AN- I understand that this chapter is awful… the next one will be better.. I hope, but I'll let you judge that!
15. Trying it on.
Nikki's body woke her at 6am as it always did, although today she didn't need to be awake. Today was her first day of her maternity leave. She rolled over and looked at Tom who was still sleeping, the alarm wouldn't go off for another 15 minutes and Tom was usually to coax out of bed regardless. He was not usually a morning man. Nikki watched him for a while, the rise and fall of his chest, the flutter of his eyelids as he slept. She savoured this moment of bliss, their baby was due in less than a month.. Not that it wouldn't be blissful having a baby to wake up to, but it would be different. Just as Nikki was beginning to doze off again Tom wrapped his arms around her and started kissing her neck, he pulled her closer,
'Morning love' he said. She knew exactly what he was trying to do, she let him have his way for a while. He started running his hands up and down her body before planting staccato kisses over her milky white skin. She wouldn't pretend she didn't enjoy it, Nikki loved the way their bodies fitted together like spoons, the feel of his rough lips and three-day-stubble on her body, soft in comparison.
Tom held Nikki's arms above her head and looked down at her, smiling into her blue orbs. He kissed her lips before moving down to her neck, sucking the skin slightly.
'Tom', she said between kisses 'Tom!' he stopped and looked at her again, he wore a puzzled expression 'I'm sorry love but I cannot physically have sex with you right now' she told him, as much as he was trying to look understanding she thought that his ego might be a bit damaged. 'its not that I don't want to, really Tom but-' she sighed and ran her hand over her swollen abdomen as Tom let go of her hand and pulled her close again 'not long now' she reassured him.
'Its fine, I guess I was pushing it a bit.. anyway what have you got planned for today?' he asked, kissing her cheek.
'well, I though I'd lounge in bed until lunch time, maybe make a sandwich, d'you think watching Jeremy Kyle will have a negative effect on baby's IQ?'
'almost definitely'.
They both giggled before falling silent, just looking at each other.
'so are you nervous then? Or exited or?' one of Tom's hands caressed Nikki's cheek, she smiled softly.
'a bit nervous I suppose, I dunno.. Excited definitely, I can't wait to meet her'.
'Or him' added Tom, 'I reckon we're getting a boy, I can just feel it'.
'Time will tell' said Nikki raising an eyebrow.
'Right I'm going in the shower, are you staying in bed then?' he threw back the duvet an got out of bed before removing his t-shirt to reveal a torso that was not quite as toned as it used to be. She lay in bed, eyes half open; watching Tom undress. He had locked himself in the bathroom, Nikki heard the shower start to run and soon realised that she wouldn't be getting back to sleep any time soon especially not now she had heard Josh bumbling around in the room down the hall. She had sound that pregnancy had made her senses more acute, everything was amplified. Occasionally this could work to her advantage, hearing across classrooms and such like; but now, when she wanted to go to sleep, everything was just all the more irritating.
Nikki sat up in bed and scanned the room, perhaps she would start a new book, she pulled her self out from under the duvet and sorted through Tom's pile of books, they had never bothered to get a bookcase, and instead there were just odd towers of books around the house. She tossed aside the parenting books, 'your guide to pregnancy' and such like, in search of a real novel. 'Harry Potter'? She'd read that far too many times, despite her all that people thought about her, how hard she was, she secretly loved Harry Potter, and had wept for hours whilst reading the final book. 'A thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini? That could be potentially soul destroying, in her current state she decided that she was probably not emotionally strong enough to read anything like that. Eventually she picked up 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley, it was a battered old copy, the binding was starting to come apart at the bottom a little, not surprising really as it was probably a copy that Tom had had since he was at school. I do love a good gothic horror, she thought to herself before pulling on her dressing gown and getting back into bed, propping herself up with various cushions and pillows.
The sound of running water stopped and Tom appeared in the bedroom door looking rather flustered, 'Nik, have you seen my tie? Any tie?'.
'yeah, I decided you should keep them all in one drawer rather than on different hangers so they're all in with your socks'
'you're a star love'. He leaned over the bed and kissed her on the forehead.
As Nikki watched the car move out of the drive, Josh waved at her from the passenger seat, she felt as though there was nowhere else she would rather be that waterloo road and all of a sudden she wanted to go with them. Instead she stroked her stomach again 'Just you and me today baby'. She whispered.