Fic: 5 Ways Annie & Jeff Might Spend Her 21st Birthday- Way 5
Title: No Strings Attached
Word Count: 5630
Rating: M(ish)
Disclaimer: Dan Harmon owns all of this
Annie took a deep breath and let it out before peeking around the pillar she was hiding behind. Jeff sat alone at a booth in the middle of the almost completely empty cafeteria. Squaring her shoulders, she strode forward and took a seat opposite him. He nodded slightly, acknowledging her presence before turning back to his macaroni.
After a minute’s silence, Annie cleared her throat. Jeff glanced up, his eyebrows raised in question. “I was just wondering…” Annie trailed off unsurely, chickening out. “…if you have the anthropology notes for the quiz today?”
Jeff smirked. “I hope that means that you’re offering them to me.”
Annie reached into her backpack and handed him a stapled stack of papers before placing her hands on the table primly. “It’s my birthday tomorrow,” she stated, as if she was just realizing it at that moment.
Jeff’s face cleared and he offered her a genuinely warm smile. “Really?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. “Let me guess…forty- three?” he asked with a smirk. Annie narrowed her eyes in response before trying unsuccessfully to smother a grin. “See what I did? Was make you way older.”
“I got it,” Annie remarked sarcastically.
Jeff took a sip from his Red Bull. “So, what do you want for your birthday?”
Annie leveled him with a stare. “Sex.”
Jeff froze and blinked at her a few times in rapid succession. Annie watched as he swallowed in an exaggerated fashion and then glanced at his watch. “Well, I have forty-five minutes before my next class. Would you like me to ask Leonard to leave us in peace?” Annie glanced to her left and stared at the old man, who was currently battling an orange. He looked up at the mention of his name and gave them the finger.
“Ew, no.” Annie wrinkled her nose up before turning back to Jeff. “I made a reservation at a hotel for tomorrow night, and I was thinking-”
“Holy crap,” Jeff interrupted with a strangled hiss. Annie blinked at him. “You’re actually serious, aren’t you?” Annie frowned at him. “You want to have sex.”
Annie nodded firmly. “Yes.” She cleared her throat. “With you.”
“No.“ He shook his head. “You’re joking. Right?”
Annie shook her head. “Jokes start with ‘knock knock’.”
Jeff stared at her, his jaw tensed. “Yeah, see…I was thinking of getting you maybe…like an iTunes gift card.” He pursed his lips for comic effect, but Annie didn’t grin.
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought,” she explained, careful to keep her eyes on the table as she made her point. Looking at him would make her crumble in two seconds.
Jeff raised his Red Bull can to his lips again and took a drink. “I’m sure you have,” he smarmed and Annie, despite her best effort, felt her cheeks heat up. He leaned forward and Annie looked up at him through her thick lashes. “Annie, I’m flattered. I really am.” Jeff sat back and Annie allowed her gaze to follow him. “But I don’t think I need to go into how bad of an idea this is.”
“You do,” Annie stated in a slightly tremulous voice, staring at the forgotten macaroni on his plate.
Jeff paused. “Sorry?”
Annie bit her upper lip in consternation before clarifying. “Why is it a bad idea?”
Jeff gave her a look of alarm, his mouth open, before exhaling loudly. “Okay.” He grimaced as he leaned forward again, resting his forearms on the Formica tabletop between them. “Annie, I know that you think there is something between us.” Annie watched as he stumbled over his next sentence and paused to scrub a large hand over his face in frustration. “Which is…” He took a deep breath and Annie rolled her eyes.
“Jeff,” she said in a low voice. He met her eyes for a brief moment before glancing down at his hands clasped in front of him. “Whatever may or may not be going on with us…” Her mouth twitched. “Look. Yes, I think there is something here, but that is something that has to be there on both…sides…” She gestured at the space between them. “…for it to be real in any way.” Annie deflated at the look of guilt on Jeff’s face. “And that isn’t the case, so…”
Jeff closed his eyes tightly and frowned. “Annie, I can’t just-”
“Relax,” she interrupted quickly. “I just…okay, at some point I am likely going to be rid of whatever magical force field you’ve built around me and you may want to sleep with me.”
“It’s not a matter of not wanting to,” Jeff sighed, and Annie felt his leg start to jiggle in agitation under the table. “It’s…”
“Stop interrupting,” Annie shot out and Jeff stilled. He inhaled and watched her in silence. “As I was saying, you have almost no will at all to speak of and at some point we are going to end up in bed together. It’s inevitable.” Jeff opened his mouth to protest, but Annie just shot him an exasperated look and he closed it again with a snap. “All I’m saying is that is should be sooner rather than later.” She gestured for him to speak.
“And if it ruins our friendship?” he asked immediately, as if he’d been holding the question in his mouth for several minutes.
Annie shrugged. “Then I guess we weren’t that good of friends to begin with.”
Jeff frowned again. “So, this is no strings attached sex.”
“Yup,” Annie agreed with a curt nod. “We’re just ripping a band-aid off.”
Jeff looked gob smacked. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for turning the usually loquacious man in front of her into a mute. “This is the strangest proposition I’ve ever gotten, and I have had some really-”
“Okay,” Annie waved him off. “Ew.”
“Annie,” his voice was very quiet and Annie had to strain to hear him. “Did you go see that movie with Ashton Kutcher and Queen Amadala?”
Annie furrowed her brow in confusion before getting it and rolling her eyes at him. “Jeff, I’m not under some delusion that having sex with me will cause you to fall hopelessly in love with me.” Jeff raised an eyebrow. “But I also think it’s unfair that I’m the only female that you keep at arm’s length.” She crossed her arms over her chest petulantly. “And I don’t want to be the only woman on campus who you haven’t slept with.” Jeff sighed and closed his eyes. Annie took a deep steadying breath. She was almost home free. “And I mean, according to Britta, sleeping with you is more likely to make me lose feelings for you.”
Jeff’s eyes flew open in horror. “What‘s that supposed to mean?” he squeaked.
Annie kept her face as straight as possible. “Oh, nothing. She just has given the impression that it isn’t that good.”
He eyed her warily for a moment before allowing his face to soften thoughtfully. “And how long do I have before I have to make this huge decision.”
Annie looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. “I have class in a couple minutes.” She turned back to give him a pointed look.
“What? Now?” he asked, his voice creeping into a high register. “I have to decide this right now with Garrett ten feet away from me eating a burrito?” Annie turned her head to the right and took in the sight Jeff had just described with a scrunched up face. She sighed and rose from her seat.
“Jeff, it’s not a big deal. I just thought…” She trailed off, tucking her hair behind her ear as she hauled her backpack onto her shoulder. “I’ll just ask Troy,” she finished as she turned from him and began to march away.
