* VALENTINE !

     “i actually wouldn’t know, i’ve been stuck at the precinct since the benefit, i got an important lead on a big case. i have slept, like, three hours a night since.” he admitted with a nonchalant chuckle. “but that sounds nice. your feet will definitely swell but at least you can eat all the ice cream you want.”

“well there’s one thing we have in common. i can’t sleep because i have to pee every five minutes. but with the wonders of concealer no know is the wiser,” viv chuckled lightly. “so spill the tea on this big case? is it like oj big or what?” not that she was particularly interested but it was a refreshing break from pointless gossip.

“pretty much the same thing, that and trying to get the board to trust me with running a company at my age,” he says with a smile, “but you know all about the details of that. your father’s being a huge help.” nikolai wants desperately for something to be there between them, to feel excited about all of this – yes, he’s excited for the alone time with viv, something that seems rare, but he still can’t seem to get excited about the concept of them. it doesn’t help that she’s carrying someone else’s child. it’s a bit of a hurdle to get over. 

“that’s good to hear. i know he’s happy to help you,” viv replied with a genuine smile. at least he was getting along with her family which was always a comforting thought when things seemed bleak between them. the blonde took a moment to think of what she could bring up next. there was an air of awkwardness to her that she wasn’t used to and it was throwing her off. “so, i know it’s going to sound stupid, but what do you say to a game of twenty questions? and not like ‘oh what’s your favorite color’ but like deep questions. that could probably lead to something other than work to talk about.” 

personally, marley does not envy genevieve for what she’ll have to undergo. pregnancy cravings and body changes sound like the recipe for marley’s perfect nightmare and he shudders even at just the thought. “is it true you have to give up, like, coffee? and other stuff? i couldn’t imagine!” he gasps but he attaches a smile for her benefit. they aren’t terribly close but they were the same year in school and with marley’s upper east side connections – their social circles occasionally brushed. “for the record, i wouldn’t have judged you either way.” a half lie but she doesn’t need to know that. “god, i mean, nothing much? just bracing myself for the upcoming hell that is valentine’s day, i guess!”

“no coffee and no sushi until she’s out. so basically my worst nightmare,” the blonde chuckled and suppressed her cravings for the forbidden food as soon as she mentioned them. “and i’m not a big drinker anyway so that part was easy.” there were a lot less things she had to give up than she thought, but in exchange she gain many more things like the inability to sleep on her stomach or not needing to pee every few minutes. “thanks, i’ll pretend you’re telling me the truth,” she teased lightly and groaned at the mention of valentine’s day. “personally it’s the worst holiday ever. i don’t know why everyone is so obsessed over it.”

“being housebound sounds almost barbaric,” ashley commented before she raised her cup of coffee towards the other with a grin. “truthfully, i’ve been just busy with work, and it’s been keeping me busy. though while you’ve been allowed to gorge on ice cream all day, i’ve been pumping caffeine through my veins, not entirely as freeing as you’d think.” she grinned before looking down at her growing belly. “so–how’s it feel though? like, just knowing there’s a little person inside of you just like–growing and expanding and well yeah..” she was normally a lot more articulate than that, but this would have to suffice for now.

“for the most part it’s fine,” viv began, she couldn’t complain given her living situation and the state of her home, “it’s just there comes a point where looking at the same walls over and over again drive you insane. a change of scenery is nice every once in a while.” oh how she missed coffee. that would be the one thing she would kill for the next few months. granted she could have a little bit but not enough to wake her up. “it’s like nothing i’ve ever experienced before. sleeping is getting increasingly difficult and i have to pee every five minutes but i know it’ll be worth it. but that coffee smell makes me want her out already so i can go back to drinking my lattes.”

she bursts in the door and he can tell she’s been rushing. that in itself is a relief, to know that she’s actually cared and never intended to blow him off. but still, he knows he’s not her priority – just like she isn’t his. “it’s fine,” he laughs, “i was only waiting a minute, don’t worry.” nikolai flashes a smile at the waiter as if to say i told you so. “don’t forget me next time though, i might cry about it,” he warns jokingly. “stop, it’s not ruined unless we let it. the date starts right now, not five minutes ago. in that case, you’re not late at all. just relax for once, okay? it’s just us.” 

a wave of relief washes over her once she sees that niko wasn’t mad and was actually laughing off the situation. “thank you,” viv sighed and shook off any remaining jitters from earlier. “okay date officially starts now.” truth be told she was actually excited for the chance to connect with nikolai and to really make this work. “it’s been a while since i’ve been on a date though so bear with me. so, i spent my day at the office catching up on launch details. what did your day consist of?” really? the best she could do was generic small talk? her fingers caught a stray strand of blonde hair and twirled it nervously.

nikolai’s been waiting at the restaurant for what feels like forever. it probably isn’t normal to be this nervous, but with each passing second, he wonders – is she standing him up? can you get stood up by your fiance? after a moment, his phone buzzes and he sees her text, breathing a sigh of relief. she really did want to do this, at least, she made it seem like it. he’s made a pact with himself not to ask about sebastian, because tonight is about getting to know each other, but it’s eating away at him. what’s going on? is there anything? ‘alright, see you soon’ he texts back, shooting an awkward smile and nod at the waiter, who keeps pacing back to the table. “she’s on her way,” nikolai says for the umpteenth time, only earning sympathetic smiles from the staff. was this what it would always be like?

the minutes it took to get from her office to niko felt like an eternity. red lights and stop signs were the bane of her existence and the longer it took the more she worried niko wouldn’t forgive her. hardly waiting for the car to come to a complete stop viv discarded her work things to the side and had them taken home. hastily she rushed into the restaurant and spotted nikolai towards the back. she smoothed down her hair and attempted to not look as frazzled as she was feeling. “i am so, so ,so, so sorry,” she began, coming up to the table and taking a seat. “the time just got away from me and i promise i didn’t mean to make you wait. i’m the worst fiance ever.” the twinge of guilt was nagging in her chest as her mind kept wondering how she would’ve felt if he was the one who was late. “i can’t believe i’m already ruining our first date,” viv muttered and took a sip of the water already on the table. 

“probably anyone in my family, especially tate because he doesn’t text me all that often. but not on purpose usually. just because i know if it was urgent they’d call me.” @tvtcm

“hmm probably my wedding dress. i mean it’s going to be the happiest day of my life so why not make it extravagant?”

“can i just say no one? i still don’t know why i was signed up for the stupid date auction in the first place. but if i had to pick someone it would probably be claudia.” @claudswindsor

“i burst out in tears now when i see a slightly depressing coffee commercial on tv. so i’m saying yesterday but not because of any significant reasons.”