It seemed that it was rather easy for Buffy and Will to resume their friendship. By the next week, they were doing the exact same things they had done before; with the exception of morning school rides. Buffy would hang out at the gallery while Will worked or they would spend their afternoons working on homework or hanging out around Sunnydale. It was almost like nothing had changed at all. If only it weren’t so glaringly obvious that it had.
Buffy could feel the tension in everything they did. Now that she knew the attraction was mutual, it was even harder to keep her hands off him and if she wasn’t mistaken, he felt the same way. Often she could swear she saw him move his hand closer to her, then move it away as if he thought better of it. He also seemed very conscious of using pet names with her, often slipping and almost calling her ‘luv,’ then changing it to ‘Buffy’ at the last second. She was extremely wary around him as well. She would either be unconsciously too close or deliberately too far.
It was a Tuesday afternoon and they had decided to change the routine up a bit, which meant they were at the Espresso Pump instead of the diner.
“What’s the difference between a latte and a macchiato?” Buffy asked, looking over the drink menu on the wall as they waited in line to order. The café was buzzing with its typical after school crowd, mostly Sunnydale High students.
“A macchiato costs a dollar more?” Will suggested.
“I don’t understand coffee lingo,” she said, frowning.
“They just like to make it sound fancier, make people think they’re all posh.” They reached the counter and Will stepped up to order. “I’ll have a large black coffee.”
Buffy gave him a pointed look at his blatant Americanization of the coffee menu. “Not a grande?”
“I don’t subscribe to their pretentious coffee jargon,” he explained. “What do you want?” he asked, pulling out his wallet.
“I can get it myself.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, waving her off. “I’ll get it.”
“No, you won’t,” she argued.
Buffy looked to the annoyed female barista at the counter. “I’ll take a venti caramel latte, please. I’m paying separately.”
The barista nodded and moved to make their drinks as the two continued to bicker.
“Just let me pay, Buffy. I’m the one with the job after all.”
“So what? Besides, you paying for my drink is too…” she trailed off, thinking of the word.
“Too what?”
“Coupley,” she decided. “And we agreed that can’t happen, so you’re going to let me pay for my own coffee.”
“Fine,” he said with a huff. “Just trying to be nice.”
A few minutes later the girl came back with their drinks and rang them up separately. She watched as the barista gave Will a smile that was clearly more than just good customer service.
‘Skank,’ Buffy thought. ‘All over him once she hears we’re not a couple.’ She couldn’t help the jealousy she felt every time she saw someone else take interest in him, especially older punkish girls with nose rings and pink hair.
“So you’ve been getting awfully chummy with that Anya bird lately,” Will said after they sat down at a table.
“I’d say more like moderately chummy,” she replied, blowing on her hot drink.
“What’s that about?” he asked after a moment.
“What’s what about?”
“Why are you hanging out with her?”
“I dunno, she’s nice, I guess,” Buffy said with a shrug.
“Nice is not a word I’d use to describe that girl.”
“Okay, maybe not nice exactly. But, she has no other friends.”
“So it’s a pity thing then?” he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
“No, I like her, I really do. You’d like her too probably. If only you and Xander would just make up already,” she said, trying to hint to him that they should.
“I don’t see that happening anytime soon,” he said, stirring his drink with a coffee stirrer even though there was nothing to mix in.
“Why not? This stupid thing has gone on long enough. Maybe if you make the first move-“
“And say what? I’m sorry that you hate me because I’m comfortable with myself. Sorry, Buffy, but this thing isn’t my fault.”
“So you’re just gonna wait until Xander apologizes to you?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you miss your best friend?”
“Of course I miss him, but I’ve got you now,” he said with a soft smile.
“So I’m just a replacement?” she half-joked.
“Maybe at first,” he confessed. “But not now…never again.”
She blushed at the softness in his tone and the intensity in his gaze and looked away. This was the kind of thing that they were supposed to avoid. So she changed the subject.
