Chapter Text
Jeff Winger and Annie Edison were not your typical love story. After meeting in a Spanish study group, the two flirted with each other for years, until eventually the group disbanded. Jeff remained a professor at Greendale Community College, and Annie moved to DC for a summer internship. For a while, that was where they had left things.
But as is often the case, the story didn’t end there. When the internship fell through, Annie returned to Greendale, where she and Jeff made things official. They had been dating semi-secretly for a while, and a few years after making their relationship public, they moved in together and were eventually married, surrounded by good company.
A year had passed since their wedding, and that evening, Jeff and Annie were cuddling on the couch watching The Notebook. They were happy to be in each other’s company, with nobody else around to disturb their peace.
“I’m surprised you haven’t left the room already,” Annie giggled.
Jeff smiled. “I think I’m actually starting to warm up to this movie,” he said, while shedding a tear.
Annie found this touching. She wiped away the tear from Jeff’s cheek, giving him a kiss. “Happy anniversary, honey.”
Jeff looked over at his wife, and grinned a little. “Do you remember how nervous I was on our first actual date?”
Annie blinked. “You were nervous too? The whole time I thought I was going to blow it!”
This came as a surprise to Jeff.
“I was terrified that things would be awkward between us if our first date went badly,” Annie continued, “I even considered canceling for a minute…”
“Is it bad that I did as well?” Jeff admitted, slightly worried as the words exited his mouth.
“Not at all,” Annie reassured him. “I’m just glad we went through with it.”
Jeff nodded in agreement, slightly relieved by this. They both sighed contentedly, thinking back to their first date…
***
It had been the longest summer of Jeff’s life. His job at Greendale was becoming tedious, but more than anything, he missed Annie. He wasn’t sure where they stood, as outside of a few brief text exchanges, he hadn’t heard from her much. Understandably, it came as a surprise to Jeff when one September afternoon, upon finishing up another lecture, he got a call from none other than Annie herself. He shakily accepted the call, slightly worried about what she might say.
“Hey Annie,” he said flatly, trying to hide his excitement to finally hear her voice again.
“I’m coming home, Jeff!” exclaimed Annie.
Jeff could feel his heart beating even faster now. “When?”
“This Friday,” she replied. “I’ll be at the airport by 7:30 PM. Can you pick me up? If it’s not too much trouble, that is.”
Without hesitation, Jeff happily agreed. Annie thanked him, gave a cheerful goodbye, and hung up. Jeff was thrilled by her news, and he decided that when she got back, he would finally ask her out. They’d been casually seeing each other for a while, but nothing was official between them, as neither wanted to risk their friendship by taking it to the next level. However, unbeknownst to either of them, they were both more than ready to change that.
***
At long last, Friday arrived. The whole day, Jeff was planning exactly what he would say to Annie once she returned. Should he do one of his classic “Winger speeches,” or just keep his declaration of love concise and to the point? He often found himself getting lost in thought during his lecture. Luckily for him, his students were used to his antics at this point, so they took no notice.
The sun began to set, and Jeff made the nerve-racking drive to the airport. He left earlier than anyone would have expected him to. For a man who was, by his own admission, often late to his commitments, this was something he wanted to be perfect. Maybe Annie really was rubbing off on him after all, and he didn’t mind one bit.
At last, Jeff pulled up to the airport. He passed by the terminal where he had said goodbye to Annie months before, trying his hardest not to get emotional while doing so.
After parking his car in the overcrowded lot, he walked nervously through the airport. Jeff couldn’t help his eyes darting around, glancing at people coming and going. He felt a twinge of sadness, as for some of these people, he knew they would be in the same position he once was: parting ways with a loved one, unsure if their paths would ever cross again. But before he could think about it further…
“Jeff?”
He turned around; there was Annie, rolling suitcase in hand.
“Annie!” Jeff exclaimed as his face lit up. Annie went in for a hug, which Jeff reciprocated for a good few seconds.
“You’re early,” she chuckled, as their embrace subsided. “I guess some things do change.”
Slightly embarrassed, Jeff merely shrugged. Annie’s smile grew.
“It’s so good to see you again,” she grinned.
“Same to you,” Jeff replied. Then he realized something. “Where are you staying?”
“Britta’s letting me crash at her new place for a bit,” Annie replied. “I’ll have to figure something out after that. Anyway, let’s get to the car. I can’t wait to catch up with you.”
Jeff agreed, and led her to where he had parked. He carefully loaded her bags into the back seat, and they drove off. A few minutes passed by, and nothing was said. It was Annie who broke the silence.
“So,” she hesitated, “any cute dates lately?”
“Not really,” he shamefully admitted. “Well, Britta did try setting me up with one of her activist friends… it didn’t go well.”
Annie let out a small, awkward laugh. “I met a guy during the internship,” she continued. “His name is Luke; we started dating after a week or so.”
Jeff’s heart sank upon hearing this.
“Although…” Annie went on, “he dumped me two days before the internship ended. He said I was too much for him, and that he needed time to think. Whatever that means…”
Jeff suddenly felt a glimmer of hope, but he could also see that Annie was upset by this. He decided against asking her out, at least right now. It didn’t seem tactful.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jeff replied. “You’re a wonderful person, and if he can’t see that, he doesn’t deserve your time.”
Because Jeff was concentrating on the road ahead, he couldn’t see Annie’s reaction, but he knew that she was smiling. “Thank you Jeff,” she said softly. “I missed you so much.”
“Me too,” Jeff replied happily. “Me too.”
***
They finally arrived at Britta’s apartment. It had gotten dark by then. Britta stood on the front steps, arms folded.
“Took you long enough,” she sneered.
“Traffic was a nightmare,” said Jeff pointedly.
Britta wasn’t convinced, but was still happy to see Annie all the same. “How’ve you been?”
“Oh, great!” Annie replied enthusiastically, “I’ll tell you all about it when I’m settled in.”
Jeff helped Annie unload her luggage out of his car. When everything was ready, Annie gave him a quick hug.
“See you soon,” she grinned. “Get home safe!”
“I will,” Jeff laughed. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow!”
As he drove away, Annie sighed happily. It felt so good to be back.
***
Soon, Annie and Britta were catching up on all that had happened during Annie’s time away. They were pleased; they hadn’t had much time to bond one-on-one, even when the group was still intact.
“How was the flight?” inquired Britta.
“It wasn’t too bad,” started Annie. “There were some screaming babies in a nearby row, but—“
She was interrupted by a noise from her phone. Someone had texted her. It was Jeff.
It read: “Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?”