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“You ready to go?” Asks Harry.
“Yes, Honey!” Nikki replies jokingly. “Just let me look at one more slide, will you?”
“Shall we get a takeaway?”
“Mm. Lebanese?”
“You know I don’t like Lebanese.”
“You’re right. I said it just to wind you up.” Nikki laughs.
“Indian?” Suggests Harry
“Not my Favourite.”
“Ah but you could live with it.” Harry remarks, met with a small chuckle from Nikki as she shook her head.
…..
“Did you find anything, by the way?” Asks Harry as they walk through the door of Nikki’s flat, takeaway in hand.
“No, it's so strange, I can’t find them anywhere.”
“No, not your keys. Suitcase girl.”
“Fibres and Spores. There’s something to work with.. Mind you, there’s always something to work with.”
━━━━━━━━━━
Indian food dished up, they sat on the floor, plates on the coffee table, their backs resting against the opposite facing sofas.
“Did I say thank you for the flowers?” asks Nikki, admiring the bouquet beside them.
“No. Don’t have to say thank you for a thank you present, where would it end?” Harry smiles.
“Thank you. They’re lovely.” Their eyes meet, gaze lingering.
A gentle nervous laugh from Nikki breaks the gaze they’ve fallen into. She starts clearing away the remnants of their meal and he watches her leave the room, thoughts swirling.
She feels his gaze follow her. There’s a certain energy and Nikki wonders if things would go further between them tonight. She enjoys the flirting, but it’s been years with nothing more than a kiss to show for it; and that was really only to shut her up.
Harry appears in the kitchen doorway shortly after, plate in hand.
“Let me clean up in here, please” he offers. “Least I can do after intruding on you and your flat.”
Nikki smiles, shaking her head. “Don’t be silly, I like having you here..I’ll miss it.” She says, reaching for a cloth to wipe down the kitchen top where some food had fallen.
“No, seriously, let me” Harry insists again, reaching out and grabbing her wrist to physically stop her cleaning; spinning her round to face him in the process.
Their eyes locked again. This time their faces less than a couple of inches apart.
A questioning smile appears on Nikki’s face as Harry begins slowly walking her backwards till she’s pressed against the fridge. Her wrist was still firmly in his grip and their eyes hadn’t broken contact for a second. He flicks his gaze back and forth between her eyes and her lips. Nikki expects their lips to meet as he leans in, but he goes straight for her neck.
She tips her head back, exposing her neck, soft moans catching in her throat. He stays a while, working his way up to her jaw before their lips finally crash together.
Their tongues danced and their hands roamed as Nikki began to lead them through the hallway to the bedroom.
“Yours or mine?” Harry smirks as they reach the hallway.
Nikki doesn’t respond verbally, pulling Harry into her room and on top of her as they reach the bed.
They spend a long time just kissing, exploring each other; though somehow it feels instantly familiar for them both. Harry rolls Nikki over onto her back, pushing her gently into the mattress as he ran his hands up the front of her shirt, goosebumps erupting across her skin instantaneously.
He slows his movements and takes care unbuttoning her blouse. He could’ve easily ripped it off, and he wanted to, but he could already hear the shit he’d get from her later if he was to ruin it. He strips the garment away, revealing one half of the black lacy lingerie set underneath. “God…” He murmurs, almost breathless as he admired the woman beneath him.
She began to work on his belt, between kisses, followed by his shirt, before he tore both their jeans off.
“You are so beautiful…so many…things...i've wanted..to do…to your..body..for so..long.” Harry whispers, punctuating his words with soft kisses all down her body. He plants gentle kisses on her inner thighs before getting to work with his tongue. “Oh. God. Harry.” Her eyes closed, back arching away from the mattress.
Nikki’s breathless moans drove Harry crazy. He could feel himself getting harder, aching to be inside her.
A couple more minutes spent between her thighs brought Nikki to the edge, moaning out Harry’s name again as she tumbled over.
She tastes herself on his lips as he comes back up, giving her an urgent kiss.
“Need you.” She whispers
“Condom?” He asks, breathy in her ear.
Nikki sat up a little beneath him, reaching out to her right, producing a strip of them from her bedside drawer.
“Ah, Dr Alexander, prepared as always” Harry quips.
He tears one off, opening the packet and rolling the protection onto himself.
He rolls them over, pulling Nikki on top. She reaches below, teasing him a little before guiding him into her.
They both gasp as their bodies finally joined, Nikki staring to rock gently, Harry’s hands hot on her skin. It was instant bliss for them both.
