Chapter 8
Spike broke out of the kiss when breathing became an issue, rubbing his nose against hers.
“I’ve wanted to do that for so bloody long.”
Buffy opened her eyes to stare into his, not realizing that she closed them during the kiss. She was surprised that he kissed her at all. “Really?” she said and was still in a state of shock.
He only smiled. “You have no idea how long I’ve dreamt about kissing you.”
Buffy couldn’t believe that any of this was happening, but she didn’t have much time to think about it when the bathroom door suddenly burst open.
“Hey, is everything okay in here?” Dawn wondered, raising her eyebrows when she saw how close they were.
Spike nodded and turned to his sister. “Yeah, everything’s fine now. We were just talking.”
Buffy noticed that he kept his arm around her and it felt very comforting.
Dawn smiled when she realized what they were probably talking about. “Well, we only have one more period left. I would say there’s no point in going to class, so why don’t we take the rest of the day off? I think we could all use it.”
Buffy normally would never consider skipping out on a class, but she was all for it right now. Getting out of the school seemed like a really good idea at the moment.
Spike agreed and they all left the restroom. He glared at anyone giving them looks when they walked out, his hold on Buffy tightening. She was his girl now and he wanted everyone to know that, maybe they would think twice about giving her a hard time.
* * * * *
They found themselves at the park a little while later.
Buffy and Spike were seated on a bench, while Dawn was flirting with some guys that she met.
Spike wouldn’t usually like to tolerate that, but right now he was grateful since it gave him some alone time with Buffy. He still held her hand in his and if he had his way, he would never let go. “Do they always treat you like that?” he asked after a moment of silence.
Buffy nodded and looked away from his gaze. “Yeah, it’s mostly just Megan. She’s always had something against me, but her friends usually have no problem joining in on the torment.”
Spike grasped her hand tighter. “I’m sorry about that, love. I had no idea that things were so bad for you at school. I always just assumed you were by yourself because you chose to be.”
She shook her head. “I’m always by myself because I don’t really have any friends. Dawn is the first person to befriend me in over a year. She’s been really great.”
Spike glanced out at his sister. “She has her moments, but now it’s safe to say that you have two friends.”
Buffy smiled. “I think I can handle that.”
He smiled in return. “I still can’t believe that most of your drawings were of me. They were incredible, Buffy. You truly have a gift.”
She blushed at the compliments, not used to hearing such nice things about anything that she did. “They’re not all that great. It’s just a hobby.”
“Well, it’s a bloody good one. You should be proud of your work, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
She looked up at him in wonder. “Thank you.”
Spike leaned closer to her and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
It lasted all of a second, but Buffy never felt anything like it.
“You don’t have to thank me. Do you have any idea how wonderful you are? How much I’ve dreamt of just being able to hold your hand? God, no one has ever made me feel like this. You have the ability to make my heart skip a beat by just looking in my direction. It feels so good to finally be able to tell you that.”
Buffy didn’t even realize that more tears fell from her eyes, until she felt the wetness on her cheeks. She then broke down into sobs and wrapped her arms around him, never wanting to let go. No one had ever made her feel so special in her life. She didn’t think it was possible and prayed that this wasn’t a dream that she would soon wake up from.
Spike held her close to him and pressed his lips to the crown of her head. “It’s okay now, sweetheart. It’s all going to be okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
Dawn chose that moment to walk back over to them, worry evident on her face. “Is she all right?”
Spike nodded and ran his fingers through Buffy’s hair soothingly. “She just needs to let it out. You can head home now if you want, Dawn. I’ll take care of her.”
Dawn nodded as well and after giving them one more look, took off in the other direction.
Buffy pulled away when she felt that all of her tears were cried out. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to break down on you.”
Spike smiled and wiped her remaining tears away with his thumb. “Hey, no need to apologize for that. I’m just glad that I could help. You wanna get out of here? I could take you home, or we could go somewhere else? Whatever you want,” he explained, pulling her off of the bench.
The last thing Buffy wanted to do was go home. She had a feeling that would just make her more miserable. “Can we go back to your house? I liked it there.”
Spike was satisfied by her answer. “As you wish,” he said with a wink.
Buffy laughed and it felt like she hadn’t done that in years. “How did you know The Princess Bride was my favorite movie?”
“You wrote that report on it last year in English class. I could just tell it was a favorite when you got up in front of the class and talked so passionately about it. I probably have the whole thing memorized. I could even recite it for you if you like.”
Buffy shook her head. “That’s really not necessary. You remembered my report?”
Spike gave her hand a squeeze and looked into her eyes. “I remember everything about you, Buffy. I’ve been watching you since you first arrived at Sunnydale High. You’ve fascinated me from that first moment.” He paused. “Okay, that sounded less creepy in my head.”
Buffy couldn’t believe that he thought about her all that time. “Not creepy. I’ve been watching you, too. I just didn’t think you knew I existed.”
“I felt the same way, but that’s all going to change now. I’m never going to let you go, Buffy. I’m not capable of it. I’ve wanted you for too sodding long.”
She felt touched; he just kept turning her into a puddle of mush with his words. “That works for me.”