"How do I look?" Nicky asked, walking around the corner into the living room with her arms outstretched as she motioned to herself.
Red, who had been sitting on the sofa reading a book, glanced up at Nicky through her violet spectacles. "Pretty," she said with a smile.
"Pretty?" Nicky raised her eyebrows as she waited for more. She was dressed in a tight fitting black mini dress, under a black leather jacket, with above the knee black leather boots. She completed her look with silver bangles on her wrist and a smoky eye.
"Hot? Sexy? Fierce?" Red suggested with a twinkle in her eye.
"Yeah, that works," Nicky grinned. She walked over and kneeled on the couch next to Red, "it's my first night out," she reminded her.
"I know," Red smiled, "I'm excited for you. You're going to have a great night out with the girls." She looked back at the book on her lap.
"Uh huh," Nicky said, covering Red's book with her hand. Red had been reading through the Harry Potter series voraciously ever since Nicky had come home. Julio had introduced her to them. Red had started the first one just to please Julio and give them something in common to talk about, but halfway through she had become completely enthralled. She had been devouring the final volume intently all day, much to her daughter's annoyance.
"Nicky!" Red protested, as the book was tugged out of her grasp and laid spine-up on the coffee table.
"You can read when I'm gone," Nicky told her, "besides I'm doing you a favour. You're going to go through deep withdrawal once you finish the series. You should make it last a little longer. You've been reading all day!"
"I hope you realize you've left me in the middle of a very important cliff-hanger," Red complained.
"They'll be here soon anyways," Nicky pointed out. Scooting closer to Red she rested her head on her shoulder. Red wrapped an arm around her.
"I can't believe you offered to babysit on New Years Eve," Nicky said, "you could have come with me. It's going to be lots of fun."
"I think you'll have lots more fun without me," Red said lightly, "why would you want to drag your mother around with you on New Years Eve?"
"Well, it will be easier to hook up without you watching," Nicky conceded with a playful smirk.
"I suppose so," Red said dryly, "just behave yourself. Don't do anything stupid."
"I won't," Nicky promised, "I don't know why you're worried about me. Lida's the one you should be worried about. It's her first night out without the kids in how long? She's going to go wild."
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Red said dismissively, just as the doorbell rang. Daisy began barking frantically and leaped off of the arm chair where she had been taking a nap. Red's dog, who had been curled up on the floor, stretched, before trotting after his yippy friend.
"You always think the worst of me, don't you?" Nicky complained, straightening up as her eyes followed Red's back to the door.
"Of course not, Maylyshka," Red teased, turning back to look at Nicky, "I know you'll be a good girl tonight." She opened the front door to reveal Lida and Vasily, each holding one of their two kids.
"Why is there not an elevator," Vasily panted, stepping over the threshold with Vera in one arm and a folded-up stroller under the other.
"Pathetic," Lida grinned, as she cradled Alexei, "you really should start working out again, babe. You should not be worn out from a walk up a single flight of stairs."
"Carrying a baby and a stroller," Vasily countered.
"Please," Lida rolled her eyes dramatically at Red, "I carried the bigger child, and I'm fine." Alexei was still sound asleep in her arms. He was a heavy sleeper and hadn't stirred at all on the walk over to his grandmother's, nor at the sound of the barking dogs.
"I'll just lay him on your bed," Lida said to Red, walking with familiarity towards the hall where she knew Red's bedroom to be. This wasn't the first time that Red had kept her grandchildren overnight. Alexei always slept in the bed with her and Vera had a collapsible playpen that Red stored in the closet until it was needed.
"The playpen is all set up for this little missy," Red said, unzipping the pink snowsuit Vera was snuggled in, while Vasily held her still.
"I don't think you're ready for bed just yet though, are you dear?" Red asked. Vera giggled as Red succeeded in removing the snowsuit and took the little girl into her arms. The baby was dressed in adorable fleece Minnie Mouse pajamas.
"You want to stay up and play with your Grandma for a little bit, don't you?" Red adjusted Vera on her hip and smiled.
"Oh sure," Nicky rolled her eyes, kneeling on the couch looking over at them, "Harry Potter can wait once the baby comes to visit. I ask you to help me straighten my hair this afternoon and what did I get?"
"Your hair isn't straight," Vasily pointed out dumbly, as he kicked off his shoes and walked over to sit in the arm chair adjacent Nicky.
"Exactly," Nicky said, giving Red a pointed stare.
"I like it curly better anyway," Red told her, walking over to sit on the couch with Vera in her lap, "and I don't think the heat is very good for your hair anyway."
"Neither is red hair dye," Nicky said obnoxiously, "but we all have something."
"Well, either way, I think you look nice Nic.," Vasily said, once he had stopped laughing behind his mother's back at what Nicky said. He knew he would never get away with being so outspoken.
"Nice?" Nicky repeated, "that's it? What is with your family and half-hearted compliments?"
"What do you mean?" asked Vasily.
"I spent almost two hours getting ready," Nicky told him, "I look great! I deserve more than nice."
"She wants you to say that she looks sexy," Red told Vasily, with a look of exasperation on her face.
"Ew," Vasily answered, "you're my sister."
"Well, do you think this looks sexy?" Lida asked, walking back into the living room. She had unzipped her gray winter jacket to reveal the emerald green sweater dress that she was wearing with black leggings and low-heeled black booties.
"I already told you that you looked gorgeous," Vasily smiled appreciatively at his wife, "maybe a little too good to be going out without me tonight. Should I be worried?" They had decided to go their separate ways tonight. Vasily was going out with Yuri and some friends for the evening, and Lida had jumped at the chance for a girls' night out, when Nicky phoned her up the other day and invited her.
