With Robin's eighteenth birthday fast approaching, John was rather outraged that Robin only told him the night before. Even if she was now his girlfriend, their relationship official for just over a week, it seemed that there was still so much he didn't know about her.

After the revelation of her Uncle's unconditional support, Robin and John had been able to fully explore their relationship and the two of them found it thrilling that they were officially together, not that anyone else really knew. Whenever they saw their friends they kept a social distance, sitting close and keeping watch over the other but not acting like a couple. They thought by keeping it a secret the thrill of them being boyfriend and girlfriend would heighten and they'd be able to enjoy the privacy of their very new relationship, and thankfully no one other than Stuart or Kay had even noticed anything. Obviously both Stuart and Kay had known something was going on for a long while, but they weren't going to burst Robin and John's bubble.

If they kept a distance with each other in public, they certainly made up for it when they were alone, especially since John had started to make a habit of sneaking into Robin's room at night so the two of them could make love and then fall asleep in each other's arms. They tried to be as quiet and as subtle as possible, with John always sneaking back out early the next morning, and so far no one but Albert knew, both Mimi and Rita being none the wiser about their relationship. Robin was always a little confused as to how John got into her room considering he'd sneak in through the window and he didn't seem physically strong enough to climb up the drainpipe, until she noticed that Albert had left his ladders out from cleaning the windows and John had made good use of them. Robin wondered if Albert had left the ladders out as a declaration of his alliance to the couple, but she didn't dare ask and was instead silently grateful. Albert's forgetfulness, whether it was on purpose or not, had meant that she had started to become reliant on John, feeling like she couldn't sleep until she felt him climb into her bed. Their closeness at night was probably one of the reasons why she was growing more and more enamoured by him day by day.

The two of them usually lay in comfortable silence, their bodies intertwined, but the night before her birthday, John didn't want to stick to that routine.

"Why didn't you tell me it's your birthday?" John sighed in irritation as he played with a strand of her hair, her head on his chest as he was spread out across her whole double bed, her body wrapped closely to his.

"Didn't want a fuss," she shrugged truthfully, though she knew that her whispered answer wouldn't satisfy him. "Seriously, I'm not a party person,"

"Yeah you are, you love getting pissed!" he pointed out, reminding her of New Year.

"Every party you've seen me at hasn't been one in my honour though!" she protested, trying to keep her voice low, listening out for her mother's quiet snores from the room next door. "Please, don't you dare ring the group first thing tomorrow and arrange something!"

"Then what do you want to do? You're not working and we go back to college next week, we need to celebrate!" he insisted, letting out a hushed laugh when she raised her eyebrows flirtatiously at him. "Other than us lay in bed and shag all day, what do you want to do?"

"Dunno," she answered honestly. "Back home we never did much. There's this little bakery in town near the city hall that me and my Dad would go to and pick up a cake, then we'd go to the art gallery. Sometimes we'd sit by the theatres or in the peace gardens and eat lunch, then we'd go home and watch some musical on telly,"

Birthdays in Sheffield felt like a lifetime ago. In fact just the memory of her hometown felt like things belonging to a different person it was that long ago. It had only been nearly four months, yet life had changed at such a quick pace that the thought of Sheffield felt almost bittersweet. She had thought back in September that Liverpool would never be her home, but Merseyside had slowly stolen her heart, and the Steel City had become a thing of the past to her. That was sad, considering the amount of happy memories she had there. The move had made it all seem bittersweet, as if everything at home had been a long dream and Liverpool was the reality.

"Connie's Dad's from Sheffield, he moved here after the war," John told her, and it made her crack a small smile that his cousin's father had a story so similar to her's, that another Sheffielder had fallen in love with a Scouser. "I've never been,"

"It's nice, we should go sometime," she mumbled tiredly, hoping that their conversation was over so she could go to sleep.

"Okay, the band's got a gig at eight so we'll have to be back by then but if we get an early enough train back we could head straight from the station to the Cavern," John planned so casually, though his words made Robin narrow her eyes, looking up at him with confusion.

"What are you going on about?" she asked, though as her heart pounded she felt as though she already knew what John was implying.

"That's what we'll do to celebrate tomorrow, we'll go to Sheffield and then come home and get pissed in the Cavern," he said simply, as if it was the most straight forward plan in the world.

