Grab N' Go [Robin Arellano]

42: Ain't No Sunshine

Around 10am, Robin awakens with a soft smile on his face.

He had a great dream, which is surprising given his recent nightmares.

He dreamed that Finney was safe. That Valentina was happy again. That Gwen was too. That all of them were together, happily watching a movie like they use to, eating pizza and popcorn with soda from the Grab N' Go. That Valentina snuggled her head up against his shoulder, kissed him softly on the cheek and told him she loved him. He, of course, responded that he did too and proceeded to kiss her with more passion than ever before.

However, as his hand reaches over to wrap around Valentina like he normally would, he finds nothing but an empty mattress. His eyes shoot open, and the smile on his face drops instantly.

Though he still looks fresh with sleep, his mind is now fully awake and he throws the covers off himself to check every room in search for her. He checks the bathroom, the living room, the kitchen, her moms room (thank god the woman is at work), and even the closet. She is no where to be found and he can feel himself growing more and more anxious over her absence.

He goes to sit back on the bed to try and workout a plan or think of what to do, and as he does so, his eyes land on a neatly folded paper on the bedside table. It has a heart doodle on the front, and he feels a bit of relief.

Quickly, he opens and reads it. While it does ease his troubles a bit, he can't help but feel slightly annoyed.

Valentina knew better. She knew that going out and searching alone was dangerous. How long had she even been gone? Why didn't she wake him up?

He tries to reason away his questions. She's been so delusional lately, consumed with the idea of finding Finney- maybe she wasn't thinking straight when she went out to look! Maybe she didn't wanna bother him and that's why she didn't wake him up! She couldn't have been gone too long!

Still, his leg bounces in anticipation and he mindlessly bites away at his nails as he thinks of all the horrible possibilities.

Without a second thought, he begins to get himself ready.

By ready, this means throwing on jeans, socks, shoes, and a jacket- not even bothering to change the shirt he wore yesterday, or brush his hair or teeth, or even brush away the eye crust that forms in the corner of your eyes in the mornings. He doesn't even put his usual bandanna on.

Of course, he does remember to grab Valentina's Walkman and one of his own mixtapes. If she was gonna make him hunt her, he would at least have some background music flowing.

He settles on listening to, "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers.

As he's walking out of the house and down the sidewalk, he tries his best to remember the addresses she had left to check. He desperately racks his brain for anything, and eventually gets a general idea of where he should be looking. As disorganized as he is, that includes his mind, he manages to keep track of every address he passes.

His hands stay stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, and the air fogs up around him as he exhales with every step. It is still the dead of winter, and Colorado is unforgiving- not to mention Robin's need to wear short sleeves and tanks rather than long sleeves. So, even with his jacket, he is quite cold.

Even so, he pushes past his cold discomfort and continues to scan the area for his girlfriend, or any signs of her.

Then, about 4 blocks later, he sees something slightly out of place. It's somewhat buried beneath a bit of snow, but visible enough to stand out. Not thinking much of it, he approaches the item.

The closer he gets, the more his eyes squint in an attempt to focus on what he's seeing. When he's only a few steps away, his heart begins to pump rapidly with anxiety as he recognizes what it might be. Quickly, he storms over and crouches to dust the snow away and pick it up.