Chapter Seven

Josh went around the table, pouring champagne for everyone for the toast. Kate had to remind him that she couldn't drink, being five months pregnant. They all took their seats and Josh raised his glass. "I'm sure Donna wants to tell the story, but I just wanted to thank you guys for coming to celebrate the anniversary of when we met. And I'll be honest, I had no idea nine years ago that I'd end up married to that blonde who spilled her drink all over my date to that gallery opening."

Everyone laughed and Donna interrupted, "What Josh means is that he loves me and we're happy you're all here."

Josh grinned his signature charming, dimpled smile. "I do love you. Happy anniversary, Donna."

She blew a kiss to him across the table. Everyone raised their glasses to Josh and Donna. And then everyone broke into side conversations. Donna turned to speak to Sam. CJ addressed Ainsley across from her. Will was making sure his pregnant wife was alright. Toby was asking Josh something about a student they had in common. The only people left quiet were Jed and Abbey.

Jed drank his champagne quietly, watching the happy people around him. Abbey just watched him, marveling at his calm façade. Though perhaps he could be calm. Clearly, he didn't feel the same way she did.

She was about to open her mouth and say something to him but he spoke first. "I didn't know you'd be here," he said softly, almost out of the side of his mouth.

"I didn't know you'd be here either. Though I suppose you wouldn't have come if you knew I'd be here," she replied bitterly.

He frowned. "I would think the opposite. I wouldn't think you'd want to be around me."

Abbey's fell open in slight surprise. She recovered and furrowed her brow. "You're the one who left."

"You wanted me to," he replied calmly.

"No, actually, I didn't," she admitted in a small voice.

Jed stood up from the table without a word. He gave Donna a friendly pat on the shoulder as he walked past her.

Abbey was stunned. This time he left right in front of her face. Didn't even wait for her to turn away before he escaped her presence. Well, she wouldn't have any more of that. She leaned across Jed's empty chair. "Donna, excuse me, where's your bathroom?"

"Oh, it's right down the hall there, just off the entryway," Donna told her with a bright smile.

Excusing herself, Abbey went to wait outside the bathroom door to corner Jed alone. But the bathroom was free. Perhaps he'd used a different bathroom. He probably knew his way around this house. She was about to search for him before she noticed movement through the stained-glass window in the front door. She crossed the foyer and opened the door, which was left ajar.

Standing on the porch was Jed, smoking a cigarette. He didn't notice the front door open. Abbey leaned against the doorjamb for a moment, watching him. He looked simultaneously on edge and perfectly comfortable. It was very clear that he smoked for stress relief.

"Those'll kill you, you know."

He whipped around, startled. "I don't smoke too often."

"How often is 'not too often?'"

"Just when I'm particularly bothered by something."

She smirked. "I take it that I am particularly bothersome? Or is that presumptuous of me?"

Jed regarded her carefully. He took one last long drag before dropping the cigarette and smashing it under his shoe. He exhaled the smoke away from her with a sort of sigh. "Every time I see you, I do something to upset you."

"So?"

"So, I don't want to upset you."

Abbey tried not to smile, but her nose wrinkled anyway. "You don't?"

"No. I don't," he replied, quite seriously.

"Well if you'd stand still for long enough, you'd know that you don't upset me. Actually, you leaving is a little upsetting. At the restaurant the other night, I went to the bathroom to clear my head. I was going to come out and apologize for snapping at you like that. I know you didn't mean any harm and I was overreacting."

"Oh." Jed didn't know what else to say. He kept his gaze focused on the wooden porch step beneath his feet.

"We should get back in the dining room. I told Donna I had to use the bathroom. And I actually would like to."

"It's just on the left there," Jed said, pointing inside.

"I know, thank you," she replied with a soft smile.

Jed let her go inside first, holding the door for her. He closed and locked it behind them. "I'll see you in there."

Abbey nodded and went into the bathroom. She fixed her hair in the mirror and made sure her makeup still looked alright. She sighed. Every time she saw Jed Bartlet, she turned into a complete idiot. She felt like she was always saying too much, always overthinking everything before and after they were together, planning every little word she wanted to say and then reviewing everything that had come out of her mouth. Thank god she hadn't told him that. She almost had, but she had thankfully had the good sense to shut up before she went too far. Because how could she tell him that she had been in a depressed funk for days after their failed dinner together? Or that she'd been wandering campus near the social science buildings on the off chance she'd run into him? Or that she'd picked up the phone three separate times to call CJ to ask about him and had stopped herself from asking Charlie every time she'd seen him?

Abbey knew she was being ridiculous. She knew that, rationally. And yet here she was, a grown woman obsessing over a man like a schoolgirl with a crush. Strangely, she didn't entirely mind it. Every moment she'd spent with Jed Bartlet had made her happy in some small way. There was nothing wrong with wanting more of that.

She left the bathroom and went back to the dinner table. Jed was in conversation with Donna and Sam about something. They seemed to be having a good time. His bright smile was contagious.

CJ watched Abbey, noticing how she and Bartlet had both been gone for a little while. Hopefully that was a good sign. Regardless of what had happened, Abbey's whole face had lit up when she looked at him. That had to be good.

"Abbey, we didn't get a chance to meet earlier. I'm Ainsley Hayes. I teach Philosophy," Ainsley said kindly in her pleasant Southern accent.

"It's so nice to meet you," Abbey replied. "I'm sure they've told you that I'm the head of the Biology Department. CJ and I met a few weeks ago and has very nicely introduced me to a lot of her friends. Science people can be so boring."

Ainsley laughed. "I'm always glad when this group expands. It's nice to add new people to the mix. Though if you keep up with Sam, you'll meet a lot of new people," she commented with a pointed glare at the man sitting beside her. He didn't seem to notice.

CJ joined in and explained, "Sam and Ainsley have been on and off for about three years now. He likes to date around."

"And I like to be treated with respect," Ainsley added.

Abbey regarded Sam curiously, who was deep in conversation with Jed. "Interesting," she said warily.

Ainsley sighed and admitted in a resigned tone, "He's brilliant and very sweet when he tries, and he has great hair."

"Great hair is very important. I can certainly appreciate that," Abbey agreed. She glanced over at Jed's head of thick hair and thought, not for the first time, about tangling her fingers in it.

CJ glanced at Toby beside her. "Yeah. Hair."

Toby overheard and turned to her. "Excuse me?"

The women all started to laugh. CJ gave him a small hug in consolation, which seemed to make him feel better. He went back to arguing with Will about whatever they'd been discussing.

Sam had turned to speak to Ainsley and Donna got up to serve dinner. Jed took the break in conversation to murmur to Abbey, "Having fun?"

"Yes, thank you. Your friends are all very charming."

He nodded. "They're a good bunch."

"By the way, I wanted to thank you for taking care of my bill at the restaurant that night. I didn't get a chance to mention it before. It was very nice of you."

"It was the least I could do."

"That's true."

Jed saw the mirth in her eyes and the playful smile on her lips and chuckled. "You had your hair down that night, but it was different than now," he noticed.

"Well, it's actually clean tonight. I wasn't expecting to see anyone that night," she explained.

"It's very pretty either way."

Before Abbey could thank him for the compliment, Donna came around to everyone to serve the entrée. So she just allowed the warm feeling to bubble within her as she sat and smiled.