“Wait, what?” Jeff called after her. Annie swallowed and spun to look at him, a look of practiced nonchalance on her face. “If I say no, you’re going to Troy?”
“Jeff,” Annie answered in a soothing tone that her mother used to use on her when she was little. “I completely understand that you think this is a big deal and don’t want to cause problems with our friendship.” She reached down and gave his hand a pat. He pulled it away, looking at her as if she’d just set him on fire. “But you asked what I want for my birthday. And I would really like to have sex with a man.” Jeff scrunched up his entire face, as if he was trying to do complex algebra in his head. “Obviously, my first choice is you.” She licked her lips and watched as Jeff’s jaw tensed again. “Despite Britta’s comments, I think you probably know what you’re doing.” He valiantly tried not to smirk at that, but just barely failed. Annie stepped closer, so her hip pressed against the side of the table. “However, if you are unwilling or unable to attend to me in this fashion, I do have a backup in place.”
“Just so we’re clear,” Jeff asked with a narrowed eyes. “If I tell you I don’t want to have sex with you, you’re going to go have sex with Troy?”
Annie took a deep breath and counted to ten in her head. She waited until she was sure she had his attention before looking him squarely in the eye. “Yes.” The adrenaline was shooting through her veins now and she could almost taste the victory she was seeking out.
Jeff stared blankly at his macaroni, deep in concentration. Annie watched as he mentally processed what she was asking of him. “You really….?” He glanced up at her, something close to desperation on his face.
Annie smiled at him reassuringly. “I have class, Jeff. I’ll see you in study group.”
“I…” Jeff coughed. “Yeah, see you later.”
Annie offered him a tight smile and strode back out of the cafeteria, careful to keep her back as straight as possible. It wasn’t until she was out of his eye line that she allowed her body to sag and let the air out of her lungs.
The next ten hours were spent at a level of anxiety that Annie had not experienced since her pill addiction. She played the conversation with Jeff over and over in her head, trying to pick apart every facial expression he’d worn and wishing she had a single female friend that she could actually discuss this with. She went online and searched for ‘may december romance’ on Google and was pleasantly surprised to see people on the internet were mostly in favor of it. Unable to simply sit at home waiting for her phone to vibrate with a text from Jeff telling her that he couldn’t bring himself to do this, Annie drove to the mall. She was sure all she would end up leaving with was a Cinnabon like usually, but at the last minute she’d wandered into Victoria’s Secret and had ended up buying a new bra with matching underwear. They were black and lacy, unlike anything that Annie had owned before. Together they cost what she would spend on gas in a month, but whether or not someone would be seeing them tomorrow night, Annie decided she needed them.
The next morning Annie was accosted by Shirley, who demanded why she hadn’t told anyone it was her birthday. Before Annie could even get out her question, Shirley answered for her.
“Jeff called me this morning to tell me he wasn’t going to be around today,” she explained as she readjusted her large bag on her shoulder. “He has some sort of business with his old law firm today that he has to take care of.” Annie let all of the air out of her lungs dejectedly. He had called Shirley to tell her he wasn’t going to come to class all day. That was the most passive aggressive brush off Annie had ever heard of. “And he mentioned that it is your birthday today and we should bug you about it as much as possible.” Annie forced a smile onto her face, knowing that Shirley was trying to tease her. The truth was, she felt like running to the bathroom and crying for the rest of the day. Subconsciously, she slid a thumb under her purple cardigan at the shoulder and touched the strap of her new bra for a moment before making a lame excuse to Shirley and rushing away.
Classes passed in a blur, with Annie not even caring enough to turn on her digital recorder to catch what she missed while she sulked through her day. By the time Annie dropped into her chair in study room at four that afternoon, she had fully committed to her deep funk.
“Seriously,” Britta said in a flat tone. “What is your deal today?”
“Go easy on her,” Pierce answered for Annie. “Getting older is not easy.” Annie glanced over at him and he gave her an understanding smile which Annie didn’t return.
At that moment, Troy and Abed entered with Shirley on their heels. Troy wore a party hat and Abed carried a large pie in his arms, complete with two large number candles wedged into the top crust. They grandly placed it on the table in front of her and despite every mental lecture Annie had put herself through that day, she grinned up that them sincerely.
“Thanks you guys,” she said as she examined the pie. “But can I ask, why a pie?”
“Because pie is awesome?” Troy replied as if it should be the most obvious answer in the world. Annie nodded her understanding. She watched as everyone else in the room made eye contact with each other and then Shirley cleared her throat and began to sing.
“Happy birthday to you,” she crooned in a smooth tone.
Annie felt her eyes well up with unexpected tears and had to stare down at the table as they continued to sing to her. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had done something like this for her and knowing how fleeting friendship could be, couldn’t count on it happening again. She felt her phone vibrate on the table but ignored it in favor of joining in with everyone else as they ate pie right out of the tin and all gossiped about whether or not the dean actually had a sister.
As Annie left the study room, she actually felt most of the weight she’d been carrying on her shoulders all day slip away. Jeff had made a decision, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it now. She only hoped that the conversation wouldn’t harm their friendship. Shaking it off, Annie stepped into the late afternoon sunlight and belatedly remembered to check her cell phone. Most likely, it was her father calling to wish her happy birthday and remind her that she should at least call her mother soon. But it wasn’t her father, not even close.
Jeff had texted her.
Annie silently debated to herself as she stood frozen on the sidewalk. People milled around her, not realizing she was in crisis apparently. She could delete it and pretend like she’d never received it at all, since there was no way he had anything good to say after ignoring her the entire day. Wincing in almost physical pain, Annie finally just pressed the ‘read’ button and almost passed out.
ok
She re-read the two letters several times in rapid succession, convinced that she was suddenly unable to understand English, because there was no way he’d actually answered that. Maybe someone had taken his phone and was playing a prank on her? Annie frowned and stuffed her phone into her backpack as she rushed to her car, completely unsure of how he legs or arms worked all of a sudden. When she was a good thirty feet from her car, Annie stopped dead and stared in shock at what was in front of her. Jeff was leaned against her car, glaring into the sunset, party hat perched purposely askew on his head. She could tell from his body language that he was attempting to appear relaxed and indifferent to everything around him. Feeling her stomach tie itself into three hundred intricate little knots, Annie approached him slowly. He watched her silently as she came closer, but didn’t move or acknowledge her until she was right in front of him.
“Nice hat,” she offered to him timidly with a wavering smile.
He didn’t return the smile, but simply looked down at her with furrowed brows. “Thanks.”
