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His name was Nick and he was 24 and fresh out of college when she met him. He had just moved across the country to LA, with his best friends Schmidt and Winston, to start law school. He was handsome in a rugged who gives a shit kinda way, and he had a cute smile and with one prominent dimple that made her feel safe and warm in his presence.
She knew he liked her early in the semester, because he kept sneaking looks at her in class. One day she sat down beside him and called him out for staring at her so much. She told him that if he wanted to go out with her, he could meet her at some frat party that night. He showed up late and they ended up fucking in the upstairs washroom. It was frantic, but hot, and she loved how his big hands manhandled her against the bathroom sink.
Afterwards they snuck out of the party together and ended up at some local diner sharing pancakes and talking about their childhood. He told her he was 24 and wanted to be an environmental lawyer, saving sharks and fighting for ocean conservation. She was 27, but he appeared to lack confidence and she didn't want to intimidate him, so she lied and told him that she was the same age.
As they talked, Caroline pointed out his accent and it turned out they were both from Chicago. They grew up two towns over from each other, and they both eventually wanted to return home to raise a family one day. After they were done, he walked her back to her apartment and confessed that he had been in love with some red haired girl named Amelia, but that she didn't compare to the cute blonde who sat two rows over from him in his freshman law class. It made her blush when she realized that he was referring to her. He kissed her goodnight and promised to call her the next day.
Shortly after, Nick and Caroline ended up dating to Schmidt's dismay, but things were going really great. He was absolutely crazy about her, despite their differences. She was the serious ambitious type who was always well dressed, and enjoyed attending big events and planning parties. He was more laidback and sloppy, and he preferred to stay home and enjoy a few beers while watching the game. But they got along fine and he made her feel desired and loved. He told her that he loved how fun and bold she was, and that he liked that she wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind.
About 3 months into their relationship, Nick asked Caroline to move in with him. He lived with Schmidt and Winston in a three bedroom apartment near campus, but the rent was high and they needed the extra money. Caroline was living with some girls who were pretty wild and she knew Schmidt was a clean freak, so she agreed to move in with them.
During the next semester, Caroline had switched into a degree in marketing and management. She was working part-time at a club tending bar and wanted to eventually start promoting big events. Nick started hanging out with her after class, usually sitting in a back booth sipping on beer and reading his law books.
One night the club was especially busy and she had asked him to tend the bar with her. They had been short staffed and Kanye was expected to make an appearance; he never did show up to Schmidt's disappointment. But Nick really pulled his weight that night and he was a natural at mixing cocktails. Winston got really weird, and made a demand that Nick was to never stop making those drinks with the tiny umbrellas. Nick told him he was acting strange and that he would never make him such drinks ever again. He soon after pulled Schmidt aside and told him to get Winston home before he started undressing himself in public. Nick stayed behind to help Caroline close that night and she thanked him with a blow job behind the bar after everyone had left.
Nick had a knack for bar tending and pretty soon after he began working at the local watering hole called the Griffin. The hours were long and the pay was shit, but he made good tips and kept going to class. He wasn't really focused so much on studying anymore, but he promised he'd finish his degree and pass the bar exam. He said he had this grand plan to become a writer one day and if he failed he could always fall back on his environmental law degree. Caroline didn't really believe him, she had told him that he had to get serious if he didn't want to end up bar tending for the rest of his life. He didn't seem very happy when she told him that, but he gave her a kiss and told her not to worry and promised that all their dreams would come true.
About a year later, Nick came home and announced that he was dropping out. They got into a fight and Caroline briefly moved out with her friends from school. Her friends said he was selfish for making such a huge decision without her. They couldn't understand what she saw in him anyways, because he never made an effort to go out with her or take her places. They agreed she could do better and that Nick was a loser who would never amount to anything. Caroline acknowledged what they thought of Nick was true, but she still missed him.
She came back 2 months later after Nick left her a hundred obscene and unintelligible messages. He begged her to believe him that everything would be ok and that he loved her. He explained that while she was gone that he had written and passed the bar exam and that he already had an internship lined up at an environmental law firm that was fighting for ocean conservation along the Pacific coast. Nick promised to return to his studies the following semester and that he would be done within a year. He made love to her that night to his sexy mix tape, while Schmidt pounded on the wall before leaving and slamming the front door.
