My flat mates had returned to their respective hometowns during summer, leaving the entire house all to myself and Nick to occasionally crash in and spend nights together. And I have been staying at Nick's long enough that I felt a certain awkwardness entering my own like I was a stranger here.

"Nick, there's something I gotta tell you," I said to him softly, as we spent our afternoon cuddling on the sofa bed in the common room. "I've already removed my 'dangerous dates' off the schedule, we don't need to avoid them anymore."

"What do you mean?" he asked puzzled, acknowledged that 'dangerous dates' meant my ovulation dates.

"It means any date is a good date to do it unless I'm having periods," I clarified. "Don't worry, I'm not into contraceptives either."

"Why? When?" he looked at me still in wonder.

"Somewhere during my birthday," I explained and let out a pause before announcing, "I think I'm ready to be a mother."

He looked at me for a while trying to register the words that came from my mouth and chuckled, "You're kidding right? You don't have to do this for my sake, Zahida."

"No, Nick. I'm actually dying to have kids on my own. I just ... wanted a legitimate one, you know. But I know it'd be selfish of me after what you've done for me, loving me unconditionally. So yeah, let's do it. Let's have one so you don't have to bother Cane's son no more."

Nick looked at me, his hazel eyes sought confirmation within mine before slowly turned soft and glistened. He bent closer to kiss me and I felt the trembling in his lips as he pressed it against mine. "Thank you," he mouthed.

I wiped off his happy tears from his face as we tugged each other tightly, embracing our emotions of stepping into parenthood impulsively. To be honest, I wasn't really sure if I were ready to be a mom, let alone a good one like my parents were. But I was confident to be one if Nick would be there by my side.

"Should we start now?" I asked immediately.

"Nope, I need to go back and take my supplements," he released his embrace around me. "I'm gonna make healthy and intelligent offspring with more of my attitude and less of your drama."

"Yeah, go ahead," I agreed. "I don't think having another mini version of me would be a good start for the family."

"I couldn't agree more," he nodded, putting it his shirt. "I also have something to tell you and I hope you'll approve it. I feel that you might."

"Tell me?" I insisted. He opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by several knocks on the front door. He looked at me signalling for the door but I replied, "Don't answer that. Could be the preachers or those GE people asking to vote for Boris."

"ZJ! ZJ! Open this door," a male voice behind the door shouted in between his raps, alarming me. "I know you're in there. Get out! I'm dying to see you!"

"Well, that doesn't sound like any of them," Nick's face changed. "It's a sound of a man specifically looking for you." My stomach churned, secretly knew who the person behind the door was. Nick got up and entered into the passageway as he peered into my room before he turned towards me, "Apparently that person knows where your bedroom is."

"Nick, don't answer that!" I chastised, quickly putting my lounge dress on. "Nick, stop. Your dick is still exposed!"

But Nick ignored me. He swiftly opened the front door while I remained hidden inside the common room.

"You!" I heard Abs gasped at him.

"What's wrong? You used to enjoy gorging it. Why the face?" Nick responded, presumably Abs was surprised to see Nick and his uncovered manhood showed up by the door of my house.

"Where's ZJ?" Abs asked.

"What do you want?" Nick responded coldly.

"I really need to see her. I gotta make sure she's okay," Abs said. I gingerly peeked them through the gap between the common room's door hinges but Abs caught a sudden movement behind Nick and called out for me.

"Get the fuck inside!" Nick turned behind and barked at me.

"You don't talk to her like that!" Abs shouted. Then I heard sounds of a struggle between the two men which ended up Abs' getting strangled by Nick.

"Fuck off, Abs! I don't want you here!" I shouted from the common room.

"You heard that?" Nick said to him. "Now piss off!"

Nick slammed the door immediately after throwing Abs out on the pavement in front of the door. As Nick walked into the common room, a few loud kicks thudded on the front door before Abs' silhouette moved across the window of my room and disappeared.