Robin didn't know what to say. At first she wanted to protest, knowing it was far too spontaneous, but she quickly realised she didn't want to protest. It might be a bit sudden, but it wasn't completely impractical. She had enough for train tickets, she had no other plans for the day, and it was perhaps John's spontaneity that made her admire him so much. She would have thought it silly to think only the night before to go home, but yet when the idea came from John it just seemed to instantly make sense.

The two of them fell asleep before any formal plans could be made, and by the time Robin woke up the next morning, John had already gone and she was surprised just how deeply she felt his absence. She wanted to shut her eyes and pretend he was still there, just on the other side of the bed, but she managed to pull herself out of her tiredness, not wanting to waste away her birthday.

Eighteen. That felt absurd, but yet, her whole life over the past few months had been absurd. Officially an adult, she was in charge of herself now, though before she allowed herself to spiral down the thought of her new freedoms, she pulled herself out of bed and got dressed quickly. Robin always hated having a Winter birthday, she'd always wanted nothing more than to sit out in the warmth in a bright sundress and drink wine on her birthday, but instead she dressed in thick woollen tights and a black and red tartan pinafore dress with a black shirt underneath, slipping on her heeled boots with the hopes that they wouldn't rub with all the walking she'd be doing that day. She put on the soundtrack of Singin' In The Rain on her record player before sitting down to do her makeup, though she had only done one flick of eyeliner when she heard a knock at the door.

"Roberta?" a hesitant voice called, and Robin - who'd been expecting it to be Albert - was surprised to realise it was her mother. "Can I come in?"

"Erm, yeah," she answered, getting up and having a quick panicked look around the room to make sure there was nothing of John's lying around, having to hold back a laugh as she saw his glasses perched on the end of the upturned box she was still using as a bedside table. She quickly shoved them in the deep pocket of her skirt before unlocking the door, cracking it open to reveal her mother stood awkwardly waiting for her. "Alreyt?"

"Happy Birthday, sweetie," Rita said, almost lovingly, flashing her a smile.

Robin always found it unnerving when her mother was like that, when she acted as if they had the best relationship in the world, but she didn't want to spoil the day before it had even started. She opened the door further, welcoming her mother in, though instead Rita pulled her into a tight hug.

"I can't believe you're all grown up now," she breathed out, and Robin just stood, stunned, especially as she noted the thick tone of her mother's voice, as if she was trying not to cry. "Your dad would be really proud of how you've turned out, god knows you've not had it easy these last few months, but look at you!"

"All things considering, I've turned out alright," she shrugged, still wrapped up tightly in Rita's arms.

Her mother let go of her, bending down to pick up a small parcel and envelope. Robin frowned, not really expecting presents. Her mother never forgot her birthday, but she usually just settled to buy her a notebook and pencils, which was usually all she wanted considering her never ending need for art supplies. This gift though, that her mother had handing to her, seemed like a box, and Robin instantly worried that it was jewellery.

Even so, she unwrapped it, forcing a smile when she revealed the ring box. She wasn't ungrateful, but she wasn't a jewellery person, constantly concerned that things would break or get lost and she hated to think that her mother had bought her something expensive that she would hardly use. That worry was gone the moment she opened the box, and her uncomfortable fear was instantly replaced by shock, her chest tightening as she saw the thick silver ring strung on a silver chain. She felt her head spin as she carefully took the ring out of the box, letting it dangle from the chain as she held it up to look at it. It was her father's signet ring, Albert had one similar that he wore on his middle finger, but this one was so recognisably her father's. She'd recognise it anywhere, and she felt awful for not wondering where it had gone before, but there hadn't been a day of her life where she'd not seen him wearing it to the point she had just assumed he'd been buried with it.

"Are... Are you sure this is for me?" she asked shakily, glancing to her mother nervously, forgetting any of their animosity when she saw her holding back tears.

"Of course, he'd want you to have it," Rita nodded, smiling at her.

"Thank you," Robin sighed, unsure of what else to say, quickly threading the chain around her neck, staring down at the ring. "I still miss him,"

"You're bound to, it's normal," her mother nodded, and upon noticing that Robin looked like she was going to start crying she wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "Come on, don't be sad! What have you got planned for today? Don't tell me you're going to sit in here all day hunched over a sketchbook?"

