Nick pushed the door to his Mom's place open warily. It was noisy, which meant Jamie and his cousin Bobby were already there and probably already picking at each other. They'd switched on college basketball in the living room, but everyone was in the kitchen.
"Hey Nick, do you mind if I grab my bag and change in the bathroom? I've got some storage unit gunk on me."
"Yeah, of course Jess. Second door on the right down that hall. I'm gonna do the same."
Nick handed off Jess' tote and grabbed his own suitcase. He walked into "his" room. Since his Mom moved to Evanston after Nick was grown, he hadn't spent time here as a child, but you'd never know it. Instead of treating the extra bedrooms in her house like guest quarters, Nick's mom had decorated one for Nick and one for Jamie. Some of Nick's favorite posters still hung on the walls, a bookcase chock full of Hardy Boys paperbacks, story books and photo albums sat in the corner. His dresser was topped with an old change bank, a globe, a ceramic bowl he made at camp in the mid-nineties and some random toys and trinkets. Laughing, he picked up a YoYo ball. You don't get rid of anything, do you Ma?
"Nick?" Jess called, tapping softly on the door. "You ready?"
"Yeah, come in."
Jess popped her head in the doorframe. She was wearing a blue plaid skirt, tights, ballet flats and a little black sweater, also piped in blue.
"Oh geez!" Nick blurted out when he saw her. "My brother is going to act awful when he sees you in that outfit!"
Jess looked alarmed and nervously pulled at her skirt and smoothed her hair. "What do you mean? Does it look stupid, do I need to change?" Jess grabbed her bag and started back into the hall. "I'll just change, you're right, this is a dumb outfit. I look like a Bratz Doll."
Nick grabbed her arm and stopped her frantic departure. "No Jess, I'm sorry, you don't look stupid at all, that came out wrong." Nick rubbed his eyes, embarrassed. "You look incredibly cute, I just know Jamie is going to make some school-girl comment and I'm going to want to punch him." Nick turned to Jess who now looked bemused. "Please don't change, you look great."
"Ok," Jess shrugged smiling. "Thanks Nick."
"Are you ready to meet my idiot brother and jackass cousin?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
Jess and Nick walked into the kitchen where Jamie, Bobby and Nick's Mom were all gathered around the counter. Jamie and Bobby were eating chips and salsa without plate or napkin; Nick's mom was swiping a dishrag across the counter every time one of them spilled.
"Whoa, look what the cat dragged in! It's Saint Nick!" Bobby playfully punched Nick in the stomach, and Nick played along, grabbing his middle in mock pain.
"Bobby, good to see you man," Nick said grabbing him in a one armed hug. "Trip from Boston go ok?"
"Yep, drove straight through, only a few stops." Bobby turned to give Jess an appraising look. "Some of us had to road trip it. Would have been nice to have a little Kewpie Doll with airline miles along for the ride!"
"Bobby…." Nick said warningly.
"I know right?" Jess piped up cutting him off. "I may be an adult education teacher and barely have enough money in my checking account to pay the rent, but when it comes to bonus miles, I'm liquid, yo! Anyways, enough about me; I'm Jess, nice to meet you."
Bobby let out a snort of surprised laughter and grinned. "Nick, this one is a live wire. I'm Bobby."
Nick was impressed. Bobby was a blowhard, but he was easy to win over. With one kooky retort, Jess was in his good books. All right, Nick thought. One down, two to go. The phone rang and his Mom bustled off to the bedroom to answer it, motioning to Nick she'd be right back.
Nick walked over to his little brother and wrapped him in a hug. Jamie was a sweet guy, but he was a little troubled. Divorced, angry and constantly bowed under the chip on his shoulder, Nick wasn't sure how he was taking the news of his father's death.
"Hey Jamie, it's good to see you buddy," Nick said. "This is my friend Jess. Jess, this is my brother Jamie, he lives here in the city."
"Yep, sweet home Chicago," Jamie said, shaking Jess's hand carefully. "Most of the Millers still live here, but Nicky escaped to the dark side."
Jess laughed good-naturedly. "Well, we West Coasters appreciate Nick's Midwestern charm. It's refreshing."
"Good old Saint Nick," Jamie said taking a swig of his beer. "Glad he's appreciated."