Annie swallowed, her tongue suddenly feeling huge and very dry. “I…” She paused and tried again. “I-”
“I’ll follow you,” he said abruptly and then waited for Annie to say something. She nodded silently and watched as he stalked off, frowning at his retreating figure. What was happening? Quickly, she climbed into her car and drove without thinking to the Sheraton she’d made reservations at the morning prior. Her dad had sent her a birthday check the previous week and Annie had decided that this was what the money was going to go toward. Of course, when her dad asked what she’d done with the money, she was probably not going to tell him that she spent it on a hotel room so she could have sex with a much older man. She pulled into the parking lot, half convinced that Jeff had just been playing her and was not going to actually follow her. Annie had been too distracted on the drive over to even pay attention to whether or not he was behind her. She put her car in park and rested her head against the steering wheel, fingers squeezing so tightly they turned white. A full minute later, Annie raised her head and realized she was face to face with Jeff, whose Lexus sat opposite her own car. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. Annie grimaced back before awkwardly getting out of her car. He met her easily, standing in her personal space. The effect was dizzying to Annie, who started rambling almost incoherently.
“I wasn’t sure you were going to come, or even give me an answer and I’ve been a little on edge all day an-” She was cut off by Jeff’s lips pressed against her own. Two large hands cradled her face and pulled her more upright so he didn’t have to stoop so low. Before Annie really had a chance to reciprocate, Jeff pulled away. She followed him for a moment before regaining her composure.
“Annie, relax.” His voice was calm and the disinterest he’d been showing in the school parking lot was completely gone. She nodded up at him, trying to convince herself as much as him. “You’re good?” Annie continued to nod, her eyes on his mouth. “Annie?” She surged forward and pressed her lips back against his. He sighed into her mouth and kissed her back for a moment before ending.
“Yeah,” Annie answered with a short nod. She inhaled deeply before smiling up at him. “Let’s go.”
“You taste like pie,” Jeff noted.
Annie grinned to herself. “Yeah, you shouldn’t have skipped out on study group.”
He followed her in to the hotel and wandered toward the elevator as she walked up to the front desk. After she had received her key card, Annie turned and strode in the direction of the elevator. Jeff leaned against the wall next to the ‘up’ button, shoulder pressed against the patterned wallpaper. He straightened up at the sight of her and pressed the button to open the door before gesturing for her to enter before him. They rode up to the fifth floor in silence, with Annie merely watching his reflection in the metallic door in front of them. He coughed low in his throat and Annie licked her lips, embarrassed at the physical affect he so easily had on her.
When the door opened with a ding, Jeff stepped off first and waited for her in the hallway. Stealing herself, Annie followed him and when she met his eye she exhaled loudly, her rib cage shaking. His mouth quirked up on one side, but he still didn’t speak to her and Annie merely straightened her back and sauntered past him, making her hips sway as much as she could without being obvious. She slid the card into the slot and waited for the light to turn green before pushing the door open without a glance back to him. He pressed the door more fully open and placed a hand on the small of her back, effectively propelling her forward into the room. She let her eyes wander the décor before slowly spinning to face Jeff. He was looking down at her and Annie felt heat seep into her stomach.
“I‘m here,” he said in a low voice and Annie inhaled sharply. “It’s your move now.”
Summoning every ounce of courage she’d ever had in her life, Annie stepped forward and brought a hand up to his chest. His eyes dropped to watch her fingers as they gently touched a button on his shirt. Then with a force she wasn’t aware she was capable of, Annie grabbed a handful of his shirt and yanked him down and kissed him. Jeff let out a groan that seemed to come from his chest and a moment later his hands settled at her hips, fingertips pressing into her sides. She kissed him aggressively, needing to put as much into it as she could. His mouth broke away from hers and then he was sliding his mouth down the side of her neck, peppering her with kisses as his scruff left a burning sensation in its wake. Annie reached up blindly and started to push his jacket off of his shoulders. He took the hint and helped her get it off before pulling her back to him almost possessively, crushing their hips together. Annie gasped in surprise at the sensation and then his mouth was covering hers again.
She was being moved backwards quickly and was falling against the mattress before she was aware of it. Jeff came with her, carefully holding his own weight off of her with extended arms. Annie reached up and started unbuttoning his shirt even as Jeff finally let his own hand settle against one of her breasts and gently began rubbing his thumb across it through her cardigan. Feeling a sense of urgency, Annie abandoned her own work on Jeff’s clothes and settled for quickly taking off her own shirt. Jeff pulled up from the spot on her neck that he had been tending to and looked down at her with heavy-lidded eyes. Annie swallowed and gazed up at him unsurely. He smiled lazily and leaned down to nuzzle first the right and then the left breast and Annie felt her nipples harden painfully. She whimpered and Jeff chuckled, his chest vibrating against her own. Giving up with his buttons, Annie reached for the hem of his shirt and hauled it over his head. Jeff grumbled in protest, but quickly became distracted as he worked his mouth down her stomach. When he reached the waistband of her short denim skirt, he gazed up her torso and Annie nodded fervently without having to hear the question. Slowly, he unzipped it and peeled it down her legs, his hands brushing against the exposed skin as he went. On the trip back up, his fingertips skimmed the inside of her leg. Annie sat up and greedily reached for the fly on his jeans and worked it open quickly before pushing her hand into the opening of his boxers and touching him for the first time.
“Annie,” he choked out and she stilled at the sound of his voice. It was like shining a bright light onto a crime scene or jumping into a lake that was on the verge of freezing. Suddenly, she knew this was all very wrong. He glanced up at her, his eyes cloudy and Annie slowly pulled her hand away from him before physically moving up the bed and away from him, cursing herself even as she did it. Jeff stared at her, his expression sharpening in the waning light that was bleeding into the room from the gap in the heavy curtains. She settled on her knees, arms wrapped around her naked midsection, and looked at him with wide eyes. “What just happened?” he asked quietly. He didn’t sound angry or even surprised, just…curious.
“I…” Annie faltered and stared down at the loud floral print on the comforter they were sitting on. “I need to tell you something.”
She could feel Jeff’s eyes on her, but couldn’t bring herself to actually look up at him. “Okay,” he finally answered. She felt his weight shift off of the bed and heard him pull his zipper back up before she watched him out of the corner of her eye as he settled back into the armchair in the corner of the room. “Are you okay?” he asked and Annie nodded. “Annie, look at me.” She finally glanced up at him and was immediately sorry she had. Jeff had a way of reading her that was unnerving and she was already literally naked in front of him, he didn’t deserve any advantage in this situation. “What’s going on?”
Annie frowned and tore her eyes away from his again. “I thought I could do this,” she said simply after a moment. “But I…don’t…” She shook her head.
“Want to?” Jeff supplied.