Robin ignored her teasing, and found herself stuck. She could either lie, or tell the truth. She could either say she was just going out with friends, or tell her odd mother that she was going off with her boyfriend to her hometown. In any normal situation she wouldn't be able to think of anything worse than telling her mother that she was going to Sheffield, let alone that she had a boyfriend, but she seemed to be in an alright mood so far.

"I'm actually going to Sheffield for the day with a friend," she said, not exactly telling the truth though not exactly lying either.

"Is this friend a boy?" Her mother asked, and Robin couldn't figure out her tone, whether she sounded critical or interested.

"Yeah, John from next door," Robin nodded, struggling to keep the smile off her face as she thought about her boyfriend.

"That's new," her mother pointed out, gesturing to Robin's content expression. "You never used to smile. This boy must be special,"

"He's alright," Robin shrugged, hoping to downplay it all so her mother would leave her alone. "Sorry, but I've got to finish getting ready,"

"Oh right, of course, well... Happy birthday, love," Rita became awkward, offering her another small smile before she left, Robin still standing in the doorway for a moment as she tried to wrap her head around it all.

She fiddled with the ring around her neck for a second smiling sadly before she went back to the mirror to finish her makeup, trying not to dwell on how awkward her relationship with her mother was. She wondered if other people's mothers were so strange, if they too switched between being volatile and nervously kind, but decided not to waste her time thinking about it. Even if other people's mothers were different, it didn't really matter. Her mother was her mother, it wasn't like she could change that.

She'd just finished putting on a bit of red lipstick when there was a knock at the front door. Her insides twisted as he looked around the room, quickly grabbing her coat, scarf and handbag, looking around desperately for her nice heeled boots, hoping that if she gathered her things up quick enough she could answer the door herself. Except just as she found one of her boots she heard the door open, and with dread heard her mother offer a cheery greeting followed by the sound of John's voice. Robin let out a quiet curse as she quickly gathered her other boot, shoving them both on and running down the stairs, remembering to grab her camera at the last minute.

Her mother knowing about John was one thing, but for her to actually meet and speak to him was a whole different game, and was something she wanted to completely avoid. Poor John, having to hear Robin's complaints about her mother, only to be cornered by her, and as she came down the stairs she saw him in the doorway, dressed in a black shirt and jeans, his hair a messy quiff, the collar of his leather jacket sticking up. As she got closer she immediately noticed he was trying to hide how alarmed he was to have come face-to-face with Robin's mother for the fist time, because as soon as he met her gaze he seemed to let out an invisible sigh of relief.

"Roberta, you never told me your 'friend' was so handsome!" her mother exclaimed as soon as she realised Robin was behind her, making Robin let out a single, awkward laugh.

"Erm, yeah," Robin nodded, flashing John a quick apologetic smile as she shoved her boots on, trying to move as quick as possible so they could go, and as soon as she had gotten them both on she moved past her mother to stand at John's side. "We better go,"

"Well, have fun, be safe, don't stay in that ugly city forever!" Rita called cheerily as Robin took hold of John's arm, pulling him down the garden path, barely looking back.

Neither of them said anything until they were out of the front garden's gate, mostly because Robin's mother was still stood watching them. They both offered her an awkward wave before heading down the street, and it was only when John glanced back to check if she'd finally shut the door that he took hold of Robin's waist, spinning her to face him so he could kiss her.

"Hello," Robin chuckled as they parted, an amused grin crossing her face as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, the two of them carrying on down the road to the bus stop. "What was that for?"

"Just cause," he shrugged, smirking, and she felt a stirring inside of her when she realised he was wearing his glasses. "Happy Birthday. I was gonna get you flowers, but I didn't want your mum thinking anything you didn't want her to. She seemed to be in a good mood,"

"Yeah, she's been weird like that since New Year," Robin said, rummaging in her handbag for her cigarettes. "I can vouch though that she's a liar and Sheffield isn't ugly. Are you sure you still want to go there?"

"Course, I rang Paul and told him to pick my guitar up in a bit and take it to the Cavern, so we can go straight to the gig off the train," he told her, and she was actually impressed at how he'd planned it all out. He noticed the look on her face and rolled his eyes. "Alright, I know it's shocking me acting all responsible, don't count on it being a regular thing, I'm not losing my spontaneous charm,"

"Oh I'd hope not," she rolled her eyes teasingly, noticing the bus just as they got to the stop.

