Annie and Jeff sat in the car silently, both looking anywhere but at each other as Jeff gripped the steering wheel so hard that he was white knuckled. They were both breathing heavily, which they only noticed due to the uncharacteristic silence, and Annie gave him a sidelong glance before finally clearing her throat to break the quiet. "Are you going to turn the car on?"

Jeff seemed to barely hear her, turning to her wide eyed and quizzical. She nodded at the keys hanging from the ignition and he started laughing. Softly at first, but then louder and more maniacal as he put his forehead against the steering wheel and closed his eyes. Annie looked around, unsure if he was having a panic attack or a nervous breakdown, and gently reached out a hand to his shoulder. "Jeff? I don't know if I should ask if you're okay-"

"I'm not okay." He cut her off, turning to look at her with a wide smile. "I'm great. I'm ecstatic."

"Okay, um, you're freaking me out just a little, so I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not."

"I'm not, I'm not!" He laughed again, more evenly this time, and turned on the car. "I'm actually, genuinely okay."

She smiled thinly, teeth gritted together as she nodded at him, "Okay… okay that's good. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Right now? No. I want to go eat. My appetite is suddenly back. Are you hungry?"

"Uh-"

"What do you want? It's what, nine on a Saturday? Steakhouse, grill, bar?"

She thought about what little she had eaten at the party and how much she enjoyed the strawberries. With a soft smile she looked over at him and said, "Promise not to laugh?"

"Absolutely not. What do you want?"

"Waffles."

. . . . . .

They got several looks and gratuitous stares as they were seated at iHop, and they couldn't help but laugh as their server walked off to get them waters (but not without a look up and down at their get up). Annie laughed and grinned over Jeff's shoulder at an older couple that was smiling at them fondly, the lady giving her a thumbs up. She turned back to him and brushed her hair back behind her ear, tilting her head to give him an inquisitive look. He understood that she was waiting for him to say something about the scene he made, but he was content just to smile back at her (he knew it probably infuriated her, but he couldn't help but love it when her eyes went dark).

"So. Waffles?"

Annie laughed and looked down at the menu, "I was eating strawberries, and when I think of strawberries, I think of strawberries and cream which leads me to waffles."

"I think of strawberries and cream too, sans the waffles."

"Don't be gross."

"Get your mind out of the gutter." He laughed. In any other circumstance he might feel ridiculous (after all, who goes to iHop in formal wear other than drunk teenagers after prom?), but he just felt happy. Genuinely happy, and he wanted to stay in it a little longer before he had to go back to the reality of having just quit his job.

"Well, I'm just glad you were up for late night breakfast."

"With you? I'm up for anything."

She blushed and rolled her eyes, "Except when I try to get you to do homework, or try new drinks, or-"

"Okay, okay, first of all, you can't expect me to try a twelve-ounce drink that's 400 calories, Annie, I just won't do that to myself."

"And the schoolwork?"

"I'm just not as good at it as you are."

"Well, if that was the case you wouldn't be able to do much of anything would you?"

"Touché." He smirked at her and watched as she closed her menu. "Know what you want?"

"Yes." She smiled brightly. "Belgian waffle with strawberries. It comes with eggs and bacon, do you want them? I'm only in the mood for sweets."

"Yeah, that's fine." He smiled and closed his own menu, leaning back and staring at her fondly. "You know we haven't hung out since I took you home from The Landing."

"What do you mean? We hang out all the time."

"Yeah, the group, but I mean just you and me."
"Well, you never ask me out. I assume you're busy. Chopped is on Netflix now, so who knows when we'll see you."

He blushed slightly at the way she phrased it, but nodded to her, "I like hanging out with you. I love hearing creepy coffee stories."

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes and looked to the ceiling (as if for patience?). "Like the old man who every day comes in and asks for a tall blonde and whatever the coffee of the day is and stares at Erin until she tells him to leave?"

"Ah yes, those stories. They remind me of all the things Pierce has to look forward to."

"Pierce is already there. When we all first met, Shirley told him to stop sexually harassing her, and he said, "How can I harass someone who turns me on?" He's a mess."

"Jeeze…" Jeff smirked, "He's a lawsuit waiting to happen."

Annie nodded, her smile fading slightly, and he knew she was going to use the opportunity of him bringing up law to ask him, "What happened, Jeff?"

He sighed heavily and shrugged, thankful that the server had chosen that moment to return with their water and take their order (he just ordered Annie's food with a substitute of turkey bacon, since she'd offered to share). After they left Jeff looked at his hands, unsure himself as to why he had chosen to… exit, in such a way. He hadn't really worked all the way through it himself, but he did know that the moment the words had left his mouth a weight also lifted from his shoulders. The few minutes he'd spent talking to Phil and Harold were just… soul sucking. They had reminded him that he was vicious, a take-no-shit kind of guy, and he just couldn't find any joy in it.

He licked his lips softly and locked eyes with Annie, who was waiting patiently for him to share.

"I uh…" He started, fiddling with his hands and looking anywhere but directly at her. "I just wasn't happy. I thought I was happy, before. But I was just looking for a place to belong, I wanted to be good at something, and I was- I am VERY good at my job. I was cruel, and I didn't care who I stomped on to get where I wanted to go. But as time went on, I started to just… get bored? That's why I left California and came back here. I kept getting bored and I didn't feel I was going anywhere. Well, and, the cost of living is just outrageous."

Annie hummed in agreement and nodded her head, wholly focused on his story.

"So when I came back home, I thought it'd be different and I could work my way up somewhere and feel good, and feel validated but uh… I never moved up? And I thought it was just because I needed to earn my way there, so I worked like an asshole. I was an asshole. The firm would praise me and take me out to the bar or the clubs whenever I did what I do, which is win-"

"Mhm." She tried not to roll her eyes, but he caught it anyway.

