“Hey, I grew up with three older sisters. Now that was wild.” He leaned forwards and squeezed her shoulder, giving her that smouldering look he had perfected so well when they had been just sixteen. “Besides, it'll be kinda nice having a woman around the house. It needs more of a feminine touch, don't you think?”
She glanced out into the hallway, where a large oil painting of a bunch of pink roses hung, and then to her new room – adorned with colourful cushions and throws – and thought privately that Luke had that feminine touch down just perfectly. “Uh...sure,” she settled on out loud. “And it's gonna be a lot of fun. We can hang out just like we did in high school.”
She blushed as she spied a little glint shining in his eyes, and mentally slapped herself when she remembered exactly what they'd used to do while 'hanging out' in their teenage years. “Uhm...maybe not exactly like high school,” she hastened to add.
Luke chuckled and squeezed her shoulder once more, before dropping his arm. “Can't blame a man for getting excited. You turned out well, Summers.” He looked down at his watch and grimaced. “And I can't wait to hang out some, but I should really get to work. Those palms won't read themselves, right?”
Buffy grinned and hugged him gratefully before letting him leave.
Once he had gone, she flopped down onto her soft new mattress and contemplated unpacking. The thought alone made her groan.
“Screw that,” she muttered to herself, rolling over to where she had left her purse and fishing her cellphone from it.
Drusilla answered on the first ring.
“Buffy! My sweetheart, is that really you?”
“It really is,” Buffy replied with a happy giggle. It was so good to hear her best friend's voice again after all this time. Drusilla had been visiting her sister in LA the last time Buffy had been home from her travels, and she'd been one of the things she'd missed most about Sunnydale whilst she was away.
“My Buffy, how have you be-no!” Drusilla sucked in a large, excited sounding breath. “Wait! I want you to save it all so we can chat face to face. Where are you right now?”
“I'm at Luke's. I'm staying with him while I'm back in Sunnydale. You remember Luke, don't you?”
Drusilla hummed down the phone. “Was that the chap who courted you back in high school for a month or two in senior year? The one with the red car you and he-”
“That's the one,” Buffy interrupted her before she could continue that story any further. There was certain memories that did not need bringing up.
“That's perfect,” Drusilla declared. “He lives very close to town, yes? Meet me for lunch and we can catch up?”
“Right now?”
“Most definitely right now. I think I shall burst if you keep me waiting! I have so much to tell you, dear Buffy. And I suspect you have just as much to tell me.”
“Still a psychic, I see?” Buffy teased, smiling to herself as she remembered how Drusilla had claimed she was able to predict the future for their whole seventeenth year after dreaming about her goldfish dying before it had actually happened.
“No, just an avid listener of town gossip.”
Buffy cringed, wondering exactly what it was the townsfolk had been saying about her two fathers. Things tended to get a little exaggerated down the grapevine in a small, nosy area like theirs. “Well, I appreciate the honesty.”
“You always did. So, lunch?”
“Sure I can do that. Definitely. My only other plans today were unpacking and that's...well, boring. You know?”
Drusilla snorted affectionately. “I've missed you, sweet. Very, very much.”
From the second they spotted each other from across the busy restaurant it was just like they'd never been apart.
There were squeals and hugs and more squeals and another hug before sitting and squealing and talking and talking and talking and eating and talking. They talked so fast and excitedly that other diners glanced at them in amusement from time to time out of the corner of their eyes.
Once they'd finished up desert, Drusilla sat back in her chair and shot Buffy a secretive little smile. “I have something else to tell you. A surprise.”
Buffy leaned forwards over the table, intrigued. “Ooh, tell me!”
“Liam and I are having a baby!”
Buffy clapped her hands together and beamed delightedly. “No way! Seriously?”
“Quite so.”
Feeling happy tears gathering in her eyes, Buffy leaned right across the table to pull her best friend into a congratulatory embrace. She couldn't even begin to describe how happy she was for Drusilla and Liam – two high school sweethearts who had been through so much.
“How far gone?” she asked, once she had sat back down and composed herself a little.
“I just turned three months yesterday – which is why we've officially started telling people. You were first on our list, of course, once we'd learnt you were back in town. And-”
Her speech was cut short by the shrill ringing of her cell phone. Fishing it out of her purse, she rolled her eyes and shook her head once she'd glanced at the screen. “I'd better get this,” she commented to Buffy. “It's my mother.”
Buffy nodded at her to go ahead, well aware that Anne would only continue to ring again and again if Drusilla ignored her.
“Hello, Mother,” Drusilla droned into the phone. “...I'm having lunch with Buffy...Yes, Buffy Summers...I'm aware that you haven't seen her around in quite a while...Because she's been travelling. Remember I told you?...No, I can't come for family dinner today...Because I've plans with Buffy...I know, but I forgot. I'll be there for next week's dinner...I know I promised...” She heaved a gigantic, frustrated sigh and shot Buffy an apologetic look. “Oh, for heaven's sake, Mother! May I at least invite Buffy?”
As Anne answered Drusilla's request down the other end of the phone, Buffy watched her friend's cheeks redden slightly, and noticed the way that she turned away a little, as if she didn't want Buffy to hear whatever it was that was being said.
