This story is the brainchild of not-a-mer-gentleman. She came up with this amazing idea and I'm going for it.

Cece sat at the dining table, paging through a magazine. Legs crossed to the side, she leaned her head on her hand and started to nervously shake her leg, a sleek black heel dangling from her big toe.

"Jess, what are you doing in there?"

Nick let out a small laugh from his seat on the couch as he tipped his beer toward his mouth. "Finally feeling my pain, huh Cece?"

"Seriously," Cece shoved the magazine toward the center of the table and reached for her purse laying on her lap. Just then they heard a loud crash and a yelp coming from the direction of Jess' room down the hall and Nick jumped off the couch, slamming his beer quickly onto the coffee table.

"Jess?!"

Cece followed a few steps behind Nick, and he rushed through her door without knocking. After stepping into the room, Cece ran right into Nick's back as he stopped short, knocking the air out of her lungs in a loud "oooof".

"Jess." Nick unsuccessfully hid his expression and started laughing, finding his girlfriend in a twisted heap on the floor directly under her window. Her desk chair was next to her dresser and one side of her curtains was hanging unevenly from the rod. Running around to the side of the bed, he picked Jess up off the floor, steadying her as she teetered on a ridiculously high pair of silver heels. His voice was firm, but laced with a hint of laughter. "Jessica, what the hell are you doing?!"

She blew her bangs out of her eyes and flopped down on the bed. "I just wanted to open the damn window. It's hot as anything in here." She started fanning herself and Cece sat down on the opposite side of the bed.

"No wonder." Cece plucked a few items off the bed and threw them back into the pile on her pillows. "How many outfits have you tried on here?"

Jess scowled at her with arms crossed and looked back at Nick. "Can you please open my window? It's stuck again."

Shaking his head, he reached up and undid the latch, tilting the window out and turning back towards her with a smirk on his face. "Did you try to stand on a rolling chair in those?" Pointing to her shoes, he shook his head.

"Fine." Her arms flew in the air, her voice gradually trailing off. "It wasn't my most brilliant idea. I usually have great balance..."

"You could have really hurt yourself, why didn't you just ask, Jess? You knew I was right out there."

"Because I don't always need you to do things for me, Nick Miller."

Nick shook his head and glanced at Cece, who was just biting her lip trying hard not to laugh. They exchanged a glance, which Jess noticed immediately and her head bounced back and forth between them.

"Hold up. What's going on here?"

Nick stepped to the side, rolling her desk chair in front of where Jess was seated on the bed and sat down. "Nothing, it's just that..." He cringed, running his hands through his hair and hoping the conversation would go in a different direction.

"What he means, Jess, is that you do need help with this kind of stuff a lot."

Jess crossed her arms and smacking her foot on the ground indignantly. "Oh my God, I do not."

"Jess," Nick leaned forward to place his hands on her knees. "Yesterday, you were actually going to let someone you didn't know borrow your cell phone to call London."

"Oh, come on." Flipping his hands off her knees, Jess scowled. "They were really, really sweet and it was their grandmother."

"It's not a bad thing." Nick flashed her a smile, momentarily halting her frustration. "I love how sweet you are, and you call me out on my questionable decisions all the time."

"Don't patronize me, Nicholas Miller..."

Nick shook his head. "All I'm saying, is that sometimes you can be a little too..."

"Gullible? Clueless?"

Jess whipped her head toward her best friend. "CECE!"

"Oh, come on Jess. If it weren't for my gentle coaxing years ago, you'd still be insisting that overalls are actually a viable clothing option."

"Not everyone can look like a model all the time."

Cece sighed. "Jess, we're not trying to be mean. You just need people like us to depend on for certain things, that's all."

"NO, Cece, I don't." She scowled at her friend and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I'm going to shut up now. Don't over think this thing tonight, Jess. It's just dinner with my colleagues." Cece shrugged casually.

"Who happen to be gorgeous..." Jess muttered under her breath as Cece made her way out of the room.

Jess turned to Nick with a angry glare across her face. "And, you."

"Hey, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to get in a fight with you." He gently coaxed her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. "I love how smart and independent you are, but I kinda enjoy taking care of you too. I like being needed." Kissing her cheek, he smiled.

"Because you think I'm helpless and naive?"

"Jess, that's not..." Nick frowned and shook his head. "Okay, I'm going to shut up now before I get myself in even more trouble.."

Nick hated when Jess' self-confidence was sent into a tailspin like this, usually the result of letting other people get in her head. He thought she was amazing just the way she was, and there was a small part of him that resented Cece for putting so much pressure on her with things like these fancy dinners all the time in the hopes of becoming closer with those other models. They always sent Jess into these fits of self-doubt and anxiety, and he couldn't understand why she didn't see how much more beautiful and intelligent she was than those idiots.

Nick loved that there were times when he could be her go-to person and really depend on him. Most of the time, if he was being honest, he was a little intimidated with how together she always seemed to be with what she wanted out of life. He feared a day when Jess may realize she didn't really need him. Having her depend on him, even for things that might seem silly like opening windows, made him feel like this could really be more someday.

"Hey," They both stood up and he gently grabbed her chin with his hand, looking straight into her eyes with a smile. "I will never stop wanting to help you."

Her resolve quickly melted away and a slow smile crept across her face. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she leaned closer and put her head on his chest. "Thanks, Miller." Sinking into him for a moment, she took a few calming breath before she stepped back . Biting her lip nervously, she put her hands along her hips to smooth her deep pink dress. "So...do I look okay?"

"Absolutely beautiful. I don't care how many models are at that table tonight, I'd only notice you." Leaning in and smiling, he gave her a quick kiss, before raising his eyebrows. "But I know you won't have any fun if you're worrying about those shoes."

Smirking, Jess just shook her head, stepping out her heels and kicking them to the closet one at a time.

Nick winked, taking a few steps backwards before turning to leave.

"I'm still mad at both of you!" Jess blew her bangs out of her face and crossed her arms in front of her.

Nick turned in the doorway with a huge smirk on his face, saluting her and pointing both hands at her as guns.

Shaking her head and hands on her hips, she muttered to herself, "You're both going to see just how self-sufficient Jessica Day really is."