I wake with Jeff wrapped around me. I slide out of bed, throw on clothes, and pull my hair up. When I enter the main room I find only Abed awake.
He looks up from his bowl of cereal, "How's Jeff? Is he coming out anytime today?"
I look at him, wide-eyed with fear. "Abed?!" I gasp. "How did you know?"
"Well, at first I thought he had left, but Jeff would never leave without his phone and after the way you guys were acting last night I already suspected something was going on," he explains.
"Abed, you can't tell anyone, okay?"
He nods and goes back to eating his Lucky Charms.
Before anyone else wakes up, I go back into my bedroom, and jump on the bed to wake Jeff. "Jeff," I whisper, "you need to get up before anyone notices you were in my bedroom!"
He quickly, well as quickly as someone who just woke up, slips into the clothes he wore yesterday. We exit the bedroom as Abed distracts Troy and Britta from seeing us. I rush into the kitchen to start breakfast.
"Oh, hey Jeff. Where were you?" Britta asks.
I freeze to hear Jeff's response, but Abed answers for him.
"He slept in my room!"
"Oh, okay. Pretty Boy Winger couldn't handle the floor for a night?" Britta snarks.
After a surprisingly not awkward breakfast, Britta leaves and Troy goes to take a shower leaving Abed, Jeff, and I alone.
"When are you going to tell the group?" Abed asks with curiosity showing on his face.
Jeff looks to me in fear. I rest my hand on his, "Jeff, it is okay. Abed put together everything. We can tell Troy once he's out here, he's going to find out eventually when you keep coming around or when I leave and don't come home for the night."
"Just don't tell the others, Abed," Jeff says after a moment.
"Of course. I wouldn't want to ruin the opportunity to see how this all plays out," Abed asserts.
We silently wait for Troy. I tap my fingers on the table and Jeff's leg is bouncing in anticipation.
Troy finally is done and heads over to us. "Hey, Jeff! What are you still doing here? No offense."
"Troy, we have something to tell you," I say calmly to not frighten him.
"Did you break another one of Abed's DVD's?" he questions.
"No, no! Troy, Jeff and I are…"
"Dating," Jeff finishes, taking ahold of my hand and smiling at me. I smile back.
"Oh, that's all? Well, congrats Jeff, you finally got the balls to ask her out after only three years," Troy exclaims.
"So, now Troy," I explain slowly, "you can tell nobody. We need to be the ones to tell the group when it feels appropriate."
"Sure. I can't wait to see how Shirley reacts!" Troy discloses and Abed nods then they do their handshake.
"Wanna go reenact a whole episode of Inspector Spacetime in the Dreamatorium?" Abed asks Troy.
"You just read my mind."
They dash into their "bedroom" and come out in their costumes.
"Constable Reggie."
"Inspector."
"What time are you guys going to be done?" I ask.
"The question isn't what time will we be done. It is when…time will we be done," Troy says in a bad British accent before they both disappear into the Dreamatorium.
"So…what do you want to do today?" Jeff asks.
Outside the clouds cover the sky and creates a gloomy atmosphere.
"How about the movies?" I answer after closing the blinds and moving back to where he now stands.
Jeff rests his hands on my waist as I hook mine behind his neck. "Of course," he whispers before lifting me up for a deep kiss.
I pull back to catch my breath, "Maybe later." He pecks my lips one last time and places me back down. "I have to get in the shower real quick."
He groans, "Fine, I'll go get ready too, I guess."
Jeff has changed into a deep blue Banana Republic button down, he decided to leave it in my dresser the other day for a midday wardrobe change, and a khaki winter coat by the time I enter my room.
"Well, don't you look handsome," I compliment.
He stops fixing his hair in the mirror for a second to respond. "I've been told by many," he says smugly.
I swat his arm as I pass him to search for something to wear. I find a cute floral sundress and a matching cardigan. Not wanting to take any more time, I put some product in my hair to leave it wavy. Jeff waits patiently, sitting on my bed playing Bejeweled on his phone.
We leave the apartment and make it to the movie theaters just as our argument about avocados comes to an end.
"I still think they're way overrated," I state as we enter the front door.
Jeff laughs, "Okay, I withdraw my argument. What movie are we seeing?"
"New Year's Eve, duh doi." If Zac Efron is in it, then I am watching it.
Jeff gets the tickets and I stand in line for food. "What do you want?" I ask when he joins me.
"Pretzel bites and coke?"
"And popcorn?"
"Sounds good," he says and kisses me lightly.
The theater is nearly empty, and Jeff leads me to the top row. I answer the trivia questions that play before the trailers start as Jeff scrolls through Twitter one last time. I lean on the arm rest between us and Jeff intertwines our fingers. We smile at each other.
The movie isn't that great, but it's okay since I'm here with Jeff.
"Popcorn."
Jeff tosses two pieces into my mouth with an adoring smile.
By the time the movie is over I am full from exceeding my stomach's limit on popcorn.
"I have to use the restroom," I tell Jeff and untangle our hands reluctantly.
I walk into the bathroom and meet the end of the line right at the door.
"Ugh."
I go back to Jeff, "I'll just hold it. Let's go."
"No, it's okay. There's a family bathroom right over there," he says and then smirks with raised eyebrows.
I blush, "Oh yeah?" I enter first, Jeff entering soon after.
He comes behind me, wraps his arms around my midriff, and places kisses on the curve of my neck. I turn towards him and he kisses me gently. Jeff's hands run down to my waist then lower. He lifts and sits me up on the edge of the sink. I kiss him with urgency before his lips travel back down to my sensitive neck. I have to tug him back up to keep him from leaving a hickey. A sly smile breaks across his lips before he kisses me again. His fingers linger on my upper thighs, brushing lightly against my skin making me squirm. Jeff tries to distract me by running one hand through my hair and deepening the kiss as he moves his other hand further up my thigh, under the hem of my dress.
"Jeff," I breathe out almost silently. "Jeff, we can't do this in this bathroom."
He catches his breath, "Another bathroom then?"
I swat at his chest, "No, just…we gotta go. And, I still have to pee so get out."
Jeff chuckles as he helps me down, "Okay, I'll be right outside."
"All good, we can go," I tell Jeff and loop my arm in his.
As soon as the doors open, the frosty December air floods in. I shiver and hug myself, tucking my hands under my arms. Jeff quickly pulls me into his warm body and rubs his hands up and down my arms to try to create more warmth.
"Here, why don't you take this?" he starts to take off his coat.
"Wait! No, Jeff, you're going to be freezing!" I say concerned for his wellbeing.
"I'm not the one wearing a tiny dress, Annie. I'm going to be fine." He insists, holding his coat open for me.
I slide my arms in, the sleeves going past the tips of my fingers. Jeff zips it up with a grin. "Thank you so much," I smile and scrunch the fabric of the sleeves to keep the cold out. "I was about to die of hypothermia," I add dramatically.
Jeff laughs, "Don't be such a drama queen. But, let's get to the car before I freeze for real."
I snort at him as he ushers me forward. I never loved heated seats this much before now. Leaning back, I absorb as much of the warmth as possible. Jeff begins to drive as my eyes flutter closed. The low noise of engine, the sound of Jeff's quiet breaths, and the light rhythm of a song lull me into a pleasant sleep.
I vaguely know Jeff is removing me from the car, but I am too tired to not let him carry me up to the apartment. I'm eventually placed lightly onto my bed, and he takes off my shoes and his jacket before he tucks me under my comforter.
Jeff lightly kisses my forehead, cheek, and lips. "Goodnight, Annie Edison," he whispers. He moves a stray hair behind my ear and leaves.