Buffy stared at the alarm as it went off, wondering why the hell she had it set so damn early on the weekend. Shutting it off, she rolled over with the intention of going back to sleep when her thoughts turned to William... William!!!
Bolting upright, she forced the fog out of her head. She had to call William, it was time! Oh God, what was she going to say? She’d been impulsive last night when she called the first time and got lucky he hadn’t been there. Damn! She should have thought about it before she went to sleep.
Coffee was necessary so she could be fully awake for this conversation. She went to the kitchen and set about making a pot while struggling to come up with what she should say.
She tried to put herself in his shoes, think about what he would want, need to hear from her and aside from an apology, she had the feeling there was much groveling to be done. But she could do that, would do that. Hell, she’d grovel all day long on the phone to him if that’s what it took. If he would just come back home, hold her in his arms again she knew they could make it. Yes, they had issues to work out, things to talk about but she was ready and willing to do that. She was willing to let go of the past that had caused her mistrust of men, willing to forget about his and what he had to do for his dream, whatever he asked of her she would do if only she could see his smile again, have him look at her the way he always had... with love in his eyes.
She downed her coffee, picked up the phone and tried like hell to ignore the knots in her stomach that were currently twisting in on themselves. One ring, two and then three before someone answered ‘Giles residence’.
“Yes, this is Buffy Summers, is Jenny Giles there please?” She wanted to talk to Jenny first; to be sure William was home.
“Buffy, it’s good to hear your voice again.”
“Hi. I wanted to check and see if William made it home yet?” Please say he did.
“He has and I’ll be happy to get him for you. I can’t wait for you two to talk and work things out. Hold on, dear.” Nudging Rupert’s shoulder, he awoke with a snort. They were in the sitting room reading together and as usual, he’d fallen asleep with his book still open.
“No, I don’t believe in vampires,” he mumbled, still caught up in the dream he was having.
“Rupert, wake up for pity’s sake. It’s Buffy on the phone. She’s ready to talk to William.” She watched him straighten his glasses and blink a few times as her words sunk in.
“Oh, thank God. Well then, my dear, shall we?” He was ready to put a stop to his nephew’s destructive behavior himself if Buffy hadn’t called this morning. He knew the poor lad was merely trying to drown out his sorrows but after two weeks of it, enough was enough.
They walked up the stairs and down the long corridor of the south wing to William’s quarters. Jenny rapped lightly on his door.
“William?” She kept the phone covered so Buffy couldn’t hear. “William, are you up? It’s Jenny.”
“Bloody hell!” He rolled over and looked at the clock. It was well after two but he still felt slightly drunk. “Jus’ a mo’, Aunt Jenny.” Getting out of bed, he quickly pulled on his jeans. Oh yeah, judging from the way his head was spinning, he was going to be in for one hell of a hang over. Opening the door, he saw her holding the phone with a huge smile on her face. “Wha’s this `bout?”
“There’s someone who wants to speak with you. I think you should take the call.”
Handing the phone to him, he watched her walk away so he shut his door and went to sit back down on the bed and light up a cigarette.
Jenny ran back towards his door and leaned her head against it to listen in.
“Jenny,” her husband whispered sharply as he came around the corner from his hiding place and shook his head at her to stop being so nosy. She stood straight and crossed her arms with a look of defiance. “Jenny.” His tone came out as a warning. She raised a dark eyebrow at him then held out her hand.
After a few seconds, he sighed in defeat and from behind his back, produced the glass he’d brought with him and handed it to her with a guilty look on his face. She kissed his cheek, whispered ‘that’s why I love you’, placed the glass against the door then her ear in order to hear William’s end of the conversation, giggling when Rupert placed his head right next to hers.
“`Lo?”
“William?”
“Yeah. Who is this?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke. “It’s me. Buffy.”
“Buffy?” No, it couldn’ be. “`S this some kind `f a bleedin’ joke?” He was irritated already at the onset of his headache and was in no mood for pranks.
“No, it’s really me. I-I...” She paused. Say something. “I got your Uncle’s number from Lorne.”
It was her. Bloody hell, his girl was on the phone, had called him, had... No, not his girl, some other bloke’s now. The anger and resentment that built up over the last two weeks welled up inside him.
“Figures. Well, now that you’ve called, what do you want?”
His tone was harsh. She should have expected that, but still, it hurt.
“I wanted to talk to you. About what happened and abo-”
“Oh, NOW you wanna talk. Well, isn’ that jus’ bloody grand.”
