'How is she?' Vincent asks curiously as I close the door behind me. 'I'm fin-' Celine can't even finish her stupid lie as she starts throwing up again. Oh god...

'Celine are you-' 'Do not open that door, Neveah!' It takes every cell in my body not to throw open the door and help her as much as I can, but she doesn't want Vincent to see her like this.

'I just think I ate something bad.' She groans, probably trying to get back up on her feet. 'Or it's because you're pregnant and you barely slept for the past twenty-four hours.' Brandon says, trying to open the door.

She locked it the moment I closed it behind me a few seconds ago. 'I'll be fine, can all of you just go and do other things instead of focusing on me. This is embarrassing enough as it is.'

Brandon looks at me and we sigh in unison, pulling Vincent away from the bathroom so that Celine doesn't have to deal with him right now.

'Has Rio said anything new yet?' Brandon asks as he tries his best to keep Vincent amused. 'What do you mean?' Vince asks, trying to pry his way back to Celine.

'Is there anything he's keeping from us again?' Brandon continues to ask, pulling on Vincent's arm to keep him from going the other way. 'Rio has been telling us more lately.'

They both look at me and shake their heads. 'Just because you two became best buddies, does not mean he's been telling all of us everything.' Brandon says, smiling at me.

'Well, nothing he tells me contains any plan or hints for getting Leya back.' I admit because it's not.

Most of the time it's him just venting or us talking about stupid stuff. It's not about getting her out because he does not want to talk about that with me.

And I don't like it, but I'll manage.

'Anyways, anything we should know about?' Brandon asks, looking at Vincent again. 'Nothing but some bullshit on Kai, should we not get back to Celine and help her?'

'She doesn't want to be helped, but I know she'll appreciate the offer.' I answer, pulling at his arm as well.

'What the fuck is it with you two and bothering people?'

We all turn around, coming eye to eye with Rio and Marco.

'We are not bothering people.' Brandon says, rolling his eyes as he keeps a tight grip on Vincent's arm. 'And aren't you supposed to be at that meeting with Micheal?'

'I was just about to, but I have to talk to North first.' Me? Without saying anything else, Rio turns back around and heads to his office.

I quickly rush after him and frown at him as I enter his office. 'What's going on?'

'I need you to take Victoria out of the house for the next couple of hours.' What?

'I thought she was fine with Killian and Nico?' He sighs deeply and looks straight into my eyes. Straight into my soul.

'I'm not saying I won't do it, I just want to know why.' He heads over to his desk, reaching for something in one of the drawers. 'People might come over here and I thought we wanted to keep her out of this mess?'

We did... 'Okay, I'll take her to the park or something. Anything else?'

'If you come across anything suspicious, you-' 'Call you, I know. But since I'm going to a playground, I doubt I'll bump into Leya.' It might happen...

But I doubt it.

We're nowhere near Whitegate Manor, so there's a minuscule chance of bumping into her there.

'You never know.' I nod and turn back to the door. 'Good luck with Micheal, let me know how that goes.'

When I make my way to Victoria's room, I knock on the door, 'Who is it?'

I roll my eyes and open the door, peeking inside just before she shuts the door again. 'If you're Killian, I'm not here, who is it?'

'Young lady, open this door right now.' I can hear her gasp before the door swings open and she pulls me into the room, just to shut the door again.

'What is going on with you?' I ask as I take in her defensive state. She looks afraid for her life, but in a playful way.

'Killian won't stop tickling me!' She complains, walking over to her bed. Nico is sitting there, watching from a distance. 'Well, let's escape then.'

They both look at me with a frown on their faces, making me smile. 'I'm taking you to the park, come on.'

I watch as excitement takes over and can't stop smiling when she rushes to her little suitcase on the other side of the room.

'I'm coming with you.' Nico says as he climbs off the bed and heads to the door, 'Let me just grab my jacket. We'll meet at the door?'

Without awaiting my answer, he heads out, going to grab his jacket like he said he would.

'I guess Nico is coming too.' I say, waiting for Victoria to get out of the bathroom again.

When she's finally done, we head to the front door, where Nico is indeed waiting on us.

'Where are you guys going?' Killian asks curiously. I can feel Victoria's arms wrap around my legs and smile. 'We're going out for a while, but we'll be back before diner.'

'Alright, have fun!' Brandon chimes, probably happy that he's getting some alone time with Killian.

We take a car to the park and head to the playground section. Victoria runs as fast as she can, making me smile even wider.

It's as if she needed this for a while.

Just some time out of the house, spending some time at a playground.

We head to the benches near the playground and I take a seat, taking a quick look around to see all the other parents.

