Saw this prompt and thought why not create some Nomi content and this idea popped into my head. A little angsty and you need some knowledge of Bond movies to follow characters. Per usual, recommended listening Track:
“So let me get this right. You want me to pretend to be your…fiancé?”
“Yes Y/N. You’re being so daft about this.”
“Nomi, love. Just answer me this. Why?”
“I’ve already explained this to you Y/N. My boss is throwing this holiday party and they think that I’m engaged because I panicked at my 00 interview I told them I was. So now, they’re expecting me to bring…someone .”
“First off, I told you that you needed to undo that lie three years ago. And ok, bring one of the girls from your extensive roster.”
Nomi glared at you, “Funny aren’t you. You know damn well that I can’t just take some random woman to a MI6 event.”
“I am a random woman, to them at least. I’m a pediatrician. Nothing about that rings ‘Fiance of British Spy.’”
“What? No. I’m not going, all those stuffy white boys, you don’t even like them.”
“Of course I don’t like them, but I can’t not go, then they’re gonna know I don’t like them.”
“I’ll take out the trash for a week, and dishes.”
“Darling we’ve lived in this flat since university and you’ve not taken out the trash one time.”
“Ok, fair. Come on y/n, please.”
“Fine, you’re a pitiful site when begging. But you have to explain to my actual fiancé why I’ll be missing Christmas Eve with him and his family.”
“Of I could just off him finally.”
“I’m just saying, he’s so…bland. Plus he’s taking away my roomie. Automatic grounds for execution.”
“You’re barely here as is. plus, with me gone, this could definitely be the ultimate bachelor’s pad, your wildest dreams fulfilled.”
Nomi laughed as she walked over to the counter, grabbing to chilling bottle of wine, and bringing it back to the table.
“Sure, why not. To our never nuptials. Cheers.” The two glasses clinked and the two of you erupted in careless laughter.
You and Nomi had been roommates since boarding school, from different worlds, yet clicking almost instantly. Both academically gifted, entering Sixth Form each barely 13 years old. It seemed an easy decision to place the two of you together yet Nomi’s parents had objections for their daughter being placed with a “scholarship kid.” You’d grown familiar to this trope, having always been ostracized due to your second hand uniforms and return to council housing ever summer. Yet upon seeing their loner of a daughter blossom with you all’s friendship, their anxieties were quieted and the foundation for years long friendship was planted. For years you all were inseparable, navigating heartbreak, success, and losses at one another’s side. Your careers progressed, you completing medical training and Nomi climbing the MI6 ranks, sometimes going weeks without seeing one another. Yet, your friendship and the flat you all had shared since university, an ever constant comfort to you both.
The night of the party was going well, you playing your role as the charming, dutiful partner effortlessly. Two men approached you, one slightly balding, the other much younger.
“M, Q,” Nomi acknowledged to pair, “please meet my fiancé, Y/N.”
“Lovely to meet you my dear,” M stated, grabbing your hand and placing a kiss upon it.
“Pleasure is all mine. Nomi speaks so highly of you both. Although I have a bone to pick with you Q.”
“Me?” Q questioned, pushing a nervous hand through his hair.
“Yes, please make sure you get all of your equipment back before she comes home. Your last ‘pen’ nearly set my washer ablaze.”
“Ahh. Yes, I’ve told 007 numerous times to please return everything. It’s her achilles heel.”
“Yes one of many,” you added with a sly smile earning a laugh from the two men and eye rolling paired with a smirk from Nomi.
“Nomi, keep this one around,” M stated as he leaned in for a departing embrace. “Y/N, you keep this one in line for me now. I hope you ladies enjoy the rest of the party.” M rushed Q off across the room, leaving the two of you alone.
Nomi wrapped an arm around your waist, giving you a slight smile, “You’re doing thing a little too well…”
“I learn from the best,” you responded with a wink, heading towards the bar.
Nomi grabbed your hand, pulling you to the dance floor.
She pulled you in close and you tensed with the unfamiliar closeness, her familiar scent, sandalwood and rose, over taking you.
“Y/N, relax,” Nomi whispered in your ear, gently stroking your arm.
You took a deep breath, forcing yourself to ease into her, laying your head upon her chest, wrapping your arms at the base of her neck. Song after song filled the air, the two of you swaying gently to the soulful melodies. She nestled her head gently in your neck, the move sending sparks through your spine. You felt weightless in her arms, the dozens of partygoers around you melting into the background.
