Coffee Beans

Sit Back

With a firm knock on the door, a nearby pigeon flew away, the sound disturbing the peace which had been blanketing the street of houses.

"Subtle," Robin whispered into the brunette's ear. Ellie sighed and shook her head. "Nothing is subtle about any of this."

A shadow appeared behind the frosted glass and the door slowly opened. Bursting out from the small gap between the door and its frame was an overwhelming scent of cinnamon, mixed with a wash of stuffy heat.

"Ellie?" Her Dad said from behind the door. "Is this the friend you said you were bringing?"

Slightly embarrassed, Ellie nodded and pushed the door open further. As she walked into the house, she couldn't help but notice her Dad studying Robin, looking her up and down. Did he have a problem with her for some reason? Going further into the 'belly of the beast', voices could be heard from the living room at the back of the house.

As she turned the corner, Ellie gasped. "Mark? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Uh yeah, hi?" His words came out in a jumble of sounds more than anything, awkwardness filling the room.

Robin stood closer, curling a couple of fingers around one of Ellie's hands. She felt the brunette jump a little at her touch before returning the gesture, their fingers entwining behind their backs and away from prying eyes.

"Young Mark here is my guest, as Robin is yours. Jason is in the kitchen with his guest, a lovely young lady called Kate." Her Dad entered the living room and poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Ellie, could you get your brother in here, please? I have something to tell you all."

While Ellie was out of the room, silence fell which made any start on a conversation impossible. Mark smiled awkwardly at Robin and her back at him. It was possible that typical British small talk could have worked, discussing the weather and such, but that also didn't seem to quite fit the moment.

Robin was about to strike up a conversation about something or other, maybe whiskey, with Ellie's Dad, but was saved before she had opened her mouth.

"What's this about then Dad? Less secrecy would be nice." Elie said, taking a seat on the sofa, Robin sitting beside her. Jason laughed at the comment before putting himself in the armchair, Kate standing particularly close to him.

In that second, Ellie took in how pretty the girl was. Sure she wasn't Robin, but the brunette could see what her brother liked so much. Besides, if the girl liked steak then she was perfect for a man like her brother - steak and kittens 'till the end.

"I've gathered you here to announce some news." Having downed a couple of whiskeys already, her Dad's cheeks were a warm, glowing red. His revelation would most likely turn into a speech like Christmas day. Ellie sighed and sat back on the sofa, giving Robin's hand a slight squeeze. The blonde returned the gesture and the prospect of a three-hour speech about politics and 'the point of mistletoe' didn't seem too daunting anymore.

"Young Mark here had been working for a few years at the local homeless shelter. For some reason, I'd forgotten this until I popped in last Thursday. You see, the security guard and I go way back, almost back to before University which is a long time if you think about it. Have you seen the news as well? Rising tuition fees on top of a raised cost of living? It's just-"

Ellie's Dad trailed off as he suddenly took notice of the unimpressed faces staring at him. "As I was saying," he mumbled, clearing his throat.

"I decided that Mark would be the perfect young man to take on my business when I'm gone. At the end of the day, a car dealership can't run itself, can it?" He took a large swig of whiskey and beamed at the group, face glowing with excitement.

"I thought that was my job, Dad?" Jason's voice cracked, Kate grasping onto his arm as a form of comfort. "You always said it was my job. You said 'we'll sell cars, grab a steak, and watch the rugby', that's what you always said."

"I'm sorry Jason, but plans change. You seem happy enough in your line of work. You get paid more than you would in my role and I thought you wanted to see the world? Doesn't your job pay for lavish trips abroad?"

Jason shook his head rapidly, tears starting to form in his eyes. "But this isn't fair. I grew up to be like you, wanting to be you. I've been waiting my turn to become you, Dad." He took a breath and wiped his eyes with the back of his jumper sleeve. "Fine. If you have news then so do I."

With a single motion, Kate wooshed to the other side of Jason as he twirled her for a dramatic kiss. "I am in love with Kate. I wish to marry her. No wait, I don't wish – I'm going to marry the woman I love no matter what you say. She likes steak, Dad! Steak!"

Whilst Ellie watched her Dad try to make sense of the situation, she felt a nudge in her ribs. "Take note," the blonde whispered into her ear. Unfortunately, any tension built up was shattered by the brunette letting out a sudden giggle.

"Sorry everyone, back to being serious," she said between bouts of giggles. "No really, I'll stop in a minute."

"Are you even going to tell him, Ellie?" Jason's words were quiet, but everyone would have heard them over Ellie's laughter.

Everyone's faces turned to the brunette, some eyebrows raised surprisingly high, Robin's being one of those surprised faces. Maybe she was playing along?

"Well I'm not sure it's exactly like Jason's news so maybe I'll wait until another-" another nudge found it's way into her ribs. Robin had a blank expression on her face, her eyebrows at a normal height. However, there was something about the look in her eyes. It wasn't desperation; maybe it was just a wanting of some sort.

Ellie gulped and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she said, "Contrary to popular belief, I am indeed capable of human interaction beyond friendship." She pointed the comment towards her Dad who then began to shuffle awkwardly on the spot where he stood. Many times had she been a joke at larger family get-togethers.

"To clarify, Robin is my girlfriend." She took the blonde's hand from behind their backs and showed the firm clasp to the room. It wasn't as impressive as Jason's suave kiss but she wasn't like that. She was like this and Robin knew that.

"You have..." Her Dad muttered his words, each falling over the other. "Partner? Girl... together?"

Jason smiled a little, blatantly nervous. "I know right? Obviously, I knew it was a thing but like, I could never picture it in my head. Although once I saw a page in one of my mate's magazines and-" Kate held her hand up and Jason's mouth closed itself.

The brunette was about to somehow explain the concept of being gay to her father but was instead left surprised as Robin stood up, still holding tight to her hand.

"Basic notes to make in your head sir," Robin said. She didn't sound rude, but she was definitely firm. "One, your daughter is a wonderfully clever, funny and beautiful individual that I somehow had the fortune to meet. Two, her kind heart fixed mine when it was broken, or cold, or wet so many times that we grew closer as any other couple would. By doing that there's number three; we are a couple just the same as Jason is with Kate. Although maybe we're not quite at engagement yet..." Her voice trailed off as she locked eyes with the brunette.

Robin pulled at Ellie's hand until the brunette stood beside her. "I can only promise to do my best when it comes to protecting your daughter, but if you are part of the harm caused then my primary concern is to keep my girlfriend happy. If anything can calm your confused mind, just know that I love Ellie with all my heart and would never dream of hurting her."

Ellie's jaw dropped in awe. Sure they were dating but neither of them had said... that. Robin gave her a half smile, almost like an apology. Only seeing one option, the brunette took her girlfriend's face in her hands and kissed her like her life depended on it. When they finally broke away, gasping for oxygen, their foreheads met and smiles shone brightly on both their faces. Ellie bit her lip for a moment before whispering into Robin's ear, "I love you too."

A/N: So many feels! As requested, this is (I think) the longest chapter so far. I'm aiming to get a new part uploaded by the end of next week as these longer chapters take a bit longer to write XD 

Anyway, hope you enjoy. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think :)