My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window, and I can't see at all
And even if I could it would all be gray, but your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it's not so bad, it's not so bad

It was going to be the worst day of her life. Or at least, that was how Jenny felt when she awoke with a splitting headache and very fuzzy recollection of the night before. She had that distinct hangover-induced inclination to lie in bed all day and do nothing but sleep, not to mention that her tiny apartment was so cold that she immediately regretted rising. Jenny stumbled and almost knocked over her Yamaha keyboard in the corner as she went to wipe at the window with her sleeve. The glass had clouded over from the morning rain, and outside she could see nothing but fog and the mere hint of a street. A gray, drizzling January day in San Francisco--what else was new?

Moving from her closet-sized bedroom to the room that acted as kitchenette, dining room, living room, and front door all-in-one, Jenny went to the kitchen half of the room and put a kettle on the stove for tea. She popped two tablets of ibuprofen for her headache while waiting for the water to come to a boil and noticed the stack of mail that her Aunt had dropped through the slot in her front door. Bills, she guessed. When the kettle whistled, Jenny poured herself a mug and shuffled through the mail as she waited for her tea to cool, searching for any envelope that did not involve debt. One in particular caught her eye as it looked suspiciously like a check.

Jennifer Chong
14XX 11th Ave
San Francisco, CA 94122

She ripped open the envelope and with a sigh pulled out a fake check that was actually spam mail from Publishers Clearing House. Jenny tossed it aside. It didn't look like she was going to be able to move out any time soon from this cramped apartment, which was actually a converted two-car garage on the first floor of her Aunt's home, her aunt and uncle living on the two floors above. At least the rent was cheap. She could focus on paying off her student loans with the modest salary from the non-profit organization that she worked for called Heal The Bay. They endeavored to restore wetlands around the San Francisco Bay Area, to keep beaches clean and oceans healthy, and to provide a model for other coastal communities around the world. Their organization had gotten even more attention after attracting the support of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, who regularly joined them for beach cleanups and charity events. Still, as spiritually and personally rewarding as she found her work, unless Jenny got a promotion and a raise and a fat Christmas bonus, she didn't think she could afford to move out from her converted garage apartment any time soon.

With a heavy sigh, Jenny started heading back to her bedroom, wondering why she had gotten out of bed at all. Better to give in to the urge to lie in her small but cozy bed all day and do nothing, than to depress herself with bills and the like. And then suddenly Jenny realized: Today was Monday, and she had to go to work.

She yelped aloud and jumped in the shower, trying to hurry and get ready, but her body refused to cooperate in its hungover condition. Her limbs felt heavy and sluggish, her stomach was churning like she'd gone through a loop-the-loop. Jenny regretted going out and getting drunk the night before; she knew it wasn't the smartest idea to party on a Sunday night. And yet she wouldn't have missed Nick's birthday for anything in the world. She had been the one who'd organized it, after all. Nick had spent the actual Friday of his birthday in LA, partying like the celebrity that he was, but had flown back to San Francisco on Sunday to be at the office Monday morning. He was nothing if not dedicated to the cause. The staff at Heal The Bay had decided to throw their own surprise party for Nick upon his return, thinking he'd enjoy a birthday bash where he didn't have to worry about dodging paparazzi.

Although Jenny remembered the first few hours of the party--there had been a 3-D cake of a dolphin cresting a wave and deep-fried twinkies and a round or two, or maybe three, of shots--somehow over the course of the night, things became a little fuzzy. She supposed that she'd gotten carried away and had a few too many drinks, probably in an attempt to forget that she and Nick would never have beautiful half-Chinese babies together because she was too shy to string together more than a few words in his presence. Her reticence didn't stem from the fact that he was a famous Backstreet Boy, really. It was more because everything Nick said so closely mirrored her own thoughts that the first time Jenny had ever spoken to him, she had come down with a serious case of verbal diarrhea--at least, that was how her besty Valerie referred to it--and babbled to the point of extreme embarrassment. Jenny decided she'd had enough awkward moments with Nick for a lifetime. Ever since that day, she'd been unable to say anything to him beyond work-related exchanges and polite conversation.

 From the shower, Jenny heard her landline ring in the kitchen. When it went to the answering machine, she could just make out her best friend's voice over the running water.