"Not in the slightest, love," Lida smiled, "you're the one for me." She perched herself on the arm of Vasily's chair. Her husband wrapped his arm around her waist and gave a little tug so that Lida fell onto his lap. She giggled as she tried to get away.
"That's a stunning colour on you, Lida," Red smiled, when Lida and Vasily had finished struggling together. Lida leaned herself back in her husband's arms contentedly. "Both of you girls look beautiful."
"Thanks," Lida grinned, "Alexei's on your bed. I tucked him in and hopefully he won't wake up until morning. Vera should be fine, except she'll want a bottle right before she falls asleep."
"I know the drill," Red said simply.
"I know you do," Lida agreed sheepishly. They went through the same rehearsed speech every time Lida left the kids with her mother-in-law. She knew her babies were in excellent hands, but it was always difficult for her to tear herself away from them. Red was not offended. She had felt the same way about her own children when they had been babies. She hadn't even trusted Dmitri to watch them alone, except when she had no other alternative. Red's mother-in-law had never babysat the boys, not that Red would have wanted her to even if she had offered, which she never had.
"Well, I guess we better get going," Nicky said, getting to her feet and walking purposefully to the front door, "we have reservations for nine." She slung her black pocket book with the silver chain over her shoulder.
"Yeah, we should head out so that I'm not late meeting the guys, since I have to drop you two off first," Vasily said. He patted Lida's thigh to motion for her to get off of him. Then he walked purposefully towards the front door to put his shoes back on.
Lida nodded and reached out to take Vera from Red's arms so that she could kiss her goodbye. "I'm just going to check in on Alexei before we go," she said, heading back in the direction of Red's bedroom so that could give her sleeping son another goodbye kiss.
"What could possibly have happened in two minutes?" Nicky complained, "she was just in there."
"You'll understand when you're a mother someday," Red smiled.
"That's never going to happen," Nicky said confidently, "you won't be getting any grandchildren from me. Except for Daisy." She reached down to pick up her dog from the floor and bestowed affectionate kisses on every inch of her face.
"How are you planning to get back tonight?" Red asked, standing up and fixing the button on her gray silk pajama top that Vera had undone. Lida and Vasily intended to go straight home after their respective nights out and would pick up the kids sometime tomorrow.
"We'll take a cab," Nicky shrugged, "Piper was going to drive but then we realized that traffic would be insane. I'll probably be back around one, I don't want to stay out much later than that." It was going to be her first social night out in over five years and though she was excited, Nicky did not want to overdo it. At least she would be with friends who respected and encouraged her sobriety. She knew she would be potentially surrounded by temptations that night. Nicky knew she was strong enough to resist, but it meant a great deal to not have to do it all alone.
"Okay," Red agreed, "you'll call me if you need anything right?" Just as it was hard for Lida to tear herself away from her kids, although she was thrilled to be getting a night out without them, Nicky could tell that Red was struggling to let her go. It had just been over one week since her release and Red had barely let Nicky out of her sight at all in that time. It had been a source of great anxiety for Red when she had needed to return to work after the Christmas festivities were over. She worried about leaving Nicky alone and hated missing out on time with her.
Nicky had not found Red returning to work nearly as traumatic as Red seemed to expect her to. She enjoyed a few lazy days of sleeping in, watching tv, and ordering Chinese take out. She figured she deserved a relaxing break. It was only at Red's insistence that Nicky left the cozy confines of their small apartment to take Lida up on her invitation to come ice skating with her and the two kids. Nicky complained to Red later that she had been forced to endure over an hour of dragging Alexei around the ice on skates he couldn't even stand up in yet, but it was obvious she had had a good time. Lida might be a little more over enthusiastic than Nicky was used to, like a Mary Poppins on speed, but she was very nice and seemed to really desire Nicky's friendship. It was why Nicky had been happy to include her in the plans she made with Piper for a night out this New Years Eve.
"He's still sleeping like an angel," Lida announced to them all as she came back into the living room with the still wide-awake Vera. She kissed her daughter on both cheeks and then passed her over to Red.
"I'll text you if we need anything," Red told her, sounding bemused, "but I'm certain I won't have to. Have a good time tonight." Vera started waving adorably at her mother, perfectly content to be in her grandma's arms. It was Lida who had the problem with leaving.
"I will," Lida nodded, leaning forward to kiss her mother-in-law's cheek, "and thanks again for watching them. I hope you know how much I appreciate you."
"Yeah, thanks Ma," Vasily added.
"Okay, let's go," Nicky said impatiently, turning the door handle and letting in the winter chill, "see you tonight, mom."
She led the way down the stairs and climbed into the back seat of Vasily and Lida's car once the doors were unlocked. Their first stop was to pick up Piper at work. She had been employed at the restaurant for almost two years and had gained enough sonority in that time to manage to be off early on New Years Eve.
"I was just about to text you," Piper exclaimed when Vasily pulled the car up to the curb in front of the restaurant where she was waiting, "I thought you would have been here by now."
"Blame this one," Nicky said, pointing a finger at the back of Lida's head, "she needed to say goodbye to her kids more times than Marka ever bothered to say bye to me in my lifetime before we were allowed to leave."
Lida giggled as she blushed to the roots of her hair. "Hi, Piper," she smiled, as she turned around in her seat to greet her. "it's nice to see you again."
"You too," Piper replied. She had met Lida a few days ago at the mall when Nicky had asked them both to come shopping with her so that she could buy new clothes and other things she thought she needed. Nicky charged everything to a platinum credit card without care. Lida's eyes had bugged out at the amount of money Nicky was spending, but Nicky had only shrugged and explained that money was the only thing her mother had ever been good for.
