She Just Gets Me

They Just Don't Get Me Like You Do

Robin jogged clumsily up the steps of the academy. Their long, pink hair, tied into a high ponytail, shook in the wind as they ran. A loud bell on top of the university rang out as they turned made it into the school, and their short, flared skirt brushed against their black tights as they ran. Robin's clumsy jog turned into a clumsier sprint when they heard the bell ring.

Late, late, late. They were late again. Turning corners and nearly bulldozing the other students, they made it to their class. They snuck into the lecture hall, and scanned the long row at the back for their friend. They brightened up as they found her, and they quickly sat down next to her, trying not to draw attention to themselves. They rubbed their temples and groaned quietly, and the girl next to them, with the pretty green eyes and the short, wavy blue hair, sighed slightly.

"Tough night last night?" Eden inquired, wearing a concerned expression. It was always a shame when she furrowed her brow like that, Robin thought, even if they knew it was usually their fault. Robin nodded quietly.

"Something like that." Robin quickly pulled out their notebook, taking a few notes as the lecture continued. Eden sighed again. "Want to talk about it?"

"Hmm..." Eden laughed softly.

"I know you're not paying that much attention in Literature, y'know."

Robin grumbled, and tapped their pencil on their notebook in frustration.

What was there to talk about, anyway? It was just another date that didn't go their way. Just like the last time, and the time before, and even the time before that. Robin would inevitably disagree with them on something, and with how opinionated they were, the night would descend into a debate or argument, leaving Robin even lonelier than they were in the first place.

Despite this, they didn't think of themselves as an argumentative person. They just happened to end up on a lot of dates with stuck-up jerks.

But even as Robin was opinionated, they were passionate. And they craved connection, love, touch, especially touch- it was just difficult for them to trust someone new, to have faith in someone despite a bad first impression. So they often stayed alone. Except for their time with Eden, of course.

Eden was wonderful. Robin met her a couple years ago in their opening courses, and they'd become fast friends, despite Robin's somewhat wary demeanor. They shared a few courses, but most importantly, they shared a small apartment a short walk away from the university. So they kept each other in good company, and in good spirits. Most of the time.

"I liked the dress you went with, by the way." Eden smiled at them. "Practical, but also beautiful." Robin perked up slightly, and smiled back at her, a little sheepishly. "Thanks, Eden." It wasn't a secret that Eden had taken more than a passing interest in Robin's wardrobe. Who wouldn't, with how expansive it was? Robin had a vested interested in buying and modifying used clothes, even sewing themselves new ones, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by her friend. "The hem was a nice touch, too." Eden said, sketching absentmindedly in her notebook as she spoke.

She was right. Yesterday's outfit had been a winner. At least Robin thought so. Their sharp face and their long hair, worn out at the back past their shoulders, was accentuated by a navy blue dress with white polka dots, with a custom-sewed hem and form-fitting arms. It went just past their knees, showing off tall, black boots and the slightest bit of their calf. Now that Eden mentioned the dress, Robin was actually a little bit more upset at their date. How dare they not appreciate their good craftsmanship?

They smiled slightly, despite themselves, and snickered softly at Eden. "Yeah, you're right. A lonely talent, isn't it, though?" Eden shook her head. "It doesn't have to be. Even if it's been hard recently."

"Sorry. You're right." The two sat in silence for a while, looking at their notes, and in Eden's case, her sketch. Eventually, she started to shade it, and Robin peeked over curiously.

"Who's she?" they asked, examining the drawing. The girl in the drawing had long, pink hair that she wore in one long braid, and her eyes were red like the sunset. She wore a long pencil skirt and a practical, buttoned-up shirt, but she was posed jubilantly, jumping for joy. Eden stammered slightly. "I, um, I'm drawing her for a project I'm working on. Some game I might make this evening. She's the, uh, main character's girlfriend."

Robin couldn't help but notice the similarities between themselves and the woman on the page. Sure, she was a bit more... voluptuous than Robin, but the similarities in her face, her hair, and her clothing were uncanny. Robin was even sure she had that outfit tucked away somewhere, hopefully never to be worn to an office job they didn't want. Their eyes lit up. They couldn't help teasing her about this, right?

"It's a nice design. The character's real pretty, right?" Robin mused with a smile.

