So. Jessica Day meets Tom Hansen- this is a crossover between New Girl and (500) Days Of Summer. You might wanna watch the movie first (if you live under a rock and haven't seen it already) before reading this. It will make much more sense.
It is cheesy and fluffy and I will not apologise for any of it- except maybe to Ringo Starr (sorry!).
I hope you enjoy the read!
Jess meets Tom on September, 18th.
Jess actually crashes into Tom on September 18th, because she's running late and he's running late too, and she should *probably* have chosen to wear her glasses while pushing her way against the tide of people.
She pours her burning hot coffee all over his white shirt, and she's still running late but she keeps saying sorry sorry sorry and pulling out tissues from her purse to try to (unsuccessfully) stop the stain from spreading. His headphones fall around his neck, and her heart sort of skips a beat when she recognizes the song coming from them.
He's silently staring at her when his hand stills hers on his chest, and Jess lifts her eyes and notices the warm smile on his face.
"Hi", he says, "I'm Tom."
Tom asks Jess out on September, 22th.
The whole coffee-pouring incident ended up with Jess being over half an hour late, but she just couldn't not comment on his choice of music. Because everyone knows that Surfer Girl is her song, and it's not even that popular nowadays but she still kind of cries every time she listens to it.
"I love The Beach Boys", she tells him, and smiles when he raises his eyebrows in disbelief at her statement.
"You have good taste in music", she says, and when her sweet voice starts to softly hum along with the distorted melody he gulps his heart down and smiles at her.
From there it's really easy to fall into a conversation over music, and Jess is trying hard to find something wrong with him but he's just perfect. The way he's talking to her, and the way he's looking at her- like she's the only thing he would ever want to look at- is making her stomach flutter and her smile grow even wider.
So of course, when he asks for her number she types it on his phone, hands it back to him and replays their conversation in her head a thousand times. Watches him disappear into the crowd before turning around and running to her car.
Tom. Tom Hansen. A little awkward, but so damn cute and nice and sweet. And so when he calls her and asks her whether she would like to go out with him, of course she says yes.
"We're not getting coffee, though", he teases her, and she's still giggling when she ends the call. The guys and her are having dinner, plopped down on the couch together and watching TV, so they hear (eavesdrop) the whole conversation.
"He likes The Beatles", she tells them. "And The Beach Boys. And Simon and Garfunkel. And we talked about Dirty Dancing for like ten minutes, we're so compatible it's insane!"
Winston and Schmidt look at each other and shake their heads. Nick just rolls his eyes. Takes a long gulp of beer.
"Seriously, guys", Jess insists. "Tom is just perfect."
The second time they hang out together, they go to IKEA. It's not your typical second date destination, but it weirdly works- she didn't think a furniture store could be that fun.
They spend over two hours there, just walking around- holding hands and laughing at nothing.
Tom takes her to a karaoke bar afterwards, and his energetic rendition of Prince's Fall In Love 2Nite has her jumping on stage to sing with him. They do get a lot of boos and woos, but.
Whatever.
They're having fun.
She brings him home for the first time two weeks later, when she knows Schmidt is not there and so he won't freak Tom out- because, ugh…
xx
"Schmidt, seriously..."
"Did you sleep with him?"
"No."
"What, hum job?"
"Schmidt..."
"Hand job?"
"SCHMIDT! JAR!"
xx
Tom already knows about her living conditions, he knows about Nick and her- Jess weirdly feels comfortable enough to tell him everything.
xx
"For a long time, there was... There was Spencer", she tells him. Tom nods his head, his hand on her knee urging her to continue.
"There was Paul, and also Ryan..." she scrunches up her nose, and he chuckles at the gesture. "But it just didn't work", she shrugs, folds her legs under herself on the couch.
"Then..."
She stops herself and sighs. Thinks about stopping there- doesn't. Tom takes her hand and squeezes it gently. "And then there was Nick."
xx
When she opens the front door, Nick is sprawled out on the couch, beer in hand and watching TV. Tom trails in behind her, his arm around her waist while she laughs and giggles against him.
