"Leo, I need your help."
"What's wrong are you okay? Is Nikki okay?" He sounded tired but panicked and no wonder, he'd been woken up on a Saturday morning after a night of drinking by Harry calling him, him then reaching over to grab the phone, and then falling off the sofa, which is where he'd placed himself last night so he hadn't woken Janet or the kids.
"Yes, yes we're all okay. Well I hope Nikki's okay. I've not spoken to her since last night, and she did nearly fall out of the taxi I put her in, but I'm sure she's fine. Actually I'll text her in a minute. Just to be safe." He was rambling, giving Leo time to get a glass of water and start rummaging through the cupboards for paracetamol. "I've not got her anything! We agreed to just do jokey presents this year but she let slip last night that she's got me something special! So now I've got to rush into town and buy her something and I have no clue what to buy her. Leo are you even listening to me?" Leo hurriedly picked the phone back up, after leaving it on the side on loud-speaker while he took painkillers for his headache.
"Yes I'm here, you need to stop stressing out. Just go into town and buy her something."
"But what am I going to get her. You know me, I need weeks to figure out the perfect gift, not five days!"
"Well then make her something, I don't bloody know! I'm tired."
"You've been very helpful Leo! Is Janet there?"
"Janet's asleep."
"No she isn't." Janet at that moment had strolled into the kitchen in a dressing gown rubbing her eyes. "You do realise you were shouting. If you've woken those two up I will kill you."
"Sorry, love."
"Make me coffee. Harry, what do you want?"
"Hi Janet, sorry, probably my fault you're awake."
"Definitely your fault, but go on."
"I need to buy Nikki a Christmas present and I have no idea what to get her."
"If you can babysit Boxing Day, I will come into town with you and help you find a present."
"Babysit my wonderful godchildren, of course. Thanks Janet, I'll come pick you up."
"Give me an hour to get ready and I'm all yours."
"Jewellery?"
"She's very picky and I wouldn't trust myself."
"Clothes?"
"And if I get the size wrong?!"
"A book? What's her favourite book?"
"To Kill a Mockingbird. Though she never has time to read. She's always complaining about it. If she spent less time complaining about it she'd have more time to read."
"You certainly know your Nikki trivia."
"When you work with her for as long as I have you learn these things, she's a chatterbox, never stops talking. Maybe I'll get her some duct tape so I can actually get my work done in piece! God she is just awful to buy for. If she's got me socks after all this I swear I'll get her a bloody satsuma next year."
"Come on Harry stop jabbering and let's keep looking!"
"Nikki are you alive?" He'd finally bought the present, after hours and hours traipsing round shops with Janet. Hopefully she would like it.
"Urgh."
"I think you're getting too old to be going on benders don't you?"
"Who are you calling old? I've seen your grey hairs before you get the chance to dye it again. Yep, the secret's out, we all know you dye your hair."
"Are you still drunk?"
"Nope, but I feel like crap. I've been lying on the sofa watching day time television. How did you escape the hangover?! You were the one pestering me to stay all night!"
"I was drunk on the atmosphere – it's almost Christmas. Besides, I didn't have to do a bunch of shots to deal with the number of creeps you had coming on to you. Anyway, I've bought us a Chinese."
"Harry did I ever tell you you're my best friend?"
"Thought so. You set up the film then, maybe no wine."
"Best way to get over a hangover is to keep on drinking."
"Not when you're on call the next day and it leaves you looking green. Especially because I know you'll be sat at my desk when you do decide to vomit."
"Fine, fine! Coffee and Chinese it is!"
Around fifteen minutes later Nikki had made herself somewhat presentable, and there was the knock on the door just in time. "Why is he singing? He's doing this just to annoy me."
"Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant… shall I carry on?"
"Please don't, you're about as tuneful as Amy when she does drunk karaoke."
"Ouch, hungover Nikki is catty Nikki. Here, I brought you a present." She almost ripped the bag from his hands, the Chinese food smelt so good.
"Come on get in, it's freezing out there."
"No snow yet though."
"Doubt we'll get any. As per. I'm never going to get to make a snowman like this!"
"Well that's because you're 36…"
"Says the one. Besides, I've never built a snowman. We didn't get snow where I lived when I was a kid, and since then there's never been enough snow."
"You've never built a snowman?! That's almost child abuse."
"It's not that bad."
"Nikki, you have just told me you've never built a snowman. Yesterday you told me you'd never been ice skating. I must wonder what you did at Christmas before me!"
"You know very well what I did at Christmas before you."
"Yes, stayed in eating burnt turkey, drinking wine while watching terrible films!"
"Well thank you for that evaluation but you forgot the part about me shagging some unsuitable guy." She picked up her carton of food and the bottle of wine (she'd caved) that were on the table before sulking away into her room.
"Well done Harry." He sighed and sank back into the sofa.
"Nikki I'm sorry! Please come out. I know I'm an arse. I've put the DVD on, I'm looking forward to watching it. Come out please? I've made you something." He was in fact freezing his hand off. He'd scraped together all of the ice he could from her freezer and made a miniature snowman, he just hoped she opened the door before it melted all over him and her carpet.
"You're not going to talk during the film?"
"I promise." She opened the door and couldn't help but laugh, seeing Harry slouched against the opposite wall, holding in his hand a quickly-melting, tiny snowman.
"I still haven't built one!"
"Well there's enough freezer ice, but I thought we could just watch the film?"
"I think that would be a good idea."
"I'll just go put this back then."
"Yep and make sure the peas have been properly closed, I don't want them to have poured out all over my freezer."
"And wasn't that just the best Christmas film you've ever seen?"
"I suppose, it was quite good. Bit girly though. I need people being hit with paint cans, and having their heads set on fire."
"How Christmassy!"
"You're never going to win me round. Anyway, it's getting late."
"I have just the thing." Nikki disappeared into the kitchen for around ten minutes, enough time for Harry to look through her DVD collection and shake his head at her terrible taste for the billionth time. He could probably tell you every DVD she owned. All he would have to do is think of a Sandra Bullock or Gerard Butler film.
"Here." She handed him a large mug of hot chocolate, topped with cream and marshmallows.
"I suppose even you couldn't go wrong with a hot chocolate…"
"And I'm going to put the fire on. Put on Home Alone then. I saw it in your bag."
"Yes! I also have a surprise for you tomorrow, so let's hope you don't get called in."
"What is it?"
"Well it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you would it?"
"You know I hate surprises."
"You love surprises. Now shush it's coming on." He let her rest her head on him and they cuddled up again on the sofa, in front of the fire, with their hot chocolates. He loved their date nights, he could pretend they were real. Especially when she nodded off, and he kissed her forehead before carrying her to bed, and setting up camp in her spare room.