"Hey, sweetie, it's me Val. I was worried because you never texted me that you made it home okay. Anyway, I'm on my way to work so I'll see you in the office. Or if you end up calling in sick, text me when you get this. By the way, I have your favorite cardigan.  I was able to get that stain out of it from when you puked last night--"

"What--I puked?" Jenny shut off the water, wondering if she'd heard Valerie correctly. Her friend was still talking.

"--Anyway, I hope you're not feeling too sick this morning, though I can't really blame you if you do because I think I saw you down like eight or nine drinks last night. Love you!"

Once Jenny toweled off and put on some clothing, she played the message back on her answering machine. Sure enough, according to Valerie she had thrown up last night and on her favorite cardigan. In search of more evidence, Jenny went through the dirty laundry piled in the corner of her bedroom and found the cocktail dress that she'd worn. After a quick sniff she had to admit that it did smell a bit pukey, though nothing seemed to have gotten on the dress itself. Also in the laundry pile she found a large peacoat that most definitely did not belong to her.

"How did this get here?" she wondered. Jenny reached for her phone to call Val back, and noticed what time it was. "Oh, crap, I'm going to miss the bus!"  She grabbed her purse, coat, and umbrella and slipped on a pair of knee-high rain boots.

On her way out she spotted her forgotten mug in the kitchen and took a large gulp, making a face when she found that her tea had gone cold. Yuck. And then she was out the door and running three blocks uphill to the bus stop. Why is it when you're running late, no matter where you're going, you always have to run uphill? Jenny wondered. She had a stitch in her side as she approached the bus, waving her umbrella like a madman for the driver to notice her. The bus operator, a disgruntled looking woman in a gray knit vest emblazoned with the Muni emblem, glanced in her direction and then shut the bus doors and drove off just as Jenny approached.

Today was shaping up to be a miserable day indeed.

...

Drank too much last night, got bills to pay
My head just feels in pain
I missed the bus, and there’ll be hell to pay
I’m late for work again
And even if I live they’ll all imply that I might not last the day
But then you call me, and it’s not so bad, it’s not so bad

Jenny arrived at work half an hour late and swapped her rain boots for a pair of pumps that she kept stashed in her cubicle. Her boss, Heal The Bay's Executive Director, called her in to his office right away to lecture her for coming in late the third in time less than two weeks, but seemed to change his mind when he saw how miserable and hungover she looked. "Are you sure you don't want to go home, Jennifer? You look like you might not last the day," he laughed.

"I'll be fine. I've got some Advil in my desk," she assured him.

"All right then. Well, I left a list of contacts on your desk that you need to call or e-mail before noon. We need to mobilize our major supporters if we want to stop those developers from turning that salt pond area near 101 into a housing tract."

"I'll get right on it." She rose and was almost out the door when the boss stopped her.

"By the way, I saw Nick this morning at the photo shoot for our next fundraising campaign, and he says he had a good time last night. Guess we showed him San Francisco can party as well as Hollywood any day. Good work organizing everything."

Jenny accepted the boss's praise and returned to her cubicle to tackle her list of phone calls, but she was interrupted by Valerie, who came over excitedly waving her favorite black cardigan. "You're here! Everyone thought you weren't coming in today!"

"Not so loud, Val..." Jenny cringed, her head in pain. "I've got a killer headache. And what do you mean by ‘everyone'?"

"Oh, sorry...!" her best friend responded, dropping almost to a whisper. "By everyone I mean, you know, everyone in the office. You did kinda go overboard at the party last night, hun. It was just a little bit shocking because no one has ever seen you drunk before-- besides me and Gay Zack," she added, referring to their flamboyant friend in accounting whom they often joined at the gay dance clubs in the Castro district. "You're the talk of the office this morning!"

"Ugh..." Jenny groaned. "This day just keeps getting worse and worse."

"Well, just because you don't suffer from the Asian glow doesn't mean you can handle like nine drinks. I think your cardigan is proof of that. I was just telling straight Zack in PR that I don't know what got into you."

"Don't you ever work? How many people have you talked to already?" Jenny griped. "I honestly don't know what came over me. Everything after Nick blew out the candles on his birthday cake is kind of a blur."

"That dolphin cake was the cutest thing ever," Valerie said. "Good choice! But O-M-G. Does that mean you don't even remember talking to Nick then?"

"I talked to Nick?" Jenny said in shock. "Oh God, did I have verbal diarrhea?"

"No... at least I don't think you did. We were at the bar, but then I got distracted by that cute new guy in legal, so I didn't catch much of what was said. And then later after that you guys hit the dance floor. It didn't look like there was much talking going on, if you know what I mean."

