Jess strolls into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Nick and Julia are next to each other on the couch, arguing over the mountains of paperwork scattered around the coffee table and on the floor. She checks the time on the microwave. It's nearly midnight. The two lawyers have been hard at work ever since they first got back to the loft, their heads bent over complicated-looking documents, their matching black blazers thrown over the couch armrest.
"Well, if we look at the September 28th conversations there's a clear intent to close domestic manufacturing. That's before Deschanel dissolved the agreement with the contractors." Julia peers over the top of her glasses as she flips through a packet of notes.
Nick hums thoughtfully. "Yes, but there's several accounts of corporate making reassurances that the thousands of workers at the factories would be provided resources for other employment opportunities after their manufacturing was moved overseas."
"Well," Julia huffs. "They didn't specify exactly what that would look like. Could've been a resume workshop no one attended."
"But that's not what was implied," Nick says with a frown. "I don't know. I think the prosecution makes a decent case."
Julia slides her glasses off her nose and places them up onto the top of her head. "It doesn't matter how decent their case is. Not with how much money Deschanel Industries is willing to throw at us. We could submit an orange peel into evidence with the millions they're spending on this case. Worst case scenario, the union runs out of money for a retainer and we win without even going to court."
Nick's brow furrows. "I guess, but-"
"Sounds like you two are hard at work," Jess interrupts cheerily. Their heads pop up and swivel to look over at where she's leaning against the kitchen island.
"Oh, hey, Jess," Nick says with a tired grin.
"Hi, Jess." Julia gives her a smile that looks only slightly forced before turning back to her work, her face falling back into a serious half-frown.
Jess sets her mug back down on the counter and grabs her dessert platter. Nothing cheers someone up like a Jessica Day Dessertâ„¢. She makes her way around to the couch.
"Like I was saying," Julia continues, highlighting a line of her carefully written notes. "I think we need to look at the documented events the company has held since the formal decision. See if we can find any communications between-"
"Would you like a cookie? Or a cupcake?" Jess interrupts, offering up the plate. "I made them myself."
Julia looks over at Nick, a little surprised, before turning back to Jess. "Oh, no. I'm okay. I'm not really a dessert person. I just don't eat it, usually."
"Okay," Jess says with a confused frown. What is it with lawyers and not liking dessert? Well, Nick didn't, but she managed to win him over in no time. She plucks a cupcake off the tray and sets it on a napkin right beside Julia's stack of pens. "I'm just gonna put this, like, right here."
"I don't..." she tries to protest, but then sighs and gives in to Jess' insistence. "Okay. Fine."
Jess smiles and sits on the very edge of one of the couch cushions, carefully avoiding crushing any papers beneath her. "You're working late tonight."
"Yep," Julia says dismissively.
"Did you need any help? I've got a really good set of pens and highlighters," she offers. If there's one thing she knows, it's that making friends is all about persistence.
"Actually, you know what?" Julia glances down at her watch. "It's getting pretty late. I should probably head out."
"But it's already so late, you could stay the night!" she suggests, looking over to Nick with a conspiratorial wink. "I've got an extra toothbrush. I'm sure Nick wouldn't mind."
"Jess," he cuts in, his voice tense. "Can I talk to you real quick?"
Nick leads Jess into her bedroom, leaving Julia to sort through the paperwork and pack up her own things.
"What are you doing?" he hisses once they're out of earshot.
"I'm just trying to help you out," Jess whispers back.
Nick groans and rubs his hand over his face. He pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head as he says, "I don't need your help, Jess."
"You two have done nothing but paperwork this whole time," she explains, unconvinced. "She's going to think you don't even like her!"
"Stay out of this, okay?" he bites out, his eyes dark and serious.
"Okay," Jess agrees reluctantly and takes a step back, struck by Nick's harsh tone.
A look of regret flashes over Nick's face, and he opens his mouth to say something when they're suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat in the hallway.
"I'm leaving," Julia says, gesturing to her briefcase and the cardboard box of documents tucked under her arm. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Miller."
Jess waves at her. "Bye, Julia!"
