Author: Lucinda
rating: pg
pairing: Willow/Riley #16 on QPC)
sixth in the Willow/Riley 'Words' series
Disclaimer: I do not hold any legal rights to the show or characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Distribution: WLS, NHA, Quickie Challenge, Yourmission, Bite Me please? anyone else ask first.
set AU season 4. There is no Initiative. Buffy and Riley were NEVER involved.
Riley Finn had to be just about impossible. He was good looking, smart, and sweet. Well, maybe she didn't know if he was the sort for the whole sappy romantic gestures of candy and flowers for birthdays, anniversaries and just-because's, but he cared, and he'd try to talk to her about life. Considering that none of those were terribly common, well, maybe it wasn't quite so hard to find good looking, but the odds of finding all three traits in one person were... pretty darn low.
Realizing the direction of her thoughts, Willow blushed. When had she started thinking about what sort of boyfriend Riley would be? Did that mean that she was starting to get over Oz?
Starting to... yes. And it was because of Riley that she was healing. Not the efforts of her 'best friend' Buffy, or Xander who had known her forever, but... Because of Riley. He made her smile, he'd even made her laugh a couple times, neither of which had been common since Oz had left.
Willow sat on one of the stone benches, enjoying the sunlight, and debating the question of Riley and heartache and hopes. She was starting to have several hopes about Riley, even if she didn't quite want to put them into words yet. But Riley was helping her to heal from this heartache, could he... could they...?
"Good morning, Willow." Riley was there, smiling at her.
Feeling self conscious, she blushed even as she smiled back. "Morning, Riley. I was just thinking... umm... there's sort of a picnic at the beach, a charity event to help fund the fire department, and I was thinking that maybe... I mean, you don't have to and you could always say no, because maybe you already have plans or something, but..."
His finger was on her lips, gently halting her nervous babble. "When is this picnic thing?"
"Saturday. Most of Saturday, actually. They'll be selling drinks and ice cream from about nine on, and there's supposed to be a barbeque of something, but the flyer was all smudged, so it could be chicken, or fish, or... well, it could be a lot of things." Willow fell silent, realizing that she'd babbled again.
"That sounds like fun. There will probably be people swimming, and frisbee, and volleyball... maybe building sand castles." Riley smiled.
Her face felt very warm, and Willow found herself staring at his hand, at the finger that had touched her lips. He'd tasted a little bit of salt, and apples. "Probably."
"Saturday... I could pick you up at around eleven?" Riley looked almost nervous, as if he wasn't certain what would happen.
"Eleven?" Willow considered, thinking about her plans for that psychology paper. "Eleven's good. Can you get me from the campus library?"
"Yeah." Riley smiled, looking absurdly happy about something. "I'll see you later today in Psych, right?"
Willow nodded, feeling the urge to giggle just a little bit. "At psych class."
She found herself smiling and watching him walk away. It was then that the realization of what she'd done really hit her. She'd just asked him out, even if it was a really casual, pretty much friends thing. She'd asked Riley Finn out.
She was halfway back to her dorm before the more astonishing part registered. He'd said yes.
end Awkward Invitation.
rating: pg
pairing: Willow/Riley #16 on QPC)
sixth in the Willow/Riley 'Words' series
Disclaimer: I do not hold any legal rights to the show or characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Distribution: WLS, NHA, Quickie Challenge, Yourmission, Bite Me please? anyone else ask first.
set AU season 4. There is no Initiative. Buffy and Riley were NEVER involved.
Riley Finn had to be just about impossible. He was good looking, smart, and sweet. Well, maybe she didn't know if he was the sort for the whole sappy romantic gestures of candy and flowers for birthdays, anniversaries and just-because's, but he cared, and he'd try to talk to her about life. Considering that none of those were terribly common, well, maybe it wasn't quite so hard to find good looking, but the odds of finding all three traits in one person were... pretty darn low.
Realizing the direction of her thoughts, Willow blushed. When had she started thinking about what sort of boyfriend Riley would be? Did that mean that she was starting to get over Oz?
Starting to... yes. And it was because of Riley that she was healing. Not the efforts of her 'best friend' Buffy, or Xander who had known her forever, but... Because of Riley. He made her smile, he'd even made her laugh a couple times, neither of which had been common since Oz had left.
Willow sat on one of the stone benches, enjoying the sunlight, and debating the question of Riley and heartache and hopes. She was starting to have several hopes about Riley, even if she didn't quite want to put them into words yet. But Riley was helping her to heal from this heartache, could he... could they...?
"Good morning, Willow." Riley was there, smiling at her.
Feeling self conscious, she blushed even as she smiled back. "Morning, Riley. I was just thinking... umm... there's sort of a picnic at the beach, a charity event to help fund the fire department, and I was thinking that maybe... I mean, you don't have to and you could always say no, because maybe you already have plans or something, but..."
His finger was on her lips, gently halting her nervous babble. "When is this picnic thing?"
"Saturday. Most of Saturday, actually. They'll be selling drinks and ice cream from about nine on, and there's supposed to be a barbeque of something, but the flyer was all smudged, so it could be chicken, or fish, or... well, it could be a lot of things." Willow fell silent, realizing that she'd babbled again.
"That sounds like fun. There will probably be people swimming, and frisbee, and volleyball... maybe building sand castles." Riley smiled.
Her face felt very warm, and Willow found herself staring at his hand, at the finger that had touched her lips. He'd tasted a little bit of salt, and apples. "Probably."
"Saturday... I could pick you up at around eleven?" Riley looked almost nervous, as if he wasn't certain what would happen.
"Eleven?" Willow considered, thinking about her plans for that psychology paper. "Eleven's good. Can you get me from the campus library?"
"Yeah." Riley smiled, looking absurdly happy about something. "I'll see you later today in Psych, right?"
Willow nodded, feeling the urge to giggle just a little bit. "At psych class."
She found herself smiling and watching him walk away. It was then that the realization of what she'd done really hit her. She'd just asked him out, even if it was a really casual, pretty much friends thing. She'd asked Riley Finn out.
She was halfway back to her dorm before the more astonishing part registered. He'd said yes.
end Awkward Invitation.
