—Y/n POV—
I lay in bed, thinking about last night. Whenever I'm with Robin, I feel something I'm not used to, especially not with a girl. I only like guys, right? I've never thought about it a lot, but it seems to be a topic on my mind lately. Hawkins doesn't accept gay people- I don't think anywhere does. Not in the 80s anyways. But no one needs to know, except of course, Robin. It makes me uncomfortable to say this, but I think I like guys and girls. But if I'm around Robin for much longer, I think I might just swing the other way completely.
———————
I took my sister to the arcade then went straight to work. I was the first there and then Robin and Steve. Something is.. off with Robin today. She seems more nervous around me; fidgeting more, stuttering a lot, avoiding eye contact, nervous laughter.
I also notice that she's having heaps of quiet conversations with Steve in the break room. Obviously they don't want me to hear because they make sure I'm not around when they whisper to each other, Steve much louder than Robin. I start to worry that it was me that caused all this. Did I say something last night? Did I make Robin feel uncomfortable? Does she know I like her? Am I being too obvious? Robin probably has a crush on Steve and just wants to be around him with no distractions from me. It makes sense.
Maybe it's only a one day thing, and tomorrow will be better. That's all I can hope for at least.
—Robin POV—
"Robin, I'm telling you right now, y/n definitely likes you!" Steve whisper yells.
"We just don't know that, do we" I deadpan.
"I see the way she looks at you, how she laughs unnecessarily loud at things you say that are barely funny, how she can't stop staring at you." He continues.
"When she was at my house last night-"
"She was at your HOUSE?!" Steve exclaims, way too loudly. Realising, he covers his mouth.
"Yes Steve, she was" I say calmly. "When she was at my house", I resume, "there was some chemistry. Maybe she only thought it was platonic, if platonic chemistry is even a thing at all, and if she even noticed, maybe she just thought it was two friends connecting really well. But I definitely did not think that way. At all. When she looked in my eyes, I felt something ignite inside of me. Something I've never really felt before except the rare occasion I'd lock eyes with Tammy Thompson in Sophomore year, and even then, the feeling was less powerful than it is now with y/n."
Steve is silent in thought. He is about to open his mouth to say something when y/n bursts through the door, startling the both of us.
"Guys I need help out there, there's so many people here and that sassy little brat keeps bugging me for more samples" she says, slightly annoyed.
"I'll help" Steve announces, standing up.
"Are you sure?" I ask, beginning to stand up.
He gives me a reassuring smile then walks out of the break room.
—Y/n POV—
Steve and I sling ice cream in a half comfortable, half awkward silence. It's the first time I've really worked with him one on one.
The amount of customers has died down, so we can finally relax for a bit. I clean my scooper as Steve breaks the silence. "So uhh, have you seen Fast Times?"
I laugh at how random his question is. "Yes I have, I made the mistake of watching it in the living room with my family, and it got awkward" I reply.
"53 minutes, 5 seconds? Is that when it got.. awkward?" Steve jokes.
"So we're clear, your referring to the..." I hesitate.
"Boobies, yes" he finishes.
"Don't say boobies" I laugh under my breath.
Steve chuckles at my remark.
"So, I've noticed you and Robin have been getting along well."
I blush at the mention of her name. "Uhh- yeah, we- we have" I stutter. "But I feel like she's been.. avoiding me today. Or something. She just seems more nervous around me today" I whisper, a hint of worry in my tone.
"Oh I'm sure it's nothing" Steve says a little too quickly. Something is definitely going on.
"I mean", he steadies his tone, "I'm sure she's not doing it on purpose. Robin wouldn't do that."
I nod. "Has she said anything to you about me? Like in a bad way?" I ask.
"Absolutely not! Y/n I could never imagine her speaking negatively about you, not after the way I've seen how she talks about you"
Ohhh my god.
"How.. does Robin talk about me?"
"In a very positive way. Her face lights up when she sees you, and at the mention of your name. I've never seen her so happy about a friend before."
Oh. Right. We're just friends, nothing else. Just the word "friend" used in a sentence like that makes my heart drop.
I brush it off with a smile. "That's good to hear. Thanks for making me feel better."
"Anytime" Steve nods before going to the back room to tell Robin her break is over.
"Hey y/n" she walks over to me.
My heart beat speeds up and my face feels hot.
"Hi Robin" I manage to say.
"Feels like we haven't talked at all today and I've been hiding in the back room. I'm sorry, I've just- just got things on my mind. Not like it's a mental health issue or whatever, I think I'm okay mentally, or maybe I'm not, I don't know but it's really nothing and I just hope you didn't think I was ignoring you or avoiding you because I'd never do that to you" Robin finishes.
"Oh you don't have to apologise! It's okay really. I just thought you and Steve were talking shit about me in the back" I joke, but I don't think she caught on.
"Y/n I would never- we would never talk shit about you" Robin puts a reassuring hand on my arm, and I can feel the heat all the way to my bones.
"Robin I was joking" I chuckle
She shakes her head with a smile. "I don't have a strong grasp of social cues at all, so that's probably why I couldn't tell."
I smile. "So do you wanna talk to me about what was on your mind? It's okay if you don't want to."
Robin blushes and looks at the ground. "Uh- it's okay, thanks for asking though."
"So is Steve like your shrink? Do you go to him about anything and everything?"
"Pretty much" Robin nods.
"I like that. I feel like having a guy best friend is refreshing, you know, since they're so different to girls."
"That is so true! I totally agree".
"But I guess the only bad thing is that people probably think you're dating your guy friend or at least think you like them" I say, hoping to get the answer I'm looking for.
Robin rolls her eyes. "Ugh. No way. Steve and I are just friends, and that's all we'll ever be. Plus I'm way out of his league."
