by Alcy » Sat Apr 17, 2010 12:21 am
[center]~Chapter Eighteen~
There was a woman, beautiful as morning[/center]
The City Gallery was teeming with the excited chatter of art enthusiasts and those just attending for the complimentary alcohol. Willow was there for neither the art nor the alcohol - although she might have been tempted to label Tara Maclay a masterpiece of the human form.
Willow knew very little about art. Though her apartment was decorated with several bold pieces, they had been selected by an interior designer years earlier. They remained as a backdrop to her life, but she felt no emotional attachment to them. As she walked around the gallery she had to admit, from a purely aesthetic point of view, that the artists’ work on display was exceptionally pleasing to the eye. She reasoned that this was largely because most of the works dealt with the nude female form - something which she felt herself quite qualified to judge. However, there was something about the particular paintings that stood out from anything else Willow had ever seen. In them she could see the vibrancy and life that was missing in the works she owned. As her eyes roamed appreciatively over the exquisite way in which the artist had depicted the female body, she realised that she could already picture several of the works hanging in her apartment. She had originally come to the exhibition for Tara, but regardless of what happened with the blonde, she thought perhaps she would at least go home with some art.
Her silent contemplation of the artworks was interrupted by the return of Buffy, who had disappeared in search of a bathroom a few minutes earlier. She returned with a full glass of wine in her hand, already her second for the evening.
“I still can’t believe you dragged me along to one of these things,” Buffy commented before taking a generous sip of wine. She quickly followed up with a second and third sip until the glass was empty. With a sigh, she examined the glass as though wondering how it had disappeared so quickly. “Some clients invited me to the opening of that big Monet show last year; I stood by the buffet and stuffed myself with crème brulé and profiteroles all night because I was so bored.”
Willow eyed her own glass that she had barely touched. She took her first sip and immediately her nerves kicked in, compelling her to gulp the entire glass in one long gulp. The old Willow would have sought out another glass. However, when a passing waiter asked if she wanted a refill she declined and placed the empty glass on his tray. Buffy held out her own glass, all the while scanning the room as though she was looking for something or someone in particular to entertain her.
“You’re the Marketing and Communications Manager,” Willow picked up on Buffy’s lack of enthusiasm. “Aren’t you supposed to be places like this, communicating with the public, not to mention our clients and stakeholders?”
Buffy stopped looking around the room and returned her attention to Willow. One eyebrow was arched slightly. “You’re already sounding as though you’ve been indoctrinated into the corporate world. Haven’t I had any sort of positive influence over you at all? Or are my efforts pointless because it’s in your blood?”
Willow shrugged. She had no clue. Although she had without a doubt come from a family who lived and breathed business, she had turned her back on it for a long time. “You’ve had more of an influence than you’ll know, Buffy. I’m glad you decided to come tonight.”
Buffy grinned. “It’s my good deed for the month. I did have the stupidly optimistic idea that there might be some potential candidates for my next foray into the disastrous world of romance, but it’s looking pretty bleak.”
Willow had to force a grin at the mention of the word ‘romance.’ Even as she chatted with Buffy, the door continued to hold at least part of her attention as she waited patiently for Tara. Her nerves buzzed persistently, but she was not overly concerned that the blonde had not yet made an appearance. It was still relatively early. She forced herself to relax, helping herself to a filo pastry from a passing tray.
“So you’re single?” Willow asked after she swallowed the bite-sized morsel, her curiosity piqued slightly. If she was going to have to wait for Tara for show up, then she could at least pass her time finding out a little more about her colleague and, she hoped, her friend.
“I know it’s hard to imagine a piece of arse as fine as mine being single,” Buffy said as she made a twirl in her short black dress. “I was practically married up until five months ago. Riley and I had been together for nine years. Nine fucking years wasted on one person who turned out to be a scoundrel. Can you imagine that?”
“Spending nine years with someone?” Willow asked. Up until she met Tara, she would not have contemplated it in her wildest dreams. The scoundrel part, however, she understood perfectly. “Maybe, if they were the right one. Someone you could see yourself growing old with.”
As Willow’s words trailed off, as if on clue, Tara chose that precise moment to walk through the door and into the gallery. Willow was entirely glad she wasn’t holding a glass of wine for it would have slipped from a hand made sweaty by just the sight of the beautiful blonde.
