Chapter 11: Words of Wisdom
Buffy, Spike and Cordy walked into the Bronze. The club was quiet packed for Monday night. The trio then headed to one of the tables as soon as they caught sight of Willow and Xander chatting face to face, hands linking together and they had an I'm-in-my-own-fantasy-world-go-away look.
"Hi, guys!" Buffy chimed in. Willow and Xander said 'hi' back, still staring at each other intently and completely ignoring her. Buffy frowned at them, eyebrows drawing together. "Hi, guys!" Cordy now had a go, hoping her voice would gain their attention. It did.
Willow and Xander stopped smiling at each other when they heard Cordy's voice and finally turned their heads to her.
"Cordy? Oh my God, you're here!" Willow squealed excitedly when she saw the short brunette.
"Yes, I am" Cordy replied smiling as she wrapped herself around Willow and Xander for a group hug.
"Tsk tsk tsk...Damn Cordy, you look hotter and hotter every time I see you, girl!!" Xander complimented her, arms folding on his chest and head shaking lightly as he took the whole sight of her in appreciatively.
"Why, thank you Xander. You look good yourself. I see you picked on a girl and turned her world upside down tonight," Cordy teased, glancing at Willow who was blushing like a ripe tomato.
"I did indeed. And while you're here, let me introduce her to you.
Cordy, this is Willow, my girlfriend 6 months running," said Xander proudly, puffing his chest as he wrapped his arm around Willow's waist. Willow blushed again. Cordy couldn't stifle her giggle and the others soon joined her.
"I'm so happy for you guys," Cordy stated as she pulled them into a group hug again. Willow and Xander thanked her simultaneously.
Buffy, Willow, Spike and Xander then filled Cordy in with the hot gossips and facts in Sunnydale through the years she'd been missing out. Cordy told them her adventures of going to places around the world while she was on business trips.
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Buffy and Cordy were dropped off by Spike at Buffy's place. Her mom was out of town, again. But Buffy was quite happy having Cordy for her company at home. They were extremely tired from the Bronze and it was midnight already. Still, Cordy kept her promise to have a girl's talk during the slumber time.
They lay on Buffy's bed side by side in a darkened room, one telling jokes to the other.
"Hey, Buffy. Have you realized what an incredibly yummy body Spike has?"
"What!?!" Buffy yelped in giggles, incredulously surprised. She never thought of taking an appreciative look at Spike's body. That's why the question Cordy threw her was a bit bizarre to her ears. "I know I haven't seen him naked but just from the look of his tight shirt and tight jeans that wrap his body, I can tell he at least has a nice muscley abdomen. A six pack too!" Cordy wiggled her eyebrows, trying to picture him without clothes on.
"I-I-I never see him that way," Buffy said in oddness, doubt in her voice.
"What about when you sleep over at his place? Ooohhh...silly me, you must be sleeping in the guest room now, huh?" Cordy slapped her head lightly when she realized that her cousin and Spike had grown up and wouldn't be possibly still sleeping together on the same bed. Buffy felt an oddity swim through her. For the first time she was reminded that she and Spike were not kids anymore. But breaking a habit she shared with him would be hard and…abnormal.
"Well...actually, we still sleep on the same bed, Spike's bed." She declared, almost shamefacedly. Hearing her respond, Cordy weighed her body on her elbows as she raised her upper body up to look at her cousin in the dark. Her eyes wide open and her delicately shaped eyebrows rose. She observed her cousin to find a confirmation on her statement with the help of the moonlight.
"Buffy, you DO know that you're almost 17, right?" Buffy rose her upper body up as well, adjusting to Cordy's level.
"Yes, but it's a habit, Cord. I-It's kinda hard to break, and I don't think Giles has a problem with that." The blond felt guilt strike her although she didn't know why she should feel it.
"Ooo-kaayyy...so I assume you still snuggle up together, huh?" Buffy gave a sheepish smile and a meek nod. "Then how come you never notice his body? You literally touch him every hour, Buffy! Are you blind or are you just dimwitted??" Cordy shook her head incredulously. Her cousin surely was innocent and TOO naive! She used to listen to the blond's whining about being not able to find a perfect guy while there was an almost-too-perfect man always beside her everyday.
"That's because we always fall asleep almost instantly," Buffy said honestly. Cordy raised a brow again.