Annie let out a shuddering laugh then, and it surprised both of them. “It’s definitely not that,” she answered. “I lied to you.” Jeff hummed, but didn’t say anything. “I manipulated you …because…” Annie sighed.
“Because?” Jeff prompted slowly.
“Because I’m a selfish person and I know I’ll never get to have you in any real way.” It was almost cathartic, talking this baldly with him about him. “So I tried to use guilt and manipulation and capitalize on the fact that it’s my birthday to get you to do something that you didn’t really want to do.” Her arms tightened around her stomach self-consciously, hoping that this was the most awkward situation she would ever have to be in.
“I see,” he finally replied in a detached tone.
Annie swallowed down the sick feeling that was working its way up her throat and continued on. “But I think…I think that I don’t want to do this…like this.” She felt a rueful smile twist her lips. “If we ever do this, I want it to be because you…” she let her voice drop to just above a whisper. “…you can’t help yourself.” With a self pitying shrug, Annie slumped slightly against the bed.
Jeff expelled all the air that was in his lungs and Annie watched as he rose from the chair and moved toward her. She eyed him uncertainly as he bent to retrieve his shirt from the floor where she’d thrown it only a minute earlier. But instead of putting it on, he handed it to her, keeping his eyes dutifully on the bed as Annie gratefully took it and slipped it over her shoulders. “Annie,” he stated as he sat down on the very edge of the bed. “I’m… really good at reading people.” She looked at him curiously. “I was able to make a living as a lawyer without an actual degree because I’m that good at reading people.”
“Okay,” she slowly said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
He met her gaze. “I knew what you were doing, Annie.”
She felt wave after wave of mortification roll over her in quick succession, making a hollow ringing noise in her ears and then brought her hands up to cover her face. “Oh my god,” she moaned quietly. “You knew what I was doing the whole time?”
“Yeah, but it’s not…” Jeff gently touched one spot on her kneecap and Annie flinched. “I told you, you’re not good at being selfish yet.”
Annie pulled her hands away from her face and stared at him. “If you knew what I was doing, why are you here?”
Jeff sighed and winced. “Because I am good at being selfish.” She narrowed her eyes in confusion. “Annie, I…” He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and Annie bit her lip at the thought of why it was in such disarray. “There’s something here,” he finally said in a quiet voice. “I don’t know what it is and I don’t know that I want to know what it is, because labeling it immediately makes it that much harder to deal with.”
“I’m not crazy,” Annie intoned, more to herself than to Jeff, “to think…” She glanced forlornly up at the ceiling. “I bought new underwear.” She didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry at the confession.
“It’s…” Jeff trailed off and puffed out his cheeks before narrowing his eyes and nodding.
“So,” she murmured haltingly after a moment. “What now?”
“Annie,” Jeff closed his eyes. “I am incapable of doing anything more than casual sex and you are incapable of anything less than a real relationship, so I’m not sure what else there is.” Annie opened her mouth to protest, but Jeff stopped her. “And when we start throwing around phrases like ’Professor Slater’ and ’no strings attached’, things get even messier and…” he sighed. “I guess, in the long run I would rather be ’that old jackass from college who wouldn’t put out’ than ’the guy who was so horrible I became a lesbian’.”
Annie laughed at this and physically relaxed more completely. In the lingering silence that followed, she spoke as honestly as she could. “I really like you, Jeff.”
He let out what sounded almost like a chuckle at that. “I really like you too, Annie.” She smiled at that without meeting his gaze. “It’s because I like you so much that I don’t think we should…cross that line right now.” Annie closed her eyes, willing him away and hoping against hope that when she opened her eyes it was 2009 again. “I mean, if I didn’t like you so much, I would have tried to sleep with you a year ago when we met.” Annie’s eyes opened cautiously and she watched him. “Or after the debate, when I really wanted to, or last May after the dance or last fall when you lost your mind and made everyone get naked in the study room-”
“You peeked?” Annie interjected, surprised at his candor.
“-or right now,” he pressed on, his eyes sliding down to her chest, which was still mostly exposed. “So you might want to put your clothes back on soonish.” Annie awkwardly scooted off the side of the bed and bent to retrieve her clothes from the floor. When she straightened, she caught Jeff’s eye and he gave her a guilty smile. She rolled her eyes at him before shrugging out of his shirt and handing it back to him. They each re-dressed in silence, keeping their eyes averted from the other and then she dropped back onto the mattress next to him.
“Maybe not knowing is better,” Annie finally said quietly. “Kind of …exciting?” Jeff turned to face her, but she wouldn’t look at him for fear of giving herself away to him completely. “I just…I want you to need me or…need you to want me…” She shook her head, not sure what she was trying to say.
“Actually the lyrics go ’I want you to want me, I need you to need me’,” Jeff corrected with a smile. “But that song came out way before you were born, so don’t feel bad about it.” Annie tried to laugh, but it came out more like a groan. “So…the band-aid is staying on.”
Annie nodded. “Yeah,” she finally answered quietly. “If we take it off, we might expose a wound to…something,” she finished lamely, scrunching up her face at what she’d just said.
“You’re enjoying that metaphor, aren’t you?” he cracked with a smile.
“Please don’t tell anyone about…this.” Annie begged quietly. Jeff shot her an incredulous look.
“Damn, and I was planning on tweeting this as soon as I got home,” he answered, rolling his eyes at her in disbelief.
“Thank you,” Annie intoned softly with a smile. He returned the smile easily, as if they hadn’t just had a half-naked conversation about the possibility of having sex.
“Let’s get out of here,” Jeff announced, giving her knee a light punch. “We can go get birthday pancakes, my treat.”
Annie eyed him in surprise. “Carbs? Are you sure?”
Jeff thought about it for a moment before nodding his head. “Yeah, but now I’ll have to do sit ups later.” He motioned for her to lead the way out of the room.
“Like you weren’t going to do that anyway,” Annie shot back over her shoulder and saw Jeff grin. She opened the door and turned to face him. “Um, just so I know that all hope isn’t…lost, in ten years when I’m fresh off of my first divorce and you’re fully immersed in your mid-life crisis…?” she asked daringly.
“God, absolutely,” he answered with a smirk. They paused in the doorway, closer than they should be for what had just transpired, and looked at each other fondly. Annie felt her heartbeat speed up and her stomach squirm slightly in spite of everything. “Happy birthday,” he said in a voice just above a whisper. Annie smiled up at him.
“Thanks,” she replied.
“Pancakes?” he asked brightly after a beat, effectively breaking the moment. Annie nodded in agreement.
“Pancakes.”
***
Okay, so I read all of these in row last night and realized that I apparently have some anger/sadness issues about my own upcoming birthday because all of these were kind of...sad. So, I'm thinking something happy and silly for the next one I write. Broken elevator? Fake Boyfriend? Reverse 'Big'?
