SEVEN
"Oh Miguel!"
Buffy rolled her eyes as she strolled past the young couple. They had been
sitting there for nearly an hour and all they ordered was a glass of coke.
With two straws. She walked behind the counter and watched them from there.
Miranda came up from behind her. "Still at it?"
"Very," said Buffy without turning around. "Going on an hour now."
"Oh, please, Miguel? Tell me the one about the priest again!" The girl
begged enthusiastically. When her partner obliged, she clenched her fists
hard and burst into a chorus bubbly giggles.
"God, he's told that story like 3 times already," noted Buffy. "And it's
not even funny."
"It was the first time he told it," answered Miranda.
"Not to me," Buffy said, finally turning back and looking at the older
woman. "I don't get it."
"You don't get a lot of things," said Miranda as she picked up the stray
glass lying on the counter and put it in the sink.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Buffy asked defensively.
"Nothing." Miranda hummed out the single word, which further annoyed Buffy.
Buffy decided not to pursue the matter further with Miranda. Instead, she
turned back and stared at the giddily happy couple seated not far away.
Her thoughts slowly drifted away, and slowly piece by piece, they led her
to Xander. That day's events had played over and over in her head for more
than a thousand times, and yet she didn't feel any sense of closure or
conclusion. She had tried to push him out of her mind for the past two
weeks, but it was easier said than done.
She had waited for what seemed to be a reasonable span of time before she
crumbled and phoned him. Each time she tried, nobody picked up. To make
matters worse, he didn't have an answering machine, and she couldn't let him
know she desperately needed to talk to him. She wondered where he was.
She would have gone back to Sunnydale if she had the guts. Unfortunately
for her, she was torn between her great desire to see Xander and patch
things up, and her fear of being shot down again. She wasn't sure if she
could face him again after what he had said to her, but in some strange
sense she wanted to.
"You're so funny, Miguel!"
The cheery voice of the adolescent shook her from her thoughts.
Buffy broke away from her silent brooding to toss another glance at the
couple. They were taking a sip from their Coke. She did not know two people
could take so long just to finish one glass. She ran her fingers through her
blonde hair.
"I love you, Miguel! Do you love me?"
Buffy tilted her head as she watched the exchange.
"You know I do."
"Really?!" Another session of giggling followed.
Oh God, shut up already, Buffy thought. Don't rub your happiness in my
face.
* Tinkle *
Buffy looked up as the bell positioned over the front door gave a merry
tinkle. Alex strolled in and gave her a small wave. He walked up to her and
sat on the stool, his elbows on the counter. "Hey there."
"Hi, Alex."
Seeing Alex became something of a regular occurrence for Buffy, especially
during the past week or so. Even Miranda cleverly noticed that Alex had been
coming to the diner more often than usual. Buffy didn't think much of it,
because secretly she didn't mind. She didn't have that many friends,
especially here, so she didn't mind Alex's frequent visits.
Miranda came out from the back. "Alex! Another BLT?"
"Strangely enough, I didn't come here for a sandwich today," the young man
answered. "I come here with a proposition."
A bout of giggling from behind interrupted him, and he turned his head
around in annoyance.
"Ignore them," said Miranda. "Carry on."
"Which one of you lovely ladies is free tonight?" Alex asked bluntly. "I
happen to have an extra ticket to 'A Criminal Mind'. I was supposed to go
with my friend, but he bailed out because his cousin suddenly decided to
drop by. "
"Sorry, I can't," said Miranda. "As fate would have it, I'm babysitting my
granddaughter tonight. But, Buffy, I believe , has a free schedule. She
always has a free schedule."
"Thank you, Miranda for that wonderful insight into my life," Buffy said.
"Well, are you free?" Alex asked. He waved the ticket about in the air. "It
would be a shame to waste a perfectly good ticket…"
"Didn't you tell me you wanted to see that movie desperately?" Miranda
asked Buffy helpfully.
Buffy looked at Miranda and then at Alex. "Sure." After all, it was just a
movie. And Alex *was* her friend after all. It was not like she was
implying anything. And it did look like a pretty good movie. Buffy tried to
even out her actions in her mind. "I'd love to."
