What I've Been Looking For:
Chapter 3:
Jeff felt his heart pounding when he saw the smirk that appeared on Britta Perry's face. "Oh do you guys know each other?" Annie says pointing at the two of them.
"Yeah. We do." Britta said. "Annie can we talk alone for a minute?"
"Oh um sure!" Annie and Britta walked to Shirley's office and Abed followed soon after.
"So Jeff," Troy begins, "What are your opinions on Spiderman 3?"
Jeff is still staring at the door Annie and Britta disappeared behind before he answers, "Talk about embarrassing."
Troy let out a sigh of relief, "Good, we had to make sure you weren't a moron."
"A moron? Troy have you seen his stupid hair cut?" Pierce said but the insult didn't go through Jeff, he was too busy worrying about other things.
Back in Shirley's office Britta was saying to Annie, "I thought you said he wasn't a douchebag."
"I mean he's kind of an asshole in some respects but he's not a douchebag."
"Annie, a guy like that is only going to use you for sex and then move on to the next piece of meat he can find."
"What do you have against him, how do you know Jeff?" Annie asks her.
Britta, not wanting to hurt Annie because she knows how fragile Annie can be when she likes a new guy, finally says, "I've slept with him." Annie's eyes widened, "It was just a one night stand a couple of years ago when I got out of school."
"Another plot twist." Abed says looking at the two women.
Annie straightens her cardigan, "It's okay Britta, I know Jeff's never been the type of relationship guy. And I'm sure you both have moved on."
"Wait, you're going to be okay?" Britta asked.
"Yeah!" Annie smiled.
"But seriously I'm just warning you this guy is only going to leave you hanging up to dry."
Annie was trying her best not to overreact and as she was about to counter Britta's accusation Abed stepped in, "No I don't see that happening."
"Abed," Britta began, "He's a commitmentphobe and an asshole, how could this not end badly?"
"Britta, I may not know him very well but I know characters like him in shows. Like Barney in How I Met Your Mother, he's this commitmentphobe jerk until he meets Robin and it changes everything."
"Real life is not TV Abed." Britta said.
"Yeah but guys who only want to use you and leave you don't look at you the way Jeff looks at Annie."
Annie's eyes shot up at Abed, "He… Looks at me different?"
"Yes." Is all Abed says before leaving the office.
Annie and Britta stand there awkwardly before Britta says, "Annie, if you're willing to give this guy a chance then… I will too. But if he does anything to hurt you we're going to hang him from the City flagpole by his underwear."
Annie laughed, "Alright, fair enough."
They both walked out of the office and back into the bar. Jeff shot up from his seat and walked over to Annie as Britta passed them both, "Annie, I can explain."
She smiles coyly and placed a hand on his chest, "You don't need to. What you and Britta did a couple of years ago is none of my business. It was before we met and I'm not judging you for it." He smiles down at her thankful that she wasn't upset. He could still tell that it bothered her, but he would bring it up again later if it continued bothering her. Maybe he would also bring up the fact that she was practically his girlfriend and they might as well start saying the word because it doesn't bother him so much anymore.
"Come on," she took his and pulled it towards two empty chairs at the long table, "It's time to cut the cake!"
Jeff looks at square chocolate cake with white letters that read, "Hello during a random dessert at a random party that coincidentally coincides with the expulsion from a uterus"
"Uhhhhhhh." Jeff begins.
"Troy is a Jehovah's Witness, they don't celebrate Christmas or Birthdays so Shirley and I tried to be as subtle as possible with the cake decorating." Annie tells him.
"Thanks so much you guys," Troy tells them, "My mom's weeping in Georgia as we speak."
"Oh that's nice." Shirley says in her high-pitched voice.
"Troy do you want the corner piece?" Britta asks as she begins to cut the cake.
"Nah you can give it to Abed, I know that's his favorite part."
"Thanks Troy." Abed said.
