Chapter 12: New Year Happenings

Summary: Annie and Jeff spend an eventful New Year's Eve together.

New Year's Eve snuck up on Jeff. He figured it was because he had been immersed in the alternate reality that was Greendale for the past few months, followed by a truly strained Christmas at his mom's. What was happening to him?

He decided he needed to regain his bearings. He was a suave, dashing, confident man, goddamn it. And what do alpha males do on New Year's Eve? They party is what. And Jeff was ready to party with those in the real world. He put on his best tuxedo and headed out.

He ended up attending his former firm Hamish, Hamish, & Hamlin's annual New Year's Eve party, which of course ended up being a reminder of how out of touch he was with his former world.

"Jeff! It's great to see you!"

"Thanks for inviting me, Ted. It's a pleasure to be here." Jeff and Ted shook hands forcefully.

"Yes, well, of course we miss having you around. Things haven't been the same without you, although Alan's been surprisingly helpful with your former cases."

Jeff looked at Ted's face and couldn't tell if he was being serious.

He raised his eyebrows and grimaced. "Really? Oh, that's great. Good ol' Alan."

"Speaking of Alan, here he is. Hey Alan, get over here!" Ted waived Alan over to them.

Jeff turned to see Alan Connor, one of his former drinking buddies. Alan was barely tolerable sober but at least he was a lot of fun drunk. Or at least when Jeff was drunk. Trouble was Jeff realized he wasn't drunk yet. Dammit.

Alan shuffled over to Ted and Jeff.

"Yo! Tango! How you doin' buddy?" Alan patted Jeff firmly on the back.

Jeff affected a smile. "Great, good to see you Sundance. Hey, have you seen Mark?"

"Mark, schmark, we don't need him to have a good time, do we Tango?"

Ted's expression remained indecipherable. "Well, looks like you two are getting along, I'll leave you to catch up." With that he quickly swiveled around and headed off to the other side of the room.

Damn, Jeff thought. He didn't get a chance to really schmooze with Ted. And now he was stuck and sober with Alan. And Mark was nowhere in sight.

"Hey Alan, seriously, do you know where Mark is?"

"Why bother with Mark when you've got the real deal here, buddy? It's great to see you!"

"Yeah, you too. We'll catch up, I swear, but seriously I just need to talk to Mark for a second…"

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble but he's not here. His dad or grandma's sick or something and he needed to head off to Kansas City or St Louis or something, I can't remember."

Great. Now he's stuck with Alan. And sober. Hmmm… maybe he can find a way to get back around to Ted? Not that he was sure if Ted had been trying to pawn him off on Alan or what. He cringed at that thought.

But Jeff was unable to ditch Alan, and after a couple drinks he found he didn't mind his presence as much. Just like the old days.

While Jeff did try to find Ted again, he was frustrated in his attempts to get close to the man. It seemed as if Ted had a perpetual entourage around him, which was no doubt in part due to his status as well as his parlor game of putting various small objects through the hole in his hand. How could anyone compete with that?

Jeff's attempts to make small talk with others were met with indifference. Alan seemed to be the only one who was actually interested in talking to him. That was depressing.

Jeff thus ended up leaving the party early and heading over to the Seedy Grape with Alan. He sat at the bar, scanning the room. Maybe it would help fill the hollowness he felt in his stomach if he got laid tonight. Which is what he usually did on New Years Eve. Well, maybe not every New Year's Eve. Sometimes - okay often - he ended up so drunk he just passed out somewhere and certainly wasn't capable of getting anything up.

Not his best moments, to be sure, but it certainly felt better than this pit in his gut. What was that about? He pondered the wisdom of attempting to examine it for a moment. It was probably easier to just get trashed and maybe laid. Yes, that sounded much more bearable than facing the failure of his career.

Searching the room again, he found himself looking at women tarted up - hey, no judgment there… wasn't he kind of tarted up too? - and everyone in various stages of inebriation. He realized he wasn't drunk enough for this place, merely buzzed. He needed to remedy that quickly.

