"Harry, open the door." The voice protests. "I know you're in there, I can hear your phone ringing."
No matter how much you try to ignore him, Leo is persistent. You know exactly what he's doing outside your house, exactly how his afternoon has played out. He's been knocking for ten minutes now, and he hasn't got the hint that you want to be left alone. You roll your eyes as you pull yourself up from your bed, drag yourself out of the dark room and down the stairs to the front door. He looks at you with some anger as you finally open the door, with the look of a disappointed father scalding a naughty child.
"What the hell happened?"
You shake your head, hands covering your face, as you step aside to allow him in. He takes the hint, barging into the front room and slipping down onto your settee. You shut the door and take the armchair to his right, curling up protectively. You sigh before meeting his stare. At least there's some concern in there for you.
"What's going on, Harry?"
You take a deep breath, not really sure what to say. "Hasn't she already told you?" You ask snidely.
"I want to hear your side of the story." He says sympathetically, always the diplomat.
"I'm scared" you admit quietly. "I've never been one to settle down with anyone, never got so tied up that I can't escape if I want to..."
"Do you want to?"
You pause and consider his question. You are scared, but you're scared that you'll hurt her, scared you'll let her down. Your fears aren't for your sake.
"No" You mutter. "But that's now, what if that changes?"
"Harry, it's normal to be scared."
"Not like this." You insist. "Leo, it was different for you, you were happy..."
"And you will be too." He smiles, and you wonder if it's hurting him to talk about this, if you're being ungrateful. You know he'd have given anything to be in your position.
"Sorry." You whisper. He nods as if he understands, and continues.
"You will be happy. You'll feel better as soon as you both admit how you feel. You may not have realised it but it's obvious that the two of you are in love -"
"I -"
" - And you'll certainly be happy when you hold your baby in your arms for the first time. You'll look at that baby and know you could never leave." He says loudly, ignoring your protests. You smile a little and sigh.
"How is she?" You ask guiltily.
"She'll live" He sighs, "But you need to talk to her Harry, and you need to make her believe that you're there for her."
"She wasn't listening to me."
"She was, Harry, you just weren't telling her what she was hoping to hear."
You inhale deeply, breathing out slowly as you stare at the floor. "I'm going over there." You state.
Leo smiles, happy that he's calmed you down at least, and nods as he stands up. You pull yourself up too, and grab your keys and coat, pulling your shoes on as Leo leads the way out through the door. You pull him into a brief hug as thanks before you get into the car. He grins at you, and wishes you luck before he drives off.
You notice the curtain move slightly a few seconds after you knock, and you lean back so that she can see you. You can see her irritated expression and the redness around her eyes, and you try to convey an apology to her wordlessly. She rolls her eyes and leaves the window, reappearing moments later in front of the door, covered only by her lilac dressing gown.
"Hi" You start awkwardly. She leans against the doorframe, blocking your entry. You sigh and drop your eyes to the floor for a second. You swallow and look back up, confronting the hurt in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."
Nikki says nothing, but you can see the tears brimming in her eyes and know that her barriers aren't built much higher. You edge toward her, slow enough that she can push you back if she wants to, but she doesn't. Gently, you step up so that you're level with her and place your hand gently on her cheek. Despite herself, she nudges into it, her lips betraying her as she kisses your palm, thumb brushing the skin near her closed eye. She takes a step backward and you follow her inside, turning to pin her against the door frame after she has pushed it shut. She looks up at you and you can see the same vulnerability in her eyes. You lean in and kiss her softly, pressing your foreheads together when you break apart.
"I'm here for you." You whisper, feeling her hot breath against your lips. She opens her eyes slowly and looks up at you. You know it's not enough and she needs more. You take her hand and lead her into the living room, where you sit her down opposite you on the sofa. "I'm never going to leave you, Niks. Never. I'll be here for you, and for our child, and whatever you need from me I'll do my best to help you. I promise you."
Nikki smiles gently, and her tears start to fall again. You grin as you pull her into you, kissing her hair as you inhale her smell. "I'm sorry too." She whispers. "I shouldn't have been so forceful with you. I know we don't need to be in love to bring this baby up, I just felt really alone."
"You'll never be alone." You whisper, stroking your fingers through her hair as she tilts her head back to look at you. You lean in gently and kiss her, feeling a rush when you realise that the passion she lacked earlier was back with force. You grin into the kiss as she pushes against you, making you gradually lower yourself backward. You appreciate in that moment just how much you want Leo to be right, how much you want to wake up one day, and realise that you love her.