"What's with the Saint Nick thing?" Jess asked, opening a bottle for herself. "Did you bring toys to the neighborhood children each December 25th?" Jess teased.
"Nah, we call him Saint Nick because he's such a high flyer," Jamie said, his face impassive. "Nick had to go to college, then law school, and then move all the way out to shiny California."
"That's all true," Bobby interjected, "but I call him Saint Nick 'cause his gut jiggles like a bowl full of jelly!" Bobby finished gleefully, backhanding Nick in the stomach. "Don't judge all the Millers on this one Jess," Bobby said lifting his sweater just a touch and flexing his abs, "some of us know how to take care of ourselves."
"Duly noted Bobby," Jess laughed, swigging her beer. "Thanks for the information."
Nick put his hands over his face and shook his head, but he smiled in spite of himself. Jess is a trooper, she'll be fine.
Nick's Mom walked back into the kitchen. "That was your Aunt Ruthie," she said. "She told me to tell you hello and that she'd see you in a day or two."
"Sounds good," Nick said. "Ma, we're all closed out of the storage unit. We've got some boxes to put in the garage, but the rest has been tossed or donated."
"Thank you for doing that sweetie," Nick's mom said. "Thanks to both of you," she added stiffly.
"No problem Bonnie," Jess enthused, desperate to grab on to something positive. "Can I help you set the table, or finish up with dinner?"
"I've got it all handled; I set the table while you were all talking. Why don't we sit and eat, before it gets cold."
As they dug into lasagna, salad and bread, Nick let the conversation flow around him. He was so tired; it was hard to add much. Even though he was still a little nervous exposing Jess to all this, he was starting to relax a little. Every time Bobby referenced the gym or his core, Jess would nudge him under the table and they'd share a silent chuckle. When Jamie and Bobby started screaming at each other about the 1985 Bears versus the 2007 Patriots, Nick reached under the table and gave Jess' knee a squeeze. She grinned at him and covered his hand with her own, holding it there a little longer. Something fizzed through Nick at the gesture, and he found himself losing track of what everyone was saying around him.
"Ok, this is what I'm talking about!" Jamie cut in angrily. "Nick, are you even here with us?"
Nick pulled his hand back to his lap and looked up. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you sitting there like some gooey eyed idiot flirting with Little Miss Frequent Flyer when we're having a perfectly good football debate. A couple years ago, you would've been right there with me, but now, it's like everything you used to care about isn't good enough for you anymore."
"Jamie, calm down, I'm not ignoring the conversation. You know I'd throw myself in front of a car for Jim McMahon and the '85 Bears. I'm just tired; it's been a long day."
"Well, it's been a long year for some of us pal. You know Dad went to the hospital twice already this winter before he died? Did you know Mom's two months behind on her mortgage? I guess that's no big deal for Saint Nick out in La La Land."
Nick started to get angry. "You know what Jamie? It's a little hard to discern Mom's finances and Dad's health issues when nobody tells me anything! Well how about this? Did you know Dad came out to see me a couple months ago and ripped me off and conned Jess into investing in one of his stupid schemes? Did you know that even though I'm just a bartender, I send Mom 10 percent of everything I make? I'm sorry I graduated from college and I'm sorry I moved away, but those are choices I have the right to make."
Nick stood up from the table quickly. "Ma, thanks for dinner, I'm going to borrow your car and take Jess to her hotel. Are we meeting with the church people tomorrow?"
Nick's Mom nodded numbly. "Ok, well, I'll be back later tonight. You can wake me up whenever tomorrow morning in case you're asleep when I get home."
With that, he grabbed his Mom's keys from the hook, grabbed Jess' bags and stomped out the front door.
"Thanks for the food Bonnie, it was delicious. I'll see you all tomorrow," Jess murmured as she followed Nick outside.
It was quiet for the first few minutes of their drive to the Omni. Nick could tell Jess was nervous because she kept fiddling with her bracelet and twirling a piece of hair around her finger. Nick sighed, even when she was jittery and awkward, she was still beautiful.
"Jess I'm really sorry about dinner, I know that was weird for you."
"Nick please, don't apologize," Jess said reassuringly. "I know how stressful this is for you and your family. In my book, everyone gets a free pass right now."
Nick turned to smile at her gratefully and Jess met his gaze. She looked very uncertain and was chewing on her bottom lip.
