three

"DO YOU THINK IF I START CRYING, SHE'LL TAKE IT EASY ON ME?" STEVIE ASKED AS SHE HURRIED AROUND THE APARTMENT. Her fingers were tangled in her hair in a half-assed attempt to fix the mess, while Jess was rushing around after her to try and do whatever she could to help. "Ugh, who am I kidding? She's gonna get mad cause she thought Scott was this perfect son of a bitch who could 'take care of me'."

"Screw that!" Jess threw words of encouragement. Nick and Winston were watching from the dining table, slightly confused by whatever was going on. Schmidt, the fourth roommate, had now taken great interest in the events going on, and was absolutely gutted to have missed the events of last night. "You don't need a man!"

"I don't need a man!" Stevie repeated enthusiastically, though the fear in her eyes said something else. "I don't need a man, I don't need a man."

Then there was the knock at the door.

"Oh my God, don't answer it," she heaved, running behind the couch and falling onto her backside. Suddenly it was getting hard to breathe, and there was heat in her underarms. She felt sick. "Don't answer it, Jess! What if she wants me to get back with him?"

"I'll answer it!" Schmidt exclaimed, running from the kitchen to the front door. Despite it being eight in the morning, he was already fully dressed in a suit and tie, ready to get to work. He was by far the strangest character in the apartment, and that was saying something. He swung the door open with Jess at his side (who had been trying to stop him), only to see a very angry Diana Neward with a very pretty young woman at her side. "Hello! You must be the mother of our beloved Stevie."

"And who the hell are you?" the short-haired woman snapped, her arms crossed. Clara, who was beside her, held her hand out towards Schmidt and Jess.

"Hey, I'm Clara," she said in her warm voice. Her voice had always been so nice. It was smooth and silky like melted chocolate, while Stevie's was scratchy and made her sound like she never got enough sleep. "Is she here-"

Before she could finish the question, Stevie shot up from behind the couch, her hair pointing in all different directions. "Clara! Oh my God, I'm so sorry!"

She rushed over to the door, completely ignoring her mother, taking her sister into her arms in the most apologetic embrace she could muster. Clara chuckled softly, trying to regain her balance. "It's alright, Stevie."

"It is most certainly not alright," Diana hissed, causing the sisters to both roll their eyes. "You ruined a perfect day, and poor Scott is heartbroken!"

"Mum," Clara sighed, before she reached into her large tote and pulled out Stevie's clutch from the night before. She handed it over for her sister to gratefully accept. The blonde looked inside to find her phone (which was dead), a gum wrapper, and a joint she'd rolled up if things got too intense. Clearly her mother hadn't rummaged through it, which was probably thanks to Clara.

Diana composed herself, though the venom in her eyes shot directly at her youngest daughter. "Scott is downstairs. He'd like to speak with you."

"Shit," Stevie muttered. Jess snorted. She tucked her hands in her pant pockets and sighed. "Mum, I can't. We need to time for all this to blow over."

"No, you need time to apologise to him and accept his proposal so that you can finally have some stability in your damn life," Diana scowled.

"Whoa," Jess held up a finger, stepping in. "Sorry to interrupt, but Stevie doesn't need a man to have stability in her life."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Diana stared down at the short woman.

Jess straightened her shoulders confidently. "I'm Jessica Day, Stevie's friend. Did you know that Scott kept giving her strawberries even though she's allergic? That he can't name her top five movies?"

Stevie looked over. "I didn't-"

"Does he?" Jess looked back.

Stevie shook her head. "No."

"That's what I thought," the brunette hummed. "My point is...you are not at liberty to tell a twenty-something year old woman what to do. Do you even know what her favourite movies are?"

Clara hid her smile as Diana spluttered.

Schmidt grinned. "Hoo, boy! Who needs coffee when there's family drama, am I right, Nick?"

Nick looked up from his bowl of dry cereal. He'd decided to go without milk today, mostly because he knew that it was almost empty and he'd probably have to buy more if he finished it. "Huh?"

Schmidt pumped his fist enthusiastically before he turned around and marched back into his room to get his briefcase. His voice carried through the apartment as he cheered. "It's gonna be a great day!"

Stevie scratched the back of her head, feeling absolutely ill. "I'll talk to him."

"What?" Jess, Diana and Clara all asked simultaneously.

That seemed to catch Nick's attention. "Ooh, can I watch?"