"Oh, hey, Nick", she says, her full-wat Jessica Day smile on. "This is Tom", she says, and then "Tom, this is Nick". She watches as the two men politely nod at each other and runs a hand through her curls, smiles at them. Points to the bathroom. "I'll be right back", she says, and gives Nick *that* look that says be nice or I'll kill you.
Tom's wearing a shirt with Ringo Starr's face on it- Nick has to swallow the snarky comment that is on the tip of his tongue, because everyone knows that nobody likes Ringo. Except for Jess ("Come on, Nick, it's Ringo!- how could you not like him?" ) and apparently this guy too.
"You want a beer, man?", Nick asks, and points to the half empty pack of beer on the table. Tom sits down on the opposite end of the couch, looks back at the hallway.
"Sure, thanks", he says, and reaches for one. He twists it open and takes a long sip. Then another. They're silent, but it's not uncomfortable- the TV casting a dim light across the room.
"So you're Nick, The Nick?", Tom asks. There's no malice in his voice, only genuine curiosity.
"That I am", Nick says, and lets out a chuckle. "I'm The Nick", he repeats, then cringes. "But don't worry", he tells him, maybe a bit too quickly- because it's obvious Jess has told Tom about Them already and hello, awkward!
"There's nothing between us anymore", he adds, his eyes on Jess as she walks back towards them. She looks between them and smiles.
Tom smiles and stands up, gives another nod to Nick. "Nice to meet you, man", he says, shakes his hand.
"You too, yeah", Nick replies.
Jess grabs Tom's hand and walks him to her bedroom, his arms around her waist again as he presses kisses to her hair and holds her squirming body to him.
Nick looks away.
His eyes avoid Tom's the following morning, when he bumps into him in the hallway.
They don't have sex that night either- it's been three weeks and still nothing, but who's counting?
Actually Jess. Jess is counting.
They lay on her bed, just talking and laughing, and Tom is happy to just hold her as she drifts to sleep next to him. It's not that he hasn't tried to initiate sex, because he has. Because he is a really sweet, good guy, but she's beautiful and sexy and after all, he's still a man.
The first time he tries it they're on his couch, watching a movie. His hand is on her thigh, but when he tries to inch it upwards she flinches and reaches to still his wrist. She tells him she's tired- and promises him it'll happen soon.
He lets her rest her head on his arm and kisses her forehead.
The second time she's in his kitchen, dancing while she rummages through his counters. He walks up behind her and begins kissing her neck, her shoulder, but when his hands come dangerously close to the undersides of her breasts she stops him, and turns around to face him.
Tom sighs in frustration, and she assures him it's not him, it's her, because she can't put her finger on what it is, but she just can't. She can't have sex with him yet.
Tom tells her it's fine, he can wait, but she knows it's not. It's not fine, because that yet feels like a lie.
She's confused, and she wants to be angry, because Tom is sweet, and nice, and so, so handsome, and she just doesn't know why she still hasn't slept with him.
Jess wants to think that it's because something is missing, but this is not a movie- it's real life- and that sort of excuses is something that only happens in the movies, so.
But then, why hasn't she slept with him? She doesn't know how to explain that. She does feel like it's not something that's ever going to happen, but she tries to convince herself it will.
It has to, right?
The guy is perfect, after all.
So she lets him hug her anyways.
That night when she goes home, Nick is getting ready for his late shift.
He sees the look on her face and immediately knows something's up, but when he asks her what it is she looks down, mutters something unintelligible and walks past him.
Well, tries to walk past him.
His hand closes over her wrist and he spins her around to face him, his brow furrowed as he faces her.
And then they're fighting. Out of nowhere- but really, really fighting.
He yells at her, his hand burning on her skin before she pushes him away violently. She yells back, feeling his hot breath on her face and (oh, God) The Heat finally pooling low in her belly.
And there it is.
The heat, the want. The passion.
Shit.
There is something missing with her and Tom.
*This* is what is missing.
Nick is looking daggers at her, and he's no longer yelling but the goosebumps on her skin are not going away. She wants to yell at him again, and she also wants to hear him scream at her, and she wants to feel that fire that just isn't there with Tom.
That's what's missing.
She stares at him and he stares right back, then turns around on his feet and slams the front door closed, making her flinch at the sound.
She lies awake in bed for hours, and hears him come back from work and stop at her door. She opens it before he can even knock, and then rests her head on the doorframe.
