*This takes place on the night of the first episode. The first chapter starts with near the end of the second season so I thought I'd completely reverse it!*
Jess looked around and smiled. Coach, Nick and Schmidt were sat with her watching Dirty Dancing. DIRTY DANCING. Nick wanted to kill her the other day and hates fun. Coach just yells and doesn't understand women and Schmidt, well she sort of expected him to watch it with her, but the boys actually seemed to enjoy it to her surprise. As the credits rolled her roommates all made small talk about the movie, while coach took a call. Nick wouldn't make eye contact with Jess but she kept feeling him glance at her while she wasn't looking.
She felt a weird connection to Nick, he too had been dumped and had his heart trampled on, but clearly he didn't feel the same thing. She thought it could be a good point of conversation in a strange way, just to break the new tensions of meeting new people, who all share a shower. But Nick was distant and vague, he didn't really want to talk to her much and often would just stare at her. Jess couldn't quite believe just how awkward he was. But she was staying. She couldn't go back to sleeping on a sofa and being forced to be 'MONKEY' at three in the morning when skinny models returned from drunken nights out with DJs.
Jess' thoughts were broken by Coach finishing his call.
"- yeah I'll be out in a bit my man! Okay bye!" Coach hung up his phone and headed for the door.
"Where you going man?" Nick asked, his head turned but he was still firmly sat on the couch, his arm stretched around the back.
"Someone I went to college with just called! He's just made it back from Latvia-"
"WINSTON'S HOME?!" Schmidt yelled, jumping straight to his feet.
"What?! When did he get back? Why didn't he call me?" Nick asked, he too sat up now, looking concerned.
"Who's Winston?" Jess asked confused.
"- I'll explain later Jess... So what's going on?" Schmidt said, turning between Jess and Coach.
"Look it's about the room, I rented his didn't I? so we gotta talk some stuff out."
After about another half an hour of talk between the boys about Winston Coach left with Schmidt, but Nick said he was too tired to go with them. Which Jess thought was weird because it seemed any opportunity to get away from her he would take; but now he had decided to stay. He even went to a cowboys and Indians party just to avoid her. In a neckerchief. She didn't know Nick that well but he did not look the type to wear a neckerchief. Plus his ex girlfriend was there. The silence was unnerving for both roommates so Nick left the couch to grab a beer from the fridge, Jess followed him with her eyes and when he saw her watching, he held a beer up to her as an offering. She silently declined and turned back around, flopping down onto the couch cushions. She tried to think of ways to create conversation.
"Soo I guess I would be pushing my luck if I suggested 'Flashdance'?" Jess laughed.
"Erm no thanks" Nick said quite rudely. He was drinking his beer whilst leaning on his elbows against the kitchen island, looking down at the counter.
Nick hated how rude he sounded. He didn't want this girl to think he was a dick. He knew she shouldn't have moved in. Nick Miller Nick Miller he thought to himself. Absolutely terrible with women. Especially the pretty ones. No Nick No. He refused to let himself sexualise his new roommate, regardless of her cuteness and big pretty eyes. Not like stupid Caroline's small evil eyes. His thought was broken by Jess loudly sitting up and looking at him.
"OOO someone's grumpy! Jeez! I was gonna say thanks for you guys meeting me earlier. I can't believe Schmidt actually left that party. I never had him down as sweet but-"
"-I left first." Nick looked straight into Jess' eyes. Why had he said that? What was he trying to prove?
"Oh. Er. Thanks" Jess turned away from his gaze but she could feel that he continued to stare.
The room was deadly silent, and Jess could hear ever gulp and swig of beer he took and she felt increasingly more uncomfortable by the minute.
"Did you enjoy the movie Nick?" Jess asked, trying to ease the awkwardness.
"I did surprisingly" Nick laughed, which Jess joined hoping it would create more conversation.
It didn't.
Jess made her way to the kitchen and pulled her body onto the counter top. Nick turned to face her, but turned back almost instantly. She wasn't going to give up that easily.
"You do realise we live together Nick. You've got to get over hating me eventually. EVENTUAAALLYYYY!" She sang the second 'eventually' for what she thought was effect. Nick just looked annoyed.
"I don't... I don't hate you Jess. I dislike how you sing random words and sentences, but not hate." He said, moving so his back leant on the island and now had his eyes locked with Jess'.
"Oh. Well I should try and work on that. No wonder that guy didn't show up. Ha!" Jess falsely smiled, trying to cover up her still hurt ego.
"Hey I told you that guy, well he's a dick. That Spencer or whatever his name was, he's a dick too. You're adorable Jess- if you're into quirky girls I mean." Nick smirked thinking this would make her smile too. He thought it was a sort of compliment. But she shuffled along to near the cooker, almost directly in front of Nick.
