XXIII.                                           Heartbreak Weather

      Odessa didn't know why she went to the Larusso home that night. She wasn't thinking clearly. She was hurt. Her heart was split in two and her mind was all over the place but one thing it kept talking her to was Robby. It took her a lot of courage to be able to walk into the Miyagi dojo. Robby's back was facing her and he was folding clothes on his bed. She felt her hands start to shake. "Hi." She spoke softly.

Robby flinched at the second voice and he turned around. He was shocked. "Odessa, what are you doing here?"

She stopped about half way in his direction and her eyes darted around the room, not meeting his eyes. "I'm not sure, actually." She admitted, very unsure of herself.

He took in her body language and stopped folding, putting the clothes down on his bed. He furrowed his brows. "Is everything okay?"

Odessa shifted her weight back and forth and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jean shorts. She shook her head at his words. She was unable to form words.

"Did something happen?"

The corners of her mouth quivered. "Hawk called me a slut." she answered and her stomach turned at the specific word. She rarely ever said it out loud. It was only ever said in her head. It hurt just as much.

Robby's face turned into anger. "He did what?" He asked fiercely.

She shook her head and looked at her shoes.  "Not in exact words, but, basically. I think what he said hurt more than just saying it."

He inched closer to her. "Tell me what happened."

They were inches away from each other, both feeling timorous in each other's presents. Odessa stood with her shoulders hunched over. She took one of her hands that was her front pocket and pulled out the gold chain that had the Medal of Honor clipped to it. She handed it to Robby.

He looked at the Medal of Honor and up at her in disbelief, his brows creasing. "You took it?"

She shook her head. "No, not me. It was Hawk. I found him wearing it."

Robby reached his hand forward and took it in his grasp, his hands brushing against hers. He tilted his head at her, waiting for her to explain.

Odessa rocked side to side, her anxiety increasing. "Our Sensei's took us to the woods for our training today. We played this game where we all wore black or red headbands and we had to take the opposite teams headband from them. Hawk found me walking by myself and he started messing with me. We got into a fight and it started escalating—" she paused and looked up to see him staring at her intensely but quietly. "He brought up you and I at the mall and how you helped me. He started getting angry and accused me of sleeping with you—"

He was visibly angry again.

"When I told him it wasn't true, he started saying all the things people say about me are true; how I fall for every guy I meet and give myself up to them because they're nice to me." She continued to explain and her self esteem continued to diminish.

"That's not true," he said.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. "But it is. When my father left I didn't know how to handle relationships. I thought I had to act a certain way because I was scared they would leave me. I would let them use me so they wouldn't be mad. But when I finally said no, they left. I always thought it was because of something I did. I try so hard to believe that it's all in my head but when Hawk called me weak, that's all I can believe now."

Robby grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. He put his hands gently on the sides of her arms. "I'm sorry you've had to deal with that. But it's not true, any of it. There's nothing wrong with you. You're everything anyone could ever ask from a person and i'm not just saying that because i'm being nice. I'm saying it because it's true." He spoke delicately.

Odessa looked up at him with her blue eyes filled with innocence; her pupils dilated. She visibly relaxed under his touch. "How do you always know what to say?" She whispered with a playfulness in her voice.

His green eyes sparkled. "It's easy when it's with the right person." He whispered back and smiled

A comfortable silence fell between them. She didn't feel anxious or worried. She felt insouciant. She licked her lips as her eyes fell to his. She looked back up at him through her eyelashes. Robby's hands that were still placed on her arms slid up and cupped the sides of her face, lifting it up slightly so she could fully look at him. Then, one of them moved back down so it was cupping the back of her neck. "If you don't won't me to, say it and I won't." He mumbled.

But she didn't say anything. Her small hands reached up and clasped around his wrists, holding them there. Robby waited approximately two minutes. "What are you waiting for?" She whispered.

Robby leaned his head down and captured her lips in his. He kept them still, making sure she was okay. When he pulled back slightly, Odessa lifted her head up and brought them back to her. Their faces were so close. Their noses brushed against each other. Robby felt her long lashes flutter against his cheeks, making him feel jittery.

The hand on her neck reached up and pressed against the back of her head, getting lost in her hair. A satisfying noise came from her throat and Odessa took one of her hands off his wrist and placed it on the back of his neck, pulling him closer as if that was even possible. Her heart was beating faster and faster by the second and she knew by kissing him, her mind would never let her forget it. In the moment, she was okay with that. Odessa pulled away from slightly and sucked in a breath. "You're a lot better at this than I thought." She said out loud with a chuckle.

