter how hard he tries, he can't remember where that damn house is. His hand stays gripping Valentina's side of the bed, desperately trying to pretend that she's there beside him.