“Look, I know you’re mad with me and-and you have every right to be. I just want-”
“You’re damn right `m mad. You tore my bloody heart out, Buffy.” He raised his voice at her and winced when the pain of his headache intensified. “`S alright whenever Buffy is ready to talk, but when I wanted to, needed to... where were you? Ahhhh, I remember now. You were too bloody busy.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, please. Yell at me, scream, call me names. Go ahead I don’t care, I can take it. I just want to make things right.”
“No. `M tired `f your stupid li’l mind games, luv. Tired and fed up. You jus’ wanna feel better `bout yourself and what you did to me. Well, `m not buyin’ it. Now why don’ you go back to that tight ass, tweed wearin’ geek `f a boyfriend `f yours and have a good snog before he notices you’re on the phone with me.”
Jenny and Rupert stared at one another in shock. Neither expected this kind of reaction from their nephew.
“What? Who are you talking about? William, I’m not with anyone!” She was completely confused.
“Don’ play stupid with me. I saw you kissin’ him when I came to your house after you didn’ meet me at the restaurant.”
“Oh-my-God.” He had to be talking about Wesley. Wesley was the only man she’d kissed since William and it had been just that one time. “That... was a big mistake. I can explain. Nothing else happened betwee-”
“Don’ rightly care,” he interrupted her. “I don’ know what you’re on `bout, but we’re done here.”
“William, ple-” The receiver went dead. Squeezing her eyes shut, she willed her tears not to fall. Yes, she should have expected this kind of reaction but she couldn’t let it deter her either.
Hold on. Suddenly, his words registered. He saw her with Wesley after she didn’t meet him at the restaurant? He’d come to her house? She didn’t remember having to meet... shit!!! That’s probably why he’d called, was probably what the message, er, messages were all about. If she was supposed to meet him there it was likely because he wanted to tell her about buying the restaurant. Stupid, stupid Buffy, she scolded herself, wanting to bang her head against the wall for having erased his messages, for not having faith in him.
She let out a sniff, straightened her shoulders and hit redial, more determined than ever to get him to hear her out.
Jenny had to hold Rupert back from barging into William’s room. She dragged him down the hallway so she could talk without their nephew hearing.
“I’m just as shocked and upset over how he spoke to her too, Rupert. But maybe we ca-” The phone rang, startling them both. The second ring was cut short, causing them to look at each other then race back to William’s door, hoping it was Buffy calling back.
“This better not-”
“Please don’t hang up on me.” She didn’t want to give him a chance to speak before she could tell him. “I promise you it’s the truth when I say I don’t have a boyfriend and there was never anything but that one kiss you saw.”
“Well, tha’s too bad for you now, isn’ it? What? You want me back all `f a sudden because you’re not gettin’ any? Sorry but `m not in the business anymore. `M sure Lorne can hook you up though.”
“No-no-no, that’s not it. It’s not about sex or... God, when did things get so screwed up? Look, I know I should have listened to you. I was such a bitch and judgmental and-and I didn’t trust you enough when I should have.”
“Got that right,” he huffed.
“Okay, I so deserved that. Matter of fact... I deserve anything you have to say to me and it’ll all be true. I don’t know how to show you how sorry I am or what I have to do to make it up to you but...but I will. If you’ll give me the chance I will, I promise I’ll do whatever it takes. I love you.” She heard him sigh on the other end of the phone and it filled her heart with hope that she might have gotten through to him.
“No, you don’. But thanks for sayin’ it.” He hung the phone up. It was too much to hear her say that and not mean it. She was in the arms of another man for fuck’s sake. It didn’t matter to him if she was still with the bloke or not. He’d waited so long for her to love him back and to hear her say it... now? His heart just couldn’t take it.
And again, Jenny had to drag Rupert away from William’s door and lead him far enough away to tell him she had a plan.
“I think I know what to do. William’s not thinking clearly right now and he won’t until he’s forced to. Now come with me, Ripper, I’ve got a plan.” She knew her husband’s temper, knew that if he unleashed it on William it would only create a rift between them and it wouldn’t help matters. William was hurting right now and there was no doubt in her mind that after coming home at four in the morning, staggering drunk, he’d been barely sober enough to have that conversation with Buffy. She blamed herself in part for telling Buffy to call back during this time. Of course she wasn’t sure if adding a few hours to it would have made a difference or not and it was because of that she quickly hatched a plan.
