College Confidential (Prequel to HC/FC) [AU] (Complete)

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for awesome update-y goodness... Extra big yay for Tara getting Willow a coffee for her all-nighter and their make-out session in the library... Even bigger yay for Willow starting to figure out that she indeed have thoughts about naked-Tara and that she wants to fulfil those thoughts...

[willowtaralover]

She had a huge Neuroscience of Psychopathology paper due the next morning and was uncharacteristically behind on it.

'Neuroscience of Psychopathology'? Does such a course really exist or did you make it up.

Therefore, when she felt a hand touch her shoulder and then give a squeeze, her own synaptic responses – the same one she’d been studying so intently – made her jump in fright and sent her pen flying to the floor.

And if someone tape me on my shoulder I do all the above and shriek like a frightened Xander.

Willow opened her mouth to explain, but quickly closed it again, realising how ridiculous it was that the thought of kissing surrounded by books made her feel naughty.

This made me Only Willow could get paranoid at the idea of kissing whilst surrounded by books would make her feel naughty. Perhaps she's seen Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' one too many times.

she grabbed her now-cold coffee – intent on still drinking it when so much trouble had been gone to, to get it for her – and rushed back to her desk, keen to finish and get to those Tara-snuggles that were waiting for her.

Tara-snuggles, the highlight of any night or day for Willow.

For the first time, she really imagined Tara naked...but really thought about her and what she would look like head-to-toe nude.

And Willow isn't the only one who does that.

So now we've had Willow thinking about Tara naked and the effect it has on her, how about Tara? Does she think of Willow and get affected in the same way?

[taralicious]

it’s short, I’m sorry,...longer next time, promise!

This is what I tell all the girls myself but to little avail.

She had a huge Neuroscience of Psychopathology paper

Yeah, this is the kind of big league stuff the health sciences are rife with as my sister, a team leader in drug shortages with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had to take these kind of insanely specific classes when she was at Uni.

“I love your sweater,”

This is another facet of your writing style that I adore, Laragh, as you take inanimate objects such as Tara's sweater and give them a poignant backstory.

making the gesture all the more meaningful.

That's the sweetness and compassion of Tara placing Willow's need for hydration before her dwindling supply of small green pieces of paper.

"There’s easier ways to touch my lips than sharing a coffee cup, you know.”

Tara is trying a little spicy talk here and it suits her; i love exhibitionist Tara wanting to kiss Willow in her cathedral i.e. the library.

They broke apart and both bore the look of a deer caught in headlights as the librarian stood over them

This is one of the first of what will be many interruptions of Willow and Tara smoochage.

“Either continue with your work or leave please.”

Willow and Tara should have kept on in front of the harridan as that was their work.

So stop being a perve and stop thinking about it!

I'll think about it for you Willow so you just get into bed with Tara. sweet dreams.

[Laragh]

BuffyFan4ever –

Great chapter. Much better than last week.

#

How many times do I gotta apologise?

at Willow being startled.

Aww at them missing each other.

Wouldn’t you?

Loved the story of Tara buying her sweater. However, at Tara's father at making such an ordinary trip have such a significance.

Indeed, much

sung?

Thank you, all fixed

:applause At Willow and Tara being naughty around the books.

Rite of passage!

Stupid librarian.

Yup, total bitch.

Hooray for Willow being naked in Tara's room. Hopefully it will be mutual soon.

Soon! Promise!

:lol Loved the babble. Although waking up is not necessarily a bad thing

It would have been…interesting to say the least

Can't wait for more. BTW: My mistake about the confusion. I missed the part where she arrived at the cafeteria and thought Becky and come back to the room.

Ah, okay, no problem. I was worried I was reading what I had written wrong!

Thanks for commenting

wimpy0729 –

I think I've said it before, but I think you write about the sweetest Tara ever, whether as the young girlfriend, the wife or a mother. All of us should aspire to be that way with our partners. Here, we see her bringing her girlfriend a cup of coffee when she doesn't even have enough money to get two cups, but thinks of Willow first. *sigh*

Tara makes me want to be a better person, she really does. She’s just so full of this love, that really should have been beaten out of her given all she went through, but she hung on. She has this wonderful hope that I just find so endearing.

Aha, and here we see the beginning of Willow's body's sexual awakening once she actually lets herself think of Tara completely nude. She should definitely think those thoughts more often. Yes, definitely. I doubt she's ever done any self exploration and had any experience of the orgasmic variety. So yes, I think she definitely needs to do that. Lots. And you need to write about it. Yes, we should get to see Willow experiencing some self lovin' before they share that together.

Do you think so? I hadn’t intended to. Although there’s probably only so much ‘thoughts’ she could take…finding opportunity will be difficult though…I don’t think she’d dare in her room in case Becky walked in and would feel uncomfortable doing it in Tara’s shower…Hmm, I’m intrigued, but I’ll have to see where they take me!

