ELECTRIC FEEL ↝ Schmidt

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

THE MORNING THAT followed the evening on which Schmidt and Elise finally went on a date, had a rather familiar tone and setting to it. It began with Schmidt waking up to the sounds coming from the kitchen, only to find a sleeping Elise next to him, but instead of being shocked and surprised by the warmth of her body against his bare chest, Schmidt inched a tad closer and left a loving kiss on her cheek. For a while, he lingered and just enjoyed the happiness he felt around her, and the progress that was visible when you compared the present to the day they first met.

As soon as he found the strength within him to leave the bed and Elise, Schmidt got up and put on his kimono to cover his otherwise bare body, reminding him of the activities of the previous night, which caused the grin on his face. Glancing swiftly at Elise, and then at his laptop, Schmidt came up with a plan that was somewhat lame to be honest, but at the same time too brilliant to pass — after all, he was, well, he was Schmidt and therefore unable to ignore the opportunity to gloat because of his undeniable success with Elise. Though to him, she wasn't just another woman to fool around with, but something much more special, and he wanted her to see that.

Grabbing his laptop, Schmidt sneaked over to Elise's side of the bed and carefully shook the woman to wake her up in a gentle, peaceful manner. What he was planning on doing was rather abrupt and no doubt an unpleasant way to wake up, so Schmidt decided it would be the best to softly shake Elise awake and flash a fond smile at her as her eyes slowly opened. A quiet chuckle slipped from between Schmidt's lips before he pressed them against her forehead, making her smile whilst she slowly woke up from what he believed was a wonderful dream, concluding from the happy expression on her face.

"Morning, you beautiful angel. I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. Hope you had a good rest", he smirked mischievously, and the apology in the middle of the sentence alerted Elise but she barely had time to sit up when the man had already leaped outside the room and used his laptop to play Queen's Don't Stop Me Now. Elise broke into laughter, and quickly climbed up from the bed and after pulling on her overalls from last night, she ran to the doorway from where she smiled at Schmidt.

As the happy song blasted throughout the loft and Jess, Nick and Winston were staring at Schmidt with judgment evident in their eyes, Schmidt himself was twirling around in his kimono and shaking his hands in the air along the music. Somehow he managed to throw his legs in the air like a can can dancer, surprising not only Elise but the rest of his roommates and as they all laughed fondly at their friend, Schmidt grinned widely and partied for a reason that still remained unknown to everyone except Elise.

"Jess, I know you're gonna be enraged, but I say this with pride", Schmidt spoke formally and walked over to the Douchebag Jar, pulling out money and stuffing it in. "Elise and I had sex. And it was incredible", Schmidt announced then, and as Elise covered her face with her palms and turned red, Jess did just as he had suspected and ran over to the man to hit him with her tiny fists. Elise walked out of the bedroom and smiled shyly as she approached Nick and Winston, but instead of judging her, the latter offered her a cup of tea and she gladly took it. As she sipped on the orange-flavored hot tea and Winston and Nick had their morning coffee, Jess and Schmidt argued in the living room.

Clearing her throat, Elise glanced at her friends and feared what their answer might be, but nonetheless, she released the question that was slowly eating her from within. "Does she disapprove? Do you guys disapprove?", Elise questioned quietly, not sure what she'd do if their reaction would be negative, but much to her relief and delight, both of the men in her company shook their heads.

"Nah, don't worry. It's just— The way he literally announced it was by far one of his greatest douchebag moments. And there's a lot of douchebag moments, Ellie. He has an Irish walking cape and driving moccasins", Nick explained, and Elise drowned a chuckle with a gulp of her morning tea. Sometimes she struggled to understand why she had fallen in love with such a huge dork, but then she reminded herself that he was rather perfect, even with his flaws, and forgot all about the doubt in her heart. Fondly smiling, she looked at Schmidt, who was still talking to Jess but the conversation had lost its hostile shade and was now leaning more towards supportive.