“So, what do you think?” Buffy leaned back against the large pillows on the couch.
“It’s great.” Spike looked around the room, clearly impressed. “Think your house s’even bigger than mine.”
Buffy let out a nervous giggle. “I, uh, meant the coffee.” A pause. “I don’t make coffee very often.”
“Oh.” Spike looked down at the steaming beverage in front of him – which he had yet to touch. Not that he was normally picky or anything, but he could clearly see the bottom of the cup through the very light brown, almost transparent liquid. He cleared his throat. “Looks… really good, pet.” She raised her eyebrows, looking at him expectantly. Not wanting to hurt Buffy’s feelings, he hesitantly picked up the cup and took a very small sip, desperately trying not to grimace. He even managed to force a smile. “See? Loved it!”
She gave him a doubtful look. “You hated it.”
“No!” Spike shook his head, trying to look convincing. “Really, s’not bad. Just…” He searched his mind for something to say, preferably as little more positive than ‘bloody awful’. Unfortunately, he came up with nothing.
Rolling her eyes, Buffy waved her hand in dismissal. “You don’t have to finish it.” Seeing the relieved look on his face, she pouted a little.
“So…” Spike quickly decided to change the subject. “You, um, been livin’ here long?”
“My whole life.” Buffy picked up her own cup, sniffed at the so called coffee, and put it back down on the table with a grimace. “My mom died last year. Luckily, she left me enough money so I wouldn’t have to sell the house.”
“Oh, God, I’m sorry, luv.” Spike had been really curious about why Buffy was clearly living all by herself in such a big house, but felt horrible for bringing up bad memories.
“It’s okay.” She put on a strained smile. “Was kinda hard at first, but I’m dealing.” Now it was her turn to change the subject, and he didn’t object. “What about you?”
Spike raised a brow. “What, have I lived here long? No, just about a week.”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “I know that!” She couldn’t help but giggle. “I meant; where are you from, how come you moved here, stuff like that. Humor me, I’m curious. What’s your story?”
He was quiet for a moment. “Not very interesting, I’m afraid. Hey, look at the time!” Glancing at his watch, Spike started to get up, but Buffy grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Okay, I get it. None of my business. Sorry.”
Letting out a sigh, Spike slumped back down on the couch. “Don’t mean to be rude or anything. It’s just that things got kinda bad back in LA. Don’t wanna bore you with the details.” Or scare you away, he thought.
“So, you’re from LA.” Buffy smiled a little. “Look, the last thing you have to worry about is me getting bored. If you don’t wanna talk about it, I’m fine with that, but…” She hesitated, not really sure of what she was trying to say. A part of her was dying to know all about him, but she didn’t want to be pushy and go too far. After all, they were still practically strangers. But there was just something about this man that fascinated her.
Spike looked at her, and their eyes met. Buffy found herself blushing, and quickly looked away. Okay, what was that about? Sure, Spike was hot, Willow hadn’t exactly been wrong about that, but she wasn’t used to reacting like this around a guy, especially not one she barely knew. She had dated guys before, of course, but even though she had been at least somewhat attracted to most of them, it had just never felt right. And she had yet to meet a guy she would even consider getting involved with for real.
Okay, so she wasn’t exactly a virgin. She had been with guys, done what was expected of her, and then moved on. Hoping that it would get better the next time. Or the time after that. Only problem was, it never did. As far as she was concerned, sex was boring. Highly overrated. And, no matter what Anya claimed, she was fully convinced that the perfect orgasm was nothing more than a myth.
Spike cocked his head to the side, wondering what was going on in that cute little head of hers. Suddenly she seemed almost shy, and he couldn’t understand why. A sudden thought occurred to him; he and Buffy had spent most of the night together at the night club, and he hadn’t even asked her to dance. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like, to hold her in his arms as they were swaying, slowly, to the beat of the music. And when the song was over, their lips would meet, and…
Then he snapped out of it, frowning. Since when did he think of Buffy that way? Since the first time you saw her, you ponce! an annoying little voice whispered inside his head. Spike silently told the voice to shut up. He liked Buffy as a friend, but nothing more. Getting involved with women would only lead to pain and heartache; he had learned that the hard way. He wasn’t about to make that mistake again. Once was enough. So, why was he so bloody intrigued by this girl?
“So, how’s Billy adjusting to the new school?”
Buffy’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he was relieved that she had picked such a safe subject, anything to keep his mind away from other, less appropriate things. “Hasn’t said much, but I’m sure he’s doing just fine. He’s a smart kid. Already made some friends.”
She smiled. “That’s great.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. They were both silent for a moment, as nobody seemed to know what else to say.
Finally Buffy cleared her throat. “Hope you don’t mind my asking, but what really happened to Billy’s arm?”
“Billy’s…?” He stopped with a frown. “I… I don’t know. Never told me.” She looked a little surprised at that, and he silently cursed himself, realizing that it had completely slipped his mind. Spike let out a groan. “Bloody great! Didn’t even bother to find out. Some father I am, huh?” He laughed, bitterly.
Lowering her eyes, Buffy shook her head. “Oh, I’m sure…”
He interrupted her. “We’re both thinking it.”
“No, we’re not!” She looked up then, and their eyes met. “Look, Spike, we haven’t known each other that long yet, but I don’t think you’re a bad father. Kids can just be… difficult sometimes, I guess.”
Spike snorted. “Tell me about it,” he muttered. Then he let out a sigh. “Billy’s not a bad kid. He’s just… been through a lot.” He glanced at Buffy, silently begging her to change the subject. But she remained silent, waiting for him to go on. He sighed again. “It’s complicated, all right? Not exactly a conversation you wanna have on a first date.” He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth, mentally kicking himself for his stupidity.
Billy completely forgotten, Buffy stared at him, mouth open. “This is… a date?”
“No!” Spike closed his eyes for a moment, desperately trying to find a way to save the situation. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s not a date. It’s just…” He stopped, giving her a questioning look. “I mean… Do you want it to be?”
“I…” Buffy swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how close they were sitting. But she couldn’t remember if she had been the one moving closer to him, or if it had been the other way around. Not that it made much of a difference, she decided. Because the next moment, their lips finally met in a soft, gentle kiss.
TBC