"I danced with him too? Ugh, why did I have to black out last night? I don't remember anything..." Jenny rubbed at her temples, trying to recall what happened.

"You have to at least remember when Nick first came up and talked to you," Valerie insisted. "You were still sober then.  I think I saw you drinking a vodka cran or something like that."

It was sometime after the second round of shots that Nick sidled up to her. Jenny was standing at the bar, slowly nursing a vodka cranberry as she tapped her foot to the DJ spinning eighties tunes. She didn't want to drink too much since she had work in the morning, so she was trying to make her third drink last the rest of the night. Nick took the barstool beside her and flashed the smile that made everyone from pre-teens to soccer moms go crazy. "Rumor has it that this awesome shindig was your planning, Jenny Chong."

Jenny's heart leapt into her throat. "Oh... well..." tongue tied, she downed the rest of her drink and then charged bravely on. "It was everyone's idea to throw you a party; I just picked the place and booked the reservations and stuff. I thought it would be fun, you know."

"Are you kidding me? This place is hilarious! Eighties B-movies projected on the walls and a freakin' trailer-park trailer in the corner serving up tater tots... This is like the dive bar of my dreams. Thank you."

Elated that their conversation hadn't fallen flat on its face, Jenny continued. "The food's awesome here, too. You can't go wrong with deep fried everything. Did you try the MAC and cheese yet?"

"Not yet, but I think I've already downed like five deep fried twinkies," he laughed. Nick threw his arm over Jenny's shoulder and raised his glass in a toast but then noticed that her glass was empty. "Uh-oh, we can't have that," he said and turned to the bartender. "Get the lady another!"

"I remember now," Jenny said to Valerie. "Nick wanted to thank me for planning the party. I was going to stop at three drinks, but he ordered me another one. Then everyone did a round of shots, and by the fifth drink I was a goner. I swear I don't remember dancing with him though."

"That ‘s too bad. But maybe it's for the best ‘cause near the end you were more stumbling than dancing. Don't worry, you still looked good though," Val added quickly, ever the supportive best friend. "I loved that cocktail dress you had on, and I know Nick did too. He couldn't stop checking you out, chica!"

Jenny shook her head in disbelief, glad that she couldn't remember that part. If she'd known that Nick was checking her out, she may have had a heart attack. "Anyway, I can't believe that I threw up last night, though I'm sure that made Nick think twice about checking me out. Please tell me that I at least made it to the bathroom."

"You did," Valerie promised her then added sheepishly, "There's something else you should probably know. You're not going to be happy about it, but if I don't tell you, you're bound to hear it from someone else."

"What?" Jenny asked with a sense of dread. "I didn't throw up on Nick did I?"

"You promise not to scream?"

"Just tell me already, Val!"

"Okay, okay... It's just that right before you threw up, everyone in the bar heard you announce to Nick..."

It was close to midnight, and Jenny had lost count of what drink she was on. She and Nick had moved from the dance floor back to the bar. Or rather, Nick had physically relocated her back to the bar to sit because she'd become a lot less graceful with each round of shots.

"I think I got you drunk!" he laughed.

"You're so evil! I have to go to work tomorrow, you know... I am soooo gonna get you for this," she said, throwing her arm out and pointing her finger at a random person, who ended up being the bartender.

"What did I do?" the bartender asked.

"No, not you! Okay, yes you too actually. But mostly this is your fault, Mister," Jenny said and poked a finger in the center of Nick's chest. "Maybe I can't drink you under the table, but next time I am going to get you back."

"We'll see..." he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "So how come we never hang out, Jenny?  I see you around like all the time since you're part of the executive staff. But I don't think we've ever had a real conversation before today."

"Actually, we have--one time," she laughed. "But I totally embarrassed myself because I couldn't stop talking. And since then, well I dunno... I guess I just kept my distance out of regret that you and I will never have beautiful half-Chinese babies together--"

Jenny stopped, wondering if she had said that last part aloud. Based on the number of people who had paused to stare at her, it would seem that she had. She caught Val's eye, and saw that her best friend had a hand clapped to her mouth in shock. "Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick..." Jenny said, her stomach churning as she slid off her barstool and headed straight for the ladies room.

"I said what?!"

Val had no time to respond as, at that moment, their boss walked by on his way to the water cooler and glanced in Jenny's cubicle. "Oh Valerie, did you get that list of permits I need you to clear with the city for our next charity event? And how's your list of contacts coming along, Jennifer?"

