The Regularʳᵒᵇⁱⁿ ᵇᵘᶜᵏˡᵉʸ

8| Almost a Spark

Chapter 8

Almost a Spark

Friday 5th of July 1985

Jaya wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say. In fact, she almost wasn't aware of the words leaving her mouth until they were gone. They weren't particularly groundbreaking words or anything. Jaya felt they were quite stupid really, but the genuine smile that took over Robin's face as well as a small blush as soon as the sentence ended made Jaya think twice before she said anything again because she had to see that smile again and it had to be soon.

All she had said was, "I missed you," and it was the truth. Robin knew that and that's what made her smile because she missed Jaya too. She wasn't sure she could say that, though.

"Where were you, Robin?" 

Jaya looked at the girl next to her with a mixture of curiosity and worry, which was evident in the wrinkles on her brow and the sad frown she had worn since she heard Robin was missing. Robin wasn't sure how to answer, she obviously couldn't tell Jaya the truth, she'd think Robin was mad. Entirely crazy. Absolutely bonkers and any other way of saying that Robin had lost the plot. So she lied, "I don't want to talk about it." 

Robin did want to talk about it. She wanted to tell Jaya about the Russians and the cracking of their secret code and getting as high as kites with Steve and the Battle of Starcourt Mall (as Dustin was calling it). She wanted to show Jaya how cool she was for it. That she was involved in this amazing thing and got out completely fine. She wanted to show off. To make Jaya swoon but she couldn't. Robin wanted Jaya to think highly of her; she feared that the girl didn't think much of her at all. That she was just there because her mother made Jaya come round and that she didn't care about the girl.

"I'm glad you're okay. I was worried about you." Robin wasn't sure why that affected her as much as it did. The idea of Jaya being worried about Robin didn't sit right with her.

"I'm sorry I missed our date."

Jaya shrugged, smirking at the girl, "Don't sweat it, just give me some warning next time you go missing, yeah?" Robin smiles that smile again and it made the butterflies in Jaya's stomach swarm and dance. It made her feel nauseous.

Robin nods, chuckling slightly, "Noted."

"I would like to make up our missed date, though." Jaya looks at Robin next to her. The two can't help smiling at each other, they feel closer now. Their hands are no longer just touching but are together, intertwined. The space between them has become small. Their knees rest against each other. Their faces drift closer. Being pulled together like magnets. Jaya is being pulled to Robin, she looks at her as if she put the moon in the sky. As if she hand-painted each speck of a star shining in the night sky. As if Robin is the sun.

"Robin! Your mom says dinner soon." Steve comes bursting through the door. Suddenly, the grand canyon was separating the two girls. Their hands snatch apart. Jaya has scooted to make room between them. The space on Jaya's knee is cold where it rested on Robin's. Neither of the girls looks at the other. Robin nods to Steve and he leaves, descending the two into an uncomfortable silence. One that whispers their deepest insecurities and regrets about every action they just made.

Jaya's main goal becomes: do anything but think about what just happened with Robin. Which is increasingly difficult in her room surrounded by things that just seem so perfectly Robin.

Robin may be the sun but Jaya is the moon, divided by the earth. Destined to get close, get so very close but never reach the other. They can't, they're not supposed to. Besides, maybe the sun and the moon aren't meant for each other anyway. How could a small, sad moon live up to the sun? Jaya doesn't reckon it's possible. 

"I should probably go." Robin's head whips around to look at Jaya, "I don't want to intrude."

"Can I walk you home?"

Jaya nods, "Yeah, that'd be nice." She didn't think about the awkward walk back to come, nor did she think about the paralyzing pain of no longer being able to talk to the girl she was so happy to see only moments before.

Reaching Jaya's door was a relief, something neither of them wanted to admit. It was strange how things could so quickly change. Jaya fiddles with her keys looking at Robin longingly.

"Sorry, if I was... um- kinda, getting in your personal space earlier. I didn't even realize."

Robin shakes her head and smiles, "It's fine, accidents happen."

"I am glad you're back, Robin. Give me a call about that makeup date, yeah?" The brunette nods and Jaya steps inside her home.

Robin doesn't call.

Jaya had gotten a couple of calls by the time Monday rolled around. Calls from work, soon after she got home from Robins. Turns out Starcourt Mall burned down the day before, and she was out of a job. Calls from Jess ranting about how lucky Jaya was she didn't have the closing shift the day of the fire. Jaya never got the call from Robin, though.

There were times when she hoped that Robin had called and that Jaya had just missed it. She soon decided that would be worse than not calling at all, though. She hated the idea of being so close to seeing Robin again and missing it because she didn't hear the stupid phone ring.

Rohan had begged Jaya to call Robin first, suggesting that maybe Robin was scared to call her. Jaya considered it for a very short period of time before she quickly shot that down. Jaya couldn't imagine Robin being scared to talk to her. She couldn't imagine Robin being scared of much really. And so Jaya continued to wait for something she no longer had any hope of happening.

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1003 words

Short but sweet? I have literally no consistency with chapter length.