Nicole without Waverly. One shot.

Without her.

"Hey, how have you been Nicole?" Jeremy asks placing his hot cup of coffee on top of Sherif Haught's desk that was currently covered in paperwork and files that Nicole had practically buried herself in. "I'm good. I just need to finish up these reports on a missing person because apparently the people that work here still don't understand how to fill in a simple missing person report. You would think after working here for a year they would have somehow learnt but, nope. Still have to do pretty much everything myself." Nicole expresses with a tone that had sounded like her throat was tight and restricted.

Jeremy takes a moment to examine Nicole's face. Wrinkles had appeared in her forehead while her eyebrows were scrunched together as if she had just taken a bite out of a sour lemon. Jeremy sighs "you know Nicole, you don't have to pretend you're ok with me. I'm your friend. Plus I can always tell when a friend isn't ok. I can feel it in my groin remember?" Comforting people has never been Jeremey's strong suit.

"I'm just a little busy right now. But I'm fine. I'll be fine." Nicole says looking up at him trying her best to reassure him that she was completely fine. Because the last thing Nicole would want is Jeremy to worry about her, he has got enough things to worry about other than her.

"Nic, please just take today off. Go home and get some sleep! Rest, take a bubble bath or read a book. I'll stay here and help as much as I can around here for today." Nicole shakes her head at his suggestion "no I can't, I've got too much work to do. The people in this town need me."

Jeremy grabs Nicole by her shoulders "Don't worry I'll take care of it! Please. Just do it for me." Jeremy says giving her a charming smile and a light squeeze on her shoulders. A moment goes by where Nicole debates whether or not she should leave or stay.

She was really tired and grumpy and she couldn't even remember that last time she had a nice warm bath relaxing. Besides she probably was no good here with how she has been feeling recently. Her head has been a bit of a mess.

"Fine. But, if anything happens you call me!" Nicole says as Jeremy jumps up into the air like a child "yess! don't stress I will! Now get going Haughtie"

While she may have cringed at little at the nickname Nicole gave a light chuckle at her goofy friend that was trying to cheer her up while she picked up her phone and other belongings.

The ride home was pretty uneventful, just Nicole thinking about everything going on at her work while Taylor Swift plays quietly in the background. Once her mind started to drift too far into things she isn't ready to think about just yet she reached out to the stereo and blasted the music louder. The tip is to play music louder than your thoughts.

She walks up to her once happy, loved fulfilled house. Once she fully made it inside her entire body tenses up. The lingering smell of a candle that Waverly had brought her going lightly throughout the darkly lit house. The smell of oranges and vanilla that was Waverley's favourite candle. But Nicole doesn't give herself much time to breathe it in. She immediately walked around the house and opened up as many windows as she could to air out the once pleasant smell out of her house. Recently the smell had just reminded her of what she has lost and how her life will never be sweet again. She could never find the heart in herself to just throw away the candle. Because in a way throwing away that candle would be like throwing away any hope that her love would come back to her.

Waverly. She should be here.

Nicole feels her eyes burn with tears. So she pinches herself hard on her left hand to distract herself from crying. 'God, why am I standing here alone in my living room crying over a scented candle? I'm ridiculous. I won't cry. Not today. I've wasted too much time crying.' She thought to herself. She walks herself over into her kitchen and opens herself an Icy cold beer. She looks down and notices the small trace of blood from where her nail of her hand had dug into her skin and pinched herself. 'Waverley would be so disappointed in me.'