[Reviews - 228]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 5068 times

- Text Size +




Squirming on her seat, Buffy fought the apparently rising heat. She wasn't sure if it was genuinely too hot in the kitchen or whether William's last comment had brought on a sudden fever. "I'm going to go and sit by the pool, cool off." Forcing herself to stand, she padded out of the kitchen and into the garden without waiting for a response.

Watching her go, William leant against the sink running his hands through his bleached curls. What was it about this girl that made his mind go to mush? It was the first time he had truly been alone with her and not only had he learnt that she no longer had a crush on him, he saw her finally for the woman that she was becoming. And that thought bothered him more than he ever thought possible.

~~~~~~~

Buffy kicked off her sheets in frustration. The heat hung heavy in the air, oppressive and clammy. Her alarm read 2:00am. Groaning she swung her legs out of bed and went to sit on her window seat with the hope she’d be able to catch a faint breeze. From her window, she could see the side of William’s house, a slice of his front garden and the whole of the rear garden. She could see that there was a faint light on in the kitchen but she couldnt see beyond the sink.

She’d be lying if she said the heat was the only reason she was awake. As she had let her mind drift to catch its sleep, it had meandered back to the earlier events of the day and settled frustratingly on William. This shouldn’t have been new to her, she had spent a lot of nights dreaming of him. This time it felt different. Their first real interaction had sparked something fresh, new and very real.

No longer did he smile passively at her and look at her as Mrs. Summers daughter, he had spoken to her as Buffy, his neighbour. He acknowledged that she was mature now; that she was involved with boys and socialised with friends rather than hanging out in her bedroom like she had two summers ago. Admittedly, that had been the summer she had been crushing him on him majorly. She had spent the summer on her window seat watching him from her window whilst writing in her diary covered with William shaped doodles with hearts over the ‘i’s.

She giggled to herself at the memory. She had been fifteen and never been kissed. Now, she had kissed a lot of boys and done a bit more than that on occasion. She wasn’t the most experienced girl in her class but she was fair to middling. She was becoming a woman and she wanted to explore everything that that meant.

What she hadn’t expected was that William would notice. And he had. She had noted the traces of resentment in his voice when they had spoken about Angel and the comment he had made about pleasure with a wink. Had he been flirting or was he just being playful and friendly? Either way, his attitude towards her had most definitely changed. Not only that, she had proven to herself that she could speak to him using more than one word at a time.

What troubled her now was the conflict that this revelation presented her with. She didn’t realise she had a choice – she had been intent on becoming Angel’s girl. But now she couldn’t stop thinking about becoming William’s woman. Both had their pros and cons but only one made something low in her belly tingle.

~~

Sat in the kitchen at 2:30am, William lazily twirled his glass watching the whiskey spill against the sides. His mind’s eye had become haunted by the vision of Buffy’s tanned legs in her too short denim cut offs and the curve of breasts in the too tight, almost see through white halter.

She was a teenager for god’s sake. His teenage neighbour who he had known since she was fourteen who had blushed every time he walked by. She had spent an entire summer at her window, gazing at him from afar, no doubt indulging in some gawky teenage crush. He had thought it cute at the time and assumed – correctly – that she would grow it out of it one day and move on to a boy her own age. He had been right – she now saw him as William, her neighbour rather than William, the hot guy from next door.

And she had Angel – the boy from school. Or the ponce as William would refer to him from now on. What kind of soddin’ name is Angel for a bloke anyway? I bet he’s a big haired beefcake. He slugged down the last of his whiskey and reached for the bottle again. He consoled himself with the thought that it would be easy to avoid Buffy – as it was, their paths rarely crossed anyway. He suppressed the idea that he would become the face in the window, crushing on Buffy from afar.

He dropped his head on the counter, groaning at the simultaneous pain and dizziness from the room spinning. His eyes closed as he drifted into a drunken slumber – his mind filled with the lean limbs, honey tresses and cherry lips of the girl next door.

~~~

“Buffy, can you carry out these dishes for me please?” Joyce shouted.

Buffy entered the kitchen to find her mother flitting around the kitchen, preparing for the barbecue she had decided to throw for the entire neighbourhood. “Remind me why you think this is such a good idea?” She followed Joyce out into the garden, her arms stacked high with plates.

“Because it’s lovely weather and it gives everyone an opportunity to get together, socialise and relax.” She began folding napkins and arranging cutlery on the table next to the barbecue.

“And remind my why it has to be us that hosts this event?” Buffy grumbled as she adjusted a sagging string of fairy lights by the pool.

“Because Mrs. Adelman hosted it last year therefore, it’s our turn this year.”

Mrs. Adelman was their other neighbour. She was in her fifties and had a cat named Kiki. Buffy remembered that barbecue well. She had spilt soda down William’s back after tripping over his chair leg. She grimaced at the memory before resolving to make this year more memorable than the last – for all the right reasons.

Joyce stood back to appraise the garden. “Do you think we need more chairs?” Buffy shrugged. “I think we need more chairs.” She disappeared back into the house.

Despite the grumpy show she was putting on for her mother, Buffy had purchased a stunning aqua dress for the occasion. Strapless and low cut at the back, it was the perfect knock out outfit. And she would be a knock out. Looking up at William’s house, she squinted in the sun. He’d have no idea what hit him.


Chapter End Notes:
Thank you all to those who reviewed the first chapter, the muse is happy :) It is greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!! *hugs*



You must login (register) to review.