3. Starting Over

*Thanks for the comments on chapter 2 guys!*

Nicki had been living with Drake for three days now and he was really starting to notice her coming out of her shell, which honestly he was relieved about.

"Mmkay well that's everythin' I guess." He leant back against the kitchen counter as he finished showing her how to work everything. He'd taken a few days off as she moved in so that he could get her settled. It was now Saturday and his first day back.

"Well, how long are you gon' be?" She asked politely as she carried on eating her breakfast. She hadn't been to school for the past three days either because of the whole 'moving' situation but she'd be back next week.

"About twelve hours."

"Twelve hours?" Her eyes popped slightly as he just chuckled.

"Yep, so enjoy your school days whilst you still can!"

"Mmm, thanks for the tip." She smiled sweetly with a mouthful of cheerios.

Suddenly turning more serious she looked back at him and spoke after finishing her mouthful.

"Y'know? I'm mad grateful for you doin' this and all that but you really don't have to, I mean-"

"Nicki stop. I already told you it is absolutely no trouble and besides don't you think I get lonely in this big ass place by myself?" Taking a seat opposite her he waited for a response.

"Thank you." She paused as he nodded before opening her mouth again. "And to let you know I'mma try and help out 'round here between working and goin' to school, it's the very least I could do."

"You don't have to do that. I'm not expectin' you to be my maid or nothin'." Getting up he fixed himself with another coffee. "You work?"

"Mhm, at Red Lobster. I know it's not great but it gets me money so I'm not complainin'."

"Hey, when I was your age I worked at a nasty ass cleanin' company! So don't worry 'bout it!" They both laughed as she stood to go rinse her bowl. "Oh and that's another thing, y'know? You're not gon' be able to stay at school or work much longer when this gets bigger." He sipped some more coffee as he nodded his head towards her little bump.

"Mm, I know. But that ain't for a while yet though."

"True that." finishing the rest of his drink he placed the cup next to the sink and grabbed his things. "Aight I'm gon' have to make a move, don't forget what I said, make yourself at home and feel free to use anything or whatever." He smiled at her once more before heading out of the door.

"And then there was one." Mumbling to herself she finished washing her breakfast bowl and did his cup too before heading upstairs to go shower. His house was kind of huge compared to what she was used to, she hadn't really had chance to be as nosy as she wanted because he was home the whole time she'd been there but now she could wander about for a while and be her curious little self. She wasn't on some stalker shit though, she knew his room was off limits and stayed away from there, just inspecting the lounge room and every other was ok though, right? She answered her own question as she undressed and stepped into the shower, she was quite glad that her room had its own bathroom it would have been embarrassing if he'd walked in when she was vomiting. Morning sickness had been getting the best of her but she knew that's what she'd be dealing with when she fled the abortion clinic. Just the idea itself was scary to her but going alone was even worse. And now, for once someone was actually showing her some support, she wasn't even sure why this twenty-four year old doctor was being so nice to her but he was being super helpful so she wasn't about to say no.

After showering she threw on some grey sweat pants and a pink t-shirt as she started her little tour. One thing she was ecstatic about was the fact that he had the heat on all the time, she was always freezing at her house but her dad and his crack-head friends were always either too wasted or too stoned to notice the freezing atmosphere. Strolling through his hallways she ran her fingers along the pictures he had up, there was a lot of him graduating and stuff as well as a few of this blond lady whom she was assuming was his mother. She was really small and classy looking, smiling to herself she kept on with her viewing of his photos until she reached a side-table stacked with birthday cards, obviously all to him seeing as he was the only person who lived here. Picking up one of the cards she opened it and read the message.

"Aubrey, happy 23rd birthday, lots of love Mom." She frowned and spoke to herself again. "Twenty-three? Nigga told me he was twenty-four." Putting the card down she shrugged and headed back downstairs. After about an hour of doing that she got bored and decided to watch some TV, bugging her eyes in amazement she sat her drink down on a coaster before admiring the huge flatscreen some more.

"Holy shit, he gettin' money like I ain't never seen."

Proceeding to turn it on and find a good channel she sat herself down and gently massaged her bump. She didn't want to cause a fuss or anything but every so often she felt like it got really tight and uncomfortable and then it would go away again so she never saw the reason to bring it up with Drake. She knew he would start asking her questions soon like, Do you know who the father is? Or Why did you decide to keep it? And honestly she didn't mind if he did ask but it wasn't particularly something she wanted to talk about.

Four hours later she woke up with a start. She'd fallen asleep watching 'Bambi' and now some creepy ass horror movie was on. Quickly turning it off she sat up and looked at the time, it was only 3pm and Drake would be home at around 10pm. What the hell was she supposed to do for six hours? Shaking her head she realised that living with him didn't mean there was rules all of a sudden, she could still go out. Maybe not at the same times as she usually would but she was already losing her mind after been locked in for less than a day. She wanted to do something as a thank you and figured she could cook him something, she liked cooking and when would the last time have been when he came home to have dinner already on the table. Silently agreeing with herself to go to the supermarket she went upstairs to change before heading out, he'd given her a key already so all she had to do was make sure she locked everything behind her, which she did.