Valerie took the hint and quickly retreated back to her desk, leaving Jenny there to nod numbly at her boss. "Yeah, great..."

It was official: Worst. Day. Ever.

Jenny got back to work and focused on contacting all the names on her list until lunchtime rolled around. Or at least she tried to focus, but the entire time she was mentally kicking herself and pulling out her hair. And was it just her imagination, or was everyone in the office staring as she passed their desks on the way to the water cooler? Even people who hadn't been at Nick's birthday party seemed to be gossiping about Jenny as she walked by. It didn't help her sanity that she had a photograph pinned to her cubicle wall of her and Nick together from the first time she met him at a beach rally. She could feel his picture judging her. It didn't matter that Jenny's boss was in the photo with them, as well. She unpinned the picture from the wall and stuffed it in a desk drawer.

It was almost noon, and Jenny had just finished up her last e-mail of the morning when her cell phone vibrated in her purse. She checked the caller ID and nearly dropped the phone. The display read "Nick C." and was accompanied by a MySpace style shot of the two of them from the night before, pretending to act emo as they held the camera phone at arm's length.

 "When did I get Nick's number?" she wondered, quickly followed by, "Oh my God, what do I do? He's calling me!" Jenny sat there clutching her phone and staring at it in panic as it continued to vibrate in her hand. Should she answer it? What would she even say to him? Not knowing what else to do, Jenny opened her desk where she had stashed the photograph, stuffed the phone inside, and shut the drawer firmly. She stood up and decided that it was time for lunch.

Jenny walked past the elevator and took the stairs down to avoid Valerie and the rest of her co-workers, not wanting to hear anything more about her drunken antics the night before. She had made it all the way to the front entrance of the building when she ran into Gay Zack with one of his friends from accounting. They were standing outside taking a smoke break under the awnings to avoid the rain.

"Oh my God, it's you!" Zack exclaimed. He came over and threw one arm around her in a hug, holding his cigarette off to the side. "Jimmy and I were just talking about how the office is all abuzz ‘cause they finally saw your wild child come out. No one can concentrate on saving the ocean today, and it's all your fault, Jenny," he said in a sing-song voice. She stood there glumly, not hugging him back, which caused Zack to pull away. "What's wrong? You look more miserable than the time I told you that you don't look good in booties because of your short Asian legs."

"Please spare me, Zack. I've just... had enough office gossip for a lifetime. I've heard all about how I embarrassed myself and went home alone in perfect disgrace last night."

The two men exchanged a look, and Jenny clearly saw Jimmy mouth, "Should we tell her?"

"Tell me what?" she asked. "You mean, how I confessed to Nick that I wanted us to have beautiful half-Chinese babies together and then ran to the bathroom and threw up? Yeah, heard that one already."

Zack dropped his cigarette to the ground and put it out with the heel of his boot. "Well, I don't want to be the one to break it to you, hun--after all, that's Val's job--but last night you didn't go home alone. I saw you staggering out of the bar with that I.T. guy you can't stand, the stuck-up one with the vintage band t-shirts and Prada eyeglasses? You were pretty trashed, and you wouldn't let me stop him. You said Mr. Snooty was going to help you find Nick, but it looked more to me like he was going to take you home and get a taste of your secret Chinese family recipe."

"Ugh, Zack, do you need to talk like that?" Jenny asked, horrified. "And I don't believe you. Why would I go anywhere with that hipster? I can't stand his guts."

He shrugged. "Like I said, you seemed to think he was going to help you find Nick. But the way he had his hand on your ass, it looked like he had other plans. I'm not the only one who saw you two leave together."

"Zaaaaack!" Jenny wailed. She searched his face for some sign that he was joking. "That's awful, and completely untrue! I don't want you repeating this story to anyone, okay? I know how much you love to gossip, but don't you dare let this get out." Forgetting all about lunch, she turned around and headed right back upstairs. Her heart was pounding as she approached her best friend's desk.

"Hey, you. Don't you ever check your phone?" Valerie asked, putting on her jacket to go out. "I was trying to text you about a spot for lunch. I'm thinking Thai ‘cause I don't really wanna walk so far in this rain." She looked up and finally noticed the expression on Jenny's face. "Hey, what's the matter? Is it something to do with Nick?"

"Val, did I go home with somebody last night? Please tell me you didn't see me leave the party with anyone."

