by Alcy » Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:08 pm
[center]~ Chapter Seven – I arise from dreams of thee ~[/center]
The Sunday morning dawned bright. It was unusually warm and windless for a winter’s day in Wellington. Although Tara was not burdened with a hangover, she did bear the more physical marks of the previous night’s antics in the form of a cut, swollen lip and a rather impressive black eye. She spent much of the morning pacing her apartment, weighing up the pros and cons of retrieving her cell from Willow’s apartment or simply forgetting about it. The latter course of action was tempting and yet her practical sense reminded her that the little device was stuffed with vital contact details. Not to mention the thought of Willow finding the phone, and discovering that it was hers, made her more than a little nervous. It was almost lunchtime when Tara finally made her decision. As much as she hated her Blackberry, she had to admit she couldn’t do without it.
With her eye safely hidden behind a pair of glasses Tara, for the second time in as many days, found herself in front of Willow Rosenberg’s apartment building. It was, of course, the last place she wanted to revisit, especially after her vow never to see the redhead again. With a determined sigh, she squared her shoulders and bravely marched up the steps.
Tara ran her finger down the list of names stabbed her finger on the button next to ‘W. Rosenberg.’ She waited with baited breath to hear Willow’s husky tones on the other end of the intercom – which were probably even huskier after the night’s revelry. No one answered her first buzz. After daring to press the button once more, Tara was about to turn and leave when she heard a quiet voice behind her,
“Are you after Willow?”
Slightly startled, Tara turned to see a slight man with sandy coloured hair who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He was standing at the bottom of the steps with a large bag of groceries in each hand. Upon seeing his pleasant, smiling…and somewhat familiar face, she relaxed slightly but still remained wary as he walked up the steps to join her in standing by the door.
“Um, yeah,” Tara began. “I’m a friend…” Are we really friends? I have a pretty good idea of what friendship is…and whatever the fuck is going on between me and Willow, it’s not friendship, “I left my phone…”
“You were at Xander’s party? It’s Tara, right?” he added in the silence as Tara’s voice trailed off. At Tara’s confused nod he continued quickly with an explanation, “Umm, you fell and I caught you…but you probably don’t remember me. I kinda keep a low profile at parties so I won’t be offended if you don’t. I have a rather forgettable face.”
Tara smiled apologetically as she finally did recognise the young man who had caught her on the dance floor. “I honestly do remember you, but I’m sorry, I’m coming up all blank when it comes to your name.”
“S’okay, it’s Karl. We were never actually introduced anyway,” he answered with a shrug. “You said something about leaving your cell? Do you want to follow me up?”
It’s was Tara’s turn to shrug as she glanced at her watch to see it was almost 1pm. “I guess I can come up and see if she’s awake.”
Karl swiped them both into the building and they moved towards the elevator. As Tara came closer to seeing Willow again, she felt a mixture of nerves and anger course through her body. As always, she looked forward to seeing the redhead simply to be in her presence, but she couldn’t help but remember the shame of the previous evening and the way Willow had treated her. She made up her mind to retrieve her cell and leave, effectively ending her ‘relationship’ with Willow Rosenberg.
“Tara?”
Tara jerked out of her thoughts and realised that Karl was speaking to her. She turned and flashed another quick smile. “Sorry, I was off in my own little world…”
He nodded and swallowed awkwardly. It was then that Tara noticed he appeared a little nervous.
“Are you okay? I mean, I was trying not to pay attention, but you know, I heard the commotion…and then Xander told me what happened between you and Kelly’s fist.”
Tara nodded even though her eye was throbbing painfully as a constant remainder of the disaster that last night had been, and she was more than sick of all the stares she was getting. She realised she still had her sunglasses on and removed them, tucking them into her bag. She turned her cheek slightly so Karl could not see the full extent of her black eye but his sincerity and concern put her somewhat at ease.
“Um…please don’t take this the wrong way but you’re gay right?” Karl suddenly blurted out. He looked away as he said it. For a moment he pretended to be extremely interested in the elevator’s control panel as he selected the floor number.
Tara couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback, “Um…yeah, I am.”
