When a cobra strikes

Chapter Four

It was ever several hours after the incident in the showroom when Robby and Lizzie finished their shifts. They met up at the front of the building as they usually did to say goodbye before parting ways. It was at this moment that Lizzie was struck with a stroke of genius. That was if she pulled it off. Lizzie often avoided socialising unless it was at school or work, so what she was about to do was a huge step for her.
"Um... Robby... my moms out tonight because she's working overtime, so would you like to have dinner with us." She asked, quickly looking down to her shoes, which she suddenly found more interesting than his reaction. Robby paused once he'd heard her question. Was Lizzie, the most antisocial person he knew asking him to dinner?
"Do you mean as in a... date?" He questioned cautiously, knowing that with the wrong wording he could send her into a embarrassed, flustered state that would take her awhile to recover from. She snapped her head up to look at him her blue eyes wide and shocked. "No, no, no, no just as friends, because I have to look after my sister for the night and I could use some company, that's all." She replied quickly, almost too quick for Robby to comprehend. He gave a small chuckle when he saw her flaming red cheeks and nervous smile.
"Why not it, it could be fun." He replied giving her a reassuring smile. Robby may have more friends than Lizzie but at the end of the day he was just as lonely as her. Robby knew that her mom often worked overtime so she was often left alone with her younger sister. It seemed that they  both had their issues with parents however different they were. Robby was hoping that by having dinner at her house than maybe, just maybe she would notice that they weren't so different after all.
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"Why didn't he just come here with you?" Asked Katie curiously, as she stood on her tiptoes in an attempt to see what Lizzie was making.
"Because he wanted to go home and get changed," she replied, glancing down to see her sister only to find her jumping up and down repeatedly. Quickly she grabbed Katie's plate and plated out her food and then placed it on the  small coffee table for her. Just as she was about to check her phone for the time, she heard the familiar ring of the door bell, signalling Robby's arrival. She sighed nervously and quickly checked her appearance to make sure she looked presentable. She had finally decided on a pair of blue skinny jeans with a pastel blue oversized sweater that complimented her hair nicely. Lizzie however in her moment of panic had completely forgot that Katie was the one who answered the door.

Katie was rather excited to meet her older sister's friend. She had heard few things about him but had eagerly anticipated his arrival since the minute Lizzie had said he was coming over. As soon as she had heard the doorbell, she had rushed over to the door, and didn't waste any time in swinging it open. The person stood there didn't look like what Katie had expected. He was wearing skinny jeans and a simple t-shirt but still seemed good looking. Katie giggled at the sight of him which immediately drew his attention. Crouching down to her height, he asked "Is your sister here?"
"Yes she's in the kitchen right now. She's busy." She answered giving the boy a wide smile.
Robby was quite baffled by the sight of the young girl who seemed quite confident in herself. Robby had never really been around young children so he was at a complete loss at what to do.
"Can I come in?" He asked gently giving the girl a small smile.
"I usually make people guess a password but you can come straight in" She answered, opening the door wider allowing Robby to step through.