As per Marka's instructions, the bank had sent the card to Red's apartment after the two of them had spoken on the phone at length about where Nicky would be staying once she was released. Not jealous in the slightest over her daughter's affection for this other woman, Marka had offered Red free lease of a condo that was much larger and grandeur then the humble apartment that she currently lived in. Of course, Red had adamantly refused the offer. As she had before, Red told Marka plainly that while it was wonderful she wanted to support Nicky, she herself was opposed to any handouts. She was offended at the implication that the life she provided for herself was not good enough.
Marka had seemed to get the message, although it was obvious that it made her uncomfortable not to be permitted to compensate Red financially for the emotional support she provided so selflessly to her daughter. Red had promised to give Nicky the credit card upon her release, which she had done. That same day Nicky had decided to go on a shopping spree with Lida and Piper. She hadn't told Red the plan because she knew she would have disapproved. Red had told her she should get by on what she had and wait until she was working and could buy things with her own money. Red was still a little miffed about Nicky's reluctance to apply to college, and said she disapproved of Nicky accepting Marka's financial support when she wasn't in school. If Nicky was not in school there was no reason not to be working. Nicky knew things would be better between them once she started a job.
"I'm so glad we're going out tonight," Piper exclaimed, "I could use a strong drink after the shift I just worked. My parents are hosting their god-awful New Years bash at the house tonight."
"Why is it awful?" asked Lida curiously, still turned in her seat so that she could talk to Piper and Nicky more naturally. She placed her hand on Vasily's knee, as he merged back onto the road in the direction of the restaurant that they had decided to begin their evening at."
"Ugh," Piper groaned, "stuffy people, fancy food, and dressed up waiters and maids is not how I want to spend my New Year. I did that last year. I lost most of my friends while I was in prison, and didn't really have a better alternative because Cal and Neri had been out of town at some green living convention then."
"At least your parents invited you even if you didn't want to go," Nicky countered, "my parents would just be like we're having a party, find somewhere else to be or don't come out of your room."
"Oh, Nicky, I'm sorry," said Vasily, glancing over at her in the rear-view mirror.
"I never was invited to a fancy party like that," Lida said, "and neither were my parents. Before my mamochka died, she'd sometimes take me out to dinner and to see the fireworks, but that was about it. Usually we just watched the ball drop on television."
"We always stayed home when I was a kid too," Vasily said, "Ma and Pop would let us stay up until midnight and we'd just have a party at home with the tv on. Ma would bake a lot of different sweets, Pop would make a fire for us kids to roast marshmallows on, and we'd play cards."
"That sounds exactly what a New Year's Eve should be like," Nicky said, smiling at the image Vasily had concocted in her head. What a nice family they all must have been. Even if Red and Dmitri hadn't had a very good marriage, they seem to have always managed to put aside those differences to give their sons a happy home life and a childhood full of wonderful memories. It was a far cry from Nicky's own parents who had used their daughter as a means to lash out at each other. Nicky had to give it to Red, and even begrudgingly to Dmitri, for having put their sons first.
"Aww, babe," Lida turned to Vasily, "now I feel bad for not roasting marshmallows with Alexei and Vera this New Year's Eve instead."
"Roast marshmallows with them tomorrow," Nicky rolled her eyes up to the ceiling of the car, "we're going out tonight. You are not allowed to worry about the kids tonight."
"Easier said than done," Lida smiled, looking down at the phone in her hand that she was typing on with speedy fingers.
"You better not be texting who I think you are," Nicky said, as she reached forward and snatched the cell phone out of her sister-in-law's hand.
"Nicky!" Lida cried, "give me that back!"
"No," Nicky laughed, "it's only been ten minutes since we left the house. You're going to ruin your night out if you spend the whole time texting her about the kids." Nicky quickly started typing out a hurried message on Lida's phone.
"What are you doing?" asked Lida.
"I'm telling her to disregard your last text because you're insane," Nicky said simply, making Piper giggle, "and I told her I'm confiscating your phone for the evening so if she needs you, which she won't, she needs to call me."
"Nicky," Lida protested with a small laugh.
"Also," Nicky added, slipping Lida's phone into the pocket of her leather jacket as Vasily parked the car, "your first drink of the night is on me. I think you could use one."
Vasily, who wholeheartedly agreed with Nicky, couldn't help but tease his wife as he kissed her goodbye. She really did have a hard time letting go of the children. They had left them overnight with Red a few times at Vasily's insistence that they schedule some time alone together, but Lida always remained jumpy and glued to her phone the entire time that he almost shouldn't have bothered. He was hopeful that Nicky might be successful in getting his wife to relax a little bit.
Vasily didn't want to end up like his parents who had never spent any time together without him and his brothers around. He didn't really accept that a lot of that probably had to do with Red not actually wanting to be alone with her husband. As the youngest son, he still held on to some delusions that his older brothers had long ago learned to let go of.
The three women turned heads as Nicky led the way to the bar and told the bartender to keep a running tab as she ordered Lida a shot of vodka mixed with juice, Piper a margarita, and herself a diet soda.
"I'm not going to let you pay for this," Piper said, as they found seats at the bar while they waited for their table to be ready.
"I'm not paying for them," Nicky said smoothly, "Marka is."
"I thought you didn't want to be dependent on her for money?" Piper asked, taking a long sip of her drink.
