Nikki woke to the sound of her alarm. Normally, the noise would annoy her, being the sign that she and Jack had to wake up for work. But today it was Saturday, and the alarm was for something different entirely.
She reached onto the side table to turn it off, before snuggling into Jack's chest, who was grumbling beside her. He stretched slowly, before a muscled arm pulled Nikki close and a soft kiss was placed on the top of her head.
"We've got forty five minutes to get ready." Nikki said, letting out a yawn. She tried to roll out of Jack's grip, but he only held on tighter.
"Can't we just stay here for a little while longer?" he muttered into her hair, his free hand running up and down her arm.
Smiling, Nikki turned, managing to break away from him.
"No we can't."
She sat up, throwing her legs over the bed before standing up. Seeing Jack not following her footsteps, she gave a smirk, putting her knee on the mattress and reaching for her pillow. In seconds, she'd thrown it at Jack, hitting him straight in the face.
"Get out of bed you lazy sod."
Jack ripped the pillow from his face, revealing a wide grin.
"You're gonna pay for that."
His arms reached out, catching Nikki firmly by the waist, pulling her back down onto the bed. He planted a trail of kisses on her jaw, then met her lips. Nikki giggled, her hand on the back of his neck. Jack leaned in to kiss her again, but she placed her free hand in front of his mouth, preventing him from doing so.
"As much as I'd love to see where this leads, if we don't get out of bed in the next minute, we're going to be late to pick up Rosie. And I don't think I want to see her pissed off."
With an eye roll and a disappointed smile, Jack let go of her, reluctantly getting up and heading into the bathroom, picking up a pile of fresh clothes and a towel on the way.
Nikki stood, walking to her wardrobe to decide on an outfit for the day. It was a spring day, the sun out but still a little chilly, so she knew she needed to wrap up warm. Picking out a pair of jeans and a pink jumper, she dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of boots to complete the outfit. While she was doing her hair, braiding two strands and tying them behind her head, Jack walked in showered and dressed, drying his hair with a towel. He leant down and kissed her cheek, before putting on his own shoes. Nikki applied a little make up, running downstairs to get her bag. Jack followed her soon after, putting on his jacket, then selecting one of Nikki's and throwing it at her. Soon enough, they were in the car, off to Julia's.
Nikki was so excited; she always was for this particular day. It was on the last Saturday in every month that she and Jack spent the day with Rosie. They'd all lost Thomas, someone they'd loved very much, Rosie even more so. Nikki felt it was a duty for herself and Jack to look out for her, and make sure she was well and happy. Plus, Rosie really was the sweetest soul, with a lovely personality and the kindest heart.
In seconds of pulling up at Julia's, Rosie was out of the front door, backpack on her shoulder, holding a picnic blanket and Thomas' kite. She bounded over to the car, a beaming grin on her face, placing her belongings in the boot before climbing into the back seat.
"Hiya."
"Hi, darling!" Nikki turned to smile at the girl.
Jack started the engine again, pulling back out onto the road.
"Where are we going for breakfast today then, Rosie?" Jack asked.
"There's a new cafe opened up near the park. I've been there a couple of times with my friends. Can we go there?"
"Sure," Nikki replied.
Rosie sat back into the car, listening to Jack and Nikki talk amongst themselves, giving Jack directions every so often. Something about the two of them seemed different. She knew they were close, and that they'd gotten closer after her dad had died, but they'd never actually gotten together. A couple of years ago, she'd once heard Clarissa make a comment to her dad along the lines of "How long is it going to take before they realise what's right in front of them?" Spending more time with Jack and Nikki had made her understand that Clarissa was very true indeed.
The café wasn't far away, so they arrived quickly. It was a cute little place, very bohemian, with wooden benches and potted plants. They sat down near the window, Jack and Nikki on one seat, Rosie on the other. A young waitress came and took their orders: Jack having eggs on toast, Nikki and Rosie both deciding on pancakes.
"How's school?"
"It's been ok. I've got one more week of mocks though, which sucks. But they've been fine I guess."
"You'll do brilliantly. You've got brains like your father."
Rosie smiled, proud about being compared to Thomas. She then proceeded to tell them about all the teenage drama going on in her year. Nikki found all of the stories very entertaining, about who broke up with who, and what rumour so and so started. Teenagers nowadays sounded like an episode of Eastenders. Social media didn't help at all, but Nikki was glad to hear that Rosie didn't get involved in any of all that.
Jack and Nikki shared a couple of stories about their own school life, making Rosie howl with laughter. She kept noticing little things between the two, the fact that Jack always had his eyes on her, and Nikki would put her hand on his shoulder every so often. It probably wasn't even any of her business, but she was desperate to know if they were a couple. Rosie tried to bury the question deep down in her mind, but it was right on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Are you two together?"
Instantly, Nikki and Jack went bright red. It wasn't like they were trying to hide their relationship from Rosie, but they just didn't think she'd care. However, it seemed as though she did, a wide grin on her face.