"Hey, Alan, let's get some drinks. This round's on me. What are you having?"

"Ooooh, let's do tequila shots my friend!"

"Seriously, Alan, tequila shots? What are we, sixteen?"

"No, but they're not really for us….take a look at those ladies over there. I bet if we start with some tequila shots we can persuade them to do some body shots with us! Whaddaya think?"

"Uh, yeah, that could be a plan…."

"Oh, it's a plan all right. Here, I'll get this party started and go over to make some introductions…" Alan meandered non-suavely over to the other side of the room.

Jeff turned to the bar to order the shots when he heard a loud SLAP!

Well, yeah, like that was surprising.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Soo, Tango, I'm fi-ine." Alan grimaced, holding an ice cube to his cheek.

Jeff rolled his eyes and tossed back his tequila shot. He winced. "I can tell. You know I think this is the first time I've heard you slur your words because of swelling versus drunkenness."

"Ha ha ha. Whatever."

"What did you even say to those women?"

"It doesn't matter. The night is still young, Tango! We have lots of drinking ahead of us. Damn this is a bad year to get off the coke." Alan placed a finger to the side of his nose and made a sniffing sound.

Jeff's stomach began to twist in knots. "Oh, I guess I didn't realize you had stopped that. I mean I remember walking in on you once in the bathroom…"

"Yeah, yeah. Again, not my most shining moment either for sure. Normally I was much more discreet."

Jeff nodded. "Well, anyway, that's great Alan. Stopping. Good for you."

"Well, it wasn't exactly my choice. I kinda had to. And now they're requiring me to attend NA meetings. Do you know what a drag those are? I mean only losers go there. I'm only going cause they're making me. But some of these losers let me tell you, they make it a lifestyle. They show up and whine whine whine. And they expect people to feel sorry for them." Alan was making an exaggerated crying face.

Jeff suddenly felt lightheaded and nauseous. "Excuse me, I'll be back in a minute…"

Jeff splashed some water on his face and stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. He was feeling pretty buzzed and his thoughts were jumbled. He lost his bearings for a moment and grabbed the sink. God, Alan was a douche. NA meetings, whine, whine, whine. And that face he made….

What would Annie say right now? He wasn't sure how often she went to NA meetings and had a crazy thought of what it would be like if she were in a meeting with Alan. Douchebag Alan.

He found himself missing her. What did that mean? Nothing.

He had been making efforts to put Annie in the off-limits category labeled 'teen mom.' Which wasn't easy because she seemed so darn self-possessed. When caught up in a conversation with her he sometimes forgot she was only nineteen. And she was very attractive….his thoughts flashed to her chest.

But he needed to banish all his dirty thoughts. Nothing could be casual with Annie Edison, that's for sure. She had a kid who had a semi-MIA father and that meant Annie wasn't a prospect for a short-term fling. As much as he was fond of Sophie, he didn't want to seriously take that on.

God. If she didn't have a kid he would have not been concerned about the complications of it all and would have hit that already.

Or would he have? He was a shitty son, a lousy boyfriend, and a liar. Why did she need any more of that in her life?

But they could be friends, right? Maybe he could be a not-as-shitty friend. He felt up to this point he had been doing a decent job of that. He had even come to accept that perhaps he and Britta were destined for friendship.

It was a strange realization, but it was oddly relieving of some tension he didn't know he was holding.

He took some deep breaths, feeling the lightheaded feeling begin to pass.

Jeff emerged from the bathroom, thoughts spinning.

He walked over confidently to Alan, making sure to project a sense of suaveness. "Hey Sundance, actually I just got texted with another offer. I gotta take advantage of it, man. You understand."

"Oh, yeah, of course, Tango. Hey, she got a friend?"

"Unfortunately, no. You're on your own buddy. Good luck." Jeff patted Alan on the back and scooted out.

Jeff strode down the street, knowing of one friend who was close by. One who was likely sober and perhaps also feeling lonely.

Jeff arrived at Dildopolis, noticing its gaudy neon sign. Was it so bad that he was beginning to associate the place with shiny brown hair, Disney eyes, and refreshing unconditional acceptance? Well the Disney part was a little disturbing….

