"So Jess, how long is this thing going to take? I've promised Elizabeth a night she won't forget later, if you know what I mean," Schmidt wiggled his eyebrows at Jess in the rear view mirror.
"First – when we get home – jar. Second, to answer your question, it's a high school prom – it should all be wrapped up by 11.30," Jess replied.
"For one, I am pumped!" Winston said from his position in the front passenger seat, "My own prom was terrible so I'm taking this as a chance to make some new memories, maybe have a little dance…"
"Remember we are here to chaperone Winston – make sure the kids aren't drinking and there is no funny business going on. This is a favor for a friend and we have to do it properly."
"Do you understand what a prom is for Jessica?" Nick interrupted grumpily from the back seat, "The whole point is to get drunk and do stuff you'll probably regret with people you'll most likely not see again." Jess sighed at Nick's already antagonised mood – this was going to be a long night.
"That as it may be, our job tonight is to make sure they have good, clean fun," Jess said, locking eyes with him in the mirror.
"On the subject of cleaning – our deal still stands right?" Winston asked.
"Yes guys, as payment for your participation this evening I will do all apartment chores and cleaning for 2 weeks-"
"And you'll make a batch of those little chocolaty cupcakes?" Winston interrupted.
"Yes Winston, and I'll make the cupcakes," she replied. This is going to be a long night, she thought.
Walking into the gym at Morrison High School, Jess was quickly accosted by a small, redheaded girl with thick, round spectacles perched on the end of her nose.
"Jess! You're here – thank God!" she enveloped Jess in a hug, "I'm so grateful for you helping me out- I was in a tight spot there! Turns out our staff really don't like our students!" Jess laughed nervously in response as she pulled away from the embrace.
"No problem Andrea – happy to help a friend. These are my roommates: Winston, Schmidt and Nick," Jess gestured to the men who stood awkwardly behind her as they raised their hands in greeting.
"Great," Andrea said with a large, slightly unnerving smile, "So this is how it works. We operate in pairs, we take turns supervising the gym and patrolling the halls. We don't want no funny business if you know what I mean," she said tapping the side of her nose with her index finger.
"Got it," Jess nodded in reply.
"Great, so if you guys pair up-" Andrea began.
"I call Winston," Schmidt interjected, the roommates turned to look at him, "What? He's my bro. And Nicholas – you've been in a foul mood all day, I can't have you ruining my vibe."
Jess shook her head, "Fine," turning back to Andrea she continued, "So where do you want us?"
"If the bros here start with a sweep of the corridors and you two can chaperone the dance floor for the first hour – the kids will be arriving soon," Andrea answered, "Then you guys can swap – is that okay?"
"That's great Andrea," Jess replied as Schmidt and Winston started to leave the room, leaving Nick and Jess alone.
The space had begun to quickly fill with couples and groups of friends. The room was large with a stage set up at one end, where a band had begun to play covers of pop songs. At one side, there was a long table covered in bowls of punch and plates of food. Streamers and ribbons hung from the rafters above and batches of helium filled balloons, bearing the message 'Class of 2013', littered the edges of the dance floor and sat upon the cloth covered tables that covered much of the gym.
Jess and Nick stood awkwardly beside the bowls of punch, a clear physical distance between them, but beyond that the distance was deeper. It had been two weeks since their disastrous attempt at a date – well Nick's attempt – and their relationship was as strained now as it had been when they said goodnight that evening. The Middle School dance rules still stood; in the passing days they had both made a conscious effort to avoid the other. No cosy movie nights on the sofa, no trips to IKEA, no hanging out at the bar. Instead their conversations were clipped and functional; they kept as far away as possible from each other.
Sipping a glass of punch Jess was acutely aware of her presence next to her – it was like a field of warm energy radiated out from him and permeated her skin, making her feel hot and fuzzy. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he scooped a ladle of fruity drink into a red plastic cup, before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small silver hip flask.
"Nick!" she whispered loudly as her began to unscrew the lid, "You can't do that! We're working." He turned to look at her.
"You may be working, I am getting through this horrible experience as best I can," he said as he poured a measure of the contents into his cup before returning the little bottle to his pocket. Jess sighed and folded her arms.
"Well you didn't have to come Miller, it's not like I forced you guys," she said, focusing her eyes on the couples who were beginning to fill the dance floor.
