I cock my brow. “Me? I'd say I'm confident, comes with the front man territory. You’re alive aren't you? Healthy pulse?” I smirk, stalking forward until I'm close enough to run my fingers along the soft frill of her dress strap. She gives me a pointed look and I laugh; right from the belly. “I hate to say I honestly thought you were a bit of a prude and that's why you never were around. I'm sorry Love, you're not. You are…” Content? That's not right.Robin is the first sip of coffee on an autumn morning, the breath you let out when you arrive home. She's the break of light over the hills, the gorgeous purple hue you see when you look up at the stars. She is the feeling I have when I run my fingers over guitar strings, and the spark that settles through my bones when my lips brush a microphone. “You're grounded. I really,reallylike that.”
Turning to face me fully, she braces both her arms against the fallboard. “And you're forward.” I close the lingering space till our hips touch.
“I think being forward would be good for you.” I finger the end of her curl and gently tug. “You'd be really good for me.”
“Is that so?” She breathes unevenly, “Grounded, not too boring?”
I think of all the times I branded her as Phoenix's tiresome friend, banishing that false version. “Never. You're far from boring. You're utterly captivating.” Leaning down I press my lips to hers, being welcomed home. She happily hums and the vibration seers into my brain chemistry. “You're funny, clever.” I kiss her again. “so fucking gorgeous,” another kiss. “If you'd let me, I’d like to get to know you more. You're holding your walls firmly in place, but from what I've been able to see through the cracks, you’re breath taking, Roo. You're so beautiful. Inside and out.”
I place my hand on her chest, over her heart and she touches me in the same spot. I can feel warmth from her palm even through my t-shirt, suddenly desperate to have our skin touching so I can feel connected to her again. Moving my hands, I skim them lightly over her shoulders and down her soft arms, peering into her caramel eyes with a waiting breath.
“Ok. Nothing intense, let's just…talk more?”
I chuckle, finally able to breathe lighter as I lean down and lay a kiss on her forehead. “Sure, anything you want. I reserve the right to still touch and kiss you, though.”
Pushing me away lightly, she can't hide the beaming smile lifting her lips. Slipping out of my touch, she edges further into the corner and removes a cloth from a smaller piece of furniture, to reveal the bench seat. I grab both edges and place it in front of the piano, taking a seat and patting my knee.
“Does your darling wife not get her own seat?” She taunts, her eyes bright and playful which completely gives her away.
I pat my leg again. “Your seat is right here.”
She closes the space and drops her delicate frame onto me. She weighs nothing, like a tiny pixie that smells like cinnamon, peach and slowly my own cologne the longer I linger around her. She's intoxicating. Shifting to get comfortable; I’m immediately aroused, but it's not the right time for any of that. I’m very aware how crazy and intense I'm being over a woman I've known for only a day, but it feels more like fifteen years.
Wrapping my hands around her waist, I lean my chin on her shoulder as she opens up the lid and runs her fingers along the keys.
“You play?”
She nods. “Who do you think taught Phin?”
“No way. I assumed his Daddy got him a fancy piano tutor or something.” It hadn't ever occurred to me that I never saw him dabble on the keys in school, he just fluently played when we were ten and continued to improve.
“Nope, sorry. Mummygot me the fancy tutor. After everything, my Aunts put together some of the money from her will so I could keep having lessons. Most of it I couldn't touch till I turned twenty one.” Her shoulders tense beneath my chin as she opens up to me, and I run my thumb against her stomach in a comforting circle. They relax just a fraction, before shepositions herself closer to the piano and starts to flutter over the keys. Phoenix can create masterpieces from thin air, but I've never seen him play like this. For Robin it's effortless, her eyes closing as she plays sets of cords one after another, after another. She’s so fast and the song starts to become familiar, my fingers drumming along to the rhythm against her body.
I can’t help myself—I start to sing.
I can see over her shoulder when she starts to smile, my hands gripping her tighter when she softly hums along to our duet. That low note in her throat soon materialises into words, her voice smooth against mine andthis, right here is why I don’t think I can ever part with her. The thought hits me in waves, the more entwined we become in the song. Robin leans back into me and we finish, a laugh bubbling out of her and it ignites the same joy in me too. Returning to the keys, she starts to play a new melody and I recognise this one immediately. It’s solemn and she plays it almost lethargic, her words quiet at first until she grows confidence and her voice takes off.
There have been so many nights I’ve been overcome with these cords, the lyrics haunting me till they were perfect. I can’t bring myself to join in as I press my forehead against her spine, listening to her play a song I helped Phoenix craft, for an indie film that gave him his big break. I wrote the lyrics he’d never sing, because he’s always had her sing on the samples, that would be remastered for another singer. I wonder if she even knows how entwined our lives have been.
“I’ve literally spent nights listening to your voice over and over, singing songs I wrote with him, not knowing it was you.”
Her fingers still on the keys, voice halting, but we still remain pressed together. I’m hyper aware of where we touch and the way she moves her thighs across my own, I know she is too. Her eyes flicker down to my lips and I can’t help but smirk, slowly raising my hand to rub a tattooed thumb over her bottom lip.
“You’re a deadly little thing.” I muse, enthralled by the way she nips at my thumb and smirks until a dimple pops at the side of her lips. “Such a sweet soul but I know you’ve got teeth. I love it. I don’t understand this, but you’ve already got me wrapped around your little finger.”
Robin’s gaze remains on my lips as she brings a hand to my hair, running her dainty fingers through the curls as I move my own to tilt her head back. She’s the first to lean in and my heart soars, because this means I’m not scaring her off with my declaration.
Our kiss starts slow, but when I slip my tongue into her mouth she melts into my lap. I can’t stop, lavishing her until we’re practically panting. She nibbles at my lip and I suck her tongue, causing her to gasp. My chuckle is husky, and I go right back to peppering her with kisses, first on the lips and then down her jaw. I kiss everywhere she gives me access too; her neck, collarbone and roam my hands down to her waist. Roo’s touch is curious but desperate as mine, pulling on the curls at my nape and nuzzling into the side of my face. I might be all consumed by her kisses, but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything as perfect as this.
“DID you always want to be in a band? Phin made it seem like you all were just messing around and it simplyhappened.”Robin makes a gesture with her hands outstretched, returning to entwine our fingers once she’s done. We’re walking back through the forest and already the heat is intense, setting us up for another scorcher.
“Will you let me rub sunscreen all over you?” I try my luck, receiving an elbow into my side—completely justified as I wheeze and laugh. “I’m joking, Love. Promise. Honestly it actually did happen like that. We messed around playing whenever we got the chance, somehow both Bran and Ottis joined in and we couldn’t find anyone to play bass. Phin wasn’t interested,” we share a look, because whilst our best friend is a composing genius, he prefers to remain in the background with his music. “We asked around online and River was at university close by, a little older than us but completely down if we formed a band. We practised a couple of songs, hit an open mic night in London one weekend and to our luck someone was there from our record label.”
I blink back memories of adrenaline pumping through me for the first time, how euphoric it felt coming off the stage to a roar of applause. We didn't suck and even from that first gig the crowd had loved every second. We might have been dreaming big and hoping something stuck, but in a world where social media could get you out there to millions of people in a matter of hours, we became a sensation overnight.
“Who chose the band name? I like knowing the meanings behind things.” Robin blushes, the way she's still hesitant is really fucking cute.
“River did. Where we practised there was always a bunch of wildlife, he kind of loves birds. So when he showed me there were Skylarks, I looked them up and they're famous for their song. They're also a subject of poetry, it just felt right.”