"I'm your best friend. I would never let you go home drunk with some guy! Not even--okay, maybe Nick but only because I know you've been in love with him since the first time you saw him kiss a sea lion. But otherwise I've got your back. You know that."

"Okay, thanks," Jenny said relieved, "because Zack is trying to say that he saw me go home last night with that hipster guy I can't stand from I.T. So you saw me leave? Were you the one who called the cab?"

"Well..." Valerie hesitated. "Maybe I didn't actually see you leave the party because I may have been distracted by Joshua, that cute guy I was telling you about from legal," she ruefully admitted.

"Val!"

 "I mean, one minute you were right there with me in the bathroom while I was trying to clean off your cardigan, and the next thing I know you had walked out. I followed you but then Joshua started talking to me, and like that you were gone. I looked all over and couldn't find you, so I figured you'd gone back home."

"I thought you said you had my back," Jenny cried.

"I swear it all happened so fast! I'm sure Zack is just being delusional. I never saw you or Mr. Snooty anywhere near each other the entire night. Besides, it's not like you woke up in bed next to him or found his clothes the next morning," Valerie reasoned. Then she saw the look on Jenny's face. "Did you?"

"This morning I found a man's peacoat in my bedroom that I didn't recognize," Jenny confessed. Do hipsters wear pea coats?" she asked with a sniffle.

"Oh shit." Valerie stood up. "That's it, I'm gonna kill him! Nobody takes advantage of my besty. You stay right here. I'm going to I.T. to--wait, where are you going?"

"Home," Jenny said as she marched back to her desk for her purse. "I never should've gotten out of bed today."

...

Jenny took a half day, telling her boss that she still felt unwell, and headed home. She sat alone in the back of the bus with her aching forehead pressed against the cold, damp window and tried to forget about everything that had happened--about the party, about the gossip... About Nick. Jenny decided that the next time her boss asked her to plan a surprise party for someone, she would just turn him down because after a morning full of surprises, she didn't liked them very much anymore.

Jenny's phone vibrated in her purse for the umpteenth time, but she just ignored it, figuring it was Valerie bugging her yet again. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now. She just needed some time to herself to process what had happened.

Jenny was full of regret over the way she had handled things with Nick. Her first mistake was being so afraid of coming across as a spazz that she never did anything about her feelings until last night. Val was right: Jenny had been in love with Nick ever since the first time she saw him kiss a sea lion, and that was months and months ago. If she had only done something sooner, then maybe her feelings wouldn't have come out in such an embarrassing and public way. Her second mistake, of course, was going home with the wrong guy. Even if Jenny hadn't made a total fool of herself in front of Nick the night before, going home with a random hipster guy was sure to have extinguished any interest Nick may have had in her. And her third mistake? Jenny supposed her third mistake was getting so drunk that she could barely even recall her night with Nick. And now all she had left was a silly photo of them goofing around on her camera phone.

As the bus approached her stop, Jenny wiped the fog away from the window and saw that the rain had started to come down in fat, heavy drops and was pelting against the side of the bus. She pulled her umbrella from her bag and had it ready to go as soon as she stepped onto the street. The force of the storm caught Jenny off guard. The rain came down at an angle, plastering her slacks to her legs, and the wind blew fiercely, whipping her hair all about her face. Jenny hadn't gone more than a few steps when a huge gust of wind blasted her and turned her umbrella inside out. She heard the metal ribs of the umbrella snap, and when she tried to flip it right side out again, the fabric hung limply on its frame.

Jenny stared at her broken umbrella lamely. "Really?" she said in disbelief and then looked up at the sky, raindrops splashing against her face as she called out to no one in particular, "Really! After everything that's happened, now this?!" She chucked the useless umbrella in the nearest trashcan, stuffed her hands in her pockets, and plodded home in the pouring rain. If she got sick, at least it would be the perfect excuse to stay home for a few days. Maybe she could even convince her boss to let her telework, at least until some new drama sprang up and office gossip moved on to its next victim.

Jenny was completely drenched by the time she arrived home. She entered the garage through a side door and passed the stairway which led upstairs to where her aunt and uncle lived, instead going to a false wall where the front door to her apartment was located. It was a great relief to be home at last. Jenny tugged off her rain boots, sending water flying everywhere, and left them on the side of the welcome mat.

When she pushed through the door, the kitchen was warm and toasty from a space heater that had been turned on in anticipation of her arrival. A friendly face greeted her, holding out a dry towel. "Nick..." Jenny breathed. "You--how--huh...?" she stared at him dumbly, not even taking the towel as she dripped all over the place.