"Well, I'm not working yet," Nicky replied, "so I need to use the card until then. And a few extra drinks on the bill won't even be noticed by Marka. She doesn't care. I could live off her for the rest of my life and she wouldn't say anything."
"I gave my boss your resume," Piper told her, "I'll bet he will call you on Monday." She was a little taken-a-back at how casual Nicky was at spending her estranged mother's money. It seemed hypocritical after all of Nicky's big talk about how much she hated her mother and wanted absolutely nothing from her. She didn't seem to have a problem spending Marka's money.
"Great," Nicky said simply.
"This tastes so good," Lida sighed happily, as she put down her drink which was already half empty.
"Slow down, girl," Piper laughed.
"I don't have to," Lida giggled, "I'm off mommy duty tonight." Nicky refusing to hand back her phone seemed to be doing her a world of good. Nicky on the other hand, was now the one staring blankly down at her own cell phone.
"Something wrong?" Lida asked her, immediately looking worried again, "did mama say something about the kids?"
"What?" Nicky asked her blankly, "oh, no. It's not her. It's Lorna."
"Who's Lorna?" asked Lida, taking a final sip and then placing her empty glass down on the counter.
"Lorna Morello?" Piper asked, and Nicky nodded.
"I thought that was done?" asked Piper bluntly, "Alex told me she never came to visit you and rarely even wrote." Her words felt like a punch to the throat to Nicky. She knew what Lorna had or hadn't done for her, she didn't need Piper to remind her.
"I called her on Christmas after we got back from visiting Gloria," Nicky said, "Red went to lie down and I was just hanging around by myself so I decided to call her. We talked for hours."
"Lorna was in Litchfield too?" Lida asked, trying to piece together what was happening.
"Yeah," Piper answered, "she and Nicky were together for a long time. Then Lorna got out and they didn't keep in touch."
"She's going to meet us," Nicky said, "she just texted me that she's on her way. I invited her to come tonight but she wasn't sure she would be able to."
"That's such great news," Piper said happily, "It's going to be so great to see her again. Lorna is really sweet, Lida. She was the first person that was nice to me when I got there."
"She sounds nice," Lida said smoothly, not troubled at all that her whole life seemed to revolve around former prisoners now, from her mother-in-law to those she socialized with. Lida knew better than to judge people for mistakes they made in the past. It was never too late to redeem yourself and start over. She was seeing it happen before her very eyes.
Lida could tell that Nicky was more than a little nervous about seeing Lorna again. She didn't know the story about them, but it was completely obvious that whatever had gone down, those two very close. Maybe even in love.
"I'm going to order another drink," Piper said, finishing the final drop of her margarita, "do you want another, Lida?"
"Sure," Lida smiled at the tall blonde, "thanks Piper." After Piper had gone, Lida scooted her chair a little closer to Nicky.
"How long until Lorna gets here?" she asked kindly.
"Any minute," Nicky replied with a slight flush, "she texted me from a cab."
"Well, if you two want time alone, please feel free to tell Piper and me to get lost," Lida laughed, "we can amuse ourselves."
Nicky opened her mouth but clamped it tightly shut when she saw a petite dark haired girl walk into the restaurant and look around the room uncertainty until her eyes landed on Nicky.
"Nicky!" Lorna said happily from across the room. In an instant Nicky was on her feet and walked briskly until she wrapped her arms around Lorna's tiny waist.
"You look great, hon," Lorna said happily, almost bouncing on the spot with excitement. After they pulled away from the hug, Lorna tucked her hand into Nicky's arm and leaned her head against her shoulder. She was so happy to see her again and couldn't get close enough.
"So, what made you change your mind about coming tonight?" Nicky asked, pulling Lorna back to where Lida was sitting.
"Oh, well, you know," Lorna said vaguely, "I was missing you. I'm always missing you. I didn't want to put off seeing you for another minute."
"Hey, I'm not complaining," Nicky said easily, "I was hoping you'd show up." She kissed Lorna's temple affectionately. Lida smiled brightly at the pair as she stood up to shake hands.
"Lida, this is Lorna Morello," Nicky said formally, "the prettiest girl in the entire world."
"Oh, Nicky, stop," Lorna scoffed, but looked pleased.
"Lorna, this is Lida Reznikov," Nicky continued, "she's married to Red's son, Vasily."
"Hi," Lorna smiled, sticking out a hand for Lida to shake, "it's nice to meet you."
"Same to you," Lida smiled, "that's a really beautiful dress you are wearing, by the way." Lorna was dressed in a strapless red dress that hit above the knees with a black open coat over top.
"Lorna!" Piper exclaimed, coming back to the table with two drinks. She set them down on the table and wrapped her arms around Lorna in a hug. Lorna hugged her back affectionately with a single-arm because she refused to let go of her hold on Nicky.
It was more than Nicky had dared to dream would happen tonight. The four women talked easily with one another as they sipped cocktails at the bar, or in Nicky's case soda, until a hostess came to escort them to their table. Nicky made sure that she was seated next to Lorna and they purposefully moved their chairs so that they could sit even closer. They entwined their legs together and held hands except when they were eating.
Nicky wasn't sure what to make of everything and was terrified of getting her hopes up. She and Lorna had remained lovers up until the minute before Lorna had been released from Litchfield. Nicky still couldn't fight the smile that appeared on her face every time she remembered the special send off she had given to her. Yet, Lorna had never come back to visit Nicky like she had said she would. Nicky had saved every letter that Lorna sent her and each one had filled her with hope that someday they could be together like she had wished they could from the moment that they had met. However, Nicky always had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she deserved more than what Lorna gave her. If the situations had been revered and Nicky had been the first to be released, she knew that she would have been there every Saturday for visitation without fail, like Red did for Gloria, just to make sure that Lorna was okay.
