nikki thompson.

Glancing up at the voice, Caleb’s brows rose as he focused on her features. Well, that was surely ironic. Backpack in one hand, while he waited for Mason to finish up collecting his things from his cubby, Caleb stood in the hall now suddenly feeling a lot more awkward. “Hi.” He answered with a nervous laugh. “I do, and you do too or are you here by some other coincidence?” That would’ve certainly been something. It wasn’t as if they had done much talking, let alone about personal things, but he was aware how this looked. “It’s just me. Not married, or anything.” He spoke quickly, to try and reassure her as he held up his hands to show the absence of a ring. 

It was funny how fate seemed to have its way sometimes, and most of all, it was impressive how it managed to bring them together again on the very same day. Or maybe just incredibly ironic. “Yeah, no — I’ve got a son.” She answered then, pushing another smile to her lips, even if somewhat strained because of the unexpected turn of events. His next words came right in time, because the question that immediately popped into her head was just that — had she just slept with a married man? Needless to say, she felt a splash of relief by the time he told her that wasn’t the case. “That’s... good to hear.” Hearing how wrong that sounded, Nikki quickly corrected herself with an excusing smile. “I mean, not for your sake maybe, but for mine.” If that made the situation better or worse, she honestly wasn’t sure. “And we’re on our own too, for the record.” In case he was wondering the very same thing, that was.

As much as Remy was trying to be a yes-woman, she didn’t need to go out around town to have a good time. In fact, she preferred if she didn’t. Remy found comfort in the confines of her own home or even the home of those she liked. It just made things simple—no people to impress, no awkward chance encounters, no anxiety telling her what to do and what not to do. So when Nikki had canceled, it was only a relief that yay, she didn’t need to get all dolled up. However, she had full desire to go and hang out with the woman, so if Nikki was gonna be stuck at home, the least Remy could do was give her some company. So, without warning and with the mindset that she should just go for it, Remy gathered a few things in her oversized bag and made her way to Nikki’s place. Sure, she wondered if the woman would be upset. Would she turn her away and say not now? Definitely a possibility. And as much as her anxiety was trying to convince her it was a bad idea, she did it anyway. 

Luckily, Nikki’s response when she answered the door wasn’t a complete slam in the face. And when she saw the brunette starring back at her, Remy was quick to offer her a sheepish smile before lifted her bag up and sharing a bit of what was inside. Two bottles of wine, some chips, and a box of brownie mix took up space within, and she figured it was good as ever to have a girls night in. “First off, you hardly ever need to put on something nice with me, second, I know Oliver isn’t feeling too well and so you’re stuck inside, but hey, who better to be here if anything happens other than a nurse, right? So if it’s totally okay with you, we can one hundred percent hang out here, keep an eye on the babes and still have a fun night? Hell, we could even yell out to drunk people on the street if we wanna make it feel like we’re out at a bar right now or something even. Either way, I’m up for still making this a great night if you are.”

Even if it was a surprise visit in the sense that Nikki hadn’t at all been expecting her company, it was definitely a surprise of the good kind. While Nikki on the other hand was definitely the type of girl that enjoyed a night out more than anything else, she did enjoy spending time with friends even more, no matter the surroundings. The fun parts about going out was (to her) putting on something nice to wear, getting something good to drink, and perhaps especially, to get some time away from home. Putting it like that, she made it sound like she didn’t enjoy being at home much, which wasn’t at all true; but as a single parent, sometimes it was just a relief to get out of the house and feel like you could fully leave everything else behind you — your kid included.

Peering down into the bag as Remy held it up, a smile grew on her lips at the sight, very clearly pleased with its contents. As long as there was wine, Nikki was certainly okay with spending their night back at her place instead. At the other’s words, a light laughter rolled off her tongue, nodding in response. “Honestly, that all sounds good to me. I mean, I’m definitely hoping your nurse skills won’t have to be put to good use, but it’s good to have you around in case something would happen.” Seeing as it was, at least for now, just a regular fever, Nikki had hopes that things wouldn’t get any worse beyond that. Truthfully, just seeing Oliver in his current state was enough of a struggle sometimes. “C’mon in.” Stepping aside, she gestured for the other woman to join her in the hallway, only closing the door behind her once the blonde was properly inside. “He’s sound asleep so I think it’s safe to say that we can do just about anything without him waking up anytime soon.”

