Jess sat at her empty desk staring blankly at the neatly packed cardboard box which sat atop it. The kids had left thirty minutes ago, some of them had hugged her, some of them had thrown her a high five, some of the more shy kids offered a small wave but they had all thanked her in their own way. She hadn't made a big deal out of her last class, for her sake more than theirs, the normality helped her to hold it together. Now, sitting on her own in an empty classroom, her life felt anything but normal. Her colleagues had taken her for a long lunch and plied her with gifts but it all felt so awkward to her, she felt like she should have been celebrating something when all she wanted to do was go home and cry. As she felt the tears welling up again she pushed her chair back and picked up her box, she took one last look around, the room still full of the projects she had thought up and she headed for the door. She had said her goodbyes and quite frankly she couldn't take any more so she made haste to the exit praying she wouldn't bump into anybody on the way out.

As she walked out she didn't stop to look back, what was the point? It was over now. She didn't really know what to do with herself, she hadn't planned this part. She hurried down the steps almost tripping over the person who was sitting bang in the middle of them, she thought she had narrowly avoided kicking them in the back but as she saw them stand up quickly and make a start for her she span round with a sigh and a pre-emptive apology so she could get away quickly.

"I'm sorry I didn't see...Nick?"

"Hey there"

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might need cheering up so...here I am Captain Cheer." He did a joke salute as he smiled at her, enough to try and cheer her up but not too much to be insensitive. He began to rummage round in the plastic bag he was carrying and started to mumble bashfully "I brought you some cupcakes, a Taylor Swift CD and a miniature bottle of wine...I wasn't sure which route you would wanna go down here."

Jess could feel that familiar sting pricking up behind her eyes again but as she looked at him standing in front of her there was more to the tears she wanted to cry in that moment. She felt an overwhelming closeness to him that she didn't quite know how to react to. For an English teacher who had always prided herself on being able to express herself reasonably articulately her words completely failed her. She tried to stay strong she really did but sooner or later she was going to have to blink and the tears would fall.

As he saw the tears start to roll down behind her glasses, he reached for the box she was carrying and took it from her placing it under his arm to rest on his hip as the bag of wine and cupcakes dangled freely from his wrist. His other hand reached behind her for the small of her back encouraging her to turn and walk with him. Moments later they found themselves sitting on the hood of Jess' car shoulder to shoulder, eating cupcakes and passing the small bottle of wine back and forth between them punctuating their dialogue with a stead gulps of the warming liquid.

"You're going to be ok Jess. Trust me."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. People like you deserve good things in life"

He buried his head and shoveled in more cupcake looking a little embarrassed at the things he was saying to her. She smiled so hard at him she could see her cheeks pushing her glasses up. Shifting a little under her gaze he tried to change the conversation.

"Hey Caroline in managing the opening of that new bar Apotheca tomorrow night and she has invited all you guys. You should come, it might be fun."

"Oh I would but I can't I have to go this corporate event with Adam and his firm"

"Oh ok never mind"

"I would come but it's kind of a big deal for him and he asked me last week."

"Jess it's no problem don't worry about it"

As a silence descended upon them Jess broke it softly, her voice suddenly becoming almost inaudible.

"I don't really want to go to be honest...all those professional people in suits taking about about how wonderful their careers are. It's the last thing I want to do right now, I'm going to feel so out of place but I promised I would go. People are going to ask about me...what I do for a living...it's humiliating"

"Where you are right now professionally is nobody's business but yours Jess. You'll be the smartest, most interesting person in that room and you have every reason in the world to hold your head up high ...don't let anybody tell you different ok?

"Thanks Nick"

"You're welcome"

"I mean for everything"

They held their fixed stare for a few moments before they both made a start on a second cupcake, giggling like school kids as their overzealous bites covered their faces in buttercream.

