"I have a place for us to look at today." Nik said offhandedly over the rim of his coffee mug.
Gwen cocked her head. "Oh, okay."
"If that's okay."
"Of course, of course. We need to look. Did you find anything in Denmark while you were there?" She picked at her croissant, the red indents of the ropes still faintly evident around her wrists.
"Only the one I showed you."
She wrinkled her nose at the thought. It was hideous and it's no wonder Nukaka had to pick out their house in L.A., Nik was terrible at finding suitable houses. The rooms were too small, the ceilings were too low, and there was an alarming amount of windows since it was away from the city... far away from the city. She didn't need anything fancy, but it needed to at least fit them.
"Hey," he rested his hand over hers. "There's no need to rush. Giles isn't kicking you out, and I'm perfectly okay with staying in hotels." He gave his best reassuring smile, she could tell it was genuine.
She sighed softly and nodded in response, lacing her fingers through his and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.
"I'm sorry, I know you're worried. And I know you don't agree with me all the time." He mused.
She rolled her eyes with a smile. "You're intolerable, you know that?"
"But you love me."
"Unfortunately, yes." She pressed her lips to his, allowing her eyes to shut as the two of them melded together.
He happily kissed her in return, pulling away to turn his attention back to his breakfast. "We need a shower before we go anywhere though. We smell like sex and breakfast."
Gwen snorted. "I'll go take care of that."
He watched her stand. "Aren't you going to stay and finish breakfast?"
"Not very hungry." She was already halfway down the hall. "You can have it if you'd like."
The house tour went far worse than Nikolaj had wanted. Gwendoline could hardly find a single thing she liked about it and while she had put on a friendly front to the realtor, Nik got an earful on the way back.
"Nikolaj, no, absolutely not. It's an hour outside the city! I know you want land for the potential idea of children, but we need to think of ourselves too! Who's going to take care of an acre of land?"
He gripped the steering wheel tighter. "I will."
"And when we're gone for months at a time for a job?"
"We'll hire someone."
"The office space was practically a closet! The actual closet was somehow even smaller ! And there's no way we could fit a king sized bed through that cramped little hallway."
His blood began to boil. He thought it was perfect for them and a couple children - oh, sorry, just one - to live in. The land surrounding it was incredible, there wasn't another neighbor anywhere in view. There was a huge tree that would make an incredible treehouse. The kitchen was big and open.
And yet Gwen continued. "Nik, I really can't live that far outside the city, I love being able to walk places! Imagine walking to our favorite little coffee shop on the weekends or walking home after a nice date. Or at least catch a cab that won't cost an arm and a leg. Yes, the windows were big, the dining room was nice, yes the hideous carpet could be ripped up, but I would be miserable there."
"Just fucking shut up about it!" He slammed his hand on the wheel, his anger getting the better of him.
She fell silent and turned her attention to the road ahead. That's when Nik knew he fucked up.
She remained silent for that excruciating hour back to the flat. He'd encountered this dead stare many times before, yet somehow he'd never caused it. She would often fight with Giles or disagree with Alfie, and she'd retreat to this stare. Lost in her own thoughts and waiting - for what, he didn't know. He was always the one to comfort her, to break her deep-set scowl into a smile, or at least some semblance of a smile. But now that he caused it, he understood why those men steered clear of her. It was terrifying.
Upon arriving back at the flat, Gwen wordlessly got out and walked inside without even thinking of waiting for him. Nik sat in the rental car still. Do I apologize? Do I stay away? Do I try my old tricks to get her to smile? Surely she'd still break eventually.
He sighed quietly to himself and followed Gwen inside. She was already sitting down in the dining room, laptop open, as she searched for flats in the area. She mumbled to herself and typed away, ignoring Nik entirely as he tried to saunter his way up to the table. But he was terrified, the usual confidence he brought when trying to cheer her up now faltering.
Start small, test the waters. The... boiling hot, scalding waters. He trailed a hand down her arm, resting at her wrist.
Gwen's eyes flickered from his hand, to his face, then back to her computer.
A valiant effort, he thought. He plucked her hand off the table and brought it to his lips, but she slipped her fingers from his grasp to type.
He sighed. "Gwen-"
"I really don't want to do this right now."
"She speaks." He sat beside her.
She raised a challenging brow and said nothing.
"I'm sorry I yelled. I shouldn't have."
Nothing.
"Maybe... I need to see places you like to help me get a better idea of how to compromise."
Another glance shot his way. That sparked her interest.
"Close to the city. Big enough for us."
She nodded in agreement. The deep lines of her scowl smoothing out, her pale brows no longer furrowed, and she isn't biting the inside of her cheek anymore. Good.
"Hmmm, maybe - no, no," he pretended to ponder. "Shower large enough to fuck in." He grinned. "High ceilings, good echo."
"Yes to the shower, no the echo."
He leaned in close. "But I love hearing your screams bouncing off the walls."
Gwen couldn't help but smile, gently shoving him away with a firm hand to his chest. "You're terrible."
He snatched her hand and kissed her knuckles like he'd planned to do before. "But you love it."
"I hate it, I don't like youuuu!" She whined jokingly. "Now buzz off, I need to actually start looking for places I like, I go back to rehearsals tomorrow. Which reminds me, where are you going to stay? How long are you here?" She huffed a laugh. "There's a lot we haven't discussed."
Nik shrugged with a smile, that being his only response.
"I'm going to be busy. I'm sure you don't want to spend this time with Giles." She mused.
"I can manage to keep myself occupied while you're rehearsing, it's only a few hours out of the day. I can keep house hunting. And - when you're home - you'll be wined, dined, and... tied to the bed." He chuckled, grinning stupidly.
Gwen rolled her eyes. "How could I refuse?"
"So I take it I'm forgiven?" He gave his best puppy dog eyes.
She laughed. "I never said that. You're just charming enough to get away with it for now."