Looking up, he noticed that yes, her living room light was on. Not wanting to freak her out or wake up Sophie if she was sleeping, Jeff sent a text:

[JEFF]: Hey. Might b weird but Im near ur place right now. Can I come over? Sober just bored. Alan is a jerk.

[ANNIE]: Really? Near means bar right? :p

[JEFF]: Not really…I'm downstairs.

[ANNIE]: At the sex shop? :-o

[JEFF]: 2 weird? I can go home.

[ANNIE]: JEEEFF! Idiot. Of course u can come up. I can call u a cab or u can crash on my couch. :p

[JEFF]: Ok. :)

He was able to bypass the usual business with Thanos this time, shrugging his shoulders and explaining he hadn't brought the car. The other man scowled as he passed. When he arrived at Annie's door, he paused a moment to consider whether this was creepy. He was bored and lonely, okay? Annie was up and likely also bored and lonely. He is not Pierce. They could hang out, right?

After barely a soft tap, Annie opened the door and leaned against the doorframe.

"Hey, there."

"Hey. I'm not drunk by the way."

"No?" She smiled.

"Okay, just a little buzzed. But definitely not drunk."

"Alan's a jerk, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you're real surprised."

"Well no I'm not. Mostly because I don't really know who you're talking about. Get in here."

"Thanks, Annie. I'm sorry, was I disturbing you?" He stepped into the apartment while Annie shut the door.

"Not at all, Jeff. I was actually planning to watch the New Year's countdown. You know, the big ball in Times Square thing."

"Yeah, I saw your light on so I knew you were up. Gotta say I'm surprised you're not asleep."

She rolled her eyes. "Why? Because I'm boring, Jeff?"

He laughed. "No, because you're always saying you need more sleep. And looking around it appears baby hobbit is not up."

"Well, I always stay up for the New Year's countdown. And besides my sleep schedule is a bit crazy lately due to Sophie's teething. I don't even know what time it is anymore."

"Teething?"

Annie sighed. "Yes, Jeff, surely you know that that is, right? I think her first tooth is coming in. She's been really cranky and drooly. And she's been gnawing on everything."

"So she's keeping you up?"

"Yeah. She'll just start screaming. Poor baby."

"Poor you."

"Yeah, well, what can I do? It really hurts her."

"Annie, you are amazing. You're really good mom, you know that. Sophie's lucky to have you."

Annie smiled. "I know, Jeff. Thank you."

He noted to himself again with a chuckle how Annie was so modest. "Well, I for one am glad you're up. Cause I just came from a really lame bar with a really awful companion."

"Alan?"

"Yup."

Annie eyed Jeff with amusement. "Hey, why don't you make yourself comfortable and I'll get you some water. If you want you can watch the countdown with me."

"Yeah, that would be cool."

"Don't you mean lame, Jeff?"

"Not lame, Annie. The bar was lame. Alan got slapped." He smirked.

"See Jeff? That sounds really interesting. Much more interesting than hanging out in my apartment with my crappy TV."

He laughed. "Shall I text Alan to say you're on your way?"

"Shut up."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While initially surprised to receive Jeff's text, Annie was glad to have the company. She remembered her last New Year's Eve. She shuddered. Going through rehab was not a great experience. Yes, this was a lot better. She glanced over at Jeff, noticing that he was wearing a tuxedo. He had taken off his jacket and laid it meticulously on one of her kitchen chairs. He had loosened his tie and popped a couple buttons at the top of his white dress shirt. She had to admit he rocked a tux. Of course the last thing she would do was tell him that, as she guessed he was already well aware of it. No need to give Jeff Winger a bigger swelled head regarding his appearance. He was so modest already in that regard.

They sat on the couch watching the New Year's Eve programming. Jeff had begun to sober up and was thankful Annie thought to give him some water.

She turned and smiled. "How you feeling now, Jeff? You better?"

Jeff threw his head back on the couch. "Yeah, Annie. Ugh. Why did I even drink tonight? With Alan?"