“Just because something sounds like bullshit doesn’t mean that it is” Victor argued, if only for the sake of arguing because he was 100% full of bullshit and they both knew it. His grin wavered only after a few seconds, giving into the fact that Niki was right, he never really did have a good enough excuse for his lateness other than punctuality not being his virtue. Thankfully, that never seemed to get in the way of their friendship. “The excuses for last time are still pending, have a little patience in the judicial system” He added with a wide smile, which meant there was no way those excuses would ever be leaving his lips, true or not. “Kid has a fever? You sure you have it, too?” Victor said, pulling his hands away from the table and leaning back in his chair as he gave her a playful glare. “A beach day does sound nice but the weather’s looking good for next weekend, maybe Ollie will feel better and you guys can have a take two on the perfect beach day again” He suggested, hoping the kid’s fever would break soon since Victor knew a sick kid meant a very stressful family. “I’ll give you guys a police escort and everything” he joked with a smirk as he took another sip from his latte. 

"Hm.” The hum that followed Victor’s argument against her words was highly skeptical, although it seemed like he didn’t try to keep the charade up for long, soon yielding to her accusations. “You know, I do know by now that being late is kind of your thing. So how about you just fess up and stop trying to whirl your way around it every time?” Nikki commented then, mild amusement to her tone. She didn’t really mind, because much like she implied, she was used to it. In fact, she had always been the type to prefer honesty before poor excuses — although in this case, the subject wasn’t really that serious. “I’m fine.” She reassured Victor calmly as the other leaned back in his seat. “Yeah, maybe. He had really been looking forward to it this weekend though. But it is what it is.” She shrugged then — there wasn’t much to do about it now. At his jesting, her lips curled upwards, and she let out a short laugh. “You do that, and you know he’ll just make you drive him around the whole town and put the sirens on again.” Needless to say, the one time Oliver had been in a police car with Victor, the five-year-old had been thrilled. “Besides — I’m sure you’ve got lots of better things to do at work. Or for your sake, I hope so.”

“You would think that but I haven’t even been trying much anymore. I was just going to pluck someone up and bring them somewhere but….” Her head shook as she sighed. Perhaps if she’d put some effort into it, she may have actually been able to get someone but it seemed like too much effort for her. Peering back at Nikki when she spoke of her child, she wrinkled her nose and nodded her head. “Are you lonely?” She questioned with a tilt of her head. At least she had her son whereas Isobel had no one. Not even a fucking cat. At the mention of settling down, she let out a small sigh. It was all screwed up, especially since she knew the two were catches and shouldn’t be the ones actively contemplating what they wanted for the future. It should have already been figured out and done with at their age. “Well, that’s our problem isn’t it? They seem like a good idea until we’re in the midst of it and remember why we shouldn’t be going for that type of guy.” Pouting at the other slightly, she got up from her chair and plopped down beside Nikki as to wrap her arms around her. “I know. Life and boys fucking suck.”

Nikki could easily relate to the feeling of just wanting a simple one night stand — getting together with someone, only to never see them again beyond that night. It felt like it rarely was that simple in the end though, but it didn’t seem to stop them from keep trying, lacking a more steady solution. The question phrased by the other came out of the blue, and a hasty smile flashed on Nikki’s lips. “Sometimes, maybe. But at least I have Ollie.” Surely, everyone felt lonely at some point, hence why she never threw the question back at Isobel to answer herself too. “Yeah... It’s exactly like that.” She commented in return, eyebrows raising slightly. The appeal apparently won over their senses — and they never seemed to learn either. As Isobel got up and ended up beside her instead, her lips curled slightly upwards, nodding to visibly agree with what the other said. “Yeah... Agreed.” For the time being, she was without action in the romance department, but she didn’t necessarily mind. After all, despite the lack of romance, she had been given another male to focus on. “It’s been a lot lately, so don’t blame me for not talking about it sooner but... I’ve kind of had Oliver meet with his father recently.” Her words were treading lightly, as if she was expecting Isobel to be annoyed with her for not having said so sooner, peering up at the other beside her. “So it’s stupid, but I really hope this boy kinda doesn’t suck.”

