Okay, so I finally wrote the last chapter. I took me longer than I thought to write because it was so daunting to have to write Jeff's true feelings for Annie. I hope I still managed to capture Jeff's character throughout his speech. It's difficult because I imagine it in my head and it seems very real but as you read it you may imagine a different atmosphere. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! I'm not thrilled about how this chapter turned out, I'm just glad that I finally got all of Jeff's thoughts down in one speech!
Jeff was about to drive home when he realised that maybe a taxi was a better idea. Not only was he an emotional wreck, he was also still a bit intoxicated. He got in the back of the taxi and told the driver his address. On the main road outside Greendale he realised he didn't want to go home. He wanted to be with Annie. It could be so easy for him to just go to her and spend the night cuddling and kissing her but he had to talk to her first. He was still so confused about everything, he never expected it to be this way. The only thing he knew for sure, was that he wanted to be with her. He just wasn't sure how to say it. 'Screw it', he thought as he asked the driver to turn around and go to Annie's apartment.
Meanwhile Annie was at home and had just gotten into bed. Troy and Abed were out in the living room watching a Lord of the Rings marathon. She was so upset about everything that had happened with Jeff but the weird thing was, she simply craved his comfort. There was no one else who made her feel comfortable the way Jeff does. She thought about texting him but ended up deciding to just go to sleep and figure it all out in the morning.
She was drifting off to sleep when there was a knock at the door. She heard one of the boys get up off the couch to open it and let someone in. She wasn't sure who it was because all she could hear was mumbling. All of a sudden there was another knock but this time it was at her bedroom door.
"Come in." she said tiredly and confused. The door slowly opened and a head poked inside. The head was followed by a tall body.
"Hey, is it okay if I talk to you?" Jeff said in a whisper. Annie paused before she nodded her head and sat up crossed-legged in her bed. Jeff walked over to her and sat down beside her. There was an awkward silence between them for a moment. Then Jeff carefully reached over and held her hand in his. He looked up at her.
"I'm so sorry about tonight." He said. That was a good start, he thought. He was still incredibly nervous about what he was trying to say so apologising was a good place to start. Annie simply dropped her gaze down to their intertwined hands. She didn't know what to reply. "I screwed everything up tonight and I never wanted it to happen this way between us."
"You never wanted what to happen?" Annie asked.
"Us." He said immediately. "I mean, it's you and me, Annie. There's always been something between us. I knew that eventually something would be said or done. It just scared me and I preferred not to think about it."
"Why were you scared?" she looked up at him finally. "I mean, you weren't scared with Britta, you weren't scared with Slater. You were confident with them and you knew what you wanted."
"That's exactly it, Annie. I knew what I wanted with them. I was sexually attracted to them from the moment I met both of them. But with you, you were just a teenager. I felt like I had to look after you or something."
"I'm not a teenager anymore though!" she fought back.
"Hey, it's okay. I know that. That's the problem." He smiled slightly at her defiance. "So, basically you went from being this sweet teenage girl who was helplessly in love with Troy…" Annie rolled her eyes as he said this. She was embarrassed that Jeff had known her back in the day when she was so childish and naïve. "But then we started to become really close friends and I felt so comfortable around you." Jeff was surprised at how everything was starting to make sense as he was saying the words. "Then of course Vaughn came along and I wasn't sure if I was being protective of you in a fatherly way or in a romantic way. You have to imagine how weird that was for me! It was easier for me to choose the fatherly option so that I didn't have to get jealous of you and Vaughn. When you told me you were moving with Vaughn to Delaware I realised that you weren't a kid anymore. Right in front of my eyes you had just grown up and it felt like it happened over night. I think the reason I kissed you that night at the transfer dance is because you were the only person I could talk to about it all. You made me feel so much better and I just…I dunno…you looked so beautiful that night, I guess I was just curious as to what it would be like to kiss you." Jeff paused as he realised how quiet Annie was being throughout his surprisingly long speech. He looked at her until she looked back at him. "That night we kissed, I never called you. I really hurt you didn't I?" he was only just realising how much he hurt her after that kiss. She looked back at him and her lip began to quiver as she nodded her head ever so slightly. "I'm so sorry for that Annie." He said as he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her in close. He dropped his head to the side so that it rested on top of hers. He kissed her forehead to let her know that everything was okay between them before he continued with his speech. It was a long one but he knew he had to tell her everything.
"I think last year was when I really started to struggle with my feelings for you. You were getting older, smarter, more beautiful every day. There were so many moments when I could have just kissed you." Jeff took a deep breath. He had never spoken like this to anyone before. Deep down he knew it was okay because it was Annie. This was probably what she wanted all along. Just to hear an explanation. Annie brushed her hand up over his chest and rested it on his shoulder.
"Keep going." She said.
"The problem is, I screw everything up. There isn't one thing in my life that I haven't screwed up. I guess I was worried that if I told you how I felt and we started dating that I would find some crazy way to just screw it all up. I couldn't bear the thought of that because you're the last person in the world who I'd want to hurt. So, that was my theory for a while. I would just screw everything up with you and it was safer to stay as friends. But then we got closer and I…I realised something. I only realised it tonight after you left." Jeff stopped. He knew exactly what to say he just had to pause to catch his breath. "I thought maybe I wouldn't screw things up with you. I thought maybe I love you too much to ever hurt you." He finished. There was silence between the two. Annie finally pulled out from his embrace and looked at him.
"And?" she said with raised eyebrows. "Is that your new theory?"
"Yeah." He smiled. She smiled back at him and looked down as she blushed. She started fiddling with the collar of his shirt as she concentrated on his chest. She was too nervous to look him in the eye.
"Now you can kiss me whenever you want." She said with a cheeky grin as she moved her gaze up to his. He returned the same grin as he leaned in and caught her lips with his own. The kiss was perfect. It started out slow as they felt their faces mesh together and she started to feel his tongue entering her mouth. She lifted a leg over his body so that she was straddling him on her bed. As she did this they both opened their mouths wide to let each other in. She got up on her knees so that she could lean over him. Jeff enjoyed this as he now had access to ass-grabbing and shirt-removing. He pulled away from her mouth so he could begin nibbling at her neck. Her pelvis was level with his torso and she began grinding into him. After a moment she pulled back and just looked down at him with a smile. Without taking his eyes off hers he grabbed the hem of her shirt and slowly pulled it over her head. God, she had the perfect body, her skin looked so silky. He didn't know what to touch first so he just buried his face in her stomach as he kissed her everywhere. She knew that she was going to enjoy getting used to the feel of his prickly face rubbing against her skin. She had trouble taking his shirt off so he ended up taking it off for her. They both giggled at this and Jeff's ego went soaring as he watched Annie's eyes widen as she looked at his chiselled stomach. She'd seen him topless many times before but never in a situation where it was appropriate to touch or kiss or do anything she wanted with him. She sat herself down on his hips and stroked his chest and abs fondly. He hadn't quite anticipated how beautiful she would look as she straddled him topless and stroked his chest with admiration. He reached out to her and lifted her face with his hands. He drew her in closer so that he could kiss her.
"I love you." He whispered right into her ear.
"I love you too." She said as she kissed his cheek and then cupped his face in her hands and passionately kissed him.
Jeff had never been on a high like this before. The whole night with Annie was just an incredible, beautiful blur. He woke the next morning thinking it had been a dream. But then she rolled over and placed her hand over his bare chest. He kissed her forehead and glided his hand over the dip between her hips and her ribs. He held her close and cursed himself for being so scared of his feelings for Annie for so long. It was so obvious to him now that he had made the right choice last night. This gorgeous girl was now his and he was planning to keep it that way.