“Wills, do you have any lip gloss? I forgot my purse on my rush over here,” Buffy said and took the lip chap Willow handed to her with a sheepish look. “Not as shiny, but it will do.”
“Sorry. I don’t really do the whole lip gloss thing. I prefer to moisten, not slather my lips in a sticky, sparkly paste.” Willow responded, then put the lip chap back in her pocket. “Buffy? I’m freaking out. Like really, really freaking out! I don’t think I can do this. I think I’m going to just... go home to my safe, boring, non-rockstar inhabited room.”
Glancing over at Willow, Buffy could see the look of nervousness become more and more prominent on her red-headed friend’s face. “It’s okay, Willow. Once you get used to the initial feeling of being near the man of your dreams who also doubles as a rockstar, you’ll be fine. I had to practically strangle myself so I wouldn’t squeal when I realized the stranger in front of me was Spike at the cafe.”
“Is it getting hot in here?” Willow asked, then picked up her hair with one hand and fanned the back of her neck with the other. “It’s hot in here. Buffy, I’m scared. I can’t do this. I can’t—“
“Willow!” Buffy grabbed her best friend’s shoulders and gave a light shake. “You’ll be fine, okay? I’m right here, and we can go to the bathroom to calm down, if you need to. We can do this. You can do this. You’re going to meet Spike and Oz and Xander and Wesley, and you’ll love the experience.”
Willow smiled then, thinking about being in the same room as Oz. Talented, handsome, guitar playing Oz. “You’re right. I can’t pass this up. Thanks, Buff.”
She was still having a mild panic attack, but she squashed the bundle of nerves down the best she could. She was going to do this, and she was going to have fun, and nothing was going to stop her. She was Willow, the rockstar chatter-upper. Not the shy, meek, nerdy, can-only-make-vowel-sounds-in-the-presence-of-boys Willow. Oz was more than just a boy. He was... well, Oz. He was smart and funny and... other things that she’d read on the internet but couldn’t think of because she was freaking out.
It felt like an eternity, but the elevator finally dinged, then smoothly slid open, revealing a beige hallway, peppered with white doors. Buffy walked out and turned right, holding her head up as she walked. She was almost at the door Spike was behind, when she noticed Willow wasn’t beside her. Quickly turning around, she saw Willow standing by the elevator, looking down the hallway like it might swallow her up. Buffy giggled, then jogged back to her friend.
“I can’t do it, Buffy. It’s too nerve-wracking. I don’t do nerve-wracking.”
“Wills. You’ll do great. Amazing, even. The band will love your company. Oz will love your company. Trust me.” Buffy walked around the nervous red-head, and started to push her down the hall. “Besides, you’d hate yourself for missing out on this opportunity if you skipped out now.”
When they reached the door, Buffy knocked before Willow could make a break for it. It didn’t stop the girl from trying though. She didn’t make it very far before Buffy had her by the wrist, holding Willow in place in front of the door.
Spike answered with a grin, then pulled Buffy in for a hug. “Time to meet the rest of us, love.”
Willow let out a squeak, and then quickly covered her mouth to stop any other unwanted sounds from coming out. With a giggle, Buffy turned to Willow, and pulled her inside the door to join them. “Spike, I’d like to introduce the infamous Willow.”
“Ah, I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said and extended his hand. He chuckled as Buffy grabbed one of the red-heads hands, and put it in his, then went on to shake it. “I can see you’re a bit nervous there, Red. You’ll be fine, they won’t bite.”
Having her nerves calmed a little by Spike’s words, Willow giggled, then followed the two blondes into the huge room.
The room was huge! Buffy felt like she’d stepped into a page of one of her mother’s Home Décor magazines. It was beautiful, and most definitely inviting, and the room was so huge, it could have been someone’s apartment. Everything matched so perfectly, everything was so set in place and immaculate, she was afraid to touch anything. She didn’t know hotel’s could be so ritzy!
When she first walked into the room, she saw a very comfortable looking white couch, with Xander, Oz and Wesley perched on top. Then there was an empty love seat directly across from it, with a glass table in between and two matching one-seaters placed at the far end of the table, creating a half circle of seats. Lorne was in the one closest to the other band members, with his legs elegantly crossed, his hands folded on top, and a grin that could welcome Satan himself. Buffy liked him already.
“Guys,” Spike said as he led the girls into the room. “This is Buffy,” he tilted his head toward her, and she smiled an award winning smile. “And this,” he put his hand on the red-head’s shoulder and gave a light squeeze. “This is Willow.”
“Hi...” Willow squeaked, then ducked her head as her cheeks stained an adorable shade of red.
All four men stood up and made their way over to the girls, offering their hands for a shake. Spike couldn’t help but notice the way Oz was eyeing Willow, much like the way he was sure he looked at Buffy.
After the initial hellos, everyone sat down and tried to not feel the least bit awkward. A few moments of silence when suddenly, Lorne cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “So... What do you pretty girls want to talk about?”
“Oh, you best be picking up, missy,” Joyce said as she dialled her daughter’s cell phone number for the third time. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”
Unbeknownst to both Joyce and Buffy, the cell phone in question was ringing away in Buffy’s purse in her bedroom, sitting on top of her dresser.