Checking her watch as she strolled up to the house, she found it was almost nine. William was probably worried sick. Not that she cared if he was or not. If she wanted to go out, she would, and she didn’t have to clear it with him first.
Feeling that at least she had that going for her, she entered the house and found it eerily silent. Peeking out the door, she checked to see if William’s car was in fact still there. She hadn’t noticed it on the way in; she’d been lost in her musings.
“I’m still here.”
She jumped a mile and shut the door, looking up at him to find him at the top of the steps. “Okay,” she said non-committal.
“Any luck?”
She sighed the sigh of defeat. “No. None. Her shop is closed down.”
His eyes widened. “Closed down?”
“Fraid so.”
“Why don’t you ask--?” and he nodded toward Edina’s chambers down the hall.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Gut feeling.”
“Ah, kind of like Dru?”
“Sort of, not really. She saw things, I feel them.”
“And your gut told you not to ask where to find…her?”
“Right.”
“Do you suspect something’s amiss?”
“Can we talk about this somewhere else?”
“Sure. Come on up.”
She shot him a wary look, but came up anyway. He was smiling when she came up and she was feeling a little leery about it. He was calm, almost too calm. She was expecting him to be demanding of where she’d been and what she’d been doing, and at least put out that she hadn’t called. Or at least that she hadn’t brought her phone to call.
They started walking slowly toward her bedroom.
“Want to tell me a bit more about this gut feeling of yours?”
“That’s all it is. Something inside me told me not to tell Edina that I was going to talk to Tara, so I followed it. Course it could have to do with the fact that the last time Tara was here, Edina and her had some kind of falling out.”
“Do you listen to your gut often like that?”
“I’m not perfect at it, but I try. Depends on how strong I feel it. It’s not an exact science.”
“So it felt pretty strong today?”
“Yes, it did.”
“Buffy?”
“Yeah?”
“I was worried about you while you were out.”
“I was fine, William. Just frustrated.”
“Nonetheless, you were gone a long time. Do you think maybe next time you could remember to at least take your phone in case I want to call and hear for myself that you’re all right?”
“If there is a next time,” she muttered.
“Oh, with you, I’m sure there will be many ‘next times’.”
“Will, what are you going to do? Stay here again?”
“That is the plan, yes. You did tell me before you left that you didn’t care if I stayed.”
“Of all the times I told you to go, you remember the one time I told you, you could stay,” she said incredulously, turning to him.
He smiled, digging his hands in his pockets. “Of course.”
“Selective hearing?”
“Oh, I heard you all right, Buffy, all those times you told me to leave. That’s why I listened and decided to stay. You hungry? I made dinner. It’s in the stove. Join me?”
Her stomach growled in reply to that question and she let out another sigh of defeat and followed him to the kitchen.
After a silent, pensive dinner, Buffy and William made their way back up the stairs, and Buffy wondered if he meant to sleep with her again. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Things felt strained somehow, despite all the talking they’d done.
“Will, where are you going to sleep?”
“I betted on the fact that you might not want me to sleep with you, so I figured I’d take the room I slept in the last time.”
She nodded slowly, “Okay.”
“Do you want me to sleep with you Buffy?”
“I don’t know that it’s such a good idea. I think it might be best if I sleep alone…on the other hand…”
“On the other hand…?”
“I’m kind of spooked from today.”
“I could sleep on the floor,” he offered.
“No, that’s…no. I can do this.”
“Buffy?”
“Hmmm?”
“What if I’m spooked too?”
She burst out laughing, not able to keep it in. “Yeah, right. You’re not afraid of anything.”
He smiled though he was thinking, I’m afraid of you, Buffy. You have the ability to eviscerate me, to cast me out of your life, and that frightens me. “Well, then,” he reasoned, “Let’s say if you get scared, you know where I am?”
She nodded, “Sounds like a plan. Night William,” she said over her shoulder, heading toward her bedroom.
“Night, Buffy. I love you,” he called after her, watching her until she had disappeared in her room.
She couldn’t sleep. Every creak, every noise, however small had her on alert. She hadn’t feel so on edge before. She hadn’t wanted to see or hear them before, but she hadn’t felt so afraid, as just uneasy. Now she just wasn’t sure. Not after finding those samples shredded, not after the lamp fell to the floor in a mighty crash. Peering at the clock, she found she’d been lying in bed for well over two hours and sleep was just not coming. She couldn’t relax enough.
To go or not to go...
Turning on her light before quickly dashing out the room and down the hall, Buffy fought the feeling that something was following her, chasing her as she ran. She always hated that feeling, and she knew if she turned around nothing would be there, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Then again...how did she know this time nothing would be there?
She was frightening herself, she thought as she burst into William’s room. He was up like a shot in bed.
“I can’t sleep,” she blurted out.
“You scared the living daylights out of me!”
“I’m sorry, I just felt like...Did I wake you?”
“Yeah, you did. I’m not that heavy a sleeper.”
“Do you mind if I...?”
He turned his bedside lamp on and looked at her. “Buffy, you know I don’t mind. I’d prefer it, actually.”
“Why? Are you scared too?”
“No, I just sleep better when you’re with me.”
Ignoring his comment, she hurried into bed with him, covered herself, and looked at him with wide eyes. “I’m such a wuss.”
He grinned, and laid so he could see her, “No, you’re not. You’re just reacting to that act of violence they took against you. It’s natural.”
“You’d think I’d be used to this by now,” she muttered.
“I don’t think one ever truly gets used to it, do you?”
“Does John Edwards look like he freaks out when he’s talking to them? No.”
“Well, in all fairness, he’s been doing it a while. You’ve ignored it most of your life.”
“Don’t make it sound so bad.”
“Sorry. You feel safer now?”
She nodded and yawned. “Yes.”
He rolled over and shut off the light. “Get some sleep.”
She rolled away from him, finding a niche in which to get comfortable. She froze slightly when she felt his arms wrap around her and his body press up against hers.
“Is this all right?” he whispered in her ear.
She was mush, really, at that point. “Yes,” she whispered back and relaxed against him.
“I love you,” he told her, but she was already on her way to Dream Land before she could even think to react.