There are a lot of children running around and parents talking and watching them.

I keep my eyes on Victoria as she runs around the place, enjoying herself.

'So, finally some time off.' Nico chimes as he drops himself down next to me.

A lot closer than I expected him to be.

'I guess.' I mumble as I look straight ahead.

Why are there so many children outside?

'Talk to me, Veah.' A frown forms on my face and I almost turn to look at him. 'What do you want to talk about?'

'Anything really, I feel like we haven't talked in a while.'

'We talked at breakfast this morning, and we talked before you ran off to get your jacket.' He sighs deeply and moves a little closer. 'And we also talked before I went to bed last night, so I truly don't-' 'You're not even looking at me as we speak.'

'I don't want to lose Victoria.' Without even looking at him, I can feel him frown in confusion. 'What?'

'That's how kids get kidnapped, you take your eyes off of them and poof! They're gone.' He chuckles, moving even closer, almost leaving me no space at all. 'You won't lose her if you take your eyes off of her for just one second, Veah.'

'That's exactly how children get abducted, have you not been watching the news?' I say as I keep my eyes on Victoria.

She's running towards the swingset with a bunch of other children running behind her.

'Neveah.' I freeze when I feel a warm hand on mine and feel my heart swell again. Just like it did when I had that meeting with Micheal and Nico kept me company the entire day. 'You won't lose her, calm down.'

He moves his arm around my waist and pulls me closer, letting me lean on him. 'What are you-' 'Just calm down.'

I just sit there, listening to his steady heartbeat, while not taking my eyes off of Victoria at any time.

'You're still not calm, are you?'

'It's not like this is going to help with calming me down.' I say, pointing at the position we're in while trying to keep my focus on Victoria.

She's still on the swingset. Good.

'Just relax.' This feels wrong. 'I can't.' I say as I maneuver my way out of his grip. And it's not like he's holding onto me tightly so it's not that hard.

'I'm sorry, I just-' 'It's fine, I overstepped. You're clearly not ready,' Not ready? 'and I shouldn't have pushed you and-' 'Let's just forget it?' I can hear him gasp for air just a little.

That's exactly what he didn't want to hear right now.

'Fine with me.' Shit. I take my eyes off of Victoria for just one second and look at him. 'Nikolai, I didn't mean it like that, I just-' 'It's fine.' He repeats, smiling this time.

Maybe he was smiling before this as well, I don't fucking know.

'Okay.' I mumble as I turn back to the playground, happy to find Victoria still on the swings.

'So tell me more about your family.' I say, trying to move on from whatever that just was. He shifts again, moving a little further away. 'What do you want to know?'

'Do you have a lot of siblings?' His sister is the only one I know about so far. 'I have two younger sisters and four younger brothers.'

Wow... 'That's a big family.' I can see him nod in the corner of my eyes. 'I haven't seen some of them in years.'

'Why?' I ask curiously. If I had any siblings, I would spend a lot of time with them. 'Let's just say something happened.'

'Don't want to talk about it?' He shakes his head and grabs his phone. 'Alright.'

Victoria runs back to the long slide, smiling at us, before climbing up the steps.

'After Natalia died we all went our separate ways to prevent something like that from happening again.' Oh...

'Understandable.' He chuckles and puts his phone away, before looking at me again. 'It's bullshit.'

'So you want to see them again?'

'We used to be so close when we were teens and now they act like they don't know me.' He says, genuinely sounding hurt because of it.

'But it's fine. I couldn't care less now.'

'But you do.' I say, smiling a little. He's trying his hardest to act like he doesn't give a single shit, but he cares a lot. 'And that's completely normal.'

'Is it?' He asks a little confused, 'They don't care, so why should I?'

'How do you know they don't care?' He chuckles darkly and moves closer again. 'Actions speak louder than words.'

What? So something happened. I want to know what it is, but I don't want to push him about it.

He slowly turns ahead, looking at the children playing in front of us again.

'Maybe it's better this way, I mean they obviously don't want to waste time on me.' Waste time on... 'Don't say that.'

His eyes go back to me again and I try not to take my eyes off Victoria again.

'Why not?' He asks curiously, moving close enough for our hands to touch again. 'Because-' My phone starts ringing and I lose my train of thoughts because of it.

I pull out my phone, not taking my eyes off of Victoria for even a second as I pick up the phone and bring it to my ear.

'Neveah speaking.' I say, waiting for someone to respond. 'North, you have to come back to the house right now.'

It's Rio. And he's panicking.

'Okay, what's going on?' I ask as I get up from the bench and sign at Victoria to come our way. 'It's Celine.' What?