She listened as Drusilla pleaded with her mother in hushed tones, her eyes narrowing in confusion. She and Drusilla had been best friends since they were children and Buffy had always been welcome in the Wright household. What had changed?
Finally, after three minutes and eighteen seconds – not like Buffy had been counting or anything – Drusilla smiled triumphantly . “Good then. We'll be there in half an hour.” She snapped her cell shut and looked across the table. “My mother has invited us for dinner. You don't mind, do you?”
Buffy personally thought the word invited was exaggerating just a bit, but whatever. “I really don't have to come, you know,” she replied awkwardly.
“What on earth do you mean? Why wouldn't you want to come?”
Buffy picked up her napkin and began to shred it with twitchy fingers. “Well, it kinda sounded like your mom didn't want me to tag along. I really wouldn't want to impose.”
Drusilla waved a hand through the air in obvious dismissal. “Oh, Buffy! Of course she wanted you there!”
But Buffy had known her friend for a long time, and could spot a clear lie from a million miles away. Something was definitely going on.
As Buffy had expected, Anne wasn't exactly welcoming towards her once they had arrived at the family house. In fact, she was cold and distant – even more so than she normally was. It wasn't as if she had ever been super friendly to Buffy when she was a kid or anything – she was far too stiff to ever really get Buffy and her different family ways – but she had at least been civil. Welcoming, even.
And yet now she would barely even spare Buffy a small glance, and made sure with all of her mumbled comments to let her know that she was most definitely imposing on a 'family only' evening.
And Drusilla's father hadn't been that much of an improvement. Buffy had remembered Tor as being a jolly kind of guy, but he'd been downright obnoxious towards Buffy during dinner – making rude comments about Hank and Rupert on more than one occasion. At least it had given her insight onto why exactly they were behaving so poorly towards her. Her family was clearly in disgrace.
And of course there was Will. But she'd already been expecting him to be an ignorant ass – he'd been that way ever since they'd met. She didn't even think he cared about Hank and Rupert being sent to jail, but he was still sporting that giant stick up his ass anyway. She was just glad Drusilla's older brother had been too busy with his own life when they were growing up to ever intrude on theirs. How Drusilla had dealt with that for all those years would forever remain a mystery.
“Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner, Mrs Wright,” Buffy stammered out later that evening as she prepared to leave. “The food was wonderful, as always.”
Anne smiled in reply, although the motion didn't reach anywhere near her eyes. Her expression was clear though – Buffy hadn't been invited. “Any time, dear. You know you're always welcome.”
Big liar, Buffy thought privately.
Drusilla swept forwards and pulled Buffy into a rib crushing hug. “I'm so very sorry about the old bag,” she whispered into her ear. And then louder, “Thank you ever so for joining us this evening, Buffy. We've missed you around here.”
“It's been a pleasure.”
“How are you getting home? You still don't drive, I expect?”
“There should be a bus from the corner in exactly thirteen minutes, if I remember right. It'll take me right near Luke's place.”
“Oh, pish posh.” Drusilla shook her head firmly. “Don't be silly. William will be driving towards town on his own way home. Save the hassle and let him drop you off.”
Buffy's eyes widened as she imagined how uncomfortable that journey would be. “Uhm...I really-”
Will chose that exact moment to exit the kitchen and interrupt on their conversation. “Did I just hear someone mention my name?”
Buffy could only thank the hell out of Will's ridiculously fast driving as they pulled up outside of Luke's apartment twenty minutes later.
Uncomfortable had been an understatement of the greatest kind. Excruciating seemed a whole lot more appropriate.
It had quite possibly been the worst car journey Buffy had ever been in in her whole entire life. And she'd been in some pretty bad car journeys.
It had been bad enough back at the Wright house when Drusilla had told Will that he was to drive Buffy home. The memory alone of the horror on his face would be enough to make Buffy's blood boil for weeks – the jerk!
And the awkward, stilted conversation they had suffered through in the car...well, it was very clear to Buffy that Will was still very much under the impression that she hadn't changed a jot and was still that skinny little kid he'd known all those years ago.
Yeah, he was definitely a jerk. A stupid jerk.
Whatever. It wasn't exactly like she cared what he thought. Never had, never would. Drusilla was her best friend, and the only one in that damned family who she gave a crap about. Not her annoying brother.
“Thanks for the ride,” she uttered dryly, once the car had finally come to a stop. “It was...fun.”
Will gave a tight smile, but didn't even bother to look in her direction. “Sure. Bye then.”
Buffy rolled hey eyes and climbed out the car, slamming the door behind her. It wasn't like she wanted to spend any more time with him than she had to, but some people liked to be polite every once in a while.
“Uptight ass,” she muttered quietly to herself, before letting herself into the building.
Will watched Buffy stalk into her apartment block with obvious distaste. He noted the wavy hair and the floaty clothing and the beads she wore around her wrists and ankles and tutted.
Still just the strange little hippy girl she'd always been. He guessed some people were just incapable of change.
“Bloody nut job,” he announced to himself, snorting as he started up his car with a shaking head.