"You said you needed help, Jess," he replied as he moved slightly closer to her and sipped his drink. As much as she was angry with Nick's cavalier attitude to their responsibilities she felt a little guilty at this statement. Whatever his faults, he was always there to help her, never let her down. She missed their closeness.
"Okay Nick, but just be more subtle, 'kay?" she said quietly as she turned her head, fixing her eyes on his, taking in his sad yet resigned look. He nodded in reply.
The minutes ticked away and there was a stream of visitors to the punch bowls as the band began to play livelier, louder music. Jess kept a tight eye on the drinks – making sure no one tried to sweeten it a little. Silence stretched between Nick and Jess as he kept his eyes firmly ahead, he seemed to be determined to ignore her for the most part. Jess felt a wave of anxiety rise within her; this isn't what she wanted. Nick was one of her best friends.
"So Nick, what was your prom like?" she asked in an attempt to make small talk.
"What?" he asked whipping his head round to face her.
"I said, what was y-" he shook his head and pointed to his ears. She took a side step towards him, their elbows now almost touching, "I said what was your prom like?" The atmosphere between them thickened with the closer proximity and she felt goose bumps start to rise on her bare arms.
"Pretty much like this," he said gesturing to the room, "It was in the gym, we had a cheesy covers band," he took a drink before continuing, "Winston ended up getting wasted and I had to take him home at midnight," he chuckled at the memory, "Pretty average I think. What about you?" he asked, peering into her icy blue eyes.
There was a silence as they both properly looked at each other for the first time in days, her eyes flicked down and took in his dishevelled yet oh so sexy look – crumpled button down covered in a wool jacket, his hair tousled and his face wearing just the right amount of stubble. "Actually we had ours at a hotel –it was pretty fancy, sit down meal and all that."
He smiled. He'd avoided her so much he'd forgotten how pretty she was –tonight she was dressed in a pale blue dress with little red shoes and her hair was free in waves down her back. She wore only a tiny amount of makeup – she didn't need it in his opinion – but her lips shimmered with a coat of glossy red lipstick. "Did you go with Cece?" he asked.
"No, I took a date, well, he was more of a friend actually. I didn't do that much dating in high school," she said smiling a little nervously.
"Really? I'm surprised."
"Why are you surprised?" she asked, raising her shoulders a little as she did so.
"Girl like you, how did the guys keep their hands to themselves," he gazed at her earnestly as he said this and she felt a warm flush rise to her cheeks. She turned her face away, not sure how to reply.
"Um-" she began.
"Hey guys…" Winston's slightly slurred voice cut through the building tension as he and Schmidt sidled up beside them.
"Have you been drinking Winston?" Jess asked slightly annoyed.
"Just a few sips Jess, to take the edge off the boredom," Schmidt replied. She looked at the three men beside her.
"You guys do not understand the meaning of responsibility, whatever you do just don't get drunk," she pleaded. "Especially you Winston."
Winston turned to Nick, "You told her? Damn Nick, she did not need to know that I stripped naked and jumped on the stage at prom!" Jess began to laugh.
"Actually Winston, I did not have that particular piece of information but now I have a really vivid picture in my head," Nick laughed too.
"Yeah it was pretty horrific," he added.
"No nakedness Winston, you don't want to traumatise the high schoolers," Schmidt chipped in. Winston scowled in response. "Okay guys, time to swap – the corridors are boring and I want to dance," he continued, swivelling his hips a little to the music. Jess looked at her watch.
"Has it really been an hour already?" she asked – the time had flown over, "Make sure you watch the punch bowl and keep your eyes open for anything else." Winston gave Jess a small salute as Schmidt headed out onto the dance floor and started dancing to Pit Bull.
Shaking her head Jess began to move towards the large double doors at the bottom of the hall, "C'mon Nick," she turned to see he was not following, "Look we can swap if this is going to be awkward."
"Nah Jess, it's fine, let's go," as he tailed her out of the gym.
They walked the hallways in almost silence for nearly ten minutes, the only sound the clip of footwear on the tiled floor, until she decided she needed to discuss what was going on between them. Reaching a junction in the hallways she paused and turned to him.
"Hey Nick," he stopped beside her and leant against the wall behind them, "I feel like things have been weird between us, you know, since-"
"Why would they be weird Jess? We're just two roommates, right?" he reached into his pocket and pulled out the hip flask again, unscrewing the lid.