Aly was not made for fancy events. Sure, she could play the part, and try and charm those that she needed to, but she wasn’t somebody who really fit in. She’d learned quickly in her job as to what conversations you should and shouldn’t have, and how small talk could really be the most boring thing on the planet, but if it meant that she was going to have money to pay her bills, then she was all for it. One night of faking laughs and smiles, with some free food and drink, in exchange for one article about whatever it was they were raising money for, launching, or promoting, sounded like a deal in her favor to her. She’d been called upon at the last minute, the other girl from the paper had come down with some sort of stomach flu which meant she wouldn’t be able to attend, and so Alyssa had to quickly throw on something that resembled a posh frock and head out there right away. After what had felt like an age despite the food that they had laid on, she’d managed to find herself pitched up at the bar, adding small annotations into the notes app on her phone as she waited for her gin and tonic. “Oh my goodness, Nikki. I had no idea you were going to be here.” She said with a smile, though whether it was sincere or not she had yet to decide. Running in similar circles was bound to cause a little bit of friction between individuals every now and then, and Nikki was no different. “I wasn’t meant to be, called in at the last minute. The other girl has the stomach flu, although between you and me I’d have money on it being a wicked hangover.” She explained, lifting her drink up as a motion of ‘cheers’ towards the other. “And yourself? Is this event all your doing?”

Had Aly in fact known that Nikki would be there, she would have been surprised. Granted, the decision to attend the event had been set in stone since at least a month back, but even so, it wasn’t something that had been publicly announced. With the right connections, sure. But she wasn’t sure if Alyssa knew those right connections, even if they certainly had a few in common thanks to their line of work. A smile flashed across her lips at the initial statement, much like the other not being sure whether or not it was genuine. It wasn’t so much that she had anything against Alyssa — but more so that she hadn’t really connected with her yet either. “Mmh.” Giving a curt nod to the other’s explanation, she soon went on. “Well, she’s certainly missing out on some amazing food. But I guess she might not have been able to enjoy it anyways.” A light scoff slipped through her lips then, eyes steering to the side as the bartender returned with her glass. With a quick thanks, Nikki pulled the glass of wine closer, her gaze moving back to the brunette beside her. “Oh, no — not at all.” She shook her head then, not sure if the suggestion that she would have put all of this together should be flattering. “I’m just here as a guest too. For work of course, but still.” Was it really work when you were able to eat and drink at the same time? Well, perhaps that wasn’t the hardest part, but rather the small talk with people you technically didn’t want to greet at all. “What do you think of it so far?”

The brunette was usually one to be right on time, but for once, Nikki ended up being a little early. With a meeting that finished before schedule, she decided to go straight to kindergarten and pick up Oliver a little earlier than she was supposed to. She had only just recently tried out letting him be there for one or two days a week, as opposed to having someone babysit at home as she had been doing earlier. So far, things seemed to be going well — or so she gathered from the countless stories Oliver told her of all the new friends he made. With the kids apparently spending the afternoon painting, by the time Nikki arrived, Oliver was quick to greet her only to tell her that he had to finish his painting before leaving. Letting him have his way for once, the brunette instead headed over to gather up his things in the meantime. Hanging his shirt and jacket over one arm, it wasn’t until she was about to head back that she noticed a figure a few feet away. It was an odd coincidence that her gaze fell on him; or perhaps she was unconsciously drawn to the frame of a man she had seen during the early morning hours on that very same day. “Hey.” The surprised greeting came out before she had the chance to take it back, only afterwards realizing that if she had instead kept quiet and walked away he might not have noticed her at all. Soon hearing herself and how weird she sounded, she quickly tried to smooth it over with another question, “So, you have a kid?“ They hadn’t really had time to get too personal last night, and both of them seemed to have left out that big detail.

