Harry and Nikki sat curled up on the chair in silence after they had both stopped crying, neither of them feeling the need to speak although they kissed each other softly at random intervals as though to reassure the other that they were there for them and that they were okay. Nikki had moved so she was nestled closer to Harry, her head on his shoulder and Harry resting his head on hers, his arms wrapped around her waist, stroking her hip gently as Nikki fiddled with his shirt.
"I heard what you were talking to Gabriel about" Nikki told her lover, breaking the comfortable silence "This morning. The baby monitor wasn't down that low"
"Oh" Harry murmured and smiled at her "I meant it all you know. You are a brilliant mummy and I've become better than I probably would have been without you. I'm so honoured that you chose me to have babies with and I wanted them to know about where you came from"
"And why I have a 'slight accent that isn't from this country'" she chuckled and Harry nodded "I love you" Nikki then told him tearfully but she pushed them away, shaking her head as Harry smiled lovingly at her "I don't want babies with anyone apart from you"
"I really want to marry you Nikki" Harry whispered as he kissed her forehead and then her nose, before nuzzling her cheek gently with his lips. "I want to be able to introduce you as my wife, not just my girlfriend or fiancé"
"We can't rush into it Harry" Nikki shook her head "I really want to be your wife, I promise you that" she added when she saw Harry's smile fade slightly "But it's a big thing"
"So is having children"
"Yes but..." Nikki trailed off and continued to fiddle with the front of Harry's shirt "Let's give it a few years. Please. I don't want to jump into something we're not ready for. We're brilliant as we are now and I just want to keep it that way before we go any further"
"Okay" Harry smiled, understanding where Nikki was coming from as he fiddled with the ring that was on her finger "I understand"
"You're not disappointed?"
"Of course not" Harry shook his head and kissed Nikki on the forehead, making her smile at him. "Well maybe a little because you still don't have my last name"
Nikki just giggled and leant down to kiss him again.
"Another drink?" Ada asked her friends later on as she reached behind her onto the table and picked up the bottle of vodka as well as the bottle of orange juice as well. Everyone was at Harry and Nikki's revising, their friends having brought drinks and food to eat and drink while revising, everyone apart from Ada had avoided the alcohol, none of them wanting to drink too much with children in the house. Nikki was grateful for this but told them that they shouldn't stop having a good time. William's response had been that they didn't need alcohol for a good time and they didn't want anything to happen with the babies in the house just upstairs especially if one of them was needed. Ada on the other hand had had quite a few drinks and it was showing, Georg had told her to stop but she had just ignored her brother and kept on drinking.
"Ada I think you've had enough"
"Oh leave her" Nikki replied quietly, looking up from the maths textbook on her lap and shaking her head at her female friend who was shakily pouring the drink "She can sleep it off tonight"
Georg just eyed his sister warily before glancing over at the work Harry was showing him how to do. Nikki looked up at Ada who was slowly working her way through the bottle of vodka, she was going to have to take it off her friend soon before she did some damage to herself. She couldn't understand why Ada was acting like this, they drank at family occasions and get-togethers with the older adults as well but none of them had got as drunk as Ada was at that moment.
"Nikki"
"Yes" Nikki replied, looking up at Ada again as her friend slurred her name slightly, the other young woman nodding slightly.
"Can I talk to you?"
"Hmm" Nikki nodded, closing the text book and standing up as Ada stumbled unsteadily to her feet. Nikki then motioned to Georg to get rid of the half full bottle of Vodka while they were gone and he nodded. "You're not feeling sick are you?"
"No" Ada giggled and Nikki rolled her eyes.
"Good because you can clean it up if you are" Nikki replied as she led Ada out of the room for their chat.
"Nikki" Ada whined as she was led into the smaller living room, her friend holding her hand and pausing when she heard the loud cry from one of the babies upstairs. A few seconds later Harry walked out of the living room and Nikki smiled.
"I'll get him; he can come down here and play"
"Bring them both down" Nikki told her lover, ignoring Ada as her drunk friend tugged on her arm, giggling all the time.
"But Gabriel.."
"Please Harry" Nikki murmured and Harry sighed and nodded "His meds are on the side, he's due some"
Harry nodded and made his way upstairs, Ada finally dragging Nikki into the other living room and closing the door behind her.
"What is it?" Nikki asked Ada who was standing very close to her, a small smile on her face "Ada?"
"I'm bi" Ada told her suddenly and Nikki frowned, chuckling slightly and shaking her head.
"You needed to inform me of this?"
"Well..." Ada drew the word out as the alcohol began to set in again, smiling at the other young woman who still made her heart jump in her chest every now and again when she looked at her. "I thought you might want to know"
"I thought we'd already established this" Nikki chuckled, walking over to the sofa and sitting herself down as Ada stood by the doorway fiddling with a piece of her hair "Maybe when Jurian grows up he will be straight so your mum can have one of each" she giggled and Ada threw her an un-amused look which just had Nikki laughing even more. "Okay I'm sorry"
"No you're not" Ada smiled slightly and Nikki giggled once more.
"You're right, I'm not"
"I cheated on Adrian"
Nikki sighed and shook her head, leaning back on the sofa and fiddling with a stray thread on her jeans as she kept her eyes trained on Ada who was staying by the door, an upset look on her face.
"With a woman"
"You're my friend Ada and I love you. What you do with yourself is your own business as long as you don't get hurt but..you have to be careful" Nikki told her friend who just shrugged and smirked at her "I mean it Ada, not everyone is as open minded as we are either"
"Don't you want to know what happened?" Ada poured, completely ignoring what Nikki had just said as she grinned drunkenly at her friend and the woman that she still thought that she fancied. A lot.
"Go on" Nikki sighed, shaking her head slightly as Ada began to tell her.
"I was at Adrian's and we got into an argument so I told him I was going home" Ada told Nikki who just nodded "But I was sitting in a cafe when a young woman our age came in and sat down at my table because there was no-where else to sit. We started talking and then we..well we went back to hers. She's really nice"
"That's what you said about Lucas and Adrian" Nikki reminded Ada and her friend sighed and nodded.
"Yeah I know"
"What's her name?"
"Jennifer"
"Are you seeing her again?"
"Well we exchanged numbers before I went back to Adrian's and..."
"You went back?"
"Yes" Ada sighed and Nikki could see her looking guilty "I know it was wrong but..I wanted to apologise to him for what I'd said to him and we made up"
"By..."
"Well we..you know, had sex"
Nikki couldn't believe that this was her friend Ada talking to her, the young woman who had been so sure that she was saving herself for someone special. The blonde didn't like this side of her friend at all and she knew that Ada was going to get hurt or gain a reputation. But Ada was her friend and despite what she was doing and the way it went against everything that Nikki thought that Ada was she would try and be there for her.
"Don't tell anyone"
"I won't" Nikki shook her head as she replied quietly, looking down at her lap and fiddling with the edge of her t-shirt.
"Thank you" Ada giggled drunkenly and grinned, leaning over and pressing her lips to Nikki's before standing up and walking from the room.
Nikki then grimaced and wiped her mouth in an attempt to remove the taste of alcohol. She hated the stuff ever since her father had begun to drink and the way that Ada was drinking made her concerned.
The door opened again and Ada bounded back into the room, sitting herself down on the sofa with a pout on her face.
"They don't want me in there when I'm like this" she told Nikki and instantly wrapped her arms around her waist, laying her head on Nikki's chest and closing her eyes. Nikki just sighed and shook her head, draping one arm over Ada's shoulders as she did so.