By Dispatch22705

"So when was the first time?" Cece asked Jess as she leaned toward the mirror and used her index finger to gently smudge her eyeliner for effect.

"First time what?" Jess replied, standing with her back to the mirror. She used her hands to hop up on the vanity and turned her head to meet Cece's eyes. "Sex? You know when Nick and I were first together, Cece".

Cece motioned toward her forehead and Jess immediately whipped around to check her foundation in the mirror. She licked her thumb and rubbed it close to her hairline, trying to smooth out the makeup line.

"Not sex," Cece replied. "The I Love Yous. You've never told me when Nick first said he loved you."

Jess froze and stared at her friend.

Cece paused and then returned the look. "Are you serious?"

"What?" Jess insisted. "So we haven't exchanged those three little words."

"Jess-"

"It's not that big a deal," Jess continued. "We've exchanged many, many other three word phrases. How are you? Hey, new underwear? Let it snow!" She put her hands on her hips. "That is just a small sampling of phrases. I could continue if you'd like. Don't do drugs! Save the whales! Occupy Wall Street! Who's the Boss! It's All-"

"Okay, I get it," Cece interrupted. "I get it."

Both women were silent for a few moments, but eventually Cece couldn't let it go. "Do you love him?"

Jess flung her arms up, covering her eyes. Cece rolled hers and then used her hands to lower Jess's arms. "Do you?"

"Yes," Jess confessed. "But it's not a big deal. We're just not saying it. It's fine. It's our thing."

Cece eyed her suspiciously. "And you don't think it's weird that Nick hasn't said it?"

"Do you know Nick?"

"Good point."

"Whatttttt?" Nick asked her that night for the 10th time. "Why are you looking at me?"

"I can't look at you? My own boyfriend?" Jess countered, making her eyes deliberately wider and crazy.

Nick's eyes narrowed. "That's not what I meant. Why are you looking at me like…like you have a question you want to ask? Just…ask it."

Jess bit her bottom lip. "Well, it's not so much a question as it is an observation. A discussion starter, if you will."

She paused, and Nick motioned for her to continue.

"Cece, well she said that…"

"Oh, great," Nick rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Jess slapped his arm. "She happens to be an expert at relationships."

"No," Nick argued. "She isn't. She just makes you think she is so that she has something to be better at than you in your friendship."

Jess gasped. "That's a terrible thing to say."

"Well…" Nick shrugged. "It's pretty much true, and hell, kind of insightful, and I don't know where that came from, but I'm going with it, so yeah…"

Jess arched one eyebrow and waited for him to stop praising his own intuition.

"Moving on," Nick agreed. "Okay, what did the all wise and powerful Cece have to say about us?"

"How did you know it was about us?"

"Please, Jess. First of all, if it wasn't, why would you be giving ME the look? And second of all…I don't need another reason."

"Fine, yes!" Jess's voice began to rise. "She thinks it's weird that we haven't said…" her voice lowered immediately to a near whisper. "I love you…to one another."

Nick's jaw tensed. "This is why best friends are the worst. And I'm speaking as somewhat of a best friend expert here, Jess. I can't believe-"

"What's so hard to believe?" she interrupted. "Is it so weird to think it's weird that we haven't…you know?"

"Yes!" Nick insisted. "That's for us to decide, not for someone else to butt in about."

Neither one spoke for several moments.

"We don't…" Nick motioned between the two of them. "I mean…it's not like we…" he growled and ran his hand through his hair. "I know, and it's not like I…with others, which was…ugh, and ahhhh, which I think means that…" he nodded toward her, as if to ensure she knew exactly what he was talking about. "So to sum it up, I think we're fine." He shrugged and smiled. "Right?"

Jess stared at him, her eyes widening incredulously. "I'm supposed to translate that?"

"Why are you being such a woman about this?"

"You're serious," she gaped. "You're completely serious about this! Listen here, Nick Miller! Just because a gal wants to hear that the man she loves also loves her back does not make me some kind of crazy-"

"You love me?" he interrupted, blinking rapidly.

"What?" Jess did her own blinking in shock at his shy question.

"You love me?" Nick's voice was soft, unsure, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other as his hands clenched at his sides.

"Nick," Jess laughed softly. "Of course I do. Did you think I didn't?"

"I don't know," he confessed, a smile crossing his lips at the sound of her laugh. "I haven't thought much about it, I guess. I've just been enjoying this."

"This," she repeated.

"This. Yes. Us, you know…" Nick sighed and then gripped her arms. "Look…I like you."

"I like you too," Jess replied immediately.

"No," he swallowed and took a step closer. "I like you. I like you more than anyone I've ever known. More than that…I even like myself when I'm with you. That never happens."

Her head tilted to the side at his words, and when he moved his arms around her back to pull her closer, she obliged, lightly placing her hands on his chest. She could feel when he took a deep breath, and her fingers gently tightened against his shirt.

"I've told girls I loved them before, Jess…and with you, it's different. I just love being with you. I like you so much. And yeah, if that means love, then I guess I love you."

A full, genuine smile bloomed on her face, and she pulled him down for a kiss. "Well, then I guess I love you too, Nick Miller."

He smiled as he kissed her. "Glad we got that out of the way. Now can we go back to being normal?"

"Normal?" she teased, already turning in his arms and making her way to the bedroom.

"Well, for us," he called after her, already chasing her down. She squealed as he picked her up and carried her the rest of the way.