| Fascination |
| It sounded really romantic. Rose petals strewn in a thick carpet on the floor, and gently scattered across the bed. Considering that I was angry and upset prior to the floral sneak attack, picking up a roomful of little bits of American Beauty was leaving me feeling as amorous as a trip to the dentist. I should have used a dustbuster. That would have cleaned up the mess in a snap. Vroom, vroom, no more rose petals. But if I did that, they would be mangled, ruined, and sucked into oblivion. Two thousand and three, two thousand and four, two thousand and five, I counted. I placed the last petal into the shoebox and put the lid on, setting it on my dresser. I was running late for class now, thanks to Operation Cleanup. It had taken nearly two hours to fix the mess that Spike had made in my bedroom and bathroom, and I�d cut my hand on broken glass. So now I had a bandage on my hand to match the one on my neck, plus the cut and a bruise on my shoulder from Spike�s mouth. No Spike thoughts, Will, I chastised myself. Don�t even go there. I shoved my books in my backpack and hurried downstairs. Tara was standing in the foyer, waving a censer, scented smoke billowing around her in a cloud. Her new girlfriend sat on the couch in the living room, chatting with Buffy. Perfect. �Hello,� I said, putting on a cheerful front. Tara turned to me with a sweet smile. �Hi, Willow.� She was beautiful and nice, just like always. She had a wonderful glow of love about her, and it wasn�t from me. �What brings you here this morning?� I asked, pulling on my jacket. �I have to do a deinvite for Spike,� she replied. �Buffy asked me to come over first thing.� Anger bubbled up inside me. Buffy hadn�t even asked me. I lived here too. For all she knew, we could be dating, and she�d made sure he couldn�t come inside? I turned to face her, and took in the set of her jaw and the anger in her eyes. I didn�t have time for a fight, and I wasn�t about to do it in front of Tara. �I have to go,� I said. I went out the front door and ran for the bus stop. Midway down the block, I saw the bus pull away from the curb in a plume of exhaust. �Damn it!� I looked at my watch. If I had managed to catch that one, I would have been ten minutes late. Now I was screwed. �Fancy a lift, pet?� said a droll voice. I spun around. Spike�s DeSoto was pulled up to the curb right next to me. I crossed the street and hurried away from him. �You�re going to miss your class,� he called from the barely cracked open window. �You�d best get in.� I needed to be there, to take notes for my final. I walked around the car and opened the door, sliding in. �Drive fast,� I said. �And don�t take this as a hopeful sign. I wouldn�t be with you if I weren�t desperate.� I expected a witty comeback, but I didn�t get one. He just handed me a cup and a paper sack and hit the accelerator. It was an iced cappuccino with extra foam and a banana nut muffin. My favorites. I turned to look at him. �Thought you might fancy a bit of breakfast,� he said. �I figured that you�d need a little pick-me-up. I know you didn�t get much sleep last night.� He turned to look at me. �How�s your neck?� �Fine,� I replied in a clipped tone. It ached, and so did my shoulder. I felt hungover, my body stiff and my head throbbing. �Look, I know you�re pissed off,� he said. �And you have a right to be. But I wasn�t planning on what happened between us last night, or I would have told you about Buffy and I. Not that there�s really a whole lot to tell.� �It doesn�t matter now,� I said. �It�s a little late for honesty.� His hands clenched the steering wheel tightly. �Willow, I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to fuck things up like this. Just give me a chance to set things right.� �No,� I said, taking a big swig of coffee. He stopped at a red light and turned to me. �Look here, Willow. I�m not asking for your eternal love and devotion. Just give me a shot.� �A shot at what?� I asked him. �You,� he said. �Maybe us.� His face was free of pretense, open and honest. �The light is green,� I pointed out, and he turned back. We drove in silence until we reached the campus. He pulled into a parking space behind Ruhl Hall. �Ten minutes to spare,� he commented. �Better than if you�d caught your bus.� �Thanks for the ride,� I said, as I reached for the handle.He put his hand over mine. �You and I, we were good together last night. Not just in bed. I liked walking with you and talking with you.� He stroked my hair, his fingers brushing across my jaw. �Let me just take you out somewhere. No strings, I promise.� I turned to look at him, and he brushed a kiss across my lips, tentative and sweet. �I don�t trust you,� I said. �You hurt me and I can�t even think about forgiving you right now.� �Then don�t,� he said. �Just let me see you tonight.� His eyes were a soft blue, and his eyelashes were so long. I�d had sex with this beautiful man, I thought, despite myself. Steamy, fantastic sex. I realized he was waiting for an answer. �I can�t,� I told him. �I�m going to dinner with Xander.� A muscle twitched in his jaw. �You have a date with monkey boy?� |
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