To be honest, Gianna had not expected Nico to keep his word and take her to her apartment. But he had and that was fantastic. What was not so great was how he spent every moment he could there, barely giving her space to breathe. He had just left for the day, and Gianna sat on her couch, thinking.
"…Whatever you need for this to be a comfortable pregnancy, I will provide," He had said during the long ride back. Making it clear that he was there for the baby, not for her. But here he was again, spending all his free time with her, staying until it was so late he had to sleep over. The two of them actually platonically sharing a bed, with no kinky business in sight. Just trusting and being comfortable enough with each other to sleep in the same bed. And that was what they did, sleep, something Gianna had thought would be a rare thing until the end of her pregnancy.
When Nico could not come to see her, he actually called. The two of them having long drawn out conversations about absolutely nothing. From the weather to whatever it is they were having for dinner. Meaningless conversations that still left her heart fluttering no matter how hard she tried to calm it. It was nice, too nice. They said and did all those wonderful things, but the two of them were still walking on eggshells around each other. Both of them dancing around the wall between them. Not willing to address it and destroy the unstable truce they had.
He was really trying, but Gianna could not shake the feeling that there was still a barrier between them. Something important that he was not facing. And she had a feeling it had to do with the mysterious ex he had briefly mentioned.
Looking back with power of hindsight, Nico's reaction had been a bit too extreme. Sure she had lied about her fertility( kind of). But she had still managed to fall pregnant.
His rage, though unexpected had been too extreme. Even his treatment of her at his penthouse. It had felt like he was looking at her, but seeing someone else. Like she was being punished for the actions of another person.
There was definitely more to the story.
Gianna desperately wanted to know what it was. But she had no idea how to broach the subject. Even if she did, it would be her forcing him to talk about something that had clearly been traumatic for him, and that would be cruel of her. But the longer he did not speak of it, the more the old wound festered. Killing whatever it is that could have bloomed between her and Nico. Force him to talk, or let him tell her when he was ready. Neither was an easy choice to make, so Gianna did what she always did in complex situations…she worked.
Or at least she wanted to work. But her relationship with morning sickness was still too volatile and she got tired too easily to be able to guarantee that she could finish her orders on time.
But she could really use a project. Something to help her focus her thoughts.
The suit!
She had almost forgotten all about it given the excitement of the previous weeks, but the person who had returned the clothes she had left over at Nico's had included the notebook with his suit measurements.
Taking it out, Gianna went to her little work station. They had gotten through the dimensions but never the colours. For lack of anything better to do, Gianna decided to pick them out herself.
A man like Nico wad probably used to wearing suits from materials sourced overseas. But Nico was not there at that moment and Gianna had a treasure trove of fabric to pick from. She ended up going with a material that looked grey at a distance, but the closer a person got they could see that it was actually a shade of blue. It was a thick cloth, not too heavy for summer, but would also keep out the chill in heavier months.
Holding the material close, she pictured Nico wearing the finished product and heat pooled in her lower belly. Gianna sighed, now that she could eat again, and was well rested, her sexual appetite had come back from the dead. But with the strangeness between her and Nico she had not felt comfortable asking him to help her out. She was now tending to herself even if was never as satisfying as being with Nico.
Pushing the thought aside, Gianna reached for her measuring tape, and her chalk. She measured, re-measured and then measured again just to be sure. Only once she was satisfied did she grab het scissors. Cutting out the shapes that she would need.
Gianna had meant it to be a slow project, something to settle her warring mind. But the moment she touched the fabric it was like nothing else mattered.
She pinned the ends of the jacket together, making sure the lines were straight before she even thought of taking it to the machine. First came the sleeve, the needle moving up and down, threading the fabric as her fingers fed it through. Done with the first one she moved on to the second. With the two of them resting side by side, ironed within an inch of their lives she turned her attention to the body.
When Nico let himself in (using a key she had no memory of giving him) Gianna had somehow finished the whole upper part of suit, buttons and all. She hid it beneath a cluster of other materials before going to greet him at the door.
Any worry that she might let something slip vanished when she smelled the food he was carrying. All thought of suits and sewing instantly relegated to the back of her mind. Her stomach grumbled loudly and Nico laughed, handing her a container.
"How was your day?" He asked, the two of them now seated, the TV talking softly in the background.
"So and so," She answered, moaning around a bite of bread dipped in cheese. Seriously who was the first person to think of that, bread and cheese. They must have been a genius.
When she opened her eyes, Nico was staring, his pupils blown, a noticeable tent in his pants.
In the past he would have been on her in seconds, their meals forgotten. But they still had their wall, and Nico just shifted, hiding his erection from her and she pretended not to have seen it. The two of them going back to their meals in silence, pretending like they were not painfully aroused.