September 23rd 2012...
Pulling her suitcase beside her Nicki walked through the airport in search of the exit. When she got there she made her way over to the black mercedes that was waiting for her. The driver helped her with her bags and once they were both in the car and their seatbelts were on, he drove them to their next destination. The driver didn't say much for the 20 minute drive they were on and it didn't bother her at all. Drake had told her he was a close friend of his and she had been curious to find out more about him but he seemed very reserved so she decided not to harass him.
"I'll be back in a minute, are you ok to wait here?" he asked her as they pulled into a parking lot. It was only the second thing he had really asked her since meeting her and she found it amusing. He was definitely someone who was aware of boundaries and made sure to stay in them.
"Yeah, that's fine," she gave back and watched as he got out of the car and walked into the building that was not too far away. She was waiting for only a short while when he walked back out carrying a bag and with Drake by his side who carried a bag of his own. She couldn't help the smile on her face when she saw him.
He had invited her to toronto for a few days in order to give her a chance to clear her mind before she started her new job and given the timing it was exactly what she needed.
He placed his items in the back before he walked over to the other side and got in, greeting her with a smile as he did so. "Hey baby, how are you?" he said before leaning in to give her a kiss that she was more than happy to accept.
"I'm good. How are you?" she asked him and he told her he was also good before placing a kiss on the back of her hand.
"How was your flight?" he asked as he pulled on his seat belt.
"It was ok. It was my first flight in a long time so I was a little nervous but it was ok," she said and watched as he gently caressed her hand with his thumb.
"Good," He said softly and looked over at his friend and he shut the door and started the car. "I didn't get a chance to introduce you both. Chubbs, Nicki. Nicki, Chubbs." Chubbs gave her a nod through the mirror and she chuckled. "To the house please Chubbs, thank you again for getting her,"
"No problem at all boss,"
They settled into a comfortable silence that was soon filled as Drake and Chubbs caught each other up on the daily briefing whilst she took in the Toronto scenery...
-
"I'm gonna hop in the shower. Did you wanna join?" he asked as she stood over her suitcase. She looked over her shoulder at him just as he took off his t-shirt and bit her lip.
They'd recently got in after what was a long day for both of them. After Chubbs has dropped them home, they went straight back out to get dinner and were only really returning home to finally settle for the evening now.
"Ok." She unpacked the last few articles from her suitcase and undressed as he got the water running.Only moments later she was joining him in the shower and relaxing into his arms as he held her. He placed a kiss on her temple encouraging her to look at him.
"What's wrong,"
"Nothing," she replied quicker than she should've and that alone told him there was something weighing on her shoulders. "I'm just tired,"
He nodded and placed his hand on lower abdomen causing her to smile. "Hows our baby,"
She chuckled, causing him to smile. "They're fine," she placed her hands over his own and relished in the moment that was still so surreal.
"Good." He moved his arm only to allow him to reach for the loofah behind her. "Let's make this quick because I can tell you're tired and we still need to properly discuss what happened yesterday," he said and she sighed but she knew he was right...
He sat against the headboard and watched as used the mirror to tie her hair. He could tell she had something weighing her down and it was bothering him that she wouldn't open up about it, but he didn't want to push her.
"Come here," he said softly, once she was done and she did just that, tucking into his side and enjoying the warmth his body provided. "Tell me what's on your mind,"
"I got a lot on my mind,"
"Talk to me,"
"That conversation I had with them yesterday really struck a nerve," she said and he pulled her a little tighter and kissed her temple. "They were so disappointed in me and for reasons I didn't know or understand. They're supposed to be the people I can count on and they've left me to my own devices in a time and need them both,"
He took a moment to get his wording correct. "I think like you they're still trying to make sense of it all. Nobody likes change and for all parties involved that's what this is. They don't know the specifics of your relationship with Derrick, they only know what you told them. Give them a moment to come to terms with it all and try it again, after all they're gonna be your biggest support system as we transition into parenthood."
"I know, but I can't help but feel the way I do,"
"And that's ok. In my opinion they owe you an apology, but as the cause of all of this, I'm in no position to point fingers." He took her hand into his. "For tonight and tomorrow at least, I want you to just let it be out of your control. When I come back to New York, we can visit them together,"
"That's another thing I haven't even thought about,"
"You wanna meet my parents first?" he asked and she chuckled.
"I don't know which one is scarier. But on a serious not, you're ready to meet mine?" she asked and looked up at him. He nodded.
"Of course I am. I'm the father of their soon to be first grandchild. We're locked in now and it's better we get the formalities out of the way,"
"And if it doesn't go well?"
"Then at least I can say I tried,"
It was silent for a moment before she finally spoke up again. "Thank you," she said and he responded by giving her another kiss on the temple.
-
September 26th 2012...
Nicki sat in her living room catching up on episodes of judge judy after a day of running errands.
Since returning from Toronto she'd gotten herself ready for the week she had coming ahead. She bought a few staple pieces to add to her work wardrobe and today she'd gone grocery shopping and finally filled her fridge and cupboards to finally stop the bad habit that was ordering in. She was definitely tired though and knew she'd be doing just that once again tonight.
She was engrossed in the TV when her focus was broken by the sound of a knock on her door. Given that only a handful of people knew of her new whereabouts she was a little surprised to have a guest, especially since she didn't invite anyone.
She walked over to the door and cautiously opened it, only to reveal the last person she expected to see standing on the other side and her guard automatically went up.
"Please can I come in?" She asked and tempted as Nicki was to close the door again, she thought back to the conversation she'd shared with Drake, and stepped out of the way allowing her mother to walk in. "A very nice place you've got here," she said as she walked over to the couch and took a seat.
Nicki walked over to the island and took a seat on the stool, keeping her distance. "How did you find me," she asked her mother, sighed.
"I have my ways," she said, but didn't bother to further elaborate. "I don't want to argue with you, Onika, I came here to hear what you had to say. Your father and I were a little harsh on you the other day and I felt we- well I owed you another chance to explain,"
"Is that your version of an apology?" she asked and a silence took over them for a moment. She always knew her stubbornness had come from her father, but in times like this she saw it in her mother too. Coming to see her couldn't have been easy, but given the conversation had hurt Nicki the way it had, she wanted to hear those words before she finally opened up again.
"I'm sorry," she said. "But all I need is for you to see things from our perspective, all we want is what's best for you,"
"And with all due respect, Derrick is not what's best for me," she replied softly. "I've found what's best for me and it's not him. I need you and dad to understand that,"
"But what went wrong, Onika? You were both just fine, happy even,"
"We were cordial. We put on a front because we knew we had to. It was easier than explaining why we were both at certain events but not together. By the time we were done with those, my heart wasn't in it anymore, my heart hadn't been in it for a while, mom. He wasn't the one for me,"
"And you think you've found the one that is,"
"I know I have,"
Again a silence took over them and her mother turned her focus to the view of the city from the window. She hadn't come to cause further friction between herself and her daughter so would do everything she could to understand. And having once had to fight for love she knew where she was coming from. She looked over at her daughter who clearly possessed a natural glow and genuinely looked the best she had in months and it finally hit her.
"How did I not notice," she said softly and Nicki just furrowed her brows. "I've been here before and I know it all too well, Onika. How far along are you?"
Nicki felt her heart drop being that was the last thing she expected her mother to ask and she was far from ready to have that conversation, especially without Aubrey.
"You don't have to lie to me, and I promise I won't look at you any differently. How many weeks?" she asked again and after a moment of forgetting how to speak, Nicki finally gave her answer.
"About 10..."
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Excuse any errors.
Much Appreciated
_PaintedPyramids X