Girls' night becomes a more frequent reality now that the only women in their group can be out beyond bedtime. Britta's bar is the obvious choice, although more often than not it becomes an excuse for her to get drunk on a budget while Annie and Frankie flip a coin for the role of designated driver. Tonight it's Annie's turn and although she enjoys having the power to decide when they leave in theory; in reality it's proving harder than usual to shift Britta from her stool after closing.
"Come on, Britta! It's two in the morning!"
Britta waves her off with a flick of her hand and pours herself another shot.
"What's the rush? You don't have class in the morning."
"Yeah, but…" Annie flashes her her most pleading gaze, "I promised Jeff I'd stay at his tonight and there's no way he's waited up."
"Oooo! Big night planned?"
"No!" Annie blushes, "No, I'd just like to get to get to sleep at some point."
"I'd love to be a fly on the wall when you two are having sex!" Britta cackles loudly. Frankie slowly reaches forward and pulls her drink further away while Annie's face flushes furiously.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh come on! Jeff's so emotionally closed off during sex that you might as well sleep with his half formed clone and you-"
"What about me?" Annie says coldly.
"You're so repressed sexually that it's a wonder he's seen you naked," Britta's voice is amused rather unkind, and Annie bites down her response, "I'm sorry Annie but I just can't see you two having mind blowing sex. Your lack of experience is probably working in his favour."
Annie feels her cheeks flushing furiously and folds her arms, glares out at the far wall until Frankie pats her shoulder and jerks her head towards the door.
"You go, I'll share a cab with her when she's finished," she says softly and, not for the first time, Annie thinks that Frankie might be her biggest supporter. She mouths a thank you, grabs her jacket and heads out in to the parking lot.
When she gets back to his apartment- although she spends enough time here to probably consider it home- the lights are off except for a thin line under his bedroom door. She knocks before entering, feeling more than a little silly, and peeks her head round the door. He's lying across the bed asleep, arm stretched over to her side of the mattress and curled around her pillow. It's cute, but she thinks there's no way of joining him without waking him up as she slips out of her clothes and carefully places the book that's fallen from his open hand on to the nightstand. The lamp next to the bed is still on, although he has left it on a dim setting, and it casts shadows on his face. There's a slight furrow on his brow that she often notices when she watches him sleep and when she curls up on the bed next to him she presses her lips gently to his forehead.
He opens his eyes groggily and beams at her.
"You're home." He's barely awake, but his arm curls tight around her shoulders. When she presses up close to kiss him he brings his free hand up to her hair and strokes absently, his mouth moving against hers like they have all the time in the world.
She loves this. When they're laying down together she can run her toes down his calves, At home she sleeps in comfy old floral pyjamas, relics from the days where she could never be quite sure what antics Abed and Troy would get up to in the middle in the night. But she's learnt to love the feel of his bare skin against hers; the way his arms hold her firm throughout the night, his leg curled carefully over hers. Britta was right about one thing. Sexually repressed Annie would have hated this feeling; and the Jeff she first met would have never been here in the first place. But she's not that girl any more, and he's not that guy.
He's nuzzling across her cheek, hand still playing with her hair, and she feels a little jolt of desire rush through her when his lips find the sensitive skin under her jaw. Even half asleep he knows how to push her buttons and she arches in to him, presses her palms against his firm chest and pushes back her chin to welcome his kisses along her neck.
"Missed you," he breathes against her skin and she laughs softly. Even though it's only been a couple of days- he's been busy with office hours and she's been commuting across town to her two-day work experience placement- she's missed him too.
"Missed you more."
He pulls back and gives her his dopiest, sleepy grin. That's another thing she loves- maybe more than the way he runs his fingertips down her thighs when he rolls her on to her back- that she's the only person that gets to see him this vulnerable. No ego mask, no flexing, no quick quips to hide what he really thinks. He murmurs how much he loves her late at night, and she doesn't mind that they stick to acting professional at Greendale for the sake of the group. If his usual speeches can convince them all to follow whatever madcap scheme he's cooked up, the things he says to her behind closed doors has her melting under his palms.
"You make me happy," she says, cupping his cheeks, "You know that, right?"
That grin again.
"Good," he growls, suddenly more awake and stretching his hands around her bare waist, "I always want to make you happy, Annie."