Desi showed up at my apartment around 7pm. I had been pacing the floor after leaving the office, trying to think of any way to squirm out of Maizy's clutches, so it was easy to hear her footsteps approaching. My palms were sweating, making them slide on the door handle. However, just as I went to throw open the door and fall into her arms like a little sister, I heard a second set of footsteps and a throat clear.

"What are you doing here?" Desi asks, and I hesitate. Worried that it might be a reporter, or worse, Robin (who I am actively banished from seeing), I pressed my ear to the door and listened.

There was rustling, which sounded like food bags, and the jangling of keys. Silence seemed to stretch on for a long time, then Desi's voice sounded again, "And you felt the need to invite yourself, why?"

Finally, the counterpart speaks: "The same reason you ask mean rhetorical questions as a form of defense, I'm guessing."

Ah... Henry.

Desi is quiet. Desi is never quiet. It makes me think that they are going to start yowling like cats at one another before breaking out into an immense fight.

"You're right. This is Leah's place, and I know she'd be relieved to have your help... I'm sorry."

What?!

"What?" Henry sounds just as surprised as I feel.

The shadow of her footsteps under the door shifts and I am all but laying against the door. I hold my breath to hear better. There's a squeak of Styrofoam and another rustling of plastic. Then Desi's footsteps move away from the door. Henry clears his throat, a sign that he's been made uncomfortable.

"You're supposed to shake it." Desi says, tightly. "I'm asking for a truce."

Henry responds, hesitantly, "Does it bite?"

"It's my hand?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"You know what, never mind! You want to be a child and continue to punish me for what happened, then fine."

"Me?" He barks a laugh, "I have done nothing but try to talk to you about what happened for the past few months. This is the first time you've even ack--" Henry's voice drops an octave, "Forget it...That's what you want, right? For us to ignore it and hope it will go away. Okay. It's forgotten."

Desi breathes out in frustration, "I don't--"

"Great. Then we agree." The sound of plastic hits the ground, "Leah's is at the bottom. Yours is on top. Goodnight."

"You can't just leave, I'm sure she's heard us by now."

No response.

"Just stay."

Footsteps walk away.

"Hairy?"

Desi's footsteps chase.

"Hairy."

Finally, Desi's had enough, and she calls louder, "Henry! Stop!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO!" He shouted angrily.

I rip open the door at the sound and step out into the hall. My mouth is agape as I look worriedly between them. Henry is standing at the elevators down the hall, and Desi is standing in the middle. There are two sets of take-out bags at my feet. My eyes scan between the two of them desperately, but I don't know what to say.

Desi stands shell-shocked like a statue. Henry has never raised his voice at anyone, and the fact that he raised it at her like that made the three of us vibrate with equal disbelief.

He glances back at me briefly, and an apologetic look crosses his face. Henry takes a deep breath and drops his eyes, then he pushes his palms over his features and sighs out. There's a pitch to his shoulders that breaks my heart, and for the first time, I feel angry with Desi for riling him up. We were all under so much pressure that now was not the time to push each other away.

Desi turns to look at me and I feel as if I am rooted to the spot. Not sure if I'm supposed to go back inside or break this up, I stand there, frozen, and afraid of losing one of them.

"What is going on with you two?" I say quietly.

Henry looks at Desi, expectantly. She drops her eyes chastened and stubborn. At this my heart breaks for both of them... because Desi can't help protecting herself and Henry can't help wanting to be enough. Neither of them will admit what this fight is doing to them so long as one feels wounded and the other unwanted.

"It's nothing..." Desi whispers, finally. "Everything's fine."

Henry looks at her like he's just been stabbed and she's holding the knife. He swallows hard and nods before looking at me, "Well, there you have it. Nothing is going on between us... Everything is fine."

At hearing these words Desi's head lifts. I feel my stomach sink, then it boils hot and fury bubbles up my throat. I ball my fists, "Shut up!"

They both look at me surprised, and a little confused. But I get so mad that I clench both my fists and shout, "Would you two just shut up!"

"Leah?" Desi says, "No one is talking?"

Huffing, I march down the hall and grab Henry by the wrist, dragging him back toward the apartment. On my way back, I snatch Desi's wrist and pull her in with me. All three of us fell through the door, and I let it slam behind us. My fury burns through me as I walk to the table.

"I am so sick of you two." I growl out, "And I am sick of things falling apart, and people being mean, and all of this bullshit red tape around everything. Why can't we all just be honest and be okay and not have all these secrets all the time! I am fed up with Maizy, and Delynn, and You, and him! So, sit down. Shut up. And I'm going to throw some light on the subject!"