***
"Will you stop glaring at them just cause they're wearing a different colour scarf to you?" John muttered with a small laugh, elbowing Robin to snap her out of her irritation at seeing two United fans walk past them wearing bright red scarves. "Didn't realise I was dating such a football hooligan,"

"Takes a hooligan to know a hooligan," she remarked, rolling her eyes before casting one last glare at the United fans as she adjusted her own blue scarf. "Sorry, force of habit,"

The pair of them were sat on the grass of the Peace Gardens just to the side of the Town Hall, cross legged across from each other with Robin's coat laid between them, a selection of foods laid out on the makeshift picnic blanket. Considering the weather wasn't too harsh, it was oddly quiet, though they were both thankful for the peace. It was strange to think that Sheffield town centre would have been heaving a few weeks before given the festive season, but ever since their arrival into the city a few hours before, it had felt like a ghost town. It felt as though Robin was a ghost, revisiting her old city as if she was haunting it, but at the same time she liked it. Without the hustle and bustle, she could properly take it all in, she could take decent photographs and point out little details to John without worrying about others getting in their way. It was surprisingly perfect.

They'd started their Sheffield pilgrimage by walking from the train station to the Park Hill building so Robin could point out the flat that had once been home. It hurt a little to look up to the balcony, half expecting to see her father stood out with a cigarette and the newspaper, waving down to her, only to realise that there was a new family living there, living with the ghosts of her past making their own memories. In a way she liked that. She'd been happy growing up there, and now some other family had the chance to be happy there too.

After taking a few pictures they walked hand-in-hand up to the town centre, through the shopping markets, down to the theatres before going to one of the deli's near the city hall to pick up some food, and the bakers to buy some cakes. With a selection of sandwiches, a pork pie, a few beers and a muffin for each of them, Robin tried to hide her surprise that John paid for all the food. Considering he was usually skint, Robin had insisted on buying the train tickets, but he flat out refused for her to pay for lunch, so the two of them headed to find somewhere to eat, which was how they ended up picnicking in the Peace Gardens, watching the fountains.

"I used to like coming and sitting here when I got out of school or college if it was nice weather," she explained, gesturing around the grassy square. "Apparently the original plan was to extend the town hall onto this space, but then the war happened so they never bothered, and I'm really glad they just left it. It's a nice space,"

"Yeah," John agreed, watching her contented expression with a small smile before tossing a sandwich at her. "Nice to finally see where you used to hide out before you had Albert's tree,"

"You're a git," she remarked jokingly with a laugh.

After they ate John pulled out a candle from his jacket pocket, sticking it in the top of one of the muffins and lighting it. As much as the gesture made her laugh she refused to let him sing, which he was glad for. The pair of them weren't traditional people, though he insisted on her making a wish as she blew the candle out.

"Don't you dare tell me what you wished for, Birdie," he reminded her as she bit into the muffin. "Won't come true otherwise,"

"Thought you were too much of a smart arse for superstition," she pointed out, rolling her eyes.

She wouldn't have told him what she wished for regardless, mostly because it was embarrassing. How could she have told him that her wish was simply 'more of this' ? That was all she could even think of wishing for, just more time with John, more of him, more moments with him that made her feel utterly helpless yet joyful. He left her feeling so daft in the fact that she trusted him completely, but at the same time she could never feel daft with John. Without fully realising, she had fallen in love with him in such a short space of time. Even if he was her boyfriend she wouldn't dream of telling him that yet.

The two of them finished up with their food and decided to go for another walk, mostly because Robin wanted to go and see City Hall, since it was the site of one of her only good memories with both of her parents. The two of them chatted the entire way there, their fingers entwined. Robin wondered what it would have been like had she never moved to Liverpool, if she never left Sheffield. It was funny being there with John, because as much as she loved the city it felt as though she was seeing it all over again for the first time, as if her love for John and her new life outweighed everything else that she had left behind.

She'd missed Sheffield. She'd never known the city overly well, considering she never had friends to wander about town with like she did in Liverpool, but every time she went into Liverpool town centre it still felt like an adventure. It still felt as though she didn't know the city and she had the task of exploring it and finding out everything about it, whereas Sheffield just felt familiar. She didn't have to know street names and exact directions to know it off by heart. She'd never realised how big of a part of her it was.

