All For You [New Girl]

8. Safe Word

As soon as they were locked behind the curtain, Claire sat down. Her head was echoing the sound it made when it hit the ground.

"What do you think they're going to make us do?" she asked.

"Drink, probably." He seemed awkward standing, so he sunk down beside her.

"I hope not. If I drink any more I'll be officially drunk. And if I'm officially drunk now I'll be officially hungover over tomorrow."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why'd you call Winston? To pick you up."

"I don't know. I figured Jess wouldn't leave her own dinner party. Plus, I'm afraid of being in Schmidt's car because if I break anything it will take me the rest of my life to pay him back."—Nick nodded thoughtfully—"You mean why didn't I call Colin?"

He didn't, actually, but she was bordering on rambling so he couldn't get a word in before she responded to her own question. She was talking down the hall as if performing to an audience hiding in the bathroom.

"I'm trying to be cool and casual. And... not needy. He probably would've come, though. I think he would. He's a good guy. I like hanging out with him, like during the day, but I never know if he likes me as much. What do you think?"

"Don't ask me. Caroline ripped my heart out and stepped on it with her high heels."

"That's why I'm asking you. I don't really want to be heartbroken and all that."

"You could always ask him."

"Yeah, but that's not cool and casual." She grinned, tongue in cheek.

"If you really like him, maybe you don't want cool and casual."

She turned to him and bit her lip unconsciously.

"I hate it when you're right, Miller."

"Me too," he muttered.

"But I shouldn't get into a serious relationship right now, should I? I just moved here. I don't have any clothes. I barely have a job." She pushed her hair back away from her face. The light was weird behind the Iron Curtain at this time of night. It made everything look softer, as it was basking in a heavenly light. Nick thought Claire wouldn't look out of place in a Renaissance painting, one of those old ones with the fat baby angels that they always had in stuffy museums. Maybe he should buy one, he thought. How much could they cost? There are like a thousand of them. He was sure Schmidt would know how much they cost. He was sure Cece could get him one off the black market for a fraction of the cost.

"Maybe I need a safe word," Claire said. Caught off guard, Nick made a face.

"A safe word?"

"Yeah, like for when I start to actually have feelings. So I can pull back and feel nothing ever again." She was only half-joking. Heartbreak was no walk in the park. At least, not to her. The last time she had fallen in love she had walked away with half of her belongings and a metastasizing pit where her heart should have been. She'd cried for weeks. Then decided to start down a new path. And where better to do that than Los Angeles?

"Solid plan."

"So what is it?"

"What is what?"

"My safe word."

"Why do I have to come up with it?"

"So that when I say it you can distract me before I do something embarrassing in the name of love."

"You love this guy?"

"What? No! I'm just saying, just in case."

"Pineapple."

"Pineapple? That's a terrible safe word."

"Pineapple is a perfectly acceptable safe word."

"It's boring."

"Okay," he relented, "What about 'uncle?'"

"Too common."

"Gesundheit."

"Too German."

"Um..."

"Magenta."

"I thought I was supposed to pick the word!"

"You are, but it seemed like fun and I wanted to try."

"We can't use 'Magenta.' Winston will get into a whole thing because he can't tell the difference between magenta and yellow."

"He can't tell the difference between magenta and yellow? They're completely different colors," Claire said earnestly, "He should get his eyes checked."

"He's fine." She looked right at him and he caught himself wondering how often people actually looked each other in the eyes.

"Constantinople," he proposed.

"How am I going to work 'Constantinople' into a normal conversation?"

"You can't work 'Constantinople' into a normal conversation?"

"No, I can't work 'Constantinople' into a normal conversation."

"It's easy," he said, "Just do this. Hey, you know what I love?"

"What?"

"Constantinople." She laughed.

"You know you can call me to pick you up, right?" he said.

"I thought you were still at work."

"I was. But still. Is your head okay?"

"Nothing more beer can't fix. If we ever get out of here."

"They probably forgot about us. Hey guys!"—he banged on the wall—"Let us out already!"

With a great lurch, the curtain slid back.

"Your punishment," Jess said, "is the time-honored tradition of the Filibuster. One of you must talk without pause for four minutes about a topic of our choosing." She was wearing Schmidt's tie around her head. Winston and Cece had switched shirts. He turned to Claire, who was already looking at him. They smiled at the same time.

"Alright, let's go," Nick said. He grabbed a beer and cracked his neck.

"Four minutes on the clock. Your topic is..."

"Taylor Swift's latest album," Winston jumped in. Jess nodded her approval.

"Taylor Swift's latest album. Starting in three, two"—Nick snapped the can open—"one!"