Harry’s hands wondered, his fingertips brushing across her nipples and tracing the curves of her body. His fingers made their way to her clit, circling slowly with the pad of his thumb while Nikki continued her slow grind. His touch felt electric, making Nikki jolt, her grinds becoming more desperate.
“Please.” She let out in a breathy moan.
“Please what? Tell me, Nikki.” His voice low and growling.
“....Touch me….Fuck me…” Surprising herself with how bold she was being.
This turned Harry on even more, flipping her round again, pinning Nikki’s arms above her head.
She bit her lip as their eyes locked. He smirked before kissing and entering her again.
Harry’s movements suddenly sped up, inciting increasingly louder moans from Nikki. Years of tension built up through somewhat casual flirting were finally coming to a head.
“I’m…close” Nikki manages to stutter.
“Together?” Harry pants.
“Mhmn.”
Bodies synced, they came together. Harry ever so slightly first, crying out Nikki’s name, followed closely by Nikki, doing the same. He kissed her head as he rolled off her, both now on their backs staring at the ceiling, the sound of their heavy breaths filling the room.
“That was..” Nikki began, still breathless.
Harry brings his arm round her as he finishes her sentence. “Incredible.”
She giggles softly in response, cuddling up to his chest as they came down together.
—
Nikki had almost fallen asleep against Harry’s chest when his phone began to ring beside them, the screen lighting up the darkened room. He leaned across, picking it up, giving the number a puzzled look.
“Sorry, do you mind?”
They parted, Harry moving to sit over the edge of the bed to take the call.
Nikki sat back, propping herself up against the headboard. She couldn’t help but overhear bits of Harry’s conversation as she pretended to be doing something on her own phone.
“Yes, that’s me….Oh right?………..When do you want me to start?”
It was rather late to be receiving an important call, she thought, before realising it would just be coming up to end of office hours across the pond.
“That was the,er, University in America” Reports Harry, putting down the phone. “You know, the one that offered me the professorship a couple of years ago?”
“Yes”
“Well, their Head of Pathology just resigned and they’re looking to replace him as soon as possible.”
Nikki felt her heart sink as she tried not to let it show in her face. They sat in silence for a few seconds.
“Are you going to take it?” She asks.
Selfishly she hopes he’ll say no, they’d spent so long getting to this point, too long to lose him now.
—
They spent hours in each other’s arms, Harry’s hands stroking Nikki gently, not saying a word, the energy between them filling the silence.
“You should go, take it.” Nikki sat up suddenly, breaking the silence.
“What”
“Take it. Hell, I know I'd take it in a heartbeat if it was offered to me.”
Harry was in two minds. Between what he finally had with Nikki and the biggest job opportunity in his career so far.
“Nikki…no...I want to be with you.”
“Harry.” Says Nikki as she gives him a stern but loving look “I do know you, you know.”
Harry sighs. “Can’t I want both?” He pulls Nikki back close to him as they settle under the covers again.
“I wish I could just cut you in half. Half for me and half for all those students who deserve your wisdom over in America.
“Well, I’m sure that could be arranged.. I know just the place as it happens” Harry chuckles.
“Alright, I’ll tell Leo to meet you in the cutting room tomorrow morning.” Laughs Nikki.
She paused briefly. “Seriously though, you should take it.”
She meant it, even with the sunken heart feeling lingering in her chest.
Gradually, their lips found their way together again; though there was a much different energy in the room compared to the highly charged moment they’d shared earlier. This was slow, soft, bittersweet.
“Harry.” Nikki whispered, as he moved inside her for the second time that night, his head buried in her neck, kissing softly.
She began to cry as she realised the bittersweetness of the moment. She was thrilled for Harry, truly, he deserved this more than anything, he was one of the best pathologists she knew and it was about time he got his recognition…but she couldn't help thinking about how long it took for them to get here and how little time they now had to live it. Maybe if they’d done something about it sooner, after the pub kiss, she wishes.
“Are you okay, babes? Do you want to stop?” Harry asked, noticing her tears.
“No no” Nikki assured him as she wiped at her cheek “I just… I love you, Harry.”
“I love you too, Nikki” He whispered back, almost beginning to cry himself.
It didn’t take them long to reach another almost perfectly in sync climax, both moaning out each others names as they came.
—
Nikki lay nestled in Harry’s arms, swirling her fingers gently on his chest, while he ran his through her hair. She felt her eyes closing, managing a whisper before she drifted off …
“It’s such a shame for us to part. I always thought we’d be together.”