Word Count: 5630
Rating: M(ish)
Disclaimer: Dan Harmon owns all of this
Annie took a deep breath and let it out before peeking around the pillar she was hiding behind. Jeff sat alone at a booth in the middle of the almost completely empty cafeteria. Squaring her shoulders, she strode forward and took a seat opposite him. He nodded slightly, acknowledging her presence before turning back to his macaroni.
After a minute’s silence, Annie cleared her throat. Jeff glanced up, his eyebrows raised in question. “I was just wondering…” Annie trailed off unsurely, chickening out. “…if you have the anthropology notes for the quiz today?”
Jeff smirked. “I hope that means that you’re offering them to me.”
Annie reached into her backpack and handed him a stapled stack of papers before placing her hands on the table primly. “It’s my birthday tomorrow,” she stated, as if she was just realizing it at that moment.
Jeff’s face cleared and he offered her a genuinely warm smile. “Really?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. “Let me guess…forty- three?” he asked with a smirk. Annie narrowed her eyes in response before trying unsuccessfully to smother a grin. “See what I did? Was make you way older.”
“I got it,” Annie remarked sarcastically.
Jeff took a sip from his Red Bull. “So, what do you want for your birthday?”
Annie leveled him with a stare. “Sex.”
Jeff froze and blinked at her a few times in rapid succession. Annie watched as he swallowed in an exaggerated fashion and then glanced at his watch. “Well, I have forty-five minutes before my next class. Would you like me to ask Leonard to leave us in peace?” Annie glanced to her left and stared at the old man, who was currently battling an orange. He looked up at the mention of his name and gave them the finger.
“Ew, no.” Annie wrinkled her nose up before turning back to Jeff. “I made a reservation at a hotel for tomorrow night, and I was thinking-”
“Holy crap,” Jeff interrupted with a strangled hiss. Annie blinked at him. “You’re actually serious, aren’t you?” Annie frowned at him. “You want to have sex.”
Annie nodded firmly. “Yes.” She cleared her throat. “With you.”
“No.“ He shook his head. “You’re joking. Right?”
Annie shook her head. “Jokes start with ‘knock knock’.”
Jeff stared at her, his jaw tensed. “Yeah, see…I was thinking of getting you maybe…like an iTunes gift card.” He pursed his lips for comic effect, but Annie didn’t grin.
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought,” she explained, careful to keep her eyes on the table as she made her point. Looking at him would make her crumble in two seconds.
Jeff raised his Red Bull can to his lips again and took a drink. “I’m sure you have,” he smarmed and Annie, despite her best effort, felt her cheeks heat up. He leaned forward and Annie looked up at him through her thick lashes. “Annie, I’m flattered. I really am.” Jeff sat back and Annie allowed her gaze to follow him. “But I don’t think I need to go into how bad of an idea this is.”
“You do,” Annie stated in a slightly tremulous voice, staring at the forgotten macaroni on his plate.
Jeff paused. “Sorry?”
Annie bit her upper lip in consternation before clarifying. “Why is it a bad idea?”
Jeff gave her a look of alarm, his mouth open, before exhaling loudly. “Okay.” He grimaced as he leaned forward again, resting his forearms on the Formica tabletop between them. “Annie, I know that you think there is something between us.” Annie watched as he stumbled over his next sentence and paused to scrub a large hand over his face in frustration. “Which is…” He took a deep breath and Annie rolled her eyes.
“Jeff,” she said in a low voice. He met her eyes for a brief moment before glancing down at his hands clasped in front of him. “Whatever may or may not be going on with us…” Her mouth twitched. “Look. Yes, I think there is something here, but that is something that has to be there on both…sides…” She gestured at the space between them. “…for it to be real in any way.” Annie deflated at the look of guilt on Jeff’s face. “And that isn’t the case, so…”
Jeff closed his eyes tightly and frowned. “Annie, I can’t just-”
“Relax,” she interrupted quickly. “I just…okay, at some point I am likely going to be rid of whatever magical force field you’ve built around me and you may want to sleep with me.”
“It’s not a matter of not wanting to,” Jeff sighed, and Annie felt his leg start to jiggle in agitation under the table. “It’s…”
“Stop interrupting,” Annie shot out and Jeff stilled. He inhaled and watched her in silence. “As I was saying, you have almost no will at all to speak of and at some point we are going to end up in bed together. It’s inevitable.” Jeff opened his mouth to protest, but Annie just shot him an exasperated look and he closed it again with a snap. “All I’m saying is that is should be sooner rather than later.” She gestured for him to speak.
“And if it ruins our friendship?” he asked immediately, as if he’d been holding the question in his mouth for several minutes.
Annie shrugged. “Then I guess we weren’t that good of friends to begin with.”
Jeff frowned again. “So, this is no strings attached sex.”
“Yup,” Annie agreed with a curt nod. “We’re just ripping a band-aid off.”
Jeff looked gob smacked. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for turning the usually loquacious man in front of her into a mute. “This is the strangest proposition I’ve ever gotten, and I have had some really-”
“Okay,” Annie waved him off. “Ew.”
“Annie,” his voice was very quiet and Annie had to strain to hear him. “Did you go see that movie with Ashton Kutcher and Queen Amadala?”
Annie furrowed her brow in confusion before getting it and rolling her eyes at him. “Jeff, I’m not under some delusion that having sex with me will cause you to fall hopelessly in love with me.” Jeff raised an eyebrow. “But I also think it’s unfair that I’m the only female that you keep at arm’s length.” She crossed her arms over her chest petulantly. “And I don’t want to be the only woman on campus who you haven’t slept with.” Jeff sighed and closed his eyes. Annie took a deep steadying breath. She was almost home free. “And I mean, according to Britta, sleeping with you is more likely to make me lose feelings for you.”
Jeff’s eyes flew open in horror. “What‘s that supposed to mean?” he squeaked.
Annie kept her face as straight as possible. “Oh, nothing. She just has given the impression that it isn’t that good.”
He eyed her warily for a moment before allowing his face to soften thoughtfully. “And how long do I have before I have to make this huge decision.”
Annie looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. “I have class in a couple minutes.” She turned back to give him a pointed look.
“What? Now?” he asked, his voice creeping into a high register. “I have to decide this right now with Garrett ten feet away from me eating a burrito?” Annie turned her head to the right and took in the sight Jeff had just described with a scrunched up face. She sighed and rose from her seat.
“Jeff, it’s not a big deal. I just thought…” She trailed off, tucking her hair behind her ear as she hauled her backpack onto her shoulder. “I’ll just ask Troy,” she finished as she turned from him and began to march away.
