[Reviews - 499]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 5804 times

- Text Size +



Banner by Alissa.


Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks again to Deanna for the beta-reading!

I'm excited to hear what folks think of this chapter!!! I think there will be a couple of surprises (though more are on their way).
So...please review!
Oxford, England 2008

Buffy smiled widely. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

“William said you were pretty. He was wrong, Lass. You’re a vision.” Liam winked as he brought Buffy’s hand up to his lips.

She giggled when he proceeded to kiss her hand gallantly.

William clenched his jaw and fought the urge to punch the other man, toss Buffy over his shoulder and run home. He watched as they effortlessly exchanged small-talk and wished he had at least tried to convince Buffy to wear a less revealing outfit. She looked good in jeans, but clothed in a denim mini skirt, a backless halter top and knee high stiletto heeled boots, William knew Buffy was going to attract every man in the club. He himself had barely managed to walk out the door once she’d made her big entrance.

Buffy watched Liam with a dazed smile. He was nothing like she’d been expecting. She simply couldn’t imagine her friend with this man. Oh, he was charming and attractive to be sure, but he was nothing like her Will.

She’d figured that William’s boyfriend would be more like him, calm, quiet and clearly intelligent. Also, she thought with slight frown, this guy is huge. He was a good few inches taller than William and had to weigh at least fifty pounds more.

She really didn’t want to focus on the details too much, but the thought of Liam in bed with William terrified her. Surely, Will would end up crushed or smothered.

Pushing the thoughts out of her head, she forced herself to focus on what Liam was saying. She didn’t want William to think that she didn’t like his partner. It was important, she thought, that William know that she would always support his decisions.

“…and so I tell me Da, Da it couldn’t have been the rooster, he only has the one leg.” Liam laughed and hit the table with his fist.

William couldn’t help but join him in amusement.

Buffy laughed gamely, though she’d missed the entire story and took another sip of her drink. It was good; she’d have to remember that she liked Sex on the Beach. She was considering the drink’s name when William spoke.

“I left a message for Wes and Fred. I was hoping they’d join us tonight.”

Liam shook his head. “Ah, I’m fairly sure they had to head over to Leeds to visit the Wyndham-Pryce estate.” He leaned in conversationally, “Poor Fred.”

William frowned and nodded.

Liam turned to Buffy. “Enough of this. A pretty little thing like you should be dancing. Will you do me the honor?” He stood up, bowed at the waist and held out his hand.

Buffy nodded. “I’d love to, kind sir.” She followed Liam out to the dance floor.

Three songs later, William was still watching them with a scowl. He just keeps touching her, he thought, and she keeps letting him. He knew Buffy was thinking about having a fling, but he couldn’t believe that she’d be so cavalier about letting a man touch her. When he saw Liam turn her and pull her back snug against him, William had seen enough. He was propelled angrily towards them.
“Bloody hell, mate. She’s… she’s just a kid. Get your hands off her.”

The two stopped dancing and stared at him in surprise.

“Mate, she’s clearly not a little girl and she seems quite happy with my hands on her. Maybe it’s time to put away the concerned big brother, right?”

William saw red. “Don’t push me, mate.”

Buffy pulled away from Liam and stepped in front of William. She placed her hands on Will’s arms. “Whoa, Will, relax. It’s not like he’s hitting on me.”

Liam looked confused. “It’s not?”

“Bloody hell, Buffy. Of course, he is.”

Buffy shook her head. “Will, I know”

“You know what?”

“I know.” She looked at him encouragingly. “I know about you and Liam.”

“You know what exactly, pet?”

She sighed heavily. “Will, I know that you and Liam are together.”

Both men stared at her with open confusion.

“You’re gay.”

“What!”

“Bloody hell!”

“It’s okay, Will.”

“It sure as hell isn’t. I’m not gay.”

It was Buffy’s turn to look confused. “But… Giles said he was your partner.”

“Research partner, luv. He’s my research partner.”

“But what about Andrew and Jonathon?”

