Push- an even play, no winner or loser

Nick sat nervously at the bar in one of the fancier restaurants in their hotel. Taking another drink from his glass of whiskey, he flipped his phone over in his hand several times before tapping the screen.

buy my favorite girl a drink?

Placing the phone down on the bar, he drummed his fingers impatiently hoping for a response. He was so anxious to talk to Jess about everything that had happened and make things right between them. He hated fighting with her, but even more than that, his heart sank at the idea that she could ever think he didn't see himself spending the rest of his life with her. He had to fix this, but how? He jumped when the phone vibrated against the smooth surface.

where are you?

Sighing in relief he cracked a smile, responding as quickly as he could. Petrossian Bar. by the casino

give me 10 min :-)

Smiling widely, Nick put down the phone, reaching for his glass once again. He closed his eyes and let the rest of the liquor glide smoothly down his throat, doing his best to calm his nerves. After setting it back down on the bar, he spun the glass slowly, sliding it from one hand to the other for several minutes. The bar tender walked by and nodded towards him.

"Can I get you another?"

Nick held up his hand, shaking his head. "Just a glass of Rose please." The bar tender nodded, turning the other direction to grab a glass. Waiting for Jess' wine, Nick checked his phone again. She would be there any minute. Swiping his hand across his forehead, he wiped the bead of sweat that had begun to form there.

Just as the bar tender placed the glass of wine in front of him, he saw Jess walk through the entrance, seemingly distracted in her own thoughts as she glanced around. Swallowing hard, he couldn't take his eyes off of her as he muttered a barely audible 'thank you', glancing down for only a second to haphazardly scrawl his signature on the room charge receipt. His breath caught in his throat and his feet seemed to be permanently fixed to the floor.

Jess hadn't notice him staring and she was slowly making her way towards the railing at the casino edge. She was wearing a tight fitting red satin dress, reaching just to the top of her shoes, with one strap across her right shoulder. He had never seen her wear something so stunning before, and he couldn't help but notice several men in the bar staring at his beautiful girlfriend. A smile came across his face watching her nervously bite her lip and brush a dark curl out of her eye that had somehow escaped the clip that she had swept her hair into.

Turning to grab her drink, he carefully made his way towards her. Just before reaching her, she glanced up and locked eyes with him, smiling hesitantly. As Nick stepped beside her, he held out the wine and her smiled widened.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

She took a long and slow sip, watching him silently lean over to place his forearms on the railing. He turned to give her a sideways smile, before glancing back down at his hands.

Jess bent over to gently place her glass on the small table, sliding the strap to her clutch over her wrist. Quietly, she gripped the railing beside Nick, pressing her shoulder to his as they looked out into the brightness of the casino just in front of them. Nick took a deep breath and placed a hand over hers and held on tightly. They stood in silence, just taking in the moment and trying to find the right words to say to each other. Sinking into him, Jess finally laid her cheek against his shoulder as he instinctively kissed the top of her head.

Buried in her hair, he whispered softly. "I'm sorry, Jess."

He felt her relax against him, standing still together until he pulled back to see tears fill her eyes. "Nick, you don't have to..."

"NO. I'm sorry." Tentatively he reached for her smooth, bare shoulders, turning her towards him. "I swear to you that I didn't mean for it to come out that way." His eyes pleaded with her, meeting her gaze. "Not at all."

He saw relief fill her eyes as tears started to fall down her cheeks. "And I didn't mean..."

He put a hand on either side of her face as her eyes looked down, unable to meet his gaze. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. When he pulled back, he rubbed circles into her wet cheeks, coaxing her eyes upward. "Jessica, I love you and I do see a future with you. I don't want to give up on this, and if you just..."

"Nick, please..." She slowly shook her head and his heart sank, feeling her hands pressing heavily on his chest. What if she really did want to end this? She took a deep breath and smiled, her hands sliding up and around his neck. His fingers slowly caressed the soft skin of her shoulders and settled on her waist. "I just want to forget today ever happened. I love you and if we don't talk about the future right now, I'm okay with that. I just want us to be together. This is enough."

"But what if I..."

Her eyes twinkled as she gently tugged at his hair. "Shut up and kiss me Miller."

