Chapter Text
"We only said goodbye with words. I died a hundred times,"
" These things excite me so."
"A nice little dance." Daisy and Nick laughed as they sat overlooking the rest of the party, Nicks attempt at trying to hide the fact he had been listening in on Gatsby and Toms conversation going on behind him.
"You see; I know your wife."
Nick could only imagine Toms look of suspicion that he must've held on his face when Gatsby uttered those words. He thought it was dangerous for Gatsby to be hinting at something like that, but had little belief that he cared. He knew Gatsby was tired. He had waited desperatly for five years, & now the girl of his dreams was nearly in arms reach.
"Is that so?"
The way Tom spoke Nick could tell it was only a matter of time till he caught on to what had been going on right under his eye. Daisy, too enchanted by the liveliness that filled the room, had noticed nothing of it.
I go back to her, and you'll go back to black.
The song had ended, cheer and laughter taking its place as the four looked over the balcony, sipping onto the Champagne & Martinis handed out on silver trays when the announcer introduced the next band.
Trumpets and guitars started swinging as Nick overlooked the room of glittering people when his eyes caught onto the woman in gold, glowing amidst the rest of the incoming crowd.
Standing just below them, she looked around the room. Her eyes, soft against her ice like smile seemed to be looking for something in the crowds, as if the glittering grandeur surrounding her held little to no importance.
Though she frightened him, frustrated him at times, Nick would not be so dishonest to say she was not seamlessly flawless amongst the rest… like a masterpieace, as if someone had painted her as a golden, elegant muse surrounded by all sorts of slightly less fantastical objects.
I've seen the world- done it all- had my cake now
"Would you mind, terribly?"
Gatsby gestured towards Daisy, asking Tom for a dance with her. All at the table turned toward him, awaiting Tom's response.
Diamonds, brilliance, in Bel Aire now
To Nick's surprise, Tom had reluctantly agreed, & all stood up from the table. Nick left Tom, Jay and Daisy while he made his way through the never ending crowd to find the dark haired girl in the stunning gold dress.
Walking through the jumbled groups of people he finally reached her. She stood in the middle of the room, taking a glass from one of the trays the servants were carrying. He stood some feet away from her, taking a moment to think about how to approach her; in a way she still intimated him, never having met a woman so strong that still held such sophisticated grace.
Straightening his suit he walked up behind her in an attempt to grab her attention.
"Miss Baker?"
Her head turned slightly to see who had called on her, taking notice of the smile she simply adored she turned around, her hard set look softening as her eyes set on him.
"Nick!" She smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling against the chandeliers above.
Once more he could not keep himself from looking at her, only to find himself embarrassingly speechless in her presence.
Finally he extended his arm to her, "do- would-" he chuckled for a moment before subtly gesturing over to the dance hall, "Care to dance?"
Looking around the room for a moment she slowly locked her arm in his. "I'd love too."
Hot summer nights, mid-July, when you and I were forever wild
Ending up in the center of the room, he wrapped one arm around her waist, the other holding her hand as they swayed back and forth.
His eyes slowly made their way up to meet her tender gaze. They smiled knowingly at each other.
The crazy days, city lights, the way you played with me like a chi-i-ild.
Nick spun her around once, & she gasped as she twirled around in his arms. Her hand landed on his chest, light laughter shared by the couple as his arm went back around her waist.
"You dance divinely," She said, her voice filled with an admiration he was not used to.
"Well, thank you. You're not so bad yourself."
"Please, I'm not such a great dancer, but I don't mind with you as my lead."
"Please," he purred in her ear, "between you and me, there's no one else I'd rather dance with." He winked, beginning to wonder what on earth was in the air between them for him to be so forward with this woman he barely knew.
Will you still love me, when I'm no longer, yo-ung and beutifu-ul. Will you still love me, when I'm no longer, you-ung and beautiful.
The trumpets filling the room the two began to dance faster, inch closer, hold tighter.
I know you will, I know you will, I know you wi-ill, wi-i-i-i-i-il
Their footing becoming more intricate as they wrapped themselves around one another, Jordan felt an excitedness about her as Nick held her. Her eyes closed as if in a dream, she wore a careless smile, completely content and trusting in his arms.
In that moment everything had slowed as Nick gazed down at her, his smile fading into a look of affection, astounded by how strikingly beautiful she truly was.
Jordan was many things, but none had ever before been defined by Nick as "content & trusting." Feelings more tender that they had never discussed seemed to be brewing about for the both of them, & the unsuspecting emotions matched the hint of fear that glinted in their eyes as they looked at one another once more.
