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It was 2 a.m., and Robin still couldn’t sleep.
She’d been tossing and turning since midnight, staring at the ceiling, then at the walls, then back at the clock glowing faintly on her nightstand. Every time she closed her eyes, the same images replayed in her mind—every glance, every accidental touch, every moment from that afternoon with Nancy.
The way Nancy had looked at her while they watched the movie with the others, her gaze lingering just a little too long whenever she thought Robin wasn’t paying attention. The way she’d slowly shifted closer under the blanket, inch by inch, until they were pressed together, shoulder to shoulder, their warmth impossible to ignore. The way her hand had brushed against Robin’s—and how she’d pulled it away instantly, flustered, cheeks flushed. And finally, the way she’d said goodbye without even offering a hug, as if she were afraid of what might happen if she did.
Robin let out a frustrated groan and sat up abruptly, dragging her hands down her face. She felt restless, wired, like her chest was too tight to breathe properly. She glanced out the window.
Rain.
Not just rain—pouring rain. Heavy, relentless, tapping loudly against the glass. Thunder rumbled faintly in the distance.
She stared at it for a long moment, then made a decision before she could talk herself out of it.
Robin got out of bed, threw on a hoodie, pulled on her shoes, and slipped quietly out of the house. Her parents were out of town, which meant no questions, no lectures, no worried looks about why she was leaving at two in the morning—especially not in a storm.
The cold rain soaked through her clothes almost immediately as she started walking toward the Wheelers’ house. With every step, doubt crept in. “What am I doing? This is insane. I can’t just show up there like this.”
Still, her feet didn’t stop moving.
About twenty minutes later, she stood in front of the Wheeler house, breathing hard, rain dripping from her hair and nose. Reality finally hit her all at once.
She was at Nancy Wheeler’s front door. At two in the morning. In the middle of a thunderstorm. Without an umbrella.
“Great job, Buckley,” she muttered to herself.
She turned around, mortified, already planning how she’d crawl back into bed and pretend this never happened.
But then she looked back.
Nancy’s bedroom window was lit.
Robin froze.
She swallowed, her heart pounding. Nancy was awake. Or at least… probably. And suddenly, she remembered Steve casually mentioning—more than once—that he used to sneak into Nancy’s room through her window.
Before she could overthink it, Robin changed direction and hurried to the side of the house. The rain made everything slick, her shoes slipping slightly as she climbed. Her hands shook—not just from the cold, but from nerves—as she finally pulled herself onto the roof.
She sat there for a second, breathing hard, rain dripping off her chin.
Then she leaned forward and gently tapped on the window.
Nancy let out a small yelp, immediately clapping a hand over her mouth. She scrambled out of bed, eyes wide, and squinted through the darkness until she could finally make out Robin’s figure on the other side of the glass.
“Oh my God—” she whispered, rushing to open the window.
Robin practically fell inside, soaked to the bone, teeth chattering violently.
“Oh my God,” Nancy repeated, louder this time. “What are you doing here?” She grabbed a towel from her closet and wrapped it around Robin’s shoulders before she could even answer. Then she turned back, rifling through drawers. “You’re freezing. I’ll get you dry clothes.”
Robin stood there, stunned, water pooling on the floor beneath her sneakers.
“I—uh—” The words wouldn’t come.
Nancy handed her the towel more firmly and pulled out a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. “Here. These should fit. The shirt’s my brother’s, but—”
“I remembered you were scared of storms,” Robin blurted out suddenly. “So I came to check on you. I was worried.”
Nancy paused, frowning slightly.
“…I’m not scared of storms.”
Robin’s stomach dropped.
Nancy didn’t push it. Instead, she stepped closer and gently dried Robin’s hair and shoulders, her hands warm and steady. Robin felt rooted to the spot, hyper-aware of every touch.
“You shouldn’t have come out in this,” Nancy said softly. “You’re going to get sick.”
Their eyes met for a split second—then both of them looked away at the same time.
“Sorry,” Robin whispered.
“It’s okay,” Nancy replied. “Change here. Don’t use the bathroom—it’ll make noise.”
She turned her back, facing the wall.
Robin changed quickly, hands trembling as she pulled on the dry clothes. When she was done, she quietly said, “Okay.”
Nancy turned around, and for a moment neither of them spoke.
The silence felt heavy. Honest.
They both knew Robin wasn’t there because of the storm.
“Robin,” Nancy said finally, her voice quiet but steady, “you’re here for something else… aren’t you?”
Robin swallowed hard. She stared down at her rings, twisting them anxiously around her fingers. Her breathing grew uneven.
“Please,” Nancy added. “Be honest with me.”
Robin took a deep breath.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” she said, the words tumbling out faster than she could control. “About today. About the movie. About how close we were. About your hand touching mine and pulling away like you were scared. I keep thinking about the lake the other day, and the rain, and giving you my jacket, and how I almost kissed you and—”
She stopped abruptly when she felt Nancy’s hand cup her cheek.
“Robin,” Nancy said gently. “I know.”
Robin’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m scared you’ll say this is just friendship. Or that I imagined it. Or that you don’t feel the same and I just—”
Nancy didn’t let her finish.
She leaned in and kissed her.
Robin froze for half a second—then melted. She kissed her back, eyes closing, one hand rising to hold Nancy’s face. The kiss was soft, tentative, full of everything they’d both been afraid to say.
When they pulled apart, Robin let out a shaky laugh that turned into a sob and buried her face in Nancy’s shoulder.
“I was so scared,” she whispered.
“I know,” Nancy said, holding her tighter, rubbing slow circles on her back. “I was too.”
Robin sniffed. “You almost kissed me under the bridge, didn’t you?”
Nancy smiled against her hair. “Yeah. I did.”
Robin laughed weakly. “You’re really not scared of storms at all, are you?”
Nancy pulled back just enough to look at her, smiling softly.
“Not even a little.”
And for the first time that night, Robin felt warm.