Karl’s cheeks continued to pulse bright pink as he explained further. “I’m terribly sorry, I’m not usually so forward…and stalkerish, but I didn’t want the opportunity to pass me by again. I was going to talk to you last night, but then Willow came along and pretty much ruined any chance at a normal conversation. Then you made a pretty hasty exit after what happened.”
Tara forced herself to smile. She had to admit to herself that she was a little flattered. “I’m sorry we didn’t chat. You no doubt would have been a better conversationalist than most people there.”
“You’re not bisexual by any chance?” he asked hopefully as the elevator’s bell let them know they had arrived at their destination.
“One hundred percent, unadulterated lesbo here,” Tara explained diplomatically. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind, she had been making a mental note to tell Faith that there had been at least one cute straight guy at the party when she realised a perfect opportunity was standing right in front of her. Even though she didn’t feel like doing her best friend any favours after being stood up, Tara was feeling particularly audacious for some reason.
“Hey.” Tara stopped him half way down the corridor with a gentle tug on his sleeve, “I hope you don’t think I’m the one being forward now, but I think you might enjoy meeting my best friend, Faith. She’s a banking lawyer but I wouldn’t hold that against her.”
Karl flashed a pleased smile and balanced his groceries in one hand as he dug in his pocket. Moments later he came up with a business case which he handed to Tara.
She glanced at it before tucking it in the pocket of her jeans, “Mortgage broker? My instincts were right. You would be perfect for each other.” There was also a small picture of him on his card which Tara thought was a good likeness. Faith usually dated a different kind of guy but Tara reasoned that if Faith could make judgements about her love life, then she could do the same.
“I won’t be offended if she takes one look and says ‘no way in hell’ but whatever.” Karl shrugged. He was obviously trying to be nonchalant about it. He readjusted his groceries before glancing back up at Tara. “So…you and Willow?”
Tara lifted her eyebrows quizzically. “Willow and I?”
“You’re seeing her…or you want to be seeing her?” Karl asked.
“No!” Tara replied a little too quickly. “I mean, no to both questions…we’re just…I mean, we just had…”
Karl interrupted her nervous, stunted explanation with a knowing nod. “Sorry, stupid question. Willow is…well, she’s Willow. It’s just that I’ve known her a long time. I mean, I’ve lived on her floor for almost six years and, to put it politely, I’ve seen a lot of girls come and go. I barely know you, but somehow I can tell you’re different to all the rest.”
Tara coloured slightly and ducked her head. She didn’t know whether to start explaining that she was just here for her Blackberry. After the offending little device was safely back in her possession, she intended to severe all contact with Willow Rosenberg.
“I’m not judging her though,” Karl continued quickly. “She’s been through a lot…especially after what happened with her parents – that would be enough to freak anyone out for life. Xander does his best to keep her grounded but she really needs someone - ” he paused and looked slightly embarrassed “-What am I saying? It’s really not my place at all. I’m going to leave you alone so you can find your phone.”
Tara frowned at Karl’s odd choice of words but she did not press for explanations. After she promised to pass his business card onto Faith, he turned and headed for his own apartment. He left Tara alone in the corridor to ponder what he might have been about to say. Although she dismissed it as none of her business either, a small nagging thought remained at the back of her mind and she knew she wouldn’t be able to help but dwell on it later. She sighed with trepidation as she approached Willow’s door. She knocked tentatively at first, and then a little louder when she received no reply. Although Tara knew she should come back at another time, she found herself pushing the door open and entering the apartment.
“Willow?” Tara called, receiving nothing but silence in reply.
In direct contrast to the previous evening, the apartment was devoid of life. However, the evidence of a full-blown party covered almost every available surface. Empty bottles, food scraps, several items of clothing and a pile of something that Tara knew she would not even want to poke with a stick.
“Willow?” Tara called again. Frowning, she picked her way through the mess that littered the floor to Willow’s bedroom. The bed was empty although the sheets were tossed about as though there had been an energetic bout of sex at some stage. As her cheeks coloured with the knowledge that it could so easily have been her, Tara turned to leave. However as she did she caught sight of a familiar object tucked beneath the corner of a pillow on the floor. She crossed the floor and stooped to retrieve it, relieved to find that it was indeed her Blackberry. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of an outstretched hand around the corner of the bed and almost let out a small gasp of fright. She scooped the phone up quickly and darted around the corner of the bed to find Willow lying on her back on the floor beside the bed, as though she had fallen off it at some stage during the night. Tara’s first terrible thought was that she was dead but then she saw the gentle rise and fall of Willow’s chest and let out a sigh of relief. Not dead, just dead drunk.