~~~~~~
“I am so not drunk enough for this,” Tara whispered as she gazed up at the façade of the City Gallery.
Given that the building had once been the city’s library, it was an imposing neo-classical design. Despite the soft lighting spreading up its walls, giving it an elegant beauty, Tara found it intimidating. She was already hoping that it would be the site of another disaster involving Willow Rosenberg.
“I thought you said you loved her?” Faith asked in exasperation. “I thought we spent three hours and five beers discussing why and how much you loved her?”
“I do, which is precisely the problem. My expectations are too high.” Tara suddenly spun on her heels and clasped Faith by her wrists with a fervent expression in her eyes. “Am I doing the right thing?”
“T, you look gorgeous and Willow has promised to be on her best behaviour, if this night doesn’t go smoothly then nothing will,” Faith tried to reassure her best friend. Tara did indeed look gorgeous in the deep red dress she wore. The material folded to every curve of her body, accentuating and highlighting her best assets. Having just come from work, Faith felt decidedly dowdy in her stylish suit. However, it wasn’t her night. She grinned and held out her arms. “Come here you.”
Faith enfolded her in a quick hug, not wanting to get too close for fear of crumpling Tara’s dress. However, the reassuring contact gave Tara a new measure of confidence. She stepped back and turned towards the doorway with a determined look in her eyes.
“Now get your arse inside.” Faith prodded Tara in the small of her back with an insistent hand. “If things start turning ugly then I’ll get you out in a flash. In the meantime, you’re going to hold a civilised conversation with Willow and start figuring out whether she’s the type of woman you want in your life.”
“But she is the type of woman I want in my life,” Tara protested as Faith continued to drive her up the steps and through the front door of the gallery.
“Start thinking with your big brain, not your little one, T,” Faith reminded her. “I know she’s hot, but she’s also a pain in the arse. Got that?”
“Willow is a pain in my arse. Got it,” Tara nodded in agreement. The pair of them walked through the gallery’s entrance foyer and followed the noisy babble towards the show that they were supposedly there to see.
As they entered the exhibition space, Tara was relieved to find that the opening was obviously the hot ticket in town that evening. She had been worried that there would be no crowd for her to hide amongst. Despite the number of people, Tara’s gaze was instinctively drawn to the woman she had come to see. She could hardly blame Willow for standing out in the crowd. The redhead was wearing a short, figure hugging green dress that showed off her lithe, creamy legs to their fullest advantage. Her hair was swept back smooth into an elegant knot at the nape of her neck.
Their eyes met across the room for just a moment. Neither could withstand the intensity of the gaze. Willow looked away a moment later to talk to the short blonde woman at her side. As she turned around, Tara was given a glimpse of the back of the dress and the way in which it moulded perfectly to Willow’s body.
“Willow’s arse is fine,” Tara couldn’t stop herself from uttering exactly what was on her mind.
Faith propelled her to one side of the room, out of the doorway where Tara had been holding up other guests. “You are drunk aren’t you!” she accused.
“I may have had a couple of gin and tonics at home before the taxi arrived,” Tara admitted sheepishly.
With a slight groan, Faith helped herself to a glass of wine from the tray that was offered to her. She threw back her head and downed it in one gulp as though she needed to fortify herself for the evening to come. Upon setting the glass back down, she took another two glasses.
“Don’t drink it, just hold it!” she instructed as she handed one to Tara. “And try to look as normal as possible. We’re going to do a circuit of the room and look at this lovely…shit on the walls before you even think about talking to Willow. In the state you’re in you’re liable to say yes to anything she asks you.”
“I said I had a couple, I’m not that drunk!” Tara hissed quietly as they began to walk. She ignored Faith’s advice and took a small sip of her wine.
At her side, Faith pretended to be engrossed the art. Tara attempted to do the same but she found her eyes kept wandering back to Willow. The redhead was stealing adorably discreet glances over her shoulder back at her. Tara almost smirked as she pondered Faith’s last sentence and the last time she had said a drunken yes to Willow Rosenberg. Although she wasn’t ready for this night to turn into a frenzied bout of passion starting in a bathroom stall and ending at Willow’s apartment, she could still tease herself with the possibility.