"Uh-huh. I was trying to give her a youthful look, even if she was dressed pretty serious."

"I can see that. She does look rather sharp. Beautiful, intelligent, cheerful... Must be quite the main character to have a girlfriend like that, huh?"

Eden's gaze was fixated away from Robin, and her cheeks were starting to break out in a slight blush. "Yeah. The main character, she's really something." She swallowed hard.

Robin laughed sweetly. They couldn't bear to tease her more. But they'd have to keep this in mind, so they could at least bring it up again and bully Eden about it. It was always fun to see her like that, blushing bright red, far too shy to talk about anything without stuttering at least a little. So they decided to keep it under their hat for now.

The day went on, and the two said their goodbyes, heading to their separate lectures. Before Robin realized, they were heading home, slipping their hoodie back on over their blouse. The large, leafy trees were starting to turn a soft yellow, and autumn was clearly on the horizon. Robin spotted a leaf on the ground that took their fancy, and they suddenly decided they had to go shopping. So to the fabrics shops they would go.

On the way, they took out their phone and texted Eden on their old, slightly banged-up phone.

"might be back late. want me to get food?"

"yeah, could you? ill have the place clean."

"great! just tell me what you'd like."

"the curry bowl, please. and a large naan."

"no problem! say hi to the main character for me."

"..."

They couldn't resist that last jab. But they knew Eden could take it. Now it was time to get to work, however. They weren't exaggerating when they told their roommate it might take a while, since for Robin, these excursions were everything. It took hours to pick out the right material, accounting for texture, colour, and of course, all the other factors. Malleability, a material's potential to last... There was almost too much to consider, and so it was dusk when Robin finally came home, backpack stuffed with fabric, with food in hand.

"Hey, I'm home! they shouted as they locked the front door, and they carried their backpack to their room before sitting down on the couch with the food they brought. They took their own food out of the bag, and waited for a couple minutes before they decided they should just go get Eden from her room. They knocked on Eden's door. "Hey, Eden, I brought dinner."

Eden opened the door after a minute, peeking out of a crack in the door. Robin never really saw much of her room, since they usually hung out in Robin's room or the living room, and they'd be lying if they said they'd never been curious about what she hid in there. They put a hand on their hip and smiled, imitating Eden's soft, breathy voice. "Hello, Robin. How was your day?" Eden snickered softly, and walked out of her room.

"Sorry. I was just busy with something." and Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Busy with what?" Robin questioned.

"Just, work, right? Programming, all that stuff."

"Uh-huh." Eden sucked in a breath.

"It's busy work, y'know. Just like yours."

"Yeah. Are you making that game you showed me today?" Eden nodded hurriedly. "Yeah! It's an adventure game. My friend is writing it, and..." she trailed off. "And?" Eden blushed.

"Hey, some of it is confidential, still. You already know more than anyone else." Robin was a bit disappointed in her answer, but they knew they shouldn't prod. They couldn't help but be curious, though.

They sat down on the sofa together, and Robin handed Eden the bag with her food in. Robin ate quickly, sitting cross-legged next to Eden who slouched next to them. They ate mostly in silence, and eventually, Robin flipped on the television. After she finished eating, Eden fetched her laptop, and they sat there together, watching their separate things.

"Thanks for the food." Eden said, smiling over at Robin. Robin snapped out of their little daze, and smiled back at her. "No worries!" Robin beamed, and stretched vigorously. The two giggled softly. It seemed the atmosphere had gotten a little awkward between the two, and they sat there in silence afterwards. Robin held both of their hands together, and took a deep breath. Eden sighed, and closed her laptop, turning to her friend.

"Robin, about what you saw." Robin perked up a bit.

"Mm?" They anxiously played with their fingers, looking at Eden.

"Yeah. I just think you shouldn't tease me about it so much.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't think I..." Robin smiled sheepishly.

"No no! You weren't uh, that bad." Eden giggled softly. "It's just that..."

"It's what?" Robin leaned in closer to Eden, curiously.

"It's the fact that you might be right, Robin." Robin swallowed.

Eden reached out a trembling hand towards Robin's, and placed it on top of theirs. She looked away shyly, but then she looked into Robin's eyes with newfound, burning determination. Robin gasped softly. They didn't know what to make of this at all.