Julia doesn't respond, just smiles at Nick before turning to leave, her shoes clicking on the hardwood floors. Nick chases after her, and Jess can barely overhear the two of them quietly talking before there's the sound of the front door closing as Julia leaves. Nick's own door slams shut a few minutes later, and it hits Jess like a punch to the gut. She hates knowing people are upset with her, and Nick most of all. She knows that Julia has to be important to him, and she's glad that he's found someone who makes him happy. That's all she really wants.
Things between Nick and Julia seemingly continue, but then again it's kinda tricky to tell. They don't really do the stereotypically coupley things, like hold hands or cuddle on the couch and watch a movie over a bottle of wine. Instead, they're just constantly working. They'll come back to the loft after staying overtime at the law office and cover the kitchen table and every neighboring flat surface with paperwork. Then they'll stay up until the early hours of the morning, reading and re-reading documents, scribbling notes in the margins and all over battered legal pads, debating practice arguments and running through different possibilities of lawsuits and countersuits.
In fact, Jess isn't even really sure if the two of them are together. It's entirely possible that the two are just assigned to work the same case, and that they're just friends who are working insane hours together. Julia has never stayed the night at the loft, and Jess has never actually seen them do anything more intimate than pass over a stack of documents to each other. But Jess isn't completely naive. She's seen the way they look at each other, the gleam of interest in their eyes when one of them makes a particularly good point or shrugs out of their blazer. There's something between the two of them, but Jess still isn't quite sure how she feels about it.
It's... interesting. It's certainly not the kind of relationship she imagined Nick would want. Not that she spends a lot of time thinking about that sort of thing. It's none of her business. If Nick wants to spend all of his time with his not-quite-girlfriend working himself down to the bone, well that's his decision. But as much as she tries to not care about the situation, she can't help but worry over Nick. She tries to ask him about it one morning over breakfast, and he just brushes her off without a second thought.
"We're not labeling it," he explains as he packs up his briefcase.
"I thought you didn't want a casual relationship." Jess frowns. "You said you didn't get the appeal of just casually dating someone."
"Yeah, well." Nick shuts his briefcase with a solid click. "Maybe I want something different now." He grabs a bagel and storms out the door, leaving Jess in the kitchen with a sinking feeling in her gut as she finishes packing up her lunch for school.
As much as her life back at the loft seems to be a mess lately, on the bright side, she can leave it behind every time she enters the door of her new school. Jess loves her new job. She loves it. Her students are so lovely and motivated. It's probably the first time that she's ever had an entire classroom full of students who were so genuinely excited to learn. Abbi is in her morning session, and it's so great to see her bright and cheery now that things between her parents aren't so stressful. She's finished up her latest Pepperwood story and has started a new edition, this one with a spunky jewel thief named Jessica Night that Jess has a sneaking suspicion is based on her new English teacher.
And her fellow teachers are so nice. They all went out to dinner together to celebrate the first week of school, and Jess is pleasantly tipsy on pink wine as she rides the elevator up to their floor. She hums the Welcome Back! song that she and Paul wrote together and digs through her purse for her keys as she steps into the hall, tripping a little bit over her own feet as she stumbles down the hallway. She rounds the corner and giggles before looking up and-
Oh.
Nick and Julia are making out in the hallway, completely oblivious to the fact that Jess is just a few feet away. Julia has him crowded up against the door to the loft, his hands gripping the sides of her hips as she kisses him, wet and messy. One of Nick's hands slides around to the small of Julia's back, pushing her up against him as he threads the other through her hair and tips his head to the side so he can kiss her even deeper.
Jess panics and ducks behind a fake plant before they can see her. But from the looks of things, Nick's tongue is too far down Julia's throat to notice that Jess is peering at them from between the plastic-y leaves. What is she doing? Sneaking around and watching her roommate make out with his new girlfriend, like some kind of creepy stalker. She needs to get inside the loft, but they're blocking the only entrance. What she should do is go back downstairs and wait in the lobby for a few minutes until the two have broken off and the coast is clear. Which she's going to do. Any moment now.
"I have to go," Julia says, breaking off the kiss.
"Come inside," Nick groans, chasing after her lips.
"I have- The Ming- Conference call," she says in between kisses.
Nick groans and kisses her again. "Just come inside. We'll be so quick."
