All For You [New Girl]

17. Finale

A/N: this is the last update of All For You! it starts off right after the last chapter. i hope y'all enjoyed the story and stay safe!! <3 thank you for all your comments they make me so happy

"Jesus Christ!" Claire yelled and threw her phone at him in feeble reactionary self-defense. It caught him in the chest, bounced off harmlessly, and landed somewhere behind him. He frowned at her.

"What the hell, dude?" she said, "What are you doing here?"

"I work here."

"You're working now?"

"Well, not exactly. Were you crying?" She clutched her jacket tightly around her.

"Maybe. I'm going to go."

"Claire, stay. What happened?" She looked at him, deciding whether telling him or not telling him would be worse. He'd find out eventually anyway. Part of her was surprised he didn't know already. She was sure everyone else in 4D already knew.

"Colin was cheating on me." She avoided his eyes for a moment, but when she finally landed on his face it was so genuine she almost started crying again.

"Claire..."

"Yeah, turns out it was someone in the apartment complex, actually. I ran into her one time leaving your... Anyway, I broke up with him, obviously." Nick paused.

"Just say it," Claire said, "You told me s-"

"I'm going to kill him." His face was firm. She considered him for a moment.

"No, don't," she sighed finally, "It'll just be worse. I only came here because I ran out of alcohol and I need a drink. Is this yours?" She motioned to the glass in front of him.

"Yes, but-" Too late. She took a big swig and immediately an expression of intense confusion washed over her face.

"What is that?" she asked, rearing from the rush.

"You like it?"

"No, it's horrible." She couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Yeah, it really is," he said and smiled back.

~~~~~

Nick and Claire's friendship wasn't repaired after that night. Things were still awkward between them. Nick was beginning to wonder if this was the end. Maybe he and Claire would just fall out like this. Not with an official end but with a lack of continuation. That was his nightmare. Every time Nick thought about reaching out he remembered how frustrated she had looked with him when they had shouted at each other on Thanksgiving. Maybe she really didn't want to see him. Maybe she had realized she didn't want to be around him. A few weeks after Claire came to the bar in disarray Winston said he wanted to throw a party. 

"A Christmas party?"

"Yeah. It'll be fun. That way we can get out of going to other people's parties. And we can celebrate the great American tradition of overdrinking. Claire can make a Christmas themed dessert."

"Claire's coming?"

"Well, I haven't invited her yet, but yeah."

"I'm not going."

"What?"

"You should have your party. But I'm not going. Things are weird between me and Claire. She doesn't like me."

Winston looked at him. Then he smacked Nick in the side of the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Nick, you are the smartest idiot I've ever met. Of course, she likes about you. Man, do you ever pay attention?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I pay attention!"

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do." Winston gave him a look.

"What's my middle name?"

"Uh... Angela?" Winston made the face of a man trying very hard to maintain composure in the face of total idiocy.

"Just think about everything she's done since she moved in. She makes you eat. She brings you stuff when you need it. She got your ceiling fixed."

"She does stuff for people. She's just like that."

"But she did that for you,"—Winston let his hands move left to right on the last two words—"For you."

"But-"

"Shush. For you. All for you."

"But how do I-"

"Hey, do you think Schmidt will notice if I take his almond butter? He has like a hundred single-serving packets but I kinda think he keeps count." That was Claire. Claire was back. Her question was directed at Winston, the only person whose presence she had anticipated. She saw Nick after the words left her lips and her eyes flashed almost imperceptibly.

"Oh, I didn't know you were- I'm gonna go," she said.

"No, wait. Claire-"

"I was just about to leave," Winston announced. He walked out the door with a half-wave behind him.

"Where's he going?" Claire asked.

"I don't know."

"He didn't grab his keys. Does he know it's raining?" Her eyes followed Winston out.

"I don't know."

"He doesn't even have a jacket."

"Claire." She looked up at him.

"Don't yell at me, okay," she said, "I can't deal with you yelling at me right now. I just quit my job and my boss yelled me for like half an hour and-"

"I wasn't going to yell at you. You quit your job? That's great."

"You have that look in your eyes like you want to say something."

"I'm just proud of you." She laughed.

"Look, I'm sorry okay? Can we not fight anymore? I hate it when we're not talking." She stepped closer to him.

"Okay."

"Okay." There was a pause.

"What were you going to say?" she asked. Her fingers tugged at the hem of her shirt, mildly distracted.

"I'm sorry about Colin."

"Thanks. It's okay, though, I guess. Well, not okay. But I was going to break up with him anyway."

"Really?" He took a step toward her.

"Yeah. He was just... I don't know. There was no spark. I want a spark." They were close now.

"Yeah?" he said, all the words in his mind sublimating into vapor.

"Yeah." His eyes slid from her collarbone up to her eyes. A single tendril of hair was hanging in her face. She tucked it behind her ear.

"Hey, Nick?" They were so close. So close. If he just leaned forward a few inches they'd be touching.

"Yeah?"

"You know what I love?"

"What?"

"Constantinople."

He kissed her. Like a quick cut in a movie, one second they were standing there, the next
his hands were on her, one on her lower back and another just behind her shoulder. Her arms wrapped around his neck. This is it, he thought. This is where I want to be forever.