"But that night at Beso and the talk on the sidewalk-"
"Oh that? I'd almost forgotten that already," he took a swig of the contents.
"What? Don't lie, we've been avoiding each other ever since. And can you please stop drinking!" her voice rose parallel to her rising level of frustration. He paused with the silver bottle inches from his lips.
"First off, I like drinking, it's my move in situations like this. Secondly I believe this," he gestured to the space between them, "is what YOU wanted Jess."
She sighed, "Yes I did, but I didn't think it would be like this and it was only because, because-"
She was interrupted by a couple who came giggling along the corridor and stopped, shocked when they saw Nick and Jess.
"And where are you two going?" she asked in her best teacher voice, placing her hands on her hips.
The boy wearing an ill-fitting rented tux started to mumble, "I, er, we were…" his date started to blush heavily, "I was just going to show my date here the music room."
"Good try son, but back to the gym you go," the pair exchanged glances before turning around and heading in the direction of the thudding music. When they had disappeared from sight, Nick began to chuckle.
"I bet he wanted to show her his instrument all right."
"Oh shush Nick," Jess said a little irritated, and Nick fell silent, "Actually, maybe we should go check out some of these rooms, I don't trust these kids and I don't think their parents would be too happy with some prom babies in nine months' time."
"You're the boss," he said replacing his flask and following her along the corridor.
"This place is huge," Jess said as they walked down yet another silent, deserted corridor.
"That it is Jess," Nick replied, walking alongside her, "Look, do you think we should head back? It's been almost half an hour and we've not seen anyone else."
"Just five more minutes. Look, here is the music room," Jess pointed to a large blue sign situated on a door at the opposite end of the door. The door was propped open by a wooden block and she could make out music stands placed on the floor.
Stepping into the room she flicked the light switch beside the door, only to find it wasn't working. "Great," she said as Nick followed her into the room. She began to walk around, skirting the edges as he eyes adjusted to the half-light. Turning back to the front of the room she shook her head, "No one here, you were right Nick, we should-" She was cut off by a loud bang as the door to the classroom slammed shut, "Nick, what the-?" she looked over to see him holding the large wooden block that had held the door open in his hands.
"I just wondered why this was there, guess I know now," he said, laughing nervously. He moved to one side and pointed to a sign on the door, 'DO NOT CLOSE –LOCK BROKEN'.
"Dammit Nick," she stopped when she saw the remorseful expression on his face. "Can you at least try to open it?" He turned and began to pull and tug at the door, twisting the handle and placing his foot on the wall as leverage until he stopped and turning back to her, panting a little.
"Nope, we're stuck." She plunged her hand into her purse and pulled out her phone.
"Urgh, I've no signal here," she began to walk around the room with her phone lifted, trying to find a connection. "You got your phone?" Nick scratched his head.
"I only had one pocket in my jacket and I used it for the flask…" he said, his voice trailing off.
"Hmph!" Jess exclaimed impatiently, heading over to the door and banging it with her fists. "Help, we're stuck, someone let us out!" Nick placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to shiver a little at his touch.
"Jess, no one will hear you, this part of the school is deserted," she knew he was right and turned to face him. "Look Schmidt and Winston will have to come looking eventually – I mean you did drive –so let's just bide our time till then and listen out for them coming." She nodded in response.
"You're right," she walked over to a chair and slumped down, "What a mess." She said.
"This or us?" he asked in a loaded voice. He caught her off-guard with his resumption of their previous conversation.
"Both," she answered honestly. He walked over and sat on the chair next to her. She looked at him, his face half in the darkness, the hallway light coming through the doors small window, silhouetting him and highlighting the strong line of his jaw. He held the flask out in front of her.
"Drink?" he asked.
"Might as well," she replied, taking the bottle from him and gasping slightly when their fingers touched each other. As she placed the bottle on her lips, a thought popped into her mind – his lips were just here, his lips that sent me spinning into space, his lips- Tilting the bottle into her mouth she fixed her gaze on those lips, how she wanted to feel them on her own again. She moved the bottle away and wiped her mouth with her hand, transferring a smudge of red lipstick as she did so. "Thank you," she said quietly, handing him it back.
