Chapter 1: Annie's mistake

During an evening of restless channel surfing, Jeff pauses on Glee. A couple of things occur to him while his soul slowly withers. First of all, how is this still on the air? Secondly, why is he exposing himself to this shit? The existence of Glee is usually enough to make him irrationally angry. Yet, despite actually watching it now, he can't tap into his customary anger. He wonders why.

Wearily, he ogles the screen. The show is doing a Seal episode this week, so yeah, that's... something. He hasn't thought about that day at the mall in years. That is, however, no reason to suddenly go soft.

He glances at Annie. She is reading a book and chewing on her bottom lip. The picture of complete focus. Doesn't matter whether she is reading Twilight for the umpteenth time (to later complain to him about how weak a character Bella is) or grading papers.

It continues to amaze Jeff how into things she can be. Everything always has to be attacked with the same intense, and often scary, dedication or she simply doesn't bother. No half-assing for Annie.

Without taking her eyes off the page, she pulls a notepad across the table and scribbles down a few words. Looking at her, Jeff realises that he can't sum up any indignation over Glee's refusal to die, die, die already because he is happy. That epiphany disturbs him a little. Sue him: it is hard to get accustomed to... emotions. Quickly, he turns off the TV and gets up from the couch.

When he approaches her from behind – a thing he personally hates, but which Annie doesn't mind – the first thing he notices is her perfume. It is flowery and feminine without being too sweet. Annie has been wearing the same perfume for years now. It kills him that he knows this.

The next thing he notices isn't one thing at all. It is several things at once. Her hair gathered up in a ponytail. The distinct way she tilts her head when she concentrates on a specific paragraph. The nape of her neck. Her smooth skin. The gentle slope of her slender shoulders. How straight her back is. Every curve is familiar.

Taking a deep breath, he steadies himself. Nerves are unnecessary. Annie has practically told him that she wants this. Still, he's going to test the waters first. Just to be safe. He's been meaning to do that for weeks. She wants this, Jeff reminds himself. So, this should be easy, right? Probably not, but he'll take whatever non-existent comfort he can get.

'Annie?'

'Uh-huh?' she murmurs, but she isn't really paying attention. She doesn't look up when he sits down next to her.

'It's going pretty well, huh?' he asks. Annie hums in response. Not a note of a song; just a soft 'hmmm.' Jeff decides to interpret it as a sign that she agrees with him.

'I was thinking that this apartment is too small for two people and I don't know what you want to do later...'

His voice pathetically trails off, but at least it seems to register with Annie that he is trying to tell her something important. She uses a finger to mark her place on the page. Then she leans in and kisses him. Surprised, Jeff blinks.

'I don't know. See a movie?' she absentmindedly suggests, before resuming her reading. Jeff stifles a maniacal laugh. Why is he so damn nervous? He clears his throat.

'Whatever you want to do is fine with me. Either way, we could use some extra space. But if we move we'll have to do the whole thing with the cards.'

Embarrassed, he shuts up. He is rambling now. What the hell is happening? This time Annie closes her book properly and looks at him.

'You mean that I have to take care of the cards,' she surmises. For a second, he thinks that she sounds annoyed, but she adds in a lighter tone, 'That's okay; I like that.'

None of this seems to faze her at all. Maybe she doesn't understand. Maybe he should be clearer, but 'extra space' is as far as Jeff's willing to go. He seriously doubts that he can choke out the phrase 'in case we want to have kids.' All this talk of the dreaded later is already freaking him out.

'We'd have to have a party too. Social convention dictates it. So, since we'd be organising a party for the moving anyway, I thought we could wrap up a few other things in one go.'

Okay, he could not be going at this in a more roundabout way, but this is actually a good suggestion. It will save them the hassle of having to deal with Troy and Abed's absurdity at multiple parties. Sometimes the line between quirky and full-blown insanity is awfully thin when it comes to their antics. Annie appears to be reasoning along similar lines, because she nods thoughtfully while she rubs at the giant watermark on the table. Last time they'd thrown a party, Troy and Abed had arrived equipped with water pistols. Why? That will forever remain a mystery to Jeff.

'We could do your birthday at the same time and mine too. Then we don't have to see those people again for a while,' he proposes. He's only half-kidding.

'Jeff! Those people are our friends,' she chides him. She is smiling though. God, she looks so beautiful when she smiles. It's distracting. Determined to – eventually - get to the topic he really - well, kinda - wants to discuss, Jeff opts to resist the urge to kiss her.

'Shirley will disapprove. Of course. Again,' he points out. Annie rolls her eyes and looks adorable while doing so. He wants to know her secret, because any form of sarcasm simply makes him look mean. It is also becoming increasingly age inappropriate, especially the eye rolling.

'Because we're living in sin; delicious sin,' Annie interjects. She folds her hands in her lap and gives him the look. The look is demure, but flirty at the same time. Its intoxicating combination of fluttering eye lashes and big blue eyes makes her look all of eighteen years old. It is unsettling and a turn on. Unsettling because it is a turn on. Jeff suspects that she is fully aware of this and does it to mess with him. That doesn't make it any easier to ignore, however.