And how about Tara? Has she let her thoughts wonder there yet? Has she had a puddle in her panties as she thought about Willow? Oh, so many wonderful firsts we get to see. I can't wait.

Lotsa firsts! I think Tara is less freaked out by it all. Shy, but not scared. She’s a feeler while Willow’s a thinker and gets lost in her head sometimes. But I’m looking forward to writing it all!

Thanks for your feedback

zampsa19752001 –

Extra big yay for Tara getting Willow a coffee for her all-nighter and their make-out session in the library...

She’s a sweetie like that

Even bigger yay for Willow starting to figure out that she indeed have thoughts about naked-Tara and that she wants to fulfil those thoughts...

Uh huh, won’t be long until they’re both wanting more!

Thanks for commenting

willowtaralover –

'Neuroscience of Psychopathology'? Does such a course really exist or did you make it up.

http://www.bc.edu/crs/ps/course/ps38000.shtml

And if someone tape me on my shoulder I do all the above and shriek like a frightened Xander.

Ha!

This made me Only Willow could get paranoid at the idea of kissing whilst surrounded by books would make her feel naughty. Perhaps she's seen Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' one too many times.

I think you’re right!

Tara-snuggles, the highlight of any night or day for Willow.

And a lucky one she is to have such a highlight!

And Willow isn't the only one who does that.

You and thousands of other kittens!

So now we've had Willow thinking about Tara naked and the effect it has on her, how about Tara? Does she think of Willow and get affected in the same way?

You and wimpy are on the same train of thought! My answer is: most definitely, but it doesn’t frighten her like it scared Willow there. She just lets herself feel.

Thanks for commenting

taralicious –

This is what I tell all the girls myself but to little avail.

Hang in there, buddy, it’ll be big enough for someone

Yeah, this is the kind of big league stuff the health sciences are rife with as my sister, a team leader in drug shortages with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had to take these kind of insanely specific classes when she was at Uni.

And the more specific the harder the class! (I think anyway)

This is another facet of your writing style that I adore, Laragh, as you take inanimate objects such as Tara's sweater and give them a poignant backstory.

That sweater (it’s the one Tara wore in the Dolls Eye Crystal scene) is my all-time favourite Tara-sweater, so I thought it deserved some recognition

That's the sweetness and compassion of Tara placing Willow's need for hydration before her dwindling supply of small green pieces of paper.

Tara is definitely one of the most selfless persons in the world.

Tara is trying a little spicy talk here and it suits her; i love exhibitionist Tara wanting to kiss Willow in her cathedral i.e. the library.

A little prelude to the down and dirty in all different kinds of public places in Hacker!

This is one of the first of what will be many interruptions of Willow and Tara smoochage.

You know me and interruptions!

Willow and Tara should have kept on in front of the harridan as that was their work.

The poor librarian might have exploded.

I'll think about it for you Willow so you just get into bed with Tara. sweet dreams.

The sweetest!

Thanks for your feedback

---

Update Directly Below

[Laragh]

********

TITLE: College Confidential

AUTHOR: Laragh

CHAPTER RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.

SUMMARY: The first part of the prequel to Hacker Confidential and Family Confidential - the college years!

SPOILERS: Perhaps minor references to the show or stealage of dialogue, but nothing that would spoil the series.

FEEDBACK: Yes please

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it's late, internet issues!

Chapter 14

********

Tara picked up a couple of odd socks that had fallen to the floor and tossed them into her laundry hamper, which was sitting on her bed. She looked around the rest of her room to make sure there was nothing on the floor or tossed onto her dresser, but her attention was diverted as she saw her dorm door open.


“Hey, just me,” Willow’s voice came, followed by her body as she came in and shut the door behind her, “You should keep that locked, even if you’re here. This campus has some weirdos, what if you were in the shower or something?”


“Yes, dear,” Tara replied with a joking yet affectionate smile.


Willow smiled back and half-stepped, half-jumped forwards eagerly.


“Wanna hang out?” she asked hopefully, then tried not to show her disappointment when she saw hesitation on Tara’s face, “You’re busy.”


“No, no,” Tara shook her head, lifting her hamper in indication, “I was just going to do my laundry.”


“Oh,” Willow replied, her face lighting up again, “Well do you want some company? I, um, have some laundry too.”


Tara nodded keenly.


“That would be great.”


“Awesome!” Willow beamed, happy to have time to spend with Tara, though was trying not to think of the actual task, “Um, just give me five to grab my stuff?”


“Sure,” Tara agreed brightly, “I have detergent.”


“Right, detergent!” Willow nodded, not wanting to reveal the fact that she’d never actually done her own laundry before, “So I don’t need to bring…”


Tara held up a blue bottle.


“It has softener in it.”


Willow just bobbed her head, hoping it conveyed confidence in this subject.


