It's morning in the loft, and Nick finds himself in the kitchen alone- a rarity- to eat his cereal and glance at the newspaper.

He's more pretending to read the paper, though, as his mind is lost in thoughts.

Last night had been his first date with Jess. Well – okay, their second date. Second first date? The hell, he thinks, but he's really not all that surprised that their relationship is anything but normal.

They'd joked on the way home about "going home together," and Jess had bantered a bit at the door. "Aren't you going to invite me in? If not I'll just use my key!"

Or, she'd tried to banter – being that he was already halfway through the door, pulling her with him, their lips fused together and hands ready to tear at clothes. Knowing Jess, it was one bit of banter she'd been waiting to use and refused to let the opportunity slip by.

"Morning," Schmidt says, jarring Nick from his thoughts as Schmidt coming out of his bedroom. He glances around the particularly empty kitchen. "Where're Winston and Jess?"

Nick barely glanced up from the newspaper that he wasn't reading. "Winston's at the gym. Jess is in the shower."

"Barely? She's running late today," Schmidt notices, glancing at his watch.

"Yeah," Nick says with a chuckle, a knowing smirk on his face. Probably because they had slept in after being up half the night together. Schmidt notices the smirk frowns for a moment, then gasps accusingly.

"No!" he exclaims, pointing a wriggling finger at Nick.

"Oh, lay off it," Nick says with a roll of his eyes. "You knew this was happening."

"Did you break the contract?" he asks, in almost a whisper. Nick ignores him, so he repeats it louder. "Nicholas Miller, did you break the contract!"

Nick opens his mouth to say something and then shuts it abruptly as Jess walks out of the bathroom in her robe. It's the short pink one he likes. The one that made him kiss her that first time. His catnip. He's pretty sure she chooses it to torture him now. She glances around at the loft and catches sight of Schmidt. "Morning." She catches Nick's eyes a moment later and they share a knowing, soft smile before she heads to her bedroom.

"Damnit, Miller, you did!" Schmidt exclaims.

"So what if I did!" Nick returns. "I'd do it again. In fact, I will do it again! That's a promise."

"Do you realize what you're getting yourself into?" Schmidt asks him. "Yeah, Jess is hot. I get it. Fine." Nick knows he doesn't really, though. Yes, she's hot. They all know that. That's why he came up with that goddamn No Nail Contract back when she moved in. But he knows for a fact Schmidt, and Winston for that matter, have never really felt an attraction for her. It's completely platonic. "But seriously? You do realize you're already living with the woman you just started dating?"

"C'mon," Nick argues, though he's pretty sure he and Jess both noticed the same thing last night when there was no question about if they'd go home together, no negotiating whose place is closest, no awkward 'I should go' conversation afterwards, no having to ask to borrow a toothbrush or something to sleep in, no shock over seeing each other's bed head the next morning. So far, it seemed to make things way more comfortable and easy. "It's not that big a deal. So what?"

"Uh, yeah. This morning you woke up, after your first date with Jess, and you're already living with her. No getting rid of her, no sir. She's not going to leave to go home and shower and get ready for work. She's already home. She just has to go ten feet to the shower!"

"You're over thinking this, man."

"There's no getting away from her."

"I think you're failing to see the part where I'm not trying to get away from her."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Schmidt says, grabbing his keys and his coat and heading out the door. "You're on boyfriend duty 24/7!" he yells as the door closes behind him. Nick rolls his eyes.

Then Jess appears again, dressed this time. However, it's the short purple dress and it's just as enticing to Nick as the pink robe. It's just the two of them and Nick thinks Schmidt's an idiot, as they grin at each other.