"Wow! Is that right? Hmm…Maybe I should borrow Spike for snuggling up if he can make me sleep during my insomnia." Her brain started to work on her schedule to make a 'sleep over' appointment with Spike. Buffy swallowed hard. Uneasiness filled her as she registered the brunette's words to her brain. The idea of Spike and Cordy curling up on the bed that had become her second bed discomforted her, even though it was her own cousin. That's not right. It was her bed, and he was her Spike. Whoa…hold on there, girl!! Since when did she own the bed?? And most importantly, since WHEN did she OWN Spike??? Cordy watched different expressions played across the blond's faç ade, from awkward to determined then wandered until confused.
"Buffy, you okay?" she asked in concern.
"What!?! Oh. I-I'm fine, I'm fine," Buffy assured her with stammering. Cordy gave a sweet smile to her. She knew her cousin must have thought about the words she said.
"So, what's new with you? Any boy season so far? I don't think I' ve heard you talk about a new guy since Scott." She changed the subject to ease Buffy's discomfort.
"That's because I couldn't contact you at all, Cord! You keep moving from one country to another. Aren't you supposed to get a dual band cell phone? I heard it's quite handy for someone who expects her cousin to dish all the juicy stuffs going on in Sunny D." Buffy glared at her. The brunette girl just smiled sheepishly.
"Oops! Sorry…there was something wrong with it before and for your information, it can't be used in all countries, so forgive me for not being able to be reached." She rolled her eyes and cocked an eyebrow up.
"Well, what about email? Don't tell me you don't know how to login."
"Of course I know HOW to login. I'm not that helpless with Internet y'know. Beside, you know how chaotic my schedule is…" Buffy rolled her hazel eyes. "Yeah, I know. But you get to travel around the world, doesn't that excite you?" She lay on her back again.
"Sometimes, but mostly I just keep trying to cope with my jet lag." There was a brief silent before Cordy spoke up again. "You still haven't answered my question." Buffy took a deep breath as she struggled to decide if she should tell her cousin about her relationship with Angel. "There was actually. A guy, an exchange student from Ireland. His name was Angel."
"Angel?" Cordy raised a delicate eyebrow again at her cousin as she suppressed her chuckle.
"Don't even start!" Buffy warned her, throwing a murderous glare at her.
"I'm sorry, go on!" Cordy apologized. Just before her cousin opened her mouth to continue, she interrupted her again. "But Angel? What were his parents thinking? I can understand if that's for a girl, but this is a guy we're talking about, right? What, his face is angelic or something?"
"Actually it is. But that's not the point, you want me to tell you the story or not?" Buffy was getting annoyed. She glared at her cousin again.
"Okay okay, I'm not gonna interrupt again. Please, tell the tale." Cordy laid herself on the bed again, next to Buffy.
Buffy took another deep breath before she continued. She told her everything right from the time they met till the reason she broke up with Angel. Once she finished, she looked at her cousin expectantly for feedback. Cordy was silent for a brief second while she took in Buffy's tale. She sat up straight and turned to look at her.
"Buffy, have you NOT realized what you've done to him? From the story you told me, he wasn't a jerk type of a guy."
"Yes, but he made me choose! Everything fell apart because he's just jealous of Spike. God, could there be any lamer reason?" Buffy joined her cousin in a sitting position. Cordy reached her arm and planted her own hand on it.
"Well, I have to disagree with you. That wasn't a lame reason, Buffy. You and Spike are always attached to each other. And everyone but you two can tell that you both are so right together. Why can't you see that?" Cordy reasoned with her in a big sister attitude.
"We're maybe right together…but as siblings, nothing more." Buffy insisted. She was getting fed up with this. She and Spike had a special friendship, why couldn't people understand that? Why did they keep expecting this special relationship to be something more? To be something that involved romance?
Cordy let out an exasperated sigh. Her cousin was too stubborn, but she still loved her. And she was sure Spike loved her too.
"Fine, if that's what you want to believe. But trust me when I tell you that if you don't tell him how you really feel, you're gonna lose him forever." Buffy set her eyes on the white comforter as she absorbed Cordy's words. Her fingers twisted and played with her top's hem absently. A few seconds passed in awkward silence.
"Well, I'm off to bed then. Nite, Buff. I love you." The brunette gave a sisterly hug.
"Nite, Cord. I love you, too." Buffy mumbled as she hugged her back before Cordy sauntered towards the door.
Buffy propped herself down on her bed again, she stared intently at the ceiling. Her mind drifted to one certain bleached curly head. Was it true she had feelings for him? Sure, she cared about him. But was there more than that? She recollected the discussion about his body with Cordy earlier. As far as she could remember, Spike did have a great body. But she never gawked at it, never in her mind came the thought of taking in his form appreciatively. Now she wasn't sure if she could face him without trying to gawp at his body especially when he was asleep…half naked.
(A/N: Review please!! =D Come on…you know you want to…LOL!)
to be continued