"Not sure if being quick is something to brag about, Miller," Julia gasps as Nick sucks at her neck.
Jess turns away. She can't watch this. Not when she knows what it feels like to have Nick's lips against her own and his hands roaming over her back. Not when she's twirly from one too many glasses of pink wine and hiding behind a fake plant instead of being assertive like an actual adult and just asking them to move over so she can let herself into her own home. But she's a pushover, so she stares down at her shoes, leaning her back against the wall of the tiny alcove and trying to tune them out despite her too-good peripheral vision.
It's weird, because a month ago she was the one in Julia's shoes. She was the one being kissed breathless by one Nick Miller. It seems like so long ago, but it's only been a month since he kissed her until she couldn't think of anything else and all those things that seemed so important faded into background noise, until all she could focus on was the glide of his lips over hers.
But that's not where they are right now. He's moved on. This is what she wanted. She didn't want him all hung up on her, hoping for something that was never going to happen. And yet, it still takes her by surprise. She's not sure why. Maybe it's because it all feels so sudden, like it's almost too soon for him to getting all hot and heavy with another woman. But then again, Nick doesn't owe Jess anything. They never dated or did anything that could be considered serious. He's a free man. She's not jealous. That much she knows for sure.
"Please, come inside," Nick mutters, his voice low and ragged.
"I can't," Julia says softly. She sounds all adult and sultry, like a Bond girl or a singer at some slinky old-school jazz club.
They both fall silent except for a few faint gasps and moans, presumably back to kissing. Jess crosses her arms over her chest and looks up at the ceiling, wondering if she should just go ahead and interrupt them. There's a loud ringing and Jess frantically looks down at her phone, terrified that her location has been given away by an ill-timed phone call. But her phone is thankfully still silent.
"Ignore it," Nick grumbles.
"It's Liz," Julia replies breathlessly and Nick groans. She clears her throat before answering the phone. "This is Cleary. Yeah. Yeah, I'm on my way now. Yep."
Jess peers around the corner, trying to formulate a plan where it's not obvious that she's been weirdly creeping on them this whole time.
"I've gotta go," Julia says and reaches her arms around Nick's neck to pull him into another kiss.
"I'll call you," Nick promises before kissing her one last time.
Julia turns to leave, fussing with her dress as she walks down the hall, too busy scrolling through her phone to spot where Jess is hiding. The elevator doors slide shut and Jess finally ducks out from behind the planter. Nick has already disappeared back into the loft, so she's able to get inside without any awkward interrogations. Jess slips into her room and tries to scrub the image of Nick and Julia out of her head. It's not any different than when they caught Schmidt and Cece on Valentine's Day. But seeing her two best friends together didn't leave this same sour taste in her mouth.
Now that it's apparent that Julia is around to stay, Jess has doubled down on her efforts to connect with Nick's new lawyer girlfriend. One night she manages to convince Julia to come out with the rest of the gang for drinks. It's weird, to see Nick with his arm slung around Julia's shoulders, to watch him lean in close to hear her over the loud noises of the crowd, to watch as the two of them flirt right across from where Jess is sitting. Nick barely pays any attention to Jess the whole night, too distracted by trying to impress Julia to really contribute to the group conversation. Schmidt keeps drifting off towards the bar to bother his own girlfriend, and Winston ducks out early to get some sleep before his early morning shift at the station.
Which leaves Jess, Nick, and Julia all at the corner booth, with Jess awkwardly digging her straw through her empty drink while Nick and Julia trade some weird flirty banter. She hates third-wheeling. At least with Winston and Schmidt at the table there was someone for her to talk to. Right now, she might as well not even exist. She glances around the bar, trying to see if Cece's available up at the bar or if she's still swamped from earlier.
"Hey, Jess!"
Jess turns back to the table. "Yeah?"
"There you are. Thought you zoned out on us for a second," Nick teases her, his arm still wrapped around Julia's waist. "I'm gonna go get refills. Do you want anything?"
"Oh," she glances down at her empty glass. She probably shouldn't, but what's the harm? "Sure."
"One Nick Miller special, coming up," he says with a wink before sliding out of the booth, leaving Jess and Julia alone together.
Julia picks at the label of her beer bottle, awkwardly avoiding prolonged eye contact with Jess as they sit in silence, waiting for Nick to come back.