A year went by and Nick still hadn't returned to school, he made the excuse that he didn't have the funds to pay his tuition, because the internship wasn't paying him enough and that he still had to work. He said once the internship was over he'd pick up more shifts at the bar to help pay his student loans and tuition. Caroline accepted this plan and told him that she believed in him and that she'd be willing to work extra shifts to help him out. But Nick refused, and told her the sooner she finished her degree, the better. He insisted that she'd be making a killing in LA promoting celebrity events and that they could finally get a place of their own. She agreed, but told him that she eventually wanted to move back to Chicago and get married. She was getting older and wanted kids. He said he was on board, because he wanted to be closer to his family and he knew he could land a job as a lawyer in a cooperate law firm that his cousin's wife worked at. It wasn't environmental law and he'd probably be fighting against the very people he would have worked for, but he was willing to put in the long cooperate hours if it made Caroline happy.
Caroline and Schmidt graduated later that May, Winston was on a basketball scholarship and had one semester left. Nick was really proud of them, but he appeared lost. He slept most days and when he wasn't working he spent the majority of his time playing video games or watching the game. Some nights he'd get dressed and go hang out at the Griffin with Schmidt and Winston. The beer was cheap and he could usually snag some free drinks if big Bob was working. Caroline would tag along, but the guys made her feel unwanted. Nick said she was being paranoid and that she just needed to lighten up, because they loved her just as much as he did.
Schmidt moved out a few months later, he had found a great loft near his new job. He claimed that it was big enough to hold party's and that it was a real chick magnet, because it was sunlit and beigy. The rent was fairly cheap, due to rent control, and he could afford it on his own.
Winston was dating Shelby and decided to have a go with her, but things unfortunately didn't pan out for them. Although Schmidt and Winston didn't get along that great, Schmidt ended up offering him a room. He said Winston was Nick's other best friend and he just didn't have the heart to see him end up on the streets. Winston corrected him, and said he could afford a place on his own, but that he didn't see the point of living alone, because he wouldn't be around that much anyways since he travelled alot to play semipro ball.
Caroline was ready to move on as well, so Nick and her moved out shortly after into a one bedroom skyrise near downtown LA. Nick continued to work at the bar, while Caroline began picking up more and more events around the city. Things were great for the first few months, but they started to grow apart as Nick worked more and more evenings and Caroline's schedule depended on the event she was planning. She would always ask Nick to accompany her, but overtime he just wasn't interested and he rathered spend his free time on the couch or with his buddies.
They circled around each other's schedules for another year until one late Friday night Nick ended up at the hospital with a broken nose. He had gotten into a fist fight at the end of his shift with a guy named Tom who hit on her at the bar. Their lease was coming up at the end of the month anyways, so Caroline decided she'd had enough. She told Nick after 4 hours of sitting in the emergency room and listening to him complain, that she was moving out and that he had the option to stay, but that she doubted he could afford the rent on his own. He was devastated and begged her to stay and promised that he would change, but she told him she had had enough and that it was over. Without any other options, Nick moved into Schmidt's a week later.
Caroline met Tom again at a big Social event a month after she left Nick and they ended up getting pretty hot and heavy. He was a hotshot real estate agent, selling properties to B list celebrities. He made her happy and she finally knew what true love felt like. Nick called her incessantly for about 6 months. She would listen to his messages late at night and cry, but she had Tom now and she never felt like Nick cared enough, so she never understood why he insisted on calling.
One day the calls stopped coming and she figured Nick must have finally got the hint or had moved on. It wasn't until a month later when she attended an old friends wedding, did she realize why he had stopped calling. He was with a gorgeous brunette with huge blue eyes. Caroline could see the attraction between the two, even though they clearly weren't a couple as they claimed to be. Caroline's jealousy got the best of her and she invited Nick for a drink at the bar. They joked and talked about old times. He was near drunk and she was overly flirty and tipsy, and she ended up dragging him into a photobooth. She knew she was taking advantage of his current state and leading him on, but she had a boyfriend and wasn't going to do anything.
Jess found them shortly later and accused him of cheating on their baby, and their other baby. Caroline awkwardly apologized and admitted that she had a boyfriend and that nothing was going to happen. Later that night Nick came over to talk. Caroline revealed that she was actually dating the guy who broke his nose, Nick wasn't to keen to hear that development, but he apologized and told her that he hoped she was happy and that he wouldn't bother her anymore. They hugged and Caroline told him Jess was great and that she could tell she really liked him. She encouraged him to ask Jess to go dance, which he did. Caroline watched for a bit, but then they started doing some strange chicken move, so she decided to call Tom to come pick her up and she left the wedding shortly after.
Nick wasn't her person, but five years with him changed her for the better. At 33, Caroline finally found what she wanted and was happy.