As they sat together, engaging in pleasant conversation with Piper and Lida, Nicky paid careful attention to the way Lorna gripped her hand in hers and brushed her arm when she said something directly to her. No way in hell were those gestures platonic. It was as electric between them as it always had been, it was wrong to be depriving themselves of this connection. Nicky had thought she made her peace with how things were between them but she couldn't fight the fluttery feelings that filled up inside of her whenever Lorna gave her adoring looks. She still held out irrational hope that someday Lorna might love her the way Nicky loved her. It was a hard impulse to fight even if she knew it was self-destructive.
They lingered at the table after their meal was finished and Nicky ordered an expensive bottle of wine for the others to share. She had ignored all of the insistence that they split the bill and had handed the waiter Marka's credit card with instructions to add a forty percent tip for himself. Nicky was feeling generous. She was proud of herself for not even feeling tempted to have a drink. She had thought it would be more difficult to refrain when everybody around her was drinking, but she was having such a good time with Piper, Lida, and especially Lorna that it didn't even phase her. A little wine with dinner probably would not have hurt Nicky, but it was a slippery slope she didn't want to risk treading. Red had agreed with her.
When Nicky had told Red of her plans for New Years Eve it had instigated a serious conversation between the two of them about what Nicky would be doing and whether she was really ready to be out without Red's support. Red didn't exactly trust Piper to keep Nicky on the straight an arrow, but she had felt much better when she found out that Lida was going too. Which was ironic, because Lida was already half in the bag before they even left the restaurant. She wrapped her arms around Piper and was telling her how much she loved her, even though they had only met recently. Nicky would be f**ked if drunk Lida was supposed to be her good example of sobriety tonight.
Nicky and Lorna stood with their arms around one another as they hailed a cab outside of the restaurant. The taxis were even more in demand than usual on New Years Eve and they weren't surprised that they needed to wait.
"I don't even care," Lida said chirpily, "I mean it is cold outside, but it's so beautiful. Maybe we should walk to the bar? That might be fun." She excitedly bounced on the balls of her feet. Evidently alcohol managed to make her even more hyper and bubbly than normal.
"I'm not walking," Lorna said to Lida with a laugh, "I'll ruin my shoes," she stuck out a foot to show Lida the stiletto gray booties she was wearing.
"And they're such pretty shoes!" Lida exclaimed, "I wish I had shoes like that. I'd probably fall if I tried to walk in them though."
"That's okay," Piper reassured Lida, "your shoes are nice too."
"I've had them for years," Lida shrugged, lifting her right foot slightly and almost falling over as she tried to balance on one foot, "you can see the scruff marks on the side of them."
"Well, we didn't until you pointed it out," Nicky told her with a smirk, "get in the car before you hurt yourself." They had finally hailed a cab and all piled in. Jammed in like sardines, Lorna was half seated on Nicky's lap, which Nicky didn't mind in the slightest.
"Next year I'll be ringing in the new year with Alex," Piper sighed, as she looked out the window into the bustling city, "I feel sort of guilty being out having fun late at night when we know the lights are already shut off in Litchfield. Does it make you sad too?"
"Well, now that you brought it up I guess so," Nicky rolled her eyes, "but we can't do anything for them right now so let's try not to think about it." For one night she would like to forget about prison, who was out, and who was still inside. Red had been upset since their visit to Gloria on Christmas Day. She had confided in Nicky that night about how much Gloria was really struggling and it had made Nicky feel irrationally guilty. She knew she would sleep better once they were all free and together again. She thought about Gloria and Alex a lot too, but she wanted one night that was just for herself.
The taxi let them out in front of the nightclub that was already jamming and packed with people. The four women linked arms and walked close together so that they wouldn't be separated.
"Nicky, I want to get another drink," Lida said, tugging on the sleeve of Nicky's leather jacket. She sounded almost like a pleading child then a grown woman.
"That's probably the last thing you need," Nicky told her, "but hey, it's fine with me. You're entertaining. I'll go get a round for you guys. Just stay at the table with Piper so that I don't lose you, eh?" Lida and Piper agreed obediently, before turning back to talk intently with one another.
"Come with me," Nicky whispered in Lorna's ear, rubbing her shoulders.
"Okay," Lorna agreed happily, getting up and walking hand and hand with Nicky to the bar.
"You haven't changed at all, you know," Nicky smiled down at Lorna, wrapping her arm around her waist, "just better clothes."
"You're the same too," Lorna said quietly, "I was worried you would be mad at me for not visiting. I wanted to, babe. I don't know why I didn't make more of an effort."
"Eh, it's water under the bridge," Nicky said smoothly, not wanting to reveal how much Lorna's absence had actually hurt her, "I know you must have been busy getting your life all sorted. How's all of that going? You working?"
"Yeah, I got a job as an assistant to Mr. Harry Cleavers. He does home design work and I help him around his office," Lorna said, she leaned forward and whispered, "he's really handsome, Nicky."
"Oh, yeah," Nicky said flatly, taking the non-alcoholic cocktails that she had ordered for Piper and Lida from the bartender. She was positive they wouldn't notice the difference and Nicky wanted them to pace themselves.
Nicky wanted to pretend she hadn't heard the last line of what Lorna had said but she had heard it and it didn't surprise her. This was the way things always seemed to go between them and Nicky knew there wasn't any use getting upset about it. She and Lorna walked back to the table together and found it occupied by people who weren't Piper or Lida.
"Where the f**k are they?" Nicky muttered, looking around.