"What's up Jess?" Nick asked, as they parked the car in front of the hotel. "You still look worried, out with it."
"Well, I was just thinking," she started, looking nervous. Nick nodded, urging her to go on. "Am I causing problems for you by being here? Did I impose on you by coming? I mean, I don't want to be a walking reminder of the fact that you chose to move away. Your family is grieving; I don't want to make things harder."
Nick rested his elbow on the back of his seat and lifted a hand to tug on a lock of Jess' hair. "Jess I appreciate your concern, and some of it is probably valid." Jess gave him a panicked look, but he shook his head to silence her. "What I mean is, I'm sure they're a little bothered by the fact that you're here. They're probably self-conscious about our money situation and everything and that might be hard for them. But I really don't care. I want you here; I need to be with someone I can count on right now. And that's you," Nick finished, embarrassed.
Jess blushed, but looked pleased. "Well, ok then."
Nick and Jess dragged her bags to the lobby and Nick helped her carry everything up after she checked in. Her room was clean and spacious and she looked happy with her surroundings. Nick stood awkwardly to the side as she rapidly unpacked both bags, hanging up sweaters, folding pajamas and lining up shoes in the closet. "So do you want to hang out for a minute and watch some T.V.?" Jess asked. She had already changed into stretchy pants and a t-shirt and was flipping through the channels.
"Uh, sure, I can stay for some T.V." Nick said. He kicked off his shoes and sat on the edge of her bed.
"Great! It looks like the pickings are a little slim, program-wise. Would you prefer a home improvement show, a weight loss show, or Family Feud?" Jess asked.
"Oh, it's gotta be the Feud," Nick said settling in.
It was some sort of Family Feud, late-night marathon and Nick and Jess were actively participating. They had started out sitting a few feet apart and cross legged, but a few episodes in they were leaning against the headboard, their legs stretched out in front of them, barely an inch between their hips. They were both pretty good at guessing the answers and had been shouting them out in turn.
Name something that's kept in a jar?
"Pickles!" they shouted in unison.
Survey says…. Pickles!
"Oh!" Nick and Jess screamed high-fiving. "We are unstoppable Miller!" Jess laughed squeezing his hand in triumph.
"You said it Jess," Nick agreed. "We should quit our jobs and go on the Feud circuit. Imagine all the luxurious vacations we'd earn, the piles of money we'd bring home to Winston and Schmidt."
Jess sighed and rested her head on Nick's shoulder. "That would be the life," she breathed dramatically, cutting her eyes toward Nick and grinning. Nick smiled back, and something crackled to life between them. It was the same something that had been shadowing them night and day since that fateful game of True American. They'd done a good job ignoring it, wrenching it out of frame. But it had been a long, draining day, and they were both losing their grip.
Jess lifted her head from Nick's shoulder and turned just slightly. He could see that tiny, faded scar on Jess's bottom lip, and before he knew what he was doing, he dipped his head and closed the distance between them. Jess met him halfway and let out a little whimper when his lips claimed hers for the second time. It was better than he remembered and suddenly he didn't want it to end. She urged him on and he slipped one arm around her waist and brought his other hand up to cradle her face. She responded by winding his t-shirt around her fists and pulling him even closer. The kiss deepened another shade and a little alarm bell went off in Nick's head. This might be going somewhere dangerous. Nick felt Jess pull back a little and took the opportunity to do the same. He opened his eyes and looked into her passion clouded baby blues. Her lips were swollen and her hair was rumpled. He had to stifle a groan and beat back the desire to grab her for an encore.
"Jess, I… I'm sorry. Well, I'm not sorry, but you know, it's just…"
"Not like this?" Jess supplied softly.
Nick smiled as she repeated his words back to him. "Yeah, something like that."
Jess smiled back. "Gotcha. You should get home Nick, thanks for hanging out with me."
"Are you getting tired?" Nick asked as he stepped into his shoes and rose to leave.
"Mm hmm," Jess yawned as she snuggled into her covers. "Little Miss Frequent Flyer needs to come in for a landing. Goodnight Nick."
"Goodnight Jess."
As Nick wound his way back to his Mom's, he had to fight the urge the whole way home to make a sharp U-turn and blaze a trail straight back to the Omni.
Thanks again for the reviews, I really appreciate them! Just a reminder, I don't own New Girl, or Family Feud, for that matter.