I DON'T OWN NEW GIRL *DISCLAIMER*
He was done. He couldn't stand being around her any longer. Ever since the kiss almost two months ago, he couldn't be within her reach, for fear he'd do it again. The kiss happened on an impulse, a desire he couldn't ignore any longer. She was standing there in her pink robe looking so adorable, her eyes burning into his. But he didn't lose it until she touched his arm. It was too much! The electricity that ran from her finger tips to his arm clouded his vision and muddied his mind. Before he had time to recover his lips were already crashing down on hers. Was it mistake? Yes, since she had a boyfriend. But did he regret it? Not a chance in hell. And that was the real problem. He should regret it. He should be able to apologize and move on with his life. But he couldn't. He wanted more.
Thus he was moving. His ex-best buddy lived in Northern Cali and offered him a place to stay until he got back on his feet. Rex, as his friends called him was a gentle giant, standing at 6'8'' and weighing a good 300lbs. He wasn't the smartest man in the world, but he had a heart of pure gold. He owned an average sized farm that housed hundreds of animals. Most he kept were farm animals (cows, horses, pigs, goats ex.). The rest were animals he or the close knit community of Brookwood found injured or needing care. Was he a vet? No, but he had a sixth sense when it came to wildlife. The animals that he couldn't nurse back to health he always took to the nearby animal hospital. Long story short, Nick thought that Rex and his farm would be a perfect distraction from Jess.
He quit his bartending job, packed up his flannels and other clothing and left. He didn't bother with his other belongings, because he knew in the long run he'd have to see her again; and what better excuse than 'I need to come get the rest of my things'. That would be a while from now though. He had so many issues that he needed to sort out by himself, and he knew damn well he couldn't with Jessica Day being across the hallway. He focused back on the long stretch of road in front of him, pressed the gas pedal down a little harder, and turned on some Jim Croce. He already missed her.
Jess woke up at the crack of dawn as usual, and made her way to the kitchen. She cracked two eggs into the frying pan and started steeping her tea. She felt groggy and just not all together. It had been that way for a good two months now. She woke up a few times a night, every night since the kiss. She could not stop thinking about it. It infuriated her that they lived together for almost two years and he waited for that specific moment to lay one on her. How could he do that? Sam was across the hall in her bed and Nick made out with her in front of her very bedroom door. Why should he get to do that to her? She and Sam had a good thing going. He was good looking and successful, every girls dream. But she knew in her heart it wasn't right. Her idea of love was flawed; until that crazy, unexpected, magical kiss only months ago.
The timer on the stove went off interrupting her thoughts. She flipped the eggs and poured her tea. It was time. They needed to talk about it. Was she the only one not sleeping over this? Did it really not mean anything to him? She needed to find out. She put the eggs on a plate, turned off the stove top, and made her way to Nick's bedroom. She stood there looking at his door for what felt like forever. She straightened her pajamas, ran her fingers briskly through her hair, and knocked. She waited and knocked again. "Nick" she said in almost a whisper "Nick" she said a second time much louder and confident than the first. With still no answer she opened the door.
His room looked much cleaner than usual and that worried her. She turned as if in slow motion and her heart dropped into her stomach. His closet was bare. Not a flannel in sight.
Everything registered in her mind all at once. He left. She shut the door and sank down onto his floor. Eyes wide with fear and confusion she felt the tears begin to pour. She stared at a spot on his wall and let the waterworks continue. She then let her eyes fall to his desk where a folded piece of paper caught her blurry gaze. She stood slowly as the room spun round her. Her legs felt like gelatin as her feet carried her seemingly heavy body to the folded piece of dead tree. Her shaky hands grabbed the paper and slowly began to unfold it. She looked at the first words Dear Roommates, unable to see clearly she took the sleeve of her pajamas and wiped her eyes. She started again, this time with a little more stability.
Dear Roommates, I have taken an opportunity to go on adventure. Don't worry about me I have plenty of food and water. The wind is calling me away to…just don't worry about me guys. I for the first time in my life have a plan. Sure I should have told you guys in person, but we all know I'm not good with this stuff. So for now I guess just a generic good bye should work. I am sorry but it's something I have to do. Good Bye, Nick Miller
She read it probably a hundred times. A 'generic good bye' what the hell Nick? Why did he bother saying good bye at all? Winston is practically his brother and Schmidt has been his best friend for years. And she was…well she thought that maybe, just maybe she had a special place in his heart. But this answered it all. She wasn't special, she was just a friend. They were all just worthy of a simple goodbye.
He stopped at a diner for breakfast. He was only around two hours away, but he was prolonging the journey. He knew that while he lived at the farm he would have to make some major changes in his life; which was what he wanted, but he was a coward. He would have to wake up early, and care for the animals. He needed to change, he had to. But he was afraid. Even though Jess may never want him, he sure as hell wasn't good enough for her now. And hopefully one day he would be good enough. But he couldn't think of that now. Right now the only thing that mattered was him. He had to want to change for him, or it would never work out. She deserved better, and he was determined to become that 'better' she needed. He generously tipped the waitress with the little money he had left and slowly made his way to his car.
