Office Mates

Robin and Aurora's First Kiss

Robin and Aurora met up for a date planned by Robin on Saturday. In the end, Robin decides to take Aurora out for something Robin enjoys doing himself—a walk along the shore with a stop for some clam chowder at his favorite restaurant. Robin and Aurora grabbed the food first and are now walking along the various shops around the waterfront. They stop and look in different stores and are talking the whole time. Aurora is wearing a black short dress with cutouts along her sides and back. The black only makes her blonde hair and blue eyes more noticeable. She paired them with chunky black shoes. Even with the added inches, Robin is still taller than Aurora. Robin wore a loose red button short-sleeved shirt. It looks perfect with his black hair. He wore a black bomber jacket with his outfit because he remembered that it could get windy this close to the shore. He and Aurora are walking closely to one another, with Aurora slightly leaning into Robin as she walks.

Robin nervously asks Aurora, "Have you been here before?" Aurora smiles, "I have been down the shoreline before to some of the shops, but I haven't ever stopped at that pub for food before. That chowder was delicious. Robin smiles. He was hoping he could share something new with Aurora. It's hard to do when someone has lived here their whole life. Robin asks her, "what is your favorite store? We should make sure to go there." Aurora points down further. "I love this place down here that has a few local artists' work." She starts shivering a little as she is speaking. Robin immediately takes off his coat and offers it to Aurora. Aurora takes it and puts it on. It smells just like Robin. It's very soft and warm. She smiles and says, "wow, I didn't know people still did this type of thing."

Robin feels great seeing Aurora in his coat. She looks great in anything, but there is something about a girl you like wearing your clothes. His cheeks turn red. He finds Aurora so attractive. "My mother raised me right. She always puts an importance on manners." Aurora takes this as a chance to ask a question she has been wondering for a while. "She did an excellent job. Are you close with your mom?" Robin pauses for a second. "I am." He thinks over how to best explain their dynamic. "We don't see each other as much as we used to now that I am further away. But I still talk to her all the time." Aurora, "how far away is your mom?" Robin answers quickly, "three hours. Without traffic." Aurora asks, "what about your dad?" Robin pauses for a long time. His dynamic with his dad is not good. In fact, it doesn't exist. So he thinks about how he can say this without making Aurora feel awkward even though he knows his answer is going to be awkward. "I actually don't keep in contact with my dad. He and my mom were never married so I didn't ever consider him as family." He looks down at his feet for a minute.

Aurora can tell he is feeling uncomfortable. He just shared something very personal. She sees him looking down at his feet. She wants to make him feel better so she slides in close to him. She snuggles up to him. "sorry if I just made you feel awkward." Robin looks up and meets her eyes in his. "No, you didn't. I don't mind talking about my family. That's why we are on a date, right? To learn more about each other? It's just me and my mom. That's why we are so close." Aurora smiles and grabs his shoulder playfully, "how a man treats his mother says a lot about how he will treat his wife." She gives Robin a playful look as she says this. Robin teases back a little, "unless he has a nasty mother." The two of them are still looking right at each other. Robin starts to wonder if maybe this would be a good time to try and kiss Aurora. But he looks around them and stops himself. He has never been a fan of public displays of affection. He lets the moment pass.

Aurora tries to recover the conversation after the moment passes. "I am close with my family. So I like it when people I date are close with theirs too. So we have that in common. My family is huge so that will be different." Robin remembers, 'that's right, you are living with your family right now. Did you ever move out?" Aurora starts walking again, "I did. When I was in college I lived with roommates. But I moved back in when I got this job." Robin smiles at Aurora, "I am happy you came back for this job. So I could meet you." Aurora smiles, "me too! Meeting you has been the highlight of me being back with my family." It's clear to Robin that the two of them are heading in the right direction. She and him have shared family values. They are both cautious and reserved.