~~~~~~
“Hello potential Mrs Buffy Summers!” Buffy exclaimed with delight, interrupting Willow’s reverie.
“What did you say?” Willow asked rather bluntly, a million thoughts were flying through her head at Buffy’s startling admission. She turned and looked at Buffy to see her staring at exactly the same person she had been, Tara.
Although Tara and Faith had obviously seen her, they chose not to approach her straight away. Instead they helped themselves to a glass of wine each and moved on to look at the exhibited artworks – or at least pretend to look at them. She was dying to speak to Tara, but Willow was relieved she had the chance to recover from the information Buffy had just unloaded on her. Her colleague was not only gay or bisexual, she was interested in Tara.
After a few moments of silence between them with Willow alternating between staring at Tara and casting little sidelong glances at Buffy, Buffy finally turned to address the confused look on her face. “The brunette that just came in is fucking hot.”
“The brunette?” Willow allowed herself a sigh of relief. Buffy was interested in Faith rather than Tara. However the rather carnal expression on her face as she studied Faith was unnerving. “You’re gay? But you said Riley...”
“I know, isn’t it annoying when parents give their children unisex names,” replied Buffy, obviously enjoying herself. “It often leads to incorrect assumptions.”
“You can’t be gay,” Willow protested, trying to keep her voice down.
Buffy laughed lightly. “I’m just as gay as you are, and obviously my gaydar is a hell of a lot better than yours.”
“You knew I was gay?” Willow asked in a limp voice. “What about trying to set me up with Grant the accountant?”
“I never said I was trying to set you up with him! Willow, the amount of time you spend staring at Candice’s legs borders on the obscene,” Buffy explained bluntly. She patted Willow’s arm in a placating manner. “Right, now that’s settled, we’re just two lesbians who need to get laid. Unless I’m mistaken, you’ve got your eye on that blonde, which is just as well because I think we’ve already established that the brunette is mine.”
“Um, the brunette is straight,” Willow added quietly. She didn’t really want to spoil Buffy’s plans for seduction but she had an inkling that Faith could quite possibly kick her arse if she tried to come onto her.
Buffy didn’t seem overly worried by Willow’s insight. “I thought we already established that your gaydar isn’t quite up to scratch?”
“No, I know them, and she’s straight,” Willow stressed the word ‘straight.’ She was still feeling somewhat deflated over the fact that Buffy had trumped her in terms of having better gaydar. Also, Tara and Faith were already half way around the room. She finally felt the urge to acknowledge Tara’s presence. The next time the blonde looked towards her, she made a funny little attempt at a wave. The subsequent smile from Tara in return left her giddy.
Buffy didn’t miss the exchange. She smiled knowingly. “I get it. You and that blonde have history?”
“You might call it that,” Willow found herself looking around for another glass of wine. “However, said history wasn’t exactly all that rosy. In fact, it was a fucking disaster. I’m attempting to make the future a whole lot rosier with more fucking and less disaster.”
Buffy laughed out loud at Willow’s determined statement. “Well I’m more than willing to give you a few tips on wooing the ladies if you’d like?”
“You’ve just come out of a nine year relationship?” Willow replied. “How the heck do you know anything about wooing when you’re so out of practice? People were probably still wearing shoulder pads and fluorescent lycra when you were last dating!”
“Oh ha-ha,” Buffy retorted sarcastically.
There were no more opportunities for Willow and Buffy to trade further playful barbs as Tara and Faith were almost upon them. Neither pair knew what to say initially despite the fact that they had ample time to prepare. Willow and Tara just stood and snatched little glances at one another while Buffy stared directly and boldly at Faith. Faith was just confused at the seemingly undeserved attention shown by the little blonde woman.
Willow finally had to say something when Buffy jabbed her sharply in the ribs with a well-placed elbow.
“Um, hi,” Willow paused and swallowed awkwardly. She fervently wished that she had gone in search of the wine she had been thinking about, just so she would have something to do with her hands. To keep from gesticulating wildly in front of her, she clasped them firmly behind her back. “Hi, thanks so much for coming…both of you. It’s so good we could all be here…together-“ Buffy jabbed Willow again –“Um, Buffy, these are my…friends, Tara, and Faith. Tara and Faith, this is a work colleague, Buffy Summers.”
