A/N: Thank you lovely people for your amazing response to chapter one! I'm so happy to know you guys are liking this fic! Also, apologies for how late this is. Crazy week at work! So I know that the episode is in a few hours but I thought I would post this anyway and then hopefully, manage to reconcile what I've written with what actually happens tonight in a convincing way for the next chapter, "Guy's Night"! Enjoy!

I don't own anything, really. Not least New Girl!

A stage, blown up photos, fancy cutlery, and a hot air balloon. Nick was in a hot air balloon. He wasn't quite sure why but it seemed like the perfect recluse from the obscenity that Schmidt labeled their "Tinfinity"-they're tiniversary—10 years of being roommates. A party thrown by idiots for idiots, he thought to himself. And although tonight was about one of his best friends and the bond of male friendship, Nick couldn't stop thinking about his other roommate. The female one. The one who he had kissed. Twice. The one who told Cece earlier that day that she needed to find someone else to kiss to erase all remnants of any intimacy shared with him. The one who didn't know he had heard her say that. The one who had spent all evening flirting with a man who was nothing like Nick. Everything was slightly excessive about this Jax character: his build, the length of his hair, his affection for Jess. That last one was definitely a bit much, Nick thought.

Nick took a swig of his beer and sighed. He didn't know what allowed him the courage to think of a something-more with Jess; he didn't know what gave him the audacity to pine. It could've been the fact that Jess had kissed him back with equal fervor after True American; It could've been their silly attempt at normalizing things on the couch (a something silly that had become a something serious before any of them could help it). If he was honest with himself, he knew that there was always something simmering under the surface for Jess but he treated it like a mosquito bite that never quite went away; a benign itch he would never scratch. Something he'd live with.

Kissing her hadn't helped things, though. Tasting her, smelling her, feeling her—turned benign into life-threatening.

Before he could humor his futile thoughts any longer, he saw a not-so-happy Schmidt approaching him. Taking another, longer swig of his beer, he braced himself for a conversation he knew neither of them would enjoy after Cece accepted the marriage proposal she had been waiting for. "This is gonna get real, pal", Nick mumbled to himself as Schmidt made his way into the hot air balloon, slumped and pathetic looking.

"Hello, fellow miserable person"

"Hey Schmidtty", Nick said with an apologetic upward-turtle face. "I heard about what happened. I'm sorry, man."

"Eh, waddya gonna do? Ya know?" Schmidt muttered, with a shrug of the shoulders. Nick attempted to discover just the right thing to say. Failing that, he gave him a friendly punch and patted his back. Schmidt put on a brave face.

"What's up with you?"

"Ah, man." Nick said, the tone of resignation evident. "I wish I knew, actually."

"Is it Jess? You've been looking at her like a puppy at an animal shelter all night. A scruffy puppy. The one nobody wants. A bit lazy—doesn't walk around much. Consequently, slightly overweight. Not the friendlie-"

"I get it, man."

"Sorry. So—is it?"

Nick paused and pondered. He thought long and hard about what to say and his proclamation was a revelation to both him and Schmidt. "Yeah, well. I guess I feel like if we weren't roommates, I would ask Jess out for drinks and a less-than-satisfying sexual experience 10 minutes after I met her".

"Whoa. Easy, bartender. Where the heck is this coming from?"

It was Nick's turn to shrug.

"Look, man. You know this is just going to end up blowing up in your face. Like Chernobyl. Avoid the accident and preserve the environment."

"What?"

"I'm sayin' get over it dude. You know it's never gonna happen and if it does, it's going to be insanely complicated. In my extensive romantic-slash-sexual experience, the best way to stop eating cake is to eat some ice cream"

"What?"

"Get it on with another honey, man. It's just hormonal. I read in Men's Fitness that us men need sex cyclically—kinda like a male menstrual cycle. A sexual cycle, if you will."

"Right. Now all I gotta do is find someone who will help fertilize my sperm".

"Weren't you talking about some girl who was mentally incapacitated enough to find you physically and emotionally appealing? Some bar manager woman?"

"Oh right. Shane. Yeah, I guess I could give her a call. I dunno man-"

"Just—give it a shot Nick. Once you do it, you'll realize this was all just PSS—Presexual Syndrome"

"Jesus Schmidt!"

N&J

Jess couldn't run away any faster even if she tried. Mother of my children? Woman I'm going to marry? She had just met Jax that day and he was overwhelming her. The things he was saying were frightening enough—their timing made things even worse. She couldn't really fall for someone when she was still so confused about her feelings for Nick. Were the butterflies she felt mercilessly fluttering in her stomach when her and Nick were alone together, feelings? Were the hours of sleep she had lost over the last weeks thinking about him the result of feelings?

Slowing her pace now that she was a safe distance from the fiasco, she wondered about why she spent all day flirting with Jax. Sure, she told herself that it was because she needed to clean the slate to normalize her relationship with Nick but in reality, she was initially attracted to Jax' expressiveness, his emotional openness. She had a newfound respect for men who could articulate their feelings—and it was all because the man she needed openness from the most was the most emotionally inept she had met in a long time.

She could see the hot air balloon Schmidt had rented up ahead and slowed down even more. Nick and Schmidt were deep in conversation but she only had eyes for Nick—she looked at how his hair ruffled even when they were meticulously combed, at how he always had his hands shoved into his pockets to protect himself from a ruthless world, at the hint of dimple in his cheek when he smiled. She couldn't help but smile herself.

She had feelings for him. It was really that simple. Seeing Cece agree to marry someone she barely knew made her realize another thing: it was worth telling Nick how she felt. Maybe not tonight. Maybe not even tomorrow. Things needed to be sorted in her head before she took that step but Jess was sure of one thing: She cared about Nick.

Approaching the balloon, she walked in and looked at both guys—quiet, reflective, slightly nervous? "Oh, sorry—I'm not interrupting something am I?"

"No no no Jess, we were just thinking about our ten glorious years together. It's been quite the adventure" Schmidt replied.

Jess smiled and turned to him first "Well, as someone who lives with you and knows how difficult the two of you can be, I'd say both of you deserve a hug and some congratulations". She hugged Schmidt closely and congratulated him. She then turned tentatively towards Nick. Pulling him into a tighter, more intimate embrace, the feeling of his hands slip around her waist, holding onto her almost protectively, rubbing up and down, gave her the courage to give him a kiss somewhere between his nape and his ear and whisper "Congratulations, you".

Nick withdrew but held onto her waist. She let go of him and held his hand fleetingly as she did and smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Jess".

It took a whole lot of will to let go of her. And although he wanted to dwell on their little exchange, only Schmidt's words rang through his ears. Never going to happen. Insanely complicated. Chernobyl? So while Jess and Schmidt got caught up in a tussle about how she should have manipulated Cece into thinking an Indian husband would forbid her from modeling, Nick took out his phone and texted Shane.

"Hey. I guess I can meet up later tonight then. Your place or mine?"

A/N: Sigh, sad stuff I know! That's how the season seems to be panning out though! But I'm loving the development and I know all of this will deepen their relationship even more! Can't wait for tonight's episode.

Please review! I should hopefully get the next chapter up in a couple of days if you guys are enjoying this :)