"What we were talking about earlier, "she began, twisting so their bodies were inches apart on the hard wooden chairs. He watched the light dance off her ivory skin as she talked, so beautiful he thought. She sighed as she tried to collect her thoughts, "I-I only, I was worried Nick. About getting hurt."
"You thought I would hurt you?" he asked a little surprised.
"No, not exactly. After all that has happened I just wanted to know how you felt and when you couldn't tell me, I knew… I knew that I would end up getting hurt." She paused and an uncomfortable silence brewed in the darkened room.
"So you thought I would hurt you. Of course, that's all Nick Miller could ever do to a woman," he said gruffly turning away and sipping more whisky.
"No, that's not what I meant. I knew, I know, I was in trouble Nick. Falling for you that is. But you're so important to me that I was worried if you didn't feel the same that I would end up suffering. Because that's what I do. Love more that is," she finished her speech and her eyes began to dart around the room as she awaited his response.
Nicks mind span with the multiple revelations she had revealed. She was falling for him? As in, maybe in love?
"So I thought we should stay apart," she continued when he didn't respond, "But that's not working either." They both turned to look at each other, the sound of their breathing filling the new silence.
"So…" he began. "You mean…"
"Yes," she replied, her eyes turning slightly glassy, "It didn't work. If anything, it's made things worse," she said with a sad smile.
"Jess-"
"It's okay Nick, I mean, I'm not telling you this expecting anything. You made your feelings clear on that subject two weeks ago. I just wanted to, I don't know, explain this, the way I've been acting that is. And I miss you Nick," she reached out and touched his arm.
"No Jess, you don't understand, I didn't – couldn't, say anything that night. I was scared. You are what I think about 90% of my waking moments; you drive me crazy. But I didn't know what you wanted, or if you even wanted anything and I had no idea how you felt about me, really felt."
"What are you trying to say Nick?" she said, feeling her heart begin to race.
He swallowed as a wave of nervousness flooded his body, buoyed by the warm alcohol in his stomach, "I want to be more than friends. I've have for the longest time but I didn't know if that was what you wanted. When I kissed you, I wasn't thinking straight," he shook his head at the memory, "I'd ran that scenario through my mind so many times, but it was more than I ever could have imagined, " he said with a smile. "I was worried about getting hurt, I thought you didn't see me that way," he finished, rubbing his hands together and looking at them intently.
Reaching out, Jess touched his face, running her thumb along his stubble covered jawline, when he lifted his head she began to smile, "How dumb are we? Both wanting the same thing, both too scared to say anything. If everyone one was like us, I think the human race would be doomed," he laughed a little as the tension subsided slightly.
"Well I did keep my promise, the middle school dance rules have remained in place. So maybe I'm not a complete lost cause." He shifted closer so their knees met and he could smell her sweet floral perfume.
"Some promises should be broken Nicholas," she leaned a little closer so their lips were inches apart.
"Wait," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "What does this mean? For us."
She tilted her head and spoke honestly, "I don't know Nick, I think we have to figure that out. But I think we know now that we are on the same page. I don't know where this is going to go, but isn't that the fun part?" She bit her lip as she waited for his response. He nodded slowly, bringing his lips to meet hers.
Their kiss was at first tender and gentle, experimental as they tested each other, both still unsure of what they had actually just decided. This hesitance lasted as long as it took for their bodies to become pressed against one another. Quickly, their arms wound around their bodies, grasping at each other's clothing. Her heart thudded as her frenzy increased – his mouth on hers drove her wild, the feel of his hands clinging to her body pushed her further towards the edge of lucidity.
Impatiently, he pulled her into his lap; the feel of her soft, slight body in his arms was a little slice of ecstasy. How he'd dreamed and wished for this moment for weeks, he couldn't believe it was actually happening. But more than that – that she actually wanted something more than friends with him, Nick Miller.
Sitting, hips locked together, she pushed her body against him even harder and began to wrap her legs around his waist. The temperature in the room seemed to have increased as they became a tangle of arms and legs, hands and hair. Their kisses became harder, more urgent. His hands slid under the soft material of her dress and moved towards her waist. She pulled his shirt out at the back and pushed her own hands upwards, taking in the feel of his warm skin and his muscles moving as he continued to explore her own body. His lips began to trace down the yielding skin of her neck, feathery soft kisses cooled by his breathing; she felt a growing desire stir in the pit of her stomach. Forgetting where she was, her small hands moved to the front of his shirt and fervently began to work at the small buttons that closed it, one, two, three-
"What the hell?" The sound of Schmidt's voice and the bang of the door reopening brought the couple back to reality with a gigantic thud. Surprised, they pulled apart and sat wide eyed, breathing heavily at the sight of Schmidt's silhouette in the music room doorway. "I have been looking for you two everywhere. So much for being responsible Miss Day," he said with a hint of snooty disdain. Jess stood up, pushing down her dress and pulling her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tidy it a little.