“That boy needs a swift kick to his drunken arse and I’m well within my rights to give it to him for speaking to a lady like that.”
“Put a lid on it, Rupert and just trust me before you give yourself a coronary.”
She ignored his grumbling until they reached the lower level of the house and went inside his study.
“Whatever it takes, we need to convince Buffy to come to here. William isn’t capable right now of seeing reason. But if he SEES Buffy, that might change. Once he sees she’s come all the way here to talk with him, surely he’ll know that she cares for him and he’ll come around.”
“That’s a splendid idea, dear. Bloody brilliant!”
“I know.” She gave him a smug look. “I’m going to call her right now but I want you handy in case I can’t convince her.”
“What makes you think I could convince her if you can’t?”
“Because.” She snuggled up against him on the loveseat. “You have that certain, British charm that when you choose to pour in on, makes a woman all weak and willing to do your bidding.”
“Ahem, well, erhm, yes. I suppose you’re quite right.” He blushed and wrapped his arms around her. “After this call, what say you to going upstairs with me to see if I can, ahem, charm your pants off, perhaps?”
“Why Rupert, dear.” She took a moment to nibble behind his ear. “I believe that’s the dirtiest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
~~~*~~~
Now her tears fell freely. This was her punishment, this is what she deserved. The old Buffy would have gotten angry, said ‘fuck it’ or rather ‘fuck you’. Well, she didn’t care if he didn’t believe her. She’d make him believe. How she was going to accomplish that since it was clear he didn’t want to talk to her, she didn’t know. Once she got herself together, she’d call Anya and ask her advice.
“Boy, that’ll be a first,” she said to no one in particular then chuckled. Anya would be shocked but she knew she could count on her for advice. Her friend had been right every single time when it came to William. If only she’d listened to her she could have avoided this whole mess.
Grabbing another cup of coffee, she looked at the clock and knew it was too early to call. Maybe she would go jogging to kill some time. Yes, that always helped clear her mind and lift her mood.
Hopping off the chair, she intended to see if the Sunday paper had made it in her driveway yet when the phone suddenly rang. The caller ID read ‘Giles, Rupert’ and she wondered if it was William calling her back?
“Hello?” she asked; her voice full of hope.
“It’s Jenny. I was wondering how things went?” She couldn’t let on that she knew they hadn’t.
“Oh. Uhmm, not too well. He... William hung up on me twice. I don’t blame him, Jenny. I’d hang up on me, too.”
“You’re being far too harsh on yourself dear. Now I want you to listen to me for a moment and don’t speak until I’m finished. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” She was perplexed over the request but the woman had been kind to her so naturally she’d listen to whatever she had to say.”
“You see...”
~~~*~~~
Looking out the airplane’s small window at Heathrow on the ground, Buffy let out a tired, ragged breath. She didn’t need any convincing to come to England. In fact, she should have thought of it herself. After calling Anya to tell her what she was doing and ask to cover for her at the gallery, she ran some errands, made some more calls, packed her bags and was on the plane that very night by six thirty. Now it was Monday evening nearing seven o’clock London time and she felt like she was ready to collapse from exhaustion.
She tried to sleep on the plane but her thoughts kept wandering to the shocking news she’d received when Jenny told her of the drinking binge William was on. His Aunt and Uncle were concerned and wanted to put a stop to it. And that’s where she came in. They were counting on her to accomplish that. As if she needed any more pressure? They meant well, of course, but she truly began to worry about him as well and what it was going to take for her to get through to him. If he’d been drinking nearly everyday, then he wouldn’t be in any shape to have a conversation.
Meanwhile, Jenny dragged Rupert along with her to the airport. He was going to send a car to pick Buffy up but Jenny insisted that it wasn’t polite, given the circumstances, to have her greeted by a complete stranger.
They only knew that she was a petite blonde with green eyes and much to Rupert’s embarrassment, his wife made a poster board with ‘Buffy’ written in huge letters with pink highlighter so she was sure to find them. And it didn’t take long, not with the way she held the sign in front of her as the passengers came through the gate.
A very tired and gaunt looking girl approached them, giving them a half smile.
“Buffy?” Jenny asked cautiously. When the small girl nodded, she stepped forward and embraced her. Her aura and her touch told Jenny everything she needed to know. The tired looking woman in her arms was deeply in love with William... and equally distraught. Releasing her and stepping back, Rupert came forward with an outstretched hand.
“I’m Rupert Giles but please, call me Giles.”