Henry opens his mouth to protest, and I flash a furious glare at him. He promptly closes his lips. Desi and Henry carefully sit at the kitchen table and watch me as I stand there. Before either of them can stop me, I start:

"A few months ago, Desi nearly fell over tongue when you walked in the room, Henry--"

"LEAH!"

"Shut up!" I snap, pointing at her sternly, "You two had your chance to talk and didn't. So, I'm going to do the talking."

Continuing I say, "One time, she watched you for thirty minutes, almost consecutively, while you made copies outside of her office. Then she purposely jammed the printer so she could watch you fix it. She can quote every movie you like and goes home to catch up on shows you mention; she tracks what you eat at lunch to make sure you're not eating too little, stocks up on your favorite smoothies even though she thinks their heinous, and arrives at the office first to make sure the coffee pot is clean in case you use it!"

"Oh my god, stop. Please." Desi covers her face and shakes her head. Henry is sitting there with his mouth wide open.

"She thinks your power point skills are sexy. She calls you the Power Point Prince, even though she never admits it. Your green sweater makes her feral to the point of combustion, and I swear to the heavens above, Henry, if you had worn your hair without gel and showed up in a pair of jeans to work every day she would've fallen to your feet a long time ago. She is weak. So weak for your voice and your sarcastic wit and your heart. And yet, Desi refuses to acknowledge any of these things, because for some reason she's afraid of letting anyone be or do anything for her that hasn't received executive approval!

"And if that isn't enough to tell you that she likes you, the night you kissed her she described it to me as sinful and couldn't stop crying (and drinking) at the thought of having ruined her chances. In fact, she was so distraught after your fight that people in the office thought a family member had died by the way she was acting! Essentially: DESI IS IN LOVE WITH YOU DUMBASS!"

Wow... I take after my uncle more than I think.

Both stared at me in complete shock. But I was only halfway through:

"And you!" I pointed at Henry, "Don't even get me started on you!"

Henry shook his head, "Don't do it---"

But I was. I was unstoppably about to do it.

"Desi, Henry has been in love with you since he first saw you. He smiles when he gets your phone calls, likes to make you angry because you scrunch up your nose and it moves your glasses up and down, and he has had multiple dreams of you. Believe me. I know! How? Because he describes them to me, in great detail, when he comes over to work here. I have had more conversations with Henry about you than I have drank coffee over my entire life span!

"He threatened to hunt the marketing team of the perfume you wear for giving it too accurate of a hook. He went mute for two weeks after you fought, and still checked his phone every second. He pouts when you aren't at work. Stares at you when you are. He has every book you've ever recommended on his shelf at home but purposely hides them when you come over. He would rather die than see you speak to Drew for more than five seconds.

And in case you haven't noticed-- There is a stack of manuscripts on your desk every morning along with a piping hot coffee. Here I thought it was spell casting, or a great intern, but I witnessed the truth yesterday after meeting with Maizy. LO AND BEHOLD it was Henry sneaking refills into your cup when you weren't looking from the coffee pot YOU CLEAN FOR HIM! We both know he's a chronic health nut, and yet he knows your every order for take-out--"

I gestured to the bags of food still outside the door.

"And if that isn't enough to convince you that he loves you, he has tried every single day to find a way to make you smile. Every. Single. Day. He's sweet, and honest, and loyal, and desperately wants to be loved, like a little kid, So, stop being mean to my friend!!"

Taking in a huge breath, and dropping my shoulders, I realize that I have started to overheat. I also realized I was very hungry, and all this love talk was really making me miss Robin. So, I fanned my shirt out and said, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I am going to go get my food, call my boyfriend who I miss very much now, and when I get back in here you two better be making out or married!"

With that I marched across the room, threw open the door, and purposely slammed it behind me.

---

After the door shut, I took a deep breath and sat against it. Then I opened the takeout box and started to eat. Mentally I was counting the seconds it would take for the two of them to reconcile with the information I've just dumped on them. Spiritually I was enjoying my food.

Taking out my phone I dialed Robin's number and chewed.

"Already breaking the rules?" His voice floats through the speaker. "We're a forbidden couple now, remember? You should send a courier or a coded message via random chatroom."

I sigh out, letting my head fall against the door, "Where are you?"

"Your heart." He quips cornily. It makes me laugh and cringe, which makes him laugh. Then he adds, "But in a tangible sense, I am sitting on my couch."

Missing him intensifies and I press the phone closer to my ear, "Can I stay at your house? Mine is going to be occupied for a while now. I've just exposed Desi and Henry to each other. And although I'm responsible, I also fear the consequences."

