A N: I Don't Own. Scout's Honor!
A N 2: I'M BACK! (Basically, last episode kind of resurrected me). My other Fics, unfortunately, aren't.
Annie was groggily awaked by the sound of her ringtone.
She slowly opened her eyes, her hands blindly searching for her phone on her nightstand.
She took it in her hands, her thumb ready to reject the call.
She saw the name on the display.
She hesitated.
She accepted the call.
"Hello?"
No answer.
"Jeff, I know it's you, I can see your number on my display. Also, I can hear you breathing, which is kind of creepy…"
She heard a groan.
"Yep, still creepy."
"Annie, I'm sorry, I…" He started saying with cautious tones, "… I have to ask you something."
"Cannot this wait…?" She glanced at her alarm clock.
4:03 AM.
"… A more decent hour?"
"No, it's…" He paused, "… It's important…"
She huffed, "Fine, what do you want, Jeff?"
She heard him take a long breath.
Then a small pause.
"Jeff?" She prompted him in an impatient tone.
"You know I like you, right? He almost pleaded.
Annie perked up at that, "Jeff, has something happened to you? You're not dying, right…?" She only now noticed the slur in his words, "… Please, tell me you're not mixing up pills and scotch again…"
"Do… Do you think that I would do it again?" She heard in what seemed to be a hurt tone.
She had never heard him more unguarded.
She suppressed the wave of affection who was slowly building up in her stomach.
"No Jeff, of course not…" She said, trying to sooth him.
She heard him sigh.
"What did you mean?"
"Uh…?" He began in a confused tone, "… I… I meant that I would never believe you to try something that stupid after everything that has happened to…"
"No, I meant…" She heard another sigh, "… What did you mean… last week, with your speech…?"
Annie eyes lit up.
"So that's what this call is about…"
She tried to suppress a smile.
"What do you mean, Jeff?" She asked in what she hoped was a haughty tone.
He groaned in frustration, "Yesterday, during your… Edison Speech… You said something and…" She heard a pained sigh, "… Were you talking about me? Were you talking about… Us?"
She opened her mouth to say something.
She quickly closed it.
"Are you sure you're not dying?" She tested before saying anything.
She hard another groan, "No, Annie, I'm not dying…"
"And you're not asking this because you're drunk, right?" She double checked.
"Of course I'm asking this because I'm drunk. I'm too much of a coward when I'm sober to ask you that!" She heard him shout.
Annie's heart sunk a little by hearing this.
"Look, I'm sorry for shouting…" She heard him say in a more gentle tone, "… But I really want to know. We're you talking about us?"
Annie's heart started thumping in her chest.
"Us, Jeff? There has ever been an us?" She said, her bitter tone severely spoiled by her excitement.
She was waiting for this since the end of her second year.
"Well, no, but…" He started stuttering.
"Do you want an us, Jeff?" She asked, trying to conceal her enthusiasm.
Silence.
"Jeff?" She asked, afraid of having scared him.
Now that she was THIS close to her goal.
"Yes." She heard him almost whisper.
Annie wanted to do a victory lap, "buried treasure" style.
Instead, she remained silent.
"Annie?" He prompted her with an urgent tone.
She bit her lower lip, trying to stop her victorious smile.
"But Jeff, I believed we were just friends…" She began saying in a sing-song voice.
She heard another groan.
"I was lying, we've always been more than friends, Annie, now…" His voice faltered a little, "Answer the question.
Her smile widened.
"No."
Silence, again.
"Jeff, are you still there?" She asked, a bit preoccupied for her More-Than-A-Friend-But-He-Doesn't-Need-To-Know-Yet reaction.
"But…" He started stuttering, "… What about…?"
Her eyebrows perked up at that, "What about what, Jeff?"
"You know…" He began saying in a hasty tone, "… All those… "Long looks and stolen glances"? What about…" He sighed in defeat, "… (I can't believe I'm really saying this) "The-Jeff-Of-It-All?""
Okay, NOW she wanted to do a victory lap.
"Jeff, I'm afraid you've probably read too much into them…" She said, savoring every word.
She heard a chocking sound.
Annie couldn't contain her laughing as she imagined the priceless face he was probably doing right now.
"Are… are you serious?" She heard him say.
"Yup." She said in a giddy tone.
There was a small pause.
"You're evil." She heard then.
Was admiration what she was hearing in his voice?
She hoped yes.
"I know…" She said with a playful tone.
She heard him sigh.
Guilt started creeping inside her.
"Ask me again tomorrow…" She said to him with a teasing tone.
She heard a long silence.
"Why?" He asked, confused.
"To see how a coffee date would go…" She truthfully answered, "… is the Starbucks in front of my apartment at 9 AM good for you…?"
"Does that mean…" She heard him say in a hopeful tone.
"It means that, whatever it will happen during our little… Date…" She enjoyed every second of his whimpering, "… I will decide what does it means."
And, before he could say anything, she ended the call.
She silenced her phone and put it back on her nightstand as she tried to return to sleep, a content smile on her face.
Her smile began faltering.
She knew it couldn't last.
She knew that, as soon as her mind sobered from the high produced by the victory, her feelings for him would start plaguing her… Again.
Because she knew that she will always have feelings for him.
No matter how much empty and self destructive they could appear.
Still, why not enjoy this while she could?
Her smile returned as she began drifting into sleep, basking in her small victory over him.
Hoping it would last forever.