Okay, this one's a doozy.
~justaclassicgirl
Chapter 7-Confession
Turns out it wasn't just the soup.
Jess must have contracted the flu, because in the middle of the night (even though she hadn't eaten a thing) she was up puking again, Nick right by her side in the bathroom.
Schmidt and Winston, having returned home, did not take kindly to this.
Schmidt, in particular, was more concerned about his own well-being.
"Nicholas Miller, I swear to God, if that contaminated woman infects this precious body of a golden Jewish gladiator, I will see to her personal quarantine in a hospital cell! And anything she touched will be burned with acid and then thrown into the fiery volcanoes of Hawaii!"
Winston, however, was just plain tired.
"Can you just get her to stop crying? I get the being sick part, and I guess that can't be helped, but I have just had a very long and pleasant night with Daisy and tomorrow's Saturday. And you know better than anyone that Saturday is a day for sleeping."
"Guys, come on!" Nick yelled. "Give her a break! She has the flu!"
Schmidt leaped about a mile in the air with a girlish screech, and ran out of the room. Winston rolled his eyes at the melodramatic man and patted Nick on the back before going back to bed.
When Jess came up, she fell into his arms. "They HATE me!" she sobbed.
"Jess, that's crazy. They don't hate you, you know they don't. You know how Schmidt gets around germs. And Winston wasn't even that mad. They're both just tired and grumpy."
"P-promise?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Promise."
She stood up shakily, her legs wobbling. He put his hand on her shoulder to steady her, and helped her to the sink so she could wash the bitter taste out of her mouth.
When she was done, her eyelids drooped. "I'm tired, Nick."
"I know. Let me take you back to your room," he said.
He picked her up and she clung to his neck like a sloth. But when he reached her door, she shook her head, her big blue eyes looking up at him imploringly.
"Can I-can I sleep with you?"
Nick took a deep breath. "I'm not sure that-"
"Please," she whispered. "I'm scared."
"...Fine."
She didn't smile, but nestled deeper into his chest.
Nick laid her gently on his bed, wishing he'd made the bedsheets a while earlier. But that wasn't happening now. Jess needed to rest.
She looked up at him. "What are you doing, just standing there?" she mumbled sleepily. "Come to bed with me."
Nick was surprised for a moment at her boldness, but then was almost certain she hadn't meant for it to come out that way.
Then she patted the space of the bed next to her and whispered again, "Come to bed with me."
He nodded dumbly and climbed into bed next to her, where he laid stiff and straight with no part of him even brushing any part of her. It was so hard for him not to be...well...hard.
(suggestive eyebrow wiggle by the immature author, who just couldn't help putting that in and is laughing hysterically at her own words)
"I'm cold," she said suddenly. "Can you maybe hold me?"
No. Too much. Jessica Day sensory overload
"There's a blanket, you know," he snapped, turning away from her,
"Nick?" she asked sadly. "Why don't you want to hold me?"
He turned back to face her, looking strangely sad as well.
"Jess, you've had a long night. You're tired and delirious. You need to sleep."
"I'm not delirious! I just want you to hold me!"
"You're not in your right mind, Jess. You have no idea what you want right now."
"But I do," she said, her voice cracking with tears. "I know exactly what I want. I've been thinking about it for a long enough time."
He scooted closer. "And...what do you want?" he whispered, heart pounding.
"You," she said, and then began to cry very hard. "I want you, Nicholas Miller."
He sighed deeply and placed a hand on her forehead. "Still got a fever. I knew it."
"No, Nick, it's not the fever! It isn't!"
"Shhh, Jess. Sleep. You need to rest. This isn't like you, and besides, you'll forget it all when you're better," he said softly, stroking her hair.
She sat up suddenly, throwing his hand off her. "DON'T!" she yelled. "Don't do this again. I WILL remember this, Nick. Because how could I forget how I feel for you, how I've felt for you for a long time? I want you, I've wanted you for as long as I can remember. I want you, I want you, I WANT YOU. I don't want anyone else EVER! I LOVE YOU!"
She pitched forward and exploded into tears.
"Jess-" He tried to place a hand on her shoulder.
She shrank away, and Nick felt like he'd been slapped.
Then, she got out of bed quickly and left his room, slamming the door behind her.
"Jess, wait, you're not-" Nick began, starting slowly after her.
Then, he heard a loud thud, like the sound a watermelon makes when you hit it with your fist.
"Jess!"
He threw open the door to see her, limbs splayed out any which way, on the floor between their rooms with her raven hair surrounding her head in a halo.
Nick kneeled next to her. "No, no, no," he muttered, worry creasing his face.
"Jess, wake up!" he yelled. "Jess! JESS!"
Winston came storming out. "It is OFFICIALLY Saturday, and Saturday is a day-" he broke off when he saw Jess. "Damn, Miller, you done messed up this time."
PLOT TWIST!
And thus, the story can (and will) be milked further! :D
I really want to know thoughts on this one, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review. It'll only take a few minutes of your time!