She was nauseous earlier, but nothing else. Right?

'She's giving birth so you better get your ass back here Neveah!' Brandon shouts from the background.

I almost drop my phone and rush over to Victoria, before carrying her back to the car.

Nico rushes after us and stops me from opening the door. 'What's with the rush.'

'We have to go, Celine is giving birth!' I shout at him, pushing him to the side so that I can get behind the wheel.

Nico moves to the passenger seat and hands me the keys. We quickly make our way to the house and I jump out of the car, leaving Victoria with Nico, as I rush inside.

'Where is she?' 'Upstairs, she's freaking out.' Marco says, panicking himself.

I run up the stairs and head to the only bedroom that's open.

Rio, Brandon, and Vincent are standing in the hall and looking at me. They all look so stressed and it's actually kind of funny to me.

'Go in there and help her.' Rio orders, basically pushing me into the room.

There's a maternity nurse who's trying to get some towels underneath Celine's legs. But she's moving too much.

'You're Neveah?' The nurse asks, and I nod, moving closer to the bed.

'Neveah?' Celine asks, looking at me with the most painful look on her face. 'I'm here.' I say as I grab her hand, feeling like it might break underneath her grip, 'I'm here.'

'It hurts.' I almost chuckle at her confession, because she's a doctor. She should've known. 'I know, but keep in mind that all of this will give you a lot more in the end.'

'Okay, I need you to breathe for me, ma'am.' The nurse says, breathing in and out in a quick paste, waiting for her to do the same.

I do the same as well, trying to make her feel like she's not alone in this. Because she's not.

'I can't do this.' She tries to get up, but she's in too much pain to actually get out of bed. 'No, you do. You got this.' I say, trying to push her back down.

'Just breathe and do as she says, come on, you're a doctor yourself.' I joke, squeezing her hand just a little.

She nods and closes her eyes before slightly bending her knees in the right position. 'You got this.' I repeat as I stay close to her.

Sweat is dripping all over her face, and I brush her hair out of her face, still breathing like a lunatic.

But it works. She gets a little more comfortable, while the nurse goes down to get the baby out.

'Okay, on the count of three, you're going to push.' Celine nods, trying to keep her breathing steady. 'One. Two. Three.' Push.

She groans, squeezing my hand as hard as she can, and pushes. But nothing happens.

'Again. One, two, three.' She does it again, screaming this time. 'It's okay. It's okay.' I say, helping her sit up a little.

'You got this, okay.' She opens her eyes and tears stream down her face, but I quickly wipe them away. 'You got this.'

She nods and closes her eyes again, taking one deep breath, before pushing again.

'Almost there,' The nurse says and Celine chuckles because of it, 'Just one more hard push, and the baby should be out.'

'One more Celine, come on.' She nods, takes another deep breath, and squeezes the shit out of my hand again.

And then it happens. Not even two seconds later, a baby starts crying, and we all gasp for air.

'A beautiful baby boy.' Oh my god...

The nurse cuts the umbilical cord, wraps the baby up, and hands it to Celine.

She's crying and still shaking a bit, but it's clear that she won't let him go.

A little red baby, who's still crying his lungs out, wrapped in blankets, looks at his mother and slowly stops crying.

'He's beautiful.' Normally I would say that babies aren't cute at all, definitely not at birth, they turn cute after a few months, but this baby is adorable.

'I need to weigh him and make sure that everything's okay, if you would just write his name down so I can hand you the birth certificate, you could take a shower and rest. I promise the baby is in good hands.' The nurse chimes, ready to take the baby away for just a little while.

Celine shakes her head and leans back, holding onto her baby as much as she can. 'I'll check on him.'

She sounds exhausted but determined at the same time. 'Celine, you should rest.'

Her eyes turn to me and I can tell that she wants to oppose. 'She'll take care of him for now.'

She finally caves in, handing her son to the nurse who's already moving to the little dresser she set up earlier.

'Do you have a name for him yet?' I ask curiously, grabbing the paper she needs to write it down on. 'Leroy Dufort Davis.'

Kai's last name... 'I couldn't decide and he's not here.' She mumbles, trying to get comfortable for a few seconds.

She writes it down and places the paper on the other side of the bed.

'Is it okay if I help the mother and you introduce him to the others?' The nurse asks, handing me the fragile baby. 'If she's okay with it?'

I turn to Celine, who simply nods and wearily points at the door. 'Go do that.' She's definitely tired.

I try not to move too much in order for the baby to not cry again, but I'm afraid I'm doing everything wrong.