"There they are," Lorna pointed, "they're dancing!" She leaned forward and kissed Nicky's shoulder, "you and me should go dance too!"
"Absolutely, babe," Nicky replied, "let me just go hand those two their drinks and then I'm all yours."
They walked onto the dance floor to deliver the drinks Nicky had bought them. Lida threw herself into Nicky's arms and declared her the best sister she could have ever asked for. Then she took a long sip of her drink, sloshing half of it down the front of her green knit dress because she wouldn't stop dancing when she wanted to take a drink.
Nicky just chuckled and walked a little way away with Lorna, pulling her close as they swayed to the music. This was how she wanted to spend her first New Years as a free woman. Maybe she could only hold Lorna for one night, maybe she would get to hold her longer, but Nicky didn't want to let go until she had to. For some reason, with Lorna all bets were off and Nicky was willing to give more love than she knew would ever possibly be reciprocated.
"I've missed you so much, Nicky," Lorna whispered in her ear and then turned her head so that she could kiss Nicky's cheek.
"I missed you too," Nicky admitted, "I thought about you every day and wondered how you were doing. Whether your sister and her kids were driving you nuts yet."
"Oh my god," Lorna exclaimed, "it's unbelievable. The smells in that house and the noise, I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stand it."
"Well if you have a good job now you could always move out and get a place on your own," Nicky told her. She twirled Lorna around before pulling her closely back into her embrace.
"That seems lonely though," Lorna replied, "now if you were there it would be perfect. Maybe you and me should buy a house together? I wish I lived with you instead of Franny."
"A house?" Nicky asked, a smile playing on her lips, "I'd love playing house with you kid. You'd need to stop telling me how handsome your boss is first though. Then I'd be game."
"Oh, but he is handsome," Lorna sighed, "he's older, but not in grandpa way, more in a silver haired, distinguished way."
"Uh huh," Nicky said dryly.
"And he's really smart too," Lorna pressed on, "you know he studied architecture in school?"
"I didn't," Nicky replied flatly. A slow song began to play and she hugged Lorna closer, as they turned in a circle.
"I'm learning so much from him," Lorna said, resting her head on Nicky's shoulder as they danced.
"That's good," Nicky said, "you seem like you're doing really well. I don't think us moving in together would be the wisest decision I could make based on what you're telling me but I'm happy for you."
"I don't think he'd want a baby though," Lorna whispered, in Nicky's ear, "He has three kids and they're already grown up. I keep trying to make myself accept that it's not going to work out but I like him so that's my problem."
"Well, maybe you should start to look elsewhere, then," Nicky sighed.
"I don't want to look elsewhere though," Lorna confessed, "I just want to look at you. I know you're who I need to be with."
Nicky smiled sadly and cupped Lorna's cheek with her hand. "I think you still have a lot of sh!t that needs to be worked out before I'd be ready to commit to anything, but you know that I've always loved you. I've made my feelings very clear about what I wanted."
"That's good," Lorna said, nuzzling her head against Nicky's shoulder. The song ended and Nicky suggested that they go outside to get some air. They passed Piper and Lida who were both laughing together as the cozied up on the dance floor.
"Do you think I should call him?" Lorna asked Nicky as they walked out into the crisp night.
"Who?" Nicky blinked, "the boss guy?" She had thought they were passed this by now. Nicky didn't know or necessarily need the details about how far things had gone between Lorna and this older man. Whether he shared in her affections or if this relationship was all just a fantasy in her mind. Falling in love at work with a much older boss did seem to fit the sort of insane romantic ideals of Lorna Morello. Nicky didn't know what to believe.
"Yeah," Lorna nodded, "I don't think it's fair to not give him a final chance."
"Maybe you should then," Nicky sighed, "you need to figure things out. Start the New Year on a clean slate. Don't waste your time in a relationship that is going nowhere." It was a pep talk that Nicky probably should have been giving to herself but she had never been very good at following her own good advice.
"He lives close to here," Lorna said, warming to the idea, "I could see if he wants to come pick me up." She turned to Nicky, "oh but honey, I shouldn't leave. This is supposed to be our night out together."
"Figure out your sh!t, and you and I can start to spend every night together," Nicky said, displaying a forced smile on her face so that Lorna wouldn't see that she was upset.
"You wouldn't mind?" Lorna asked cautiously. She pulled out of her phone and started to send off a careful text.
"So long as you're happy," Nicky said, "besides, I have two drunk friends inside that need to be taken care of. If I stay out here too long Lida might try taking her top off or something and Vasily would kill me."
Lorna linked her arm in Nicky's and rested her head on her shoulder, "I'm a mess, aren't I, Nicky?"
"Oh, most definitely," Nicky said wryly, "but I love you anyways."
"I love you too," Lorna said, "I love you more than anybody else in this world."
"That's good," Nicky said wearily, pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand.
A text came back almost instantly from Harry Cleavers saying that he would be by to pick Lorna up in about five minutes.
"How do I look?" Lorna asked anxiously, smoothing her hair and dress down.
"Gorgeous," Nicky said, wrapping her arm around Lorna's head and leaning over to kiss her forehead, "did I mention how much I love that dress on you?"
"Harry bought it for me," Lorna said.
Nicky looked taken-a-back but only for a moment. "He's going to be happy to see you wearing it then," Nicky said quietly. A few minutes later and a black corvette appeared. The windows were tinted so Nicky couldn't get a look at the guy but she watched with sad eyes as Lorna jumped into the passenger seat and the car sped away. So much for a kiss at midnight.