The thing about having a kid, was that you were never really completely off the hook. Nikki was lucky enough to have a few trusted, and very much liked by Oliver, babysitters that were usually able to jump in on short notice, but sometimes not even they would be able to help out; at least not if your kid wasn’t feeling well in the first place. For the past few days, Oliver had been down with a fever, but otherwise showing little to no symptoms of any illness. It wasn’t anything contagious, or so she was sure — otherwise Nikki would probably have been knocked out by it as well by now. Having been forced to cancel her supposed night out with Remy that night, she was stuck at home with a son sound asleep on the couch, exhausted from the fever eating at him. The door bell ringing took her by surprise, and moving over to the front door, still dressed in sweatpants and a comfortable t-shirt, she swung it open only to find Remy standing on the other side. “I thought we decided to reschedule.” Nikki commented then, skipping the more traditional greeting. Yet, a crooked smile was tugging at her lips, eying the other woman over before adding, “You should have at least given me a head’s up so I could’ve put on something nicer.”

BESPOKE COFFEE w/ @nikkithompson​

After several years in Wilmington, Victor managed to gain a few friendships that he actually cared about. One of those people were Nikki Thompson. On some level he felt as if they were kindred spirits when it came to having siblings who found themselves in too much trouble. While Victor couldn’t save his older brother from a long prison sentence, he could at least provide some help to Nikki for hers. Given his busy schedule the last fe weeks, it was hard to catch up with Nikki but Victor was finally able to carve out some time for a quick coffee date. However, true to form, he was late. Roughly fifteen minutes after their agreed time, Victor found himself rushing through the doors of Bespoke where he caught sight of Nikki at a table in the back. Ordering himself a quick coffee, Victor soon joined Nikki and took a seat across from her, “You won’t believe the excuse I have this time” Victor began with the hint of a grin. He always did seem to have a file cabinets worth of excuses for everything. “I mean I’d tell you but I’m not authorized to speak about it yet so…” his grin only widened since that usually meant he was full of bullshit and just needed a convenient excuse for his lateness once again. “Anyway, how’s it going? What have you been up to lately?”

For better or for worse, Nikki, unlike many others, was the type of person who on the other hand was far more likely to be five minutes early than five minutes late. Having arrived even earlier than that on this particular occasion, Nikki had nearly finished her own coffee by the time the male finally showed up. It wasn’t like she could blame him though, for the having waited for nearly half an hour part; but then again, she hadn’t really minded the time alone while waiting either. With a kid at home, alone time was rare most of the time, which made you appreciate the small moments in-between meetings and at work even more. Her gaze steering up as Victor took place on the chair opposite of her, one corner of her lips soon lifted at his initial greeting, or rather, excuse. “Oh yeah?” It wasn’t the first time she had heard that line, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. “Sounds thrilling. And also kind of a lot like bullshit to me.” The smile grew on her lips then, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. “I’m still waiting to hear back on the excuses for the last three times.” Which, he hadn’t been authorized to talk about either. However, she didn’t really mind and technically, he wasn’t that late. At least he hadn’t crossed the half hour mark yet. “It’s good. Or I guess, alright?” She paused briefly before clarifying. “We were supposed to have a calm week off to spend at the beach, then Ollie caught some nasty bug from somewhere and has been down with a fever for the past few days.” Her features twisted into a mild grimace, and she quickly added, “Don’t worry, it's not contagious, or I’m pretty sure I would have had the same thing by now.”

For more reasons than one, it had been some time since Nikki last attended a bigger event of some sort, perhaps because they had always worked against her schedule lately. Even if it was technically work, she still had always liked going to those kind of things; dressing up, socializing, drinking, eating... It didn’t hurt that the menu was always so carefully picked out to create the best possible combination of flavors, and tonight was certainly no different. Already having gone through two out of three courses for the night, Nikki took a leave from her table to steer towards the bar instead. Her glass was suddenly getting empty, and truth was that not everyone at her table was enough fun to enjoy fully sober. Waving in the bartender and asking for another glass of red wine, she patiently waited for the male to return with it, leaning against the counter in the meantime. By coincidence, her gaze steered to the side, landing on a familiar face she hadn’t actually seen there before then. Although, just because it was familiar, it didn’t mean she was particularly thrilled to see it — and while her first instinct was to look back away and pretend she didn’t notice, she could feel the other’s eyes on her too, realizing it was far too late for that now. “Aly, hi.” Instead, a polite greeting was phrased, the corner of her lips pushed upwards to form a gentle smile. “It’s been a while.” For better or for worse — Nikki (or rather, the company) hadn’t been in need of Aly’s services for some time now, therefore not having run into the other woman sooner. “Are you here for work too?”