"Also we figured out that Jeff isn't a moron, he said Spiderman 3 was an embarrassment." Troy said to Abed.
"Good, I was dissolving some conflict and was worried I wouldn't be able to get a good read on his characterization."
"Guys he's sitting right here!" Annie chirped.
Abed took a bit out of the birthday cake, "Mmm, this is really good Shirley is it chocolate buttercream?"
"Yes it is, I thought it would be a nice change from the regular vanilla icing." Shirley turned to Jeff; "Jeffery would you like a piece of cake."
Usually Jeff wouldn't accept a piece of cake, you know because carbs, but this woman had given him the stink eye earlier and told him that she was 'watching him' whatever that meant so he graciously took a piece and ate every single bite.
Later after Pierce choked on a piece of cake and Troy, eating too much cake and getting sick it was time for them to go home.
As they were driving home in 'The Falcon' Jeff turned to Annie and said, "Well that was an adventure."
She giggled and played with the end of her skirt, "Yeah they can get a little crazy… I'm sorry if they freaked you out, they can be very protective."
"I can tell." Out of the corner of his eye he saw her tense up a little, "That's not a bad thing, it means they really care about you."
She relaxed again, "Yeah and they seemed to really like you!"
"I hope so, if I'm going to be around a while it'd be awkward if they hated me."
It was quiet for a moment before Annie spoke, "You plan on being around for a while?" He stopped at the red light right before the turn into her apartment complex and he looks over and sees that her face has lit up with this small reassuring smile.
Jeff looked back at his steering wheel, "If that's ok with you."
"Sounds great to me." He hears her say as he starts to drive again.
When they arrive at her apartment they're about to get out of the car when Jeff blurts out, "I'm sorry about Britta."
"Why are you sorry?" she asked.
"Look Annie, I know I told you I wasn't a relationship kind of guy and that's true but that's because I've never met a person who made me want to try. I had that fling with Britta a couple of years ago and I know it probably makes you feel uncomfortable but I want you to know you don't have to because you're the only person I've been serious about and a blast from my past isn't going to change that."
Jeff stared wide eyed at Annie before she placed her hand over his, "I'll have to admit it was a little unnerving when Britta told me but like I said before… You didn't know that years later you would be dating her friend. So I'm okay, we all have skeletons in our closets that eventually come back to haunt us. Don't worry about it Jeff, seriously, I'm fine." She smiled and unbuckled her seatbelt so she could lean across the car and kiss him.
His hands are instantly tangled up in her hair as she's leaning closer into him. Neither of them remembers how she ended up in his lap but then again they didn't really care. They both taste like chocolate buttercream and their hands are exploring new territory, Annie's hands over his chest and Jeff's hands roaming her back. Annie breaks away for a moment and Jeff is looking at her pink cheeks and messy hair and she's so gorgeous.
He licked his lips before pulling her back down for another kiss, this time it's not as heated but just as passionate. He's starting to taste the chocolate buttercream again when a tap on the car window startles both of them and Annie jumps so high her head hits the ceiling of the car.
"Ow!" Annie shrieked and she rubbed the top of her head.
"Are you ok?" Jeff reached up and felt the knot forming on her head. They both looked out the window and saw Abed. They heard his muffled voice say, "Are you guys coming upstairs or…?"
Jeff can see Abed looking at Annie and although he didn't see her face he can sense the look on her face was enough to send Abed running away. She turned back to Jeff with a nervous smile, "Well I guess this is goodnight."
"You sure you're okay? That feels like a really big knot." He tells her.
"Oh it'll be fine after I put some ice on it."
"Okay," Jeff smiles pulling a stray hair behind her ear, "Goodnight milady."
Annie leaned in further so their lips were practically touching, "Goodnight milord." Jeff closed the gap between them for a chaste goodnight kiss. She climbed out of the car and he watched her walk up the stairs to her apartment before he turned his car on again and drove home.