As he pulled into Rex's long driveway he slowed down to look around. His home was surrounded by vast rolling hills that never seemed to end. He drove past four separate pastures, each with different livestock and was outlined with a tall white fence. As Nick went further along the never ending driveway he saw a woman on a horse coming towards him.
"Hey you must be Nicholas" she yelled in a kind southern voice while he rolled down his window. "Um yes. Please call me Nick".
"Well ok Nick". She replied with a large smile. "I'm Anne. It's so nice to finally meet ya. Rex always talks about ya and wonders when you're coming to visit. It has been far too long Nick. He worries about ya." Her horse started getting antsy and took a few steps back. "Well keep following the path down yonder and before ya know it you'll see our house. Nice meeting ya Nick". She turned the horse around and galloped away before he could reply.
He didn't know that Rex had a woman in his life, but then again they didn't talk like they used to. He and Rex both grew up in the windy city of Chicago. Rex was ten and Nick was six when they first met, it was a typical snowy December morning. Nick was on his way to pick up his baseball mitt from a friend that lived a few blocks from his house. He jumped and played in the snow as he slowly made his way to his destination, when he heard "Hey kid!" He looked up to see a tall kid with long black hair motioning for him to come here. So Nick jogged over to see what the kid needed. As he arrived he, looked down to see a small litter of puppies piled on top of each other, trying to keep warm in the negative temperatures. "I've been trying to warm them up for the last hour; I can't carry all of them to my house at once. Will you help me?" The tall boy asked with worry etched across his face. "PLEASE" he almost broke down crying. Nick looked at the boy then back to the small helpless puppies "Sure" Nick kneeled down on one knee, patted the boy on the back, and asked "Where are we taking them?"
"To my house, I live about five minutes away. I have a shed in my backyard that has a heater. I'll put them in there and look after them."
"I'm Nicholas but you can call me Nick" he said as he stuck out his hand for a friendly handshake. "I'm Robert but you can call me Rex" He said griping his hand.
The talked nonstop the whole way to Rex's house, mostly about school and little facts about one another. Then Nick noticed Rex started acting strange "There's my house" Rex said staring at the pale yellow building to the left of them. "Well come on" Nick yelled while running into the backyard. "Wait Nick" Rex said sprinting to catch up with him.
"My dad's home we should be quiet.'' Rex looked worried and Nick being young didn't understand "Is he sick?" "No Nick my dad just gets grumpy and hates noise."
They entered the small shed and sat the puppies down. Nick looked around the small space and noticed a worn out mattress in the corner. Rex saw that Nick was staring at his bed and said "It's for the animals. I take care of a lot in here. Thank you for the help Nick but I think you should be getting home. I don't want your parents worrying about you."
He saw the large country styled home closing in from the distance. It was a large two story house, with a porch and swing. Quite frankly it looked like a stereotypical house you'd expect to see anywhere in the south. But it had a real uniqueness about it. The color blue that cover most of the house that wasn't brick reminded him of a certain someone's eyes 'just great' he thought to himself. There were flowers everywhere and the pops of color almost made him sick. The arches looked handcrafted with a completely original swerve design.
Nick brought his slowly dying car to a halt and got out. The smell that filled his nostrils was sweet, but not overly so; and the air was crisp with a small breeze. The sun was high and beaming straight down on him as if saying 'no more button downs and jeans'. He felt the gravel road shift as he shortened his strides making his way toward the door. He was excited to see Rex it had been ten years since the last time they saw each other. He was thankful that Rex wanted anything to do with him, let alone invite him to stay.
Jess sat on his bed, red eyed and alone. She had been that way for the last three hours. She was still in a state of shock and couldn't face the others yet. A loud knock on the door caused her to jump in fright.
"Nick, have you seen my olive-brown cardigan?" Schmidt asked in a worried/frantic tone. A silence took over only to be interrupted "Damnit Nick! It's an emergency!" he waited a little longer "If my olive-brown cardi is under one of your piles of rancid stench…" the door opened. "Jess! What are you doing in here without a gas mask?" he looked around the room then back at Jess "He left?'' Schmidt asked. She just looked straight ahead unable to so much as nod.
"That Bastard! How could he do this to me? I assume it was for selfish reasons, I mean come on the man doesn't have fifty dollars to his name, and how far could he go?" he took a deep breath and took a good look at Jess. "Hey…Jess are you ok?"
She slowly looked up with large crocodile tears falling from her eyes "Nick left me"
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. There will be much MUCH more to come (hopefully if it is deemed good). I have so many ideas for this story. I wanted it to be something that would never happen on the show but be really fun to read and picture it happening. Also I hope the past/present; Nick/Jess jumping around wasn't too confusing. Thanks for reading!