Bravo 🤍

Nine

"You and my brother are cute." Marie nudges Nikki's shoulder as she follows her into the kitchen just before dinner.

"Oh... um," Nikki blushes as Marie laughs. "We are just friends... I think. I don't really know anymore," she groans, chewing on the corner of her mouth.

"Well, you're far nicer than the last girl. And prettier too. Lucas certainly didn't seem as smitten as he is with you. I didn't know they had broken up. But I guess if you are here and she isn't..."

"You mean, Alba?"

"Yeah." Marie scoffs, waving her hand. "She was pretentious. I visited Paris for a day a few months ago and got to meet her." She leans toward Nikki, lowering her voice. "Don't mind our mother. Lucas has never brought a girl home. At least not since he was a teenager anyways."

"Really?"

"What are you girls whispering about in here?" Lucas hovers behind them with his hands behind his back, a small smile on his face.

"Nothing." Marie winks at Nikki before leaving her alone in the kitchen with Lucas.

"Come on, we're having dinner. Which is a big to do." He presses his hand to her back, leading her to the dining room back between him and Marie.

"Are you coming to Midnight Mass with us?" Eva leans toward Lucas and Nikki with her brows raised.

"Oh..." Nikki glances at Lucas with a frown. "I didn't pack a dress."

"That's okay! You can borrow one of mine!" Marie grins, pulling Nikki's attention to her. "Your boobs are bigger than mine, but I'm sure I can find you something that'll fit."

Nikki blushes as Lucas laughs beside her. "Thank you, Marie. That would be very nice of you."

"Don't be so shy. You have great breasts." Marie giggles as Nikki only turns a bright shade of scarlet.

"Americans are so prude." Eva waves her hand dismissively as Lucas squeezes Nikki's thigh under the table.

"Can we talk about something else?" Lucas offers as there are small laughs around the table.

"I look forward to Midnight Mass with you. Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Bravo."

"Eva is fine." She sighs, sharing a look with Lucas before lowering her voice, leaning toward them. "And I'm sorry about earlier."

"Don't worry about it. I understand your apprehensions. But in as long as I've known Lucas, the only thing I've ever asked him for is help with translations."

Lucas laughs beside her, grabbing her hand. "I told you, I don't mind being your personal translator."

"Too bad they don't have automatic translators you can wear like air pods. So, when someone speaks to you in French, you hear English," Marie chuckles, shrugging when Nikki laughs at her suggestion.

"That is how you get cybermen." Nikki laughs at her own joke, hearing Daniel and François laugh across the table as everyone else looks at her confused.

"What?" Marie asks as François leans toward them.

"It's a Doctor Who joke." He smirks at Nikki as she grins back at him.

"Thank you, François." He gives her a nod, winking at her before she looks back down at her plate.

"We need more wine," Eva sighs, starting to sit up before Nikki raises her hand to her.

"I can get it. In the kitchen?"

Eva nods, looking at François. "Go with her to the cellar? Grab whatever you want."

François waits at the door before leading her to the cellar under the kitchen. Nikki stops inside the large room, filled from floor to ceiling with wine bottles. "You French really take your wine seriously. I admit, I don't really know that much about wine."

He laughs, grabbing two bottles before handing them to her. "Don't worry about it. What's going on between you and my brother?" He leans close to her as she swallows hard, his big brown eyes, dark as he brings a hand up to play with the ends of her hair.

"We're friends." She leans back slightly, smelling the alcohol on his breath.

"So... you're not his girlfriend?"

"I wouldn't call myself that, no. If you are married, why do you not wear a wedding ring?" She moves both bottles to one arm and grabs his left hand, displaying no ring.

He chuckles, turning his hand palm up to grab her hand, stroking his thumb along her hand. "We're separated. That's the real reason she isn't here. Funny how you're the only one to notice. Haven't told anyone yet." He leans toward her once more. "You're very pretty. I—"

"Are you two okay down here?" Lucas enters the cellar, his eyes darting down to Nikki yanking her hand away from François as he chuckles, turning away from her to grab two more bottles.

"We're okay, brother."

Lucas glances at Nikki and she nods, rushing past him as she hears them yelling at each other in French behind her. She sets the bottles on the dining room table as Lucas comes to take his place beside her once more. "I'm sorry," she whispers to him as he shakes his head.

"Shh." He squeezes her thigh as she glances up at François as he stared down at his plate.

***

"I have to talk to my brother. I will leave you in Marie's hands." Lucas kisses Nikki's hand before leaving her alone with Marie in her room.

"What happened between you and François in the cellar? Lucas came back mad."

"Nothing." Nikki laughs it off as Marie begins to show her dresses. "You have a lot of clothes."

"Yeah. Lucas should have warned you about Mass on Christmas Eve."

"Well, me coming with him was a last-minute decision." She shrugs, picking up a simple black dress from the pile.

"When I saw him a few months ago, I thought for sure he'd bring that other girl to Christmas. I'm glad it was you, though."

"Me too." Nikki offers her a small smile before taking the dress into the bathroom. She stares at herself in the mirror after getting dressed wondering if she was the second choice after things fell through with Alba. She sighs, smoothing the black dress as she turns and looks at herself in the mirror. She grabs a few bobby pins from the counter and pins her hair out of her face and finds Marie in a dark blue dress waiting for her in the bedroom. "Thanks for the dress."

"Oh!" Marie's face lights up with a grin. "It looks better on you, keep it."

"I couldn't possibly..."

"Nonsense. If I really want it back that badly, I know where you live." Marie grins as Nikki laughs and blushes as Lucas knocks before entering in a black suit and white shirt with no tie.

"You ladies look great. Let's go."

He offers his arm to Nikki as they follow Marie. "Are you mad at me?" She whispers quietly to him as he chuckles.

"Of course not. Don't worry."

She sighs, nodding as they approach everyone in the foyer. "Who is riding with us?" Eva asks, handing keys to Daniel.

"I will drive Lucas and Nikki. Adrian and Marie can ride with you." François offers, shooting a look at Lucas as he nods.