"I still don't know who this Alan is, Jeff, but I'll take your word for it that he's not fun."

"Oh, I used to think he was plenty of fun. That's the problem. I listen to him now and I can't figure out what we have in common other than getting wasted and picking up women."

Annie winced. "Yeah, Jeff, that's not really surprising given what you've told me before. Aren't you used to spending New Year's Eve in a tux with lots of alcohol and pretty women? And probably um, with Alan?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Yes, I guess."

"But not this year? You're sick of it?"

"Well, not all of it. Most of it. I dunno…..I just think I really hate Alan." He scowled.

"What happened, Jeff?"

"You're not doing this to me tonight, Annie. I am not confessing even if I am sitting on your couch."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They watched the ball drop. It was anticlimactic as New Year's Eve tends to be. Annie turned to look at Jeff in his tux. She had a crazy idea. But he was just so cute.

"Jeff…"

Sophie started screaming.

Annie quickly scuttled out of the room. Jeff could hear Sophie wailing from the bedroom. He put his hands over his ears. Yikes.

It took awhile for Annie to calm Sophie down. Her strategy mainly involved holding Sophie and allowing her to bite down on a teething ring. Annie paced the apartment with the baby as Jeff sat on the couch feeling a bit useless. And possibly deaf.

As Sophie began to settle, Annie came over to sit near Jeff.

"Wow, Annie you were not kidding. That scream could wake the dead."

"I know. And sometimes she does this when I'm sleeping, Jeff. Sleeping. I mean, how can I just go to sleep right after this? I'm like wide awake."

"Really?"

"Well, for a little while. Then I usually just pass out. Then she does it again."

"Well, maybe we can do a study group relay or something? You know, you take her one shift and then Shirley another. Then Troy would be super, and Britta would also be qualified now that she's conquered her baby phobia. But not Abed, cause he probably wouldn't give her back. And well... let's just leave Pierce out of this. I saw him drop your diaper bag."

"And what about you, Jeff?"

"Oh, darn. I was hoping you didn't notice that omission."

"Ha ha ha." She rolled her eyes.

He glanced over at Sophie. "I think she's asleep, Annie. She looks pretty content right now."

"Yeah, she does. I'm going to just give it a few minutes and then go put her down."

A little while later Annie took Sophie and went to the bedroom.

Jeff wandered around the living room. He picked up the picture of newborn Sophie from the table. He was struck by how different she looked, her face all mushed up. Definitely no Disney eyes yet. Her eyes looked dark grey rather than blue. She looked like a different kid, almost like a tiny alien. He shrugged and carefully placed the picture back on the table. He went into the kitchen and filled up his water glass from the kitchen sink and leaned with his back to the counter taking a long sip.

Annie padded into the kitchen. "Hey, she's out. Thanks so much for putting up with that. Sometimes I just get so frustrated with handling it. She's probably sick of me." Annie smirked.

"Yeah, that must be it."

"You're the novelty, Jeff. You should take her next time."

"Yeah, that's not going to convince me."

Annie laughed. "Hey, it's been nice to have some company on New Year's Eve. Thanks for being lame with me, Jeff."

They stared at each other. Annie's eyes crinkled and she smiled with lips closed. Jeff's eyes widened.

"What, Annie?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, okay."

"Jeff, it's New Year's Eve."

"Well, technically it's New Year's Day now, but yes."

She tilted her head to the side and looked up at him. "So…..people usually kiss at midnight, right?"

He gulped. "Annieee…"

"Well, don't they?"

Jeff sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, yes, I guess many people do. But that really doesn't apply here. I mean, it's after midnight already."

"Well we were interrupted by my child, Jeff."

"Yeah, she has strong lungs." He looked back down at her and flushed.

Jeff knew it was coming right before she did it. Annie quickly stepped up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss slightly to the right of his mouth. Smack. She then pulled away, descended back to her flat-footed position. His stomach flipped.