After Lorna's departure, Nicky walked slowly back into the bar in search of her sister-in-law and friend. They were still on the dance floor, laughing and talking as though they had known each other all of their lives. Nicky was sort of surprised to see them hitting it off so well. It wasn't as if they had much in common. She was walking towards them but changed her mind and headed towards the bar. Wedging herself between bar stools because there were no available seats.
"What can I get you?" asked the bartender.
"Can I get a shot of whiskey," Nicky asked wryly. The bartender reached for a shot glass. "No, wait man, I was just kidding," she said quickly, "just get me a diet coke will you?" She let out a breath of relief, trying not to think too hard about what she had almost just done.
"Good girl, Nichols," said a familiar voice.
Nicky turned and her lips gaped open slightly at the sight of him. "Whoa, Luschek," Nicky said in legitimate surprise, "fancy seeing you here."
"I could say the same thing," Luschek replied, "for some reason it doesn't feel right to be seeing you out in the world." He took a long swig from his beer bottle.
Nicky looked around him casually, "so you're here by yourself?" she asked with a smirk, "do you not have any friends? Now I feel special."
"My buddy bailed," Luschek shrugged, "are you here with anybody?"
"Girls night out, Luschek," Nicky said. The person on the bar stool beside Luschek got up and Nicky quickly sat down in his seat. She popped open her can of soda. "Do you remember, Chapman?"
"I try not to," Luschek shuddered, "is she still with the hot one?"
"Getting married soon," Nicky clicked her tongue, "settling down like everybody eventually seems to. Except you and I, apparently."
"Never saw the appeal," Luschek shrugged.
"That, or nobody wanted you," Nicky teased.
They fell into an easy banter back and forth as they watched the festivities in Times Square on the large screen tv. Nicky enjoyed Luscheks' impersonations of Caputo and Healy, savouring in his ability to help make a shitty situation more tolerable. He could be an asshole, but they shared a similar sense of humour. Nicky was pretty glad she ran into him. He helped her think less about where Lorna had gone and why.
As the ball began to drop at countdown to midnight, Nicky and Luschek exchanged looks of exasperation as everyone started calling out with glee. In appropriate fitting with his general attitude about not giving a damn about anything in life, Luschek didn't even bother to get to his feet at the stroke of twelve. He took a large chug of beer and shook his head as the room roared with screams of "Happy New Year" and Auld Lang Syne began to play.
Nicky felt a happy warmth spread through her as she looked around the room at all of the happy people hugging, kissing, and ringing in the New Year together. How fortunate she was to have been released at the end of the old year. There was something deeply significant about that to her. She really felt like she had the opportunity to start the new year off on the right track for the first time in her life. She had silently made several resolutions for herself, many too personal for her to want to share with anybody, except perhaps Red. She was determined to spend this year being her best self.
"Aww, f**k it," Nicky said with a grin. She leaned down and grabbed Luschek by the face with both of her hands. Smirking slightly but really wanting to do this, Nicky brought her mouth to his and kissed him. "Happy New Year, Luschek."
Luschek's face turned a deep red. He had not been expecting that in the slightest but he'd be lying if he pretended that he didn't enjoy it. "Thanks, Sunshine," he sputtered, when he finally could speak again. A slightly awkward silence fell between them.
"I should go find those two whackos I came here with," Nicky said cautiously, "it's exhausting being the sober and responsible one, by the way."
"Going home now?" asked Luschek.
"Yeah," Nicky said, "It's going to be a nightmare getting a cab. If we leave right away we might beat the huge rush."
"I've got a car," said Luschek, "I'll drive you."
"You think you can drive?" asked Nicky, "how many beers have you had?"
"This is my second all night," Luschek told her, "I'm fine. Let's go find your friends."
It took them awhile to find Piper and Lida in the crowd and even longer to persuade them that it was time to leave. Both were obviously getting ready to crash though. When they all got into the car, Piper could barely keep her eyes open and Lida fell asleep with her face pressed up against the window. Nicky sat in the front seat with Luschek but stayed pretty quiet as he began to drive. She wasn't sure what to say to him and she felt a little weird about what she had done inside the bar. She didn't exactly regret it though either.
Their first stop was Lida's house. Vasily was already home and he came outside to help Nicky wake up his wife and escort her inside.
"Have you talked to mama?" asked Vasily, as he and Nicky stood together on the porch after Lida went upstairs to bed.
"No," Nicky said, looking anxious, "is something wrong?"
"Not really," said Vasily, "Julio called her and needed a ride back from that concert he and Benny went to tonight. I guess they started drinking at the concert and he was having difficulties getting Benny into the cab to go home."
"Really?" Nicky asked, looking amused, "they're going to get a huge wake up call once Gloria gets out of prison and kicks their asses."
"Well, I bet mom is kicking their asses for her right now," Vasily grinned, "she went and picked them up but she was trying to reach all of us so somebody could come back and sit with the kids while she went."
"I didn't check my phone," Nicky admitted sheepishly, "oh, and I confiscated Lida's." She pulled out Lida's phone and handed it to Vasily. Then she checked her own and saw the two missed calls from Red on it.
"What did she do with the kids then?" asked Nicky.
"Maxim and Luca went over and sat with them until she came back," Vasily said, "so they'll be getting all the praise from mama about being the ones she can depend on for awhile."
"I guess I can live with that," Nicky replied.
"Did you have a good night?" Vasily asked.
"Yeah," Nicky nodded, "probably not as much as your wife did though." She sniggered, "she might be a little sick tomorrow. Don't worry about picking up the kids too early. I bet mom will be glad to keep them for lunch."
