The heavy breathing of Jessica Day intensified as Nick Miller's kisses became more urgent, seeking out the soft, sensitive skin of her neck. She dug her hands into the thin material of his t-shirt as she felt the strength in her legs begin to weaken. "Are you sure," she said between kisses, "that they're going to be out all day?" He pulled back a little and nodded his head as he caught her gaze, the fire of passion in his eyes surprising her as he returned his attention to her lips. Pushing her body back into the butter leather of the sofa, she felt her head begin to swim, God, what is this man doing to me? She thought. Eagerly, her fingers sought out the rough denim of his jeans and she slipped her hands under the heavy waistband, grasping his rear, digging her fingers into its firm flesh. She felt him jump a little at her touch and it excited her; the impact of her actions on his body.
Nick couldn't keep his hands from working their way around her body, under her skirt, inside her sweater, exploring the acres of smooth, delicious skin. She was like an addiction, a drug he couldn't get enough of. He felt her body shiver at his touch and she felt like putty in his hands, his to mould and bend in ways to drive her wild.
She pushed him away, a wicked smile on her face, and lay staring up at him with hazy blue eyes. "What?" he asked breathlessly, enjoying the flush of color that had arisen on her cheeks.
"I have an idea," she whispered. Slipping out from under him, she started walking away from the living room. He watched her leave, at first a little confused, until her hands moved to the hem of her sweater and she lifted it over her head, tossing it onto the floor and continuing to walk away. Understanding her game, he scrambled to his feet and followed her; shedding his clothes as he went. Next he saw her short black skirt, beside the iron curtain, her tights she had hung on the handle of his door. Struggling out of his pants, he tugged off his socks and flung them behind him. He lifted his head just in time to see her drop her bra at the entrance to the bathroom. Smiling, he chased after her.
Inside the bathroom, he could already hear the rush of running water, as steam from the shower began to billow out from the top of the stall. As he stepped inside, he saw her hand appear in the space between the wall and the curtain, her panties dangling from one finger, before she let them fall to the floor. Quickly, he pushed his own underwear to the ground and pulled back the curtain.
She had her back to him, facing the wall. In her hands there was a sponge that was squeezing soapy suds over her shoulders and down the curves of her body. He watched the sparkling white bubbles slide over her skin, momentarily hypnotised. Looking over her shoulder, she sighed and turned back, "I had just about given up on you…" her voice trailed off.
"Come here woman," he said, grabbing her elbow and spinning her round the face him. He took the sponge from her hand and flung it to the floor, before cupping her buttocks in his hands and lifting her body up against the wall.
"Oh," she gasped, "You are full of surprises Miller."
"You ain't seen nothing yet," he replied, before covering her mouth with his own, not letting her talk again.
A whole day of the loft to themselves almost seemed too good to be true. Winston was working a twelve hour shift and Schmidt was at a work 'team building' event, an hour north of the city, which meant they had a clear eight to ten hour window of opportunity. In the few months they had had their arrangement, they had fallen into a regular pattern of sneaking around, slipping into one another's rooms late at night, car sex and even hooking up in the bathroom at Clyde's. They avoided staying the night together-the few times they had done it had led to close calls, so they had an unspoken agreement to always return to their own beds. Anyway, this was just sex-right?
Following the shower, they had dried off and talked before working their way around the various rooms of the loft, exploring each other and their newfound freedom to be as creative, loud and free as they wished.
Eventually, they somehow landed, exhausted on Nick's bed, their legs intertwined and both laying back against his mismatched pillows. They were laughing about Schmidt's rant yesterday about the fading brightness of his whites and his insistence they change detergent brands.
"Seriously Nick, why are you friends with him?" she wondered. He rolled onto his side, propping his hand up with his head.
"I ask myself the same question sometimes," he chuckled, "Seriously though, the more you get to know him, the more you see his sensitive side. Did you know he used to be hugely overweight in college?" Her eyes widened incredulously.
"No?" she replied. He nodded.
"Yep, over 300 pounds. When he lost it he gained his slightly douchey side, but inside of him there is still a fat kid trying to get out," he said softly.
"Well, I'm still amazed you've managed to stay friends for so long. I see myself as fairly easy going but he cuts it fiiinnnne," she smiled. "You know, I really don't know that much about you guys, before I moved in, I mean."