"Mum, Dad and I went to see Nat King Cole here a couple years ago," Robin told him as they got to City Hall. "They'd saved up for months for the tickets. It's one of the only times I can remember us all going out together. My first and only professional concert,"

"Obviously not as good as a Cavern gig," John remarked, raising his eyebrows jokingly as the two of them sat down on the large stone steps by one of the dented columns. "What happened here then?"

"Dad said there was a bomb that went off in the square," Robin explained, tracing the damaged stone with her fingers, grimacing slightly. "Didn't do much damage to the rest of the hall but it buggered the columns, so much for the decadent roman look,"

"It's all a load of bullshit," John cursed, cringing at Robin's mention of the war. "Imagine if the politicians actually solved their problems themselves rather than getting a load of fucking innocent people involved. Imagine, they decided to talk it out amongst themselves without turning innocent cities into bombsites,"

"Didn't realise you were such a pacifist," she remarked lightly, finding it a little ironic considering his temper. John rolled his eyes. "You're right though. The entire city was affected. I mean, this is the steel city. A couple of weeks before I was born there were big raids, mostly by the river since that's where a lot of the industry is, but apparently it was terrifying. I can't even... To have to live like that, I can't imagine living in such fear of a Blitz,"

"Exactly," John said, opening up Robin's handbag to find her cigarettes. He lit up two, offering one to her. "Makes me think, y'know. All those people died, all those people lived in fear. It doesn't have to be that way for us. We can just live, and that's what I wanna do... I think I'd like to play here one day,"

Robin looked with a smirk as she gestured up to city hall, imagining seeing him in a proper concert hall. It seemed an amusing thought at first, imagining the rough and ready Quarrymen in a proper theatre rather than a pub or club, but then she thought about how they perform, how they capture audience's attention. Maybe the thought wasn't so absurd. It seemed a long way off, but Robin couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"I'll be sat on the front row," she joked, blowing out a cloud of smoke as she lifted her camera, getting a picture of John as he leant against one of the columns. "And when you play here, I'll show everyone this picture as proof of how I was here when you got the idea,"

John smirked, ruffling his hair, messing it up more than it already was. Whenever he fiddled with his hair like that Robin found him insanely attractive, and she really wanted to kiss him. She stubbed out her cigarette on the step, leaving a mark next to the shrapnel scars, and with her now-free hands she took hold of the collar of his jacket, pulling him close. Just has she was about to push her lips to his, she heard the chatter of people walking past, and as if remembering that they were in public and her overwhelming desire for John wasn't socially acceptable, Robin moved away slightly, glancing in the direction of the other people.

Except as she looked over, she instantly recognised who it had been walking past, and as if on cue he looked over to her too, seeming stunned to see her, stopping in his tracks as his eyes widened.

"Robin Knight?" he asked in disbelief, and Robin forced away any of her nerves as she got up from the steps, climbing down them and coming face to face with the man and his friends.

"Yeah, hiya Chris, you alright?" she smiled politely before glancing at the other men he was with. "Y'alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, bloody hell, didn't expect to see you about!" Chris grinned at her, engulfing her into a hug that wasn't quite as awkward as her mother's hugs, but a close second. "I went to the flat in October, I'd not seen you or your Mum about but there's new people there. One of your neighbours mentioned you'd moved away?"

"Yeah, after the funeral my Uncle invited us to live with him, we couldn't afford to stay here and I don't think Mum really wanted to stick around after what had happened, so we moved to Liverpool," she explained, trying not to let her voice shake as she mentioned the funeral, though as soon as she felt the slightest emotion she felt someone take her hand. With a glance she noticed John had joined her, looking protective. "This is my boyfriend, John, he wanted me to show him around so we've come on a day trip. John, this is Chris, he was my Dad's best mate,"

"Oh, hello," John seemed to relax a little, especially as Chris shook his hand.

"Y'alright, mate?" Chris smiled at him before looking back to Robin. "How've you been?"

"Better," she nodded, though she couldn't help but bite her lip to keep down the emotions that threatened to rise up. "How about you?"