"Eden, do you mean..." They trailed off, and Eden swallowed.

"Yes, I do. Robin, I want to ask you out."

Robin's heart skipped a beat in their chest, not that they could notice with how fast it started beating. They moved their hand slightly, and Eden noticed, and Eden took their hand in hers.

"I didn't know that's how you thought of me." Eden shook her head.

"Neither did I. But Robin, I... I want to treat you like you deserve to be treated." Robin tilted their head curiously, but Eden continued without interruption. "I'm tired of seeing you sad."

"Don't take me out just because you feel bad for me!" Robin exclaimed suddenly, but the azure-haired woman next to them shook her head vigorously. "Trust me. That's not what this is." and she leaned in closer to them. "So if you want to go out with me, then..." Robin's face began to feel hot. Eden's lips were so close to theirs.

"Okay, Eden. Yes, yes yes!" they exclaimed happily. "I will go out with you, Eden. My pretty, sweet friend Eden." Robin giggled, and Eden's face broke into a smile right before she shut Robin up by pressing her lips against theirs.

Robin hadn't expected that, or, well, any of this, but as their lips met, they clutched Eden's hand with theirs, and their mind raced in that moment, thinking of how nice Eden smelled- perhaps like strawberries? Her hand was so soft. Eden pulled back, and Robin sat there, unusually flustered, and even more unusually, silent. Eden cleared her throat softly.

"Was that okay?" Robin perked up, smiling shyly.

"Yes. That was... that was okay." They played anxiously with a pendant that hung around their neck. Eden smiled, and she held Robin's one hand with both of hers. "I know a nice place. Let's go on Friday, at six?"

Robin was still dazed after their kiss, but they gathered themselves enough to nod twice. "S-sounds good." they stuttered, and Eden smiled smugly to herself.

Robin wasn't usually this shy in matters of love. They should be used to some of this, they thought, but at the same time, they just couldn't snap out of it. It was probably that beaming smile of Eden's that kept them so quiet, so reserved. She really was so astonishingly pretty. Robin opened their hand, and Eden took it with a small giggle.

"This is nice." Robin whispered almost imperceptibly.

"Yeah..." Eden sighed. "I think I might head to bed, though." Robin nodded.

"That sounds good. I'll..." They pulled their hand back. "I'll see you in class tomorrow." Eden snickered softly. "Yeah, that sounds good." They both stood up, and went to their separate rooms, waving goodbyes to each other.

Robin had a hard time getting to sleep. Their mind spun elaborate fantasies about the realities of their date, and eventually, they had to pull themselves out of bed and keep their hands and mind occupied. They started working on the blouse they'd picked out fabric for, and they smiled to themselves as they worked. Perhaps they'd wear it to their date. It would be fun to get Eden back for being so good at shutting them up, by showing up in a similar outfit to her design. They giggled to themselves as they worked.

It wasn't too long before they fell asleep at their desk, needle still in hand.

Robin pulled themselves into their last class, on time for once. They hadn't been able to pay much attention today, apart from some cursory notes. It just proved incredibly difficult to take their mind off Eden, and last night's conversation. It didn't help that they were about to sit down next to her.

"Hey, Robin." Eden said, twirling a lock of her hair with her finger.

"Hey." Robin said with a little shy giggle, pulling out her notebook.

Despite themselves, it was much easier to focus when Eden was actually there. Being able to see her smile, hear her laugh, that was somehow invaluable for the anxious Robin. They pulled themselves together for long enough to take a few notes, and turn to Eden. "How was your day?" They scratched out notes with their pen while they spoke. "Oh, I was fine. Distracted, perhaps. But I'm doing fine." It was something of a relief to hear that it wasn't just Robin that was struggling to take their mind off the events of last night.

They sat there in silence for a little while, but soon Robin felt a gentle kick under the table. They blinked in confusion, but they looked over, and Eden was offering them her right hand with a shy smile.

How could they take this? It was almost too saccharine sweet for them to handle. But they could do it. They smiled back at Eden, and took her hand, and Eden laced their fingers together softly. The two sat there together, and Eden clumsily took notes with her left hand, while Robin could easily take theirs with their right.