Isobel had made a sore mistake with her night which was how she’d ended up here. Thankfully, she was out of the dress she was going to burn after tonight as to ensure she wouldn’t remember the disaster any longer. “I didn’t go to my own prom so I think I was just hoping to have some fun and maybe steal someone’s guy.” Apparently everyone was stuck up at this prom and there wasn’t much place or time to flirt with a man on his own. Therefore, she’d taken enough alcohol to feed two elephants and called a uber home. Well, more like Nikki’s home. Close enough. “We’re definitely too old for this.” She said with a groan as she leaned her head back on the pillow. “Sometimes I think I just want a decent boy who just loves me.” The brunette paused to look up at the ceiling. “Then I get bored and always end up with the assholes because it’s just fun to play games and tear them down. Most of the people I know are pregnant or close to getting married. It’s depressing.”

"Steal someone’s guy?” A smile settled on Nikki’s lips at the statement, shaking her head slightly. “C’mon, you can do better than that. They shoud be coming to you all on their own.” While she totally knew what Isobel meant, she still couldn’t help but comment on it. As the subject moved onto something slightly... deeper, Nikki’s gaze drew back up to the other, watching her with mild interest. “Well, take it from someone who ended up pregnant without planning on it — it’s depressing being on this side of things as well.” Because unlike most others in her position, she didn’t have the typical family — they didn’t have a father, a husband. “I don’t know... Settling down with someone doesn’t sound so bad for once.” Lifting the glass to her lips to take a sip, her eyebrows rose slightly along with it. “But seeing as I’m drawn to said assholes, that hasn’t really been working out so well for me so far.” She scoffed then, briefly — not to mention the fact that she wasn’t able to hold onto a relationship for long because of her own, bad habit of finding flaws even when there were no pressing ones. “I feel like you’re really only signing up for disappointment every time you commit to something new.”

Only someone with a heart of glacial temperatures would fail to be swayed by Oliver’s attempts to let him in. Winnie makes a show of putting up an inflexible front, before reluctantly relenting, as though he’s been forcibly overthrown by Oliver. A white flag is raised, and he steps aside to let them both in, rolling his eyes playfully. “I’d almost forgotten about the unrivalled Thompson persuasion techniques.” It’s so easy, he thinks, to fall back into their old repartee. It makes his heart soften at the corners, something in him finally settling like an old house at the knowledge that his unofficial family is back together. His living room is in disarray, and he hurriedly tidies it up for the benefit of his guests, chatting away to Nikki as he does so. “God, it feels like it’s been ages. I’ve got so much to tell you!” And he imagines there’ll be plenty of things to hear about, too. “Can I get you a drink? Tea? Coffee? Or do I need to charm you with something stronger? I’m still holding out hope that I’ll get to see your dance moves.”

The boy was undoubtedly overjoyed by the time Winnie let them both inside, hurrying into the apartment to follow after the other male. Nikki literally had to call him back twice to remind him to take his shoes off first, Oliver only briefly running back, kicking off his shoes before setting off again. Knowing that was probably the best she would be able to get out of him right now, she put away his shoes more neatly, taking off her own and then following into the living room. It was funny how Winnie clearly thought the place was a mess, trying to make it look better before letting them in; they both knew that an hour with Oliver in there, and it would probably look even worse than before they got there. “Well, I’ve got time. I’m free for the rest of the night.” She certainly had a thing or two to tell him as well, specificially about the whole deal that was Oliver’s father getting back into their lives, but that wasn’t a topic she could discuss around Oliver, so perhaps it would have to wait for a more private moment. A brief chuckle rolled off her tongue at his comment, shaking her head. “Just coffee is fine. I still have to be able to drive home from here later.” Even if it wasn’t a long drive, she definitely wouldn’t risk it. “Some other time, though.”