"Not terrible, though it's not the same," Chris said, his tone lined with sadness. "You Dad was a brilliant guy. It's not the same at the Steel Works without him, and Wednesday's lost most games cause he's not in the kop cheering,"

"Yeah, there's always next season though," she joked forcing a smile. "Sorry you didn't know about us moving. I didn't really know until a couple weeks before, I thought my Mum would've let you all know,"

"You know what Rita's like," one of the other men from behind Chris - Jerry - called, and the two other guys laughed, making Robin sigh. "She's probably forgotten us already,"

"Look, we've all still got a few bits of your Dad's knocking about," Chris continued, ignoring his mates."Just stuff he lent us, stuff that got left in storage, stuff he left at work, is it alright for us to post it to you? He'd want you to have it,"

"If you're sure," Robin nodded, absentmindedly fiddling with the chain around her neck, feeling as though it weighed a ton.

Robin told them her new address, and after a few more remarks, Chris gave her another hug, the other guys giving her farewell grins, before they went off back on their way. Robin assumed they were going to one of the pubs down the road, and as much as she had loved both pubs she couldn't face going herself, far too many memories inhabited in those buildings. It was surreal seeing the guys, men who'd taken her to the football with her Dad, men who her father adored and always spoke highly of. She couldn't help but feel as though she let them all down. They had all been left in Sheffield, mourning their best friend, while she and her mother ran away from the grief, leaving behind everyone else. Robin was certain they had probably thought of her a few times since she disappeared, but being so caught up in everything, she felt awful to realise she'd hardly thought of them. Was she as bad as her mother?

She immediately lit up a cigarette, taking a long drag with her eyes shut, her hand still fiddling with the ring around her neck. She didn't open her eyes for a while, just focusing on the nicotine, desperately trying not to be overwhelmed or cry. She felt a pair of hands on her waist, and then lips on her forehead, and when she opened her eyes John was hugging her, one of his hands stroking through her hair reassuringly.

"People used to do that with me, they used to come up to me and tell me how great my mum was and how they'll miss her," he muttered quietly. "I fucking hated it, I just wanted people to leave me alone,"

"It's alright, I don't mind," she sighed. "I just forget sometimes. Being in Liverpool, no one but Mum and Albert really know about my Dad, so coming back and seeing his mates... I guess I forgot that it's not just me who misses him. They're all good guys really, they were there, when he... well, y'know,"

"You don't have to talk about it," he reassured her, taking the cigarette away as he took a drag off it himself before stubbing it out on the ground. "If you want to, that's okay, but if not, don't put yourself through talking about it,"

"John, I-" she began, feeling overwhelmed by emotions and completely unsure of what to say except for what her heart felt, except she was cut off by the distant sound of the town hall clock chiming the hour. "Shit, is it five? We need to get back for the train!"

***
John had fallen asleep on the train back, his head resting on Robin's shoulder. Her arm was wrapped around him, her fingers running through his messy hair.

The carriage was packed full of business men and a few families, so they'd had to sit on the luggage rack, but neither of them minded. She was just happy to be with John and be heading back to Liverpool, and even though it had gotten dark outside she couldn't wait to get off the train and head to the Cavern to see the rest of their friends. She'd not thought about how visiting her hometown might bring up emotions she'd buried so deep she didn't even know they existed. Revisiting her hometown after falling in love with a new city felt a little like she'd betrayed her past, but at the same time there was a strange sense of pride in her, because a few months before she hated the thought of Liverpool. She was strangely proud of herself that she'd managed to find it in her to love two cities equally for different reasons.

"John," she muttered, shaking him gently as the train came to a stop at Liverpool station. He didn't stir, though she knew from experience he was a deep sleeper. "Oi, come on, Johnny,"

"Hmm," he grunted, and though he refused to open his eyes she knew he was awake.

"Seriously, we're home," she shook him again, shrugging his head off her shoulder so he slumped over as she got up from where they'd been sat, stretching. "It's nearly eight, the band's gonna be fuming,"

"What?" John frowned, pushing his glasses up onto the top of his head as he rubbed his face. Then, as if the truth suddenly dawned on him, he leapt up off the luggage rack and grabbed her hand, quickly pulling her off the train and onto the platform. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I bloody did, it's just that you're as stubborn asleep as you are awake!" he snapped, rolling her eyes as the two of them ran off the platform and out of the station.

They ran the whole way from the station to Mathew Street. Robin couldn't remember the last time she ran so much. Exercise wasn't her thing at all, so by the time they got to the club she was out of breath and completely exhausted. John glanced at her with concern as they pushed through the line much to the disgust of those waiting to get in, though he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he led her into the club and down the many flights of stairs.