***

"Look, I'm sorry! How many more times do I have to say it Drake?" Ashley followed behind him as he  did his rounds.

"Ashley, I'm not mad I already told you. I'm over it." Sanitizing his hands again he turned to look at her.

"No, that's what I mean. You're bein' all 'whatever' about it!"

"That's 'cause that's exactly how I'm feelin' right now, I accept your apology."

"Really?" She squinted and rested back on one foot as she stared at him.

"Yes, now lets move we gotta lot to get through." Laughing genuinely he flicked her pouty face and carried on walking. Truthfully he had forgiven her and was totally over how judgemental and irritating she was acting a few days ago but he wasn't sure if it was the fact the he really had brushed everything under the carpet or that he finally had some company out of work. He hated going home to an empty house and not talking again until the next work day. In that sense having Nicki stay with him was going to be a huge advantage.

"Boy what are you smilin' 'bout?" Snapping him out of his thoughts he looked at her amused face, he hadn't even noticed he was smiling.

"Oh, nothin'. Come on we gotta go check over Mrs Callum."

"Ugh I can't stand her! I swear if she asks me one more question 'bout you I'mma shoot her." Drake couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Aye, ain't my fault I always got patients trippin' over me." Smiling that smile of his he let a chuckle escape and continued walking as she followed. He had absolutely no idea how much she liked him.

***

Trying to speak through gritted teeth she squeezed her eyes shut as she turned the lid as best she could. "Damn, why'd they make this freaking jar so hard to open?" Without warning it opened causing her to jump a little but she didn't spill any thankfully. She was beginning to panic a bit because it was almost 9pm and she hadn't actually started cooking yet, if she'd started as soon as she'd got back from the store it would be almost done now but her little trip left her feeling tired so she had a nap which lasted a lot longer than shed hoped.

"Mkay, now what do I do?" Scanning the writing on the jar she did what it instructed and proceeded to make some sort of spaghetti. Everyone likes spaghetti so she figured it would be a safe option. A stressful forty-five minutes later everything was done and set on the plates, which she smartly left in the oven to keep warm until he got home.

***

"Word? So you're not comin' out with us again?" Everyone was quizzing him on why he was refusing a night out for the second time in a row but honestly he was really tired and all he wanted to do was go home and relax after twelve hours of hell.

"Nah, I'm tired as fuck and I just wanna lay my head, but I hope y'all have fun though." Waving them off as they all went to their own cars he slumped into the drivers seat and started the ride home. He felt bad that Nicki had been left for the whole day but she knew she could go out and do her own thing if she wanted so he stopped feeling so guilty. The tiredness hit him more as he pulled into his driveway and got out of the car. It was freezing, especially since he had the heat on full blast in the car. He entered quietly not knowing if Nicki was already in bed but he saw the kitchen lights on as he got further into the house.

"Hey, you still-" He stopped mid sentence as the smell hit him. "Oh my God, is that spaghetti?" His eyes lit up as he shrugged out of his jacket.

"Mhm, wait, you do like spaghetti don't you?"

"Are you kidding, I love it! And it smells so good!" As soon as he said that she relaxed. Putting her hand on her chest she exhaled slowly.

"Good, 'cause it took me forever so you better like it." Smiling she grabbed both plates out of the oven and put his down at his chair. "I just wanted to say thank you, y'know? For doin' all of this when you hardly even know me. I'm super thankful."

"No, thank you! Do you have any idea when was the last time someone other than my Mom cooked for me?" He grinned wide as he sat down. Following his actions she took a seat too.

They talked for ages as they ate and then moved through to his lounge-room once they'd finished.

"So I saw all your birthday cards earlier. Twenty-three?" He shut his eyes and sighed as she watched him expectantly.

"Damn, you got me again/"

"Why'd you keep lyin'?"

He laughed as he sank further into the chair. "Honestly? I'on know, but yeah I'm twenty-three."

"And you're already a doctor? What were you, like, some child prodigy?" She smirked at his blushing face.

"Yeah actually I was! You should see the freakin' high school pictures though." Shaking his head he cringed thinking about them.

"Oh? I bet you looked super cute and had the glasses and all that huh?"

"Maybe."

"Hey, bein' a nerd ain't all that bad. Look where it's got you. Bet all them niggas that be droppin' out end up doin' nothin' for the rest of they lives." She nodded matter of factly and instinctively rested her hands on her bump again feeling it become tight. Drake noticed and sat forward some more wrinkling his brow with concern.

"You aight?"

"Yeah I'm fine it just keeps feelin' really tight every so often, is that normal?" He saw the worry on her face before answering her question.

"Yeah, usually it happens when you're tired or maybe dehydrated. You drink enough water?"

"Uhm, no I haven't had much today."

"You want me to go get you some water?"

"No that's okay I'll go-"

"Hey, you just cooked me the best meal I ever ate. I'll go." Standing to go back into the kitchen she settled herself down again as he reappeared with a bottled water. "Here."

"Thanks." She continued to sip on it as they talked some more. They figured if they were living together then they should probably know the basics about one another. Starting with Drake.