"Surprise!" He smiled, though his grin was tinged with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be a creepy stalker waiting for you in your apartment, I swear. I was upstairs waiting in the living room like a normal person, but your grandma kept trying to force-feed me almond cookies. I think I ate about four or five of them before your Aunt let me hide down here," he explained, stepping forward to throw the towel over her shoulders as she hadn't moved an inch.

Jenny blinked at Nick a few seconds then started giggling. "I'm so sorry about that... But what are you doing here?"

"To see you, of course." He reached out and brushed a wet tendril of hair from her face in a gesture that was so familiar it made her feel warm and funny. "When I got back to the office after the photo shoot, they said you'd gone home ‘cause you weren't feeling well. And you weren't answering your phone either, so I wanted to make sure you were doing okay." He smiled at her and added, "I took my car, which I guess is why I beat you home. Muni sure must suck when it rains, huh?" At that moment the kettle on the stove began to whistle, and Nick turned his head. "Oh yeah, your aunt said you would want some tea when you got home so she set it up."

"Tea sounds fantastic," Jenny said. She peeled off her wet coat and hung it across the back of one of the dining chairs. Pouring two mugs, she handed one to Nick. He thanked her and then they stood there in the kitchenette-dining room-living room-front door space and looked at each other, clutching their tea and waiting for the other person to speak.

"I don't mean to--" Nick began.

"I should change," Jenny burst out at the exact same moment. "Oh, I'm sorry, you go ahead first."

"No, you're right. Go ahead and change. I'll be right here with my tea." Nick gave her a winsome smile and planted himself in the dining room chair not taken up by her coat.

Jenny quickly shut herself in her room and began to freak out. Nick was here! In her tiny apartment! She couldn't believe it. He didn't seem at all upset about the night before. In fact, the way he  was acting, it seemed like he was still interested in her. Did that mean, then, that he didn't know she had gone home with someone else? Puzzling over this, Jenny peeled off her wet clothing and hung it to dry and then scrambled around looking for something warm to wear. As she pulled on a pair of lounge sweats and a v-neck long sleeve, she wondered if it made her look too frumpy. It would be weird to dress up when she was just sitting at home though, and besides, she didn't want to make Nick wait much longer. She toweled off her wet hair and twisted it up into a bun on the top of her head then proceeded to straighten up her room.

The bedroom had a couch and was a little more spacious, so it made sense for them to sit there rather than in the kitchen. Jenny switched on the space heater to warm the room up a bit. She also cleared off the couch and started tossing her dirty laundry into a clothes hamper. There was a bra hanging off of her Yamaha keyboard, which she grabbed and stuffed into a drawer. When Jenny got to the pea coat she had found that morning, she held it guiltily in her hands and looked at the door beyond which Nick was waiting. If the reason he was being so nice to her was because he didn't already know that she left his birthday party with some stuck-up hipster from I.T., then she would have to tell him the truth--even if it seemed unbearable. Unfortunately, he would probably hate her.

Jenny opened the bedroom door, which made Nick look up from his tea. "I almost thought you had escaped out the window," he joked and then spotted the pea coat tucked under her arm. "Oh good, you still have my jacket."

"Y-your jacket? This is your jacket?" Jenny asked, confused.

"Yeah," Nick said, standing to take it from her. He reached into the pocket and pulled out a black iPod. "Do you know how much it sucks to go running at the gym without your iPod?"

"Wait... how did I end up with your jacket?"

Nick looked at her bemusedly. "You really don't remember, do you? I'm sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have made you drink so much, but then again I was pretty buzzed, too. It was all those birthday shots you guys kept throwing at me." Seeing Jenny's confusion, Nick put his hand on her shoulder. "How about we sit down and you tell me how much you can remember? Then I can fill in the details for you."

She nodded. "Okay. I've got a couch in here where we can sit." She grabbed her tea and followed him into the room. Nick was like a giant in her tiny bedroom, which made it seem even smaller than it actually was. When they sat down, he took up most of the loveseat, causing their knees to crowd against each other.

"Well..." Jenny began. "I remember you blowing out your birthday cake and coming over to thank me at the bar. And I remember dancing, sort of... Oh, and I remember you trying to stuff as many deep-fried twinkies into your mouth as humanly possible," she laughed. "But then it gets fuzzy. Val filled me in on how I embarrassed myself in front of everybody and threw up in the bathroom," she admitted with a blush. "After that, I only remember waking up this morning with the worst hangover of my life."