“Wait, what?” Jeff called after her. Annie swallowed and spun to look at him, a look of practiced nonchalance on her face. “If I say no, you’re going to Troy?”
“Jeff,” Annie answered in a soothing tone that her mother used to use on her when she was little. “I completely understand that you think this is a big deal and don’t want to cause problems with our friendship.” She reached down and gave his hand a pat. He pulled it away, looking at her as if she’d just set him on fire. “But you asked what I want for my birthday. And I would really like to have sex with a man.” Jeff scrunched up his entire face, as if he was trying to do complex algebra in his head. “Obviously, my first choice is you.” She licked her lips and watched as Jeff’s jaw tensed again. “Despite Britta’s comments, I think you probably know what you’re doing.” He valiantly tried not to smirk at that, but just barely failed. Annie stepped closer, so her hip pressed against the side of the table. “However, if you are unwilling or unable to attend to me in this fashion, I do have a backup in place.”
“Just so we’re clear,” Jeff asked with a narrowed eyes. “If I tell you I don’t want to have sex with you, you’re going to go have sex with Troy?”
Annie took a deep breath and counted to ten in her head. She waited until she was sure she had his attention before looking him squarely in the eye. “Yes.” The adrenaline was shooting through her veins now and she could almost taste the victory she was seeking out.
Jeff stared blankly at his macaroni, deep in concentration. Annie watched as he mentally processed what she was asking of him. “You really….?” He glanced up at her, something close to desperation on his face.
Annie smiled at him reassuringly. “I have class, Jeff. I’ll see you in study group.”
“I…” Jeff coughed. “Yeah, see you later.”
Annie offered him a tight smile and strode back out of the cafeteria, careful to keep her back as straight as possible. It wasn’t until she was out of his eye line that she allowed her body to sag and let the air out of her lungs.
The next ten hours were spent at a level of anxiety that Annie had not experienced since her pill addiction. She played the conversation with Jeff over and over in her head, trying to pick apart every facial expression he’d worn and wishing she had a single female friend that she could actually discuss this with. She went online and searched for ‘may december romance’ on Google and was pleasantly surprised to see people on the internet were mostly in favor of it. Unable to simply sit at home waiting for her phone to vibrate with a text from Jeff telling her that he couldn’t bring himself to do this, Annie drove to the mall. She was sure all she would end up leaving with was a Cinnabon like usually, but at the last minute she’d wandered into Victoria’s Secret and had ended up buying a new bra with matching underwear. They were black and lacy, unlike anything that Annie had owned before. Together they cost what she would spend on gas in a month, but whether or not someone would be seeing them tomorrow night, Annie decided she needed them.
The next morning Annie was accosted by Shirley, who demanded why she hadn’t told anyone it was her birthday. Before Annie could even get out her question, Shirley answered for her.
“Jeff called me this morning to tell me he wasn’t going to be around today,” she explained as she readjusted her large bag on her shoulder. “He has some sort of business with his old law firm today that he has to take care of.” Annie let all of the air out of her lungs dejectedly. He had called Shirley to tell her he wasn’t going to come to class all day. That was the most passive aggressive brush off Annie had ever heard of. “And he mentioned that it is your birthday today and we should bug you about it as much as possible.” Annie forced a smile onto her face, knowing that Shirley was trying to tease her. The truth was, she felt like running to the bathroom and crying for the rest of the day. Subconsciously, she slid a thumb under her purple cardigan at the shoulder and touched the strap of her new bra for a moment before making a lame excuse to Shirley and rushing away.
Classes passed in a blur, with Annie not even caring enough to turn on her digital recorder to catch what she missed while she sulked through her day. By the time Annie dropped into her chair in study room at four that afternoon, she had fully committed to her deep funk.
“Seriously,” Britta said in a flat tone. “What is your deal today?”
“Go easy on her,” Pierce answered for Annie. “Getting older is not easy.” Annie glanced over at him and he gave her an understanding smile which Annie didn’t return.
At that moment, Troy and Abed entered with Shirley on their heels. Troy wore a party hat and Abed carried a large pie in his arms, complete with two large number candles wedged into the top crust. They grandly placed it on the table in front of her and despite every mental lecture Annie had put herself through that day, she grinned up that them sincerely.
“Thanks you guys,” she said as she examined the pie. “But can I ask, why a pie?”
“Because pie is awesome?” Troy replied as if it should be the most obvious answer in the world. Annie nodded her understanding. She watched as everyone else in the room made eye contact with each other and then Shirley cleared her throat and began to sing.
“Happy birthday to you,” she crooned in a smooth tone.
Annie felt her eyes well up with unexpected tears and had to stare down at the table as they continued to sing to her. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had done something like this for her and knowing how fleeting friendship could be, couldn’t count on it happening again. She felt her phone vibrate on the table but ignored it in favor of joining in with everyone else as they ate pie right out of the tin and all gossiped about whether or not the dean actually had a sister.
As Annie left the study room, she actually felt most of the weight she’d been carrying on her shoulders all day slip away. Jeff had made a decision, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it now. She only hoped that the conversation wouldn’t harm their friendship. Shaking it off, Annie stepped into the late afternoon sunlight and belatedly remembered to check her cell phone. Most likely, it was her father calling to wish her happy birthday and remind her that she should at least call her mother soon. But it wasn’t her father, not even close.
Jeff had texted her.
Annie silently debated to herself as she stood frozen on the sidewalk. People milled around her, not realizing she was in crisis apparently. She could delete it and pretend like she’d never received it at all, since there was no way he had anything good to say after ignoring her the entire day. Wincing in almost physical pain, Annie finally just pressed the ‘read’ button and almost passed out.
ok
She re-read the two letters several times in rapid succession, convinced that she was suddenly unable to understand English, because there was no way he’d actually answered that. Maybe someone had taken his phone and was playing a prank on her? Annie frowned and stuffed her phone into her backpack as she rushed to her car, completely unsure of how he legs or arms worked all of a sudden. When she was a good thirty feet from her car, Annie stopped dead and stared in shock at what was in front of her. Jeff was leaned against her car, glaring into the sunset, party hat perched purposely askew on his head. She could tell from his body language that he was attempting to appear relaxed and indifferent to everything around him. Feeling her stomach tie itself into three hundred intricate little knots, Annie approached him slowly. He watched her silently as she came closer, but didn’t move or acknowledge her until she was right in front of him.
“Nice hat,” she offered to him timidly with a wavering smile.
He didn’t return the smile, but simply looked down at her with furrowed brows. “Thanks.”