With The trumpets picking back up again, all eyes in the room started to fall on the two. Swept up by the music, Nick twirled her around, & suddenly the floor was veiled by a thin pool of breathtaking gold.
Once more she slipped back into his arms as his hands wrapped around her. Her skin felt cold & smooth against him as his hand held her arm tenderly.
Will you still love me, when I'm no longer beautifu-ul?
The song coming to an end, Nicks hands trickled down to her waist as hers dangled over his shoulders, the closeness they shared daring their lips to touch as the air around them thickened.
The song had changed and soon enough the crowd around them dissipated, going back into their own worlds as the two of them stood still in the middle of the ballroom, neither taking their eyes off one another.
Slipping out of the romantic haze they were under Nick looked around the manor, noticing Gatsby and Daisy had left, & that Tom was gone too as worry crossed his mind.
Noticing the slight look of concern etched on his face, noting the bar across from them at the very top of the balcony Jordan gripped his hand, whisking him away to it. "Come on."
At the bar, Jordan sat beside Nick, her chest beating heavily, "Well, you certainly take my breath away."
Turning towards her he found her smile struck him harder then he anticipated. Taking a sip of his vodka tonic he decided he would not let his gaze dissolve into nothing, if only in this moment. "You are… simply stunning,"
After awhile they went over to the balcony, overlooking the view to Nick's house when with a very sharp eye had they seen Gatsby and Daisy hiding behind the trees in the blue gardens.
Jordan & Nick looked back at eachother, both understanding the danger of what if Tom had seen or what could happen if he were to find them.
"Have you seen my wife?"
They turned around to face him as Jordan smoothly moved behind Nick, lounging over the balcony to block his view. Nick, with a careful eye attempted to come up with an answer.
"No, Not for a while."
Tom's mouth curled, his voice filled with disbelief. "That's funny, the senator said he'd just seen her down here."
There's a man, there's a man
Nick looked over at Jordan as she continued watching the two, eyes urging him to keep talking.
"You live around here Nick?" He questioned. With his breath caught in his throat Nick & Jordan shared a glance before they reluctantly moved to the left to point out the house, hoping they still couldn't be seen.
"Yes, Just over there."
"Is that so?" His voice had yet again filled with suspicion as he looked over the grounds, grasping for something in the hidden distance.
All's attention was suddenly taken by a dispute going on in the house, observing as Gatsbys workers escorted the two out.
"What a circus. Well, if you see her, I've been looking for her. You tell her."
He raised his glass in response, simply nodding at him with hope that he'd leave him be. Nick decided if Tom could have his secrets, Daisy certainly could have hers.
Nick turned to face Jordan, both wondering the same- what should be done? Daisy was still a married woman, everyone could see Tom was beginning to suspect something going on with his wife and the newly rich man he barely knew. They had no room to risk letting him find out so soon.
Tired, slightly annoyed by the mess of it all Nick shook his head slightly, staring down at the drink swiveling in his hand. He looked up & noticed Jordan walking towards him, her hips swaying side to side until she was just inches away from him. Her finger traced the sides of his suit, her other hand fixing his hair. She began smiling coyly at him, he couldn't help but smile back. She knew, as well as he, exactly what she was doing. The woman before him had a way of taking his mind off of everything except for her, and right then he didn't mind it in the slightest.
His hand gently stroked her hip before he pulled her close to him. Looking over the balcony he forced himself to break the closeness between them.
"I have to go get Daisy," he sighed, & she frowned as her fingers traced his chest. "How about, you go tell them, and when you're done meet me back at your place?" She offered with a twinkle in her eye.
Nick huffed softly and nodded, looking into those deep grey eyes of hers.
"I'll see you there Miss Baker."
She over looked the balcony one more time. "Better get to them quickly Nick, surely Toms looking all over the place for her. It's only a matter of time."
He nodded and quickly made his way down the steps outside to the gardens.
Walking through the gravel stone path surrounded by the purple and blue flowers, behind the trees could he spot a silhouette of a girl in a diamond dress.
"Hello?"
"Hello Nicky, Were having a row."
"What about?"
"About.. Things…"
Eyebrows raised, he looked to her to elaborate.
"About the future, The future of the colored empires."
"It's Tom," Nick mentioned, "he's wandering around the party looking fo-"
"Sir?" Gatsbys butler had surprised them from behind to tell him about a Mr. Slagel, leaving Daisy in Nick's hands so he could deal with a problem that had occured.
