Robert woke up, blinking because of the sunlight streaming in the windows.  He laid there for a few minutes, thinking.  It was the day of the party, and he was looking forward to taking Georgie but he was concerned as well.  He knew she was worried her friends would ask questions about what she'd done during the years she was gone.  He just needed to make sure she didn't have to answer them.  He was going to have to do whatever it took for her to have a good time. 

When he entered the kitchen, he found Georgie sitting at the table drinking coffee with May and Marianne.  All three of them were reading.  Georgie had a book and the two older women were catching up on the day's news in their own preferred ways. 

"Morning," he said, and they all looked up to great him.

When he sat at the table with his tea and a bowl of cereal, May took off her reading glasses and closed her laptop, saying, "What do you two have planned for today?"

"Well," Georgie said slowly, with a shy smile.  "Today is the party so I guess we shouldn't go anywhere too far away.  I want to have enough time to get ready."  Marianne folded down the top of her newspaper so she could see Georgie.

"What were you planning on wearing?" she asked, suddenly seeming interested.

"I'm not sure.  I guess my jeans and a –."

"You can't go to the party in jeans, Georgie," Marianne said with a laugh, folding her newspaper and setting it aside.

"I don't really have anything else.  And besides, I don't know what the other girls will be wearing," she said quietly, looking at her mug.

"I think we should go shopping!" Marianne said with a smile, clearly excited by the prospect.  "We'll go to the mall – to all the stores the girls your age go to!  And we'll get you some new make up too!"  Georgie smiled at her, and then she looked at Robert, and her smile faltered.

"But – I'd hate to leave you with nothing to do, Robert," she said, looking concerned.  "Unless – I don't suppose you'd want to go –."  She trailed off.

"No, I'll be fine," he said quickly to reassure her.  "You should go shopping, yeah?  I'm sure I can find enough to do around here to keep me busy." 

He'd much rather do chores around the house than shop for party clothes any day of the week.  And besides, the two older women had been nothing but generous and kind to him during his visit, in spite of everything that was going on between him and Georgie, and he wanted to repay them. 

Within seconds, Georgie and Marianne were making plans about what shops they should visit and what she might wear.  While Robert drank his tea, he watched them.  It was good to see Georgie so enthusiastic.  Her concerns about her friends questions seemed to have vanished.  But it made it even more clear he had to make sure she had a good time.  He couldn't allow anything to ruin her night.

Later that day, they had an early dinner, then Georgie and Marianne went to Georgie's room to get ready for the party.  Now that it was closer to the time they were going, Robert was beginning to feel the pressure of how much depended on him protecting Georgie.  Perhaps sensing his nervousness, May suggested they play cards to pass the time.

Over an hour later when Georgie walked into the kitchen with a beaming Marianne following her, Robert was shocked into speechlessness while May exclaimed, "Oh, Georgie!  You look so pretty!"  Georgie thanked her, then looked at Robert with a shy smile.

"Do I look okay?" she asked.

"You look – nice," he said, catching himself before he said more. 

The truth was, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.  She didn't normally wear much makeup so it was always noticeable when she did.  Marianne had applied just enough to make her vivid blue eyes stand out, and she was wearing a shade of lipstick that was just a bit darker than their natural color, drawing his eyes to her lips.  Marianne had styled her hair so it cascaded past her shoulders in loose curls, framing her pale face. 

She was wearing a simple scoop necked dress made of a silky pale pink fabric.  It had just a hint of sleeves and a gathered waist with a wide black belt.  It was shockingly short, barely reaching her mid thigh and revealing quite a bit of her long, shapely legs.  On her feet were simple white woven sandals, which somehow made her legs seem even more exposed. 

She put her hand over the silver colored heart at her throat.  "Is it okay?  I don't have to wear it," she said quickly, looking worried.

"No, Georgie.  It's fine.  I don't mind," he said.  He hadn't even noticed it was there until that moment.

"Well?  Are you ready?" Georgie asked.

"Uh, yeah.  I guess," he said hesitantly, suddenly no longer feeling like he wanted to go. 

