Getting to the hotel was a struggle. From nearly losing a suitcase, to the escort vehicle being late, to the dozens of people who immediately recognized Gwendoline and Nikolaj. It was hell. Things had only gotten worse when they arrived at their rooms, Nikolaj had been slowly trying to coax Gwen to his room when she had clearly intended to stay with Giles until their stylists arrived.
Gwen grabbed him by the ear and yanked him close, lowering her voice so as not to let anyone in the nearby rooms hear. "Nik, really, you know this is how things go. When I book a room it's separate from you regardless of if Giles is here or not. When Giles is here, I stay with him. When he's not, I stay with you."
Nik only frowned in response.
"Don't." She warned.
"Gwen, just for a little while?" He pleaded.
She let out a frustrated growl low in her chest and shoved him into her room with Giles. Both men stared at her with wide eyes, Giles clutching a nice dress coat in front of himself, having just started the process of unpacking.
"You're both acting absolutely foolish! You're making this more complicated than it needs to be." She huffed and sat at the foot of the bed. "Sit, both of you, we're talking this through before we leave."
Giles hesitantly finished hanging up his suit, then sat against the headboard. Nikolaj glanced around, then sat on the spinny chair by the desk. He looked incredibly uncomfortable as he glanced from Giles to Gwen, then back, and back again. His white knuckle grasp on his own hands didn't go unnoticed.
"Right, well," Gwen started, laying back and covering her eyes with her arm. "What can we do to make this work better? This tension between all of us is new and, quite honestly, scaring me. You're both jealous."
Giles scoffed. "I'm not jealous."
"But you are. It's getting to be quite tiring. Giles, you and I have been together for years now, don't you think that we've established what this relationship is? We're here for each other emotionally and mentally. You see other people, I see other people."
"Yes, but now you've been confiding in Nikolaj. He's taking care of your emotional needs, therefore you've been more distant with me." Giles said rather flatly.
Oh... I hadn't even thought of that. Gwen uncovered her eyes. "Yes, I suppose... I suppose that's correct. We haven't discussed things since... Nikolaj got divorced."
Nik cleared his throat. "I don't want to intrude on what you have."
Giles raised a brow. "But?"
"But," He paused. "I love Gwendoline and I want to be together with her in every way possible. I mean hell, we're thinking about having children together."
"As in multiple ?" Giles blanched.
Gwendoline and Nikolaj spoke at the same time.
"Yes!" "No!"
They slowly looked at one another. Nik cocked his head to the side. "No?"
Gwen shook her head quickly. "I don't even know if I can have one. And if we do, I doubt I'll want another."
"It would be so much easier after having the first one. Then we have two out of the way. They'll be close in age. What's not to like about that?"
She sat up. "Nik, do you know me at all?"
Nik smiled softly. "I know, I know. Even one is a massive step for you. For us."
Gwen sighed quietly. "Okay." She rubbed her tired eyes. "Well, how about I take a shower and you two discuss?"
