A/N: Sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long with this one. I couldn't figure out the best words to end this with until I pushed myself to. So, without stalling any longer, here's the last installment of "Your Room or Mine?"
V. "We Will Walk Away from Empty Gold"
Glimpses of intimate moments ran rampant through Nikki's head.
Biting. Laughing. Kissing. Grinning. Gasping. Moaning. Clutching. Groaning. Loving.
When the morning light peeked into the room, she woke up with a smile gracing her face as she looked at Jonesy—or, rather, his back. Either way, she woke up next to him, feeling refreshed and engaged.
Looking at him reminded her of everything that happened last night, not just the scattered moments that lived in her head. Looking at him made her remember the walk through the city, the proposal beside the bathtub, the kissing and splash-fighting that ensued in said bathtub, the heated moments they shared beneath the sheets, and the warm pillow talk that occurred afterward.
"Remember when we were just two kids fighting on the playground on the first day of school?" she had asked him, running her fingers through his hair.
"Yep." He sighed with a nostalgic smile on his face. "Those were the days, babe."
She snorted. "What were we even fighting about? I can't remember."
"I stole Wyatt's brownie from his lunch and made fun of your glasses."
"Oh yeah, then I punched the shit out of you." She laughed. "Good times."
"You've always been the same, babe—always tough, always kicking ass. In a good way, of course."
"And you've always been a jerkass, but I guess you've changed for the better." She smirked. "Sixteen years later and I don't feel like kicking your ass as much as I used to."
"It's been that long? Wow."
"Yeah. A lot can happen between five and twenty-one."
Jonesy planted a kiss between her neck and shoulder before he said, "After all these years, I can't believe I'm gonna marry you, Nik." Even when he repeated it over and over again, it all felt surreal. It was the best dream he had ever known. "I'm gonna marry you."
As he gave her another kiss, she smiled. "I can't believe it either. When I was younger, I never pictured you as the guy I'd end up with. I never pictured who I'd end up with at all, honestly, but you were the last guy I expected to fall in love with." Before he could protest, she clarified, "But now you're the only guy I want to be with."
He gazed at her with adoration. "I've always wanted you, babe. Ever since I was fourteen."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "How many times have I heard that line from you?"
"A lot, but I mean it every time."
And she could safely look into his golden brown eyes and know he was telling the truth. Though he had a tendency of lying, especially in his adolescent years, his word was true. She pulled him into a long-lasting kiss and embrace, showing what words could not say.
"I love you so much," she whispered to him.
"I love you too, Nikki," he returned, his voice just as gentle. "Even more than I love myself, and you know how much I love me."
"I know, Jonesy. I know." She smirked and rolled her eyes once more. He was, in her words, a "cocky son of a bitch," but he was the cocky son of a bitch she wanted to spend her life with.
Minutes later, before they fell asleep, he reached out and caressed her cheek, saying, "You're my everything, babe. You make me better."
She gazed into his eyes. If her mind hadn't told her to calm down, her heart would have beat out her chest. "If anything, I'm the one who should be saying that to you."
"Well, how about this: We make each other better."
"That sounds about right." Her smile grew bittersweet. "Thanks for helping me, you know, when things got rough with my parents. After all the hell I went through alongside them, I never really thought love could work out for me. It didn't exactly work for them." Her eyes grew gleamy. "But then you showed me otherwise."
His voice packed with concern, he asked, "You about to cry, Nik?"
"No," she lied. "I've just got student loans in my eyes, that's all."
After a chuckle, he said, "It's okay if you do. I'm here for you."
Finding comfort in his embrace, she kissed him gently. "Thank you, Jonesy."
"Anytime."
Everything about last night was euphoric, vulnerable, and—dare she thought—magical, leaving her with a night she would never forget.
Best night of my life, she told herself. Hopefully the only night to top yesterday's would be their wedding night, she thought, at least before she found herself getting too far ahead of the present.
Presently, she found the urge to run to the bathroom and brush her teeth before Jonesy woke up, combating morning breath in case they decided to "celebrate" their engagement some more.
Once she ensured she was fresh and ready for whatever, she found Jonesy awake in their hotel bed, inciting her to run and tackle him.
