An apartment party.
The same scene, nearly the same lines.
Last time, it was Ted who said it.
This time, it's Robin.
If only it could just be the two of them in these moments.
"Oh, Ted~"
Lily couldn't help but glance at Ted, who was still pretending to play it cool. Her eyes were full of pity and guilt.
This was her fault.
She'd known Adam for so long that she'd forgotten just how magnetic he could be to women.
That's right!
Who else but Adam could make someone like Robin—gorgeous, worldly, and a total pro at this—lose her cool like that?
"Adam!"
Before Robin could say anything even more over-the-top, Lily quickly waved at Adam as he walked in. Then she leaned toward Robin and whispered, "That's Adam, the one I told you about earlier."
"The surgeon~"
Robin's eyes lit up even more as she murmured, "You didn't mention he was this hot and classy. But I guess he's a surgeon, so it makes sense. How else would patients trust them so much?"
"…"
Lily's mouth twitched, her eyes filling with more wry amusement and self-blame.
This vibe… it was exactly like when Ted first met Robin—completely smitten, head over heels.
But this wasn't going to end like it did for Ted.
Robin was all about casual flings.
And Adam? He was famously laid-back—there was no way he'd say something cheesy like "I love you."
Plus, last time it was a guy chasing a girl.
Now it's a girl chasing a guy.
If Robin went full-on aggressive like Ted had, with her looks, not even Lily could resist—let alone Adam, a guy.
That's right!
Even though Lily was head over heels for Marshall, she couldn't deny Robin's charm. Sometimes her eyes would wander, lost in a little fantasy.
That's part of why she and Robin had become besties so fast.
"Oh, poor Ted~"
Thinking about it, Lily couldn't help but sigh inwardly for her friend.
Same mindset, deeper empathy.
She got it…
"Hey, Lily."
Adam walked over.
"Let me introduce you two."
Feeling Robin nudge her from behind, Lily reluctantly started the introductions. "Adam, this is Robin. Robin, this is Adam."
"Hey, Robin."
"Hey, Adam~"
In his past life, Adam had watched How I Met Your Mother, so Robin's presence didn't faze him at all. He greeted her calmly.
Robin, though, was a little too enthusiastic.
"So, you're a surgeon?"
"Yeah."
Adam smiled. "Those two doctors you interviewed on TV earlier? They're surgical interns from my team."
"Wow!"
Robin let out an exaggerated gasp. "That's such a crazy coincidence~"
Adam shot a quick glance at Lily.
This wasn't quite right.
In his memory, wasn't this supposed to be the part where Ted and Robin were a thing?
Lily kept throwing him looks.
But they came so fast and furious, it was less like subtle hints and more like her eyelids were having a seizure.
Adam was a little thrown off.
This was… eye chaos…
"Your colleagues were hilarious—going to a strip club with a wad of singles and saying it was change from buying a $40 newspaper. Are all surgeons that funny?" Robin piped up again when Adam didn't respond right away.
"Only Chris and Stu are like that," Adam said, quick to distance himself.
Those two clowns—had they not pulled off that live emergency save, and had it not been on a random NYC news channel no one watches, they'd be total laughingstocks.
They chatted a bit more about it.
Adam didn't say much.
"Haha, you're so funny!"
It was a pretty normal conversation, but Robin acted like he'd hit her funny bone. She reached out with her left hand, patted his chest, and kept tossing her long hair back with her right. In a weird, dramatic tone, she laughed, "So, so funny~"
As she flipped her hair, her signature perfume wafted stronger.
Adam's mouth twitched.
He knew this move!
Back when Rachel had set her sights on him, she'd unleashed her full arsenal—standard, super, ultimate, final flirt mode—and it was eerily similar.
Rachel's approach was subtle, getting him to open up, playing the soulmate card.
Robin's was over-the-top, gushing about his "humor," playing the admiration card.
Rachel would walk away mid-chat, letting him admire her silhouette.
Robin kept flipping her hair, letting him catch her scent.
Rachel traced circles on the back of his hand.
Robin gave his chest a playful tap.
Adam had no doubt—if Robin knew about the whole parallel-universe-S.H.I.E.L.D.-deputy-director thing, she'd pull out her own ace, just like Rachel with her invincible red cheerleader uniform. She'd strut in wearing her S.H.I.E.L.D. Deputy Director/Sky Carrier Commander outfit, all icy and commanding, demanding he hand over his weapons of mass destruction for S.H.I.E.L.D. oversight…
He'd turned Rachel down—not because she wasn't stunning, but because he didn't want to mess up his friendship with Leonard or derail his path as a doctor.
He'd turn Robin down—not because she wasn't gorgeous, but because Ted and Barney would be tangled up with her forever. Keeping his friend group drama-free was his rule.
Wait.
What if he just… didn't stay friends with Ted and Barney?
Barney would totally get it.
Hmm…
Adam started to waver.
"Adam."
"Marshall."
Lily stepped away for a sec, and Marshall swooped in, his conflicted expression screaming that he'd been sent on a mission.
Adam sighed inwardly.
Ted and Barney? Whatever.
But Marshall and Lily? They were friends he genuinely admired.
And they were inseparable from Ted.
For the sake of friend-group harmony—and to avoid the messy musical-chairs dating chaos—Adam decided to let it go.
Robin was hot, sure, but not drop-dead hot.
Plus, she was a seasoned player—maybe even more so than him. She might have that trick where she's all "madly in love" one second and "totally over it" the next…
Adam kept piling on the excuses in his head.
But none of them felt solid enough.
"Wanna step aside for a sec?"
Marshall gave Robin an apologetic smile and shot Adam a look.
"You guys chat. I've got something to talk to Lily about," Robin said, surprisingly chill as she walked off.
"Adam, Ted threw this party on a whim just to confess to Robin again…" Marshall spilled the story of Ted and Robin's latest chapter.
He didn't outright say, "Don't hit on her."
Robin was single, after all—fair game, technically.
But the nudge was clear.
"I get it," Adam said, clapping Marshall on the shoulder. "The heart's not everything. To me, friendship's way more important."
"Yeah!"
Marshall nodded hard, genuinely touched. He couldn't think of anyone who valued friendship more than Adam.
But then it hit him—something felt off.
Huh?
Shouldn't it be love?
Why'd he say "heart"?
Marshall's look at Adam shifted, a little weirded out…
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