That's what I wanted to hear.
"Out of his league is an understatement Robin" I nudge her with my arm and look in her eyes.
She returns the eye contact and holds it.
"Y/n I just want you to know I had so much fun last night" Robin says, breaking the eye contact.
I smile, remembering what we did. "Yeah me too. You're uhh- you're a really fun person to be around".
Robin grins. "That means a lot".
—time skip—
I'm on my break and Steve and Robin are out the front. I'm sitting on a chair reading a book when Robin walks through the door with two ice cream cups in hand.
"Steve let me come in here since it's a slow day" she says as she sits down next to me.
"I got you (your favourite ice cream flavour)".
"Why thank you".
Once we finish our ice cream we sit in a comfortable silence.
"Do you umm- do you know why I'd never date Steve?" Robin asks, her voice almost a whisper.
I get confused since she already told me before but I nod.
"Three reasons" she holds up three fingers, each with rings on them. "One- I'm out of his league, as you know. Two- I could never see myself with Steve 'the hair' Harrington. Three-I-" she trails off.
Robin seems uncomfortable- nervous almost. Her leg bounces up and down as she picks away at the black nail polish on her nails.
I grab her hand. "Are you okay?" I ask softly.
"Mhm. God this was so much easier to say in my head".
I just look at her, confused.
"Y/n can I trust you?"
"Of course you can" I give Robin's hand a reassuring squeeze.
She leans in closer and her voice is barely a whisper. "The third reason I'd never date Steve is because- it's because I-I'm-I'm a lesbian."
Holy shit. This is great news.
—Robin POV—
Y/n just looks at me, she doesn't talk.
Shit.
I knew I shouldn't have said anything.
I just ruined our friendship.
She's gonna ignore me forever.
She's gonna quit her job and go work somewhere far from me.
She's gonna out me to the whole town.
She's never gonna look at me the same again.
I detach my hand from hers. "Forget it" I whisper as I stand up and begin to walk away, tears welling up in my eyes.
Suddenly I feel y/n's hand pulling me to face her. "Robin I'm not mad. I'm so happy you told me, it's so good that you're comfortable telling me this."
She doesn't hate me.
I didn't just ruin our friendship.
She cups my face gently and wipes my tears away. I have to ignore the butterflies that stir in my stomach, despite how I'm feeling right now.
"It's okay" y/n whispers before pulling me into a hug. Her arms are around my neck so I rest my head on her shoulder, my arms around her waist.
It's a soft hug but firm at the same time, one that tells me that y/n supports me, that it's alright, that I'm okay.
She pulls away slightly. "Can I tell you something?" Y/n asks, her lips curling into a smile.
I nod.
"I'm bi"
I smile. It's the biggest I've smiled in a long time.
"There it is. There's the smile" Y/n says as she smiles back.
My head falls on her shoulder to hide the blush that appears on my cheeks, as I keep smiling.
She giggles and runs her fingers through my hair. I feel like I could melt right here in her arms.
Y/n gently pulls my head up so we're looking at each other.
"Robin how do you feel so comfortable around me? Don't get me wrong, I love it and I'm so happy you feel that way but we haven't known each other for a long time and for you want to tell me something that big, so soon, I must be someone you trust, a lot."
"How could I not feel comfortable around you? Y/n you're such a sweet and kind person, you don't just hear me; you listen to me. You make me feel so seen and important and I feel like you'd never judge me, so that's why I feel like I could tell you anything."
Y/n smiles and looks at the ground, and when she looks at me again I can see a blush on her cheeks. I don't blame her, this room is really warm.
"Wow I- no one's ever felt that way towards me before. That's umm, that's really nice to hear" she says bashfully.
If only she knew how I completely felt.
"Hey our shift is over in, like three minutes" I point out, looking at the clock.
We both walk out to the front and see Steve sorting out the tips.
"Okay so I'm having this pool party tonight, there's gonna be heaps of people and it's gonna be really fun. You guys in?" He asks us.
I look at y/n and I give her a look that says 'if you go I'll go'. She nods so we both say yes.
"Awesome, it starts at 9, but you can come a bit earlier if you want."
"Cool, we'll be there" y/n smiles.
—time skip—
—Y/n POV—
I'm in my room, thinking about what I should wear to Steve's place. Not like it's gonna matter, I'll be in my bathers half the time anyways. I just want to look good for Robin. What do people even wear to pool parties? Actually, what do people wear to parties in general? I never get invited to parties, not that I have much interest in them anyways. Too many people makes me uncomfortable, plus all the alcohol and drunk people makes me feel uneasy. But I'm going to be with Robin all night tonight so that's what matters to me.
I settle on a short black jumpsuit, something I can put over my lilac bikini.
I look in the mirror, kind of happy with how I look for once. Then I think about Robin, and how I should probably ask if she needs a lift.
I pick up the milkshake cup that sits proudly on my bedside table, the one I kept from the first day I met Robin, and dial the number she wrote down, playing with the phone cord anxiously but excitedly.
"Helloooo, this is Robin" her voice crackles through the phone.
"Hey Robin! It's y/n"
"Oh hey y/n! What's up?"
"Uhh I just wanted to know if you'd like me to pick you up tonight, so we could go to Steve's party together?"
"That would be amazing, thank you so much"
"What time suits you?"
"8:30?"
"Awesome. See you then"
"See ya"
I hang up the phone and walk to my desk to touch up my mascara, eye liner and concealer. Yeah It'll probably get messed up in the pool but I have to look my best for Robin.
I take one last look in the mirror before getting in the car and driving to Robin's house.
—————
A/N: sorry it's taken so long to update, I've been busy with school and stuff but I am working on this story every day. Feel free to give any feedback :)
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