My One and Only

Nicole peered gloomily out the window, her lips turned in a frown. Usually, she didn’t mind the rain, after all, she lived in London, so the rain was impossible to avoid, but today the rain was highly unwanted. She had places to go and things to do today, and driving in the rain was not her favorite thing to do, especially when it was pouring like today.

“How long do you think you’ll be?” Sage asked from the living room as Nicole pulled on her rain boots.

Without looking at her mate she answered, “I’m not sure. Maybe an hour or two. Why?”

“Just wondering. You should pick up some take-away when you’re done.” Sage shrugged her shoulders before jumping up from the sofa to join Nicole at the front door.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Believe it or not, I would really fancy some Chinese.”

Nicole’s olive eyes lit up at the news, the mere thought of wontons made her mouth water. “Sounds absolutely lovely.”

“Brilliant, call me after your appointment, yeah?”

“Why can’t you just come with me,” Nicole whined, resting her hands on her hips. Honestly, she was beyond nervous for her doctor’s appointment. It was her first prenatal care appointment, and for the last week or so, she’d been constantly worrying about her baby’s health. She had no reason to believe there was something wrong with her baby, but the thoughts were still there, filling her brain, keeping her up at all hours of the night.

“I already told you,” Sage sighed, avoiding eye contact. “I need to get some work done on my sculpture.”

“Whatever,” Nicole muttered, feeling like her sanity should be more important to her best mate than a stupid art piece.

“Will you find out the gender today?” Sage asked, eager to change the subject.

“No,” Nicole exclaimed, the question catching her off-guard. It was still hard for her to imagine, not just a baby, but a little boy or girl was inside her. “It’s too early, and I think that’s a decision I need to make with Harry—whether or not we want to know the sex of the baby.”

“I suppose,” Sage said slightly sarcastic. “If you ever tell him about the baby, that is.”

“I thought we agreed I should tell Niall first.”

“Well, yeah, are you doing that tonight?”

“If he ever calls me. Do you think he’s back from Leeds? Should I call him?”

Sage shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Couldn’t tell ya.”

“I should get going.” Nicole said, slipping into a jumper. “Text me what you want to eat, I’ll call it in after my appointment.”

“No, no, just call me when you’re done. Gives me more time to decide.”

“Whatever you say, Sage.” Nicole grabbed her keys and phone before tossing them in her purse and starting out the door.

“Good luck, Nick!” Sage shouted as the front door slammed shut.

Nicole sprinted to her car, instantly regretting not grabbing an umbrella. She practically threw herself in the driver’s seat once arriving to her car. Immediately, she ripped the sun visor down and examined her appearance in the mirror; her makeup wasn’t smudged, but her hair was dripping wet and sticking to various places on her face, making Nicole cringe. After turning the heat on she pulled out of the parking lot and started toward central London. She hadn’t been in the car 10 minutes when her phone rang. Frantically, she scrambled through her purse while keeping her eyes on the road. Finally, her fingers closed around the phone and she harshly swept her index finger across the bottom of the screen before connecting the phone with her ear without checking the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Nicole?”

“Yes, yes, this is she.”

“Hi, this is Dr. Moore. I’m sorry about the inconvenience, but I need to cancel our appointment this afternoon. My son’s football practice was canceled because of the storm, and I need to pick him up.”

“Oh, alright.” She muttered, unsure if she was pleased with the news or not. She didn’t want to drive all the way into the city in the rain and traffic, but she also wanted the doctor to assure her everything was alright with her baby. She needed to know, or else she wasn’t sure when she’d get another good night’s sleep.

“I’m really sorry. I’ll have my assistant call you tomorrow to schedule another appointment. Getting you in as soon as possible is our first priority.”

“Okay, yes, that’s fine. Thank you.”

“I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you soon. Have a lovely rest of your day, Nicole.”

“Goodbye,” Nicole said as she pulled into the closest parking lot in order to turn around. As she started back towards her flat, she called Sage, but was highly annoyed when she didn’t answer.

“Thanks for not answering. I know you’re probably busy with your art or whatever, but my appointment got canceled, so I’m going to get the food and then I’ll be on my way home. I’m getting pork fried rice, wontons, and orange chicken unless you call me back and tell me differently. See ya soon, love!”

After leaving Sage a message, Nicole called their regular Chinese restaurant and ordered the food, so she could just pick it up when she got there and not have to wait. The restaurant was just five blocks away from her flat, so in less than 20 minutes Nicole was pulling into the parking lot and climbing the flights of stairs to her flat, the delicious smelling food making her taste buds water.

She unlocked the front door, her eyes darting around the flat, searching for Sage. There was some noise coming from Sage’s bedroom, so Nicole assumed her mate was hard at work on her sculpture, probably blasting music in her ears to get completely in her zone. Not wanting the food to get cold, Nicole started towards down the corridor and towards the bedrooms, knocking twice on Sage’s door.

“You dirty little cunt,” echoed through Sage’s room, and Nicole instantly narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Sage, are you in there with someone?” Nicole pushed the bedroom door open to see her mate naked and on top of a lad.

“Nicole!?” the silvery-purple haired girl yelled before Nicole saw him. His blonde hair was peeking from beneath the blanket as he failed to cover his head. When his blue eyes met hers, she lost it, and let the food fall from her fingers, everything spilling onto the floor.

“N-Niall,” she could barely mutter his name. She didn’t need him to answer. She knew it was him, naked, and in bed with her best mate, and she used that label loosely.

As tears welled in her eyes, Nicole turned sharply and ran out the flat, not bothering to grab anything but her purse. She revved the engine and started driving. At first she didn’t know where she was going. She couldn’t afford a hotel, and she didn’t really have any mates. Also, she didn’t really have any family besides her dad, and he was the last person she wanted to see. Suddenly, she knew where she wanted to go. She started towards northern London, instinctively driving herself to the familiar flat complex she’d frequented regularly the last few months. She sloppily parked her car before running to his flat, practically slamming her body against his door instead of knocking. After a minute or two, the door swung open, revealing Harry shirtless and in a pair of joggers.

“Coley?” he asked although he already knew the answer.

“Can I come in, please?”

“Of course,” he stepped aside, letting the small girl inside and out of the rain. She was soaking wet, and her makeup was streaming down her face. He couldn’t tell if she was crying or not, but she had the same look on her face she’d had the day he found her in the corridor at school after her mum had died. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head, unable to form words. It was obvious now she was crying; her body was shaking and she could barely hold herself up. Without saying another word, he stepped towards her, wrapping his arms around her small frame and letting her cry against his chest. She instantly melted in his arms, everything she’d just witnessed slowly disappearing from her memory. Of course, she’d have to tell him what had happened, but for now, she was going to take-in the moment and forget her all problems, at least for a minute.