Chapter 2
She hadn’t heard from her father all day. Her mother had said he’d call, and he hadn’t. She’d distracted herself from hanging out by the phone by doing her homework, cleaning her room and her bathroom, taking her second shower of the day, and making a big pan of double chocolate fudge brownies.
By the time two o’clock came around, she stared at the full pan of brownies, suddenly not feeling in the mood to eat them.
Then the phone rang.
She jumped and hurried over, trying not to sound too eager when she answered.
“Hello?”
“Hey.” She thought her heart might fall a little when the voice on the other line wasn’t her dad’s, but it didn’t. It actually started to beat a little faster.
“Hey Spike. What’s up?”
“Just sitting around. Got all your homework done?”
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I’ve been trying not to stay by the phone all day. He…he hasn’t called me, Spike.”
“I’m sorry, luv. Don’t know why he’s got to be such a bastard now that he’s gone.”
“Yeah, me neither. If you happen to find out the answer to that, let me know.”
“Will do, pet,” he chuckled. “What are you doing?”
“Staring at a huge pan of brownies. I haven’t touched them yet. You wanna join me for double fudge brownies and movies? Mom’s gonna be stuck at the gallery all day, and I just…I don’t wanna sit around here by myself anymore.” She felt her heart thud hard against her breastbone. Talking to Spike wasn’t awkward until she started thinking of the things they’d done last night. What if he wanted space?
“I’ll be right over. I’ll bring the pizza?”
“Pizza?” Buffy groaned.
“What? You love pizza.”
“We had pizza last night, Spike.” Last night? Crap. Too close, Buffy.
“S’alright. What else sounds good?”
“Hmm…pick up some chocolate icing. We’ll make them triple chocolate fudge.”
“Sounds like tissues may be involved.”
“Oh, I’ve got plenty of those. Just bring the icing.”
“Alright, luv. I’ll be there in two shakes.” He heard Buffy laugh a little, and then the line was dead. Spike ran his fingers through his hair before stuffing his hands in his pockets to search for money for icing. Luckily, his father sent him a check every month to help with rent and other expenses, because he wanted his son to focus on school and getting into college before worrying about taking on a job. That was one good quality about his father, but the fact that he rarely called pretty much stained every good gesture he made.
Just as soon as he’d pulled on his boots and grabbed his keys to head out the door, the phone rang. With a sigh, he reached over and picked it up.
“No, I didn’t forget about the icing, pet…”
“William?” Spike froze at the sound of his birth name on that voice.
“Dru?”
“Oh, William,” she sobbed. “I don’t know what to do. Angel just broke up with me, and I...I don’t know what to do.” Drusilla Lewis was had been Spike’s girlfriend off and on throughout his sophomore and junior year. Just before junior year ended, Dru had dumped him for a guy a year ahead of him. He was going into college, she’d said. He bought her lots of pretty things, she said. Angel O’Connor was not Spike’s favorite person.
When they’d first broken up, Spike hadn’t known what to do. He’d lost his virginity to Dru, and he’d loved her, but he’d gotten over the hurt quite quickly. Buffy had spent time with him, and before a week was up, Spike was his old self, laughing and joking again. He hadn’t much thought of Dru since then. Now, here they were, the first month into their senior year, and Dru was calling to cry on his shoulder.
“Sorry to hear that,” he said stiffly into the phone.
“Are you?”
“No. Not at all. Feels wonderful, doesn’t it?”
“William, please! I’m so…I don’t know what to do.”
“I know what you can do. You can call someone who cares.” With that, he hung up the phone and headed out to his car. He’d been harsh, sure, but he wouldn’t let Dru suck him back in again. She’d treated him like shit in the weeks before the break up, and he was pretty sure she’d been cheating on him.
Besides, Dru wasn’t his current concern. He didn’t care for her the way he once had. Now, the only girl he could think about was Buffy. He knew how he felt about it, but putting it into words was a frightening notion. What she needed right now was her best friend, not some guy that might as well be using her vulnerability to get her into his arms.
As soon as he got into his car, his cell phone rang, and he recognized Dru’s number. Shaking his head, he put his phone aside and pulled out, speeding off toward Revello Drive.
