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3rd POV
{And that's how your Aunt Robin truly became part of our group.} — Old Ted
The hallway was quiet when they reached Ted's apartment, the city outside humming softly through the walls. Ted slipped the key into the lock, glancing sideways at Robin with a small, almost nervous smile.
"You can sleep in my room," he said casually, as if offering a glass of water instead of his bed. He turned the key and added quickly, "Don't worry. It's safe….. I already changed the sheets."
Robin let out a soft chuckle, amused and maybe a little flustered. She tilted her head, biting her lower lip as she studied him.
"...And where are you sleeping?" she asked.
Ted exhaled, the door unlocking with a click. "I guess…" he hesitated, then shrugged, "…on the couch."
And that was the moment.
Because sometimes, impulse was louder than reason.
Before Ted could even step inside, Robin shoved him backward through the open door. He stumbled, surprised, barely managing to keep his balance only for her to grab him and kiss him hard, decisively, like she'd already made up her mind.
Ted didn't protest. He kissed her back instantly, hands moving on instinct. The door remained wide open as he lifted her with ease, her legs wrapping around him without hesitation. The kiss turned hungry, reckless, full of lust in this room.
He carried her toward the bedroom, mouths never separating, hands roaming freely, too caught up in each other to care about anything else.
Including the fact that they weren't alone.
At the dining table, Marshall froze mid-sentence, pen hovering uselessly above his keyboard. On the couch, Lily stopped chewing her chips, eyes widening as she took in the scene unfolding right in front of them.
Neither Ted nor Robin noticed. Well, mostly didn't care at all.
They were already disappearing down the apartment room, still kissing, still laughing softly between breaths, the bedroom door closing behind them a moment later.
{Aunt Robin really loved being part of our group.} — Old Ted
{We had a healthy friendship…..one that lasted a very long time.}
"…Unbelievable," Marshall muttered, finally standing up. He rubbed his face tiredly. "It's like Ted's college years all over again."
He walked over, shut the apartment door, and picked up Robin's bag where she'd dropped it near the entrance.
Behind him, Lily grinned.
It wasn't just a smile, it was a statement. The smile that invited a man to go straight to the bedroom.
Marshall turned and saw it. Immediately, he frowned.
"Lily. No. I have a paper due."
Lily didn't respond to those words.
She simply stood up, took his hand, rose onto her toes, and started pulling him toward the bedroom.
Marshall groaned, defeated but followed anyway.
Some things, after all, were negotiable.
…Deadlines were one of them. When mama needs, papa must give!
—---
3rd POV
Luke nodded slowly after hearing Ted's story, clearly processing it in his own way.
"Okay," he said at last, squinting slightly, "so… you were dating Aunt Robin back then?"
Penny, meanwhile, had already given up trying to decide whether to believe her father or not. She crossed her arms and looked Ted up and down with open suspicion.
"I don't think he was dating Aunt Robin, Luke," she said flatly, eyes never leaving Ted. "Honestly, Dad, was Aunt Robin really that drunk at the bar before she wanted to sleep with you?"
Ted leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered by her remarks.
{It's part of my charm, honey.} he replied calmly. {And no, I wasn't dating Robin at that time.}
Despite the casual tone, Penny and Luke could both see it, the unmistakable smugness radiating off him like a badge of honor.
{Heh. You know me… Teddy West Side, conquering the city.} Ted added, slipping effortlessly into his dramatic 2005 persona.
Penny rolled her eyes so hard and Luke made a gagging sound and pretended to vomit.
Ted ignored them completely. {Speaking of the bar… there was this one night, before I met your mother….} His voice shifted, becoming more serious.
That immediately caught their attention.
Penny and Luke both straightened a little. This tone usually meant something important. Possibly the moment when he is really talking about their mother.
{That night was…} Ted paused deliberately.
Both kids groaned in unison, waiting for him to talk.
{…the night I really wanted to go to the bar.}
They slumped back against the couch at the exact same time.
Penny let out a long sigh. "Honestly, Dad, was there anything in your life back then besides bars?"
Most of Ted's stories involved bars. And statistically speaking, Penny was already convinced that there was a 90% chance Ted met their mother somewhere between a booth and a beer tap.
Ted thought about it for a moment but then slowly shook his head.
{Well… that was kind of our life back then,} he admitted, a small nostalgic smile forming. {There wasn't much excitement for us adults besides talking, joking around, and, well, trying to pick up girls at bars.}
He leaned back, clearly reminiscing the memories with a little smile on his face.
{We practically lived at this place called MacLaren's.} He paused, then suddenly perked up. {Oh! Speaking of which, I still haven't told you how Uncle Barney and I ended up licking the Liberty Bell.}
Penny and Luke exchanged a look.
Then, with the resigned patience of kids who knew they had no escape, they leaned back into the couch and prepared themselves.
{Honestly, I don't even know why I'm excited about this story now,} Ted continued. {At the time, I genuinely wanted to kill Barney.}
The fond smile vanished, replaced by pure irritation.
