After breakfast, William had showered and dressed and informed Buffy he had to go into the office for a bit to check emails and voice mails, and asked her if she wanted to join him. She’d declined, but they’d made plans to go into town once he returned.
While he was away, Buffy felt the allure of her bed. Her guest bed. Laying down and shutting her eyes to just relax, she ended up falling asleep.
“Buffy, luv, wake up. I’m back.”
Buffy rolled over sleepily, blinking until her eyes were clear. “William?”
“It’s me. I’m back now. Did you want to go into town for a bit?”
“Sure,” she said, but made no move to leave her bed.
He chuckled. “Thought you said you slept well last night.”
“I did, but while you were gone I felt the urge to lay down and I…yeah, fell asleep.”
“Feel better?”
“I feel lazy. I feel as though I haven’t slept in a long time.”
“Do you want me to let you sleep more?”
“No, no…It’s not that I want to sleep more right now, I just feel like…I feel like ever since Dru’s death, I’ve just being going, going, going, and being here…” she blushed, “being here, I feel like I can finally rest.”
He smiled broadly and reached out, running his fingers through her hair. “I’m glad.”
She studied him, watched his face as he ran his fingers through her hair and seemed to get lost in the action. “Will?”
“Mmmm?”
“Do you find my hair fascinating?” she asked lightly.
“I find you fascinating,” he murmured.
She truly did not know what to say, and all she could feel was her heart start to race, and her mouth going dry. She licked her lips and William’s gaze darted to her lips. “Buffy,” he murmured.
“Y-yeah?”
“Have you ever been kissed?”
“W-what?” she asked, in a near panic.
“Have you ever been…” and he didn’t bother to finish that sentence, instead, he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against her. His lips were soft, demanding, and sweet. “Kiss me back, Buffy,” he whispered against her lips and she opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t quite know what to do, and he used that opportunity to suck her bottom lip in his mouth and then deepen the kiss.
She heard a moan, and she had to wonder if it was from her or him. She felt drugged on sensation – the sensations he was producing within her. So this was what all the fuss was about –
“Buffy, luv, I’m back. Wake up.”
Didn’t they already go through this? Her eyes flew open to question him and then widened when she noticed William sitting on her bed just as he had been a mere minute before.
She felt her cheeks get hot and redden. Oh God, that was a dream. She’d been dreaming of kissing William!
She sat up abruptly, “I’m up!”
He jumped a bit at her exuberance. “I see that. Are you all right?”
She nodded profusely, “Just uh, just fell asleep for a bit.”
“I saw that. Good nap?”
She nodded, “So uh, are you done with work?”
“I am. You want to go into town still?”
“I do, yes.”
“You’re a little jumpy…something happen?”
“Oh, nothing,” she said lightly and scrambled out of bed. “Just need to brush my hair.”
He gave her an odd look, but said nothing before he walked out the room, leaving her to expel a deep breath. “Get a grip, Summers,” she muttered to herself.
Spending the day with William had been fun, Buffy mused as they made the ride back to his home. He made her laugh. A feat within itself, she thought, chuckling to herself. He'd shown her around town, pointing out great restraunts to try, and the hot spots of the city. He took her into a bookstore and bought her a guide for the area and surrounding towns. He showed her historical sites and explained the history behind them. Blushing inwardly, Buffy thought she could listen to William recite the Gettysburg address and be perfectly content.
She felt relaxed for possibly the first time in her life, and funnily enough that was what made her slightly panic. She felt something slipping from her and she wasn't quite sure what it was, only that it was something she usually had wrapped around her tight. Perhaps it was much like the armor she'd seen on a mannequin that day.
"Making you laugh," William told her, "makes me feel like a God."
That startled her. "Pardon?"
"You don't laugh much, I can tell. And when I can make you laugh, it makes me feel like a God."
"Oh...kay."
"You're fascinating to me."
Her dream came back with those words and she started. "I'm boring."
He laughed, "Far from."
"Really, I am. Nothing exciting about me. I work, I...work...I ...yeah, that's it."
"You can see and hear ghosts."
"Which I spend most of my time avoiding doing."
"But you can do it."
"That should not be the complete basis for me being fascinating. Did you find Dru just as fascinating?"
"Yes and no. I found Dru to be exuberant, much like a child."
Buffy smiled fondly. "That she was. Two sisters couldn't be more different."
"I think you could exuberant in your own way."
"Oh?"
"Maybe exuberant isn't the right word. Passionate, I think, is the right word."
"Passionate?" Buffy snorted. "That's a good one."
"Well, you already are, in a sense. You're passionate about not talking to those pesky spirits."
"I don't know if that's passionate so much as scared."
"Why does it frighten you so?"
"You talk to dead people much William?"
He sat up straighter and cleared his throat, "No."
"It's ...unnerving. You suddenly see someone that isn't supposed to be there. Say, when you're alone in your apartment. Or you're on the subway and someone starts talking to you and you talk back, only to find out that they're dead and everyone thinks you're a loon. Try being able to go into a place and feel unsettled, that either those spirits desperately want to talk with you, or they desperately want you out. Or being woken up in the middle of the night because they figured out that you can hear and talk to them and they have important messages for their families -- some of whom might be on the other side of the world."
"I never thought of it that way."
"How could you? You don't have it."
"Don't you think there has to be a happy medium somewhere?"
"You're pushy, you know that?"
"I'm an attorney. I'm supposed to be."
"Well, I don't like it," she huffed and turned away from him.
He looked over at her. "You're...You are. You're pouting!"
"I am not."
"You are!"
"William--"
"It's cute."
He could tell she didn't know what to do with that and instead remained silent. Yep, Buffy Summers was a lot of things he was finding out, and among them -- cute.