"I shouldn't have said that", he says, and he sounds tired and worn out. And she can't help it, but all her frustration seems to disappear at the honesty in his words.
"What?", she asks, and holds back a smile.
"Gotten mad at you", he sighs. "I'm sorry", he tells her.
"Go to bed, Nick", she smiles at him, and her mind is still replaying their fight and she knows he was right. But she's not going to tell him that- yet.
"Goodnight, Day."
"Goodnight, Miller."
Jess breaks up with Tom on November, 4th.
She watches him struggle to understand her, and she feels awful when his smile falls immediately after her words. The park is so quiet around them, the wheels in his head turning and turning- but he doesn't pull away when her hand closes over his.
She doesn't tell him about Nick at first, but she knows he knows. He stares intently at her, and there's no hate in his eyes. He asks her why, because he really wants to understand, so she's as honest as she's ever been with anyone.
He mutters something about the being deep in the friendzone, and even though she cringes at the word she knows he's right.
She knows *that* was the problem from the beginning, and she also knows she should have seen it sooner.
He looks down at her hand and then he wants to ask why again, but he knows it's over and he can do nothing but look at her for a little while longer, her hand clutching his. So he does, he stares at her and wonders when exactly- between the late night talkings, IKEA, and Ringo- did he start falling in love with her. But he just looks at her, and down at their hands- his eyes meet hers and she gives him a half smile, and then he knows why.
Jess is walking away when he calls out her name. She turns to look at him, tilts her head to the side.
"I really do hope you're happy", he says, and smiles at her.
She knows he means it.
"I broke up with Tom", Jess announces.
The guys are having breakfast at the kitchen aisle, and three heads yank up to look at her.
"W-What?", Schmidt shrieks, and jumps from his chair. Then,
"What happened?", he asks, and he's already got his arms around Jess and is coaxing her into a (very) awkward hug.
She smiles into his shoulder and hugs him back, feels Winston's hand rubbing her back supportively.
"What happened, Jess?", he asks too.
Her eyes meet Nick's from over Schmidt's shoulder- he's staring at her and she knows he's thinking about their fight and wondering.
"What always happens", Jess says, lets go of the hug and shrugs. She pats Schmidt's arm and sits down next to Nick, grabs a bagel. "Life."
She pours herself some coffee and Nick's eyes don't leave her.
Nick kisses her on November, 11th.
She's is the kitchen, barefoot and wearing that short pink robe again, her long hair down and around her shoulders while she softly hums to herself. Her smile brightens up when she sees him and her crystal blue eyes shine in the soft morning glow- she looks like a freaking princess, right out of a fairytale fantasy or something.
He sometimes thinks Jess is just like the girl of his dreams- but even better.
Because she's real.
And so he doesn't stop himself to think about it. He walks up to her and slides his arms around her waist, and a surprised gasp escapes her throat- he has a mini panic attack when her lips remain still against his. But it's only a second, because then he feels her arms go up to his shoulders and her tongue brush his lower lip. He moans and deepens the kiss, and feels a shiver running through her body. Nick's teeth nip at her bottom lip and she wants to sob because This. Is. It.
She moans then, and he walks her back until her hips hit the counter- kisses her hard and messy before he pulls back.
"Oh my God", is all she can breathe out, because her lips feel numb and swollen and wonderful.
She places her hand on his shirt and curls the fabric between her fingers. Pulls his mouth down on hers again, this time for a slower kiss. She feels his smile on her lips and lets out a moan before she breaks away from him.
It felt pretty much like the perfect kiss- she thinks, but apparently she thinks it out loud because Nick lets out a chuckle and rests his forehead against hers.
"I thought Tom was perfect", he teases her, his hands at her waist pressing her closer to him.
"Oh, he was", she laughs, and her arms tighten around his neck. "But he just wasn't you", she tells him, and smiles when his lips immediately close over hers again.
FIN
1. Jake Johnson randomly suggested Nick and Jess would get back together on November, 11th. I could not ignore that.
2. Surfer Girl is actually one of Zooey's favourite songs and The Beach Boys are her/my favourite band, so.
3. Yes, Prince. (Not) Sorry about that.