"And this year, like, before I met you, I'd brought up being a partner again to Ted. He said he'd look into it. And then I didn't hear anything until the summer, after I met you, and he said I just wasn't as good on paper as the other guys, hence the going to school plan."

"Of course."

"But being away from work has given me time to think, and time to realize things, and tonight just really solidified them for me."

"What did you realize?"

"Well, two things. The first, Ted was never really interested in me moving up. I can't believe that he would have supported my plan unless it was really just to shut me up. "Oh, sorry buddy, you tried but this still isn't what they're looking for." The more I thought about the whole situation the more I realized it was just that, I was a cash cow to them and they just wanted to keep using what they knew I'd bring because I was ambitious."

Annie nodded, and he thought that maybe he could detect a hint of sadness in her eyes. "What was the second?"

Jeff sighed again, looking down in contemplation before he spoke, "Tonight when I was talking to Phil and Harold, I was so bored and dispassionate and empty, and all I could do was look past them… for you. They told me how missed I was, and I realized I didn't care, because they never saw me, and in that moment, I missed you. I missed being with you guys and laughing and talking and being real. All I wanted to do was talk to you."

They were both quiet and she starred at him, even as their food arrived. He looked at her for some sort of answer as they sat there, unmoving, and finally he just continued.

"I've never had real friends. I've never felt that people liked me. I know people like how I look or how I act, but you and the others like me. And it's weird and it's nice and it made me realize I don't have to go to work with people who don't give a shit about me."

Annie smiled softly and nodded, "The you that likes lilies?"

"Okay I told you that in confidence, Annie."

She laughed and reached across the table to grab his hand, "I'm happy for you then. And I'm really glad you finally have friends; I can't imagine how outrageously self-absorbed you'd be if you hadn't met us."

. . . .

The rest of their evening was quiet, Jeff felt good but exhausted by his sudden burst of vulnerability, and Annie was kind enough to recognize that. She did most of the talking on their way back to her apartment, regaling him with stories about her customers and coworkers that made him laugh and also a little sick to him stomach.

"And then she asked for a latte with no milk, so I asked if she wanted like, a dairy alternative and she said, 'NO. I want a vanilla latte, with no milk at all.' So I said, 'do you want a doppio?' and I thought she was going to throw something at me. She made me get Erin, because 'she knows what she's doing' and then Erin told her the same thing!"

"She wanted an Americano." Jeff grinned, pulling up in front of Annie's apartment building.

"NO. SHE WANTED AN ICED COFFEE, JEFF."

"Stop." He laughed, putting the car in park and rubbing his eyes. "See, this is why I get the same thing every day."

"You get the same thing every day because you think it makes you cool not to have 'froo froo' drinks." She rolled her eyes and leaned back into her seat. "It wouldn't kill you to try a snickerdoodle latte."

"Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but some day down the line it will be there, screaming regrets."

Annie giggled and sighed deeply, giving him a small smile. She reached across the center console to grab Jeff's hand, and he looked up at her slowly. He could tell she wanted to say something, but was thinking her words through. "Jeff, I just wanted to say I'm glad you asked me to go with you tonight. I know it was weird, and probably uncomfortable, but I'm glad you're happier. And I'm glad you realized that your value has nothing to do with your work, but with who you are."

"Yeah." He said softly, his eyes focused on her hand (which was still in his). "You guys make me feel like I'm part of something."

Annie nodded, sighing, "Me too. When I first started at Greendale I was so alone. I had been disowned, I was living on my own, I had no friends outside of AA. When I joined the study group it felt… I dunno. Like I could have my own family? And that they picked me?"

She scoffed and shook her head, "That probably sounds stupid but-"

"Not at all." He smiled. "I like it."

"It's nice to belong, even if it's to a group of odd balls."

Jeff chuckled, lolling his head to the side so that he could look her in the eye. He couldn't help but smile as she traced the back of his hand with her finger, and they sat that way, silently for several minutes, nothing but the soft hum of Fleetwood Mac playing on the stereo (he'd let Annie pick the music, but had groaned at everything she put on. Stevie was a common middle ground for them).

As usual, Annie broke the silence between them by stirring and pulling her hand from his. She smiled and sighed, gathering her shawl and clutch, before turning back to him, "Thank you, Jeff. I had a lot of fun, despite the weird quitting situation."

He was about to respond, but she leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, and his mind went numb. As she started to lean back he caught her lips with his, bringing his hands up to cup her face gingerly as he deepened their kiss. Annie gasped softly in surprise but didn't try to break away, rather she leaned in and grabbed his shirt, tugging on it to pull him closer as she parted her lips and gently slid her tongue against his. He sighed, enthusiastically smiling against her lips before his thoughts started catching up to him. Jeff's breath caught and he jerked away from her, still holding her face as he tried to catch his breath. They stared at each other, eyes wide and mouths open in surprise.

"Annie, I'm s-"

"No, please," She pressed her fingers to his mouth softly, "Don't say you're sorry."

He stared at her, unsure of what to do next. Obviously, he wanted to keep kissing her, he'd wanted to for a long time, against his better judgement, but the other part of him hadn't kissed someone he liked in a really, really long time and he didn't know what to make of it. Annie frowned at his silence and shook her head, her eyes dimming with disappointment as she turned to get out of the car.

"I…" She laughed softly, "I'll see you Monday."

He reached across the car as she closed the door behind her, trying to get her to stop, to wait, to come back, but she was already in her building without so much as a look back. Jeff closed his eyes and dropped his head onto the steering wheel, sighing a soft, "Fuck."