“It’s very nice to finally meet you both.” Placing her hand in his, he gave it a courteous kiss.
“Let’s get your bags, shall we?”
Buffy didn’t say much until they were finally in the car and on the road. Jenny sat in the front seat with her husband while she sat in the back, looking out the window.
“Is William home right now?”
The couple exchanged a knowing glance at one another before Rupert looked in his rear view mirror at Buffy and answered her question.
“No, my dear, I’m afraid he isn’t. He’s... out on his usual rounds.” He watched her nod sadly and slump lower into the seat. That’s the way she remained, looking sad, tired and defeated the rest of the trip home.
Rupert carried her bags and walked ahead of the two women, giving them some privacy. Jenny was better at relating to her American brethren and a warmer person than he was. How he ever had the good fortune to have her fall in love and marry him he’d never know.
“There’s a room prepared for you in the North wing. It has its own bathroom and if there’s anything you need, just pick up the phone.”
“When can I see him?”
“He won’t be home until very late. Early morning to be honest and even then, I’m not so sure that’s a good time for you to talk to him. Tomorrow afternoon might be best, once he’s awake and... sober.” Buffy nodded then fell silent. Her heart went out to blonde when she felt how badly Buffy wanted to see him now. “You should try and get some sleep. You’ve had a long flight and the jet lag will have caught up with you before you know it.”
“You’re right. I really could use some rest.”
“If you’re hungry, just dial one to reach the kitchen and tell them what you would like. They’ll bring it to you.”
“Thank you.” She offered her a weak smile. “I really do appreciate you inviting me here, especially when you didn’t have to.”
“Here we are then.” Rupert set down her luggage and opened the door to her room. He waited for the women to walk through first and then carried the bags to the edge of the bed before bidding them farewell, leaving them alone again.
“Buffy, I’m serious when I say if there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone. Press seven and tell them you’re trying to reach me and they’ll patch you through. This is a big house and you might get lost if you try to find me yourself. I usually go to bed around ten but if you can’t sleep or need to talk, I’m here.”
She gave her another hug and then left her to rest, praying she would but sensing it wouldn’t happen.
Once the door closed, Buffy glanced around the room and then at her bags. She was almost too tired to sleep if it were possible. Their home was huge beyond comprehension, the room she was staying in double the size of her own bedroom. But her current mood didn’t allow for her to appreciate it.
She felt grungy from her long trip and the thought of taking a hot shower right now was so inviting that she went to her luggage and began to unpack. She didn’t bring much because she honestly didn’t know how long she would be staying. It wasn’t that she was being presumptuous in that William would take her back as soon as he saw her and they would be on the next flight out. Quite the contrary. Her gut told her that more than likely, harsh words were going to be flung before they ever got to ‘actual’ talking.
When she’d packed her bags yesterday, it was at the very last minute. The better part of her day had to be spent making flight arrangements, taking care of personal business and then phoning her closest friends, the longest of which conversations was with Willow since she had no knowledge of her involvement with William at all. And even then she didn’t relay all the details. She felt if she told her everything about her unique situation, it would be like talking behind his back and she wouldn’t do that to him.
After her shower, she lay on the bed, shut her eyes and tried to sleep. But after an hour or so it was no use. She got up and paced the room, rearranged her things at least twice, laid down, got up to pace the room some more, tried laying down again... it was a vicious cycle that eventually had her stir crazy. She wanted to see William now, not later.
She sighed and paced some more, becoming agitated that tomorrow wasn’t getting here soon enough. That’s when she heard a soft knock on her door. She walked over and opened it without asking who it was.
“Can’t sleep?” Jenny was ready to retire for the evening but she wanted to check in on Buffy.
“No. I’m so tired I can’t and my brain won’t, I don’t know... shut off. I can’t stop thinking about him, worrying that... I’m not sure what to say to him and I’m, I’m so scared and... God, I’m babbling to you like I would to a best friend right now and we don’t even really know each other. I’m making a complete fool of myself because I can’t even shut up.” Jenny waited a second and then smiled.
“Oh, Buffy. It’s no wonder William loves you. Come here.” She walked to the bed and sat down. “Sit with me.” Buffy sat down, looking like a child who’d been caught doing something really embarrassing. Turning towards her, she took both her hands in hers. “You’re not going to rest until you’ve seen him. Are you?”
No, she really wasn’t. “It’s not that I won’t, it’s that I can’t.” The older woman nodded in understanding.
