'Til Sun Beams Find You [COMPLETED]

Fourteen (Part 2)

Nico stepped out the steamy bathroom with a towel covering her chest and a pair of panties covering her bottom. On her bed, Carter was absently scrolling through his phone while he waited to get finished with her long shower. When he saw her, he sat up on the bed from his leaning position while Nico went into her closet and pulled a t-shirt over her torso.

"Can I get you anything?" Carter asked for the millionth time, and she shook her head 'no' as well.

Nico crossed her bedroom to grab the electric heat pad from her drawer. She plugged it into the extension cord next to her bed before crawling in. She lifted her shirt and laid the heat pad across her abdomen and sighed when she felt it begin to heat up.

"Being a girl sucks," she closed her eyes.

Carter smiled sympathetically. "Lemme at least go get you something to eat."

"I don't want you to leave," Nico said as she opened her eyes to look at him, leaning over her frame.

He pushed her hair out of her face. "Do you want me to make you something to eat?"

Wednesday was supposed to be grocery day.

"Fridge.. empty," she groaned the words out when a cramp hit.

She curled into the heating pad miserably.

"We'll order in then. What you eating?"

"Burger.. cheese fries... where.. you.. wanna.. take me?"

Carter was busy entering different things into his phone, presumably ordering the food she requested. After a minute or two, he tossed his phone down onto the bed and turned to her.

"Hm?"

She inhaled. "Where did you wanna take me today?"

"I wanted you to come by and see the shop.. it's all done. I finished up the mural this morning. It looks great.. at least, I think it does."

"Oh, that's great. I'm sorry for being in a shitty mood," She said, remembering his palpable excitement over the phone. "I'm there tomorrow," she promised him, bringing a small smile to his face.

"You good."

"So you're all set to open?"

"I mean.. not yet. Gotta dot the i's and cross the t's but.. almost there."

Nico nodded. "Where does that leave you regarding us?"

His thumb caressed her cheek. "I'm here, in your bed, am I not?"

"You are," Nico agreed and hugged her heating pad.

That was good enough for her for now, because on the flip side, he was only here because she allowed him to be the one there.

He could be anybody else, and they were both aware of the options Nico had so she didn't spell it out for him.

Instead, she reached across his body for the bedside drawer on his side. In the top drawer beneath a few books were some photos Nico looked at often.

She pulled them out and rested her head against Carter's chest.

The first photo was of a baby Nico inside a small stroller meant for a doll, and her big sister Emilia pushing it with a grin.

Nico lifted the photo to show Carter, and he immediately smiled.

"That's me and Emi. I broke my nose this day because I went flying off that thing right onto the coffee table. I was around five."

"You don't look bigger than three."

She giggled. "Yeah. I was a really small kid. My dad used to call me 'pico' instead of 'Nico'.. cause pico means small."