He looks adorable. Absolutely adorable.

I slightly open the door, opening it by pressing my back against it, and turn back around.

Everyone's waiting in the hall, all of them stepping closer to see how it's going.

'Is she okay?' Vincent asks, worry clear in his voice. 'She's okay, just tired.'

They all look at the tiny baby in my arms and I can't stop smiling. 'Everyone, meet Leroy Dufort Davis. Our newest addition.'

'Can I see?' Victoria asks curiously, and I kneel down a bit. Her eyes widen and she starts smiling. 'He's so small.'

'He's adorable.' Brandon chimes, trying to get a closer look. 'He looks just like her.'

I roll my eyes and glance at Marco for a second. 'He does not.' He has her nose, but all the other things resemble his dad.

'He looks like Kai.' Rio says, smiling to himself.

We all look at Leroy, who's looking at all of us strangely.

'Can I hold him?' Vincent asks after a few minutes of silence.

I nod and just as I'm about to hand Leroy over to him, the door opens again. 'She wants to see the baby.' Well...

'And she needs to shower so one of you needs to help her with that as well. But for now, she wants to see the baby.'

They all look at me, but I look at Vincent for some reason. 'Neveah...' I hear from inside the room, almost making me flinch.

For some reason, I don't want to let go of Leroy just yet. He's so adorable and tiny and precious.

But I know Celine wants to hold him as well, and it's her child after all, so I head back inside.

'I thought you left.' She says, chuckling a little as I move over to the other side of the bed and take a seat, before handing him to her.

'He's the cutest.' She smiles at me and nods, before looking back at her baby. 'He is.'

I take a picture in my mind because this moment is too precious to ever forget.

Something shoots through me and I try to ignore it, but it's slowly growing. Taking over my entire body.

And it hurts like a motherfucker.

'Are you okay?' She asks when I look at the bed for a long time. 'Yeah, just... Tired.'

I'm not.

I'm not tired at all.

I'm... Jealous?

Why the fuck am I jealous? What the fuck is going on?

'Neveah?' Celine asks as she nudges me with her shoulder. 'I'll be right back, okay?'

She nods and allows me to rush out of the room, knowing that if she didn't want me to go she would just have to tell me.

'Everything okay?' Everyone asks, while I quickly make my way to the front door.

But I stop in the foyer.

I need to breathe. I need to calm down because this is just bullshit.

She just gave birth and here I am, feeling fucking jealous?

All for what?

I have no reason to be jealous. None at all.

She deserved this.

So why does it hurt?

'Why did you leave?' I turn around and feel something wash over me when my eyes lock with those pretty blue ones again. 'Neveah, what's wrong?'

I shrug and keep my eyes on his as he moves closer to me. 'It's nothing.'

'Oh, okay.' I like that he's not pushing me right now. It's as if he knows I won't talk about it if he forces me to.

'It's just...' He tilts his head a little, keeping his eyes on me as I feel my heart tear a bit. 'Am I a bad friend if that little moment made me jealous?'

A frown appears on his perfect face and I hate it. I hate it because he seems so confused, meaning I have to explain it to him.

'Why would you be jealous?'

'Don't act like you don't know.' I mumble. I can recall Vincent talking to me about it when we just took in Victoria. 'Vincent knows, so you must know too.' I say, smiling a little.

It's pathetic. And it feels wrong. It's stupid.

'Just because Vincent knows, does not mean we all know.' He says, sounding more genuine than ever. 'I honestly had no interest in you until the party.' What?

'What changed?' I ask out of curiosity, nothing more. 'A lot, but don't go changing the subject now.'

I almost laugh at his persistency and smile as I look at the empty hall again.

For a while, neither of us say a thing. As if the silence fills in all the gaps.

But I know I can't keep him in the dark like this. Not when he's willing to help.

'I guess I'm jealous because that could've been me in a few months.' It takes a few seconds to click for him, but when it does, his shoulders drop. 'You had a miscarriage?' 'Two.'

His eyes widen and I slowly nod.

'But that has nothing to do with Celine or her precious son, but it's just-' 'It's totally normal to feel jealous or angry.' He says, making me sigh deeply. 'No, it's not.'

'Yes, it is. You've been through a lot and you want to be a mother yourself. It's completely normal.'

'Stop justifying my feelings.' I chime, pushing him a little. He chuckles as he steps back, shrugging a little. 'I'm not justifying them, I'm just stating the facts.'

I take a deep breath and take in the soft baby noises coming from upstairs.

'Neveah, one day you'll be a great mother to your own kids. I just know you will.' He smiles at me, making me want to smile back. If only I wasn't feeling so stupid right now...