Jess clears her throat and forces a smile. "So how are things going with Nick?"
"Good," Julia says with a curt nod.
"That's nice."
Julia hums in agreement.
"You know," Jess says, twirling her straw between her fingers. "I actually have Nick's daughter, Abbi, in my English class."
"Oh."
"She's just the sweetest thing, isn't she?" Jess smiles.
"I don't really like kids." Julia clears her throat. "And I haven't met her so-"
"Oh, sorry." Jess recovers awkwardly. "Just, she's so important in Nick's life so I figured that you might have at least heard a little about her-"
"Look, I get it, okay?" Julia snaps.
Jess frowns, taken aback. "I'm sorry?"
"I see the whole thing you're doing," she says sharply. "I know that I'm the mean lawyer girl who wears suits and works too much, and you're the really fun teacher girl with all the colorful skirts and you bake things. And eventually, Nick is going to come running back to you, and you'll tuck him in under his blankie-"
"That's not what I'm doing," Jess cuts in.
"Well then you can stop whatever it is you are doing. Because Nick and I are together, and I don't need you trying to sabotage us so that way you can swoop in after I'm gone."
"I'm not trying to sabotage you," Jess insists, clenching her jaw tight together. "I was the one who told Nick to ask you out. I'm just trying to be nice to you."
"I don't like you," Julia says, brutally honest in a way that hits Jess like a punch to the gut. "And I don't want to be your friend, so..."
Jess fights back the tears that are welling up in her eyes. She's not trying to be mean. She's not. She wants Nick and Julia to work out. But after watching the two of them she can't help but worry. She wants to give Julia the benefit of the doubt, but it's hard to do that when the other girl refuses to even let her try.
"Everything alright over here?" Nick asks as he comes back to the table, setting a drink down in front of Jess' empty glass.
"Fine," Jess says, digging through her purse for her phone. She bites down on her lip to hide the fact that she's barely a moment away from crying. "I'm gonna go up to the bar, actually."
Nick frowns at her. "Are you sure?"
"Uh huh!" she insists, overly cheery despite the way her voice wavers. Jess ignores Julia's pointed look as she scoops up her drink and hightails it over to the bar, surreptitiously wiping underneath her eye with her thumb and hoping her mascara isn't smearing.
Jess sets her purse down on the bar and slides onto the empty barstool beside Schmidt. "Hey, guys," she says casually, her voice breaking halfway through.
Cece sets down the glass she was drying. "What happened?"
"What?" Jess says, surprised that Cece managed to see right through her. "Nothing."
Schmidt looks her up and down. "You're crying."
"Who did this and where are they?" Cece snaps, tossing her rag on the counter and fumbling for the knife she was using to slice up limes just a few minutes ago. "Where are they right now?"
"Nothing. I'm fine." Jess rubs at the corner of her eye. "Really. She didn't do anything wrong, I overreacted."
"She? Who is she?" Cece narrows her eyes menacingly and glares around the bar.
"Is this about Julia?" Schmidt asks with a knowing look.
Damn. She needs less perceptive friends. "Kinda."
Cece frowns, looking over Jess' shoulder to where Nick and Julia are pressed up against each other in the booth. "What did she do?"
Jess groans. She didn't want to start this. She didn't want a fight at all. But she's about to burst into tears and Cece looks like she might straight-up murder someone. "She snapped at me and said I needed to stop this whole thing and accused me of trying to get between her and Nick."
"She said you had a whole thing?" Schmidt asks, his brow furrowing.
"I'm gonna smack that lawyer-learnin' right out of her mouth," Cece says darkly, tightening her grip on the paring knife.
Schmidt reaches over to rest his hand on her free arm, trying to placate her. "Calm down, Mama Bear."
"It's just-" Jess huffs, glancing over at the two of them. "I don't get what he sees in her. Maybe it's just me, but she's so mean, and she's always working. She doesn't like kids, and has never even heard of Nick's daughter. And she's not a dessert person! Like who in their right mind doesn't like dessert!"
"Jess," Cece's tone shifts into something more sympathetic. "You sure there isn't something else going on here?"
"What?" Jess protests. "No."