“Willow?” Tara ventured quietly as she knelt beside the sleeping woman. She waited a few moments before trying again, this time calling out a little louder. “Willow…it’s Tara.”
As soon as she said her name, the redhead lying on the floor stirred slightly, and at a further prodding from Tara she awoke altogether. Willow sat up with a sudden movement, stared straight ahead for a few seconds and then let out a tortured groan as the full effects of her hangover hit. She slumped sideways and lent against the bed as a means of holding herself upright as she cocked open an eye to stare at Tara.
“You stuck around this time,” Willow whispered, closing her eyes as the light became a little too much for her.
“I didn’t stay,” Tara said firmly. She didn’t want to give Willow the impression that there had been a repeat occurrence of the previous weekend. “And nothing happened. At least not after your psycho ex showed up and did her best to try and put me in the hospital.”
Willow opened her eyes again, this time for a few seconds longer and they widened at the sight of Tara’s black eye and split lip. “Oh god…shit…I’m so sorry, Tara. Fucking Kelly is the ex from hell. She snapped so quickly, I couldn’t stop her.”
Had the situation been different, Tara could have laughed at Willow’s efforts to pull herself to her feet. She had braced her hands against the mattress but could not even raise herself into a kneeling position.
She sighed. “Well, I’ve piled on enough ice to make a dozen slushies so I think I’ll live, but you look like death warmed up. If I were a vindictive person, I’d say you thoroughly deserve it.”
“Can you be vindictive after you help me into bed?” Willow asked desperately.
Trying to keep things professional, Tara placed her arms around Willow’s waist and gently lifted her into bed. Willow flopped face forward, her barely covered arse sticking up in the air. Swallowing awkwardly at the sight of the perfectly rounded piece of flesh, Tara quickly helped her to lie down and drew the covers up over her. She didn’t even want to think about helping Willow out of her clothes.
“I knew it though,” Willow whispered after a few moments, her voice slightly muffled by the pillow.
Tara didn’t take the bait immediately but after it became clear that Willow was not going to elaborate without prompting she replied, “Knew what?”
Willow turned her head slightly so Tara could see the smile on her face. “That you couldn’t resist me.”
There’s no way in hell I’m going to let her know she’s right “I’m afraid you’re under the wrong impression,” Tara said firmly even as she wondered just how it was possible for anyone waking up after a hangover to look so damn good. “I misplaced my cell.”
The smile faded from Willow’s face as she caught sight of Tara’s Blackberry being waved in front of her face. “And here I was thinking you liked me or something.”
“Well, frankly…you’re a bitch,” Tara replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Thanks,” Willow muttered wryly. “I think I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Tara frowned, she didn’t know Willow well enough to figure out if she was serious or not. However the smug smile on her face said that she probably was. She felt a sudden surge of anger and frustration as she struggled to comprehend how someone could be so completely oblivious to the normal rules of social interaction. In Willow’s case, Tara thought that she was probably totally aware of appropriate behaviour but chose not to comply. She obviously considered herself above the rules. Typical spoilt rich girl behaviour.
“It wasn’t meant to be a compliment,” Tara was unable to resist a reply even though she had no expectations of being able to single-handedly change the way that Willow Rosenberg viewed the world. She did feel that she was entitled to give the girl a piece of her mind. “Being a bitch is not something you should aspire to. It means that any friends you think you have are only after you for your money, or your good looks.”
Unfazed by Tara’s reprimand, Willow grinned. “So you’ll admit I’m gorgeous?”
“Gorgeous, and completely conceited,” Tara replied honestly.
Willow’s nose wrinkled into a scowl when she realised Tara was being completely serious, “Is there a point to your little tirade…or are you just trying to make me feel even worse than I already do?”
Just give up Tara, there’s nothing you could say or do to change her, “I’m not trying to do anything…”
“You’re trying to sound like a fucking saint,” Willow growled, her fingers grasped at her sheets as she tried to tug them up over her head.
