Til Death Do Us Part...

Life with Robb 11

Ilva's heart was hammering in her chest. The sound of the flushing of the toilet echoed through the dark and silent house while she curled her fingers around the knob of the door leading to Robb's bedroom. She was not sure what she was actually nervous about, what she was scared of, why she was hesitating. She loved Robb and Robb loved her. Every other couple their age would have moved on to the next stage of this relationship weeks ago already.

After another deep sigh she pushed his door open. Her bare feet made barely a sound and carefully she stepped into the unfamiliar bedroom Sansa had sent her to.

"Rickon?" Robb turned around and faced the door. In the darkness he was nothing but a vague silhouette and Ilva was kinda glad that the shadows hid her short nightgown barely covering her hipster.

"It's not Rickon." She closed the door behind her and whispered. "It's me." Ilva walked closer to the double bed in the middle of the room. Normally she would have looked around to stare at the posters, the books on the shelves, the pictures, but she couldn't see much. She would have to satisfy her curiosity another time.

"I hope Sansa didn't kick you out of her room with nowhere else to go?" Quickly Robb moved aside and made room for her in his bed. "I know she can be quite intense at times, but I promise she means well." He lifted up the blankets and waited until Ilva had gathered the courage to step into the bed. Gently he pulled the blankets back up and the tips of his fingers touching her bare skin made a shiver roll down her spine.

A soft giggle escaped her lips. "Actually..." She hesitated for a moment. "Sansa and I had a good talk and I think she might even like me now." She laid flat on her back and felt slightly uncomfortable, not knowing what to do or how to position herself. "She's the one who told me how to sneak into your room. If I have to believe her, you barely have nights for yourself here."

Robb chuckled and he moved a little closer towards her until their heads touched. The heat of his body was comforting and warm and Ilva felt her muscles relax a little. "That is the price I pay because I am their big brother and I never minded paying it, actually." His hand reached for hers and their fingers intwined while they both stared at the ceiling for a long moment.

"It must be nice to have so many siblings." Ilva had never really been lonely. She had enjoyed not being disturbed while reading or not having to play games she didn't even enjoy just because her brother or sister would want it. But sometimes she did wonder what it was like to have that one person who would never ever betray you and who would love you for the rest of your life, no matter what.

"At times, yes." Robb spoke softly. "But they sometimes have this awful timing of having a nightmare the night before an important test."

"O yes..." Ilva shook her head and turned to her side, placing her flat hand on his chest. He was wearing a shirt, but she could feel the sharp lines of his muscles anyway. "Blame your siblings for your school results. Low blow, Robb Stark." Her lips kissed his jaw and he wrapped an arm around her to pull her even closer towards him.

He pressed a soft kiss on her hair. "I'm not blaming them for any of my own failures, but you can't deny that when you lack the talents to study it's not helping very much when your siblings keep you awake on very important nights."

"You're talking like you're stupid." Ilva closed her eyes and listened to the beating of his heart, right next to her ear. "It just didn't work out, but that doesn't mean you're a failure or an idiot."

"I know I'm not an idiot." Robb's head rested against hers. "I just lack the patience to properly sit down and remember all those useless facts I will never use in my entire life." He sighed. "I told my mother that I will try to find a proper job."

Ilva murmured, more asleep than awake right now, even though she was still hearing everything he said. "They'd be stupid not to hire someone like you."

"Do you want to know what else I told her about that job I will find?" Robb's hand moved down her arm and eventually rested on her hip. "I told her that I will make sure the job is not too far away from New York University." He paused for a moment and Ilva's eyes flashed open, her sleep all of a sudden disappearing again. "I will rent an apartment close to campus so nothing between us has to change." He paused for a moment. "Or..." He swallowed and Ilva pushed herself up so she could lock her glance with his.

"Or what?" She spoke a little louder than she should do, but she felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

"It was supposed to be your Christmas present and I want you to know that you can always say no if you feel I go too fast right now, but..." He tucked a strand of her long blond hair behind her ear. "Maybe you could move out of your dorm too and could share the apartment with me?"

Ilva's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. She wanted to say something, but for some reason she couldn't think of the right words to say right now.

"Like I said, feel free to say no, but I know that you are the love of my life and that I never want to be far away from you ever again."

"Can I..." Ilva bit her lip and laid down again. She let her head rest on his chest and she folded a leg around his. "Think about it for a moment?" She forced herself to keep on breathing in and out. "I'm barely eighteen and we only know each other for almost four months and you're asking me to move in with you."

"There is no need to decide right now." Robb whispered and his hand shove under her nightgown. "We will just spend the holidays together and we will see afterwards what feels right."

Ilva smiled and she closed her eyes once more to give in to the tiredness that had already come so close to taking her to the land of her dreams. "Wake me up before the alarm goes off so I can sneak back to Sansa's."

"Don't worry, I will make sure mother won't have any reason to dislike you."