“So, I don’t know how long Anya and Xander’s relationship in going to last,” she said.
“No?” he asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
“Anya has told me a few things that indicate that Xander might not be so into the…physical stuff,” she said, remembering the slips Anya had made the week before.
“Told you,” he said with a smug grin.
“I think she’s gonna figure it out sooner or later.” She truly believed that Anya would, as it seemed she may already be onto him.
“Probably will,” he replied.
“I hope so,” she said, taking a sip of her latte.
“You got a bit of foam, luv,” Will said, gesturing at her mouth.
“Where?” she asked, tongue darting out to lick it away.
“Here,” he said, reaching across the table to help her. He brushed his thumb across her top lip, wiping away the foam, but lingering longer than he needed to.
“Will,” she said in a warning whisper.
“Sorry,” he said, jerking his hand back. He wouldn’t look her in the face after that and stared down into his coffee cup. He then took a small sketchbook and a pen out of his jacket pocket and started to draw.
“Will?” she said, causing him to look up. “This just got weird.”
“I know,” he said. “I shouldn’t have…done that.”
“No, it’s okay. I just meant…you don’t have to act so…awkward about it.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.”
“Sor-…okay.”
“Things might get, you know, awkward, sometimes…but we just have to move past it,” she said, trying for positive.
“So I can feel you up then act like nothing happened,” he joked.
“See, your joking about it. We’re already making progress,” she said happily.
“Who says I’m joking?” he asked in mock seriousness.
“Shut up,” she said, kicking him under the table.
“Watch it,” he said, laughing and lightly kicking her back.
‘At least we can still have fun together,’ she thought.
***
“Why aren’t you dating him again?” a newly blond Anya asked Buffy the next day in school.
Buffy and Anya had gym the same period. They were outside playing a half-hearted game of softball, standing in the outfield and pretending to pay attention. Buffy had been relaying her current Will drama to Anya, who listened with rapt attention.
“Because, we…can’t,” Buffy explained. “He’s leaving to go to art school in New York in August,” she said with a sigh.
“You could just, you know, fool around and stuff. It doesn’t have to be a serious thing,” Anya argued.
“There are too many…feelings,” Buffy replied. “That way only ends in heartache.”
“But, he’s just so…yummy.”
“Tell me about it,” Buffy said with an eye roll.
“Are you sure you can’t handle a casual thing?” Anya asked. “Cause I bet he’s really good at-“
“No,” Buffy said.
“And he’s bisexual, right?”
“Yeah…” Buffy said, not sure what Anya was getting at.
“That means he’s probably be into a Devil’s Three-way,” Anya said excitedly.
“What that?” Buffy asked, confused.
“You know…two guys,” Anya explained. “It’s a major fantasy of mine,” she said, eyes looking distant.
Buffy smirked to herself at the thought, though had trouble picturing herself with a guy that wasn’t Will. ‘Maybe two Wills?’
“What’s up with you and Xander?” Buffy asked, changing the subject. “No gross details, though,” she warned.
“Oh, just the usual,” Anya said casually.
“The usual?”
“You know, we hang out all the time…and it’s nice. I really like Xander. He’s…cute… and so much nicer to me than any guys in New York ever were. But, I don’t know,” she said. “There’s just something….missing.”
“Missing?” Buffy asked, confused.
“Yeah,” Anya said. “Sometimes it’s like he’s not really there. And he gets very cranky when I bring up certain things. Like when I mentioned the Devil’s Three-way thing to him, he got all sputtery and weird.”
“Hmm,” Buffy said. “I wonder why.” She didn’t want to be the one to out Xander to Anya, especially since his sexuality was still unconfirmed. “Maybe you should talk to him about it,” she suggested. “You don’t seem to have a problem with the talking thing.”
“I guess I could,” Anya agreed.
‘Maybe if I can’t get through to him, then Anya can,’ Buffy thought. ‘Probably just wishful thinking.’
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The devil's three-way thing I got from How I Met Your Mother...
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