“In which case I’ll help you as best as I can. There are three pubs that we know of that he frequents and chances are you’ll find him in one of them. I can arrange for a driver to take you to each and to stay with you until you’re ready to come back.”
Buffy’s eyes went wide. “You’d do that?”
“It goes against my better judgment but yes, I will. Just remember that when you find him, he’ll probably be drunk and you can’t listen to what he says while he’s like that.” Buffy nodded her head vigorously. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to remember that. Whatever he says... you need to let it go.”
“I will, I promise. I expect it to be honest.”
“Good. One more thing. If you can, try and bring him home with you?”
“I will.” She would ignore everything he said if he would just come back with her. At least here, he would sleep off the alcohol and then she could get some sleep knowing he was here and not out there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first pub she went to, Buffy was glad not to find William in. It was dark and overcrowded with a rowdy looking bunch. She knew better than to be judgmental of what certain people’s ideas were of a good time, but a fight had broke out right before she left and the thought of him getting into a fight while drunk was unnerving.
The driver who was taking her around London tonight was both extremely nice and helpful, an Irish fellow by the name of Doyle. He knew what Buffy’s mission was and insisted that he go in with her to at least two of the pubs because he knew they could get ‘rough’ at times and would feel responsible should anything happen to her. She said she’d be fine but he insisted and made a good point when he told her an extra set of eyes couldn’t hurt in her search.
“Is this the other pub? The other not-so-nice one?”
“No. This one is nothing to worry about. It’s always busy but the crowd it draws requires...” Doyle rubbed his fingers together to indicate money was needed in order to party here.
“Got it. I’ll be back.” Stepping out of the car after Doyle opened her door, he caught her attention before she walked away.
“I don’t mean to be rude or imply that you can’t take care of yourself, but if you’re not back in fifteen minutes I’ll be coming in to find you.”
She touched his arm and smiled warmly. “Thank you, Doyle.”
He tipped his driver’s hat at her. “Master William is very lucky to have a woman who cares for him the way you do.” Inside, he couldn’t help the bad feeling he got over what might happen when she found him. As the family’s driver, he knew William could be quite the belligerent ass when he’d been drinking and the girl he was escorting around town tonight was obviously overtired, stressed and in his opinion, she was in no shape to handle the drunken Brit she was sure to come across.
Making her way inside, she could see it was a much nicer establishment than the first one. Unfortunately, it was really crowded. She walked close to the walls and scanned the crowd as best she could. A few minutes into her search and she was ready to get Doyle to come in and help her look. The task was near impossible as people kept moving around and she realized William could be too. It was too big a place for her to try and cover on her... Oh my God!
There he was, sitting at the bar but his appearance was not what she expected at all. He wasn’t in his usual all black outfit; just blue jeans and a grey T-shirt. His hair was grown out, too. The tips were still bleached and the amount of new growth gave him a disheveled look. It appeared like he hadn’t combed it in a week. And he was wearing... glasses? As she neared him from the side, she could see he had hard liquor in a glass and he wouldn’t hold still. His body was doing that drunken sway like he had no control over it. Time for you to come home.
She walked right up to him and stood there, waiting for him to notice her, waiting for him to say something first and bracing herself for whatever that might be.
William set his glass down and glanced to his right. There was a pretty girl in red standing next to him. He blinked through his haze at her, looked away then glanced back at her when she didn’t walk away.
“Bloody hell! How much have I had to drink?” he asked himself as he dragged unfocused eyes from his drink to the girl and back again. “`M fuckin’ hallucinatin’.”
“Apparently way too much.” Okay, she was dealing with an extremely drunk William as she could see his eyes were glazed and bloodshot.
“Since when do hallucinations talk?” Was he really seeing what, or who he thought he was?
“I’m not a hallucination, William. I’m really here.”
“Was afraid `f that.” At first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but now he knew. Buffy was here, in England. He could hardly believe she was here, especially after the things he’d said to her. “Go home, Buffy.” He couldn’t deal with her right now. Not while he was getting pissed.
Well, this isn’t going to be easy. She sat down on the stool next to him and watched him take a sizeable gulp from his glass, leaving less than a swallow in the bottom. The bartender came over and was about to refill the glass when she placed her hand over it and shook her head at him. He nodded knowingly and backed off. This earned a hard glare from William when he turned towards her.
“Since when the bloody hell did you turn into my mum?”
She kept her tone even. “Somebody needs to. You’ve been hitting the bottle for the last two weeks non stop.”