Compared to you, I’m the bloody pope…if the pope were a woman…and a lesbian. Tara had no desire to be condescending but she was confused by her desire to get Willow to admit something, anything about the person she was, I’ve known her for a week and already I think I can make judgements on her life? “I’m just going to leave…it’s been real nice knowing you, Willow.”
As Tara moved away from the bed, she saw Willow try to lift her head from the pillow. There was a sudden groan that made her stop and turn back to the bed. If it were possible, Willow’s face had gone an even whiter shade of pale.
“Shit…I’m gonna hurl,” Willow mumbled, her arms worked beneath the sheets as she tried to throw the covers back. She merely succeeded in tangling herself in the fabric.
Tara sighed and swept them back for her. She gathered the weak woman in her arms and half-carried, half-dragged her into the nearby ensuite just in time to avoid a nasty accident.
“Oh god…that is disgusting.” Tara winced as she quickly turned away when Willow’s small body heaved violently; seemingly emptying the entire contents of her stomach in one go. Although she blocked out the sight of it, she could not turn off the awful retching sound. Obviously there was still more to come up as she heard Willow heave again.
Unable to remain immune to the suffering going on next to her, Tara turned to see Willow with her face practically in the toilet bowl, her hair hanging in lank strands in front of her face. Although she knew Willow didn’t deserve her help in the least, Tara reached out to sweep her hair out of her face as she continued to vomit. Her gastronomic pyrotechnics were punctuated by groans and sharp gasps of air, continuing for almost a minute before they subsided and her breathing returned to normal.
Willow slumped backwards and came to rest against the shower stall behind her, through glazed eyes she stared up at Tara with an indecipherable expression on her face. Tara found the expression unnerving and she looked away with the pretence of flushing the toilet and fetching a damp cloth from the basin.
She passed it down to Willow with some sage advice, “I’d highly recommend brushing your teeth unless you want to wake up and find little, furry chunks stuck between them.”
“Thanks for that. “Willow groaned as she dragged the cloth over her face, after wiping her lips she let it fall to the floor. “If you hate me so much then why the hell are you still here?”
“I never used the word hate. Conceited bitch, definitely, but not hate,” Tara explained as she helped Willow to her feet. Although Willow was still half drunk and more than a little smelly, she felt her heart beat a little faster at their close proximity. Although she realised a few moments later as she helped Willow stand to brush her teeth, that it was probably just physical exertion.
With her head bent low over the basin as she scrubbed her teeth, Willow continued to talk, although it was more of a mumble, “You’re…oo…ice.”
I know I’m too nice!, “Yeah,” Tara whispered as she stared at herself in the mirror opposite, her swollen eye seemed to be all she could see. “I get told that a lot.”
Willow spat out her toothpaste with a weak ‘phffft’ sound and glanced up as well. She immediately screwed her face up when confronted with her appearance and quickly turned her attention to Tara’s reflection. After a few moments of thought, she nodded thoughtfully. “You know. I was wrong last night, you really are hot.”
“And you’re still drunk,” Tara replied, her quick reply effectively covering her embarrassment as a result of Willow’s sudden announcement, even though she didn’t quite understand why Willow was admitting such a thing.
With her sick charge moderately better off in terms of personal hygiene, Tara led her back towards the comfort of her bed.
As Tara helped her back through into the bedroom, she looked again at the state of Willow’s trashed apartment, “You want me to help clean up a little?” Tara asked tentatively. She did not even want to contemplate how long it would take to scrub the unknown substances from the floor…or how many rubbish bags would be needed to cart away the uneaten food and empty bottles.
Willow glanced around for a second and lifted her eyebrows as though she was surprised to find her apartment in the state that it was. She then shrugged in an offhanded manner as though it really didn’t concern her. “I’m sure you can pay people to do that.”
With Willow tucked back into her bed, Tara paused for a moment. The redhead looked so small and helpless as she peered over the covers. For a moment, all Tara wanted was to fold up next to her and hold her until she went to sleep.
“You’ll be okay?” Tara asked. She couldn’t help but add a slight note of kindness to her voice. The first since she had started speaking to Willow.