"You two have a nice time," May said, looking like she was blinking back tears as she went to give Georgie a hug and kiss on the cheek and Marianne did the same.

It was a beautiful warm early evening, when they stepped outside.  Robert saw a nearly full moon rising just above the tree line in the east as he walked slowly down the street next to Georgie.  He put his eyes on the pavement and shoved his hands in his pockets, each step making him feel worse. 

What the hell was wrong with him?  He'd been looking forward to this party, especially knowing how much it meant to Georgie.  He glanced over at her.  She was lost in her own thoughts, looking nervous. 

He reached out and grasped her hand, saying, "Georgie."  She stopped, looking down at his hand holding hers with surprise and he immediately dropped it. 

"We don't have to do this.  We can just go home," he said.

"What?  No.  We can go," she said with confusion.

"You – you just look like you don't want to go, is all.  I don't want –."

"No, I – want to go," she said.  He looked at her carefully.  She seemed sincere but he could see her working to hide the nervousness.

"Well, alright.  But the minute you want to leave, you tell me, yeah?"  he said emphatically.  "We don't have to stay a second longer than you want to."

"Okay, Robert.  I'll let you know," she said, looking relieved. 

Even before they got close to Lauren's house, it was evident there was a party nearby because of the number of cars lining the street.  How many fucking people had she invited, Robert wondered angrily.  Just before they turned to go up the path to her front door, a thought suddenly occurred to him and he touched Georgie's arm lightly, getting her attention.  She stopped and looked at him.

"Let's not drink, alright?"  She looked surprised and he continued quickly.  "I just – don't think we should – since you're underage, y'know?"  The last thing he needed was to lose control again like he had during the barbeque.  But he also wasn't sure how Georgie would behave if she got pissed.

"If you think so, Robert," she said, searching his eyes again.  He looked away, feeling embarrassed.  He knew she was remembering what had happened. 

As they got closer to the door, they could hear the muffled bass of dance music.  Georgie knocked but no one answered, no doubt because the music was too loud.  She looked at him with a pained expression. 

"Do you think – we should just – walk in?" she asked worriedly.

"Dunno," he said, shrugging his shoulders, hoping she'd decide they should leave.

She turned back to the door and put her hand on the knob.  She took a deep breath, looking like she was steeling herself and then opened it.  They stepped into a small sitting room laid out identically to May's, and crowded with teens.  Robert was nearly deafened by high pitched screams of girls who'd spotted Georgie and came up to give her hugs. 

While Robert stood next to her, he was suddenly hyper aware of the number of blokes in the room, boys really, all of whom were eyeing Georgie with more interest than they should be.  He stared down any of them that dared meet his eyes.  The next thing he knew, Lauren had launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Robbie!  You came to my party!"  From the slightly glazed look in her eyes and the smell of her breath, he could tell she'd already been drinking.

"Alright there, Lauren?" he said while gently but firmly removing her arms from around his neck.

"I am, now that you're here," she said coyly, pushing forward, trying to get closer to him while he held her off. 

Then she turned around in a lurching fashion, and shouted, "Hey, everybody!  This is Robbie!  He's a friend of Georgie's and he's British!" completely embarrassing him.

It seemed every female in the room suddenly turned their attention to him, making him feel even more uncomfortable.  The boys had turned their attention to him as well.  Now they were the ones staring him down, their eyes full of suspicion.  He felt an arm slide around his back and looked over.  Georgie was pressing herself against him, holding his waist firmly while glaring at the other girls. 

Then she noticed him watching her and immediately let go, saying quietly, "Sorry," and looking afraid.  He smiled to reassure her and put his arm around her waist, gently pulling her back to him. 

"It's alright," he said. 

She smiled shyly and put her arm around him again, resting her hand on his hip, then turned her attention back to her friends.  They came forward, but kept a slight distance, only a few stepping close enough for a hug.  Robert noticed Lauren looking at the two of them with disappointment before she wandered off.  When he looked back at Georgie, he was glad to see her looking so happy as greeted her friends.