“And whose fault is that?” He looked at her accusingly while raising an eyebrow.
She quickly placed a rein on her temper and remembered what Jenny said. “William... I’m sorry. I really am. I never set out to hurt you.” She could tell he didn’t believe her, whether drunk or not.
“You need to find a new tune to sing, cuz that one’s gettin’ old, pet.”
“Right now, you’re way too drunk for us to have a conversation.” She gave him a serious look and hoped he’d see reason. “It’s time to go home.” He shook his head at her.
“Not bloody well ready to leave yet, so sod off.” He waived a hand towards the door. Bringing his glass to his lips, he intended to drink the remainder of his whiskey when it was snatched out of his hand.
“We’re leaving. NOW!” This was enough; she couldn’t stand by and let him do this to himself.
Now he saw red and reacted by standing up so fast he knocked the barstool over. He got right in her face, noticing she hadn’t moved from where she was, never even flinched at him. The bird actually thought she was going to make him go home right now? As if he were some child?
“What part `f `m fed up with you didn’ you understand? We’re through, pet.” He backed up and not so much because of the look on her face but because he couldn’t bloody well focus unless he did, glasses or not.
“I’m not leaving here without you.”
He turned to the bartender who was still standing near them, wiping down the counter. “Can you believe this?” he tilted his head towards Buffy when the guy looked up. “Gave the bird a few good shags and now she thinks she’s my wife.” He laughed, thinking it was bloody hilarious.
The bartender looked at Buffy who rolled her eyes. He gave her a curt nod, indicating he knew to ignore the drunk’s comments.
William picked up the barstool and sat back down. “You can sit here all night if you want to. `S not gonna change my mind.” She crossed her arms, her expression one of unwavering determination. Bloody hell, she IS gonna stay! That was his girl, stubborn to the bitter end. But he really couldn’t deal with her right now; he needed to get rid of her. “And for the record... you weren’ that great a shag.”
That got her a little fired up enough to answer before she could stop herself. “Yeah and that’s why you kept coming back.”
“The only reason I came back was cuz your money is jus’ as green as all the other birds I’ve done.” Oh yeah, that got her right where it counted. He could see the pain lying just beneath the shock in her face. “What? You actually be-LIEVED all that prattle I fed you? Christ, pet, you really are daft.”
“You know you don’t mean that.” He’s drunk, he’s just drunk. But God the things he was saying it hurt like hell and she tried not to let it show.
“Really?” he asked as if she should know better. “`S that what you think?”
She watched him hop off the bar stool and come towards her. He took off his glasses and she recognized the seductive gleam in his eye as he placed a hand on each of her knees. Her brain tried to tell her she should have pushed him away when he spread them enough to move in really close, but she was frozen. She never even realized she was holding her breath.
He turned on the charm and placed his lips next to her ear. Sliding his fingertips slowly up and down one arm while the other found her hip, he whispered, “DON’T. Think. Jus’ feel. Tha’s all you gotta do. Jus’ leave your thoughts behind, baby, jus’ for tonight. Jus’ feel me, be WITH me.” He backed away to find her eyes closed. “Ever wonder how I REALLY remembered sayin’ that to you?”
His question brought her attention back from what he’d just done. He’d said that the morning they’d made love at his place, he said it was because he memorized every precious moment she’d ever given him.
“`S cuz you’re not the only one I’ve ever used it on.”
She felt crushed the second he said it, knew the hurt was written all over her face and this time she couldn’t hide it.
He smirked at her obvious pain. “Yeah. Works every time.”
She felt so broken she couldn’t speak, couldn’t form words. Nodding her head as if to say ‘you win’, she stood, turned her back to him and started walking away.
“Oh and by the way, pet?” He waited until she stood still. “You still owe me for the last two shags I gave you at my place.”
Her eyes closed for a moment in order to gather her bearings before she resumed walking. She knew what he’d said was said while drunk and in anger. But that didn’t stop it from hurting any less.
She disappeared from view and he turned back to his empty glass. Picking it up, he turned it from side to side and stared at it, his eyes welling up with tears. “Ain’ love grand?”
A/N: I was telling the truth when I said I don’t care much for writing angst, but the muse was comfortable with this chapter because of the true underlying feelings going on with our characters. Yes, it’s still a bit of a bumpy ride, but I’m in the process of wrapping this baby up. Just a handful of chapters to go, I promise. Have an awesome weekend!!!