For, like, the five of you reading this: I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but last week was nuts.
Nikki wakes up to hair tickling her nose and Nora leaning across her, balanced precariously with a hand wrapped around the headboard and the other stretching for something on the nightstand.
"Hey," Nikki says groggily.
Nora yelps and loses her balance. Nikki's groan is muffled by Nora's entire upper body.
"Sorry, sorry!" Nora scrambles off quickly, leaving Nikki to blink dazedly at the ceiling. "I didn't think you were awake."
"So you decided to drop onto my face?" Nikki asks, prodding gently at her nose.
Nora looks like she's about to apologize again, then a mischievous smile twists her mouth. "You like me on your face," she says, with a ridiculous eyebrow waggle.
Nikki groans again.
"Oh, shut up," Nora says good-naturedly. "That was funny, admit it."
"You're not wrong," Nikki replies a chuckle, tugging on the sleeve of Nora's soft t-shirt. Nora sinks down next to her, and Nikki sighs as Nora's arms come around her. "What time is it?"
"Six," Nora replies, breath ruffling Nikki's hair. Nikki loves the way Nora's voice softens as Nikki moves closer. "You forgot to turn off the alarm last night."
She hums. "I love weekends."
"You and me both."
"And why were you awake?" Nikki asks. She isn't sure what Nora says back, listening instead to her warmth in her voice and the steady beat of her heart.
"Sleep tight." Nora murmurs it right into her ear, and Nikki jerks.
"Not yet," she practically yelps, shooting away from Nora and rummaging frantically in the drawer in their nightstand. She draws out the carefully wrapped box, and hands it to Nora, grinning gleefully.
"What is this?" Nora asks, already tearing into it.
Nikki moves closer with a grin, making herself comfortable stretched out alongside Nora, tangling their legs together, anchoring Nora to her.
"Oh." Nora's opened the box and Nikki watches her face attentively, biting her lip as Nora stares wide-eyed into the box.
She'd thought it was a bit of a gamble when she'd seen it, and she's still not sure how it will be received, but the second she'd seen it, she'd known it belonged on Nora's hand.
"It's not – you can put it on any finger you want. I just – it will look gorgeous on you."
"Nikki." Nora's eyes are wide with astonishment and affection and admiration as she gazes from the ring to Nikki back to the ring.
It is beautiful, even Carl had agreed when she'd shown him – a silver filigree ring with a radiant fire opal for the center.
"But what's this for?" Nora asks, and Nikki thinks it's adorable the way Nora searches for her hand without looking away from her eyes, then squeezes so tight it nearly hurts.
"You're not the only one who can remember anniversaries, you know," she whispers, stroking a thumb along Nora's knuckles.
Nikki watches as Nora struggles to make sense of this, and resists the urge to smooth a finger along the pursed lines of Nora's lips.
"I give up," she says finally.
Nikki's grin is wide and infectious. "Well, well. Write today's date down in the history books, because I just beat the queen of anniversaries."
"Don't let it get to your head," Nora says dryly.
Nikki presses her grin into Nora's shoulder and breathes deeply, taking in the smell of cinnamon and soap. She doesn't realize that time has passed until Nora jostles her impatiently.
"Are you going to tell me what it is, or what?" she asks, and the annoyance in her voice is entirely faked.
"The first time we watched a movie together," Nikki says triumphantly.
Nora squints at her. "I get the feeling that you're making fun of me," she says.
"Nope," Nikki replies cheerfully.
Nora struggles to make sense of this, and then the light dawns. "It's not – it's the first time we made out!" she blurts finally. Nora looks so pleased to have figured it out that Nikki laughs.
"But not the first time we kissed."
"An important distinction," Nora agrees, nodding sagely and Nikki leans in to kiss her.
day 3: cuddling somewhere