"Sounds good," Vasily grinned, "We'll probably sleep in. Happy New Year, Nicky."
Nicky hurried back to the car and gave Luschek the directions to Piper's house.
"Where are we going?" Piper asked with bleary eyes.
"Driving you home," Nicky explained.
"Whose car is this?" asked Piper.
"Mine," Luschek told her, "do me a favour and try not to puke until you get out of the car, okay Chapman?"
"Where did you find him?" Piper asked Nicky.
"He crawled out of his hole to ring in the New Year," Nicky said, "and he saved us from having to flag down a taxi so it works for us."
Luschek waited patiently as Nicky walked Piper up the steps of her parents' grand house and escorted her upstairs to her bedroom so that none of the departing guests would speak to her. As she walked back downstairs and let herself out, Nicky tried to ignore the way her heart was hammering in her chest. It was just Luschek, so Nicky had no idea why was feeling this anxious about what had just transpired between them. She was worried that Luschek hadn't liked it and that it had been a mistake. Nicky had always suspected that Luschek had a slight crush on her, but maybe she had been misreading the signs. She wasn't exactly an expert when it came to men.
"Your home?" Luschek asked, when Nicky got back into the car and fastened her seatbelt. She gave him the address to her and Red's apartment.
"That's just down the road from where your other friend lived," Luschek complained, "you're making me go in circles."
"Well, I could have gotten out of the car right away and left you to be responsible for taking Piper home and tucking her in," Nicky said shortly, "but I figured you'd rather leave that up to me."
"I guess I don't mind you hanging around a little longer," Luschek relented, "are you hungry? You want to get a burger or something?"
Nicky agreed and Luschek pulled up at the drive-thru of the first burger joint they could find and ordered for both of them. When they got to the window, Nicky once again pulled out Marka's credit card and handed it to the cashier.
"I know where you work," Nicky rolled her eyes at Luschek, "I think this will be on me."
Luschek parked the car in one of the vacant parking spaces behind the quiet restaurant. They ate in a tense silence for a few minutes.
"Freedom looks good on you," Luschek said awkwardly, with his mouth full of food.
"So long as I never need to wear anything beige again I'll be very happy," Nicky told him. The silence resumed.
"You kissed me," Luschek said cautiously.
"You're supposed to kiss someone at midnight on New Years Eve," Nicky said simply, "don't make it weird."
"Okay, I won't," Luschek replied, "except...I'm glad my first kiss of the new year was from you."
"Let's just hope it's not your only kiss this year," Nicky joked. She wiggled a little closer to him and leaned her head on Luschek's shoulder with ease.
She wasn't sure who started it, only that she wasn't sorry that it was happening. It was hardly how she had planned to end the night but it was where she wanted to be. Their mouths connected as their tongues danced together. Nicky pulled herself onto Luschek's lap and straddled him as she began to loosen the buckle on his belt.
"Really?" Luschek asked in puzzlement.
"You got a problem with it?" Nicky asked him with raised eyebrows, her hands pressed to the front of his jeans where she could feel his mounting desire for her.
"No…" Luschek stammered, "I just thought you were a…"
"Don't presume to know everything about someone," Nicky grinned, as she succeeded in loosening his belt and undoing the button of his jeans. "I have many sides, Luschek."
"I can see that," he murmured. He reached up and cupped her breasts in both of his hands as their mouths joined in another kiss. Nicky hiked up the skirt of her dress. She kept her over the knee boots on and enjoyed how Luschek shuddered when they pressed against his thigh.
"Wait a second," Luschek said, panting heavily.
"What?" asked Nicky in annoyance.
"Need this," Luschek said jokingly, as he pulled a condom out of his wallet.
"Good job, Luschek," Nicky applauded, "being the responsible one. I don't usually have to think about those technicalities. Why did you have that anyway? Were you expecting to get laid tonight?"
"It's essential," Luschek replied simply, "like carrying around your driver's license."
"Well, put it on and stop talking," Nicky said briskly, "you're ruining the moment."
Luschek shrugged his jeans and boxers down to his ankles and readied himself. Nicky mounted him, taking him in her hands and directing him towards her with confidence. She placed her hands on top of his shoulders and allowed her head to fall against his as she began to thrust. Luschek placed his hands on her hips, squeezing her tightly. They panted in unison, surprisingly in tune with one another's bodies as though they had done this before. Reaching out one hand Luschek reclined the seat to give them more room and Nicky lowered herself right on top of him, as he plunged even deeper inside her.
Sensing that she was nearing her peak, Luschek finally permitted himself to let go in a climax that was more electric than he could ever remember having in his lifetime. He could hardly believe this was happening right now. Although, being with Nicky Nichols in this situation was something that had crossed through his mind on more than one occasion in the past.
Nicky placed her mouth on his neck and sucked hard as waves of euphoria rose over her, leaving her body trembling in a state of bliss. Her legs flailed out in a search for something to brace themselves against. They kicked against the steering wheel, Nicky pressing unintentionally against the horn.
"Stop it," Luschek laughed, coming down from his peak as the horn beeped loudly again, "you're going to draw attention to us!"
"I can't," Nicky cried, laughing just as hard as him. She untangled her legs from around the steering wheel as she pulled away from him. Readjusting her panties, Nicky shrugged her dress back down and moved back over to the passenger seat. That had been great. Much more enjoyable than she remembered sex with a man ever being before. Although the last time she had been with a guy had been in high school.
Luschek raised the back of his seat after he had finished composing himself. He looked at Nicky and blinked, "was that good for you?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.
"Not bad," Nicky answered fairly, "I think I still prefer the ladies though."