A/N: Tonight's episode had me squeeing like mad. SQUEEING LIKE MAD. This picks up the next day. Hope you enjoy!

The Untold Side Effects of True American

Jess shows up at Cece's apartment early in the morning, waking her up with the incessant tap-tap-tap of her knuckles against the door. She adds a kick for good measure and Cece opens the door, eyes bleary as she murmurs, "Jess, what the hell is going on?"

"Want to go for a run?"

"Uh, no," Cece says, wiping at her eyes. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Sam had to get up early for rounds," Jess says dismissively. "Come on, lace up your running shoes and let's hit the pavement!"

"You don't even like to run."

Jess exhales sharply and blurts out, "Nick and I sort of made out."

"You what?"

"I-I can't talk about this here," Jess stammers, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "I have to be moving. I have to…not be here."

"Okay," Cece says, backing into the apartment. "Just give me two minutes you get dressed."

Jess nods, shuffling into the apartment and closing the door. She leans against it, gnawing on her bottom lip as she thinks about the kiss for the eighteenth time this morning. She hadn't known what was happening when he grabbed her arm, but then his mouth was against hers and she felt like her stomach had dropped to her bare feet.

Cece emerges from her bedroom dressed in a running outfit that is much too put together for 7:30 in the morning.

"Ready to go?"

They run for about two blocks before they pass a small café and Jess decides the story of her ever increasingly complicated life is better told over pie than pounding pavement. They order matching slices of French silk with their coffee and Jess attempts to put into words what she can hardly understand herself.

"So, he just kissed you?" Cece says. "He just…grabbed you and kissed you?"

Jess nods. "You know how earlier everyone was trying to get us to kiss. He said it wasn't supposed to be like that. And then…"

"I can't believe it," Cece says, shaking her head. "Nick Miller finally grew a pair."

Jess licks a bit of whipped cream off the back of her fork.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"It was so obvious that he had a thing for you."

"What? Don't be ridiculous."

"Come on, Jess. You can't honestly tell me you didn't notice something."

Jess shrugs. "I mean, we were always different than me and Schmidt, or Winston. But…"

Cece watches her best friend come to a loss of words and thinks to herself that may be a first for Jessica Day.

"How was it?"

"Don't ask me that," Jess answers immediately.

Cece smirks. "So, that good, huh?"

Jess groans, covering her face with her hands. "This is terrible. This is so absolutely terrible. I'm with Sam!"

"I know," Cece says calmly.

"He's perfect. He's nice and he has a good steady job. And he has that smile that could make homeless men smile and-"

"It's not the same."

Jess frowns, slouching in her seat.

"What's wrong with me? I have this perfect guy. Why can't I just be happy with that?"

"The heart wants what the it wants, Jess. And sometimes it doesn't make a damn bit of sense. You just gotta hear it out. Otherwise, it'll never shut up."

Jess goes back to the loft and feels an unusual trepidation as she opens the door slowly, poking her head in first to see if anyone is in the kitchen. The room is empty and she breathes a bit easier and closes the door, heading into the loft. She goes over to the sink and grabs a glass from the counter, filing it with water. She's about halfway through it when Nick walks out of his bedroom and she swallows too much, coughing and spewing water as she leans over the sink.

"Jess?" he says, going over to her.

"I'm fine," she says loudly, pulling away from him when he goes to put a hand on her arm. "I'm-I'm fine."

"You were choking. And you're wearing workout clothes. Why the hell are you wearing workout clothes?"

"I went for a run," she answers defiantly. "I do that sometimes."

"Uh, no you don't. Not since that 5k you ran last year. You remember, the one that took you three hours?"

"I'm fine," she says, voice raised.

"Okay," he says, eyeing her warily. "You're fine."

She nods, placing the glass in the sink.

"Well, I'm going to shower. My shift starts soon."

He heads back toward his bedroom and she shakes her head as she irritably spits out, "You're seriously going to act like this?"

He turns back, turtle face in place, and asks, "Like what?"

"Like nothing happened?"

Nick's eyes darken and he shakes his head.

"How do you want me to act?" he asks. "I heard you say good bye to Dr. Sam this morning. Sounded like things were pretty solid there."

"Don't turn that on me," she says. "How do you expect things to be? I don't know what happened last night. I don't know what it means. If it means anything-"

"Of course it means something," he interrupts, voice weary. He steps closer. "Of course it means something, Jess."

"What, then?" she asks softly. "What does it mean?"

He chuckles humorlessly. "I don't know. I've never been good at this stuff, Jess. You know that."

She isn't looking at him – she can't – and he tentatively touches her forearm. When she doesn't pull away he brings his hand down her arm, encircling her wrist with his hand before he interlaces his fingers with hers.

"Jess," he says softly, squeezing her hand. She turns her gaze toward him and she feels her stomach do its own patented twist-flip when her eyes meet his. Time seems to move in slow motion when he leans in and presses his lips against hers again. She doesn't realize until that moment that she'd been waiting for this since last night. His mouth is soft against hers. Last night it was all urgency and passion, but right now it's gentle. He kisses her like he has all the time in the world, and as she reaches up and lays her hand on his cheek she finds herself wishing that were true.

He pulls away, forehead resting against hers, and she murmurs, "Oh boy."

A/N: Feedback is love :D