Schmidt raises a skeptical eyebrow. "I mean, Julia's been nothing but pleasant to me."
"Same here," Cece confirms.
Jess crosses her arms over her chest. "You're being ridiculous."
Cece shrugs. "I just think that maybe there's another reason why you and Julia don't get along. You and Nick do have a history together."
"We don't have a history," Jess insists. "That's the thing. I mean, did I have feelings for him at one point? Sure. But that's over now. I'm single and I'm sufficient."
"If you're sure..." Cece says, seemingly unconvinced.
"Look, Jess." Schmidt looks at her, his face serious. "Nick went out on a limb to tell you how he felt, and you turned him down. And that was your decision to make, but it hurt him. A lot. Now he's moved on. You have to be okay with that. You can't just expect him not to date anyone else just because you told him you weren't interested."
"I'm not!" Jess protests. "But Julia-"
"Is who Nick chose," Schmidt interrupts. "It doesn't matter what you think of her."
"It's just-" She sighs. "He seems like he's slowly going back to the way he was when he first moved in. Working those insane hours, not spending as much time with Abbi. I can't remember the last time I saw him eat a vegetable." Jess stirs her drink contemplatively. "I don't want him to be miserable again."
Schmidt looks back towards the booth. Nick smiles and twines his fingers up with Julia's before reaching over her head to rest his arm on her shoulders. Julia laughs at his antics and lets Nick pull her close. "He doesn't look miserable to me."
Jess looks over at them wistfully. There's still that complicated knot of worry all twisted up in her chest. There's just something about Julia that makes Jess uneasy, like her hatred of desserts or the way she talked about Abbi, dismissing her even though she's the most important part of Nick's life. But it's nothing more than friendly concern, really.
She turns back to the bar and takes a long drink of her cocktail. She's just worried about Nick, is all. Her feelings for him are long gone. She's not jealous. That's not what this is about. She's moved on. And although she gave up on Zen Jess a while ago, she's still trying to focus on herself. She is single and she is sufficient. No more defining herself by the guy she is or isn't dating. Being in a couple is so overrated.
"Hey," Nick says, dropping off two empty glasses on the bar. "Julia and I are going to head back to her place."
"Woah-ho," Schmidt teases, slapping Nick on the shoulder. "Guess we'll see you in the morning."
"Shut up, man." Nick shoves him back, sounding a little embarrassed.
"Hey, I'm just proud of you, champ," Schmidt continues, ignoring Nick's threatening glare. "You know, it's been a while for you. Want me to stretch you out?"
"Don't be gross." Nick's turtleface deepens. "It's no big deal, really."
"What do you mean it's no big deal?" Jess chimes in, despite the warning look Schmidt gives her. "Have you been out with anyone since Caroline?"
"No," Nick admits, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Then, yeah, it's a big deal!" she insists. "Your first time in like 15 years with someone you don't already know. That's gotta be nerve-racking. Aren't you worried about it?"
"Jess..." Cece says warily, looking over at Schmidt with a pointed look.
Nick clenches his jaw slightly. "I hadn't really thought too much about it."
Jess takes another sip of her drink. "Well, I mean-"
"Nick, you're gonna be fine," Schmidt cuts her off. "Don't worry about it. Just, you know, suck in the gut."
He glances down to his midsection. "What gut?"
"Don't listen to him," Cece adds.
Jess shrugs and gestures to his stomach. "The little pooch where you keep your extra cookies."
"Nick? You ready?" Julia interrupts, leaning into their little circle.
Nick turns towards her, a little caught off guard. Then he gives his head a shake. "Yeah," he says, pulling his wallet out and dropping a few bills onto the bar, despite Cece waving him off. "Let's go."
Jess watches them walk away, and that tangling knot in her stomach tightens.
Nick comes home the next morning looking tired, his shirt a little rumpled and hair messy. It's not surprising, but seeing him walking into the kitchen with a yawn makes the reality sink in. He's moved on. Jess thinks about Schmidt's words from last night, how he'd accused her of not letting Nick go. But it's all ridiculous. She sits at the dining room table and sips at her tea as Nick pours himself a cup of coffee.