“Pleased to meet you too,” Buffy said as she pumped Tara’s hand enthusiastically for a few seconds. The real attention however, was reserved for Faith. She took the brunette’s outstretched hand and simply held it rather than shaking it. “Faith, that is a simply wonderful name. And that suit, from Zambesi’s winter collection isn’t it?”
“Um, yes,” Faith replied slowly, eventually Buffy gave her hand back. “It is.”
Buffy smiled appreciatively. “Well, it was obviously made for you.”
“Thanks…I think,” Faith replied. “It’s just a suit really.”
Willow didn’t like the predatory gleam in Buffy’s eyes. Although she did not know Faith well, she thought the brunette appeared a little flustered. She quickly piped up, “So, what do you think of the show?”
“It is a beautiful show,” Tara nodded. “Some of the works are absolutely exquisite, but I never really pegged you for an art lover.”
“Me? I’m a huge, huge fan of all the creative arts!” Willow replied enthusiastically. “Music, art…and literature, especially literature.”
Willow beamed and made no attempt to hide the obvious flattery of Tara’s own profession. Instead of embarrassment, Tara felt a small surge of pride that Willow would even think to call what she wrote ‘literature.’
Willow continued, “As a matter of fact I was just telling Buffy that I was thinking of buying a few pieces from the show.”
“They would look amazing in your apartment,” Tara commented with a slight flush to her cheeks. Even though she had only been inside Willow’s home a few times, she remembered the large white walls.
Between them, Buffy coughed discreetly. “Hey, Will, Why don’t you toddle off that way with Tara and get her to help you chose a few pieces?” she suggested with a slight wink. She turned looked at Faith with a broad smile on her face. “I’ll make sure Faith is well looked after.”
Faith’s expression indicated that she wasn’t entirely pleased with the arrangement, but she nodded. Tara took that as her permission to be left alone with Willow, provided she behaved herself. As she and Willow left Faith in Buffy’s capable hands, she realised that she was no longer afraid to be left alone with her. Her tense shoulders relaxed and she allowed herself another small sip of wine to clear her throat.
“So, I get that you like art, but what made you think of inviting me here?” Tara asked. It wasn’t exactly the destination she had expected for their first real, almost date-like interaction.
Willow grinned and, slightly emboldened by Tara’s own relaxed manner, took her gently by the elbow and led her back towards the entrance. The title of the show was displayed and near the bottom, a discreet cluster of logos representing the sponsors of the show. Willow pointed towards the largest.
“RB Dynamics?” Tara asked with a frown. She then remembered the tiny scraps of information that Willow had given her about herself and her expression became one of comprehension. “Oh, it’s the company you mentioned…your company?”
“Rosenberg Brothers,” Willow explained. “I’m just starting out as a Marketing Executive. Buffy’s kind of my boss. Not that she’s all that bossy, she just tells me what to do, y’know because I don’t really know what I’m doing. Anyway, RB Dynamics is obviously sponsoring the show so hence having to put in an appearance on behalf of the company. Not that it’s a chore because as I said, this is a great show-“
Tara laughed and interrupted Willow’s babble. A part of her wished she were more like Buffy so she would be bold enough to stop her with a gentle touch. As it was, her fingers just twitched with longing. “I get it Willow. Thank you, they don’t normally invite writers to art openings.”
“Even though you’re practically a celebrity?” Willow asked cheekily.
“Hardly,” Tara shook her head. “That’s a good thing though. I wouldn’t want to be recognised everywhere I go.”
Tara briefly searched the room to check on Faith’s whereabouts. She found her on the opposite side of the gallery. Along with Willow’s friend, she was examining a painting. Tara frowned when she saw the way in which Buffy was standing, her body language towards Faith. Then she reached out and placed a hand on her forearm, lingering a moment longer than was necessary. Faith turned her head slightly and instead of an expression of annoyance, Tara could see the small smile on her face.
“That is odd,” Tara commented quietly to herself.
“Did you say something?” Willow asked.
