"Oh, Willow," Buffy said softly, getting to her
feet and moving to hug her friend. She squeezed her as she began to brush
her red hair with her fingers, "I'm so sorry."
"You don't like Spike," Willow said, feeling the
tears as she looked at her friend.
"Willow, you're my best friend. If you fell in
love with King Kong I could accept him if he made you happy," Buffy said,
smiling.
Willow heard herself giggle, "I've never been
very fond of monkeys. Besides, I tried that animal thing with Oz. Look
where that got me."
"Oh, how could I forget Dogboy," Buffy said, sitting
on the arm of the chair. She sighed as she looked at Willow, "So, Spike?"
Willow nodded, "Yeah. I don't even know when,
really. I never thought of him as anything other than Spike, a friend and
annoying roommate. Then, this morning, well, it was like I was seeing him
for the first time."
"Really?" Buffy said, still stroking her best
friends hair.
"It sounds silly, doesn't it? Last night, when
I got home, we'd had a fight because he was worried that I was gone so
long. It had ended him with him storming into his room and slamming the
door. Then, this morning, I don't know. I was suddenly aware of so many
things that I'd never noticed," Willow admitted softly.
"You've been in love with him for months," Buffy
said softly, smiling. "We've all seen it."
"Oh great. Nice to know I'm so transparent to
everyone but myself," Willow said, making a face. "Oh Goddess, I hope he
doesn't know. I'd never be able to look at him again if he knew."
"Willow, honey," Buffy shook her head, "to be
so smart, you can be so dense at times. He loves you, you idiot."
"Whatever," Willow rolled her eyes, knowing Buffy
was just trying to make her feel better.
"Xander even noticed. OK? Does that not tell you
something?" Buffy said, giving Willow a look. "You know that Xander isn't
the smartest cookie in the bunch when it comes to stuff like that. If he
can see that Spike loves you, why can't you?"
"I appreciate you trying to make me feel better,
Buffy," Willow said, deciding it wasn't worth arguing with her friend.
"I'm sorry I came in that way, being so rude. It was just a shock, hearing
that he was in love. I didn't really know how to react."
"That's all right. What are friends for?" Buffy
asked, knowing that Willow would learn soon enough that she was right about
Spike's feelings for her.
"It would appear lately that they are for listening
to me mope and whine and gripe," Willow said with a laugh. "Ugh, I better
get home. He was looking for something to drink when I left. Last time
he got drunk, he rearranged the entire living room while the Sex Pistols
blared."
"I thought he had smashed up the coffee table,
broken a vase and then seranaded you through your bedroom door?" Buffy
said, arching a brow.
"Well, we had to replace the table and get a new
vase. That was sort of like rearranging," Willow said with a sheepish smile
as she stood.
"Maybe you should stay here tonight, just in case
he has been drinking," Buffy said, knowing that Spike would never hurt
Willow but also knowing that a drunk Spike wasn't the most controlled man
around.
"Buffy, he's only gotten drunk twice in all the
months we've lived together. I seriously doubt he had enough alcohol in
the house to get a slight buzz, much less plastered," Willow said. "Besides,
he's not a very dangerous drunk unless you happen to get in his way when
he's dancing like that table did."
"Call me tomorrow," Buffy said. "We'll meet for
lunch or something."
"Thanks, Buffy," Willow said, hugging her friend
once more before she left, headed back home as she wondered how she was
going to avoid Spike in their small apartment.