Luke smirked looking at his dad like that, there must be something in the story that irked him so much. "What? You guys got arrested or something?"
Ted pointed at him immediately.
{Yes!} he snapped. {That idiot Barney was completely out of control!}
That did it. Ted's voice got attention from both of them.
Luke leaned forward, eyes lighting up. "Wait…really?" he said with a grin. "Alright, Dad. You've got my attention now."
He gestured dramatically, as if inviting Ted to begin a presentation and giving him time to entertain him like a big boss.
Ted turned to Penny, his expression suddenly sweet.
{Honey… could you please slap his head for me?}
Penny didn't hesitate for even a second.
She smacked Luke on the back of the head, hard enough to make a point and then grinned innocently.
"Ugh!" Luke glared at her but wisely chose not to retaliate.
Ted nodded, satisfied by what he saw.
{Alright.} He leaned forward again, resting his elbows on the table. {Here's the story of how I agreed to one of your Uncle Barney's truly, unbelievably stupid plans.}
Penny sighed hearing the story.
Luke smirked, excited to hear the story of how his father got arrested.
And just like that, the story continued.
—---------
For a week, I practically holed myself up in the apartment.
Well, it's five days, technically.
And not the apartment I shared with Marshall. This was the other one. The quiet one without any mess and chaos that Marshal and Lily created. The one I rented specifically so I could focus on writing.
I still slept at the apartment with Marshall most nights. I only came here on weekends, squeezing writing time between my job at the architecture firm. Back then, I was still juggling both lives: architect by work day, writer by weekend or any possible mood that I have.
But maybe that was about to change.
I'd already resigned.
So yeah… maybe I'd be using this place a lot more from now on.
For five straight days, I worked on the screenplay or manuscript for The Hunger Games. Five days of coffee, drafts, rewrites, pacing back and forth, staring at the wall like it owed me answers. I didn't even go to the bar even once.
Which, if you knew me back then and knew what friends I have, was nothing short of miraculous.
Marshall and Lily called me a few times. I told them I was out of town on a work trip.
Not exactly a lie. Just… creatively framed.
Robin and Barney called too.
Especially Robin.
Our relationship was… complicated.
No….it's ambiguous.
Casual, she said and more skin than heart involves.
That was how she wanted it for now. Take it slow. No labels. No expectations.
Yeah. Sure.
….She said she missed me too.
Admit it, Robin. You wanted more right?
When I finally finished the script, the first thing I noticed was how loud my stomach was. Yeah, of course I eat in these five days, but when I get really deep in thought, I forget about eating.
The second thing was how badly I wanted a beer. See? A miracle.
The third was how very, very much my mind wanted to be drunk at MacLaren's with Robin sitting right next to me.
So, naturally, I picked up my phone and called her.
"...Hello, journalist," I said, grinning stupidly to myself. "What are you doing right now?"
She answered in that familiar tone with half teasing and half guarded with jokes.
"Yeah," I added quickly, "I'm heading back soon. Do you wanna hang out?"
There was a pause for a moment before she said something.
"…No, no," I corrected myself when she immediately accused me of having one thing on my mind. "Of course at MacLaren's."
Because apparently, that made it sound less like a booty call.
Which…..okay, maybe it was.
That was how casual relationships ended their nights, right?
Casual. Remember?
…Yeah.
No. That didn't feel casual at all.
"—What?" I said suddenly, caught off guard by something she said.
"Oh." I blinked. "Yeah. Yeah, alright. See you at MacLaren's. Bye."
She hung up but I kept staring at my phone for a second longer than necessary.
Then I immediately called Lily. My emergency emotional support system.
"Lily!" I practically shouted.
She yelled back at me to lower my voice. "Sorry, sorry," I muttered. "I just…uh… you know, wanted to ask something…. Is Robin seeing someone?"
There was a pause on the other end.
Then, Lily said she didn't know. That Robin hadn't mentioned anything.
"…Alright," I said, trying not to sound disappointed or relieved. "Thanks. I'll be back tonight. MacLaren's?"
She agreed and I ended the call before leaning back in my chair.
What the hell?!
I disappear for a few days, and Robin might already be seeing another guy?! That hit harder than I expected.
Damn it!
I needed to move fast.
Where was Claire right now?!
{Oh yeah. That's why I went along with your Uncle Barney back then.} — Old Ted
{I was a little angry. And when I get angry… I tend to make really stupid decisions.}
The weird thing is, I don't even remember Robin seeing another guy around that time. I do remember she met Mike in October but this was earlier than that.
Which only made my brain spiral more.
So I did the smartest thing possible.
….I called her again.
"Hey, Robin," I said immediately. "Who's the guy you're seeing right now?"
No greeting. No buildup.
Just straight to the point.
She asked why.
"…No reason," I replied quickly when she accused me again.
Then she hung up after saying it's none of my business.
I stared at my phone.
'Fine.
Casual, right?
Okay then.
Let's see how casual really works!'