"Someone's excited to see me," he said with a laugh.
She grinned. "That someone has a name."
"If I remember correctly, it's fiancée."
Her gaze flickering between his brown eyes and tender lips, she said, "Goddamn right."
As he kissed her, he pulled her into an embrace, his hands gliding up and down her small frame, doing everything from playing with her hair to toying with the hem of her t-shirt (which really was his shirt, but she wore it better).
His kisses were hot and burning, reminding her of last night's heat.
She moaned against his lips.
Moments before anything more serious could occur, Jonesy broke from her kiss and said, "Hold up, babe. Something's missing."
She rolled off him and climbed back onto the bed as he got up, rummaging through his suitcase. She looked at him with both curious and impatient eyes, wondering what was worth stopping such a euphoric make-out session.
"Got it!" he exclaimed to himself.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You'll see," he said, walking towards the bed with his hands behind his back. Once he hopped back in bed, he presented his surprise to her. "So, do you like it?"
Gazing at the ring inside the tiny black box before her, she nodded. "Jonesy, I love it."
As he slid the ring onto her finger, she grinned. She disregarded the size of the diamond, the color of the band, and all other superficial features. All that mattered was that Jonesy put his heart into their future. They were going to have a future.
They could travel the world together, visiting the world's greatest landmarks, eating the best global cuisines, studying each location's rich history, going on the most memorable dates abroad—even having the best international sex. They could share the same home instead of being confined to dorm-room visits on the weekend and hotel-room sharing during trips like this. They could take on the world together. They could do all these things right now, but something about the magic of being married to him tickled her.
Marriage never truly crossed her mind as a positive thing until last night. She didn't regard it as something for her to have, but now, she wanted it.
It would be a new phase in her life, a chance to make new memories. She'd been bickering with Jonesy since she was a young girl; now she wanted to do it all throughout her adult years. Admittedly, she wanted to spend a life going at it with him than a life of loneliness. It was only fitting.
Jonesy sighed. "I'm so glad to hear that. I didn't know if you'd like it or not."
She raised an eyebrow. "Just how long have you been planning this?"
He sheepishly grinned. "For a while now. To be honest, I got the ring a couple months ago, but I only got the guts to propose this week. I wanted to do something memorable and New York was my chance."
"Well, it's a good thing I said yes, isn't it?" she asked with a smirk.
"It's a great thing you said yes, babe."
After he kissed her lips, she pulled him closer and whispered, "You know what I wanna do before packing and going downstairs for breakfast?"
"I have an idea," he replied, slipping a hand up her T-shirt. "Wanna break the bed one last time?"
While moaning at his touch—ready to feel relive the heat of the night—she said, "I do."
Jen woke up to loving arms being wrapped around her. She sighed at Jude's ability to cuddle; he was gifted at it. She never wanted to leave his embrace, but, sadly, they would have to get up and check out soon. However, the thought of spending endless nights in his arms in Toronto kept her happy.
Eventually, she mustered the energy to leave the bed.
"Where ya going, babe?" he asked, still groggy from a deep sleep.
The butterflies would never stop when he called her that. Babe—she could get used to it. "As much as I want to stay in bed with you, I've got to take a shower and get ready to leave. We have to check out in a couple hours."
He frowned. "Aw, I don't want to leave. New York was pretty fun."
She sympathized with him. Though yesterday began with heartbreak and a hard decision, last night found her heart being stitched together again. Once they agreed to dive into a relationship together, she found herself having the best night of her life just by doing the most ordinary things. Even though she'd stayed within the confines of her room last night, she'd explored another universe with Jude. Even when they left, she would always be thinking of room 493. Luckily for Jude, she thought of a parting gift great enough to separate him from New York.
"Would taking a shower with me make you feel better?" she asked, standing by the bathroom door and looking at him.
Suddenly, he was a believer in running water.
Jude chuckled as he stepped into the elevator with his luggage in tow. "That shower was really fun. We should make out in there more often."
She replied, "There's a lot of things we should do together more often." (Things like their cuddling. She would never let that go.)