"I'm not eight years old, you know. It was kind of obvious, if I'm being honest," Rosie said, "Actually, I think it's really cool."
Nikki glanced at Jack, a wave of relief coming over her. She relaxed, leaning into her boyfriend with a smile.
Their next stop was the park, briefly stopping off at the car to retrieve the kite. Rosie walked a little ahead, excited to practice flying, Jack and Nikki just behind her. The park was empty when they arrived, the wind picking up, perfect for the task in hand. Rosie got the kite up straight away, grinning smugly at her expertise.
Jack had a go next. He wasn't as good as Rosie by a long shot, but he'd improved from the last time they'd been out. Nikki stood watching them, a smile on her face, until Jack beckoned her towards him.
"Come on then!"
Nikki's brow furrowed at first, confused. Then she realised he was talking about the kite.
"You know I'm terrible!" she laughed.
She was indeed awful. Every time she'd attempted, she could barely lift it off the ground.
"So? There's no one around. You'll only look like an idiot in front of us," he said, grinning, "Plus, I think you just need a big, strong Irishman to help you." He shrugged his shoulders innocently.
Nikki rolled her eyes with a smile. How could she resist him?
She walked over, Jack handing the spool to her. He took hold of her wrists, directing the kite so it left the grass. She was better than last time, managing to hold the kite in the air for a full minute. It was probably through Jack's help, but Nikki still felt like she achieved something.
"Proud of you." Jack teased, his arms squeezing her waist, recieving a playful slap on the cheek for Nikki.
"Shut up," she replied with a soft giggle.
It was nearing lunchtime, so Jack, Nikki and Rosie headed to the local shop to buy something to eat. As they headed down the aisles, the trolley became full with food, from sausage rolls to fruit to biscuits, and most importantly, a couple of bouquets of flowers. The total came to a rather large sum of money, but Jack and Nikki weren't bothered. This day was special.
Back in the car again, the next stop was to see Thomas.
The sun was starting to come out when the three of them reached Thomas' grave. Rosie knelt down first, replacing the old bouquet of flowers with the newly bought ones.
"Hi Dad," she said brightly, "We brought lilies for you today."
Nikki's eyes began to fill with tears. Rosie handled her grief so well, always optimistic and positive about everything. It was so admirable. Nikki could relate with her, losing a parent at a young age, but she wished she had been like that when she was a teenager.
Jack sensed her sadness, slipping his hand into hers. His touch comforted her, her head tilting to lean on his shoulder. They'd kept one another sane during the past couple of months and it had brought them closer than ever. They'd realised that they were meant for one another.
Rosie had laid out the picnic blanket beside the gravestone, starting to take out some of the food from the shopping bags. Nikki and Jack joined her, sitting down. They ate in silence, taking in the peace and quiet as the sun shone on them, making it quite hot indeed. Nikki took her jacket off, retrieving a book from her bag, while Rosie ran to put the food packaging in the bin. Jack lay down on the blanket, closing his eyes, Nikki leaning back onto his legs. When Rosie returned, she got out her homework, Biology homework. Jack snoozing softly, Nikki engrossed in her novel, chipping in to help Rosie every so often; everything was peaceful.
Dropping Rosie off back home was always sad, marking the end of an amazing day. Rosie insisted that Nikki and Jack walked her to the door, so they obeyed.
"You know," Rosie said as they reached the front of her house, "I'm glad you two finally got together. Dad would've been happy too."
Nikki laughed, glancing at Jack, eyes full of love.
"I'm pretty glad too."
Arms out, Rosie pulled them both into a hug, making sure it lasted. With one final turn back to them, Rosie gave a grin.
"I love you guys," she said.
Nikki's eyes were starting to drop slightly as they drove away, but she tried desperately to keep them open. Jack placed a hand on her thigh.
"One more stop to go," Jack said with a smile.
Nikki nodded sleepily, the final bouquet of flowers on her lap.
It was starting to get dark as they pulled up to the cemetery, the second cemetery they'd visited that day. Jack opened the door for Nikki, guiding her to their final destination. Nikki gave a sad smile, placing the flowers in front of the gravestone.
"Hi Leo."
Nikki dropped down onto the grass, crossing her legs.
"How've you been?"
Jack slowly made his way onto the floor beside her, his arm reaching round her shoulders. A single tear rolled down Nikki's cheek, but she wiped it away instantly.
"You ok?" Jack asked.
That simple question was too much for Nikki. The tears began to stream down her face, making her vision blurry. She missed Thomas so very much, but in some ways, she missed Leo even more.
Jack's arms tightened around her protectively, every so often wiping the tears away from her cheeks. They sat for a while, in one another's arms, until Nikki became still.
"Nik?"
No response. Jack turned his head, only to find Nikki fast asleep on his shoulder. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, before picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the car.