Spike turned over in his bed and opened his eyes slowly to see Buffy beside him, still fast asleep. He smiled softly before draping his arm over her side and kissing her shoulder, watching as her eyes fluttered open before she turned her head to look at him.
“Hi,” she said quietly, stretching her arms a little and yawning.
“Hey,” he replied, running his hand over her hair to smooth it down. “How are you?”
“Tired,” she answered. “How about you?”
“Blissfully satisfied might describe my current state of mind,” he said, grinning when she smirked and turned to look at a clock.
“Is that really the time?” she asked, her eyes widening. “Uh oh.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I was supposed to open the shop at seven,” she said, getting out of his bed and pulling on her clothes as quickly as she could. “I’m almost an hour late.”
“I’m sure your friends can run it until you get there,” he replied, sitting up and waving it off.
“They don’t have keys to the building,” she said sharply, looking around in search of her purse before locating it and crossing the room to grab it.
“Buffy, slow down,” he said, getting up and finding his jeans, tugging them on.
“I don’t have time to ‘slow down’,” she said, walking out of his room, not surprised when he followed her. “I can’t go there looking like this.”
“I think you look beautiful,” he said sincerely, smiling when she looked down, blushing. “Why the blush, Goldilocks? Not like we’re strangers anymore.”
“Yeah, last night changed things,” she replied, looking at him for a moment before going to his door and opening it, walking out without ever looking back.
Spike watched her go, confused by how she was acting and what she had said. Before he could go after her, he heard his phone ring. He walked into his kitchen to get it.
“Hello?” he asked, running a hand through his hair, still concerned about Buffy.
“Spike, it’s me,” Xander said. “Anya just called and asked if maybe you know where Buffy is?”
“She’s on her way to work,” he mumbled, sighing. “She’s running late.”
“She stayed over at your place?” Xander asked, sounding surprised. “Wow, man, I didn’t expect that to happen for a long time.”
“Yeah, me either,” he replied, looking away. “I have to go, Xander. I’ll see you at the restaurant later.”
He hung up and cracked his neck on his way to the bathroom, wishing he knew exactly how Buffy felt about the prior tonight.
* * * * *
“I’m so sorry,” Buffy apologized as she walked to the door of Joyce’s Pastry Shop half an hour later, unlocking it and letting Anya and Willow inside behind her.
“It’s alright,” Willow said, shrugging. “The weather is warm enough for us to enjoy sitting outside and talking. We figured you’d call us if something was wrong or if we didn’t need to come in.”
“Or if you were tired from boinking Spike all night,” Anya chipped in, smiling when Buffy’s eyes widened. “I called Xander, he called Spike, and Xander called me back. I’m so happy for you two!”
“Um… thanks,” Buffy replied, averting her gaze and walking behind the front counter, unlocking the cash register.
“Well, I’ll go start making cookies,” Anya said. “But congratulations, Buffy! It’s about time you found an orgasm buddy.” She walked into the back room, ignoring the look that Willow gave her before she left them.
“Buffy, are you okay?” Willow asked, walking closer to her friend.
“I’m fine,” the blonde murmured, focusing on one of the display cases, counting the cookies that were left from the day before.
“Wasn’t sleeping with Spike kind of-” Willow began, frowning when Buffy interrupted her.
“Impulsive? Rash? Stupid?” Buffy supplied, leaning on the counter and looking at her friend. “Yes.”
“Then why did you-” Willow said, crossing her arms when Buffy cut in again.
“I don’t know,” Buffy said, taking a deep breath and looking down. “I just felt the urge to… And he and I were getting along so well… And it just kind of happened.”
“Sex doesn’t just happen,” Willow said in calm tone, studying her friend. “Do you regret it?”
“What do you think?” Buffy asked, closing her eyes when Willow wrapped her arms around her friend. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, last night was nice, and I think it meant something, but it’s way too soon for us to… do things like that. And the way I was acting! I don’t think I’ve ever been that slutty before.”
“Do you like him?” Willow asked, smiling when Buffy nodded. “And you care about him?” Her friend nodded again. “So why don’t you try being with him?”
“I want to, but it will only complicate things,” Buffy said.
“I think sex complicated things enough,” Willow replied. “But if you’re interested in him, you two should date.”
“We work together,” Buffy said, looking at the redhead. “People who work together should never become… intimate.”
“Well, it’s not something you can change,” Willow said, shrugging. “You two were ‘intimate’, and that’s not something you can easily ignore or turn your back on. What’s done is done. You’re both adults, and I’m sure you can figure things out.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Buffy said, giving her a small smile.