"Well, what do you want to know?" he asked. She looked around the room and shook her head.
"That's actually a much harder question than you'd think. I guess, just how you met, what you did in college. That kind of stuff. My life is like an open book, but you guys are still a mystery to me." He laughed and shuffled closer and began to tell her the stories of how he met the other two roommates.
As she watched his face move animatedly whilst he talked about his friends, a silly, whimsical smile pulled at her lips. His head bobbed and his face moved into different shapes as he described some of the crazier things they had gotten up to over the years. An unfamiliar longing began to tug at her heart as he spoke. Over the weeks they had dived in and out of each other's beds, she had felt her attachment to her grumpy, scruffy roommate increase. She'd shaken her head many times, told herself to snap out of it – this is a rebound, she needed to remind herself. But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop herself from slipping further into affection for this man. Even though she knew that wasn't what he wanted.
Although he was talking, his mind was elsewhere. He enjoyed having Jess in his room, in his domain. She looked so small amongst his bed sheets but she seemed to naturally belong there. By now, she had her favorite pillow – a pale mustard yellow one – and he knew she liked to lie on the right side of the bed when they talked.
There was a heavy side to his heart as he continued to reel off stories of his previous escapades. He knew, deep down, that this had to end and probably soon. It was a miracle that Jessica had let this go on as long as she had – even more so the guys hadn't worked it out yet. He knew, he certainly knew, that within a short period of time, Jess would be ready to move on and there would be a string of guys lining up to date her. And as her roommate, he would have front row access to that torturous show. Gritting his teeth a little, he continued his stories as he felt his mood dip somewhat.
Somehow they had eventually fallen asleep; the chatter between them slowly turning into blissful silence. Sometime later, Nick had been roused from his slumber. Groaning, he turned over and smiled. Jess was still there, her hair wild and messy, the covers pulled up to her chin, showing only a flash of her pale blue pyjamas. Yawning a little, he picked up his phone and checked the time. It was 7pm; they'd been asleep for almost two hours. He slid it back under his pillow and placed his arm over Jess and closed his eyes; just a little longer, let's enjoy this for a little while longer, he thought.
Jessica was in the midst of a wonderful dream. She was at the beach, the warm sun shone on her face and the sounds of waves crashing filled her ears. Sighing contently, she lay in his arms, happy and relaxed, as he dropped small kisses on her face and they talked about their future…
A loud bang shook Jess form her dreams. Groggily, she opened her eyes; her vision and sight still confused and unreliable. She prodded her elbow at Nick, "Hey Nick," she said in a sleepy voice, "Wake up, I think-"
She was cut off as the door to Nick's room flung open. Schmidt barged into the room, Nick's underwear hanging from his finger "Nick, I have told you about not leaving your-" he broke off as he clocked the scene in front of him. His gaze switched from Jess, to Nick and back again, a confused expression furrowing his brow. "Wait…" he began, "What? Are you two…?"
The air between the three became thick with tension as Schmidt stared at both of them and Jess and Nick glanced nervously at each other. Finally Schmidt's eyes widened in recognition of the scene before him. "No, no Nick. This is not acceptable!" Enraged, he turned and raced out of the door. Nick quickly jumped out of bed and pulled a t-shirt over his sleep pants before following him, "Schmidt, buddy, come on," he cried as he chased him into the living room.
Jess sat awkwardly in Nick's bed, her fingers playing with the material of his bedspread, unsure what to do. She felt like she should stay out of this for now, so she decided to remain where she was.
Schmidt sat on the couch, his fists balled under his crossed arms as he tapped his foot angrily on the floor. Nick rounded the corner from the hallway and stood about ten feet away from him and waited. "Schmidt, I… you've got the total wrong idea about this…"
"Wrong idea?" he raged, "Wrong idea? From what I can see, you and our resident schoolteacher have been engaging in carnal relations, behind the back of your best friend, in direct violation of the no nail oath!" Nick inched a little closer as his face rose into a grimace.
"Actually, technically, this predates the oath…"
"What?" Schmidt exclaimed, "You and Jess had been bumping nasties for two months?" his eyes widened.
