The hug was brief, a kiss on the cheek, soft and sweet. Annie shrugged. "I'll see you soon." She felt like a liar. Three months wasn't soon by any measure, but it was the only thing she could get herself to say.

She walked away, sparing a glance backward and a small wave. Abed tried to engage her in conversation and though Annie wanted nothing more than to indulge her friend, she yearned for silence, if only to honor the true significance of the moment.

Once inside, she turned to see the small dark sedan driving away. Taking a breath, she looked back to Abed, offering him the priceless farewell gift of Cinnabon. He smiled and accepted as they made their way through the airport.

Annie heaved a sigh to the melody of one word: Soon.

/

2015:

Jeff tried to meet Britta's distracted and deflective stare. The blatant avoidance she possessed as her eyes darted across the now-lacking living room told him exactly what he needed to know. It really was over. All that time hoping and pretending had not only been in vain, but he had been left all the worse for it.

He barked out a humorless laugh and sat down on the couch, the embodiment of a fool. Britta sat beside him, uncharacteristically silent. She looked at the now slightly crumpled paper in his hands. He offered it up to her, lacking any gusto he had felt the hour before when he had made the decision or 5 minutes before when he had walked in. She smoothed the paper out before meeting his eyes, surprise filling her own. He nodded curtly; annoyed, angry and hurt.

"I'm sorry," was all she said.

/

2016:

Annie scrolled through Facebook while sipping on her Cape Cod sitting cross-legged at the bar. She stared at the one notification she needed no reminder of. It was Jeff Winger's birthday.

The idea of writing on his wall seemed wrong, impersonal. She thought about calling him, about how nice it would be to hear his voice after nearly a year of silence, though she wasn't entirely convinced that he would take her call. She shook her head and began to search through her contacts.

"So, no mojito?" A warm voice said behind her ear.

"It didn't seem a sophisticated enough choice for a Wednesday night."

"And yet somehow that dress made the cut?" She could hear the smile as she felt his eyes rake down her flattering little black dress. She turned and smirked, looking into his olive-green eyes. "Hello, beautiful."

She gave him an inviting kiss. "Lucky you came when you did, otherwise I might've bought him a drink." She seductively pointed to a man across the bar.

Darren quickly turned and gave her a wry grin once his eyes met with the object of her subtle attention. It was an elderly man that sat looking impatiently in the direction of the restrooms, a floral-patterned bulky purse on the bar space beside him. He shook his head, playfully downtrodden. "I should've known; you do have a thing for older men."

The brunette stilled for a fraction of a second. "How do you figure?" She oozed.

He laughed. "When we were watching Friends the other night, every time Richard walked on screen you gave a little sigh."

The tease caused her mouth to go slack in humored outrage. "I cannot be held accountable for crushing on Tom Selleck. That's universal."

He nodded, more to appease her than in actual agreement. Pulling her hand from its resting place around her drink, he kissed the soft, taut skin that stretched across the back of it. "Not all of us can be as naturally magnetic as Tom Selleck. Some of us need to work and develop our charm." He oozed as he led her to the dance floor.

Annie smiled and lifted her brows in lieu of questioning. They began to dance to the beaded, heartbeat rhythm that filled in all the cracks and spaces between flesh on the small and tight dance floor, each note a breath in the living organism the music had made them.

/

2017:

"Please, I'm not so desperate as to find the prospect of a blind date agreeable."

"Oh, come on, it's hardly a blind date. I've known her for years; I've known you for years. It's more like a long time coming."

Jeff shook his head, begrudgingly amused. "It doesn't really work that way, Britta. It only wouldn't count as a blind date if you went out with her." He stood straighter. "If she's anything like you, hard pass. I don't need to learn a lesson more than once."

"Wow, none taken." She prickly said, before switching her tone to sarcasm. "And ha! I have 6 years of anecdotal proof that would suggest otherwise."

"Look, the last woman I tried to pick up was Mel. So, forgive me if I would like to avoid any potentially embarrassing situations."

She laughed sardonically again. "How were you to know she was Frankie's girlfriend? Besides, if you ever want to make good on that goal, you'd have to get the hell out of Greendale first."

/

2018:

Annie leaned back into the corner of her couch with her knees to her chest. Darren sat beside her, his arm resting on the plush material above her shoulders.

"I can't believe you've never seen this movie before. It's one of my favorites. Whenever I'm having an off day, it reminds me of home."

Ever since Darren had noticed Annie's foul disposition earlier that night, he had praised the mood-improving power of Casablanca. Annie just nodded, still feigning ignorance as to what had spoiled her mood. She hoped in vain that he was right; that the classic film would be exactly what she needed, and in the worst way, it was. It had been 3 years to the day since she had left, really left Greendale behind and even longer since she had heard Jeff's voice. She had never thought herself capable of letting so much time pass. It made her feel cowardly and starved for home.