'As long as you don't let your emotions get the best of you, you should be fine.'

'Have you met me? I'm good at letting my emotions get the best of me most of the time and I don't- I just-' I can't find the right words for the fear creeping up.

'Take it easy.' He says, pulling me into his chest.

He's hugging me. Something we've never done before. But it feels right. It feels perfect.

'I don't want to ruin my friendship with Celine because I can't be around her son.' Not that I won't be around for that much longer...

'Do you honestly think she'll allow that to happen?' No. Celine would never allow that to happen. And neither would I.

Because I want to be able to hold that sweet baby of hers and not feel sad or angry that I don't have a baby. Yet...

Maybe it wasn't my time to become a mother just yet.

But I know I will be someday.

'I hate how right you are.' He chuckles, I can feel the sound rumble through his chest as he pats my back awkwardly and slowly lets go of me again. 'I'm just perfect, aren't I.'

'Oh, you are so full of yourself.' I say as I turn around to head back to the room. I can do this and I will.

'You know you love it.' Nico chimes, rushing after me.

Everyone is gathered in the room. Everyone except Rio.

'Any questions?' the nurse asks, looking at all of us. 'She's in good hands.' I say, smiling at the state everyone's in right now.

'I can tell.' the nurse says, pulling me out of the room to quickly tell me what to do.

After a quick list of things I should be looking at, the nurse leaves, and I walk back into the room.

Celine still looks exhausted and ready for bed, but the nurse said she had to shower and eat something before she's allowed to sleep.

'Okay, who's going to get her something to eat.' Killian raises his hand and so does Brandon, before heading out of the room.

'Vincent, can you watch Leroy? And Nico, could you change the sheets real quick?' They both nod and get to work.

Vincent is having a hard time taking Leroy from Celine, but he eventually does. In the meantime, I filled up a warm bath for her so she could have some time for herself.

'Okay, come on.' I help Celine out of bed and we slowly make our way to the bathroom.

After bathing her and getting her into some comfortable clothes, we make our way back to the bedroom.

Everyone laid everything out. There's food on one side of the bed and there are fresh sheets as well, while Vincent moves around the room, cradling Leroy with Victoria right beside him.

'I'll give you two some time alone, shout if you need anything.' I say as I help Celine onto the bed, making sure there are enough pillows to keep her comfortable.

Before I head out, she pulls me into her arms, almost making me fall, and whispers into my ear, 'Thank you.'

'No, thank you for letting me stand by your side through this.'

She smiles at me with tears in her eyes and squeezes my hand again. 'I know it must've been hard and-' 'It's fine Celine, I promise.'

The jealousy I felt is gone. And so is the anger. There's still some pain, but I'll manage. 'Go eat and get some rest. I'll come by later to check on you, okay?'

I have to pry Victoria away from the baby as well and take her to her room, making sure she changes into something comfortable, and falls asleep, before I head to my own room, suddenly feeling exhausted.

When I get to my room, I see Nico sitting on my bed, with a pizza box on his lap.

'I almost finished yours as well.' He jokes, throwing another pizza box my way.

I catch it just in time and head to the bed as well. 'You better not be getting all those crumbs on my bed.'

'You could sleep in my bed if it bothers you that much.' I look directly into his eyes, wondering if he's joking or if he's being serious right now.

'I'm joking, calm down.' He chuckles, taking his last slice.

After eating an entire pizza and talking about a lot of things, I head to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

When I return to my room, I notice that Nico also took a shower and changed into comfortable clothes, but he's still in my room.

'Don't you think you should head to bed?' He shakes his head and watches my every move as I head back to the bed.

I take a seat on the edge of the bed, crossing my legs, facing him.

'Why not?' 'Not tired yet.' I nod and look around the room, trying to come up with the right way to send him away.

Because I'm tired. And I can tell he can tell.

'Can I ask you something?' He moves closer to my side of the bed, leaning on his arms as he leans forward, getting a little too close. 'Sure.'

'Did you like our short kiss at the party?' Uhm...

'Why are you asking me that?' He shrugs but does not move back at all. It's as if he's leaning closer by the second.

'Just curious.' His eyes keep me close and I wonder if it's his eyes that pull us closer because for some reason we do.

We move closer, and it feels so wrong. But so good at the same time. What the hell is going on?

I didn't realize his hand was reaching for my face until I feel myself relying on his support as I lean against it. 'Wait-'

He leans in for a kiss and I lean back, making me fall onto the ground. And since he was leaning on me as well, he falls on top of me, catching himself just in time before he crashes on top of me.