"But nobody wants quirky. They all want a Cece. Someone who is tall, and has good boobs and can wear heels and doesn't dress like a giant toddler-"
"Hey hey! Look. In a completely platonic and roommate way, you're really sweet. To be truthful men want someone petite and not taller than them. A lot of guys I know would see how you dress as beautiful. Everything about you would be attractive to them. In fact I have a wedding coming up and a lot of guys from college will be there, I'll introduce you if ya want? And if Winston does come over or even ends up taking Coach's room back, he'd definitely- he'd definitely do you" Nick said adding a wink jokingly, hoping to make her smile. In a purely platonic way, he really like her smile. Okay, so maybe it was like ten percent platonic and ninety percent sexual but he wasn't a complete idiot. Keeping his distance made living with her a lot easier. He didn't want to make anything complicated, purely because she wouldn't be here long if he messed it all up with her.
"- I... I don't want to wait that long." Jess said, surprised at her own confidence.
This snapped Nick out of his thoughts immediately.
"What Jess? What- what do you err mean?" Nick mumbled. Secretly he knew what he wanted her to mean, but he daren't get his hopes up. This would be moving quickly, especially for someone like him.
"Erm. Well I just thought. You've been so nice and I've been- and you're..."
"Jess I think you've had a lot of wine, I think that THAT would be something you'd regret in the morning."
Jess slid off of the counter and nodded without speaking. Nick turned away from her and put his fist against his forehead and pretended to punch himself in the face, feeling like a dick himself for passing up this opportunity.
"Wait-Jess!" He chased after her and she paused by the front door, and turned to face him.
"Look it isn't a problem, being shot down, seems kinda my thing now- it was just like a suggestion more than a- uhh. Anyway I need some sleep so-"
Nick interrupted her "- its not that Jess!"
"Then what is it? What is wrong with me? People walk over me and stand me up and, it's not fair! So why Nick? Why build my confidence to then shatter it a little bit more?"
Nick couldn't find the words.
"Right. I got the message, goodnight Nick. I'm gonna phone Cece and Winston can have my room I don't think living here was my best-" Jess let out a muffled gasp. Nick had flung himself forward and held both sides of her face. She started to retreat, realising she must have said something to get him like this. Only as she retreated, in perfect Rhythm of her steps he went forward, not releasing her face nor her stare. Jess had wide eyes from the shock, fear and anticipation she felt within her. Nick merely looked confident and ready. Her back hit the wall heavily, not in a way to cause injury but in a moment of passion.
Their breath quickened and their chests rose and fell in sync, and they stood forehead to forehead, but Nick still did not kiss her. He looked into her eyes and hiding the desire and feeling of need was the look of fear. He saw in one look that she was bluffing. That she wasn't ready.
So Nick drew his lips to her neck, beside her earlobe and whispered "my problem Jess?" She took a sharp breath before he continued. "You're not ready. I can wait. I don't want to be some guy that you didn't really care about." His one hand at this point had slid down her body, feeling every curve of her physique. "You're not the type of girl to mess about. So." He pulled his face back up and rested his forehead against hers, not before planting a light and delicate kiss upon her neck just behind her ear. "I could kiss you now, and I could carry you off to my bed and be the rebound guy, which would lead to an awkward loft. Or-" he pulled away even further, regretting giving her this option, but knew it were only fair because what he wanted would be a terrible mistake.
"Or what Nick?" Her eyes met his again. She hadn't looked at him properly since he had had he pinned against the wall and had moved his face to her neck where she eagerly awaited his touch.
"-Or you could just wait in relationship limbo until you meet someone worth while and don't lower yourself to mediocre bartenders that didn't finish law school."
Although there was space between them, Nick still held Jess' head in his right hand, his left positioned on her waist. As she felt his grip loosen Jess responded to the question that he had intended be rhetorical.
"The first one please barkeep" she said, smiling and biting her lower lip.
"Nick smiled too, not quite believing that his pep-talk had made her want him.
"You sure? Cause when I start I can't be stopped." Nick said while tucking a loose curl behind her ear. She bit her lip as seductively as she could and nodded...
Which is all he needed.
Her eyes closed but he had kept his open for a moment, just to see it was really happening. For the first time in years someone had picked him over Schmidt. A small victory to some, but Nick remembered a time Schmidt was fat, and he was going to be a lawyer, and then everything changed. Only it seemed it was all changing slowly leant forward and paused as he felt her breath on his bottom lip. Unable to stand the wait Jess forcefully thrust her body the last centimetre and kissed him.
Then, right on schedule his other hand found her waist, pulled her light frame around his body and she took this as encouragement to wrap her legs around him, and they found their way into Nicks room.
The only difference being he became more than the rebound guy.
So much more.
