Britta is alone at the table when Jeff stumbles in the next morning, sipping a mug of coffee with tired eyes and messy hair. "Morning," she says, looking up at Jeff. "You're the last one up."
Jeff pulls out the chair next to her and sits down, trying not to yawn as he grabs a mug and a packet of instant coffee. "Where's everyone else?"
"Annie went out to get us all some breakfast, and Shirley found a church in town. It's Sunday, you know."
There's an instant kettle on the counter behind Jeff, and he reaches over to turn it on. "And Troy and Abed?"
Britta snickers. "Look outside."
Jeff opens the curtains behind him and looks out the window. Out on the ground, still in their pajamas, Troy and Abed sit facing the RV. Troy is leaning over on Abed's shoulder, and Abed's head is resting on top of Troy's. The two of them are pressed together in a mess of arms and legs and hands, and Jeff thinks that they might still be asleep. This wouldn't have been anything out of the ordinary back at Greendale - he couldn't count the number of times the two had fallen asleep together on the couch, or at the study table, or once, in his apartment - but after Troy's confession, he can't help but wonder what's happened between them.
"They're gonna be so embarrassed when they wake up," Britta laughs.
"Ha, yeah," Jeff says. He closes the curtain and glances down at his phone, out of habit, waiting for the squeal of the kettle. Britta clearly doesn't know. Why would she? Why would Troy tell his ex-girlfriend that he was in love with the guy who was basically responsible for their breakup? The guy Troy had prioritized over every girlfriend he'd had at Greendale? That would just rub salt into the wound. Then again, why would Troy tell Jeff?
"How'd you sleep?"
Jeff runs his fingers through his too-long hair. He'll get it cut when he and Britta go back to Colorado. Or maybe he'll let it grow, just as an experiment. "I've had better nights," he admits.
"I'm well aware," she says, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
"Not what I meant." God. She's insufferable. Sometimes Jeff wants to get down on one knee and propose on the spot.
There's something of a mutual understanding between him and Britta. They love each other, in a way that's not-quite-platonic-not-quite-romantic. Britta's his best friend, ex-lover, closest confidante. Nothing more and nothing less. In a way, they hate each other more than anything, but Jeff knows he can't live without her and he's sure she feels the same way about him.
Very different from how he feels about Annie, who's coincidentally entering the RV with a takeout bag of something that smells heavenly. Shirley's behind her with a tray of coffee cups, and Jeff's stomach audibly rumbles.
"Awesome, breakfast," Britta says, getting up to help Shirley with the coffees.
"Does anyone volunteer to go wake up Romeo and Juliet out there? Cause it's not gonna be me." Jeff takes the bag from Annie and sets it on the coffee table.
"I got it," Annie says. She walks out the door and Jeff goes over to the window.
Shirley busies herself with the food, but Britta goes over to join Jeff. "This I want to see," he says to her.
"Is Troy gay?" Britta blurts.
Jeff freezes. "...No?"
Right on cue, the instant kettle bursts into its shrill song. Jeff's forgotten about his instant coffee, but now that six real coffees sit on the table in front of him it doesn't seem quite so important. He jumps up and turns the kettle off before going back to the window.
"Not that it matters," Britta says quickly. "That's totally fine. More power to him. I was just wondering -"
"You're missing the show," Jeff tells her. He glances back and can tell that Shirley's interest is piqued, against her good judgement.
Annie's trying to say something to the two, but they're fast asleep. She walks over behind them and tickles Troy lightly, making his entire body twitch. He jolts awake, throwing Abed off of him, who wakes up too. Annie's laughing, Troy's embarrassed as he disentangles himself from Abed, and Abed's, well, Abed's unreadable.
And then Abed notices Jeff and Britta staring through the window. He flashes a thumbs up, and they look at each other and give him a thumbs up back.
"You never told me how you got here," Jeff says.
Annie looks up from the map. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, how'd you find the time to go on a road trip with your study group? You're with the FBI, Annie. You can't just get up from your desk and leave." Jeff's hands tighten around the steering wheel.
She sighs. "I got suspended."
"What? Why?"
"I... may have failed a drug test."
She can't look at him. Classic Annie Adderall, he thinks, and he knows that she knows he's thinking it, but of course he won't say it because he's a good friend. "How'd that happen?"
"It's a stressful job! And you know my history! I was careful about it. Just... not careful enough, I guess."
Britta would be proud. Of the drugs, not the government work, he amends. But Jeff's not. "Annie, you shouldn't be using that stuff at all. You can handle this."
Greendale was good for Annie. Six years at a place with no pressure to be perfect would loosen anyone up. The FBI is a different environment, though, and it's no wonder Annie's slipped back into her high school ways. It had always seemed like the study group was holding her back, but Jeff realizes that they gave her a space to feel important when the rest of the world was determined to make her feel small.
"What if I can't?"
"There's no 'what if.' You can, Annie."
She laughs, giving him a small, sad smile. "I feel a Winger Speech coming on."
Jeff shakes his head. "No speech. Just you and me, friend to friend, you can do this. You have an unparalleled work ethic and you're the best person I know. And if they can't see that at the FBI, any other job would be lucky to have you."
"You have to take the next right turn," she says. Jeff makes the turn just in time.
"Tell you what," he continues. "Next time you're feeling overwhelmed, call me and I'll drop everything to talk to you."
Annie considers this. "Even if you're in class?"
"Obviously."
"Even if you're on a date?"
"Sure." Jeff glances sideways at her. "I care about you, Annie. I want you to succeed."
"I know."
Jeff isn't sure how to continue the conversation without revealing something he shouldn't, but luckily, Troy bursts in right at that moment. "Dude, we need to talk," he says.
"Should I leave?" Annie asks.
Troy shrugs. "Whatever you want." Annie nods and doesn't move, so Troy turns back to Jeff. "Why didn't you tell me Abed has a girlfriend?"
Jeff looks over at Annie. She's busying herself with the map, very pointedly not looking at either of them. "I... I didn't know," Jeff says. "Of course I would have told you if I knew, but I don't, so this is not my fault."
"Did you know?"
Annie looks up innocently. "Me? I knew, Abed talks about Isla every time we call."
"Then why didn't you tell me?" Troy demands. Jeff keeps his eyes set on the road. He genuinely wants Troy and Abed's relationship to sort itself out but it's seeming less likely the more time the group spends together. If it doesn't, then this was a waste of a road trip.
"You never asked," Annie says.
"Wait, did you tell her?" Jeff interjects.
"Tell me what?"
"That I'm - " Troy runs a hand through his beard absently, clearly anxious. He looks to Jeff for support and Jeff nods gently. "That I'm gay."
Annie's silent, just for a second, letting his words resonate. "That's great! I mean, thank you for telling me, I'm - " She jumps up and hugs him, the map crinkling between their bodies. "So, Abed?"
Troy cuts her off. "Yeah."
Jeff looks up at them, feeling like he's intruded on a private moment. He hadn't foreseen this hiccup in their plan. Abed's bisexuality - and Jeff's, for that matter - had been a quietly understood fact of life for as long as the study group had known each other. But if Abed's happy with this girl, he knows that Troy won't have it in him to disrupt that happiness.
"Why don't I talk to Abed?" Jeff offers.
"About what?" Troy crosses his arms.
"About... you?" Nope. Bad answer. "I don't know yet. But if there's anything I'm good at, it's talking. I want this to work out for you two."
Troy nods. "Yeah, okay."
"Left turn," Annie adds. "We'll take a break at the rest stop in a few miles and then there's one hour left to Phoenix."
Jeff grins at Troy. One hour is plenty of time to work his magic.