I can't stop laughing because I actually fell off the bed because of this, and he looks at me strangely, before joining me, and taking a seat next to me.

'What the fuck was that?' I ask, trying to laugh off the fact that he just tried to kiss me.

'I have no idea.' He chimes, helping me up from the floor. It feels wrong again.

'Nico, that can't happen again.' I say as I take a seat on the bed again, facing him while he stands in front of me, looking at me.

'Why not?' He asks a little hurt. 'You know why.'

'Why won't you let me in?'

His question comes out of nowhere but doesn't startle me at all. I knew he was going to ask me that at some point.

There are a million ways I could let him in, most of them would be inappropriate, and I can't do that to him. Or Tiago...

'Because I would never cheat on Tiago, especially not while there's a child in the other room.' I joke, trying to keep the mood up, even though it's probably already ruined.

'First off, ouch. Second, it's not cheating if you two broke up, and third, that little shit won't wake up for a while.'

'That little shit has a name and Tiago and I didn't break up. Where did you even get that from?'

He sighs and props himself up a little, just enough so he can look at me. 'We all heard how you and Rafael ended up here.'

'So? What does that have to do with my relationship with Tiago?'

'It would be very stupid of you to still run after him. He's the one who basically gave your best friend away.'

'To save me.' I sneer, knowing that he's right in some way.

He's right. I can't forget about that part. He gave Leya to Hunter, but he did it to save me. He didn't think about the consequences at that time and instantly regretted it the moment it happened.

For the wrong reasons, but still.

'It's pathetic if you ask me.' He smirks, instantly regretting his choice of word. 'Pathetic?'

He nods, ashamed of his decisions. But he's right, just a little.

'How is staying true to one person, loving them with all you have, pathetic?'

'It just is.' He states as he tries to move closer to me.

'So what, I'm pathetic now?'

His silence confirms the way he looks at me. Nico thinks I'm a pathetic mess, a mess he has to fix somehow. But he can't. And he can't seem to accept it.

'Well, you're the one coming after me.' I smile, trying to hide the fact that his words hurt.

I can already feel the tears forming in my eyes, stinging like hell. The fact that the tears haven't escaped yet, is strange.

I feel like I just broke a new record.

'So if I'm pathetic,' I turn back to him and tilt my head just a little, 'What does that make you?'

'What do I have to do with this?' He asks, trying to hide the fact that this is hurting him too.

'I'll never do anything with you as long as I'm with Tiago and you know that.'

He sighs deeply and moves his gaze to the open window again. I watch as his shoulders go up and down slowly as he takes another deep breath.

'I'm sorry Nikolai.' His eyes shoot to mine and I watch as a wave of emotions rushes through him.

I can't read what emotion it is, but it's something.

'Nikolai. You keep calling me that.' His lips curl up a little, forming a sly smile.

'It means warrior or something right?' I ask, trying to change the subject.

'Victorious; conquerer of the people.'

'Almost the same.' He chuckles and keeps his eyes on me the entire time.

'You're good at this.' I raise an eyebrow at him, not understanding what he's talking about. 'Rejecting people.'

I almost gasp for air. This is actually the first time I've ever rejected someone.

'I'm sorry Nico, I truly am.' He smiles softly and places his hand on mine, staring at the spot our skin touches.

'But I can't do this to him or you.'

If it wasn't for Tiago, maybe we could've been something. Maybe I would let Nico touch me differently, maybe we would fall in love and live happily ever after.

Maybe. Those are all maybe's. Maybe's I already made certainties with Tiago.

Tiago is, and will forever be, the man I want. He's the one I love. And I'm going to make sure that he can finally be reunited with his family.

Nico looks at me one more time and slowly gets up from the bed.

He walks towards the window and stares outside, looking at the moon and all the stars that paint the night sky.

'I just want you to know I would never do that to you.' What?

'What do you mean?'

'I would never put you in a position where I would have to sacrifice your best friend to save you. I would never hurt or betray you the way he did. And I would certainly not sleep with someone like Monica Santos.'

My heart breaks a little when he turns back around. He meant every word. But if he thinks that makes it all alright, he's wrong.

I want to ask him how he even knows about all of that, Curse would never tell him, it's simply none of his business, so it's either Marco, Brandon, or Celine who told him. And my bets are on Marco since he told him most of our shit when they were drunk.

'Get out.' I breathe, almost inaudible.

Regret flashes through his eyes. He knows he overstepped and he instantly regrets it.

'But-' 'I don't need you to tell me how you will be, because it will never happen.' Finally the tears escape.

They're not tears of sadness, they're tears of anger.