"Well, if I'm truthful, it's closer to three…" Nick shoved his hands into his pockets as he waited for Schmidt to respond.
Jess strained to hear the conversation between the two men, so she slid out of bed and crept towards the door. Sliding it open a crack, she listened attentively to what was being said.
Nick had moved to sit on the opposite side of the sofa to Schmidt as he brooded over tonight's revelations. "Look, buddy, relax," he insisted.
"Relax? I knew this was going happen, knew you couldn't keep your hands off her," Jess smiled at this. "Look, I can't cope with yet another new roommate, you'd better end this and end it good. Otherwise you are going to ruin it and she'll be running off to some other oversized loft share." Schmidt leant forward and locked eyes with Nick.
"Really, you have the total wrong idea. This is nothing, nothing at all. It's just sex. I'm her rebound," he gave Schmidt a proud smile.
"You're her rebound? Really Nick, as if she couldn't do better," Schmidt replied bitterly.
"I'm serious," he insisted, "It's nothing really, doesn't mean a thing."
Behind the door Jess's heart caught in her throat as she heard the phrase, 'doesn't mean a thing.' Her heart hardened a little at this and she straightened her shoulders. Steeling herself, she berated herself for not expecting this declaration. He's a guy, it's uncomplicated sex… she thought. The other side of her mind piped up and fought back, but what about the talking, the laughing, and the holding… She shook her head as if to chase these thoughts away and headed into the hallway.
"You're telling me that you and Jess are sleeping together, and have been for several months, and it means nothing?" he asked seriously. Nick swallowed and nodded his head.
"Er, yep. That's exactly what I mean," he insisted.
"Yeah Schmidt," came Jess's voice as she entered the living room, "It's just a thing. No biggie."
Nick's head swung round to see the dishevelled, pyjama clad figure of Jessica Day clinging to the steely blue metal of the iron curtain. He tried to catch her gaze but she steadfastly avoided him, keeping her eyes locked on Schmidt.
"So you are saying, Jessica, that this means nothing to you," he said pointing at the two of them.
"Not a thing, Schmidt," she persisted, "It's just like getting a friend to scratch an itch." Schmidt's mind started to digest the information he had been given and he turned silent. Nick's mind, however, buzzed with activity: is this real? Is this how she sees us? He breathed deeply, trying to retain his composure.
"Alright," Schmidt said finally, rising to his feet, "I will give you the benefit of the doubt but I expect to see no evidence of this, this, 'thing' and God help you if this ruins the loft dynamic…"
"It won't," Jess swore, "I promise."
Schmidt looked at both of them before storming of to his room and slamming the door. Nick stood up and walked over to Jess. "Wow, he was sure angry, right?" Jess laughed a little uncomfortably.
"Yeah, he can be a little, er, dramatic." Nick shifted from foot to foot a little awkwardly as they stood facing each other.
"Hey Nick, thanks for setting him straight, you know about out arrangement and all that," she said, nodding as she spoke.
"Oh, that," he said with a hint of sadness, "It's cool. He needed to understand what this is."
"Yeah," she replied quietly, "Just friends with a few benefits, right?" They both nodded silently at each other. After a slight pause, they turned to the corridor that separated their rooms. Stopping, they faced each other, the only sound their soft, hesitant breaths; they each kept a careful and considered distance from the other, no chance of bodies touching.
"Hey Nick, goodnight," she whispered.
"Goodnight Jess," he echoed turning around and closing his door behind him.
Wrapping herself in her cool, cotton comforter Jessica felt a chill of disappointment flood her veins. This evening he had confirmed her fears; he only saw this as a bit of fun. Silly girl, she told herself, as if it was anything more. She had known when she entered this thing that it could never be anything more but tonight, that was no balm to the little ache that hung in her heart.
He clutched her favorite pillow to his chest and enjoyed how it smelled of her. Burrowing his head under his blankets he felt a fog of sadness descend over his body. He'd always known that this thing with Jess was temporary, always known for her it was a way of moving on, a physical thing. But that didn't mean her words hadn't stung. To hear her say it meant nothing was hard. He sighed and pushed his face further into the pillow, imagining it was her before drifting into a fitful sleep.
Is it all over for the arrangement...? Don't forget to tell me what you think!