"How about now?" Nick asked. "You feeling okay?"

"Kinda lethargic, but otherwise okay now."

 "Good. Well let me see if I can fill in the gaps at the end. After you ran to the bathroom, I figured you would want to go home so I went outside to call a cab..."

Jenny gripped the toilet, emptying the contents of her stomach as her best friend held back her hair. Val waved off the restroom attendant and gave the woman a twenty dollar tip to go away so they could have some privacy. "I can't believe I said that to him..." Jenny moaned. "Why didn't you stop me?"

"How was I supposed to know a confession that you wanna have Nick's babies was about to spill out of your mouth?" Valerie retorted. "I can't believe you said that!"

"What do you expect? I'm drunk..."

"Oh honey, don't do that. Not on your favorite cardigan. Here, take it off and let me clean it before it stains." Val took the cardigan and went over to the sink.

Jenny got up off the floor and followed her, turning on the other sink so she could splash some cool water on her face. "I feel better now," she said and popped a handful of breath mints into her mouth. "I should find Nick and explain to him that I didn't mean what I said."

"Of course you meant it," her best friend corrected. "You just shouldn't have announced it like that in front of everyone. What you need to do now is just let it blow over. Nick will laugh it off and think you were exaggerating, and you can take another shot at him later when you're sober. Right now you're just going to embarrass yourself. Believe me, you will love me in the morning for it," Val said, scrubbing at the stain on the cardigan with a moist towelette. Her advice had fallen on deaf ears, however, as Jenny was already out the door.

Jenny stepped out into the noisy bar, casting around for Nick in the crowded room. She tried to focus on the ground as she walked, taking care not to trip over anyone's feet, but her steps were unsteady and she nearly stumbled into a barstool before somebody caught her arm. "Nick?" Jenny blinked up at the person who had grabbed her.

To her great disappointment, it wasn't Nick but a guy from the I.T. department whom she severely disliked for condescending to her the last time she had gotten a computer virus at work. He looked down at Jenny through his thick-rimmed Prada glasses, a supercilious look on his face as he scrutinized her. "You look like you've had a few too many. Where you going, Chong?"

"I'm trying to find Nick. Do you know where he is?"

"Why would I--" he began but then stopped and looked her over one more time, taking in her glassy eyes and dazed appearance. His expression softened. "Actually, I do. He just left, but why don't I take you to him?"

"You would do that, Mr. Snooty?" she asked.

"The name's Milo, Chong. And sure, I'll take you to Nick. Right this way, babe." He put an arm around Jenny to steady her as she walked, his hand on her hip as he led her towards the exit.

"Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden? You don't like anyone."

"Yeah, well tonight maybe I like you," he responded, moving his hand from her hip down to her butt.

Observing this gesture, a figure stepped in front of the doorway to block their departure. "Excuse me, Mr. Snooty, where do you think you're going with Jenny?"

The I.T. guy waved him off. "Why do you all call me that? The name's Milo. Now get the hell out of my way, Gay Zack."

"Sorry, but only my friends can call me Gay Zack, and that's one of my friends you've got there." He set his hands on his hips and refused to move. "Why don't you find some hipster chick who's actually willing? I know just the place for you over on Folsom Street with girls who are more your type."

"Hey man," Milo leaned forward and muttered under his breath, "I don't try to mess with you when you're picking up dudes, so why do you have to cock-block me?"

Zack crossed his arms and said loudly, "Don't make me go get Valerie. If I sic Jenny's besty on you, you'll never hear the end of it."

At the mention of her best friend, Jenny panicked. Valerie would just try to stop her from talking to Nick, so she put her hand on Zack's arm. "It's okay. We're just going outside to look for Nick. Don't worry about me." He looked doubtful, so she added, "I'm fine, Zack. Now let me go. And don't you dare tell Valerie about this, or I'll tell everyone what you did at the Castro last weekend."

He sighed and stepped aside. "Fine. But you better not do anything you're going to regret in the morning."

Milo smirked at him as he and Jenny walked out of the bar. "Come on, let's get out of this place."

Zack's words were bothering her though, and as they stepped outside she asked, "Can we go see Nick now?" It was freezing cold, especially since her cardigan was inside with Valerie, and her breath was coming out in frosty plumes.

"Yeah, sure thing, babe." He pulled her down the street. "My car's right down this way at a meter. I'll take you to him."