I am angry, more than I've ever been.

He has the nerves to talk about Tiago like this, despite him knowing how much he means to me. And I won't stand for it.

'Neveah I-' I cut him off by pointing at the door and taking a shaky breath. 'Get the fuck out.'

He looks at me again, debating if he has a chance to make up for what he just said, but there's no way he can take his words back.

'Alright.' And he knows it. He walks towards the door and stops when his hand wraps around the doorknob. 'My offer still stands.'

'Shove it up your fucking ass.' He chuckles and takes a deep breath, trying to extend his time around me as much as he can.

'From tomorrow on, we'll act like none of this happened. We'll go back to normal and not tell a single soul about this.' I can't help but laugh a little.

He's worried about his reputation. He's worried what the others might think of him if I tell them all the things he said.

'Go to hell.' He nods, winks at me, and leaves my room, closing the door behind him.

I hate him. I absolutely hate him. He just had to ruin everything. He had to ruin our friendship, he had to ruin the dynamic we had.

All by catching fucking feelings.

Instead of going after him to talk about what just happened, I decide to go to bed. I'm too tired for this shit and I don't think talking will help at all.

The next morning I get out of bed and get dressed for the rest of the day, heading to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

Victoria, Rio, and Vincent are awake as well.

'Good morning everyone!' Killian shouts with the biggest smile plastered on his face.

'You seem cheery this morning.' Vincent groans as he takes another sip from his morning coffee.

Victoria looks at me as she takes another bite out of the sandwich Rio made for her. He tends to do that since I can't cook, according to him.

'I am, I had lots of fun last night.'

'What did you do?' We all turn to Killian as his eyes widen at Victoria's question. He has to dig himself out of this one.

He glances at Vincent for help, making my eyes widen. So something happened between those two...

'I- Uh-' I can barely keep in my laughter as he starts to panic. 'Let's just say that he had a very fun dream.' Rio chuckles, before pouring her another glass of orange juice.

'Where is Nico?' Vincent asks me as if I'm supposed to know. 'Why are you looking at me?'

'Well, he went to your room last night, right?'

'So?' Killian smirks and finally takes a seat into one of the empty chairs. 'So where is he?'

'I have no idea, he left late last night.'

I didn't even think about him until now. Normally he's up early.

'What do you mean, did he not sleep in your room?'

'Nope, like I said. He left.'

Vincent and Killian both freeze as they turn to each other. 'Did he say where he went?'

'I thought he went to his room.'

'Victoria, sweetheart?' Killian smiles at the little girl in front of him. 'Yes?' 'Could you please go to your room, we have to talk.'

Victoria turns to me, asking me for permission to get out of this place. I take a deep breath and nod, not wanting her to hear whatever is about to go down in here.

So she leaves, closing the door behind her. We wait for her footsteps to disappear and they all turn to me.

'Was he drunk?' 'Not that I know of, why?' I ask a little tense.

This feels like an interrogation, and I don't understand what for.

'Did he say where he was going?'

'No. Now can someone tell me what the hell is going on?'

'We all know why he went to your room last night, North.' Rio sighs, shoving his plate further onto the table.

'You did?' They all nod and sigh at the same time. 'And you let him-'

'I wasn't going to tell Leonardo anything, it's none of my business.' What the hell?!

'Plus, you two broke up!'

'No, we did not!' I shout, jumping up from my chair and walking to the other side of the room.

I feel like they're teaming up against me, pushing me into a corner I don't want to be in.

'Don't act as if you don't want to sleep with Nico, I see the way you look at him Neveah.' Killian states while Vincent smirks at me.

'I am in a relationship with someone else.'

'Someone that's probably cheating on you anyway!' He sneers, making me gasp for air. What?

'I mean, we all know how wild Leonardo can be. He's always running after older women, and since you're here and he's God knows where! He's probably fucking some old snag!'

I look at Rio, waiting for him to say something. He sure looks pissed, but he doesn't say a single word.

'He wouldn't cheat on me, plus we have other priorities here!' I shout, feeling my anger grow when Killian's smirk widens. 'If you say so, princess.'

And he leaves the room, leaving all of us a little stunned.

'Vincent-' 'I'm on it. We'll meet you guys in the alley?' Rio nods and turns his gaze back to me.

I don't dare look away while Vincent gets up from his spot and walks out of the room.

As soon as the door closes, he moves closer.

'Listen North-' 'Don't you dare.' I sneer, stepping away from him and walking to the window.

'I was just trying to help.' What?

'How is any of this helping!?' I turn to him and wait for him to answer, but he seems hesitant.