***
Buffy paced in front of the door, waiting to see Spike’s shiny, black car pull up out front. The moment she’d gotten off the phone with him, she’d gone into panic mode, wondering what the hell she was gonna say to him. Were they going to talk about it? Were they doing to pretend it didn’t happen? After this morning’s conversation, it was obvious that neither of them wanted to mess things up. But it didn’t stop her from wanting more. She wondered if he felt the same.
Her stomach was growling. An appetite was good, right? But what was taking him so long?
She sighed heavily and stepped out onto the front porch. She settled down onto the steps and looked out over the sunny neighborhood. She could still remember the day she met Spike. They were four years old. It was the day that she, her mother, and her dad moved in. Spike and his parents lived in the house next door. They’d moved in shortly before Buffy and her parents had. But judging by Spike’s present-day accent, one would think he’d lived in England his entire life. Perhaps it was his father’s presence through all of his entire childhood that had kept the accent around.
The day she’d met Spike, Buffy had been in the front yard with her little red wagon and a baby doll in the back. She was pulling it around as the movers helped her parents take furniture into the house. It was when she looked up and glanced across the street that she saw him. She’d have thought him to be cute if it weren’t for boys having cooties. He had bright, blonde curly hair that flopped down into his sparkling blue eyes with a little breeze. He was holding a water gun in one hand and a baseball glove in the other. Buffy, shy little girl that she was, didn’t make a move. She just watched him for a while as she made circles around the yard with her wagon.
After a while, he came across the yard, his mouth powdered with cookie crumbs on either side. Buffy blinked shyly at him and asked him if he’d wanted to play. He’d said that boys didn’t play house, and then Buffy had put her hands on her hips, cocked her head to the side, and asked if that were true, why did boys turn into daddies when they got older? She’d had him there, and from that moment on, they’d been inseparable.
She could still remember the feeling she got in the pit of her stomach when he’d come across the yard that day. She was so excited to have a new playmate. Back in her old town, the only playmate she’d had was her cousin who was two years older than her.
When Spike pulled up in the car out front, she felt that familiar feeling. Only this time, it wasn’t because she had a new playmate. It was that she was happy to see him. She often got that feeling deep inside when he was around. She trusted him completely, and she was pretty sure that’s what made it so easy to be around him, even after what had happened last night.
“You brought icing?” Buffy asked, when Spike drew near.
“Yep. Chocolate. Even brought sprinkles.”
“Oh, you know me so well!” she chirped, grabbing the grocery bag out of his hand and ushering him inside. Spike slid past Buffy and tossed his jacket into the coat closet. For October, it was pretty warm outside. But, he’d brought the jacket just in case.
By the time he got into the kitchen, Buffy already had half the brownies iced. Spike opened the bottle of sprinkles and gave them back to Buffy. The silence was broken moments later by Spike’s cell phone ringing. He ignored it.
“Aren’t you gonna get that?”
“No.”
“Okay…is somebody harassing you?”
“You could say that,” Spike muttered, reaching over to dip his finger into the chocolate icing. He brought his finger to his mouth and sucked off all the sweet topping. Buffy raised an eyebrow.
“Mind telling me who it is?”
“It’s Dru.”
“Dru? What the hell does she want?” Buffy wondered, feeling bile rising in her throat. She’d hated that skank from day one. Of course, she’d been jealous, but Dru had the tendency to be pretty nasty to people, and Buffy couldn’t figure out what Spike ever saw in that wretched girl.
“Seems that Angel’s dumped her.”
“Oh, what a shame,” Buffy mused sarcastically. “What’d you tell her?”
“Oh, as you can see, I told her I wanted her back. She’s right here holding my hand right now,” Spike smirked. Buffy rolled her eyes. Still, the thought of Spike and Dru getting back together was enough to make her stomach twist into knots. Surely he’d never take her back. Not after all the shit she’d put him through. “Pretty much told her to sod off. Hope it hurts.”
“Here. You look like you wanna cut something.” Buffy handed him the butter knife, and he sliced into the pan of brownies. She retrieved two small plates from the cupboard, and he served them each one, sprinkles and all.
After a few bites, Spike grinned at her.
“What?”
“These taste much better than those brownies you used to make. Tasted like mud.”
“Those were made of mud. We were seven, remember?”
“Oh, I’m talking about the ones you made in Home Ec. You know…freshman year?”
“Oh shut up. They weren’t that bad!”