Tara nodded towards their friends. Now Faith was laughing at something Buffy had said. “Um, Willow, I take it that’s Buffy’s attentiveness isn’t entirely platonic?”
“Errr, no, it’s not,” Willow admitted. “I did try to stress Faith’s straightness, being straight and all and dating my neighbour.”
“No, she and Karl broke up several weeks ago. She’s available, but I wouldn’t have thought she’d be that available.” Tara couldn’t understand the way Faith was behaving. From where she stood, it looked like her friend was enjoying the attentions of the other woman. “Okay, it’s just too weird.”
“Can I be so bold as to suggest that we head out into the courtyard?” Willow asked tentatively. “I don’t want to be in here when Faith clobbers Buffy for getting a little too close.”
Tara laughed lightly and focussed her own attention back on Willow. “I don’t think she’s drunk enough for clobbering, but you’re right. They are kind of distracting.” She lowered her voice slightly before continuing. There was also a slight, nervous quaver to it, “Besides, I’d really like to sit down and talk, you and I.”
Willow smiled tenuously, shyly and made a little bobbing of her head that was supposed to pass as a nod. “So would I.”
After commandeering a bottle of wine and a fresh glass for herself, Willow led Tara out to the gallery’s small courtyard. There were several people outside already, most having a cigarette. Willow and Tara managed to find a secluded corner bench upwind of the noisome smoke. Both women sat slowly, each painfully aware of their proximity to the other. They consciously settled on an appropriate distance between them so while they were close, their bodies were not touching.
Willow opened the wine, grateful that it was just a sauvignon and she had no cork to contend with. She splashed a little in Tara’s glass as it was hardly touched and filled her own almost to the brim. With the bottle of wine set out of the way beneath the seat, she could turn her whole attention to the gorgeous woman sitting on the seat next to her. Casually, she leant forward and rested her left elbow on her knee, bringing her a little closer to Tara.
“I’m so very glad you came,” Willow said quietly, unable to draw her gaze anywhere other than Tara’s blue eyes.”
“Me too,” Tara began, a little flustered by their proximity and the husky undercurrent to Willow’s voice. “I mean, I’m glad I came, not glad that you’re glad I came…or maybe I am…”
This time it was her own babbling that needed to be stopped. She took a small sip of her wine, still mindful of Faith’s earlier advice not to drink too much on top of the gin and tonics she had consumed earlier. In the resulting silence, she became all too aware of Willow’s proximity. If she reached out her hand just a little, it would brush the soft skin of her thigh. Thinking about Willow’s thigh brought her back to the way it felt beneath her fingers. They twitched with involuntary longing again and she was forced to snatch them back and place them in her lap. She met Willow’s gaze and found it easier than she had expected. It was all too easy to lose herself in studying her face - from the green eyes dancing, to the way in which her red lips were parted slightly in anticipation. Tara couldn’t help herself as she let an involuntary and disturbingly loud sigh of longing. The air between them crackled with sexual energy and tension.
“So!” Tara quickly broke the silence. She leant backwards to put a little more distance between them. It had been getting to the point where they would either have to talk or kiss. “I know a little more about you, but the rest? I assume one of the Rosenberg Brothers is your father?”
Willow nodded. She removed her elbow from her knee and sat up a little straighter so she could take a deep gulp of her wine.
“One of the Rosenberg brothers was my father,” she replied quietly.
“Oh Willow, I’m sorry!” Tara felt awful for causing the sad expression to pass over Willow’s face. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
When Tara stopped speaking, she realised that she had instinctively reached out and laid her fingers across the top of Willow’s hand. She was about to draw them back when one of Willow’s fingers brushed gently against hers. For a brief moment, their hands remained partially entwined before Tara let her hand fall back to her lap.
“I’m glad you did,” Willow said. “I feel as though there are things I should tell you, but I’m a little worried because I don’t want any of it to sound like an explanation…an excuse.”
She let out a shaky breath and took another sip of wine. For a moment, she stopped to think if she really wanted to let Tara in to such an extent. Of all the women who had come into her life over the years, she had not told a single one of them about her past. However the young woman sitting in front of her was different, something that Willow had always known from the moment she had laid eyes on her. It had just taken her several mistakes and a lot of time to realise that.
