Jack wearily locked his car and started walking to his house. What a day it had been. His phone began ringing and he lifted it to his ear.
"Hi" the voice of his colleague spoke. Not the voice his heart was hoping to hear, but he already knew it wasn't her from the name on the screen.
"Hello"
"So Galloway was just here" Simone commented guiltily "I think I owe you an apology"
"For thinking I was a murder?" he mused "No need" He couldn't blame her – the evidence had been there.
"Well look, maybe you should take your own advice" She suggested "don't touch anything without gloves on!"
Jack chuckled "Touché!"
"Are you going to give Nikki a ring?"
He stumbled over his words in sudden confusion "Wha-? I-? We haven't even been on a- Huh?" Mid –speech Jack realised his mistake and hurriedly caught himself before he uttered the word 'date'. He kicked himself – of course she had meant on the phone.
Simone pretended not to notice – though Jack was in no doubt from the hint of glee in her voice that she had. "You do know that she's completely in love with you?"
Jack was still reeling from putting his foot in it - and was also rather taken back once again by his colleague's forwardness. "Huh? Wha-? Yeah, I know, I-" He stammered.
"The conversation I had with her earlier-"
"What conversation?" He interrupted quickly "She told you?"
"Not much" Simone admitted "She was very vague. Just said she was drunk and made a bad mistake that hurt you, and then refused to go into it any further."
"Oh?"
"She was devastated because she thought she'd lost you for good." She told him.
"Lost me?" Jack mumbled, wishing more and more that Nikki was in front of him so he could give a hug. He opened his front door and stepped into the porch, shutting the outer door behind him.
" 'Anything that might have happened, won't now. I ruined it.' Were her words, I believe" Simone quoted "Or something along those lines. And-" she added, determined to bring up Jack's lack of expertise with a kettle at every opportunity. "Nikki is the only one who actually likes your cups of tea – that has to mean something!"
Jack managed to pull himself together after her light dig at his tea-making skills. "Right. Well, we made up after the argument already. I'm going to go and call her now. Bye Simone."
"See you later" she answered, hanging up.
Jack sighed, shutting the inner door behind him and hung his coat up on the stand in the hall. Another lonely evening, he supposed. His Dad was good company but he often fell asleep. Jack intended to sit down with a nice cup of tea – or maybe a glass of wine and give Nikki a call. He longed to talk to her – just to hear her voice again, but he wasn't sure she would want to come over.
They had made up after their argument and he had forgiven her for everything, but he knew what his attempt to brush their kiss off as cheap and meaningless had done to her earlier. It had been like throwing her in an icy pond – like she had caught the hyperthermia off him.
Jack had seen Nikki through the viewing window afterwards, doing the post-mortem - brilliant at her job as she always was, but she had been working as if she was a machine. He had seen the love of his life – his Nikki, with empty eyes like she wasn't sure of her purpose anymore. She was just there because she had to be – and Simone herself had said on the phone that Nikki was devastated.
Jack knew that he had done that to her. At the time, he had wanted her to hurt as much as he did – maybe even more. He had certainly achieved that. It had been completely out of anger and not a word meant – they both knew that now, but Jack wasn't sure how easy it would be to heal from his cold words. Anger and jealousy could be as damaging as a knife sometimes.
Jack began rolling his sleeves up, as he started his long journey from the hall to the lounge. Why anyone had built such a big hall in this house was beyond him. His breath got stuck in his throat when he reached the door, for there she was on his sofa – fast asleep her phone still clutched in her hand - the memories of their last conversation still lingering in her dreams.
Jack was Nikki's – and she was his – and here she was waiting for him to come home to her.
All was forgiven. Their kiss was beautiful again - and never forgotten.
"To err is human"
"To forgive, divine"