Annie looked at Jeff. She wondered if she had gone too far, but he was just too adorable tonight in his little tuxedo get up. She had never had a guy in a tuxedo in her apartment before. It was kind of thrilling. And it's okay to kiss a cute guy in a tux on New Year's right? And it's not like she Frenched him.

Jeff's eyes were wide. He flushed again. "Annie, uh, wow. Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year, Jeff. Stay cute."

"Huh?"

Suddenly they were jolted by a knock at the door.

"I should probably get that."

Jeff pursed his lips. "Were you expecting anyone else?"

"No. Oh, you're right I should check the peephole first. Someone must have gotten past Thanos."

Annie walked over to the door and peered outward. "Oh, wow, it's Troy!"

Jeff looked up and stared at the ceiling. Of course. Why?

"How does Troy know where you live?"

"He's been here before, Jeff. You're not the only one who's seen my place."

Jeff frowned. Well, that was interesting information.

Annie opened the door and smiled brightly. "Hey Troy. Wow, I wasn't expecting you."

Troy smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Annie. I know it's really late, but I was down the street at this party at Ivan's and well, it got real boring and I thought I'd see what you were doing. I saw your light on." Troy stumbled into the room.

Annie looked amused. "Troy, are you drunk?"

"Hey, no, Annie… I don't even believe in drinking you know. Well, I guess I don't disbelieve in it, and I used to do keg stands in high school, but you know….I'm not drunk. I'm happy."

"It's okay, Troy. Okay, you're….happy."

"Riight."

Jeff loudly cleared his throat. "Ahem. Hey Troy."

Troy turned and wobbled a bit. He looked alarmed. "Jeff? What are you doing here?"

Jeff walked over to Troy. "Annie, why don't you check on Sophie? I thought I heard her cry when Troy knocked on the door. I'll keep Troy company."

Annie looked at Jeff curiously. "Oh, yeah, okay."

"Take your time, Annie."

"Okay."

Annie went to the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"Hey Troy, why don't you sit down over there and I'll grab us some water?"

"Thanks, man."

Jeff wandered back to the couch with two glasses of water. He sat down in the chair and handed one glass to Troy.

Troy gulped the water down. He then paused and began to speak nervously. "Hey Jeff, I didn't know you'd be here. I was hoping to talk to Annie. But now you're like here and it's weird man. I mean, right? Like were you thinking the same thing man?" He shifted his eyes back and forth.

"Troy…I'm just here as Annie's friend. I was at a party and it was lame, then went to a bar with an idiot and then decided to stop by to see Annie since I saw her light on. Of course, maybe that's also why you're here?" Jeff raised his eyebrows.

"Uh, yeah, man. I think we both know that I really didn't want this to be just friendly…"

Jeff grimaced. "Seriously, Troy? That makes no sense whatsoever. You've never shown the remotest interest in Annie. And now you're implying that you're here for a booty call. Can you see why I'm having a hard time believing that?"

Troy rambled on. "What's so hard to understand, Jeff? Annie's really cute. I've even told her that before but you weren't there so I guess it doesn't count if Mr. Big Shot isn't in the room, right? What, she didn't tell you I told her she was pretty? I guess maybe she didn't want you to know. Cause you're always hanging around her, Jeff. The guys on campus talk about it. No guy's gonna get near her when you're always there. It's like you've claimed her or something." He narrowed his eyes and stared at Jeff.

Jeff had mixed reactions to this information. Guys were reluctant to approach Annie because she was friends with him? Well, good. That way no douche would hurt her again. No, wait… he shouldn't inadvertently sabotage a chance she might have down the road, right? Jeff sighed. "Troy, I have not 'claimed' her. We're just friends."

"Then why do you have lip gloss on your face?"

Jeff's eyes widened. He quickly swiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Damn."

"Dude, I'm sorry I interrupted. I didn't actually think you guys were doing it, I just thought you liked to be all protective of her or something. I thought maybe I'd have a shot tonight."

"Troy, first of all we are not 'doing it.' What you saw on my face was a remnant of a chaste New Year's Eve kiss. Annie just wears too much lip gloss."

"Really, man?"