Annie swallowed, her tongue suddenly feeling huge and very dry. “I…” She paused and tried again. “I-”
“I’ll follow you,” he said abruptly and then waited for Annie to say something. She nodded silently and watched as he stalked off, frowning at his retreating figure. What was happening? Quickly, she climbed into her car and drove without thinking to the Sheraton she’d made reservations at the morning prior. Her dad had sent her a birthday check the previous week and Annie had decided that this was what the money was going to go toward. Of course, when her dad asked what she’d done with the money, she was probably not going to tell him that she spent it on a hotel room so she could have sex with a much older man. She pulled into the parking lot, half convinced that Jeff had just been playing her and was not going to actually follow her. Annie had been too distracted on the drive over to even pay attention to whether or not he was behind her. She put her car in park and rested her head against the steering wheel, fingers squeezing so tightly they turned white. A full minute later, Annie raised her head and realized she was face to face with Jeff, whose Lexus sat opposite her own car. He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. Annie grimaced back before awkwardly getting out of her car. He met her easily, standing in her personal space. The effect was dizzying to Annie, who started rambling almost incoherently.
“I wasn’t sure you were going to come, or even give me an answer and I’ve been a little on edge all day an-” She was cut off by Jeff’s lips pressed against her own. Two large hands cradled her face and pulled her more upright so he didn’t have to stoop so low. Before Annie really had a chance to reciprocate, Jeff pulled away. She followed him for a moment before regaining her composure.
“Annie, relax.” His voice was calm and the disinterest he’d been showing in the school parking lot was completely gone. She nodded up at him, trying to convince herself as much as him. “You’re good?” Annie continued to nod, her eyes on his mouth. “Annie?” She surged forward and pressed her lips back against his. He sighed into her mouth and kissed her back for a moment before ending.
“Yeah,” Annie answered with a short nod. She inhaled deeply before smiling up at him. “Let’s go.”
“You taste like pie,” Jeff noted.
Annie grinned to herself. “Yeah, you shouldn’t have skipped out on study group.”
He followed her in to the hotel and wandered toward the elevator as she walked up to the front desk. After she had received her key card, Annie turned and strode in the direction of the elevator. Jeff leaned against the wall next to the ‘up’ button, shoulder pressed against the patterned wallpaper. He straightened up at the sight of her and pressed the button to open the door before gesturing for her to enter before him. They rode up to the fifth floor in silence, with Annie merely watching his reflection in the metallic door in front of them. He coughed low in his throat and Annie licked her lips, embarrassed at the physical affect he so easily had on her.
When the door opened with a ding, Jeff stepped off first and waited for her in the hallway. Stealing herself, Annie followed him and when she met his eye she exhaled loudly, her rib cage shaking. His mouth quirked up on one side, but he still didn’t speak to her and Annie merely straightened her back and sauntered past him, making her hips sway as much as she could without being obvious. She slid the card into the slot and waited for the light to turn green before pushing the door open without a glance back to him. He pressed the door more fully open and placed a hand on the small of her back, effectively propelling her forward into the room. She let her eyes wander the décor before slowly spinning to face Jeff. He was looking down at her and Annie felt heat seep into her stomach.
“I‘m here,” he said in a low voice and Annie inhaled sharply. “It’s your move now.”
Summoning every ounce of courage she’d ever had in her life, Annie stepped forward and brought a hand up to his chest. His eyes dropped to watch her fingers as they gently touched a button on his shirt. Then with a force she wasn’t aware she was capable of, Annie grabbed a handful of his shirt and yanked him down and kissed him. Jeff let out a groan that seemed to come from his chest and a moment later his hands settled at her hips, fingertips pressing into her sides. She kissed him aggressively, needing to put as much into it as she could. His mouth broke away from hers and then he was sliding his mouth down the side of her neck, peppering her with kisses as his scruff left a burning sensation in its wake. Annie reached up blindly and started to push his jacket off of his shoulders. He took the hint and helped her get it off before pulling her back to him almost possessively, crushing their hips together. Annie gasped in surprise at the sensation and then his mouth was covering hers again.
She was being moved backwards quickly and was falling against the mattress before she was aware of it. Jeff came with her, carefully holding his own weight off of her with extended arms. Annie reached up and started unbuttoning his shirt even as Jeff finally let his own hand settle against one of her breasts and gently began rubbing his thumb across it through her cardigan. Feeling a sense of urgency, Annie abandoned her own work on Jeff’s clothes and settled for quickly taking off her own shirt. Jeff pulled up from the spot on her neck that he had been tending to and looked down at her with heavy-lidded eyes. Annie swallowed and gazed up at him unsurely. He smiled lazily and leaned down to nuzzle first the right and then the left breast and Annie felt her nipples harden painfully. She whimpered and Jeff chuckled, his chest vibrating against her own. Giving up with his buttons, Annie reached for the hem of his shirt and hauled it over his head. Jeff grumbled in protest, but quickly became distracted as he worked his mouth down her stomach. When he reached the waistband of her short denim skirt, he gazed up her torso and Annie nodded fervently without having to hear the question. Slowly, he unzipped it and peeled it down her legs, his hands brushing against the exposed skin as he went. On the trip back up, his fingertips skimmed the inside of her leg. Annie sat up and greedily reached for the fly on his jeans and worked it open quickly before pushing her hand into the opening of his boxers and touching him for the first time.
“Annie,” he choked out and she stilled at the sound of his voice. It was like shining a bright light onto a crime scene or jumping into a lake that was on the verge of freezing. Suddenly, she knew this was all very wrong. He glanced up at her, his eyes cloudy and Annie slowly pulled her hand away from him before physically moving up the bed and away from him, cursing herself even as she did it. Jeff stared at her, his expression sharpening in the waning light that was bleeding into the room from the gap in the heavy curtains. She settled on her knees, arms wrapped around her naked midsection, and looked at him with wide eyes. “What just happened?” he asked quietly. He didn’t sound angry or even surprised, just…curious.
“I…” Annie faltered and stared down at the loud floral print on the comforter they were sitting on. “I need to tell you something.”
She could feel Jeff’s eyes on her, but couldn’t bring herself to actually look up at him. “Okay,” he finally answered. She felt his weight shift off of the bed and heard him pull his zipper back up before she watched him out of the corner of her eye as he settled back into the armchair in the corner of the room. “Are you okay?” he asked and Annie nodded. “Annie, look at me.” She finally glanced up at him and was immediately sorry she had. Jeff had a way of reading her that was unnerving and she was already literally naked in front of him, he didn’t deserve any advantage in this situation. “What’s going on?”
Annie frowned and tore her eyes away from his again. “I thought I could do this,” she said simply after a moment. “But I…don’t…” She shook her head.
“Want to?” Jeff supplied.
Annie let out a shuddering laugh then, and it surprised both of them. “It’s definitely not that,” she answered. “I lied to you.” Jeff hummed, but didn’t say anything. “I manipulated you …because…” Annie sighed.