“I would have definitely been in the running for the luckiest little girl in the world,” Willow began in a soft voice. “The only child of the owner of the biggest technology development company in the country and his beauty queen wife.”
“Your Mum was a beauty queen?” Tara asked in the pause.
Willow managed a grin. “I really lucked out didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you totally didn’t inherit any of her looks,” Tara chuckled, pleased that the sombre mood had been enlivened somewhat.
“You know how you think a family is perfect, and then you scratch a little at the surface and find that it’s all just a lie? Well, there were no lies in my life. It was perfect. My parents spent everyday of their lives loving each other as though they had just met. That kind of atmosphere makes the most comfortable childhood you could ever imagine. I lived in a little bubble of warmth and love.” Willow found a small smile creeping across her face. “It wasn’t always sunshine and happiness. I was a bit of a precocious brat at times…but my parents kept me grounded.
“You’re right, it does sound perfect,” Tara commented quietly.
“It really was, until it that little world crumbled when I was fourteen. My Dad was killed in a light plane crash…just one of those tragic accidents you know?” Willow paused for another drink as Tara let out a gasp of sympathy. “People die, it’s just what happens and you get on with your life. The real tragedy was that my mother couldn’t. I missed Dad like crazy, but it was though she had died in that crash too. I needed her, and she shut me out completely. She’d spend day after day shut away in her room, I barely saw her and when I did, she was just this empty shell that wasn’t really my mother anymore.”
“Who looked after you?” Tara asked even though she already knew the answer.
“No one,” Willow shook her head. “My aunt and uncle tried to, but he was busy trying to keep the company running successfully and I pushed Aunt Sarah away because she couldn’t replace my mother. I found other replacements though. With no supervision, I could go anywhere, do anything. I came out when I was fifteen…even though no one was out at school. Then it was Xander and I. He’s my best friend and I love him dearly, but a teenaged guy couldn’t understand what I really needed. Instead he just helped me fill my life with as much craziness and laughter and fun as he could. I wanted to live; I didn’t want to be like my mother shut away in her room, wasting away over someone who was dead.”
“What did happen to your Mum?”
“A few years after Dad died, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It was already too late, it had spread to other organs and she was too weak to fight it. I think she just didn’t care about living anymore. She went downhill quickly and died just after my eighteenth birthday.” Willow let out a shaky breath. “She didn’t even tell me she was sick until near the end, but the truth was, I had already distanced myself from her to the point where we never saw each other anyway. I already had my own apartment. When she died, nothing changed. I didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that I had let her become a recluse so I ignored what had happened. That’s about it. You already know how I turned out, you had the pleasure of meeting that girl.”
“I’m so sorry, Willow.” Willow’s story made Tara realise that she had not called her own parents for almost a month. She made a mental note to text and tell them to be on Skype first thing in the morning.
Willow shook her head. “Don’t be. What happened to my parents was tragic, but it should never have given me the excuse to act the way I did…to hurt as many people as I did - to hurt you.”
Tara surprised herself by agreeing with Willow. However, the combination of her father dying so tragically and then her mother’s neglect made for a tragically unfortunate set of circumstances. She couldn’t claim that she would have reacted differently. With Audrey’s death, she would have struggled to recover without Faith. She wanted to tell Willow about that part of her life, but it wasn’t the right time. Instead, she brought up something which had been causing her to feel guilty for some time.
“I do have an apology of my own to make. I’m so terribly sorry for jumping to conclusions and calling you a liar over that stupid Claire Larsen thing.” Even just thinking about the incident made Tara realise how stupid and petty it was. “I meant to call and apologise afterwards but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was too ashamed.”
Willow merely shrugged, trying to keep outwardly cool even though her insides were doing somersaults at the fact that Tara was talking to her instead of running in the opposite direction. “It’s okay. Forgotten already, and besides, given my track record it was a valid assumption to make.”
Tara frowned. She found herself not liking Willow’s low opinion of herself. It wasn’t right that such a beautiful, confident woman should think in such a manner. “No it’s not okay, Willow. Do you want to be judged on your past for the rest of your life?”
“How do you know that it isn’t my present, and my future?” Willow asked, barely loud enough for Tara to hear despite the relative silence of the courtyard.
