It's late evening when the group leaves her apartment.
It's not the group anymore, though. She reminds herself sadly, feeling the sad pit inside her heart wrench open again. No Troy, No Pierce.
Her eyes burn and she looks down at hr feet, concentrating on walking downstairs as she accompanies Britta, Jeff and Shirley to their cars in the streetlamp-lit parking lot. She doesn't want anyone to see her tear up (she's been so good the past two days, she hasn't cried at all, she's been strong even though Troy's been packing and now he's gone) so she lets her hair fall in curtains next to her face.
The perks of not pulling my hair back with pins, I guess, she thinks morosely, breathing in fresh air as the four of them reach the parking lot.
She hugs Shirley and Britta goodbye, then turns to see Jeff leaning against his car. He sends her a tiny smile. "Long day?"
She tilts her head and approaches him. "We keep forgetting – it was two days."
He snorts. "Yeah, I keep trying to repress the fact that I've been in the same sweater for two consecutive days."
She giggles, feeling the hole inside her heart close up a little again.
"Hey, at least your hair is still perfect. Mine is a messy nest," she jokes, coming to a stop just a few steps in front of him. Self-consciously, she pats her hair, trying to catch a glimpse of her reflection in Jeff's still shiny Lexus.
"It looks great," he says softly, and she offers him a grateful smile. (A tiny part of her somewhere is blushing, but she'd so comfortable now with Jeff that a compliment from him is just… ah, screw it, who is she trying to fool? These moments still feel good.)
"Honestly, if there's anybody in the study group who can rock the Amazon Warrior Chick look, it's you," Jeff continues, bumping her foot with his.
They smile at each other for a few seconds, and then he straightens up. With a twinge of regret, she steps back and lets him slide into the driver's seat of his car, then pull the door closed.
He starts the engine, and she suddenly wants to do something. There's that weird live-in-the-moment feeling coursing through her veins again.
"Jeff!" She blurts out, raising one hand to slide against the glass window next to his face. (Her reflection – dishevelled, wide eyed, worn – looks a little determined. It bolsters her confidence.)
He shoots her a look of surprise, then stops his movement in the car and slides down the window. "Yeah?"
Before she can talk herself out of it, Annie swoops low and drops a soft kiss on Jeff's lips. She lingers for a moment, and then pulls away.
"Goodnight, Jeff," she murmurs, smiling at his (slightly dumbfounded? Is she supposed to get used to this look from him every time she kisses hi – Annie, are you planning to kiss him more often?) expression, before backing away and turning towards the doors of her building.
Crossing her arms, Annie rubs the soft maroon fabric on her arms as she strides away, a smile gracing her lips.
(This might not be the best way to deal with Troy's departure, honestly. But her lips tingle, and she's fully expecting at least a coffee date with Jeff later – oh holy crap, he's a professor now, she just kissed a professor.)