"Hi, Nick," she says. He nods at her, barely acknowledging her greeting as he puts the coffee pot back into the machine. "So I guess your date went well. Sleepover party," she jokes, trying to ease the weird tension in the room.
He doesn't say anything back to her, just runs a hand through his hair and takes a long drink of his coffee.
"Look, about what I said last night. I'm sorry." She fiddles with the string of her tea bag. "I was just trying to be cool, and I'm sorry if I overstepped or something."
Nick glares at her. The silence in the loft is deafening.
"Can we just talk about this?" Jess asks. There's been a guilty feeling gnawing at the pit of her gut, and it won't go away until she can fix whatever she messed up between them. "Because I know you're probably upset with me but-"
"You wanna know why I'm upset with you, Jess?" Nick asks with a tense edge to his tone, the words sharp as he sets his mug down onto the island with a slight rattle and steps around the corner. "You ruined my date last night."
Jess frowns. It had looked like things were going perfectly fine. "I'm sorry?" she repeats, unsure.
"No, you're not. Because you're the one who got caught up inside my head last night. You're the reason why I couldn't have meaningless sex with a beautiful woman who, for some unknown reason, is actually attracted to me. But I couldn't, because I couldn't stop thinking about how I have no idea what I'm doing in bed anymore."
"That's not what I meant-"
"Isn't it?" Nick bites back. "Because it sure sounded like it back at the bar."
"Why does it have to be my fault?" Jess counters. She slides out of her seat and defiantly stands up, crossing her arms over her chest. "Because I'm not the one sleeping with her."
"Neither am I!" he yells defensively. "Thanks to you."
She frowns. "Maybe you don't want meaningless sex."
"I'm a man, Jessica," Nick yells. "I was made to have meaningless sex."
"Yeah, right." Jess rolls her eyes. "That's not your style, Miller."
Nick lets out an unimpressed huff. "Oh, so suddenly you're the one who knows everything about what's best for me?"
"I never said that," she retorts. "I just think that maybe you aren't ready to move on quite yet."
"Move on?" Nick says in disbelief. He runs a hand through his hair and lets out a groan of frustration. "Jess, you have all been telling me to move on from Caroline since January. Now suddenly I'm not ready anymore?"
"It's not about Caroline-" Jess counters before she has a chance to realize what she's said.
"Then it's you." Nick's eyes widen in realization.
"What? That's not what- I-" Jess fumbles. "You're twisting my words."
"Just admit it, Jess," he yells, and Jess wants to smack that smug, knowing look right off of his face.
"There's nothing to admit," she yells back. "You're delusional."
"Oh, I'm the one in denial?"
"Shut up."
"You don't have to pretend, Jess. I know the little game you're playing."
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you want me to move on from you: yes or no?"
"No!" she yells, and the admission echoes in the empty space of the loft. Nick's face lights up, a smile of genuine disbelief spreading over his face. She tries backtracking. "Yes! No. I mean, I did. But that was before Julia."
"Fine," Nick says, raising his hands in surrender. "Forget Julia."
"It's just-" Jess huffs. "I just, I didn't think I would have to see it all the time. And that she would be around the loft and hanging off your arm when we were out at the bar and-"
Nick's smile falters. "Wait a second..."
"What?"
"You're jealous."
"No!" Jess scoffs.
"Yes, you are." Nick laughs, a sarcastic little chuckle. "You're fucking jealous."
"I'm not jealous!" she insists and takes a step towards him, setting her hands on her hips and jutting her chin out defiantly.
"Yeah?" he counters, closing the gap between them so they're nearly toe-to-toe. Jess has to tip her head back to meet his eyes, and her breath gets caught up in her throat when she suddenly realizes just how close they've gotten. "Then prove it," Nick whispers.
It doesn't make any sense, but his breath is warm against her lips and his mouth is slightly parted and Jess' blood is boiling from the energy of their screaming match. She pushes up onto her toes and tentatively sets her hand on his shoulder to hold her steady as she presses her lips against his. Nick's arm wraps around her waist, pulling her into him as he kisses her back, his mouth open and pliant against hers.
The kiss is almost angry, riding on the high-strung tension of their argument. Jess' eyes flutter shut as she succumbs to the push and pull of Nick's lips as his hands roam over her. She throws one of her arms over his shoulder and Nick's hand comes up to hold her head in place as he slides his tongue into her mouth.