“Are you going to talk to him tonight at work?” Willow asked, and Buffy shrugged, opening one of the cases and extracting a cookie, biting into it.
“I don’t think talking at the restaurant would be a good idea,” she said. “Especially since that’s where the majority of the debauchery took place.” Willow’s eyes widened and a red blush tinged her cheeks. “Xander didn’t happen to mention that bit of news to Anya, did he?”
“No,” Willow answered quietly, her jaw somewhat dropped. “If he had, she would’ve told me.” Buffy grabbed another cookie before walking towards the back room, Willow following her. “You slept with Spike at his restaurant?”
“In the kitchen,” Buffy muttered, quickly finishing her second cookie.
“Sounds kinky,” Anya said, overhearing their conversation.
“Can we shift our focus to something else?” Buffy asked, going to a sink and washing her hands. “Let’s make some cheesecakes.”
“Did you and Spike do anything naughty here when we left after the second competition?” Willow asked, looking at her friend.
“Nope, this place hasn’t been tainted,” Buffy said in a light tone before beginning to assemble ingredients, willing her mind to forget about Spike for a while.
* * * * *
Later that day, Buffy walked into A Summers’ Night, ignoring her nerves as best she could as she walked to Spike’s office, knocking on the door and letting herself in. He smiled at her as she walked in, getting up from his seat to hug her.
“Hey, luv,” he said, kissing her forehead. “How are you?”
“Fine,” she said, sitting down on the chair across from his desk, watching him sit down again. “Did Andrew come in tonight?”
“Yeah, his hand is wrapped up,” he answered, shrugging. “He seems to be in good spirits. Apparently he met a guy at a doctor’s office this morning that he’s interested in.”
“Well, good for him,” Buffy said, smirking. “I always thought he had a crush on you.”
“It’s possible- I’m gorgeous,” Spike replied, chuckling when she shot him a look for a moment. “So, what brings you in? How was Joyce’s this morning?”
“Slow, thankfully,” she answered. “But everything went fine.” She took a deep breath. “Can we talk, Spike?”
“Sure,” he said, feeling his face fall as he saw the serious expression settle on her face. “What is it?”
“Last night was… wonderful,” she said, looking at him. “But I think maybe we moved a little too fast.”
“You’re the one who started it,” he said, trying not to sound angry. “I just followed through with it.”
“I know,” she agreed. “I made a few hasty choices, but I… Maybe we should slow down for a while.” At his crestfallen expression, she continued, “It might be best for us.”
“You want to ‘slow down’?” he asked, crossing his arms. “And what would that entail?”
“Starting a relationship,” she answered, looking down. “Dating like normal people do and working our way towards-”
“But we already slept together,” he said, confused. “Are you saying you want to start over and ignore what happened last night?”
“It’s the best idea for us,” she replied.
“Is it?” he asked, becoming upset. “Or is this because you regret it?”
“I don’t… It was just too much too soon,” she answered. “If we want to be a serious couple, we need to start over.”
“I don’t agree,” he said, tilting his head.
“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way,” she said, standing up and going to the door.
“Where are you going?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Home,” she answered, not turning to look at him. “We both have a lot to think about.”
“I know what I want, Buffy,” he said. “And that’s to be with you.”
“I want that, too,” she agreed. “But dating and working together isn’t a good idea.”
“So what are you saying?” he asked, getting up and sitting on the corner of his desk as she looked at him over her shoulder.
“Maybe I should take time off from working here,” she said. “I can make things at Joyce’s and bring them over every other day.”
“I want you here,” he replied sternly, frowning when she opened the door. “Don’t go, pet.”
“I need time, Spike,” she said. “There’s a lot on my mind right now that I need to figure out before we reach an agreement on everything.”
Before he could say anything, she walked out of his office and left the restaurant, not looking back as he called after her.
“Everything alright, boss?” Andrew asked, walking out of the kitchen and seeing Spike.
“I don’t understand women,” he answered, crossing his arms.
“Neither do I,” Andrew said, shrugging. “That’s why I decided I’m gay.”
“If you’re implying that maybe I’m gay, too, you’re bloody wrong,” Spike said, storming into his office and slamming the door.
“Too bad you’re not,” Andrew said quietly, looking away. “Maybe we could’ve had something.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Alright, I've changed my mind- the angst isn't over yet, folks. But it will leave sooner or later, I swear:) Thank you for all of the reviews and support!