'We need to get Cataleya back, there's no time for other shit! You said so yourself!'

'I know, but-' 'And then you let them talk about Tiago like that?!'

'Like what?' He seems to not understand what just happened. That, or he's just stupid.

'Forget it.' I mumble as I turn to the door. 'I'm going to-' 'North, wait.'

I stop with my back facing him, not wanting to turn around. I'm shaking and he noticed it too.

'We both know he would never cheat on you, that's the only thing that matters. Right?'

Right... He's is right. It doesn't matter what the others say. I know Tiago loves me. And he would never cheat on me. I hope.

No. He wouldn't cheat on me. If even Rio says he wouldn't, then he won't.

'We need to get this over with.' I sigh as I turn back to him. He's closer than I expected him to be, but I'm too exhausted to step away.

'We're almost there.' He smirks, looking down at me. I nod and turn back around, heading to the door again. 'I'll go check on Celine.'

I make my way back into the main hall, seeing something outside as I walk past the front door. Is that...

I open the door and head outside, following the runaway to the side of the house, slowly catching up to him since he's stumbling.

'Nikolai!' He stops and turns around, almost falling. 'Neveah!' 'Where the fuck have you been all night?'

The closer I get, the clearer it becomes. He was at a club. Or a pub.

He was out all night. Drinking.

'You reek of alcohol.' I say, trying to get rid of the smell by flapping my hand around like an idiot. 'That's not a nice way to talk to me, is it?'

He stumbles forward, almost falling when I step away from him. 'What's wrong with you?'

'I should be asking you.' He states, crossing his arms at me. 'Just go inside, everyone's worried about you.'

I turn back around, hoping that he'll just follow me back inside, but he grabs my wrist instead, turning me around and pulling me closer.

I freeze for just a second and hate myself for doing so, but he instantly lets go and mutters something to himself, before looking at me again.

'I have a question and you have to answer honestly.'

'Fine.' I say, keeping my eyes on him. 'Ask away.'

'If you weren't with Leonardo, you would've given us a chance, right?' Oh god... Would I?

Maybe. Maybe I would've given Nico a chance. But there's one problem there.

If I wouldn't be with Tiago, I would've never met Nico in the first place. Now that I think about it, I would've never known Brandon or Celine either. Or Rio. Or Marco. Or Killian and Vincent.

Not even Victoria.

'If it wasn't for Tiago, we wouldn't have met.' He rolls his eyes and takes a big step forward, almost close enough to touch me. 'Answer the question.'

Can I answer this question?

I should be able to because the answer should be simple.

I'm with Tiago, because we have not broken up, but I'm leaving as soon as this is over, so does that mean we're already over?

But do I want to give Nico hope of us ever happening if I don't even know what it is I want right now? No.

'You know I can't.' Something sparks through his eyes, as if it's both a yes and a no for him, which it probably is.

'Did you not say you were going to leave him as soon as all of this is over?' He asks, taking the last step forward, cupping my face so that I need to look at him.

And I don't move away either. 'I did.'

'So what's stopping you?' He asks, leaning his head against mine, 'What stopping this?'

What is stopping this? Nico is a nice guy. Sure, he can be cold-hearted, but so can everyone else. So can Tiago.

But for some reason, I can't just move on. As if some part of me belongs to Tiago, at least until we get to talk about everything. At least until all of this is over.

'My heart.' I whisper, feeling his grip on my face weaken as he takes in my words. 'Let it be mine.' 'I can't.' I wish I could.

I wish I could just experience whatever it is Nico's offering me right now so that I can make a clear decision, I wish I could stop hurting him like this, but it feels wrong.

It feels wrong to even be thinking about anything with Nico, while I'm officially still with Tiago.

'Why not?'

'Tiago has it.' I admit softly, hoping that the wind will cover my voice.

But it doesn't.

Nico's arms drop to his side and his eyes slowly turn cold again.

I want to reach out to him, I want to comfort him, but I can't do that right now. It will make him more and more confused.

But I wish all of this was that simple. I wish I could just hug him and tell him that everything will be okay, and I should, but that would be wrong.

Just like my thoughts of even being with him in that way are.

'If that's what makes you happy.' He says coldly, his voice making me shiver and almost tremble with fear.

He's shutting me out again. As if we're back at square one.

----

A/N: Poor Nico... He really likes Neveah, and it's clear she likes him as well? A little... kinda?

THANK YOU GUYS AGAIN FOR ALL THIS LOVE AND AAAHHH I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH YOU GUYS LIKE THIS STORY!!! IT'S INSANE! <3

I hope to see you in the next chapter, have an amazing day/night!