86. Stay Forever

Nicolas woke up alone in bed. He stretched lazily, the sheets rustling beneath him as he did so. He turned to look at the alarm clock next to the bed. It was only seven o'clock. It was still dark outside, which meant Dianne must be sleeping for another two hours.

Nicolas sat up and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he swung his legs off the bed and put on his slippers. He crossed the room and pushed the curtains aside. He gazed outside for a minute and then closed them again, sighing.

Nicolas turned around and started pacing the length of the penthouse. It was hard to believe that less than a month ago they had been dating. Now he and Dianne were finally engaged to be married, and they were spending every waking moment together. He couldn't imagine anything better.

He shook his head, smiling sadly. That was a lie, there were many things he would give to never have to imagine it. But unfortunately, reality was harsher than dreams sometimes. He sighed again as he walked towar