Gwen's stunned silence continued even as she bucked Nikolaj off her and scrambled to grab her clothes, slamming her toes into the bedpost as she scooped up her shirt. She spewed a string of curses and pulled on her clothing, piece by piece, going as quickly as her body would let her.
"Who was that?" Nikolaj asked as he pulled his boxers on at a far too leisurely pace.
"Shh!" She grabbed his pants and his shirt and shoved them against his chest. "That is his mother!" She whisper-shouted at him.
His eyes widened, but then he furrowed his brows. "She didn't know?"
"Of course she didn't know! How do you tell an 80 year old woman that you and your partner decided 'oh, you know what? We realized that we'd like other sexual partners and we'd also like to mostly rely on each other for emotional support'? You don't just say those things, Nikolaj, especially when they're expecting grandchildren from you." She barked at him, eyes full of anger and fear. She took a shaky breath and covered her eyes. "I'm sorry. Just...get dressed, please."
She grabbed a sweater and pulled it on as she walked out into the hall. Giles was standing there, arms crossed and his chin down, looking at her over the rim of his glasses. He spoke quietly, but his voice was firm. "Gwen..."
She took a deep breath and walked to him, gently grabbing onto his arm. She met his hushed voice with one of her own. "I-I'm so sorry, Giles, I never meant for you to-"
He pressed a finger to her lips. "Gwen, I am not upset. But I did text you, and I called, I had warned you that we were coming back here for coffee. So... perhaps checking your phone next time." He smiled a little.
Gwen sighed and hugged him tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. "I'm still sorry. We had fallen asleep and I didn't bother checking my phone before..." She trailed off.
"I know, I know. Apology accepted. Now we... find a way to explain this to my poor mother while Nik tries to crawl out our bedroom window." He chuckled and rubbed her back soothingly.
She leaned into him heavily. "God my shoulders hurt."
Giles patted her back. "Looked fun." He pulled away and gently grabbed her hand. "Let's go embarrass ourselves, shall we?"
Gwen glanced back at the bedroom door. "I should... tell him not to climb out the window, that does sound like something he'd do."
He gave a curt nod. "I'll go pour the coffee."
She watched him walk away, hearing him exchanging quiet words with his mother before walking her into the kitchen. Gwen quietly went back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. When Nikolaj wasn't immediately within her view, she glanced around quickly.
"Nikolaj?" She looked for the remainder of his clothing. His shoes were still by the bed where he left them. God, please don't tell me he was stupid enough to actually climb out the window without his shoes. I can see the blind items now " The three name foreign-born actor from long running pay cable show was seen hopping out of his co-stars window in her hometown, leaving his shoes behind in the process."
Gwen chuckled at herself. Please god don't let him be that stupid. She checked the bathroom and under the bed - then she saw that the closet door was open a crack. She walked over and opened up her walk-in closet, flicking on the light. And there he was, wrapped up in a faux fur coat, sitting in the middle of the closet.
"You..." She leaned against the doorway. "Are so stupid." She smiled at him. "What are you doing?"
"I figured I would be here a while, so I thought I would entertain myself."