"I-er-We got stuck Schmidt, the door…"
"Yeah, right, so that's why I walked in a pretty intense session of tonsil tennis right now. Please don't insult my intelligence Jessica," Schmidt tutted and folded his arms.
"No, it's true Schmidt," Nick said as he quickly rebuttoned his shirt and pushed the tails of it back into his jeans.
"If that's the case Nicholas, why do you seem to be wearing her lipstick all over your face? I mean, the colours good for you but…" he shrugged his shoulders. They turned to look at each other and Jess had to stifle a laugh – she had indeed made her mark on Nick; smears of red lipstick coated his mouth and cheeks, telling the tale of where her lips had been this evening. Can't deny it now, she thought. Nick rubbed his fingers against his cheek and saw the red residue that it left, he gazed at Jess with a lopsided, intimate smile that made her stomach do a little flip.
"Well, you see-" Nick started to explain himself.
"Actually you two, on this occasion I don't care about your sexual escapades, no matter how inappropriate or loft dynamic shattering. It's Winston."
"What's wrong with Winston?" she asked, puzzled.
"Alcohol. Prom. Band. Stage," Schmidt replied simply. They both digested the news, nodding slowly.
"Is he?" Nick asked.
"No, thankfully he is fully clothed but he has been trying to play the role of lead singer for the past thirty minutes. We need to take him home, now, before he does something really dumb."
"Okay, let's go," Jess said, heading for the door.
"I, er, I'll meet you there, just gotta, you know," he gestured to his face.
"Alright loverboy, see you at the gym," Schmidt replied.
After dropping Schmidt at Elizabeth's house, the three had returned to the loft. Winston had been a handful during the drive – trying to remove his clothes and to open the door while the car was moving- so there had been little time to talk. Inside the apartment they had put Winston to bed with a bucket and a glass of water; closing his door they stood silently apart from each other in the hallway.
A moment passed where they smiled awkwardly at each other – the bravery they had earlier displayed had subsided and both were unsure what the next move in this thing should be.
"Crazy night, huh?" Nick began, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.
"You can say that again," she replied, sighing gently. Their eyes met one another as they both tried to gauge the others expectations. She began to laugh slightly and he quickly followed, their gaze breaking. Swiftly, he swung one arm around her and pulled her close to him, she quickly took in a breath in surprise.
"So Jessica, are we still doing this?" he asked, in a husky voice.
"Un-huh," she said nodding, still shocked at his move. He glanced over her face, taking in its features, before settling on her now bare lips. Unexpectedly, at this moment she pushed her body up towards him and pressed them against his own. Quickly, he responded, pushing her body against the wall and upwards as his hands explored her more urgently than before. Clutching his shoulders, she lifted herself up and wrapped her legs around his hips, giving him permission to move their embrace somewhere more intimate.
Taking her lead, he placed his arms around her waist and headed for her room. Stepping inside he slammed the door behind them, his lips not leaving hers for a second. Marching to her bed he lay her down, his body smothering hers and they tossed and turned and kissed and clawed at each other as buttons and zips came haphazardly undone in their fever for each other. Leading to only one, inevitable outcome…
An hour or so later, they lay back on the soft feathery pillows of Jessica's bed. They were both exhausted and sore, but in such a satisfying way that smiles of pleasure covered both of their faces. He leaned across her and placed a small kiss on her shoulder, before focusing on her face, flushed and glowing. Moving a strand of hair from her cheek he said, "That was by far the best prom I have ever been to," she giggled in response before he continued, "Jessica, you are amazing."
"So are you Miller," she replied, encircling her arm around his waist.
"No I'm not," he said, shaking his head.
"Yes," she began, giving him such an honest look he was surprised, "Yes you are, and don't you forget it."
And strange as he found it, he actually began to believe that she might be right and Jessica Day perhaps wasn't so crazy after all.