Happy Again
It had been going on for a few weeks now. Ann was certain there was something going on, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Leslie was always on edge when Ann brought up Mark. At first, Ann thought it might have been because Leslie was protective of Ann. That certainly had been the case before, and Mark had in the past been known to… womanise.
Things changed when Ann told Leslie about their first proper date- how he had spoken so softly to her, and held her, and they had slept together. She described it perfectly, leaving out the lewder aspects of course. And Leslie had… cringed.
“What’s wrong?” Ann asked, feeling her stomach sink.
“N-nothing!” Leslie replied instantly. She forced a smile. “Keep going.”
Ann had felt a little put out. She was finally in a relationship with somebody mature- and that was all she had wanted, really. Somebody with a bank account. Somebody with goals.
And Leslie was, to put it bluntly, making her feel worried. Ann didn’t want to accuse her best friend of anything, but now she had reason to believe that Leslie liked Mark. And Leslie had sworn that she was over him. In fact, she had actively encouraged them to get together.
Strangely, though, Ann wasn’t annoyed. She was just worried.
“Mark,” Ann said one night. “Has Leslie seemed… off, to you?”
Mark shrugged, his eyes on the football game. “Nope. Why?”
“I don’t know. She’s been acting weird. I’m worried.”
Mark finally tore his eyes away to look at her, smiling.
“It’s Leslie. She’ll be fine. And if you’re worried, just talk to her.”
“Yeah…” Ann echoed, frowning.
But talking had become a lot harder. Things escalated and, after the fourth day of Leslie blowing her off and eating lunch alone in her office, Ann knew that she had to confront her. Leslie had withdrawn, and the fact that she may like Ann’s boyfriend didn’t stop Ann from wanting to know the truth. She wanted her best friend to be happy, and she wanted to see her so they could talk. But that was becoming hard- Leslie was avoiding her. Leslie never avoided an opportunity to hang out before, and that only confirmed the truth even more.
***
Ann was waiting outside the Parks and Recreation Department, not sure whether or not to enter. It was past five, but Leslie hadn’t left yet. She needed to talk to her- to find out the truth.
After plucking up the courage, she decided to just enter the room, just as Tom was leaving.
“Annie Lennox!” he called out to her. Ann rolled her eyes.
“Where’s Leslie?”
“Talkin’ to Ron. Sounded important- she would never make him stay after five, but he has.”
Ann frowned. “What’s it about?”
“No idea!” he replied. “Should we go out to dinner and discuss it further?”
Ann rolled her eyes. “Get going, loser.”
Tom left, disgruntled, and Ann hovered outside Ron’s office. She didn’t want to listen in, but the door was open….
Leslie sounded stressed. Ann felt her heart clench as she listened to Leslie.
“Ron!” she was saying. “I can’t keep avoiding her, she’s going to notice something’s wrong sooner or later!”
“Then confront her,” Ron replied. “Leslie, avoiding the truth isn’t going to make the problem go away.”
Ann felt her heart clench. So… she did love Mark. And she’d made herself miserable. Ann wanted to go in and hug her, but then what Leslie said next made her freeze in place.
“Ron, I can’t just walk up to her and say hey, I love you, and I always have, Ann!”
Ann felt her stomach flip over. She stepped back, away from the door, her mind whirring.
She shouldn’t have listened in. It did make sense now, but the truth was so incomprehensible that Ann had to go. She had to go and think. And think some more.
She fled.
***
“What’s up Ann?” Mark asked. “Why are you so quiet?”
“I don’t know.” Ann replied. “It’s- it’s nothing. I’m fine.”
She wasn’t fine- her mind was reeling. Her best friend was in love with her, and she didn’t know what to do.
She was with Mark, for goodness sake. Mark, who was… well, he was nice. And smart. And he had a house.
But Leslie was all of those things too. And she had goals- goals that were bigger than anyone else’s.
Was Ann just with Mark because he wasn’t Andy? He had seemed like a good choice at the time. Andy was such a loser, and Mark was… well, he was boring and an adult. Which was a step up from a crazy man-child. Mark was nice, but he wasn’t exactly spectacular. He was nice to her- that was the bare minimum.
And she had so much fun with Leslie- those countless beautiful nights, staying up until the morning, talking about everything they wanted to. All that Leslie had done for her, all they had been through.
No secrets. No pain. Until now.
And it was unbearable. She- she wanted Leslie. She wanted to be with Leslie.
Holy shit. She loved Leslie. She loved Leslie Knope with all of her heart.
Ann swallowed, letting the realisation hit her.
“Mark,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. We need to talk.”
***
Leslie had been in her house all weekend. She had ignored her phone, opting to focus on work. Work for the next six to eight years.
There was a gentle rapping on the front door, so soft that Leslie almost didn’t hear it at first. But when it happened again, more urgently, Leslie was pulled out of her fervour.
She stumbled to the door. When she opened it to see beautiful Ann Perkins, her stomach lurched.
“Ann…”
“You’ve been ignoring me,” Ann said immediately, and Leslie felt that agony hit.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s okay,” Ann replied. “I know why.”
“No- you don’t,” Leslie said. “I know you think I love Mark. I’m not stupid, Ann. But the truth, I… I couldn’t hurt either of you.”
“Hey,” Ann whispered, stepping closer and cupping her face, her hands impossibly gentle. “I know you. And I know you would never hurt me. Okay?”
“Okay…”
“And, actually, I’m sorry to tell you, but I do know the truth. I heard you talking to Ron.”
A beat. Leslie swallowed.
“You did?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t stay to talk. I had some thinking to do.”
Leslie’s face crumpled. “I’m so sorry.”
“No,” Ann told her. “You stepped back to try and save my feelings. And you made yourself miserable.” She smiled softly. “I’m here to make you happy again.”
Leslie felt her breath hitch. “You are?”
Ann closed the gap between them with a soft, sweet kiss, and Leslie felt her fears evaporate. It was everything she could have ever wanted, and soon she was kissing Ann back with passion. The two of them, stood on Leslie’s doorstep, finally feeling like things were going right.
“Wait!” Leslie said, pulling back. “What about Mark?”
“It’s over with Mark,” Ann told her. “It’s over. It’s done.”
Leslie’s eyes softened. “Ann…”
“No. It was the right decision. He hasn’t ever made me happy, Leslie. I want to be happy again too.”
Leslie chuckled. “And I can make you happy?”
“You can.”
Leslie laughed, and kissed her again. Ann melted into it, and finally things felt right.