Romeo could practically hear what Nikki was thinking. Her stance on drugs had always been crystalline. He knew she detested any form of substance use and he had no doubt she was currently in the process of judging him harshly for it. At times, it was almost as if her eyes spoke more than her lips did. He was tempted to say something—- to lash out or defend himself. Yet he remained mum. He wasn’t sure he had enough energy for a Nikki Thompson showdown. Still, Romeo paused at the request to drive. Whether it was his need for control or a simple quirk, he’d never been fond of being driven by anyone especially in his own car. This car. The Aston Martin was his father’s and a limited edition at that. He’d fucked it up once before and he wouldn’t do it again. Not out of fear, but respect. Funny. Somehow driving it in his inebriated state seemed safer to him than the brunette’s sober one. But he wasn’t stupid. He knew Nikki and there was little chance of her stepping aside unless he play nice. Thus, it came down to who and what he wanted more. Hazel eyes lingering on her form, his hand dug into his pocket. The keys jingled in his fingers as he drew them out, unlocking the vehicle before he dropped them into her palm. If she ever asked what she meant to him, he’d say $1.9 million. “One scratch and I’m selling your kid on the black market.” Slipping into the passenger side, he leaned across and pushed her door open. Once she was inside, Romeo settled into his seat, suddenly feeling exhausted. “GPS will get you there.” The words were barely coherent for it wasn’t a minute later that he drifted to sleep—- for once at complete ease.

……fast forward……

Romeo awoke just as they pulled into his driveway. Sitting up, confusion settled on his features until his eyes found their way towards Nikki. “So you can drive,” he remarked, voice deep and hoarse with fatigue. Once the car was completely stopped, Romeo opened his door, drawing himself out as if he were chained to a million tons. Every part of him felt heavy. Muscular body was slow and slumped and his steps lacked their murderous stride. The only thing keeping him balanced was sheer willpower. He felt worse than before. The drugs were wearing off at increasing speed and Romeo was coming down in a heavy freefall. The lingering liquor was quickly making its way towards a headache and he considered popping another pill just to stave off the effects. One look at the brunette, though, and that option was thrown out the window. Nikki would know and the backlash would be severe. Better keep the beast tamed at least while he could. Heading towards the door, his hand subconsciously reached towards his pocket before remembering who was in possession. Turning towards Nikki, he indicated to the keys in her hand. “Big one is for the top lock, smallest one for the middle, and medium for the bottom. I’ll disable the alarm once we’re inside.” 

While the brunette probably wouldn’t have gotten into his car otherwise, she was still taken by surprise the moment Romeo dropped the keys into the palm of her hand, essentially trusting her with a car that was, no doubt, worth a fortune. Yet, Nikki wasn’t a bad driver, and she was fairly confident that her driving them home would be far safer than Romeo doing so himself, given the state he was in. Choosing to ignore the comment that followed, excusing it with the fact that he wasn’t himself right now, instead, she settled in behind the wheel, turning the engine back on. And as it turned out, by the time she glanced to her side back at Romeo, the male was sound asleep — so much for being threatening in that state. Perhaps unknowingly, Romeo trusted her more than he wanted to let on. The drive to his place was quiet, but she didn’t mind. It gave her time to consider what her next step would be, how long she would have to stay with him, and how the hell she would get him back in better shape. Because as much as she hated him for giving in to the appeal of drugs, she worried for him too. She cared for Romeo, believe it or not. And she had seen her brother fall down the rabbit hole far too many times to wish that same fate on anyone else.

Once they arrived and she parked on his driveway, Nikki merely rolled her eyes at his comment, once again knowing better than to respond. Soon walking up to the front door, she seriously contemplated for a few seconds if he would even manage to get out of the car at all, but luckily, the male somehow got himself to follow. Even if the brunette was tall and in good shape, she doubted that she would be able to move the broad figure that was Romeo Saint James on her own had she needed to. Giving a curt nod, Nikki followed his instructions, unlocking the door and stepping aside to let him turn off the alarm and avoid any further chaos. “One lock wasn’t enough?” Mustering up a mildly pathetic joke, she moved inside, closing the door behind both of them and throwing another glance his way. Luckily, it wasn’t her first time at his place; he had given her quite the tour of the whole building on her first visit. “C’mon.” Urging him to follow behind her, she quickly moved further into the place, heading straight for the bathroom. “We should get you cleaned up.” The way he looked right now, she really didn’t want to touch him any more than necessary; the blood was an excellent reminder of his more violent side, after all. The sooner they removed those traces, the better for her imagination to not run completely wild. “I’d say you’d need a shower, but I don’t trust you won’t fall and hit that thick head of yours.” She commented as she finally moved into the bathroom, turning around to face him. “And as much as you’d probably deserve it, I don’t want to be responsible for your death.” Unlike him, she didn’t like the idea of harming innocent lives. “So take off that shirt and just wash it all off in the sink. Can you handle that on your own or do you need me to give you a hand?”