"Are you actually gonna collapse?" he asked as she still took in deep breaths, much to her annoyance as she glared at him. "Kidding, chill out. Listen though, Robin, I'm really sorry,"

"What've you got to be sorry for? Other than being a snarky prick, obviously," she asked with a frown as they stopped at the last step, standing in the doorway of the already-heaving club.

"Well, I never got you a birthday present, and now you've gotta sit through another gig, and-" he began to explain, but she interupted him by putting her finger to his lips, letting out a small laugh as she leant up and kissed his cheek.

"You're a right darling when you want to be, Johnny," she laughed, kissing his lips gently before she ruffled his hair. "I don't want a present, and I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend my birthday, honestly. All I wanted was to just spend some time with you,"

"You serious?" he asked, and she remembered how nervous he'd been asking her out. Perhaps even after the few weeks they'd spent courting he was still just as insecure. She nodded, kissing him. As they separated he grinned. "You're brilliant, Robin Bird,"

"Not as brilliant as you," she grinned back at him before nodding her head in he direction of the club, where over the voices of the crowd they could hear the sound of instruments being tuned. "What's the bet we get a massive bollocking for being late?"

John rolled his eyes, taking hold of her hand tightly as they made their way through the club. Before they got to the stage, he quickly took off his glasses, handing them to Robin, and she knew that as much as she loved him in the oversized frames, as handsome as she thought he looked when he could actually see, he'd never perform wearing them. Yet another confidence thing, but she didn't mind, slotting the arm of the frames and balancing them over the neck of her shirt. They were still holding hands when they approached their friends, the band scattered about with their various instruments, Connie and Kay sat on the edge of the stage chatting, though upon them noticing John and Robin the guitars were quickly forgotten about.

"Fucking hell, with two minutes to spare he decides to appear!" Stuart exclaimed, though he seemed more jokingly relieved than angry.

"Seriously, the manager was gonna kick us out if you didn't arrive soon," Paul told him, sounding just as concerned as Stuart.

"Well I'm here now, aren't I?" John pointed out with a shrug,  jumping onto the stage and taking his guitar off Paul.

"Well next time don't lose track of time shagging your girlfriend," Pete muttered, as if he was trying to be subtle, except the whole group heard him.

The group fell silent, though it looked as all they were all desperately trying to hold back laughter. It felt as though they were waiting to see how both Robin and John were going to react before any of them laughed, though none of them looked shocked at Pete's remark. Clearly they hadn't been as subtle about their relationship as they thought, as it looked like everyone had figured it out. Robin didn't know where to look, suddenly feeling very hot and as if everyone was staring at her. Her face flushed red, though her embarrassment wasn't helped as John scowled at Pete, looking as though he wanted to hit him before Paul grabbed hold of his arm.

"Oh yeah, and where's your girlfriend, Pete?" Stuart spoke up with an amused smirk before glancing at Robin, shooting her a wink of solidarity.

"Or did she dump you again because she realised you're a wanker?" Connie called, raising her eybrow as she glared at him, looking the image of John.

Pete didn't respond, going back to tuning his drums, though he looked just as embarrassed as Robin felt. She'd have felt sorry for him if he hadn't asked for it. Quickly a distraction came in the form of Kay, as her best friend got up off the edge of the stage and wrapped her arm around her's.

"Come on, let's leave them to it," Kay said to her, Connie quickly getting off stage and following them as they found somewhere to stand and watch. As soon as they were away from everyone else, she quietly asked, "So, good birthday?"

"I hate that Albert told you," Robin rolled her eyes, letting out an amused sigh. "It's been great. John's great, he's so sweet without even realising it, I really like him,"

Visiting home hadn't just dug up a lot of the grief she'd buried, it had reminded her of everything she used to be before moving. She'd always been fine with who she was as a person, quite satisfied with her loneliness, but going back and seeing where she used to live had reminded her of how much she had grown in such a short space of time. At first she'd wanted so badly to go home, to go back to how things had been, but now she was back in Liverpool and she was with her friends, she realised that the nostalgia was nothing compared to what she had now. Liverpool was her home, and she loved it. As much as she had originally wanted it, she couldn't go back properly, she had to keep going forward.

She had to keep searching for her future, and her future was in Liverpool, and with John.

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Word count: 6762

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