There's a long silence. An exceptionally long silence.

"Wouldn't that be a bad idea?" He asks, his voice closer to the speaker than it was before. There's no playfulness in his tone now.

I nod, "It would be exceptionally traumatizing at a minimum. As much as I support their love, I've never seen either of them kiss before. I feel like it would be watching my mom and dad make out."

Robin breathes a laugh, and the phone goes distant as he mutters something like oh my god. Then the speaker scratches against his face, "I'm talking about you coming over. It could be a bad idea."

Having scarfed down my dinner, I set the empty box aside and folded my arm over my belly contentedly. He has a point, so I nod my head resignedly, "I know..."

Another long silence stretches between us. I stare at the wall in front of me and count the bricks one by one. Robin speaks softly, "Tomorrow we'll do the last research project with Maizy."

"And Delynn." I add grumpily.

He continues, "Spending time together at night before meeting an investigative journalist..."

I nod my head again, and sigh, "Could get us caught."

"Something like that." His soft words sound more like whispers now.

My heart longs for him, and I draw my knees up to my chest. Part of me hopes he says something just so I can hear his voice again in that way. The other part considers hanging up before things get harder. But I don't hang up. I simply wait and imagine a world where I don't have to worry about such things.

"Leah?" He whispers my name, and chills race across my skin.

Smiling a little, I pushed the phone closer to my ear, "Yeah?"

He draws a breath, like he's debating on whether he should say what he's about to say. I wait patiently, hoping it's not "goodnight." But Robin clears his throat, and speaks at a more normal volume when he says, "I will still come get you... if you want me to."

My heart squeezes tightly in my chest. "And miss my chance at sending coded messages via chatroom?"

"I'm being serious."

The way he says it tells me he's shaking his head, and I swear I can hear him preparing to stand up. I can imagine him grabbing his car keys, looking out among the bushes, and ducking in the shadows. He'll drive to main roads to get here and back roads on the way back. I'll have to stoop down under the dashboard every time a car passes. We'll have to sneak into his house... and all night we'll be so worried about being caught that we won't get to enjoy being together. Only for me to sneak out again first thing in the morning.

I don't want to tell him no. I know I can't tell him yes.... So, I just say, "I miss you."

Robin inhales, "I can be there in ten minutes."

"I live almost twenty minutes away."

"Make it seven."

My lips break into a smile, and I laugh, "So eager."

"Well, I have a coffee pot to steal back too, so. You know..."

"Ahh," I smile wider and he's chuckling over the phone when I say, "So that's why you're in a rush. To steal another coffee pot from me."

"Tell me to come get you." He responds, voice low.

"I can't." I shake my head.

"Tell me not to then." He laughs, sounding almost desperate.

"I can't."

Robin sighs, "You're killing me, Leah."

Grinning, I say, "That's Mrs. Johnson to you."

He chuckles, and I can imagine him rolling his eyes. There's a rustling on the other side of the phone and I pack my food away until it stops. It's been long enough that I should check on Desi and Henry to make sure they aren't both dead and in a catatonic state.

"If you get a random message from a Robin Moore Fan site chatroom, make sure you open it. But, If it says 'From user: Robin-Moore-Is-Sexyy' with two 'y's'.... Don't respond because it's not me. That username was already taken."

He bursts into laughter, "Okay, good to know."

I grin, and stand up, then I say, "But if you happen to get a message tonight before you go to sleep that says something like 'See you soon.' or 'Dreaming of those sweatpants xoxo' That's probably me."

"Got it." He chuckles, then laughs a bit. "I'm glad we cleared that up."

"Goodnight," I say back, even though it's the last thing I want to say to him.

"Goodnight." He responds tenderly. "And good luck with Desi and Henry."

I laugh and after we've hung up, I open the door. Desi is sitting at the table with Henry standing between her knees. The two of them happily kissing and in their own little world.

Snapping a picture I send it to Robin, saying: Mom and Dad are officially together. Let's hope they can afford my therapy bills after seeing this.

He responded immediately:

User Robin-Moore-is-Sexyy says: New chat room, who this?

I snorted, rolling my eyes.

He responded again saying: Make them pay for mine too!

——

Hi lovelies!!

I am so excited, R:R has 7,000 reads!!! AHHH

Thank you all so much. I hope you're all doing well and writing often. I've seen so many of the stories in my TBR being updated and I've been itching for the chance to get to them!

Summer is sadly drawing to a close, so if you're in school I hope you have a great year <3

See you next chapter!

With love,

E.G.