His laughter struck a melody in her. Time seemed to slow down. It still wasn't clear to her if she was dreaming this moment, but there was raw emotions in the way his fingers curled into her hair and the way their lips blended into one another's. Odessa had to keep peaking her eyes open to make sure it was real and it was real. The feeling was real. He was real in her hands.

Their fingers intertwined and Robby brought their hands outward and inward, letting them go and running his hands down her sides. He just wanted to feel her. The pace of their kiss increased and the air got hotter. He'd thought about this moment over and over since he saw her at the beach club. Robby wasn't sure if his mind was tricking him into a perfect present but he swore every time he breathed in her scent, he found himself. He wasn't the troubled kid from a broken family or the rebel child acting out for his parents attention. He was just Robby.

Odessa parted her lips and felt his tongue slide in with ease, making her jump. Her hands tugged the ends of his hair and she felt heat rise in her stomach. She found herself walking forward with him until his knees hit the edge of his bed and he pulled away from her. The loss of contact made them feel cold. "Are you sure you want this?" He asked and his green eyes scanned her red, glowing face.

Odessa paused. She thought about her conversation with Hailey. She also thought about the moment she shared with Hawk in her room. The first time they said I love you. The first time they exposed themselves to each other. The first time they gave each other their all. She continued to hear Hailey's words. Don't let him stop you from being happy. The green eyed boy gave her a longing stare and she gave him a conforming nod.  "Yes."

Robby pulled her in again, claiming her mouth with passion,  until his knees gave in. Before he had time to process what was happening, her hands were under his shirt and the cold feeling of her fingers gave him chills. His fingers curled around the ends of his shirt and he lifted it over his head.

Odessa's fingers gingerly touched his bare chest. Robby watched her drag her fingers up and down. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his collar bone, making him sigh in relaxation, and he closed his eyes.  Her kisses were like black holes pulling him until all gravity was lost when she pulled away. 

She hooked her fingers under the fabric of her tank top and pulled it off, tossing it with his. She tried not to fidget under his gaze and her face flushed red. Feeling self conscious, she reached up and rubbed the back of her neck with both her hands, using her forearms to cover herself.

Robby shook his head and took her arms. "Hey, no, you don't have to do that. You're so beautiful you don't even understand." He whispered and he swore to himself that he never spoke more truer words. She was stunning.

There were fireworks in her ears and suddenly,  he was hovering over her.  Odessa's back pressed into his sheets and her hands were running up and down his toned back. Robby's lips were like summer rain pouring over hers as if they had the power to take away and give back life. Open mouthed, tongue tied, teeth clashing but his hands caressed softly against the side of her head and she glowed. He pulled back slightly and took in her face. It face was red and her lips swollen. Golden hair and a golden soul. Dark eyelashes upon fair skin. She looked like a dream. 

He leaned down and pressed bruising kisses to her forehead, trailing down to her cheeks, and then her collarbones. Odessa's eyes fluttered shut as she felt his honey lips skim across her chest all the way down to her burning stomach, leaving a trail of fire down her body. She laid there and felt like she was floating on water in the middle of the sea, arms flared out and ears sunken into the water, hearing muffled, and all she felt was serenity.

Her eyes danced across his skin and she counted the moles that littered his back. The covers stopped at his waist and revealed his sweaty skin. His eyelashes laid against his cheeks and his head laid against his pillow.  Odessa took everything in; the way he breathed, the way he exhaled, the way his nose scrunched up in his sleep, and the way his body twitched. Her nimble hands dragged lightly across his shoulders and around his back. Robby's muscles tensed up in instinct but quickly retracted, his eyes staying closed.

She reached for her phone. It was eleven at night. Odessa watched him sleep again and he twitched. He was beautiful. A beautiful person. He was patient and soft. So she didn't know why she felt so awful. Maybe because her heart still didn't feel full like she thought it would. Or because her mind still wouldn't let her forget someone else. She didn't know but she kept her gaze on the sleeping boy before her, not wanting to let the moment go.

"You know, this is the first time i've felt like i'm more than just a reject kid. I feel whole again."  Robby whispered and he slowly opened his eyes, looking into hers. He saw that she was still there in his bed, the covers pulled to her chest and her golden hair was sprawled on his pillow. She was so beautiful it hurt.

Odessa smiled softly at him. "You're not a reject kid, Robby. You're wonderful." She whispered.

She shifted closer to him so that she was on her side. Her hand pressed against his bare back and their foreheads pressed together. She leaned in and kissed him. For that one night, Odessa forgot about her problems with Eli and just focused on herself.