Tara studied her wine glass for a moment before replying. She had to ask herself if she wanted to take the next step - to really ‘go there’ with Willow. She found the answer surprisingly easy. “I don’t,” she finally replied. “But I would like it not to be.”
“Why?” Willow felt a slight elation at Tara’s words.
“Because I want to see more of you, dummy,” Tara ventured in an emphatic tone, surprising herself with her own boldness. “And I don’t want to share you with anyone. Not your psycho ex - Kelly, Claire Larsen…not anyone.”
“I promise you won’t,” Willow replied quickly, her voice equally as emphatic.
“So…I guess I can ask you out then?” Tara asked, even though she already knew the answer.
“Yeah, I guess you can,” Willow replied, trying to sound nonchalant but failing miserably.
Tara drew in a breath. Why was such a simple question so hard to force out? “Willow Rosenberg, will you be my girlfriend?”
“I can’t find anything better to say other than yes,” Willow said, her composure slipping completely. “A hundred million times yes!”
Willow was about to throw her arms around Tara when I shadow fell over them both. They turned to see Faith standing in front of them with a helpless expression on her face.
“Willow’s my girlfriend,” Tara announced happily, hoping the news would remove the look from Faith’s face.
“That’s fucking fantastic,” Faith replied, looking over her shoulder. “I’m kind of sorry...well, not really all that sorry, but T, do you think we can get going soon?”
“You’re not having fun?” Tara asked worriedly.
“Yes!” Faith exclaimed in reply. “And that’s the problem, I’m having too much fun. She’s smart, fucking hilarious, gorgeous and she’s a she! Why do I even think she’s so gorgeous? Why am I contemplating kissing her every time she looks at me?”
“Um, you’re possibly attracted to her?” Tara suggested tentatively. She didn’t need to guess that the ‘she’ was Buffy but beyond that she understood very little of what Faith had just said. She was still trying to process everything when Faith continued.
“I know!” Faith agreed all too readily. “And as much as I’m a friend of the gays, I’m sure as hell not ready to go there...so can we go home?”
“Yeah, sure, just give me a minute, okay?” Tara nodded.
“Fine, don’t be too long. I’m going to go wait in the foyer but if I’m not there when you get back I’ll probably be in the bathroom making out with Buffy, or in the back of a taxi on the way to her house. Just hurry, okay? Before she gets out of the bathroom.”
Faith marched away and left Willow and Tara, still rather stunned, sitting on the bench. Their eyes met and they immediately collapsed into a fit of laughter that had them both doubled over for several seconds.
When Tara finally calmed down enough to straighten up, she listened to the musical sound of Willow’s laugh for a few moments before the redhead too ceased to laugh. She decided that her laugh was one of the nicest sounds she had ever heard...maybe as nice as hearing Willow’s hoarse breathing in her ear whilst she was fucking her. This thought of course led Tara to ponder what sounds Willow uttered when she came, and she felt an immediate reaction in her gut. So Willow’s laugh would hopefully, eventually be her second favourite sound.
“I really shouldn’t laugh at her,” Tara said quickly, to get rid of the images that were popping up into her head. “But you have to admit that was pretty weird.”
“I’m kinda not really surprised,” Willow shrugged. “I don’t know her that well but my gaydar always pinged a bit with her. You never picked up on it?”
Tara frowned. “Maybe I know her too well.”
“Anyway, she sounded like she needed an all night conversation with her best friend so I had better let you go.” Willow couldn’t keep the reluctance out of her voice. “Again, thank you for coming. I thought perhaps yesterday you’d only said maybe to get rid of me.”
“Yeah, I suppose I ought to take her home,” Tara said quietly. She slowly rose to her feet. The empty wine glass dangled from her fingers.
“I suppose you should,” Willow replied. “However, before you do, there’s something I ought to do.”
She stood too, but left her own wine glass on the seat behind her. Reaching out slowly, she eased Tara’s glass from her hand and set it down beside her own.
As soon as the glass was taken from her, Tara knew exactly what Willow’s intentions were. Her breath caught in her throat despite the fact she knew she had to breathe to calm down her rapidly rising heartbeat. However, as soon as Willow slipped one and around her waist and rested the other gently on her cheek, Tara felt her fears dissipate. Willow then drew her in close before she kissed her. Within the warmth generated between their bodies, there was a comfortable familiarity.