"Well, I'm twenty-three and moved here a couple years ago from my home in Canada, I still go up there in the holidays when I can but usually my Mom visits me. She's visiting in a couple months actually. Anyway, as already discussed I'm a child prodigy and yeah......What about you? What's Onika's story?" He sat back and waited for her to start.

"I'on even know where to start, I'm from Trinidad and my family moved over when I was like, five and then a couple years later my Mom had another baby and left. She took him with her and left me and my brother with my Dad but he was completely ruined after she left and everythin' turned to shit. 'Specially after Jelani moved out. Then it was just me and Dad, that's about it." She folded her lips and shrugged.

"Wow, sounds rough."

"Mhm, it was but it's all good now, right?" She smiled back at him trying to get off of that topic but his next question made her want to say on that topic.

"So, how'd all this happen? I mean, you seem like a really bright girl I just don't understand how you got into this kind of situation."

"It was an accident." She looked down feeling embarrassed.

"Does the father not want anythin' to do with the baby?"

She shook her head no in response as he suddenly felt like he was making her uncomfortable and changed the subject.

"You wanna watch a movie or somethin'?"

"Mkay, what'd you have in mind?"

After choosing a movie he gave her a blanket and went back to the couch he was sat on and got comfy. Even though it was past midnight neither of them cared because for the first time in a long time they both had someone to talk to.

*** Two Months Later ***

Nicki was officially six months pregnant and denied from going to school, she still went to work for the odd shift but that was it. She and Drake were gettin' along really well and the change in environment was having a massively positive effect on her in more ways than one. For a start all of her grades had improved dramatically and not only that but her scans were showing that her baby was at a healthy weight and size now. Sitting comfortably in front of the fire she was watching Judge Judy when the front door opened as Drake walked in. He dumped his stuff on the floor and locked the door behind himself before dropping on to the couch opposite where Nicki was sat.

"Sooo how'd your lil' date go?" She licked her spoon and joined him on the couch, using her bump as a substitute table for the ice-cream tub.

"Don't even ask. It was a nightmare!"

"Why?"

"Ugh just everythin'! That's the last time I ever let my friends set me up on a date." She laughed aloud at his unimpressed face. "Well I'm glad someone finds it funny!" It didn't take long for him to start laughing too though because her giggle was infectious.

"I wish I coulda seen what happened!"

"No, you really don't. It'd put you right off your ice-cream."

"Nothin' could put me off ice-cream right now....Or pickled onion on toast to be honest."

"Ew, that is so gross!" He laughed at her pouting angrily. "We both gon' be mad happy when you're done cravin' stuff though."

"Yeah I know." Her smile faded."Only four more months." He saw her look down and knew she was silently worrying about having her baby and becoming a Mom. He understood though, asides from him she had nobody and was about to be a Mother at sixteen.

"Hey, look at me." She did as he asked as he spoke up again. "Stop worryin', everythin's gon' be fine. You'll see. You've got me." His kind words made her smile as she started to feed herself some more ice-cream.

"Thanks, and not just for that, but for everythin'."

"Don't mention it." After yawning and kicking his shoes off he robbed her of the TV remote and turned it over which resulted in them having a mini scrap before she finally won and put Judge Judy back on.

"Don't mess wit'me Aubrey, I can still beat an ass pregnant y'know?"

"Oh? We on a government name basis now?"

"Yup. So fall the fuck back nigga." The littlest things she did and said had him crying and it was the same for her. They got one another and shared a good understanding. Suddenly stopping he furrowed his brow and sat forward. "You 'kay Drake?" He didn't answer, causing her to ask again but with more concern. "Drake? What's wrong you're scarin' me?"

"It's you."

"S'cuse me?" She looked at him in confusion as she rolled her neck.

"You, you're the reason that I can't find a girl."

"Oh? So you ain't ever stop to think it could be you? I don't have to be here if you don't want me here y'know? I can leave." She curled her lip and went to stand up but her stopped her.

"No, Nicki I didn't mean it like that!"

"Really? 'cause it sure as hell sounded like it!" She sat down again and waited for him to expand his answer.

"No I mean I'm always havin' too much fun with you and whenever I'm out with anyone I never have that kind of fun. All I'm thinkin' of is gettin' back here to be wit'chu." And just like that an awkward silence filled the room as she stared at the side of his face.

"Wh-what are you tryna say?" Her voice had calmed since she last spoke.

"I'on know Nicki." He shook his head and stood up. "Just act like I never said anythin'. I'mma head upstairs, I'll see you in the mornin'."

"Drake, stop." He did as she asked and stood still at the bottom of the stairs with his back to her. "You can't jus' say somethin' like that and leave."

"But if I'm right with what I'm thinkin' I'd be so wrong for it, so please just forget I said anythin'?"

"No. Tell me what you was gon' say?" She stood up an walked over to where he was still standing.

Followed by a few seconds of uncomfortable silence he spoke again without facing her. "Goodnight Nicki."

...

*Okay I hope this is alright :// I'm scared people are gonna lose interest :( But I'll keep going anyways XD Thanks again for all the comments! xox*