She's almost too distracted by the feeling of him kissing her to realize that Nick's backed them up against the kitchen table, and she lets out a gasp when he scoops her up underneath her thighs and drops her onto the flat surface. It sends one of his stacks of files tumbling off the edge of the table, the contents spilling out onto the floor.
"You're a mess!" she yells, her chest heaving from the kiss. He's pressed right up between her legs, and she can feel his dick pressing up against her, and it makes her feel dizzy with want as she pulls him closer and kisses him even deeper.
"You're so annoying with your little skirts!" Nick counters, his hands roaming high up her thighs, and she can feel the warmth of his palms through the thin fabric of her tights.
Jess fists her hands in the fabric of his shirt and yanks him into another kiss. Their teeth knock together and she pulls away to yell at him again. "Why are you so angry all the time?
"I told you, shut up," he groans and takes a half step away from her, trying to clear off some of the table. "Shut up and take off your clothes right now. And I mean it, take off your clothes."
His words send a shiver down through her, the anger and want coursing through her in a weird combination that's making her head dizzy and her panties damp. Everything about him is intoxicating, the taste of his mouth, the feel of his rough hands, the smell of booze and cologne that makes her want to bury her face in his shoulder while he fucks her right there on the kitchen table.
Nick is frantically tossing papers out of the way, and Jess rips at the buttons of her top as she yells, "You're just chaotic! Everywhere you go!"
"Stop talking!" Nick yells back, stepping back between her legs and pulling her right up to the edge of the table top so he can kiss her, hot and wet as his mouth slides up against hers. Jess throws her arms around his neck and arches into him, her legs wrapped tight around his waist.
A million miles away there's a loud ringing noise, and Nick groans against her lips.
"Turn it off," she gasps as he presses a messy trail of kisses down the slope of her neck.
"It's mine," he mumbles against her skin. He bites down on her neck and Jess' hands fly up to his hair as he sucks a bruise into her neck.
The phone rings again, loud and insistent. Nick groans and pulls away from her. He digs his phone out of his pocket and checks the number. "Shit. Shit."
"What?" Jess sits up and tries to peer over his shoulder.
"Shit," he mutters to himself, looking around at the destruction they've left in their wake. "Great. All this that I gotta clean up and I'm fucking late for work."
Jess frowns and hops off the table, her knees only slightly wobbly as she storms off to her room. "Great. Another thing you can blame on me."
"Great!" He yells, following close behind her.
"Great!" Jess spits out and turns sharp on her heel before storming into her room and slamming the door shut with a loud thud.
She leans back against the closed door. Fucking Nick Miller. She's breathing hard, and her lips are kiss swollen and she's so desperately needy that it's almost pathetic. On a whim, she throws open the door, only to realize that Nick's done the same. He stares at her for a moment, his eyes dark and chest heaving.
Jess isn't quite sure who makes the first move, but one moment they're standing in their open doorways and the next they're kissing in the middle of the hallway. Nick's arms are around her and pulling her up against him, his knees slightly bent to press the whole of his body into hers. They kiss until they're out of air, only finally breaking off apart when they absolutely have to.
"This is a bad idea!" he yells, pointing an accusatory finger at her.
"You piss me off!" she yells back.
They're still angry yelling at each other, but it's mainly just sexual frustration at this point. Neither of them want their first time to be a desperate quickie before either of them rushes off to work. The rest of their lives are still in the way, but now there's a different charge between them. The adrenaline of anger is easier to deal with temporarily, putting the physical boundaries of their bedroom doors between them, when the metaphorical ones are no longer there. Jess can feel the pulse of that waiting time between them, finally on the same page. It feels almost impossible to deny it any longer, now that everything's out in the open.
But things are complicated between them. This isn't some hot guy she met at the bar, or the cute music teacher at her new school. This is Nick. And if she's not careful, if they both aren't careful, then they're going to ruin this before it even begins. So as much as she wants to run across the hallway and throw herself back into his arms, she doesn't. But it's going to happen, that much she knows for sure. It's just a matter of time. She just hopes that she can delay the inevitable long enough to figure out her own feelings first.