“’Cept you mistook the salt for sugar. Those were bloody awful, and I had to eat them. We were partners!”
“Yeah, you looked cute in that frilly pink apron.” Spike rolled his eyes.
“Yeah. Cute. Not at all like a Nancy-boy.” Buffy grinned a little.
“C’mon. Let’s go watch a movie.” She popped the rest of her brownie in her mouth and headed into the living room. Spike finished up his snack and followed behind. “What’ll it be?”
“You’re the one needs cheering up. You pick.”
“Oh, you don’t wanna do that. Remember what happened last time I picked? You made gagging noises through the entire movie!”
“Oh come on. It was terrible.”
“No it wasn’t! The Notebook is a beautiful movie! I remember you paying particular attention when you thought you were gonna get to see boobs.”
“Well…they were wet and…and it was…” Buffy rolled her eyes and popped a DVD into the player.
“I promise you’ll like this one. There’s action. Maybe some boobs too.” She and Spike sat down on the couch together.
Buffy took a deep breath. Ok. This wasn’t at all weird. They were hanging out like usual. The fact that last night, Spike had been inside of her and it’d been the most amazing thing she’d ever felt, sober or drunk, in her entire life didn’t have to make things uncomfortable.
The movie started, and Buffy propped her feet up on the coffee table. Spike removed his boots and did the same. He couldn’t help but watch her during the first few minutes of the movie. Well, not her, exactly, but her toes. The nails were perfectly pink and polished. Her toes wriggled a little, and he glanced at her face to see the smile tugging on her lips.
Shit. She’d known he was staring. It was harmless. Just her toes. But the sudden flash of her body shuddering under his as she came made him wonder if he’d made her toes curl or not.
He shook the thoughts from his head. No. They couldn’t do this. Could they? God…when he looked at her again, her lids were lowered just a tad, and she was leaning against the back of the couch, her chest moving in even breaths. He couldn’t help but notice how her nipples were hardened beneath the fabric of her shirt. Was she wearing a bra?
He felt his cock twitch in his jeans, and he closed his eyes. Bloody buggering hell.
“Um…are you…are you warm enough?”
“Hmm?” she asked. “I’m ok. A little warm actually.” If she wasn’t cold then…fuck. “If you’re cold, you can turn the heat up.”
“I’m alright. Was just wondering if you were.” He cleared his throat and folded his hands over his stomach, thinking about everything and anything that might stop him from getting completely hard.
Buffy sighed softly as she tried to concentrate on the movie. But the fact that she could smell his cologne and hear his soft sighs as he watched the movie made her want to snuggle up against him and either fall asleep or do naughty things to him. She was just that comfortable with him. Still…the thought of doing what they’d done last night made her heart pound and her pussy drip, and she felt like a complete moron. This was Spike. They’d seen each other through the awkward puberty years in which they’d both gone through embarrassing growth spurts. She could distinctly remember the first time Spike saw a bra in her room. She’d been mortified, and little did she know that he’d been completely and utterly fascinated with her boobs ever since.
She smelled so damned good. Why’d she have to smell so good? He knew for a fact that she used a sweet pea body wash and spray. He’d been shopping with her the countless times she’d purchased the stuff. He figured she had enough to last her through the apocalypse. The smell drove him crazy. And she’d put on this sweet-smelling lip gloss that made her lips even more kissable, and he’d always wondered what it tasted like. Last night, he found out. Her lips tasted like strawberries, and it drove him wild. Of course she had to smell fantastic and taste sweeter than he’d imagined. Of course they were only going to be friends and nothing more. Of bloody fucking course.
“Want another brownie?” Buffy asked out of the blue, startling Spike from his thoughts.
“Huh?”
“Another brownie?” She stared at him, wide-eyed, her green irises sparkling in the light that filtered in from the front window.
“Uh…no thanks. I’m good.” Buffy got up from the couch and left the room, and Spike let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. He was still semi-hard, but he knew that if she walked back into the room, long golden legs disappearing into those black shorts, bleeding into that pink tank top with a heart in the center, he’d go crazy, and there’d be no hiding his hard on from her.
So, acting fast, he rushed to the coat closet, found his jacket and rushed back to the couch. He draped the thing over his lap and internally scolded himself. That won’t be obvious you pillock.
