This is the New Year

Audriana scoffed at his question, muttering a reply under her breath, oblivious to the fact that Robin had suddenly stopped paying her any attention. She, similarly, was oblivious to the fact that Avery wasn't really paying Gavin any attention anymore, either. The second drink off Robin's order slid past her, and Audriana finally looked up, surprised by the tension she felt rolling off of the man next to her. She wasn't completely sure what sort of tension it was, but it made her uncomfortable. Probably because it was Robin, and probably because she probably shouldn't have been able to tell the difference in his stature and mood. But then again, she knew him better than she truly cared to admit, so that was awkward on its own.

As for Avery, her heart leapt at the returned wave in greeting. Despite herself, she was reminded that their affection, their attraction, came from moments like this one. Although neither could have known, before, that this moment would ever come, both seemed to have realized the importance of that space of time. It wasn't surprising that the rest of the pub seemed to grow quiet, or that Avery couldn't even pull her gaze to see if Gavin was trying to speak with her again.

The last thing Audriana expected, though, was for their blonde companion to suddenly cross the room, leaving Gavin behind without an explanation.

Avery didn't realize she had moved until she was standing in front of Robin, her gaze locked on his. She didn't even wait for him to react before lifting further onto her toes, resting one hand at his side and the other around his neck, and caught his lips with her own. If Audriana or Gavin were staring, Avery couldn't have noticed.

Robin glanced down at his newly delivered drinks and by the time he glanced back up Avery had disappeared. His eyes scanned the room, his wife suddenly lost among the crowd of university students. It was only when she practically stood in front of him that he recognized her again, lightly pushing her way through the crowd towards him. And suddenly, somehow, all he could see was Avery. She stopped in front of him, their distance barely a distance at all.

For what was quite possibly the first time in his life, Robin's breath caught in his throat. There was not a moment to react before Avery pushed herself up to catch his speechless lips. The younger man was completely oblivious to the filled room as on hand began to wind itself around her waist while the other snuck up to her neck, each acting on their own muscle memory. Robin felt nearly tipsy - he was caught off guard by the swarm of affection that was suddenly pouring forward towards Avery.

As seconds passed Robin became more aware of himself, his kiss deepening and his fingers beginning to knot themselves in her hair. But as the kiss became more passionate his senses began to return and alert him about his situation.

What had been completely obscured before was suddenly clear. Audriana Swan was standing less than two feet from where Robin had his tongue in his wife's mouth. With every once of strength he had, Robin pulled the kiss apart and let his hand drift to Avery's cheek. His thumb stroked the soft peach fuzz on her skin as he looked down to meet her eyes. He was overly aware of Audriana's presence now but even still he couldn't restrain himself from ignoring her and remaining with only Avery for a few moments longer. Robin leaned over to press a kiss against Avery's temple. He lingered there for a moment before softly whispering in her ear. "You have no idea how much I love you, Mrs. Ivanov."

When Robin finally pulled back for a final time it was immediately clear that there were stares. But in that moment Robin couldn't have cared less.

The hand at Robin's neck fell to the V his collar, her fingers curling into the fabric when he deepened the kiss. Something in her gut picked up on the change in his mood, her lips parting as she gasped and arched against him. Avery nearly complained when he broke away, having forgotten entirely where they were. Her cheeks burned when she finally registered the sounds of the bar again, and it was only amplified when his words met her ear.

It took her back to Christmas, when she had registered just how much it meant to be addressed as 'Mrs. Ivanov' instead of just Avery or some nickname. It not only attached her to Robin and his family, but pointed out, all the more, that she was taken. It may have started rather unceremoniously, and if they had to explain it to their daughter someday, Avery wasn't exactly sure how they would word it. But they belonged to each other nonetheless, and Avery felt that it absolutely counted.

More than that, even, was the fact that Robin had willingly said he loved her without prompting, and without any worry about who might be listening. It wasn't as though Avery never heard those words, but she always felt a bit surprised when he told her. She believed him, after having gotten used to it, but it was wonderful each time.

So when Robin pulled back, she mouthed the phrase in return, then reached to take up her drink.

---

Audriana wasn't sure she had ever felt more awkward. The Ivanovs clearly didn't give a damn about where they were, or who was watching. People were giving Avery bizarre looks by the time she pulled away - especially the ones who had seen her cross the room to essentially make out with a man by the bar. For all they knew, she didn't even know him. When Robin pulled away, Audriana realized she had been staring, and her gaze instinctively jumped to Gavin. What would he think of the fact that she had been completely astounded by the image of Robin kissing his wife?

It wasn't as though Audriana and Gavin hadn't done something similar, though she liked to think that they were a bit better for having done it somewhere more secluded. Then again, she suddenly understood what Robin must have felt upon seeing it happen. At the time, there was... something between them, and though that wasn't strictly true anymore, but it still felt uncomfortable.

Audriana swallowed and picked up Gavin's drink of choice, turning away from the Ivanovs and walking over to him.