However, "easily" might be selling it short for how difficult it proved for Robin to sit still. They squirmed slightly in their seat, and even if their little show of affection was quite discreet, it made Robin slightly shy to think about who might be watching them. But Eden's hand was so soft, and this was incredibly lovely. It felt like no time had passed at all by the time the lecture was over, and Eden was tugging on their hand.

"Should we go?" Eden inquired.

"Y-yeah." Robin blinked, and Eden squeezed their hand as they got up.

They walked out of the hall together, and made their way outside the school, hand in hand. Eden's hand brushed against Robin's simple, black dress, and they smiled to her as they walked down the stairs outside of the building.

They were both a little shy, giggling and smiling at each other as they started the short walk home. Robin hesitated a little bit, but they eventually spoke up, turning to Eden and looking into her eyes.

"I don't know what this is, yet. I..." They trailed off for a moment. "Is that okay?" Eden placed her free hand reassuringly on Robin's shoulder.

"And you think I do?" she mused to the tall, pretty Robin next to her.

"I just assumed." Robin snickered.

"Not really. I'm not sure what this is either, Robin. But... I don't think that has to be a bad thing. So do you want to go home... together?" she said with a small, impish grin.

"That sounds... That sounds good." Robin's eyes were wide as they observed Eden, but they were ready to follow her anywhere. So they set off again, cutting through a small patch of woods to make it home.

At home, they sat down on the couch together, and Robin wasn't inclined to sit there shyly. Their heart was pounding in their chest, and they leaned in towards Eden, offering her a kiss, and Robin didn't wait long until Eden took them up on their offer. She confidently pressed her lips against Robin's, and she wrapped an arm around their back. Robin took her hand again, and their lips explored each other shyly. They pushed gently, prodding, touching, teasing- and Robin squeezed Eden's hand softly.

Robin's skin began to feel flushed, and their breaths grew labored as they kissed Eden. They pulled back for just a moment, and they met Eden's gentle eyes. The two of them stopped for a moment that felt like an eternity, but soon they were upon each other again, and Robin's worries melted away in Eden's arms. Eden teased Robin's tongue with hers, and they started to passionately kiss each other, fingers laced together, lips pressed against each other in a tense silence marked only by small, passionate moans.

Robin pulled back for a moment, their face still close to Eden's, their skin hot to the touch. Eden looked at them with a questioning expression.

"So, Robin."

"Ah?" Robin questioned. Eden took a lock of their hair between her fingers, smiling softly. "Want to see my room?" Robin gasped slightly, but before they could answer her, Eden gave them a sly smile, running a hand through their hair.

Robin's face broke out in a sheepish grin, and they pressed another wet kiss onto Eden's lips, and Eden pulled them upwards by their hand, holding them gently by their shoulder and walking into her room. Eden's room was quite different from Robin's. Posters of various girls lined the walls, from various games and shows, and small notebooks littered her desk and bedside table. At least there her room had something in common with Robin's.

"So, what do you think?" Eden let go of Robin, and sat down on her bed, leaning back on her hands. Robin had to stop themselves and look around- to be honest, they were far too occupied with Eden to spare her room more than a cursory glance.

"It's, uh..." They struggled for a moment finding a word to describe it. "It's cozy. Cluttered, like mine." They laughed gently, and Eden beckoned them over, only to pout affectionately at them. "Cluttered! How dare you!" They both laughed, and Robin laid on their back next to Eden, resting their head on their hands. The only thing that lit the room was a small lamp, giving it a warm but cozy atmosphere.

"So." Eden whispered softly. and Robin had some idea of what she wanted. But Robin wouldn't be able to guess what came next. Eden climbed on top of Robin, placing her hands on each side of their head, and beamed down at them. She rested her knees on each side of Robin's legs, and leaned down to kiss them firmly. Robin pressed back against her, and they ran a hand down her back, making her shudder softly.

Having Eden on top of them made it quite difficult to stay focused on anything except her, and looking at Eden, thinking about her, Robin was quickly starting to get flustered, and knowing themselves, it would be far too easy to get overexcited, but as Eden pressed another kiss onto their lips, they realised that perhaps they shouldn't humor that thought. They returned that kiss passionately, dancing with Eden's tongue in the dim light of the room, and they wrapped both arms around her as she leaned over them.