★☆

So, that was how Stevie's morning went. She travelled down to the lobby with a group of six other people, four of which were strangers, and all of whom were interested to see the events unfold. She was far too exhausted to argue with anyone, so she just leaned on Jess' shoulder and tried to close her eyes for a few seconds before her entire world changed.

"I can't do this-" Stevie tried to turn back, but her mother shoved her outside without another word. The blonde pulled a face, looking to her sister for help. Clara only shrugged.

"You can all wait around the corner, cause this is between me and Scott," she said as the doors opened, only to be met with groans and protests. "No interruptions, especially from you, mother."

Diana glared. She pushed her daughter aside and walked into the lobby, where Scott was sipping a hot cup of coffee like he didn't actually care too much about the most recent events in his life. Stevie felt ill seeing his handsome face, all chiselled and angular. He was perfect, just not for her.

"Scott, sweetheart!" Diana raced over, her arm looping with the man she hoped would be her future son-in-law. "Stevie's here to apologise."

Scott looked down at the short woman. He went to kiss her but stopped himself awkwardly. "What's up?"

Stevie very nearly laughed. She folded her arms across her chest and looked up at the man she'd called her boyfriend for the past two years. He was in a different sort of light now...he was such...an idiot. All he did was go to the gym and talk about cars and watch the Fast and Furious series so that he could talk more about cars. It wasn't the kind of ditzy that she found cute; his brain was just...empty. "Scott, what's my five favourite movies?"

"Um," his eyes squinted. "You liked Tokyo Drift, right?"

Nick seemed to be the most amused by the whole situation. While Jess had a dropped jaw and the others were completely confused, he was trying to stifle his laughter (yet failing, miserably). "Oh my God, this guy's stupider than me."

Stevie's gaze fell to her feet. There was that queasy feeling again. The feeling that she wasn't just letting her mother down, but also herself. Scott, maybe he was a bit of an airhead, but he had genuine love in his heart that he sometimes put in the wrong places. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she'd spent multiple years entertaining such a relationship. It was the comfort of it - of knowing that someone wanted her. 

Stevie exhaled, not sparing a glance at her mother. She instead took a step towards Scott, placing a hand on his hard chest. "Look, Scotty. I've been going with safe option all my life. I've been pointed in every direction and had my choices made for me, and I think it's time I did something that makes me happy."

"She doesn't mean that," Diana insisted, her mind flashing back to how much money the engagement ring was worth. She was dismissive towards her daughter, who was trying to conceal her irritation. "You two are perfect for each other-"

"No, we're not," Stevie cut her off. Diana seemed taken aback by her interruption, but Stevie had quickly returned her attention to Scott. "Listen, you're gorgeous. You're like...a golden retriever. Everyone loves golden retrievers; you're a good guy, and you deserve someone who loves and appreciates you. I don't think I'm that someone. It's taken me a while to realise it, but this is what's best for the both of us."

Scott didn't seem entirely broken up about it, and in all honesty, Stevie didn't expect him to be. It would probably take him a few days to realise what was happening. He, too, was no stranger to being told what to do by his parents and other authority figures. "Damn, Stevie."

Her lip twitched. "Damn, Scott."

His arm slithered around her waist and pulled her into a hug. She allowed him to embrace her, and she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. They were two pieces of a puzzle, but they didn't fit together. She was a corner piece, and he was one of those weirdly shaped ones that stick out in different places and always gets lost in the box. There were other pieces that they needed to be with to be complete. 

Stevie nearly rolled her eyes at how her brain was trying to justify all of this. Instead, she squeezed Scott a little tighter and pulled away, patting his arm with a kind smile. He returned it, before his phone buzzed in his pocket. 

So...that was the end - of both the conversation and the relationship between Stevie Neward and Scott Grigorovichen. 

And from the look on Diana's face, there was a storm of fury and resent headed straight towards Stevie-town.

★☆

okay even tho i don't update this book often just know that i genuinely find comfort in writing something that isn't super angsty and full of murder like my criminal minds fics lmfaooooo 

also maybe it's the fact that i love himbos but scott is baby no i don't take criticism <3

and i'm doing a sexy rewatch of new girl so ya bitch has a wave of inspo heading her wayyyy

also!! sorry abt the quality of my writing, it's not my best n i'm not super proud of it but like i said,,, this is a comfort book so i'm not gonna drive myself up the wall with trying to perfect it (even tho that's kinda what i've been doing anyway but don't worry about that) 

hope you're all staying safe!!!