Heartbeats || H.S. [ONGOING]

{twenty-two}

As they laid in each other's arms afterward, Niko knew she needed to bring up something very important to her. She knew should have been grateful that the only people they were sneaking around from were his two children, but the fact that they were still sneaking around seemed to constantly be nagging at her in the back of her mind.

His children loved her — sometimes even confessing to liking her more than their own mother. So she didn't understand why Harry felt like he needed to hide their relationship from them.

"Baby?" Niko asked carefully.

"Hmm?" he hummed quietly, his eyes closed.

"Can I talk to you about something?" She asked, biting her lip tightly between her teeth as anxiety swelled up inside of her.

"Anything," he said, opening his eyes to look over at her.

Niko sat up against the headboard, wanting to be able to look him in the eyes as they had this conversation.

"Well, this must be serious," Harry quipped as he pulled himself up, leaning his back against the headboard.

It was serious. I was very serious to her.

"Baby, when are we going to be able to tell Jackson and Avery about us?" Niko asked, picking nervously at her thumb nail, her eyes focused on his.

Harry let out a deep sigh and washed his hands down his face before looking back at her.

"I just... I just want to be out in the open about us. I love you. We're in love, Harry. What we have is real and I don't see why we have to hide it anymore," she explained, trying to make him see how great it could be. They spent enough time hiding.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair and let out another sigh, and she realized this was a much bigger deal to him than she thought.

"Why are you being like this?" Niko asked, furrowing her eyebrow together, feeling the pain in her heart growing with each passing second that he didn't acknowledge her feelings.

"Why can't you just wait?" He shot back, letting out another sigh.

"Wait for what?" She asked, chuckling darkly as she shook her head. Hadn't they done enough waiting?

"Wait for a while. Why can't I just have time with my kids? Why can't they just get used to the fact that their parents aren't together anymore?" Harry asked, running his fingers through his hair again.

"Do you hear yourself? Get used to their parents not being together? It's been two years, Harry. Don't you think they're used to it by now?" She asked, sending him an odd look.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Harry asked sharply.

"In a rush? I waited two years for you to come back into my life and now that I have you, do I really have you, Harry? Or are you ashamed of me? I'm just the twenty-something nanny, right?" She shot at him, jumping quickly out of bed, feeling the anger and resentment festering inside of her.

"Niko, no. That's not it," Harry said insistently, shaking his head.

"Then what is it?" She asked as she slipped her panties up her legs before grabbing her bra off the floor.

"I just... I just need some time," Harry sighed as she fastened her bra into place before walking over to grab her dress from the end of the bed.

"I'll be happy to give you time, Harry," she snapped angrily as she slipped her dress over her body.

"Niko," he sighed as he stood up from the bed, sliding his boxer briefs up his legs.

"Just give me a call when you're ready to start something real with me, because I'm sick of hiding out in your bedroom like a goddamn hooker!" She yelled at him as she grabbed her purse and left his room.