Chapter 8
“Hi, Mr. Giles, is William ready?”
“You must be Buffy. You can just call me Giles, dear.” Rupert Giles gave her a friendly grin and cupped her hand in his warm palms. “William has spoken volumes about you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Come in. William’s upstairs.”
“Wow, Giles, the house looks...different.” She took slow steps, realizing that the last time she had been there was the day after William’s mother died.
“If that’s a compliment, thank you.”
“It is and you’re welcome.”
“Would you care for a drink or something to snack on?”
“Sure, I’ll just...” she pointed to the stairs and Giles gave her a nod.
***
“Are you okay?” Buffy found William staring out the window of his old room. She touched his shoulder and he turned, giving her a little grin.
“Hey, pet.”
“Hey.” He was suddenly in her arms and she rubbed his back. “William, are you okay?”
He nodded, closing his eyes and holding her tightly.
“I’m not sure that I believe you. Is it Giles? He seems nice but if you don’t like him...”
“He’s alright. I just don’t like it here. I thought over time...I don’t like it, Buffy.”
“It’s only been a few months...”
“Sometimes it feels longer and sometimes it feels like it was a few days ago, you know?”
“Maybe Giles and you could talk at my house? That way you won’t feel uncomfortable.”
“You do think of everything, Buffy. What would I do without you?”
“Don’t think about that; I’m not going anywhere. Let’s go downstairs. Giles said he was fixing me something and I could’ve sworn that I smelled cookies....”
***
“Why do I have the feeling that Dawn may lock me out of the house if we don’t make up?”
“She does have a mischievous streak. I’m positive that it’s a Summers thing.”
Buffy smiled, anxiously swinging her purse with her hand. “So, where are we going?”
“I figured we could go to the lake if you wanted to.”
“Are we running away again?”
“Maybe.”
“Okay, we can go there as long as there’s no skinny dipping.”
“Well there goes my plan. Bloody hell,” William teased. “We should just go back because if I don’t have you naked, I don’t know what to do with you.”
“Watch it, William.”
“Oh, sorry. But you know things like skinny dipping are done best at night and under the stars...”
“I agree.”
William gave her a sideways glance and then grinned, looking ahead. “If I get too annoying, just hit me, love.”
“You are kinda bubbly.”
“And nervous.”
“I thought you were never nervous around me.”
“I lied. I don’t want to mess this up.”
“I don’t want you to either but I’ll give you another chance if you do, just because I like you.”
“I’m honored, Buffy.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
They walked in silence and fell back into their old routine once they reached the lake. While William took off his coat and laid it on the grass, Buffy ran her fingers over where their initials were carved in the tree, above the marks that his parents made. Taking a deep breath, she sat next to William on the ground. “Where to start?” she asked, squinting at the sunshine that glimmered on the water.
***
“I’m opening a bookstore in town.”
“Oh, how interesting, Rupert.” Joyce passed a bowl to Buffy at the dinner table. “I know William loves books, don’t you?”
“Yes, Mrs. Summers.”
“Well,” Rupert patted his face with a napkin, “I will be looking for employees. How old are you, Will?”
Buffy wrinkled her nose, never hearing William being called by the shortened version of his name. She looked at him, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“I’m almost sixteen.”
“Would you be interested in a job? Of course, if it’s alright with you, Joyce. He would start with shelving and eventually move up to working the register.”
William’s face lit up, looking from Giles to Joyce. “I would love something like that. Please, Mrs. Summers?”
“Well...you shouldn’t work too many hours when you’re in school.”
“How does fifteen hours sound or maybe a bit more if he wants to work weekends?”
“That sounds great!”
Joyce grinned. “I guess fifteen hours would be fine but no weekends for awhile, okay?”
“Okay! Isn’t this great, Buffy?”
Buffy forced a grin. “Yeah.”
“You know, if you promise to behave and work together, I could hire another person to shelve...”
“Really?” Buffy smiled. “I get to work too and with William? Yes!”
***
“Did you like it over there?”
“No.”
“Not even a little?”
“Well, maybe a little. I liked my school and before you smirk, that was all that I liked. It was so bloody cold and everything felt...cramped. The trees were so tall that I got lost all the time. The traffic was always insane and the prices—I lived on cereal during my college years and not even the good sugary stuff.”
“And you said that I was too skinny,” Buffy snorted. “I knew you were bony. Your face is so freaking thin that I can see your cheek bones from a mile away.”
“Is that a bad thing? You always said you liked them.”
“I find them aggravating now, okay?”
“Okay,” William chuckled.
“If you hated it so much, why did you wait three more years to show up?”
“Graduate school.”
“That makes sense.”
“Then it took me awhile to get the guts to come back. Moving across the country is also something that took a bit of time…”
“You should’ve come back sooner...especially when mom died, you know?”
William sighed. “Now the fun starts.”
“Well, you can’t deny it. You should’ve done something, if not for me, then Dawn—for mom—a card, something.”
“I sent a card! Flowers with a little card for each of you!”
“I never saw any flowers or cards, William.”
“Things can get lost in the mail--.”
“You should’ve come! Why didn’t you call? I needed you so badly—just hearing your voice would’ve helped...”
William swallowed and looked Buffy in the eye. “I did. I came, Buffy,” he revealed softly. “I was at the funeral, but you weren’t.”
***
“Are you afraid of it?”
“Shhh! Not so loud!” Buffy scanned both ends of the hallway, hoping that William would stay in his teacher’s classroom and not come out too soon. “I’m only a little...scared, okay! Maybe...oh, Anya. Am I normal? What if I have a phobia?”
“A penis phobia?”
“Shut up! Don’t laugh, I’m serious!”