Shaking his head with a small laugh, he leaned in to kiss her and felt her begin to smile against his lips. Giggling, her eyes fluttered as he left a moist trail of kisses down the side of her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair and he turned to whisper in her ear, his voice sighing with relief. "You have no idea how much I love being with you."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly to his chest, rubbing her back gently. A few moments later, he stepped away and held her at arms length. "This dress is incredible." His eyes sparkled with pride, grinning widely.

She smiled shyly and reached out to smooth the arms of his jacket. "And I'll have to thank Schmidt for forcing this tux on you." She winked and started laughing.

"At least we'll still look good if the wedding doesn't happen, right?"

Jess slapped his chest. "NICK!" They both laughed and she just shook her head. "Those two might be a little crazy, but I think they'll be fine."

They stared at each other for a moment, Nick looking her up and down once more, his eyes finally settling on hers. "You look really beautiful." They both smiled and he took a deep breath, grasping her hands firmly in his and running his thumbs across the soft skin of her knuckles. "I want you to know, that this...you and me? This has been the best year of my life."

She stepped forward and kissed him again softly. "Me too, Nick."

Schmidt stepped forward, the door latching closed behind him. "I think we need to talk."

Cece tightened the robe that she had thrown on to cover her dress and just nodded. Sinking onto the couch, her eyes followed him as he walked into the room and sat in the chair in front of her. Her eyes dropped to her hands, nervously clasped in her lap, and back up to his face. "Schmidt, why did you want to elope?"

He shook his head, stunned by the bluntness of her question. "What do you mean?"

"I need to know why." She just raised her eyebrows expectantly.

Clenching his teeth, he mumbled. "Jess..."

"NO." Cece shook her head, her voice louder. "It wasn't Jess. You barely said anything before they got in their fight..." He nodded, keenly aware of how much Cece knew about what had happened and what had been said. She wasn't asking him about any of this because of one conversation with Nick or Jess, this went much deeper. "Tell me why you wanted to elope."

He avoided her gaze and shrugged. "You said you didn't want a big wedding."

"I don't." She sighed softly. "But why today? This weekend?"

Finally working up the courage to look her in the eye, he shook his head sadly. "You don't want to do this, do you?"

Sliding off the edge of the couch, Cece knelt in front of him and put her hands over his. "Yes, Schmidt. Yes, I do. You know why?" She paused and he shook his head, silently. "Because it's been you I've wanted to be with for a long time." She took a deep breath, her eyes filling with tears. "We took way too long to figure this out, but...I guess that's the way we do things, right? We screw things up on purpose because if we admit our feelings then they're real."

There was a brief moment when their eyes locked in understanding, before they both started to smile, a small laugh escaping Cece's lips.

Schmidt tugged on her hands gently, pulling her off her knees and onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he swallowed hard, his face serious. "I want to marry you Cece. But that big guy that's still inside here?" He grabbed her hand and held it to his chest, his face solemn. "He can't figure out why you'd want to marry him."

"Because I love you Schmidt." Her decisive nod was followed by firm words. "I didn't call off my wedding with Shivrang because I was scared of being married, it's because he wasn't you."

A look of relief crossed his face, an audible sigh escaping his lips. "You mean that?"

Cece pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes. "Schmidt, were you glad that I didn't want a big wedding because you really wanted to elope, or was it because you thought I wouldn't have time to call it off?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Nick and his damn sweaty back..."

She shook her head. "Nick didn't say a word to me, but...I take it that's a yes."

"Maybe. I don't know." He shrugged and shook his head. "Every time I pushed you away, I just thought it was easier than waiting for you to do it later. I just want what's best for you."

"I want to stop pushing. I want..." She looked him straight in the eye, holding tightly to his hand. "I want it to be okay to be happy with you."

A smiled slowly spread across his face and he leaned his head back, placing his hands on her cheeks. "Cece, ... will you marry a fat kid who just wants someone to finally love him for who he is?"

She threw back her head a little and laughed, before leaning her forehead to his. "If you'll marry a really insecure woman who hides behind being a model, just because she's too afraid of getting hurt."

Pulling her face to his, he kissed her softly. "Let's do this."