Every cell in Willow’s body was urging her to kiss Tara. Her body was on fire just holding the blonde in her arms. When their lips finally met, she found herself hungrily devouring Tara’s. She wanted to intensify the contact, to explore as much as possible. After just a few seconds, she forced herself to pull back. Tara’s breath fell hot and fast on her face. She found herself clutching Tara desperately to keep from falling over.
“I’m sorry,” Willow whispered. “I had every intention of being slow, gentle, but I just want you so much-“
She was interrupted as an impatient Tara resumed their kiss. This time, Willow let herself be guided by the blonde. She managed to restrain her emotions and dwell on the simple pleasure of her lips against Tara’s. The fierceness was still there, it just became slow and languorous.
When they eventually pulled apart a few minutes later, Willow felt her lips throbbing. Tara’s plump, red lips curved upwards into a lop-sided smile. Willow couldn’t resist, she reached out and gently touched that smile with her fingertips. With the pads of her fingers alive with sensation, she caressed the tender, moist flesh.
Suddenly a loud, rude cough interrupted her exploration of Tara’s lips and any further conversation. Startled, Willow spun on her heels to see Faith had returned and was standing behind her.
The brunette was obviously impatient. “Willow, T, can you please hurry up and finish your PDA before I change my mind and decide to turn gay-”
Willow felt compelled to deposit one last peck on Tara’s lips before releasing her hold. At once she felt bereft without the blonde’s warmth in her arms.
“-I know, I know. I can’t ‘turn’ gay but she’s making me bendy okay!” Faith continued.
Willow and Tara shared another laugh at Faith’s expense. The brunette uttered a tortured sigh and turned on her heels. The still smiling pair then followed her out of the courtyard and back towards the gallery’s entrance.
“You still have my number?” Willow asked once they were outside, not caring how desperate she sounded.
“Despite my better judgement telling me to delete it, yes Willow, I still have your number,” Tara nodded in confirmation.
“And you’ll use it?”
“Of course I’ll use it, you doofus!” Tara leaned forward and embraced Willow once again, not wanting to maintain the contact for too long for fear that she would not be able to let go.
While Willow and Tara were saying their goodbyes, Buffy emerged from the gallery and saw that Faith was headed towards the taxi stand on the other side of the street. Before she could escape altogether, Buffy ran as fast as she was able to in her ridiculous heels and caught up to the brunette.
Faith heard the clattering of heels on concrete and spun around. A slightly anguished look crossed her face at the sight of her blonde admirer.
“You didn’t think you’d be able to get away that easily did you?” Buffy asked, cocking her head to one side expectantly.
Faith let out a groan. “Oh, fuck it!” She surged forward and pressed her lips to Buffy’s in an awkward kiss. At first it was almost awful, combined with Faith’s inhibitions and Buffy’s shock at the unexpected move, however both soon melted into the other. When it became clear to Faith that she was having a little too much fun, she pulled back quickly. They were both breathless.
“I’ve gotta go,” she whispered.
This time Buffy, didn’t chase after her. She just stood on the pavement with a silly grin on her face that quickly morphed into a naughty smile. When she turned, Tara walked by on her way to join Faith and gave her a rather strange look. Buffy responded with a saucy wink.
The interlude between Faith and Buffy had captured Willow’s attention for a moment. However she was more concerned about the fact that Tara was leaving. The blonde was easing herself into the taxi in which Faith was already sitting, obviously impatient to go. Willow raised her hand in farewell and Tara responded by blowing a kiss.
The taxi pulled away from the curb. Tara continued to look at her out the window. When she could no longer see Tara, Willow had to find the nearest seat as her jelly-like legs could no longer support her weight. She slumped down onto a concrete verge behind her. She sat in blissfully contented silence until Buffy joined her and uttered a contented sigh.
“I am so gonna get laid this weekend,” Buffy announced.
“You and me both, Buffy,” Willow said in a breathless, almost giddy voice – she didn’t give a damn that they were both being overly presumptuous. “You and me both.”
Great Job! Can't wait for another update!
Loved Faith's attempt at explaining she's kind of bendy now! 
