Chapter 2: Dinner Time
Buffy rushed frantically in and out of Giles' kitchen. Giles watched her in amazement.
" I have never seen you so fascinated with cooking. You're paying more attention to that turkey than you ever have to me," he said with a slight grin.
" Have no fear, Xander is here! There will be no leftovers from THAT turkey tonight!"
" Xander, can you eat that whole roasted bird by yourself? I think you'd have to be really fat," Anya said, giving Xander a confused look.
" Anya, honey, it was a joke," Xander replied. " So…where's Willow?" Xander asked, looking toward Buffy. Buffy glanced around.
"Willow? Um…I guess she's with Tara." Xander couldn't resist wrinkling his nose. He was about to speak when the doorbell rang. Buffy leapt toward the door.
"It's not eight already, is it?" She yelled. Giles nodded.
"Actually it's eight-fifteen." Buffy frowned.
"I look terrible." She pulled open the door. Oz stood waiting, his hair black and blue, holding a single rose. He smiled when he saw her, and offered the rose to her.
"For you. For, you know, inviting me to--to dinner." She took the rose and smiled.
"Thanks, Oz! Come on in." He walked past her and walked over to Xander. The two spoke quietly in the corner.
At around eight-thirty Willow walked in holding Tara's hand (who was obviously nervous).
"So, now you come," Xander said, "I'm starving. Giles says it's polite to wait until the guests arrived. So…." As Xander went on about food he could tell no one was listening because they were all focusing on Willow and Tara who had just entered.
"Hi everyone." Willow said looking at Oz. They all sat down to eat. There was an awkward silence until Xander interrupted the quiet.
"So, Oz, good to have you for dinner. I mean at dinner. I mean…you know." Oz nodded with a half smile on his face. He glanced at Buffy, flashed a real smile, and looked back at his plate. Willow cleared her throat, and he looked up at her. She forced a smile.
"You should have kept in touch," she said quietly.
Oz raised an eyebrow, "Why? You've moved on. Can't I?" Silence fell on the table as Giles, Xander, Tara, Anya and Buffy looked worriedly at the former couple. Willow frowned at him.
"I never said that. But it might have been easier for you--if you had cared enough to call or write once in a blue moon." Oz stood up, setting his napkin on the table and grabbing his coat.
"You're right. If you don't want me here, say so, okay? Far be it from me to ruin your dinner." He looked at everyone else. "Thanks for the great dinner. I appreciate it." He stole one more look at Willow, and left. Willow watched him coldly until he was gone. Buffy stood up.
"Willow could-could I talk to you in the kitchen?" Willow shrugged.
"'Kay." She kissed Tara on the cheek and followed Buffy out of the room. Xander looked around with wide eyes.
" Whoa, did I totally just miss something here?" Giles shook his head.
"I'm as lost as you are."
Buffy glared at her best friend. "What is your problem? I thought that you were trying to be friends with Oz!" Willow glared back.
"My problem? Maybe you didn't hear him," she replied evenly.
"Willow, he's trying! You still have his heart, whether you know it or not! And…and every time you're so blatantly rude or, or you rub it in his face with Tara, it kills him! Don't you care?" Willow turned away.
"Oh, so now you know everything, right? Oz left me, may I remind you, and I got on with my life. I can't help the way he feels, or, for that matter the way I feel about Tara. Why shouldn't I show how I feel? Should I stop loving Tara, just because Oz is being more clingy than staticky clothes?"
"Well the least you could do is go talk to him." Buffy said. She could tell that Willow did care about how Oz felt. So why was she being like this? Willow shook her head.
" I can't. I can't see him anymore, Buffy—I just don't want to. He has to move on!" Her voice rose, and she yelled, " I'm not his anymore! Tell him to leave me alone!" and hurried back into the dining room. Buffy grabbed her coat and left.
After walking for what seemed like forever, she spotted Oz's van. She ran up to it while it was stopped at a stoplight.
" Oz, I'm sorry about that," she said with a sympathetic look.
" It's okay. I knew something like that was gonna happen. Do you need a lift?" he asked.
" Sure. Thanks." She climbed into his van. As they pulled away from the stoplight, he glanced at her.
" Where to?" She smiled.
" The stars," she replied dramatically. He glanced at her, eyebrow raised. "Kidding," she said quickly. He chuckled and turned back to the road. " Seriously? I don't know," she continued. He sighed.
" I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry," he muttered. She touched his shoulder.
" Oz, I'm glad you did." She rolled her eyes. " Anyway, those dinners can get excruciatingly boring. It's kind of nice, being here with you."
Oz was surprised. He and Buffy had never really talked much, and if they did, it was usually about Willow. He hadn't ever just…hung out with her. He kind of liked it, he realized, smiling. She was easy to be around, and being without Willow somehow didn't hurt quite so much when she was with him. Plus, he noticed, she didn't smell half bad, either.
The two sat and talked, not anything big, but little chit-chat. After driving almost around the whole little town of Sunnydale, they arrived at Oz's house. He parked the van and turned to her, clearing his throat nervously.
" Do you, uh, do you want to come in? We could, you know, get a soda or something." Buffy smiled.
" Sure, why not?" She didn't think much of it, but she was still really nervous. They walked in, and Oz cleared a spot of Buffy to sit.