Robin says to himself, but loud enough for Aurora to hear, "Now I wish I hadn't waited so long to talk with you." Aurora pushes him playfully, "How long did you wait?" Robin says sheepishly, "a few months." Aurora is shocked. She didn't realized that Robin had been interested in her for so long. She grabs his hand, "What took so long?" Robin pulls her hand down playfully, "you didn't talk to me either." She starts explaining herself, "Well first it was a new job and so I didn't pay attention to anyone. There was so much reading and training. Why did you wait to ask me out. I would have said yes." Robin goes into his own defense, "I need to get to know people before I think about dating them. I didn't even know if you were single. Or you could be secretly crazy." Aurora teases, "I could still be secretly crazy. I would keep that secret" Robin starts laughing. Aurora starts laughing. The two of them are such a cute couple.

Aurora and Robin are holding hands as they walk now. They have given in. They are walking around like any other couple. Robin's cheeks go red. He cannot believe his luck. Aurora looks at his hand in hers and says, "I was waiting for you to ask me out after the anniversary dinner." Robin, "sorry you had to wait around for me. I have been told before that I take too long to make decisions." Aurora says confidently, 'It was longer than I wanted to wait. But I figured you were worth the wait." Robin blushes even more. He says seriously to Aurora, "Sorry you had to wait for me." She teases him back, "Just don't let it happen again." They are holding hands and staring into each other's eyes again. Robin thinks again about how he should kiss her. So he can show her that she won't have to wait for everything. He leans in slightly. Aurora leans in to meet him. Their faces get very close. When suddenly there is a lady laughing really loudly. It snaps Robin out of it. He looks away again. It just doesn't seem like the perfect time yet.

They walk through a few more stores with their hands held tightly together. Eventually they make their way back to Robin's car. He opens the door for Aurora and she gets into her seat. He goes around to the other side. While he is doing this Aurora has reached across and opened the door for him. He looks at her and smiles. She is perfect. After Robin sits down they start talking again. Aurora is talking about her plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with her family. It suddenly occurs to her that Robin might not be going home. "Since your mom is so far away, what are you doing next week for Thanksgiving?" Robin is doing what he does on most major holidays. Nothing. He likes his own space usually. He explains, "my mom is driving out to see her family so I was just going to spend Thanksgiving alone." Aurora looks sad at the thought of this. "Do you want to spend it with my family?"

Robin starts to feel anxious. He likes spending his holidays alone. He also thinks this is very early for meeting Aurora's family. On top of that, his last girlfriend's family hated Robin. He starts to feel super anxious. "Isn't it a bit soon to introduce me to your family?" Robin asks in a way that seems curious. He doesn't want Aurora to feel like asking him was a bad decision. Aurora seems unchanged by Robin's uncertainty. "I just don't want you to spend the holidays alone. Isn't that sad?" Robin looks at Aurora. He can tell she is being genuine. He decides to just give it a try. That's what Marian would say if she were in this situation. "I have never done Thanksgiving with a big family. That could be fun." Aurora smiles, "mine family is huge. You will have to prepare yourself. I have nieces and nephews who will attack you and treat you like a jungle gym. And they are loud. Just a fair warning." Robin smiles. He pulls over, because they have reached Aurora's house. He doesn't want her to go inside yet.

He looks at Aurora in the eyes again. "I would love going somewhere. You are so considerate." Aurora gives a victory smile. She cannot believe she convinced him. He is normally so shy. Now it's Aurora's turn to get anxious. Her big family isn't for everyone. She decides the Robin might need some pointers. "If you are coming for Thanksgiving you will need to bring something with you." He thinks, "What about wine?" Aurora shakes her head no. "What about a veggie tray?" Robin smiles. He will bring whatever Aurora tells him to bring. He really hopes it will help make her parents like him. Aurora askes excited, "Great, it's a dat...." She stops herself. Then she asks, "Can we start calling these dates? Can we say that we are dating?" Robin looks at her genuine excitement about the thought of dating him. He nods his head yes. Aurora's cheeks go bright red. She says goodbye and is about to get out of the car when Robin grabs her had. He pulls her back and close to him. He leans in and kisses her. He says, "of course we are dating." Aurora gets this look on her face like she just won first prize in a competition. She doesn't want to leave now either. But her father has come outside and started waving at the two of them in the car. She is so embarrassed. She gets up and says, "I will see you at work."