Chapter 3
With friends
When Willow woke up the next morning, she found that Buffy had already left. She made herself a quick breakfast then went into the bathroom to take a shower. As she was drying her hair, the phone started ringing and she rushed to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Um… Buffy?"
"No, she's not here for now. I'm one of her friends. Do you want to leave a message?"
"Willow, is that you?"
"Um, yeah… Do I know you?"
"It's Angel."
"Oh, Angel! I didn't expect it to be you!"
"I know, I didn't expect it to be you either. I thought you were with your girlfriend…?"
"I was, but we broke up and I came to spend some time with Buffy until I found an apartment."
"I see… Well, can you tell her to call me back? It's important."
"Yes, of course. Um, how important is it? I mean, it's not another apocalypse, I hope!"
"No, don't worry."
"Okay, good! I must admit that there's been enough of that!"
"Yeah. Well… I gotta go. I'll see you around."
"See you soon, Angel."
Willow hung up. Angel didn't usually call if it wasn't serious but he had assured her that it wasn't a new apocalypse so… Nothing could be more serious! At least, she hoped so.
She sat down on the sofa and grabbed a book which she began to leaf through absently. Her mind wandered… to Oz. After a few minutes, the doorbell rang and Willow went to the door to open it. Xander stood behind, his arms full of 'food'.
"I was thinking that we could stuff our faces with sweets, cakes and chips all day in front of a movie like in the good old days!"
"That's a great idea, Xander. Come on in!"
They turned on the TV and sat on the couch while opening the bags of multi-colored treats. One of the channels was broadcasting a 60s cowboy movie. They commented enthusiastically on each of the hero's lines and Xander tried to imitate his deep voice. Willow giggled at his mediocre attempts.
During the commercial, she got up to stretch her legs. When she returned, the film hadn't started again and she took the opportunity to ask her friend some questions.
"How's Buffy? I don't find her in great shape."
"She's fine but the loneliness must be weighing on her. Now that Dawn is gone, the house is empty when she comes home. I keep telling her that L.A. is full of young single men but she won't listen."
"Well, her last love stories weren't perfect…"
"To say the least!" Xander handed WIllow a new bag of candy which she grabbed before speaking again. "What about you? How have you been since… you know, Anya?"
"I'm having a hard time accepting that she's no longer here, Will, but I know I'm on the right track."
"Good! I guess it wasn't easy…"
"It wasn't. The first few months were simply unbearable."
"I'm so sorry… I should have been here," she whispered.
"You weren't gonna stop yourself from leaving for me, Will, don't be stupid! I didn't blame you. I was with Buffy and she's been very supportive."
"Yeah, well, I still feel bad."
"You have no reason to! Hey, I'm even starting to rediscover the beauty of other women!"
"Really?" Willow said, surprised.
"Yes, and I noticed a beautiful young dark-haired woman yesterday at the bar. You must have seen her! Tall, green eyes, a little pink tank top…" Xander actually seemed to have etched her image on his memory.
"You know, I didn't look so much. Me and women…"
"Sorry, I forgot that your breakup with Kennedy is still recent," his friend grimaced.
"No, that's not it… Well, with Kennedy, if I left, it's a bit because of that I think…"
"What do you mean?" Xander asked with a frown.
"Well… I wasn't in love with her. I wanted to forget Tara and I felt good with her but after traveling, when we were both in this house with a perfectly normal life, it was just… boring. I think that with Tara, it was so exceptional that I'll never be able to love another woman again…"
"You say that now but you'll change your mind when you meet the eyes of a beautiful Amazon on her white horse…"
"No, Xander, I'm serious." Willow looked really serious and her friend encouraged her to continue. Willow squeezed her hands a little then spoke. "Well… After I had a fight with Kennedy, I went to Tibet and I, uh… I met a man and…"
"You mean you cheated on her?" Xander exclaimed, "With a man?"
"I didn't cheat on her! We weren't together anymore! And anyway, nothing happened!" Willow said, blushing. "Either way, he made me realize that I didn't love Kennedy. I only loved Tara."
"So you like men and women but you like men more, right?"
"Um… I guess…"
"That's great! You have twice the choice!"
Willow smiled. Xander hadn't said anything that would have made her think he was judging her. He was fine with it, as usual. As if he had read her thoughts, her friend confirmed it. "You know, Will, no matter who you love, you and Buffy will always be my best friends. You always were."
She smiled gratefully and hugged him before immersing herself in the film which had started again some time ago. The day passed quietly and around 4 p.m. the phone rang again. It was Buffy.
"So, how's your day going? Is Xander with you?" She asked.
"He is! We gorge ourselves on candy while watching TV! When are you coming back?"
"Around 7 p.m. I think."
"Perfect, hurry up! By the way, Angel called and he'd like you to contact him. He said it was important."
"Angel?"
"Yes, but don't worry. It's not about an apocalypse, I asked."
"That's something. Okay, I'll call him before I leave. Thanks, Will. See you later."
"See you later, Buffy."
Willow and Xander went out shortly after to go shopping because they had raided the fridge despite everything the young man had brought. They didn't want to force Buffy to go out again when she got home and so they headed to a small supermarket.
Once returned and the provisions put away, they impatiently awaited her return but their friend was late. It was a little after 8 p.m. when Willow called her cell phone but got no answer.
"It's weird though, she's more than an hour late."
"Probably a last-minute case. You know, being a guidance counselor isn't an easy job," Xander joked.
"Mmmh…"
It's still a quiet chapter because I'm setting the mood and context.
The plot is about to unfold!