Buffy rushed frantically in and out of Giles' kitchen. Giles watched her in amazement.
" I have never seen you so fascinated with cooking. You're paying more attention to that turkey than you ever have to me," he said with a slight grin.
" Have no fear, Xander is here! There will be no leftovers from THAT turkey tonight!"
" Xander, can you eat that whole roasted bird by yourself? I think you'd have to be really fat," Anya said, giving Xander a confused look.
" Anya, honey, it was a joke," Xander replied. " So…where's Willow?" Xander asked, looking toward Buffy. Buffy glanced around.
"Willow? Um…I guess she's with Tara." Xander couldn't resist wrinkling his nose. He was about to speak when the doorbell rang. Buffy leapt toward the door.
"It's not eight already, is it?" She yelled. Giles nodded.
"Actually it's eight-fifteen." Buffy frowned.
"I look terrible." She pulled open the door. Oz stood waiting, his hair black and blue, holding a single rose. He smiled when he saw her, and offered the rose to her.
"For you. For, you know, inviting me to--to dinner." She took the rose and smiled.
"Thanks, Oz! Come on in." He walked past her and walked over to Xander. The two spoke quietly in the corner.
At around eight-thirty Willow walked in holding Tara's hand (who was obviously nervous).
"So, now you come," Xander said, "I'm starving. Giles says it's polite to wait until the guests arrived. So…." As Xander went on about food he could tell no one was listening because they were all focusing on Willow and Tara who had just entered.
"Hi everyone." Willow said looking at Oz. They all sat down to eat. There was an awkward silence until Xander interrupted the quiet.
"So, Oz, good to have you for dinner. I mean at dinner. I mean…you know." Oz nodded with a half smile on his face. He glanced at Buffy, flashed a real smile, and looked back at his plate. Willow cleared her throat, and he looked up at her. She forced a smile.
"You should have kept in touch," she said quietly.
Oz raised an eyebrow, "Why? You've moved on. Can't I?" Silence fell on the table as Giles, Xander, Tara, Anya and Buffy looked worriedly at the former couple. Willow frowned at him.
"I never said that. But it might have been easier for you--if you had cared enough to call or write once in a blue moon." Oz stood up, setting his napkin on the table and grabbing his coat.
"You're right. If you don't want me here, say so, okay? Far be it from me to ruin your dinner." He looked at everyone else. "Thanks for the great dinner. I appreciate it." He stole one more look at Willow, and left. Willow watched him coldly until he was gone. Buffy stood up.
"Willow could-could I talk to you in the kitchen?" Willow shrugged.
"'Kay." She kissed Tara on the cheek and followed Buffy out of the room. Xander looked around with wide eyes.
" Whoa, did I totally just miss something here?" Giles shook his head.
"I'm as lost as you are."
Buffy glared at her best friend. "What is your problem? I thought that you were trying to be friends with Oz!" Willow glared back.
"My problem? Maybe you didn't hear him," she replied evenly.
"Willow, he's trying! You still have his heart, whether you know it or not! And…and every time you're so blatantly rude or, or you rub it in his face with Tara, it kills him! Don't you care?" Willow turned away.
"Oh, so now you know everything, right? Oz left me, may I remind you, and I got on with my life. I can't help the way he feels, or, for that matter the way I feel about Tara. Why shouldn't I show how I feel? Should I stop loving Tara, just because Oz is being more clingy than staticky clothes?"
"Well the least you could do is go talk to him." Buffy said. She could tell that Willow did care about how Oz felt. So why was she being like this? Willow shook her head.
" I can't. I can't see him anymore, Buffy—I just don't want to. He has to move on!" Her voice rose, and she yelled, " I'm not his anymore! Tell him to leave me alone!" and hurried back into the dining room. Buffy grabbed her coat and left.
After walking for what seemed like forever, she spotted Oz's van. She ran up to it while it was stopped at a stoplight.
" Oz, I'm sorry about that," she said with a sympathetic look.
" It's okay. I knew something like that was gonna happen. Do you need a lift?" he asked.
" Sure. Thanks." She climbed into his van. As they pulled away from the stoplight, he glanced at her.
" Where to?" She smiled.
" The stars," she replied dramatically. He glanced at her, eyebrow raised. "Kidding," she said quickly. He chuckled and turned back to the road. " Seriously? I don't know," she continued. He sighed.
" I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry," he muttered. She touched his shoulder.
" Oz, I'm glad you did." She rolled her eyes. " Anyway, those dinners can get excruciatingly boring. It's kind of nice, being here with you."
Oz was surprised. He and Buffy had never really talked much, and if they did, it was usually about Willow. He hadn't ever just…hung out with her. He kind of liked it, he realized, smiling. She was easy to be around, and being without Willow somehow didn't hurt quite so much when she was with him. Plus, he noticed, she didn't smell half bad, either.
The two sat and talked, not anything big, but little chit-chat. After driving almost around the whole little town of Sunnydale, they arrived at Oz's house. He parked the van and turned to her, clearing his throat nervously.
" Do you, uh, do you want to come in? We could, you know, get a soda or something." Buffy smiled.
" Sure, why not?" She didn't think much of it, but she was still really nervous. They walked in, and Oz cleared a spot of Buffy to sit.