Jess looked in the mirror obsessively, hunching her shoulders trying to loosen and maneuver the dress which was clinging to her and showing more cleavage than she had ever seen in her life. Cece had sat somewhat patiently, rolling her eyes from time to time but as she had watched Jess wriggle around in her dress for twenty minutes it became too much.

"Jess would you stop, this is how the dress is supposed to look, you look ridiculously hot."

"I don't know Cece it's so tight and the neckline is just...it's so low I don't think I can pull this off."

Cece had taken Jess shopping earlier that day, she knew Jess was dreading her night out and needed a speedy confidence boost. She had seen Jess eyeing the now offending dress intently in the store but she had walked by it muttering something about not being sexy enough. when Jess had disappeared to the changing room, Cece wasted no time in picking it up and paying for it, promptly hiding it amongst all her other bags before Jess got back. After several looks of shock and horror mixed with gratitude when they had got back Cece had finally got Jess in the dress with some gentle persuasion and a reasonable amount of physical force.

Jess ran her hands over her hips and pulled at the neckline again and again before Cece gentle grabbed her hands forcing them by her sides.

"Jess you look beyond incredible trust me, you owe yourself this, now get out there"

"All the guys are out there"

"It's just Schmidt, Mike, Nick and Winston who cares."

Jess exhaled shakily as Cece handed over her bag.

"Ok?" Cece smiled

"Ok"

They guys stood around the kitchen laughing and sinking a few beers before their night out. It was their first night out together in a while and they were a little more excited than they would admit. Nick was glad to be back in the fold, he felt comfortable, he felt at home. As he lined up a row of shot glasses he started to fill them with Tequila when they guys erupted into chorus of 'wows' and wolf whistles.

As he turned to see what the commotion was about his gaze locked, his chest burned and his breathing stopped.

Jess could feel her nerves steadying a little bit at their reaction.

"Jess you look smokin'" Schmidt spluttered out with wide eyes.

"Yeah Jess you look really, really, really hot" Winston slurred finding it hard to keep his eyes on her face.

"Damn Jess!" Michael offered with a jaunty thigh slap

Nick stayed silent unable to tear his eyes away.

"Thanks guys" Jess smiled shyly as Cece nodded her head and smiled on like a proud mother.

Nick finally swallowed hard and expelled the breath he was holding, the noise of it sounded deafening in his head as he could feel the blood rushing round in his ears. Aware he had been staring at her for several minutes he cast his eyes to the floor as the redness is his cheeks burned down to his neck.

"You guys want a drink, we're getting the party started early over here!" Schmidt bellowed cheerfully.

"Sure yeah I could do with one." Jess nodded emphatically.

She walked towards the kitchen sliding past Nick, purposefully avoiding his gaze, his breathing sped up a little as he inhaled her perfume which wafted in the air. The conversation in the kitchen resumed as did the drinking, Jess wished she was going out with them instead but she had to be a supportive girlfriend. She said she would be there and she would. She knew Adam was picking her up at 7.30 and she could feel herself tensing more and more as the minutes clocked up on her phone, sure enough her heart sank a little when it rang and Adam's name flashed up. Why did she feel like this?

"Hey babe I'm in a cab downstairs"

"Ok I'll be right down."

She buried her phone in her bag and threw her small black jacket on and tried to ignore how much the fun and laughter around her was drawing her in.

"Ok I gotta go now guys, have a good night"

After a chorus of indecipherable goodbyes she picked up her bag and started for the door when she felt a warm hand pull at her upper arm as she turned to face Nick who was looking at her in a way that made her body forget how to do the simplest things like blink, swallow, breathe. He paused for what felt like a lifetime before he spoke softly trying to disguise his words in the din of the background noise.

"You look beautiful Jess"

"Thank you" she breathed, struggling to get the words out as his eyes bore into her, his hand still grasping her arm and the heat of his hand seering her skin.

Reluctantly she turned and walked out the door, his eyes following her until she was no longer in sight.

Things were changing.