Willow nodded. “Of course. No thanks to my own stupid actions.”
“Well, you’ll probably do it all over again next weekend,” Tara shrugged.
“True,” was Willow’s honest reply, her voice lowered slightly as she continued, “Only next time you won’t be here to sort me out the next morning.”
Tara flushed, almost wishing she could. “You’ve got Xander. He seems like a good friend.”
Willow let out a small groan at the mention of her best friend, “Oh god, he’s going to be so pissed…I think I went off at him.”
When Willow rolled over and buried her face in her pillow, obviously contemplating how much damage she had done to her relationship with Xander, Tara turned to leave. She glanced back over her shoulder, “Well…I’ll see you then.”
There was a slight rustling of covers as Willow rolled back towards Tara and asked hopefully, “That’s a promise? You’ll be seeing me?”
Wrong choice of words. “Not if I can help it.”
With those words, Tara left Willow to her recovery sleep and closed the bedroom door behind her. However, just as she was about to exit the apartment, a thought flashed into her head that made her stop in her tracks. She felt hot and cold all at once and couldn’t quite bring herself to believe that she was even contemplating her next action. Drawing a deep breath, Tara spun around and immediately made a beeline for the magnetic whiteboard stuck to Willow’s fridge. With a decisive movement, she plucked the pen from its clip, and abruptly stopped. Her bout of hesitation involved replacing the pen twice and even taking a few steps away from the fridge before she finally took the plunge and hastily scribbled her number on the whiteboard with an ‘T’ next to it. Before she could change her mind, Tara replaced the pen and practically ran out of the apartment. As she walked, she couldn’t help but fear that she had just issued an open invitation to the devil herself.
As she moved outside and felt the sun’s warmth fall on her skin, Tara finally glanced down at her phone to see a whole batch of missed calls, most from Faith, and one from her mother. She immediately decided that her mother could wait and called Faith, knowing that her friend would have been worried when she didn’t show last night.
“What the hell happened to you last night?” was Faith’s immediate question.
“Let’s just say, through no fault of my own, I ended up going to that party after all,” Tara admitted.
Faith immediately let out an excited gasp, “My god, Tara. You got drunk and fucked Willow again didn’t you? Why am I never around whenever you do anything remotely cool?”
Tara snorted in disgust, annoyed that her friend would think so poorly of her standards of decency. “No to both of your unladylike observations! After last weekend’s effort, I decided that sobriety would be the best course of action…and I did not sleep with that woman!”
Faith wasn’t convinced. “Then why do you sound like you’ve gone a couple of rounds with a bottle of Smirnoff?”
“I’m fine, honestly,” was all Tara would say, And you’re not coming to visit until this black eye has disappeared completely!
“You’re hiding something!” Faith growled suspiciously.
“I’m hiding nothing!” Tara protested, hating the sound of the lie. “Listen, I’ve got a really busy week ahead with editing the new book…”
Faith sighed, “I know what you mean…I think I’m going to be putting in a full eighty hour work week just to keep my head above my in tray…I’ll catch you soon okay? And let me know if there are any more developments with your love life!”
Tara feigned an innocent sounding laugh before hanging up. She then turned and glanced back at Willow’s building in the distance. Second thoughts were definitely coursing through her mind. She badly wanted to run back and completely erase her number from the board, and yet she couldn’t help but replay Karl’s words in her mind. She’s been through a lot...she really needs someone. Tara desperately wanted to know what it was that had made Willow Rosenberg into the woman/bitch/slut/goddess that she was. There was even a part of her that wanted to help.
Yup, that’s real good Tara. You of all people designating yourself her saviour. You wouldn’t leave your apartment if Faith didn’t force you to. Face it, you’re just as fucked up as she is. With a sigh Tara put on her sunglasses and resumed walking towards home. A few moments later she couldn’t help but shake her head discreetly. No one is as fucked up as she is. Not even you.
At that point in time the real crux of her thinking became all too clear. Why on earth did she care so much about helping Willow Rosenberg?
some sense to Willow's head...
I'll stop being silly now. Karl seems nice and I'm very curious now about what he hinted at about Willows parents. LOL@ everything Faith said. I wonder how long it's gonna take Willow to call? Thanks for the update.