He snapped out of his daze, realized what was happening and grabbed her, flipping their positions neatly. Buffy found herself lying flat on the mat, staring up into disbelieving, intense blue eyes. Her lips parted to say something, but William cut her off with another kiss. This one he actively participated in, and when it broke, he couldn't pull himself away from her lips, tugging her lower lip between his and nibbling gently.
When he paused, Buffy was surprised to see what she thought was apprehension on his face. She tilted her head at him, "Is something wrong?" He didn't answer and her eyes widened. "Omigod, you changed your mind and you really are with that Dru girl now and Buffy, the slut puppy stalker, just attacked you and kissed you against your will." Panic and sick embarrassment fluttered to life inside her and she tried to get up, propping herself on an elbow.
A smile chased away his worry and his eyes twinkled at her. "Buffy, the slut puppy stalker?" He laughed and a little of the sick feeling in her stomach eased.
"Yeah…uh…"
"Pet, you can stalk me anytime." He bent his head to hers and it was several minutes before conversation could resume.
She put a hand on his chest and pushed lightly. "You looked--I don't know--worried or something. What was that? It isn't her, is it?"
William sighed and didn't answer, turning his head away and staring at the mat.
Buffy turned the push into a smack. "Tell me."
"Uh, love," color flooded his cheeks, "it's just that you may need to instruct me in that particular subject…I mean…I haven't really--I mean, girls never really--"
Understanding immediately, she put a finger to his lips then ran her hand along his cheekbones and up into his tousled curls as she'd wanted to do for so long. She played with them a moment, then turned his head back to her, meeting his serious blue eyes. "Works for me," she said simply and kissed him again, fingers still entwined in his hair.
"Oh!" she said minutes later, eyes wide and alarmed again. "Not that I'm like Miss Experienced Girl or something. I mean, I've uh…well…I'm not skanky or anything. I have had boyfriends and well--but I--"
It was his turn to silence her. "Buffy," he said quietly, his voice deep and affectionate; "I knew what you meant. Fact is," his lips quirked, "if you were a nun you might have less experience than I do in this sort of thing, but as I assume you've not been considering a role in the church--"
Buffy giggled.
"It's all incredibly embarrassing," he said and buried his face in her shoulder. "I've always been very shy, as you probably know by now."
"Hey, I'm happy nobody saw the real you before now." She smiled smugly. "Their loss, my gain that they couldn't see how wonderful you are."
He raised his head and she saw that the disbelief was back. "You think I'm wonderful?"
"Well, yeah, that's why I'm lying on a gym floor kissing you."
Now the disbelief turned into something like awe. "You are, aren't you?" His head lowered again, but this time she felt soft, feather light kisses at the base of her neck and shivered.
She cupped her hand around his cheek and made him look at her again, saying, "Really. Don't worry. You're a natural at this."
Amusement lit his eyes and he turned to kiss her palm. "I think you're wonderful too."
He was astonished when this caused Buffy to burst into giggles and clutch his shirt, hiding her face. "What?" he finally asked.
"It's Dawn. She was right." Buffy regained control and sighed dramatically. "She's going to be insufferable now."
"What was Dawn right about?"
Buffy flashed him a brilliant smile. "You like me."
"Of course I do."
"Well, I didn't know that. Dawn said it the first time she met you and she's been bugging me about it ever since."
"Smart little chit, isn't she?" William grinned. "You should listen to her more often."
"Oh sure, see if you feel that way when she offers YOU a Mexican style peanut butter and salsa omelet."
His rich laugh rang out again. He has such a great laugh, Buffy thought, so warm and genuine.
William's arms tightened around her and he hauled her to a sitting position, ensconced on his lap. He rested his chin on her head and asked quietly, "What now?"
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, frowning.
"What do you want, pet?"
"Well, I want…you know…I want to be…together and hang out and…you know!"
"You want to be my girlfriend?" he asked softly.
She rested her head on his chest and snuggled closer. "Yeah, that sounds good."
"May get some flack from your friends."
"Then they aren't really my friends, are they?" She grimaced. "I've been learning that the hard way lately."
"Okay, then, it's official." He beamed at her upturned face. "And I will personally be buying Dawn the biggest chocolate shake we can find."
Buffy laughed. "When do you get off work?"
"Not 'til 8." He saw her disappointment and added, "I'll cut back my hours if you like. Been working like a fiend to keep my mind off things and earn some money."
"I'd like that." Buffy smiled. "If you can. I've missed you."
"Well, Jenny won't take any of my money as I'd originally planned, so I'll make plenty to get by doing this part time instead of full."
Buffy reached up to peck his lips. "I'll keep your mind off things."
"I can see that you will." He pulled her up, still loosely enclosed in his arms. "Speaking of work...I'd better get back to it. Let's walk you to the bus stop and I'll call you when I get out, yeah?"
"Ok."
Dawn threw open her bedroom door, scowling. "What, my music too loud now? Tough. I like it and boy bands don't all suck and--" She stared at her sister's glowing face. "What?"
Buffy proffered the shoe box in her hand, smiling.
Dawn took it, shot a baffled look at Buffy, and lifted the cover. "Oh, these are gorgeous! They're perfect!" Box in one hand and lid in the other, she threw her arms around her sister. "Where did you find them? They're exactly what I wanted."
"I know," Buffy said, smugly. "It took me hours, but I finally found them."
Dawn drew back and looked puzzled. "Why'd you do that?" she frowned. "Did you want to avoid shopping with me that much?"
"Oh no!" Buffy rushed to say. "We can still go shopping this weekend if you want. It's--" she paused and mumbled, "It's a thank you."
"For what?"
"Well, Will will probably be joining us at some point Saturday. He wants to thank you with a big chocolate shake."
Dawn grinned. "Hey, for that I want ice cream too."
"Done."
Dawn narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "So you admit that I'm the relationship queen in this house?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "The relationship-less queen maybe. I admit nothing." She walked to the door and then turned back to Dawn. "But yeah, in this case, you were right. And well…thanks."
Dawn watched her sister's departure with a stunned look on her face. "Huh. Hell's frozen over. Wonder how they like the new weather down there?" Then she shook it off and slipped on one of her beautiful new shoes.