"Oh Miguel!"
Buffy rolled her eyes as she strolled past the young couple. They had been
sitting there for nearly an hour and all they ordered was a glass of coke.
With two straws. She walked behind the counter and watched them from there.
Miranda came up from behind her. "Still at it?"
"Very," said Buffy without turning around. "Going on an hour now."
"Oh, please, Miguel? Tell me the one about the priest again!" The girl
begged enthusiastically. When her partner obliged, she clenched her fists
hard and burst into a chorus bubbly giggles.
"God, he's told that story like 3 times already," noted Buffy. "And it's
not even funny."
"It was the first time he told it," answered Miranda.
"Not to me," Buffy said, finally turning back and looking at the older
woman. "I don't get it."
"You don't get a lot of things," said Miranda as she picked up the stray
glass lying on the counter and put it in the sink.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Buffy asked defensively.
"Nothing." Miranda hummed out the single word, which further annoyed Buffy.
Buffy decided not to pursue the matter further with Miranda. Instead, she
turned back and stared at the giddily happy couple seated not far away.
Her thoughts slowly drifted away, and slowly piece by piece, they led her
to Xander. That day's events had played over and over in her head for more
than a thousand times, and yet she didn't feel any sense of closure or
conclusion. She had tried to push him out of her mind for the past two
weeks, but it was easier said than done.
She had waited for what seemed to be a reasonable span of time before she
crumbled and phoned him. Each time she tried, nobody picked up. To make
matters worse, he didn't have an answering machine, and she couldn't let him
know she desperately needed to talk to him. She wondered where he was.
She would have gone back to Sunnydale if she had the guts. Unfortunately
for her, she was torn between her great desire to see Xander and patch
things up, and her fear of being shot down again. She wasn't sure if she
could face him again after what he had said to her, but in some strange
sense she wanted to.
"You're so funny, Miguel!"
The cheery voice of the adolescent shook her from her thoughts.
Buffy broke away from her silent brooding to toss another glance at the
couple. They were taking a sip from their Coke. She did not know two people
could take so long just to finish one glass. She ran her fingers through her
blonde hair.
"I love you, Miguel! Do you love me?"
Buffy tilted her head as she watched the exchange.
"You know I do."
"Really?!" Another session of giggling followed.
Oh God, shut up already, Buffy thought. Don't rub your happiness in my
face.
* Tinkle *
Buffy looked up as the bell positioned over the front door gave a merry
tinkle. Alex strolled in and gave her a small wave. He walked up to her and
sat on the stool, his elbows on the counter. "Hey there."
"Hi, Alex."
Seeing Alex became something of a regular occurrence for Buffy, especially
during the past week or so. Even Miranda cleverly noticed that Alex had been
coming to the diner more often than usual. Buffy didn't think much of it,
because secretly she didn't mind. She didn't have that many friends,
especially here, so she didn't mind Alex's frequent visits.
Miranda came out from the back. "Alex! Another BLT?"
"Strangely enough, I didn't come here for a sandwich today," the young man
answered. "I come here with a proposition."
A bout of giggling from behind interrupted him, and he turned his head
around in annoyance.
"Ignore them," said Miranda. "Carry on."
"Which one of you lovely ladies is free tonight?" Alex asked bluntly. "I
happen to have an extra ticket to 'A Criminal Mind'. I was supposed to go
with my friend, but he bailed out because his cousin suddenly decided to
drop by. "
"Sorry, I can't," said Miranda. "As fate would have it, I'm babysitting my
granddaughter tonight. But, Buffy, I believe , has a free schedule. She
always has a free schedule."
"Thank you, Miranda for that wonderful insight into my life," Buffy said.
"Well, are you free?" Alex asked. He waved the ticket about in the air. "It
would be a shame to waste a perfectly good ticket…"
"Didn't you tell me you wanted to see that movie desperately?" Miranda
asked Buffy helpfully.
Buffy looked at Miranda and then at Alex. "Sure." After all, it was just a
movie. And Alex *was* her friend after all. It was not like she was
implying anything. And it did look like a pretty good movie. Buffy tried to
even out her actions in her mind. "I'd love to."