Liam answered. “Very gay.”

“And… and Fred and Wesley? I mean all your friends are gay couples and I just thought…”

Liam was laughing so hard he could barely stand up. He wiped a tear of the corner of his eye and looked at William. “You never mentioned that Fred was short for Winnifred, mate.”

William didn’t respond ,he just stared in pale-faced horror at Buffy. She thought I was gay, he thought, all the hugs were because she thought I was gay. She wasn’t thinking about me as a perspective lover, she was thinking of me as a bloody girlfriend. He thought he might be sick.

Buffy bit her lip and glanced over at William quickly. She looked back at Liam. “Fred’s a girl?”

He nodded. “A rather hot girl actually, but don’t tell old Wes I said it.”

She looked back and forth between the two men. “So you’re really not…”

Liam shook his head. “Well, I’m certainly not. I’m afraid I cannot really be sure about young William here.”

William’s head snapped towards him. “What the hell are you on about?”

“I’m just saying, I haven’t really seen you with a lass in a long while mate,” he shrugged.

William glared. “Some of us are a bit more discerning about the girls we bring home than others.”

Liam just chuckled and William turned towards Buffy. “We’re leaving.”

She nodded and wondered how you apologize to someone for thinking that they were gay. Liam had seemed to find the whole thing funny, but William looked really upset. She followed him quietly out the door.

Neither spoke for several minutes.

“You really thought I was gay.” There was a touch of wonder in his tone but it was clearly a statement and not a question.

Buffy answered in a small voice, “I’m sorry.”

William turned to her and shrugged. “You don’t need to apologize, pet. It was a… a misunderstanding. I get that. You didn’t mean any insult.”

“I’m still sorry.”

“Me too, pet.”

Buffy didn’t hide her confusion. “Why are you sorry? I’m the one that just…” her eyes widened as she recalled the scene from twenty minutes earlier. She shook her head in disbelief.

“I used to tell you everything, but I stopped.” He didn’t look at her, he just kept walking.

Buffy wasn’t sure how to respond. She fell into pace beside him and waited to see if he would continue.

“There were some things… I mean there are some things you just don’t tell anyone.”

Buffy shrugged. “You could have told me. You could have told me anything. I don’t understand what this has to do….”

He laughed hard.

“Will?”

“Buffy, luv, I hit puberty when you were nine. I was supposed to tell you about dubious hair growth and wet dreams?”

“Will!” She blushed, but laughed softly.

“You see my point.”

“Yeah, but…”

“But I held back too much. I kept too many secrets. If I had shared more…”

“You mean, like you could have mentioned that you like girls?”

“That does seem to be an important detail that I’ve left out, but I... certainly I mentioned dating Dru.”

“You didn’t say much.”

He frowned. “But I would have used the correct pronoun.”

Buffy shrugged. “One girl, I thought maybe you had just given it a try, or that you could have just used a girl’s name when you talked to me. I just thought that you didn’t want me to know.”

William laughed and gestured that they were back at his place. “I’ll tell you what, pet, I ever decide that I’m attracted to blokes-you’ll be the first to know.”

She waited until he’d closed the door behind them to speak. “You still think of me as a kid.”

He shook his head. “I don’t.”

“You said so tonight. You came running over and told your friend to stop, that I was just a kid.” She raised her eyes to meet his head on. “I’m not. You might have missed it, but I grew up.”

Swallowing hard, William shook his head again. “I know. Trust me, Buffy. I know.”

Buffy wasn’t sure why, but his words brought a blush to her cheeks. She looked away. “Then why?”

“He’s a… Liam’s my mate, luv, and he’s great in a lot of ways, but he’s a… I’ve seen him sweet talk girls into screwing him in the bathroom of that club.”

“And you thought I might do that?”

“What? No! I just... I just didn’t want him touching you.”

“Okay.”

William looked up in shock. “What?” He’d been expecting a fight.

Buffy just shrugged. “Okay.”


Chapter End Notes:
Well?



You must login (register) to review.