“Thank you for tonight.” Nomi spoke quietly, her words interrupting your trance.
“No really Y/N. It means a lot. I owe you.”
You slightly lifted your head to look at her, “Yea you do-“
Before you could finish, she kissed you. At first soft, unsure, then blossoming as your lips explored the contour of hers. Her lips were soft and pillowy, almost like satin. A quietly concealed fervor emerged, each of you hungry for the other’s taste. Her fingers explored the small of your back as you explored the softness of her the tight curls. You felt enveloped in a vortex of passion, your bodies drawn in to one another’s like magnets.
Calls of ‘Cheer’s and the clanking of dozens of glasses sounded around the two of you, a harsh interruption to the embrace that had engulfed you. The night’s festivities culminating in a toast without either of you aware of the time that had passed.
The ride home was painfully silent. You stared out the window, unsure what to think of the night’s incident. The kiss had been so unexpected, yet, perfect. Maybe it was all a part of the act, Nomi’s attempt to sell your presence to her co-workers. Yet, the silence said otherwise. Nomi was not one to be lost for words. Pulling into the garage, you rushed out of the car, stating that you had to use the toilet. You hopped in the shower to clear your mind, emerging in your towel.
“I put on the kettle.” Nomi called to you as you hurriedly crossed the room.
“Thanks, I’ll be right out.”
You rushed into your room, locking the door tightly behind you, your head spinning. After a few minutes, you heard a soft knock at the door.
“Y/N,” Nomi called out, her voice drenched in an unfamiliar timidity. “Can I come in…please?”
“Ok,” You answered, unlocking the door. She walked in, now dressed in a crew neck and jogging shorts, leaning against the door. Seeing her standing there lit a fire of emotion within you.
“Nomi, what the fuck was that?”
“No, don’t apologize. You ask me to pretend to be your fiancé for whatever reason, parade me around your coworkers, and then you kiss me?”
Her words deflated your anger. It was true. But it didn’t matter. You were friends and you had a fiancé that you would marry in a matter of months. You took a deep breath, searching for the right words to not make matters worse.
“Yes, I did, but still. I’m set to marry Paul, you’re my maid of honor for fucks sake, and now you’re making out with me on the dance floor. I don’t even know why I agreed to this.”
“So you’re telling me you didn’t feel anything? You don’t feel anything about us?”
“‘Us?’ Nomi, there is no ‘us.’ Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Oh so I’m the ridiculous one.”
“Oh come off of it Y/N,” Nomi scoffed, “I see the way you act after I bring someone home. You could have moved out of here years ago.”
“It’s in your name, but you know very well my parents purchased—“
“Oh no, not this shit again. That’s besides the point Nomi.”
“So what is the point Y/N.”
“The point is, there is no us. Whatever you think you see or feel or whatever is senseless.”
“If that’s the case,” she responded calmly, “Then why are you so upset right now?”
Her words silenced you, because it brought up a question that you were not prepared to answer. So what if you burned with jealously every time she brought another woman to the the flat, why would you want strangers in your space? Yes you worried every time she didn’t come home for nights or weeks at a time, despite knowing that this was completely normal in her line of work. Anxiety wrecking you until you’d find her worn, and often bruised form sprawled in the living room. And yes Paul was indeed…dull. But he was safe, consistent, present. Things that would never describe Nomi, as either a friend or more.
You sighed, the undeniable truth washing over you. Yes, you were in love with this beautiful, brilliant, brash and unavailable woman, you had been for years. But none of that mattered and you both knew it. You signed, weary with this final climax of emotion draining you of what little energy you retained.
“Nomi, it’s late. I have a shift in the morning.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
“What more is there to say?” Your response was brief but poignant, leaving little else to be said. You saw her shoulders drop, a forlorn expression painting her soft features. As she turned to the exit, you saw tears begin to fall from her eyes, your stern expression fading with concern.
“Nomi wait,” you tried to call out, but she was gone, the door closing swiftly behind her and moment later, the slam of the front door ringing loudly through the apartment. Grief filled you as the realization of the damage that’d you inflicted struck you. Yet, you had no regrets. This was the only way to protect her, as the heartbreak of rejection was an easier wound than what would face you both if she continued to pursue you, given your background.
You moved over to your dresser, pulling out the burner phone, sending a single message to the only number saved.
“Good job Y/N, this is for the best.”
Tears fell down your face as you removed the sim card from the phone, tossing it out of the window. Protecting her had always been your calling and this was just a part of the job.