“Because?” Jeff prompted slowly.
“Because I’m a selfish person and I know I’ll never get to have you in any real way.” It was almost cathartic, talking this baldly with him about him. “So I tried to use guilt and manipulation and capitalize on the fact that it’s my birthday to get you to do something that you didn’t really want to do.” Her arms tightened around her stomach self-consciously, hoping that this was the most awkward situation she would ever have to be in.
“I see,” he finally replied in a detached tone.
Annie swallowed down the sick feeling that was working its way up her throat and continued on. “But I think…I think that I don’t want to do this…like this.” She felt a rueful smile twist her lips. “If we ever do this, I want it to be because you…” she let her voice drop to just above a whisper. “…you can’t help yourself.” With a self pitying shrug, Annie slumped slightly against the bed.
Jeff expelled all the air that was in his lungs and Annie watched as he rose from the chair and moved toward her. She eyed him uncertainly as he bent to retrieve his shirt from the floor where she’d thrown it only a minute earlier. But instead of putting it on, he handed it to her, keeping his eyes dutifully on the bed as Annie gratefully took it and slipped it over her shoulders. “Annie,” he stated as he sat down on the very edge of the bed. “I’m… really good at reading people.” She looked at him curiously. “I was able to make a living as a lawyer without an actual degree because I’m that good at reading people.”
“Okay,” she slowly said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
He met her gaze. “I knew what you were doing, Annie.”
She felt wave after wave of mortification roll over her in quick succession, making a hollow ringing noise in her ears and then brought her hands up to cover her face. “Oh my god,” she moaned quietly. “You knew what I was doing the whole time?”
“Yeah, but it’s not…” Jeff gently touched one spot on her kneecap and Annie flinched. “I told you, you’re not good at being selfish yet.”
Annie pulled her hands away from her face and stared at him. “If you knew what I was doing, why are you here?”
Jeff sighed and winced. “Because I am good at being selfish.” She narrowed her eyes in confusion. “Annie, I…” He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and Annie bit her lip at the thought of why it was in such disarray. “There’s something here,” he finally said in a quiet voice. “I don’t know what it is and I don’t know that I want to know what it is, because labeling it immediately makes it that much harder to deal with.”
“I’m not crazy,” Annie intoned, more to herself than to Jeff, “to think…” She glanced forlornly up at the ceiling. “I bought new underwear.” She didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry at the confession.
“It’s…” Jeff trailed off and puffed out his cheeks before narrowing his eyes and nodding.
“So,” she murmured haltingly after a moment. “What now?”
“Annie,” Jeff closed his eyes. “I am incapable of doing anything more than casual sex and you are incapable of anything less than a real relationship, so I’m not sure what else there is.” Annie opened her mouth to protest, but Jeff stopped her. “And when we start throwing around phrases like ’Professor Slater’ and ’no strings attached’, things get even messier and…” he sighed. “I guess, in the long run I would rather be ’that old jackass from college who wouldn’t put out’ than ’the guy who was so horrible I became a lesbian’.”
Annie laughed at this and physically relaxed more completely. In the lingering silence that followed, she spoke as honestly as she could. “I really like you, Jeff.”
He let out what sounded almost like a chuckle at that. “I really like you too, Annie.” She smiled at that without meeting his gaze. “It’s because I like you so much that I don’t think we should…cross that line right now.” Annie closed her eyes, willing him away and hoping against hope that when she opened her eyes it was 2009 again. “I mean, if I didn’t like you so much, I would have tried to sleep with you a year ago when we met.” Annie’s eyes opened cautiously and she watched him. “Or after the debate, when I really wanted to, or last May after the dance or last fall when you lost your mind and made everyone get naked in the study room-”
“You peeked?” Annie interjected, surprised at his candor.
“-or right now,” he pressed on, his eyes sliding down to her chest, which was still mostly exposed. “So you might want to put your clothes back on soonish.” Annie awkwardly scooted off the side of the bed and bent to retrieve her clothes from the floor. When she straightened, she caught Jeff’s eye and he gave her a guilty smile. She rolled her eyes at him before shrugging out of his shirt and handing it back to him. They each re-dressed in silence, keeping their eyes averted from the other and then she dropped back onto the mattress next to him.
“Maybe not knowing is better,” Annie finally said quietly. “Kind of …exciting?” Jeff turned to face her, but she wouldn’t look at him for fear of giving herself away to him completely. “I just…I want you to need me or…need you to want me…” She shook her head, not sure what she was trying to say.
“Actually the lyrics go ’I want you to want me, I need you to need me’,” Jeff corrected with a smile. “But that song came out way before you were born, so don’t feel bad about it.” Annie tried to laugh, but it came out more like a groan. “So…the band-aid is staying on.”
Annie nodded. “Yeah,” she finally answered quietly. “If we take it off, we might expose a wound to…something,” she finished lamely, scrunching up her face at what she’d just said.
“You’re enjoying that metaphor, aren’t you?” he cracked with a smile.
“Please don’t tell anyone about…this.” Annie begged quietly. Jeff shot her an incredulous look.
“Damn, and I was planning on tweeting this as soon as I got home,” he answered, rolling his eyes at her in disbelief.
“Thank you,” Annie intoned softly with a smile. He returned the smile easily, as if they hadn’t just had a half-naked conversation about the possibility of having sex.
“Let’s get out of here,” Jeff announced, giving her knee a light punch. “We can go get birthday pancakes, my treat.”
Annie eyed him in surprise. “Carbs? Are you sure?”
Jeff thought about it for a moment before nodding his head. “Yeah, but now I’ll have to do sit ups later.” He motioned for her to lead the way out of the room.
“Like you weren’t going to do that anyway,” Annie shot back over her shoulder and saw Jeff grin. She opened the door and turned to face him. “Um, just so I know that all hope isn’t…lost, in ten years when I’m fresh off of my first divorce and you’re fully immersed in your mid-life crisis…?” she asked daringly.
“God, absolutely,” he answered with a smirk. They paused in the doorway, closer than they should be for what had just transpired, and looked at each other fondly. Annie felt her heartbeat speed up and her stomach squirm slightly in spite of everything. “Happy birthday,” he said in a voice just above a whisper. Annie smiled up at him.
“Thanks,” she replied.
“Pancakes?” he asked brightly after a beat, effectively breaking the moment. Annie nodded in agreement.
“Pancakes.”
***
Okay, so I read all of these in row last night and realized that I apparently have some anger/sadness issues about my own upcoming birthday because all of these were kind of...sad. So, I'm thinking something happy and silly for the next one I write. Broken elevator? Fake Boyfriend? Reverse 'Big'?