'Stay on topic, Annie,' he sternly says. His voice is doing this weird wobbly thing and he could have sworn it cracked and this is fucking humiliating. He is so unprepared for this. Wouldn't it be great if he could have attended a tutorial given by some former jackass to warn unsuspecting soon-to-be-ex-jackasses?

Folks, let me tell you something about caring. Don't do it. I used to be like you and look at me now. I'm a wreck. Having feelings all over the place. It's hell. There's still hope for you. Just say no. Save yourself.

The worst thing is that, even knowing what he knows now, he wouldn't listen. Yeah sure; caring sucks. But if he didn't care, he wouldn't have Annie. What does it matter that he can't even get through a sentence without behaving like an idiot? She's worth it.

Annie seems to know that something is up or perhaps she's just alarmed at his uncharacteristic anxiety. There's no way that this is going to sound as casual as he had in mind, but he has to get this out of the way. Otherwise he is never going to say it. Nervously, he swallows.

'While we're at it, I thought we could have an engagement party. Get that over with, as it were,' he says. He has no idea where did that stupid 'as it where' came from. A long silence follows. Annie narrows her eyes and puts her hand over his.

'Be honest,' she demands. She pauses there. For effect, Jeff thinks. His heart is racing. Then she leans closer, before inquiring, in a confidential whisper, 'Am I pregnant?'

A dry chuckle is all Jeff can manage as she pulls away. Honestly, he is surprised by how much he liked that. Not that Annie is unfunny, but under the circumstances he hadn't expected to be amused. Afraid; sure. Amused; not so much. He feels himself start to relax. Maybe this won't be so bad.

'Ha. Funny,' he responds. His voice isn't back to its reliable self yet and as a result it comes out a little sharper than intended.

'Jeff Winger, are you asking me to marry you?'

Annie sounds coy, but less playful than before. Her question is tentative. She is also staring at him as if he's not the real Jeff. That is not beyond the realm of possibility, Jeff thinks. It would seem that new Jeff, who has been in place for a while now, has zero issues with commitment. Apart from a completely understandable and healthy apprehension, obviously.

'Of course I am,' he says. That came out completely wrong. Sarcastic and mean. Fortunately, Annie isn't scared off that easily.

'You're serious. Wow, what happened to 'just nut up and die alone?'' she asks. Cringing, he remembers that moment. That was old Jeff talking. He's pretty sure that old Jeff wouldn't get within ten feet of this conversation. To be fair though; old Jeff was kind of a dick.

'We've been together for a few years now...'

'Three,' Annie interrupts.

'And I think it's going well.'

'You said that already. Yes, I was listening.'

'You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?'

'Yes.'

He glares at her. She enjoys taunting him, but he knows her. He studies her body language: her calm gaze, her smile and her still hands. Annie is an open book if you know how to read her and Jeff does. She's nervous too.

'Okay,' Jeff mumbles, steeling himself.

'Marriage is not a mutual cop out,' he drones. Unimpressed, she crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow.

'Okay, okay. Life's not too long to spend with someone else. If I get to share it with you, it will be too short,' he says. This time it sounds sincere. Annie leans closer again and he assumes he will get to hear another joke. What he gets is a way out.

'You don't have to do this. I'm staying,' she gently reminds him.

'I know that.'

There's a slight pause as Annie considers how to respond. Clearly, she has no problems with marriage. The wedding scrapbook in their bookcase attests to that. If she has a problem it must be him. Annie frowns and Jeff forgets to breathe.

'You didn't propose the way it's supposed to be done,' she very quietly remarks.

'Yeah, I don't have a ring yet either. So, what do you think?' Jeff prompts. Even though this wasn't an actual proposal, he could have handled it a lot better. It's kind of disappointing to have old defence mechanisms resurface. He thought he was past that. Luckily, Annie doesn't care. She's ecstatic. Jeff feels inexplicably relieved when she beams at him.

'Ring Schming,' she exclaims dismissively. This makes Jeff decide to go buy a ring as soon as possible. That is, if she agrees to marry him. She kisses him. It starts with an innocent kiss at the corner of his mouth. In a matter of seconds, she is in his lap. His lips press against hers. The chair groans. They both ignore it. Her tongue wets his throat. She makes these hungry little noises that should be illegal.

His arms slip around her waist, gathering her closer. He lets her ponytail slide through his fingers. Her hair is so soft. He feels that he knows everything about her. How she moves. How she feels. How she tastes. How come he doesn't know her answer? He thinks that he knows, but he isn't sure. Annie nips one last time at his throat before looking into his eyes.

'My parents said that you were a mistake, remember that? If you are, Jeff, I think that you're the best mistake I ever made. Fiancé,' she whispers in his ear. They smile at each other. Annie hitches her legs up and Jeff stands to carry her to the bedroom.

'Hmm, your mistake. I can live with that.'