“Have you tried to talk to William about your...problem?”
“How I can I tell him at I’m terrified of a part of his anatomy that he’s so fond of? Anya, he loves his...thing.”
“God, Buffy, what boy doesn’t love it?”
“This is horrible,” she proclaimed, resting her forehead against her cold locker.
“Is he pressuring you to have sex with him?”
“William is the sweetest guy ever,” Buffy whined, “he would never pressure me.”
“Are you pressuring him?” Anya asked excitedly. “I knew you weren’t as innocent as you seemed--.”
“No! I’m not! I just...when the time comes, I don’t want to have a heart attack, you know? If I run out of the room screaming, it could ruin the mood...Anya!”
Buffy’s friend continued to giggle. “I sooo doubt you’ll keep your phobia for long.”
“Phobia?”
“William!” Buffy jumped, “What did your teacher want?”
“I’m right here, Buffy, you don’t need to yell.” He frowned seeing that Buffy was blushing and that Anya was wiping tears from her eyes. “Did I miss something?”
“No,” Anya answered, clearing her throat. “Buffy just told me a joke.”
“A joke, pet? It must’ve been a doozy.”
“Yeah, Buffy tell him.”
“Shut up. Don’t you have somewhere to go?” Buffy glared and continued to give Anya dirty looks until she sauntered away. “I hate her so much sometimes.”
“I see that.” William laughed, taking her hand in his. “You’ll tell me about this joke about phobias?”
“Um, maybe...it’s more of a girl thing—yeah, it’s about girl stuff, you’d be grossed out.”
He wrinkled his nose, “Maybe I don’t want to hear it.”
Buffy sighed in relief. “Tell me about your teacher. Are you in trouble? What did she want?”
William smiled proudly. “I won, Buffy.”
“What’d you win?”
“A contest. I submitted a poem and I won in the category!”
“Oh, that’s great! You didn’t tell me that you entered in anything. What did you win?”
“It was a fluke deal really and I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high but I won this,” he revealed the metal that was hiding up his sleeve. “I also get some college money. I’m going to a statewide competition next weekend in LA.”
“Oh! That’s so good! But wait—what about your birthday? It’s on Saturday...do you think I could go with you?”
“I don’t know. We’re heading up there on Friday and we’ll be back on Sunday.”
“How many people are going?”
“Just a handful. We’re staying in a hotel and it’ll be all expenses paid.”
Buffy chewed on her lip, deep in thought. “There has to be a way, William. I’m not missing your birthday. Sixteen is like a milestone. I have got to be with you.”
“Buffy, pet, we’ll see but I won’t make any promises. We’ll have to ask your mom—and don’t think up a crazy scheme.”
“Would I?”
“Yes.”
“No, no,” she grinned, putting his metal around her neck. “Tell me about your award-winning poem?”
“It’s nothing much,” William shrugged modestly, “just a little ode.”
“You’re cute when you’re humble. I don’t see it often.”
“Ha, Buffy.” He gave her a little smirk as she kissed his cheek.
“What’s your poem about?”
“Well, there are a few themes...”
“You’re even more adorable when you’re speechless and blushy.”
“Shut up, pet.”
“Why do I have a feeling I could’ve popped into your poetry?”
“Because you’re a pain, Buffy. A bloody pain.”
“Awww, you wrote something about me and it won you prizes!” She cooed, bringing him close and slipping her arms under his jacket.
“Buffy, we’re in school...”
“Not officially, class ended an hour ago. You wrote it about me, didn’t you?”
“Maybe,” he whispered, giving her a kiss; Buffy moaned, coaxing him to make it deeper.
“Tell me,” she said between kisses.
“Yes, yes, it was about you.”
“Oh, William...I love you so much.” He pulled back, leaving Buffy openmouthed and whining. “Hey, who said the kissing could stop?”
“You said it.”
“Said what?”
“Buffy, don’t ruin this for me.”
“We shouldn’t do this here.”
“I guess you’re right. Ready to run with me, pet?”
Buffy agreed, keeping up as they ran through the empty halls of the school.
***
“This spot to your liking?”
Catching her breath, Buffy nodded. “I think you’re the best boyfriend and—the best friend that I could ever—I love you, William.”
“Buffy,” he groaned, his voice rough. “I love you too.”
They leapt into each other’s arms, kissing madly while muttering terms of endearment and words of affection to each other.
“Mom...she could look out the window and...we need to go inside soon.”
William said nothing, moving them backwards from the center of driveway. Buffy let out a grunt as she was lifted and pressed against the garage door of her house. It seemed natural for her to wrap her legs around his waist.
“Oh, God. Oh, God.”
“I know, I know,” William said, unable to stop his kisses. “I want you...I love you.”
“Oh, God!”
“Shhh! Shhh, Buffy... Love you; it’s incredible...the way you make me feel…”
“Oh.” She panicked as he rubbed against her crotch but at the same time, she didn’t want him to stop. His soft whispers and caresses made her lightheaded. “William, we shouldn’t…we’re outside and Giles, he could see and…”
“Buffy!”
They froze mid-kiss and William quickly moved his hand out from underneath Buffy’s bra.
“You—you’re grounded! And William--.”
He winced, pulling away from Buffy and putting her back on her feet. “Mrs. Summers, it was my fault.”
“No, it wasn’t just his fault.”
Joyce looked at each of them, both shocked and angry. She clutched the trash bag in her hand more as William tried to causally cover his pants. “Both of you go upstairs, now.”
Buffy cringed, knowing that her mother’s serious tone was more dangerous than her screams.
“We’re so busted,” Buffy whispered as they made their way into their separate bedrooms.
***
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