"Yes, really. And second, I don't think you have a shot with her anyway. And not because of me. I think I know Annie pretty well, and I don't think she's going to hook up with you when you just show up at her door drunk on New Year's Eve. And remember, she has a kid. She's not going to take anyone up on a booty call."

"Oh, man, so I blew it."

"Yeah, Troy, I think you did."

"Ahem….Jeff, can I talk to you for a second?"

Jeff's head whipped around and he saw Annie standing there with a stern expression on her face.

"Just a sec Troy…I'll be back."

"Okay, man."

Jeff followed Annie into the bathroom. She closed the door.

"Jeff! What do you think you're doing?"

"What? Did you hear that?"

"I think I heard enough. You don't speak for me, Jeff!"

"Seriously, Annie? What? Do you want me to leave so you can get it on with Troy?"

Annie swatted at his chest. "No! He's drunk, Jeff. At least you're sober now."

His eyes widened. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Never mind. The moment is dead, Jeff."

Jeff stared at her. He gulped. "Really?"

"Yes, really. And I wasn't going to sleep with you either by the way."

"Annie, I didn't come over here to sleep with you. You kissed me. I mean, what's with you kissing me all the time? "

"You mean you didn't like the 'chaste New Year's Eve kiss'?"

"Well, we didn't really have a chance to discuss it yet did we given you chose to open your door to Troy. And now he's sitting on your couch and telling me he wants to…"

"Jeff! I'll handle this. I'm going to talk to him."

"Annie, I don't think he wants to talk to you."

"Actually, Jeff I think that's exactly what he wants to do. He's just posturing because you're here. That's what he does." She sighed. "Please give us a few minutes. Sophie's fast asleep and I'm sure if you're really quiet you can go lie on my bed."

Jeff squirmed and looked toward the ceiling.

Annie narrowed her eyes. "Or you can of course hang out in my bathroom. The bathtub is very comfortable. It's your choice."

Jeff sighed. "Fine, Annie. I'll wait in your room. Let me know when you're done talking to him."

"Thanks, Jeff."

Annie approached Troy on the couch. She sat down next to him.

"Hey Troy. Sorry about that. Jeff's a bit cranky this evening. Don't listen to him."

Troy looked down. "It's okay, Annie. This was a stupid idea. I didn't know you guys were hanging out tonight. I can go home."

Annie sighed. "Troy, it's okay. Look, can you tell me why you're here?"

"I dunno. I wasn't having a good time at the party. And well, I thought you know….

well, I guess it doesn't matter now that Jeff's here…"

"Troy, Jeff and I are friends. Perhaps fuzzy friends but we were really just hanging out tonight. So, don't worry about that. I'm here for you Troy. I'm your friend too. I'd like you to just tell me why you're here."

Troy started to sniffle.

"Troy, what's wrong?"

"He's such a jerk, Annie."

Annie sighed. "We're talking about Abed, right?"

"He left the party with a girl, Annie. A chick I've never even seen before. I heard them talking about Star Trek, and she told him she had a model Enterprise at home with little people Annie. And he said he wanted to see them. And then he left with her. He left me at the party."

Annie stared to rub Troy's back. "It's okay, Troy. I know it hurts."

"Yeah, it does."

"I'm sure he'll come to his senses. I'm sure he just went over there to look at the little people. I'm sure there was nothing else to it."

"Do you think so, Annie?"

"Yeah, of course. He really likes you, Troy."

"Yeah."

"And now why don't you tell me all about it."

"Really, Annie?"

"Of course. You don't realize this, but this couch is sacred."

"Huh?"

"It's the place for cathartic confessionals."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie quietly opened the bedroom door. She peaked inside and whispered, "Jeff?'

"Hey" she heard Jeff mumble.

She approached the bed and sat down. Jeff was lying across it, his phone next to his outstretched arm. His eyes were closed.

"I'm sorry that took so long. The confessional couch strikes again."

"Yeah, I kinda figured. Either that or I'm a real chump and you guys got lucky."

"Jeff! Come on!"