After a few minutes, the girls moved off to attach themselves to different boys in the room but one remained behind.  She was a petite girl, looking more like she was twelve instead of eighteen.  Unlike the other girls, she seemed to have come to the party in the clothes she'd been wearing all day, skinny jeans, a polo shirt and trainers.  Her light brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail and her fringe was swept to the side.  She had glasses that were slightly too large for her small face which she kept pushing up her nose every time she took a sip from a can of diet soda.

"This is Ivy," Georgie said, introducing her to Robert with a smile.  "She was on the soccer team with me a long time ago.  Her dad was the coach."

"Alright, Ivy?" he said, shaking her hand.

"My mum and dad are British too," she said and he had to work hard to keep from smiling.  Not only was it an odd response, it sounded funny in her American accent.

"We had that in common," Georgie said, smiling at Ivy.

"How did you two meet?" Ivy asked.

Robert immediately felt Georgie's body become tense next to his.

"Choir," he said quickly.  "We were in the choir together at school."  Georgie looked up at him.

"She was one of the top singers – soprano."  He felt her relax as she smiled at him. 

"And you were – bass," she said, guessing correctly.

"So uh, which college are you going to?" Ivy asked, pushing up her glasses.

"I haven't decided yet," Georgie said cheerily, surprising Robert.  "I'm keeping my options open."  He instantly felt better, hearing the confidence in her voice.  She wasn't going to have any trouble at all tonight, he thought with relief. 

Ivy spent the next several minutes telling Georgie in great detail, the process she'd used to determine which universities to apply to, and how she'd made the final choice among the ones who'd accepted her.  While she chatted, Robert looked around the room.  He suddenly felt old as he realized he was going to be starting university with kids this age.  They were all around eighteen like Georgie, and just starting out their lives as adults. 

He would be twenty in a month, but he felt even older.  Just one more thing he could thank the bastard for, he thought bitterly.  He was no longer the optimistic boy who'd left home to move in with his band mates, excited about his future music career.  Everything that happened since the night he'd been kidnapped had nearly broken him, the scars still evident, not just to himself but to his family and mates.  And he was still dealing with it. 

"Doesn't it feel good to finally be free?"  Ivy exclaimed, cutting through Robert's thoughts like a knife.

"What?" Georgie asked faintly, looking horrified.  He could feel her sway away from him as her legs gave out a little.

Shit.

"Don't you just love being free now?" Ivy asked with a smile.

"She means because you're out of school, Georgie," he said quickly, tightening his grip on her.

"Yes – I am," she gasped.  He could feel her body begin to tremble and he watched her carefully, worried she was about to have a meltdown. 

"So?  What are your plans?" Ivy asked, pushing up her glasses again.  Robert wasn't sure if he should just leave, take her out now before anything happened, or if she was going to able to keep it together.

"I'm going to live my life," Georgie said in a shaky voice.

"Me too!" Ivy exclaimed.  "I know it's going to be tough when I go to Stanford so I'm taking the whole summer off and just relax."

"Georgie d'you want to get something to drink?  Perhaps some water?" he asked gently, desperate to get her alone.

"Yes, Robert," she said shakily. 

He quickly excused them and led her to the small kitchen.  It was annoyingly full of kids gathered around a keg of beer they were pumping.  Thankfully they were more interested in the keg than him and Georgie. 

He took two plastic cups meant for the beer and filled them at the sink.  Georgie drank hers facing the sink and he stood just behind her with a hand on her hip, waiting in case she needed him.  He thought about asking her if she felt alright, then decided against it.  He didn't want to unnecessarily trigger a response from her if she was recovering on her own.  After several minutes, she turned and faced him.

"D'you feel alright?" he asked gently.  She nodded and managed a small smile.

"Thank you, Robert," she said gratefully. 

The music suddenly got louder and he heard Lauren drunkenly shout, "Let's get this party started!"

"Can we dance?" Georgie asked, and he couldn't help smiling at her with relief.

"Of course we can," he said, taking her hand and leading her back to the sitting room.  As soon as they began to dance, Georgie looked happy again and Robert relaxed, knowing she'd managed to get over what happened. 

