Chapter 18
“Ms. Summers, the principal would like to see you now.”
Buffy was surprised as she looked up at her English teacher, who just received a note from another student. She didn’t know what Principal Wood could possibly want with her, but the snickers from her other classmates had them thinking that she was in trouble. She took a deep breath and stood up, making her way out of the room and to the principal’s office. Buffy didn’t get far when she was suddenly pulled into a nearby janitor’s closet. It was dark and cramped inside there, but she was able to see who grabbed her. “Spike, what the hell are you doing?”
He smiled. “What does it look like? I needed to talk to you and I couldn’t wait for school to end.”
Buffy raised her eyebrows. “So, the principal doesn’t want to see me?” she wondered, actually relieved that it was him instead.
Spike shook his head. “Not that I know of, I couldn’t think of another excuse to get you out of class.”
“Why are we in the janitor’s closet? You are sadly mistaken if you think I’m going to have sex with you in here.”
He rolled his eyes. “That’s not why I brought you in here. I just wanted some privacy. I’m actually here to ask you out for this Saturday.”
Buffy was confused. “You mean like a real date?”
“Yeah, you’ve never been on a date before?”
She nodded. “I have, I just wasn’t expecting for you to ask me out. What’s the catch?”
Spike didn’t know why she couldn’t just accept his offer. She had to question everything. “There’s no catch, I just want to take you out. I’m assuming you wouldn’t want me to pick you up at your house, so we can meet at my apartment around seven. I’ll handle everything else.”
Buffy thought it over and then nodded. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
He smiled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I guarantee you won’t regret it. I should let you get back to class now. I’ll see you Saturday night.”
Buffy nodded again and opened the closet door. “I’m surprised that you didn’t even try to have sex with me in here. I think you’re slipping, but I’ll see you on Saturday,” she said, then headed out of the closet and back to class.
Spike watched her go with a sigh. He would somehow have to prove to her that he wanted more than just sex.
* * * * *
Buffy glanced around at the fancy french restaurant that Spike took her to. She had lived in Sunnydale mostly all of her life and never knew about it. She looked down at her menu and noticed that it was pretty much all in french.
“You may have to order for me. My french is a little rusty.”
Spike had a feeling about what she would like. He smiled at the waiter that showed up and ordered for both of them, speaking in perfect french.
Buffy knew that french was the language of love, but he made it incredibly sexy. She felt her panties dampen at just the sound of his voice. It wouldn’t be long before she lost all control and pounced on him right there, the hell with having an audience. “So, what’s the plan? Are we supposed to sneak away for a quickie in the bathroom or something? I have to say, the thought of that actually excites me.”
Spike shook his head. “This isn’t about sex, Buffy. Yes, the idea of that does appeal to me, but not what I had in mind. I just wanted to show you a nice evening to prove to you that I can be boyfriend material. I’m not just with you for a quick fuck. I want everything with you. It will only be a matter of time until you realize that you want the same thing with me.”
Buffy was stunned into silence. She wasn’t expecting that. “Tell me something, Spike. What was it that you had with Lilah? It didn’t seem like it was much of a relationship. You hardly even liked her from what you told me. So, why exactly did you stay with her for so long? It was just for sex, right? I may not know much about your life in England, but I can tell that you’re not really the kind of guy to settle for one person. I mean, you were sleeping with me when you were still with her. She was probably just a back up for when you got tired of me, or maybe I was the back up. I don’t really know, but why would you possibly want a real relationship now if you never wanted that before? What makes me so different?”
Spike knew that she would still throw Lilah in his face. She wasn’t likely to forget anytime soon, but he would do all that he could to prove that she was the only one he wanted. “I never loved Lilah. I couldn’t see myself having a real future with her. I love you, Buffy. That’s what makes you so different.”
She shook her head. “You don’t love me, you can’t. You hardly even know me.”
“I know all that I need to know. Hell, I probably know you better than you know yourself. I do love you, Buffy. You can fight it all you want, but that’s not likely to ever change. Believe me; I would not be trying this hard for someone that I didn’t love. I got screwed over a lot in the past and yeah, I didn’t want to put my heart on the line again, but you completely took me by surprise. From the first night we met, I knew I was lost.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his, relieved that she didn’t pull away. “I don’t care how long it takes, but I’m not about to give up on you. You know that what I’m telling you is the truth; you’re just scared to let yourself love me. I’m not sure about what happened in your past, but I know that you were involved in a bad relationship. I’ll be here if you ever decide to talk to me about it. There’s something you need to know about me, Buffy. When I love someone as much as I love you, there’s no getting rid of me. You’re it for me, baby. You’re the one.”
Buffy didn’t even realize that she was crying during his speech. She just pulled her hand out of his when their food finally arrived, not speaking up until the waiter left. “I really hate when you say stuff like that. You make it so much harder to stay away. I do believe you, Spike. I just need some time to think about everything. It’s all happening so fast and I’m not used to any of it. My last relationship was not exactly the stuff that dreams are made of. I told myself that I was over it, but I don’t think I am. I just need a little breathing room right now. Can you give me that?”
Spike nodded after a moment, figuring that was the best he would get out of her. “Yeah, take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
Buffy graced him with a small smile and really believed that. It gave her some hope.