Lizzie had soon rushed over to greet him but had already found conversing with Katie in front of the door. "I see you've met Katie" said Lizzie startling the pair.
"Yeah, she's quite the smooth talker," replied Robby, giving Lizzie a quick 'what the hell do I do'  look. She smirked at him before turning around to grab her phone from its position on the counter.
"Well you'll never guess where I live," he said dramatically much to Katie's amusement.
"Oh, where is that Robby," Lizzie  replied, with a laugh, knowing that everything he was doing now was for Katie's sake rather than hers.
"Well, I just happen to live... across the hall." He said, giving a dramatic gasp. Katie burst out giggling, nearly doubled over from laughter.
"That means that you can come over every night!" She shouted, jumping up to give Robby a hug who caught her easily.
"That's if your sister doesn't get fed up of me," he replied to the young girl in his arms. " she won't," mumbled Katie. Gently placing the girl down on the sofa, Robby watched as her eyes lit up once she caught sight of her dinner on the table. Katie wasted no time in digging in to her dinner of spaghetti hoops.
Robby walked over to Lizzie who was stood in the small kitchen, leaning against the counter, with a small smile on her face as she watched Katie.
"Your good with her," she commented, nodding towards Katie.
"It's been awhile since I've seen her that happy." She added.
"How come? Is it because your mums always gone?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's hard for us, with our mom at work all the time, I have to look after her a lot. It also means that Katie rarely sees her." She commented, before completely changing the subject to avoid any more awkward questions. "So I was thinking about ordering a pizza, is that alright with you?" She asked, glancing up at him. "Yeah, sounds good." He replied with a smile as he met her gaze. "What pizza do you want" she questioned, as she picked up her phone and dialled the number to the nearest pizzeria.
"Is pepperoni ok with you" he inquired, as soon as he saw he nod he went to sit by Katie on the sofa. Katie had eaten her dinner and had fallen asleep, peacefully with the tomato sauce from her spaghetti smeared all over her face. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Robby looked rounded the small apartment as Lizzie ordered their food. It was very much like his own, with the small kitchen tucked away in the corner of the room and the sofa and coffee table at the other end of the room. Drawings and photo frames were hung up on the wall, and a pink Disney princess blanket was thrown across the back of the sofa. Picking up he blanket he gently threw it over Katie who instantly snuggled into it. "The pizza should be here in half an hour," Lizzie commented, as she leaned over the back of the sofa to see Robby and Katie. Giving a small sigh at the sight of her fast asleep she walked around the sofa to face her and ever so gently slid her arm under her back. Sliding her other arm under Katie's knees, she carefully picked her up, cradling her into her chest to keep her asleep. Robby picked up the blanket that had fallen on the floor when Lizzie picked up Katie and threw it over her. The two shared a  smile, trying not to laugh when Katie mumbled nonsense in her sleep. "I'll just be minute." Lizzie whispered. She walked over to her bedroom door, and carefully balanced herself on one leg as she used her other foot to open the door. Gently laying Katie down on her bed she pulled the duvet up for her, and wiped her face with a tissue which she got from the bedside table.     
  With the small apartment only having two bedrooms Lizzie and Katie had to share so the small space was slightly cramped. Walking out the room she propped the door open slightly so she could hear her if she woke up.

If was just over half an hour later and both Lizzie and Robby were happily munching away at their pizza, whilst talking in between. "What about your dad then," asked Robby leaning comfortably back into the sofa. Lizzie tensed at the question not quite knowing what to say. "Well he and my mom divorced five years ago." She answered, looking at Robby to see his reaction. He seemed almost puzzled as he thought to himself before he hesitantly asked, "is your dad Katie's dad?"
He awaited her answer as he attentively studiedly her reaction to his question. Lizzie had appeared to be almost frozen as she thought of an answer to his question. Should she be honest? If she told him the truth then this would be the most personal thing about her that he knew. If she told him the truth then she may as well drop her walls and let him in. On several occasions Lizzie had pushed him away and not once had he complained. Maybe it was time to tell Robby the truth. "I'm not sure," she answered, raising her head to look him in the eyes. Her hands fiddled with the bottom of her jumper in an attempt to hide her nerves. Robby moved to sit next to her, and he wrapped his arm around her in comfort. Lizzie lay her head on his chest tucked her legs up onto the sofa. Both were extremely comfortable in their position and didn't have any plans on moving. "A month after they divorced my mom found out that she was pregnant with Katie. The thing is that as soon as they divorced she went out every night. She'd leave me here and go out and she'd occasionally bring a few men home" she added quietly. "Sounds a lot like my mom." He replied with a bitter laugh.
"Your moms not at work is she," he said, already knowing the answer to the question. He'd figured it out from the start. The way it was almost normal for Lizzie to care for Katie, and how it seemed almost routined. He didn't get an answer, only a small nod to confirm he was right. He may have not known where her mom was exactly but he had a pretty good idea.

The two fell into a comfortable silence, and Lizzie relaxed into Robby and he played mindlessly with her hair. The previous conversation meant a lot for both of them. For Robby it was a sign that Lizzie was opening up to him, and for Lizzie it was one step closer to learning to trust. It was in this peaceful silence that the two slowly drifted into the tranquil state of sleep.

Word count: 1920
A.N

Soooo... progress has been made...
This chapter is longer than what I'd usually do, do you want the chapters to be longer like this one or would you guys prefer it if they remained nice and short.
Comment your opinion it would really help.

Thanks for the 77 views btw as this is the fastest one of my stories has collected views and it means a lot to me so thank you for continuing to read this.