But, she didn’t seem to notice when she came back in with another brownie. She sat down on the couch and ate slowly as she watched the film. Spike closed his eyes for a few minutes, trying to calm himself, and soon, he felt confident enough to take his jacket away.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buffy shiver.
“Here, pet,” he offered, extending the coat out to her. She looked at him, a smudge of chocolate on her lower lip, and she smiled. God, she was adorable.
“I guess I am a little chilly. Thanks.” She wrapped the coat around herself, and she noticed Spike staring at her. “What?”
“You’ve got a little…here.” He leaned in and brushed her lower lip with his thumb. The warmth of her skin made his hand tingle, sending sparks all the way through his body. She looked into his eyes and then down.
“Thanks,” she whispered. He slowly withdrew his hand, and Buffy sighed.
“What’s the matter?”
“I dunno,” she said softly. “Just thinking about my parents again.”
“C’mere.” Spike grabbed the remote, turned the TV off, and offered his embrace to his best friend. She eyed him cautiously for a moment before deciding this should be ok. They always did this. This was normal. When all else failed, Spike’s arms were her safe haven; her home. So, she curled up against his side, and she tried not to think of how amazing he smelled when he hugged her tight.
“What’d you do?” she asked, trying to get her mind off of how much she wanted to taste his lips again.
“Hmm?”
“When your mom and step-dad got divorced?”
“You remember, don’t you, luv? Didn’t handle it very well at all. Think I blasted my dad out of the house with those CDs you burned for me. What was it you labeled them, again?”
“Parents Suck: Spike’s Mix.”
“That’s it,” Spike chuckled. “Took a lot of time to get over, but I had you. You were my sounding board, you know?”
“That’s it?” she wondered, looking up at him with those gorgeous, big green eyes. He nodded slowly.
“Well, yeah. I mean, you knew me better than anyone. Best thing you ever did for me was leave your window open so I could climb up those nights I didn’t wanna sleep over there.” Buffy felt tears sting her eyes. “You know, I’ll do the same for you.”
“Leave your window open for me?” she asked with a little grin.
“Sure,” he offered. “You can stay with me whenever you want.”
“Thanks, Spike.” She placed her head against his chest again, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. She closed her eyes, and soon, she felt herself practically sinking into him. What she didn’t realize was that she’d fallen asleep, and when she opened her eyes after what seemed like seconds, the living room was much darker, and judging by the clock, she realized she’d been asleep over two hours, and she was now laying on top of Spike on the couch.
She quickly looked up, seeing his eyes closed. She wriggled off of him and out of his arms, and she stood there by the couch, looking down at him, her heart pounding. They’d fallen asleep together before, but…not like this. And to top it all off, she hadn’t slept so good in a long time.
She cocked her head to the side, watching him sleep, the corners of his mouth pulled up in the tiniest of smiles. God, those lips. She closed her eyes, remembering the feel of them against hers. Despite the alcohol, she could remember every moment of their first kiss. He’d brushed his lips across hers so softly she was almost certain she’d imagined it. But when she opened her eyes, he cupped her face in his hands and leaned in, kissing her more intently, letting her know that he’d never hurt her. He’d always be there. And she knew he would, too. No matter what happened between them, she could count on him. He’d be there when she needed him, because she was always there for him.
Spike’s cell phone began to ring again, and Buffy jumped. Spike stirred in his sleep, and Buffy instinctively grabbed for his phone to turn it off before Spike could wake completely. But when she flipped it open, she realized that it wasn’t a phone call. He’d received a text message. From Drusilla.
Buffy shut the phone. It wasn’t any of her business. But it involved Spike. Her best friend, Spike. The man she…the man she cared about more than anything. So it involved her. And against her better judgment, she opened the phone again and opened Spike’s new text message from his ex-girlfriend. It simply read: I MISS YOU. PLEASE TALK TO ME.
Buffy sighed and marked it as unread before placing the phone back down on the coffee table.
“None of my business,” she muttered. He wouldn’t go back to her, would he? Surely not. And Buffy just knew that if he did, it would hurt like hell to watch him fall back into that trap. Whether she’d wanted to or not, she’d felt something last night, and she could have sworn he’d felt it too.
The tears prickled at her eyes again, and before she could let out a frustrated sob, she exited the room and made her way upstairs to the bathroom so he wouldn’t have to wake to her crying. Over him.
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