"I'm just kidding, Annie. That would be seriously tacky. And you have class."

"Thank you."

"So? Is he gone?"

"Uh, no. He was pretty upset. I made him some hot cocoa. And I just tucked him in with a blanket. I think he's out for the night."

"So you'll be tending two babies tonight?"

"Ha ha."

Jeff sighed. "Okay, well, I'm gonna call a cab. I mean, if you're sure you feel comfortable with him staying here? Cause I can take him with me and drop him off wherever he lives. I'm sure it's on his id or something."

"That's not necessary, Jeff. Anyway, like I said he's pretty settled in. Let's let him sleep it off here. And yes, I feel totally comfortable with him staying."

"Okay, well, if you're sure." Jeff started scrolling through his phone to look for a cab number.

"Jeff, why don't you stay too? I mean, just in case Troy throws up or something."

Jeff smirked. "You mean you don't want to deal with that all by yourself?"

"Not really. And plus, it's past midnight on New Year's and it might take awhile to get a cab anyway. You can just stay here."

"I'm old, Annie. I can't sleep on the floor. I'll just go…"

"That's ridiculous, Jeff. You can sleep next to me in my bed."

Jeff stared at her. "Sleeping in the same bed isn't really appropriate, Annie."

"Why not? We're friends."

He sighed. "Annieee…you know things have been weird lately. We shouldn't…"

Annie rolled her eyes. "A baby's in the room, Jeff. Nothing is going to happen."

"Right. The baby hobbit is certainly an anti-aphrodisiac."

"Jeff, it'll be fine."

"Yeah, that sounds good. And then the four of us can have a not-so-awkward breakfast tomorrow."

"I was thinking Denny's?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Annie found the rest of the night a bit surreal. Here she was with Troy Barnes on her couch. Right in the next room. She knew it didn't really count. But high school Annie Edison would have been so excited!

And now she was in bed with Jeff Winger. Well, in bed was a bit of a stretch. Jeff had seemed uncomfortable with the idea of actually getting in her bed for some reason and was thus lying on top of the comforter while Annie was beneath it. To her utter shock, he also insisted risking wrinkles and wearing his tuxedo pants.

Annie could hear Jeff's breathing. She drifted off to sleep.

She awoke in the early hours of the morning to find Jeff snuggled under the blankets, one arm wrapped across her upper body. Annie resisted the urge to move. She didn't want to upset this moment.

Sophie started crying. Oh, well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a not-so-awkward breakfast at Denny's, they dropped Troy off at home. Annie was driving Jeff back to his apartment.

"So, Jeff, we should probably talk about what happened last night, right?"

"Which part? There were so many entertaining moments."

"Well, I can't really divulge much of went on with Troy. You know the couch confessional is confidential."

"That's okay. While I am intensely curious, I am sure I will survive." He put his elbow up near the window and rested his chin on his hand, tilting his head away from her.

"Thanks, Jeff."

"I was cold." He continued to look out the window.

Annie raised her eyebrows, looking ahead at the road. "What?"

"I was cold. That's why I ended up under your comforter. I thought I'd be fine on top of it but it got really cold around 3am and I couldn't take it. It's January first in Colorado, Annie."

"Jeff, it's okay. I figured. And I wasn't the one who said you had to sleep on top of the comforter. That was your call."

"Well, I didn't want to be inappropriate, Annie."

"There you go with inappropriate again. What do you mean?"

"I didn't want to mislead you. I shouldn't have let you kiss me. Really, I'm sorry. I think I just got all caught up with New Years and everything…"

"Jeff!"

"You keep kissing me. You need to stop it."

"God, Jeff, I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I've got enough to deal with. I just thought you looked cute in your tux. Plus I've never actually had the opportunity for a New Year's Eve kiss before. As Professor Whitman says, I 'seized the day.'"

He took a deep breath. "I'm too old for you, Annie."

"What do you mean you're too old for me? You're not that old. How old are you anyway?"

"Annie…."

"You asked me once and I told you. I'm nineteen. So spill it, Jeff. How old are you?"