"That's true." He placed a palm on his chin, brainstorming an idea. "I'm not sure if you'd find it romantic or anything, but do you wanna go to the skate park with me sometime?"
"Jude, I'd love to," she said. "Maybe we can go on Tuesday. I get off work at 7."
"Sweeeet." He planted a kiss on her cheek before the elevator doors opened.
Upon exiting, they made their way to the hotel's cafe, where they had breakfast on the second day of their trip.
They found the rest of the gang at a table near the windows which allowed a scenic view of the New York streets.
Caitlin's face went from surprised to pure bliss in a matter of seconds. "Jen!"
Jen found herself ambushed by a hug before she could even sit down. "I'm glad to see you too, Caitlin," she said, her words strained. Caitlin was the strongest size-zero alive.
Once she let go and Jen caught her breath, Caitlin said, "Sorry about that. I just thought you'd left last night."
"Yeah, you told us you'd be gone before us," Nikki added, her eyebrow cocked.
As Jen took her seat beside Jude, she blushed and said, "Someone I love changed my mind."
Jude, with a goofy grin on her face, said, "That's me."
Wyatt blinked once. "How come no one told me Jen was going to leave?" he asked, puzzled.
"Well, only Caitlin and I knew at first," Nikki said before admitting, "then I slipped and told Jonesy when we were packing. Sorry, Wyatt."
"It's all good. What matters is that Jen stayed… and you and Jude are together now?"
Jude nodded. "Yep. We're not just friends and we're not just friends with benefits. We're in an actual relationship now."
"Yay!" Caitlin applauded, while Jonesy said, "Congrats, bro. It's about time."
Jen smiled as Jude threw his arm around her.
"Since I missed the Jen-almost-leaving-thing, is there any other news I should know of?" Wyatt asked.
Nikki played coy as Jonesy exclaimed, "Well…"
Their friends leaned in with anticipation.
"Nikki and I are getting married." He smiled at her before turning his attention to the rest of the table. "We haven't set a date yet, but it'll probably happen sometime this year."
Their friends reveled in the good news, congratulating them on this milestone.
Caitlin found herself swept away in a fantasy. "This is gonna be great. I see a lavish wedding dress and really cute baby pink bridesmaid dresses and Britney Spears performing and—wait, that's my dream wedding." She smiled sheepishly. "Never mind. You guys are probably doing something completely different."
Nikki snorted. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Blondie. And you're right—I think we'll end up doing something simple. Hell, we might just get married in a courthouse. A reception with our family and friends doesn't sound half-bad, though."
"Hmm, I'm loving that idea, babe," Jonesy said. "Start lowkey and end highkey."
She smirked. "What he said."
"I can help plan the wedding party!" Jen offered before sending a playful smile in Jude's direction. "Especially because someone knows I like to be in control of everything."
Jude chuckled before joking with his friends. "It works out pretty well when she's on top."
Jonesy was the first to convulse with laughter. "Nice!"
Jen's cheeks flushed tomato-red. "TMI, Jude."
"Sorry, babe," he said before making it up to her with a kiss on her lips.
Caitlin grinned. "Aww, how cute."
After the moment subsided, Jen said, "Hey, you know what I just realized?"
The gang looked at her with curiosity.
She smiled widely. "Nikki, once you get married, we'll officially be sisters."
"Well, isn't that something?" Nikki laughed. "We'll really be a family now."
"I know!" Jen squealed. "I can't believe how things are turning out."
Jonesy threw his arm over Nikki's shoulders before saying, "This moment deserves a toast, don't you think?"
"It does," Wyatt agreed. He raised his glass of orange juice. "To family."
Caitlin raised hers. "And friends."
Jen did the same with her empty glass as she gazed at Jude. "And love."
Nikki followed suit, grinning at Jonesy. "And new beginnings."
Jonesy smirked. "And this good-ass breakfast, too."
While the gang burst out in laughter, Nikki playfully elbowed him. "Nice one."
Despite the joking and playing, the gang had a bright future ahead of them. They changed how they perceived each other just by occupying space in each other's hotel rooms (and each other's broken hearts). But beyond these rooms and beyond New York, they would find themselves back in Toronto, where they truly belonged—where they could see each other shine like gold.