The past few visits had been more than what Joaquín could’ve ever expected. Every interaction was a whirlwind of emotions and playing catch-up, but never failed to grow his fondness for Oliver—- and by extension, Nikki. While he wasn’t sure he’d reached the level of fatherly attachment yet, things were considerably less tense than the first time. So much so that he found himself looking forward to such hangouts. Now as Oliver lay sound asleep between them, he was glad to have experienced his first Fourth of July by their side. Content. It was the singular state Joaquín found himself in since their dinner. Being around Oliver and Nikki had a way of quieting the noise. In those moments, he was more himself than anywhere else. Throughout the evening, as he watched Oliver run around (at times encouraged by Joaquín) and Nikki’s attempts to wrangle him in, he felt like an outsider looking in. But it felt nice—-  as if he was privileged to witness such a mundane yet warming occurrence. “You take the legs, I take the head?” he teased. His gaze softened as it dropped to Oliver, watching him carefully. “Really sleeps through anything, hm.” It was an observation spoken mostly to himself. Once upon a time, Joaquín had possessed the ability to sleep through a fire alarm. Now it seemed he could barely make it through a soft gust of wind without being awoken. It was a lost quality he suddenly felt the need to protect in Oliver. To make sure that if he gave him nothing else—- regardless of what happens—- he could at least preserve a peaceful night’s sleep. “Thank you,” he said, eyes raising towards Nikki. “For inviting me. It was nice.”

"Mmh.” Only humming in response to his suggestion, giving a brief nod, one corner of her lips curled upwards. The suggestion hadn’t been serious, and Oliver was still small enough to carry on your own somewhat easily. Granted, Nikki wouldn’t want to carry him long distances anymore, but with the older age, he was also able to walk further on his own in return. “Trust me, he does.” Underlining the statement once more, she reached out for the boy, gently brushing a few strands of hair out of his face. It was only as Joaquín spoke up again that her gaze drew back up, her hand remaining on the boy. “Yeah — it’s been nice.” Needless to say, the male had acted impressively throughout the whole thing, given her no reason whatsoever to doubt his intentions. Truth was, Nikki was so relaxed in his company that it almost felt a little too good to be true. “I’ll admit — I didn’t think you’d handle it this well.” Eyes steering to meet his, the confession was honest, but in no way meant to be negative. On the contrary; she was trying to point out that he was exceeding her expectations so far. “Or maybe you’re just a really good actor.” Which she, on the other hand, wouldn’t be surprised to learn either. He had always been quite the charmer, after all. “I’m gonna sound like such a woman here, but I’d love to get a piece of your mind. It’s killing me not to know what you’re thinking.” Did he think things were going well too? Or did he contemplate the moment he would take off and leave them? Was he aching to let Oliver know he was his father? The list of questions was endless, and she hoped that he would managed to answer a few on his own, without her having to take on the role of the anxious, worried mother and interrogate him instead.

“You know I will,” she said with a smirk as she held onto the wall, turning around for the other to take the dress she wore off. “I know, honestly, I spent too fucking much for it and no one got to take it off. It’s a damn sin. I’ll probably have to re-wear it just to live out that scenario. A few guys grabbed my ass but that’s as much action that I got. Isn’t that fucking sad?” The brunette said with a shake of her head as she pressed the bodice against her chest and held onto the items of clothing that were given by Nikki. Walking into the bathroom, she slid out of the dress and into comfortable clothes, hanging up the dress to ensure it wouldn’t wrinkle on the ground. When she was into clothes that felt right against her skin, the brunette moved into the kitchen and sighed. “It was packed. Disgustingly so, honestly. People were actually happy and I hoped that something would pop off but it never did. Then everyone was talking about how they were in high school. How many people do you think were shocked when they found out that I was the whore and the bitch?” She smirked, bringing the glass to her lips. “I should have stayed here with you.”