Nick waited with Daisy long after he left for his return but he was unable to show, and after they left, he stayed to relay a message between Daisy and him when he found Gatsby out by the pool.
"Well there you are, Daisy just left! She asked me to tell you she had a wonderful time-"
"She didn't like it."
"Well of course she did."
"No. no she didn't like it. She was not having a good time... I feel so far away from her now." His voice echoed with hopelessness. He threw a handful of streamers carelessly into the grass, adding more to the illusion that he was beginning to give up, making Nick wonder all the more about what had happened between them in the gardens.
"You mean about the party?"
"The party? I could care less about the parties." He threw an expensive bottle of champagne into the pool and told the cleaners that their work there was done for the night, though his place still looked like a glittering wreck.
"You see, she has to tell Tom that she never loved him."
"What?" Nick repeated, knowing he couldn't possibly think so foolishly over this relationship he so desperatly wanted to keep with Daisy.
"Yes, then we can go back to Louisville, to her parents' house. Her parents are lovely people old sport. We'll be married there."
Nick could hear Gatsby, but knew better then to believe him. A runaway marriage... with Daisy Buchanon, a mother, a wife... Nick could only shake his head.
"Yes you see Daisy and I, were going to start over just as if it were 5 years ago."
"I wouldn't ask too much of her."
"Wouldn't ask too much?"
He watched as anger flashed across his eyes. He had to see that It had been 5 years, that it wouldn't be reasonable for her to simply forget about all the time passed between them.
"I beg your pardon old sport it's just, it's so sad because it's soo hard to make her understand. I've gotten all these things for her I've gotten all these things for her and now she just wants to run away. She wants to leave that-"
"Jay, you can't repeat the past."
"Can't repeat the past?"
"No" he tried explaining to him, but Jay wouldn't hear a word of it. Holding on, trying to recover the vision he had created of himself from loving Daisy. He told him the story on how they met, 5 years ago in Louisville, how he was penniless with only that grand vision of himself to hold, a vision that became clearer the moment he fell in love with Daisy Fey. The more he spoke the more enchanted he felt, almost succumbing to this beautiful yet entirely selfish fantasy of his.
"I knew that when I kissed this girl… I would be forever wed to her," His voice carried softly into the cool night air.
He knew his mind would never be free to romp like, the mind of god.
"I'm only 32 I might still be a great man one day if I could forget that I once lost Daisy but.. my life old sport my life has got to be like this" The two looked up as he pointed to the galaxies in the sky, a shooting star spreading across them. "Its got to keep going on."
Silence took the space between the two gentlemen for a moment when Jay turned to look at the green light that forever shined across the bay before them.
"She has to go and tell Tom that she never loved him. I just need to give her more time old sport, more time that's all."
Nick put his drink down and stared at the ground awhile longer, worried for both his cousin and Gatsbys strong belief in this almost unbelievable yet remarkable faith.
"Don't worry old sport, don't worry. I can protect her here." Nick shook his head and chuckled shortly. He had no doubt about that, it was her and his happiness he worried most about, about what might happen if all went wrong.
He looked at Nick a minute longer then smiled pleasantly. "I noticed you and Miss Baker having a wonderful time. I might turn you two into performers for my next party." Nick chuckled, shrugging as he lightly bumped his arm.
"Come now old sport. I saw the way you looked at her. That look in your eye reminded me of the exact way I looked when I first gazed upon Daisy Fay."
Nick looked at him as if he hadn't heard him right. In love with her? He would hardly call anything held between them love, & to even compare that to the love Gatsby held for Daisy was quite an exaggeration. Even if he did love her, in no way could it be to that extent. She was still too cynical, too selfish, too reckless, the list was simply to long to think anything else. They enjoyed eachothers company when company was necessary, nothing more.
He walked past and stopped before heading up the steps. "Disagree all you want old sport. Just don't let her go. When you look at her like that… it means something, You'll regret it if you think anything less- and I promise you'd never be able to look at anyone else that way again. It will be the greatest mistake you ever make."
Nick watched him walk up the steps into the mansion before waking on to his own home where that woman they fondly spoke of awaited him, thinking about how he highly doubted there was any truth to anything Gatsby just said to him.
"Goodnight old sport. Oh, and you're wrong about the past old sport, you're wrong."
He nodded as if to see which one of them would be right in the end. He doubted love, true, honest, everlasting love could exist for any of them, not in this time and place anyway.