Jenny dug her feet into the ground, which was no mean feat on an icy sidewalk in heels, and resisted. "Stop calling me ‘babe.' You said you knew where Nick was, but I don't think he's in your car. I'm drunk, not stupid, y'know." She tugged her hand out of his grasp and stood there in the cold.

"Hey, hey, chill out... He went back to my place, Chong. If you want to see Nick, then I'll take you to Nick," Milo told her, beginning to look annoyed.

"Someone looking for me?" a voice interrupted. Jenny turned around to find Nick standing there, his hands in the pockets of his pea coat.

"Freakin' hell..." Milo muttered then called out to Nick, "You know what, you can have her. She's not worth the trouble." He shook his head and stalked away.

"I leave you out of my sight for two seconds, and you're already getting yourself into trouble," Nick joked as he walked up to Jenny.

"I was trying to find you." She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

Nick removed his heavy jacket and threw it over her bare shoulders. "Sorry, I came outside to call a cab. I thought you might want to go home. Speaking of which..." That moment a yellow taxi pulled up to the sidewalk. "Do you need to go back inside and get anything?" he asked as he opened the door for her. Jenny shook her head and climbed in, followed by Nick who slid in after her.

"What address?" the driver asked from the front seat.

"Go ahead. You first, and then I'll have him drop me off after," Nick told Jenny.

"Judah and 11th Ave, please." She slumped down in the seat, holding her head as the taxi took off.

"Hey, you okay? I shouldn't have made you drink so much," Nick said apologetically.

"It's my own fault. I can't believe I puked, though. I never throw up! Then again, I usually don't drink this much. I thought I needed liquid courage, but look what good it did me."

"Why?" He was looking down at her very intently.

"Why what?" she asked, confused.

"Why did you think you needed liquid courage?" he prompted, reaching over to slide his hand over hers.

Jenny looked down and watched as Nick turned her hand over and began to run a finger across her palm in a circular motion. It was rather relaxing. "Because I'm a spazz and every time I'm near you, I get all awkward and stuff. I can't help it," she moaned.

"I don't think you have to worry about that.  And maybe I like spazzy," Nick said casually. The tone of his voice was easy-going, but when Jenny looked up into his face, his expression was anything but casual.

"Oh..." She couldn't think of anything to say in return, so they sat there a while in silence until she said, "I feel like I'm going to wake up tomorrow and think I imagined all of this. Or worse, I'm not going to remember any of it.

"Well, here--gimme your phone." Nick took her cell phone and started pressing his number into it. Then he held the phone above their heads to take a picture. "Okay, make a silly face... There, now you have my number. So either you can call me, or if you forget I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"

"So I made sure that you got through your front door all right; then I headed home," Nick told her, wrapping up his story of the night before.

Jenny shook her head, both disgusted and relieved. "Wow, I can't believe what a scumbag Milo is, trying to get me to go home with him... Thank you for being there. I'm still shocked that I got so drunk and made such a fool of myself, though. Believe me, I don't always act like that. I'm usually pretty sober."

"So are you saying that last night was just because you were drunk, and you don't really want to have beautiful half-Chinese babies with me?" Nick teased.

Jenny turned beet red and buried her face in her hands, mortified. "You're going to torture me about that forever, aren't you?"

"Come here, spazz..." Nick said with a laugh and pulled her the short distance across the love seat into his arms. Dropping his head, he kissed her, and Jenny thought she could feel the room spinning like it had last night. When the room righted itself again she found her hand tangled in the hair at the back of Nick's head and her other hand clutching his shirt.

"Now I'm sure we didn't do that last night because I wouldn't have forgotten about it," she said breathlessly.

"Positive?" he murmured, brushing his nose against hers. He had the most irresistible smile on his face that Jenny had ever seen.

"Hmm..." she pretended to think about it and then replied with her own smile, "how about we try that again, just to make sure?"

As Nick happily obliged, Jenny couldn't help but think that today might be the best day of her life. Even if the big one shook San Francisco and her whole house fell down, she wouldn't have noticed. She was that happy. There could be nothing better than being warm and dry and in the arms of the one she adored while the rain fell outside--well, except maybe saving the world's oceans. But she and Nick could work on that one together.

Push the door, I'm home at last and I'm soaking through and through
And then you handed me a towel, and all I see is you
And even if my house falls down now
I wouldn't have a clue because your near me

 And I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life
And oh, just to be with you
Is having the best day of my life