A smile lingered on Nikki’s features at Isobel’s words, mildly amused, yet she had no trouble relating to the scenario herself. “A little. I mean, you do have a nice ass but you deserve more than that.” She commented back, watching as the other took off before tending to other things in the kitchen while waiting for her return. As beneficial as the single life could be at times, finding a guy to spend the night with, and to make it a good night, was often easier said than done. As the brunette finally returned, Nikki raised her own glass to her lips, taking a long sip. “God, it sounds like nightmare. To go alone to, at least.” A brief laughter slipped through her lips at the rather rhetorical question, and she shook her head slightly. “Not sure I would’ve wanted to go down memory lane myself. My first prom was pretty calm, honestly. I remember making out with this older guy, but that’s about as much action as I got.” Putting the glass back down, she plucked a piece of cheese from the tray, popping it into her mouth. “I feel like we’re too old for all of that now, right?” Or perhaps it all depended on having the right person to go with. “At least now you’ll know if there’s ever a next time.”

Taking place on a blanket in one of the parks Downtown where they would be able to get a good view of the fireworks for the night, Oliver had been nagging about seeing them ever since she first told him about them earlier that week. When they started, about half an hour ago, the boy had been thrilled, barely able to sit still, Nikki being forced to call him back to them on more than one occasion. It was great to see, though — and surely, Joaquín thought so too. The three of them had spent a couple of times together now since their initial meet-up, and admittedly, so far things went better than she could have ever imagined. Granted, Oliver would probably start to wonder soon about who mommy’s new friend was and why they kept hanging out with him all the time — but hopefully, things would soon be explained to him as well. At least if nothing new and unexpected happened before then. However, the moment the fireworks were over, the boy was instantly knocked into a deep slumber. It was already way past his bedtime, so it only made sense — she was surprised that he had stayed up as long as he had. Stretched out across the blanket between them, he looked so peaceful; causing a soft smile to curl her lips. “I guess we’re gonna have to carry him back to the car later.” She commented, eyes steering up to Joaquín, deliberately making it a we and not an I. She was all for letting him in on the little things, after all. “Once he’s sleeping, he won’t wake up until the morning.”

Isobel couldn’t help but roll her eyes when she walked in and Nikki told her exactly what she’d told herself on her way to her place. “It worked in the past.” Isobel shot out with a shake of her head. Not when she graduated but the years before, she’d sneak into prom and screw all the older guys in the bathroom. Not exactly something she was proud of but excuse her for trying to relive a little bit of that excitement. Apparently men had gotten faithful in the time she’d grown up. How boring. “Bottle of wine, you say?” Stumbling into the kitchen, she let out a sigh when she began to pour herself a glass of wine and drank half of it by the time the other came back with a set of clothes. “You’re an angel, do you know that?” Truthfully, Isobel didn’t know what she would do without the other. “Do you mind unzipping me?” She asked then, holding the front of her bodice as her form turned towards the other. When she felt the pressure release around her, the brunette took a large breath and grabbed the items she’d been given before she scurried to the closest bathroom. “Do you have chocolate and cheese? I would die for some chocolate and cheese!” 

By the looks of it, a girl’s night was exactly what Isobel needed right now and luckily, neither of them would have to work in the morning. Hell, Nikki would gladly let the brunette spend the night too if she wanted. It wouldn’t be the first time, and Oliver was old enough not to be that noisy in the mornings. “I know. Just like I know you’ll return the favor some other day.” She mused at the kind words Isobel offered, moving around to stand behind her at her next question. “Sure.” Reaching for the zipper at her back, Nikki pulled it all the way down, aiding her in getting out of her outfit for the night. “It was a nice dress though. Shame no one got to take it off.” With mild jest in her voice, she watched as the other took off to change, a smile growing on her lips. “Well, then you’re in luck — I’ll get some out.” And whlie Isobel was off changing, Nikki went to get the box of chocolate she’d bought the other week out along with two different types of cheese, placing all of it on the kitchen counter. Grabbing another glass to pour herself some wine too, she leaned against the counter, eyes only lifting again when the other returned. “So, was all of Wilmington there or how crowded was the place? I haven’t really heard that many talking about going.”