It felt wonderful to dance with Georgie again, after so many months.  Soon nothing else mattered to Robert than the two of them moving together and having fun.  They'd been dancing for a while, when suddenly the lights went dim and a much slower song started playing.  He and Georgie stood looking at each other while many of the kids put their arms around each other began slowly dancing. 

Robert didn't know what to do.  Dancing so close to her didn't seem like a good idea.  Georgie dropped her eyes and turned away from him.  Some of the boys standing on the edges of the room noticed her walking away and their expressions became hopeful.  One of the braver ones, pulled away from the wall he'd been leaning against and started towards her.

Robert automatically reached out and took hold of her hand.  She looked at him with surprise and he slowly pulled her back to him.  He put his arms around her, holding her lightly around her waist.  She rested her arms around him, not looking at him.  He could feel the tension in her body.  He felt tense too.  After a hesitation, she leaned into him, laying her cheek on his shoulder.  

He rocked her back and forth while he listened to the song, and before he knew it, the beauty of the gentle melody enveloped him.  He closed his eyes and lowered his head, pressing his cheek against her silky hair, relaxing into her.  All he was aware of was the music and the feeling of Georgie's warm body in his arms.  As listened to the words of the song, they seemed to speak of his feelings for Georgie.  She leaned against him more and her arms slid up his back, holding him a little tighter, pressing herself against him as she followed his movements. 

Then the song changed, it became louder, the melody darker, and the singer began begging for his lover to come back to him.  Georgie began rubbing her hands over his back, stroking him and he started to feel uncomfortable.  They shouldn't be doing this, he thought desperately.  This wasn't good.  He released his hold on her and quickly stepped back.  He was dismayed to see the look of pain and disappointment in her eyes before she looked away.  He'd hurt her.

"I'm really thirsty," he said, aware his voice was too loud among the slow dancing couples, many of whom looked over curiously.  "D'you want some water?" 

She nodded without looking at him and he took her hand so he could lead her through the couples to the kitchen, grateful she couldn't see his face.  Luckily, some of her friends who seemed to be temporarily unattached were there and eagerly began chatting with her.  He put his arm around her waist, partly so he would be close at hand if he needed him to step into the conversation, and partly to make her feel better.  She didn't acknowledge it, but she seemed cheerful as she commiserated with the other girls about how hard it had been to find the perfect dress to wear.

After a while, the friends drifted off in search of boys to dance with and they were alone for the first time since they'd arrived.  Robert let go of her with the pretense that he needed more water.  When he turned back from the sink, she was watching her friends dance with each other while another slow song played.  Then she looked at him, and he saw the dark circles under her eyes.  She looked exhausted.

"You ready to go?" he asked gently.

"Yes," she said with a sigh, sounding relieved and sad at the same time.

They made their way through the sitting room, Georgie going up to a few girls to say good bye.  Lauren was no where in sight, much to Robert's relief. 

Outside it was dark, the full moon and street lamps lighting their way.  After they were a few houses away from Lauren's house, it was much quieter and the only sound he heard were the crickets chirping.  He looked over at Georgie but she was looking at the pavement. 

"I hope you had a good time," he said quietly.

"Yes, I did," she said, looking at him while she walked, but he couldn't see her face very well because of the shadows.  "I –," she started, and then she sighed.  "It was fun and – I'm so grateful, Robert.  I could never have done that if you hadn't come with me."  Her voice broke at the end, and he was glad he couldn't see her face. 

"It's alright, Georgie," he said to the pavement, and shoved his hands in his pockets as he swallowed against the tightness in his throat.

It felt wrong not to say more, but he couldn't think of anything that wouldn't make things even more complicated than they already were between them.  So he didn't say anything as they walked back to May's, the sadness in the air palpable.

****

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  It was a fun one to write, but also tricky.  The video is the song Robert and Georgie slow dance to, Give Me Love by Ed Sheeren. 

As you can see, the connection between Robert and Georgie becomes stronger the longer they spend time together.  Will Robert figure it out before he has to leave?  Will he decide to take the risk of getting hurt again so they can be together?  Will Georgie do anything to try to change his mind?  What does she want?  Please let me know what you think.  And if you liked reading this chapter, please consider giving it a vote.