~ ella ~

It was maybe 10-ish p.m. when I was sitting alone in the living room watching New Girl, because most people were either getting ready for bed, studying, or partying at that time. The house was pretty much empty tonight, so it was just me, New Girl, my snacks, and the peace and quiet around me.

"Hey babe," John said, catching me off guard. "Hey, I thought you said you were gonna go to bed.

"I thought I was, but I'm not tired enough. Are you watching New Girl again?"

​"Yeah, I am," I said.

"Can I join you?"

​”Of course you can.” With that, John took his place on the couch beside me, lying down as I sat on the edge, getting comfortable as we both watched the show. The moment was sweet and simple, nothing crazy, just me and John watching the show, laughing at the characters and commenting on the chaos they created each episode.

​

Halfway through another episode, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, only to see Dean seemingly coming down for a drink of water himself. "You guys watching New Girl?" he asked.

​"Yeah, it's one of y/n’s favorite shows," John said, looking at me in a way I couldn't fully understand. Like he was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't understand what his eyes were saying.

​”Hey! Don’t say it like that, you like it too!”

"Okay, you two, stop being cute or else I'm just gonna throw up, and I don't feel like throwing up right now," Dean said, ruining the moment slightly.​

"That's shocking that you don't want to throw up," I responded, having to duck afterwards to get away from the flying kitchen towel that Dean decided to throw at me in a playful way. 

“Is it alright if I join you guys?” 

“Yeah, that's fine.”

As we continued watching the show, some more people joined us: Allie, Hannah, Garrett, and Tucker. The whole crew was down in the living room watching New Girl. A warmth that filled my heart. A warmth that I didn't know I needed. A warmth in a place I didn't realize had been cold for so long.Seeing all of our friends, all of us spending time together, staying up way too late, all watching a show that we all love. Seeing how we're all comfortable with each other and genuinely enjoy each other's company.

​

Between episodes and during ads, I looked around and realized how grateful I was for the friends and community I had. I looked at John, how he acted with our friends, how he's always the same person. It doesn't matter who he talks to, where he is, or what time it is. He is always just John.

I love him, I thought to myself. I love him so much.

Hours passed as we continued watching. Eventually I ended up lying on top of John on the couch, cuddled together. I could feel his laugh with my face resting on his chest. The way his breathing made him hug me almost tighter.

I love him. I love the way he feels. I love the way he makes me feel. I never knew I could be so in love. I thought to myself.

Eventually, I looked up at him, smiling. "What?" he asked with a bright smile, brows slightly furrowed. 

"Nothing." I responded. 

He pulled me up a bit, holding me close. "You're beautiful, and I love you," he said, catching me off guard. I must have looked shocked because then he added on, "You don't have to say anything back. I just, I don't know, it felt right to tell you I've felt like that for a while now, honestly.” 

"No, no, I just, I love you too." We sat there for a minute looking into each other's eyes. In that moment of time, it felt like we were the only people in the world. It felt like nothing could take us out of that moment. That was until Garrett decided to let out a huge yawn. We looked over at him and then over at Tucker. Slowly, one by one, the chain reaction of yawns began, and we were all realizing how tired we were. I checked my phone.

2:09am 

“Are you telling me we've been here for four hours watching TV?”