"I'm twelve years older that you, Annie. That's too old."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I figured it was something like that. Who cares?"

"I do, Annie. And you should too. You already had one creep take advantage of you and I'm not going to be another one. You should be with someone decent. While I agree with you that Troy was not the most enticing prospect last night, maybe you should consider it when he's sober. He's a good guy, Annie. He won't hurt you."

"Are you serious?"

"What? You told me like two months ago that you wanted him."

"Well, I've changed my mind. And anyway, what do you mean someone took advantage of me? I told you what happened. And he wasn't even that much older than me anyway. I knew what I was doing."

"Annie…"

"And I know I don't want a boy my own age. I don't know if you've noticed, but as great as Troy is, he's really immature. I don't have time to deal with boys. Whenever I do decide to date again, it won't be Troy. For a couple reasons…"

Jeff continued on as if Annie had not even spoken, "Troy would be better for you, Annie. I'm lecherous. I'm Pierce. And I don't want to be Pierce with you."

"Jeff, you're not Pierce. And I hardly found your debate kiss to be lecherous. In fact, you're a pretty good kisser."

"Anniee…"

"What? You are. And I think we should do it again."

Jeff turned to her and paled.

Annie glanced at him and laughed. "Jeff, lighten up! Wow. Okay, you don't have to kiss me ever again."

He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I've never kissed you. You always kiss me."

"I've kissed you twice. Both were strategic. And you did almost kiss me once, you know."

"No, because that never happened."

Annie pursed her lips. "Whatever, Jeff. And I'm not buying any of this nonsense. I don't believe you really care about any of that. This is about Sophie, right?"

Jeff glanced at the back of Sophie's car seat. "What? No."

She sighed. "Jeff, it's okay, I know it probably freaks you out that I have a child."

"That's not it at all, Annie. I told you…"

"Jeff, please stop this. I don't know how many times I can tell you that I kissed you on the spur of the moment because I could. And you're cute. And I want to be clear that I wasn't expecting anything else. I don't expect anything else. In fact, I'm not looking for anything else."

"What are you looking for then?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Nothing, I guess? I mean, not right now in my life. I mean, I'm certainly not looking for a father for Sophie if that's what you're afraid of. Like I told you, she has a father. He may not have met her yet, but I'm confident that he will and then I can figure all that out. And even if that doesn't work out, she has me. I can take care of her. I want to keep that separate."

"Really, Annie? Do you think that's even possible?"

"Maybe not, Jeff, but that's what I'm trying to do right now."

"So, what? You're not saying you're looking for casual, right? I can't picture that, Annie."

"Jeff, I told you I don't know what I'm looking for. Some days I'm just exhausted. I mean, I've been thinking that something more casual might actually be what I need in the near future. Sometimes I get lonely. But I guess I should clarify that I wasn't expecting anything from you in that regard last night. It really was just an impulsive kiss."

"Oh."

"And I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I thought you'd be flattered. I mean don't you go out of your way to make sure the ladies of Greendale notice you?"

He turned back toward the window. "Annie, it's okay. I'm not mad. It's just that you need to stay away from me as far as that whole thing goes."

"What?"

"I'm a liar, Annie. You don't need any more liars in your life."

"Wait, what? You don't lie to me, Jeff. I know that. Well except for the grocery thing…."

"My own mother knows I'm a jerk, Annie. I can't do that to you too."

"What are you saying?"

"You need to raise your expectations."

"Jeff! Stop it! You're not making any sense! And you're not even listening to me!"

"Date Troy, Annie. He'd be good for you. And he'd be good for Sophie."

"Jeff, while that is not going to happen for a couple very good reasons, I think you're right. Someday, when things settle down I should date someone. And it shouldn't be anyone in the study group."

Jeff let out a sigh of relief. "So we're in agreement then. We're friends?"

"Jeff, of course we're friends. I mean I'm still willing to be your friend even if for some bizarre reason you think you're a creep."

"Good."

Annie shook her head. God he was ridiculous.

"Yeah, Jeff, we're friends."