“So, I’ll, um, be right back!”


She skidded off without giving Tara a chance to respond and hurried up to her room, where Becky was hunched over her desk, tapping a pen against the side. She looked up as Willow came in.


“I thought you were hanging with Tara?” she asked, then gestured down at the variety of books and papers on her desk, “If you’re staying in for the afternoon I need you to be quiet. Writing a paper.”


Willow rolled her eyes.


“You know they have a whole building full of quiet. Call it the library.”


Becky rolled her eyes right back.


“Let me clarify; I need quiet enough to concentrate, not so quiet that I get a death glare for eating chips,” she responded, before throwing her pen down in frustration, “Eurgh, have you ever tried to study American literature from pre-1900? Boring.”


Willow stared at her roommate like she had two heads.


“Why did you even major in English?”


“Things can be boring and interesting at the same time,” Becky mused thoughtfully, though it just made Willow’s brow crease.


“I’m pretty sure they’re antonyms for each other,” she said, then frowned deeper, “You should really know that.”


Becky shrugged.


“I guess I just liked reading when I didn’t have to write thousands of words of essays on them. Or analyse things that the damn author probably never even thought about.”


Willow went to the corner of her side of the room to get her laundry hamper.


“Pre-1900 literature sounds like it would be fun to study. Mark Twain, Dubois. Writings from the civil war, the philosophical challenge of Darwinism. It’s not like you’re short of material.”


Becky turned her head and tried to adopt a puppy-dog-eyes expression.


“Will you write my paper?”


“Can’t!” Willow replied, bubbly, not that she would anyway, “Doing laundry!”


“Oh thank god,” Becky replied dramatically, though good-naturedly, “I was about to toss your hamper out the window, it’s been stinking up the room for weeks.”


Willows eyes went wide.


“I-I’ve been distracted,” she stammered, lifting the shirt she was wearing up to her nose, “I don’t smell, do I? Oh god, what if Tara thinks I stink?”


“I was teasing, calm down,” Becky chuckled, before raising an eyebrow at seeing her roommates laundry staying in the hamper and not being transferred into the drawstring bags she was used to seeing them leave the room in, “Wait do you mean…in the laundry room? You’re doing it yourself?”


Willow nodded, pursing her lips and trying to remain poised.


“With Tara.”


“Oh boy,” Becky whistled, grinning from ear-to-ear, “I want the full story later.”


Willow slumped but didn't want to admit defeat.


“It can’t be that hard. Put them in the machine, take them out of the machine,” she rationalised, “And uh, I probably won’t be back tonight anyway.”


“You hooking up with Tara is the best thing to happen to my sleep schedule in a long time,” Becky replied with a playful smirk, “You’re a great roommate, Will, but I’m really loving not being woken up before it’s even light out.”


“Glad my relationship is working out so well for you,” Willow responded perkily, picking up her laundry hamper with both hands, “Wish me luck.”


“You’ll need it,” Becky murmured, which Willow heard but chose to ignore.


She left with a quick goodbye and held her hamper above her head as she descended the stairs so as not to trip, then blushed wildly as she spotted Tara already waiting at the bottom.


“Sorry,” she said as she approached, lowering her hamper and holding to the far side, conscious of Becky’s ‘stink’ comment, teasing or not, “Becky, um, needed a motivation boost for her paper.”


“No problem,” Tara smiled easily, “All ready?”


“I have clothes,” Willow answered, deciding she was definitely going to be able to bluff her way through this.


“I hope I didn’t mess up your laundry schedule,” Tara said as they both started to walk down the hallway.


“Oh no,” Willow shook her head, “I, um…attend to it as needed.”


She grinned that she’d managed to avoid without actually lying but it was short-lived as she almost gave herself away.


“Down here, silly,” Tara said to her when she marched right past the staircase that led to the laundry room.


“Right! Knew that!” Willow replied, quickly turning towards the stairs, “My brain never works to full capacity when you’re around.”


Smooth as a baby’s bottom.


She grinned again in pride at her own ability to skirt around the topic while Tara blushed. She was grateful when at the end of the staircase was just two double doors with a plaque next to them confirming it was the laundry room and did the honours of kicking the doors open, standing with her back to one so Tara could get in.


The room was thankfully empty, but Willow was instantly intimidated by the numerous washing machines lining the wall as well as a block dead centre of the room, most of them already vibrating with movement.


She vowed not to show it as she followed Tara into one of the corners, which had two of the only free washing machines next to each other and set her hamper down on the floor.


She watched Tara start to toss her clothes into one of the washing machines one-by-one, so decided to follow suit in a more what she thought to be pragmatic way and just tossed the entire contents of her hamper into the other.


“Whoa, sweetie,” Tara said as she saw the action, her eyes widening, “Aren’t you separating?”


“From my clothes?” Willow asked in confusion, pulling at the collar of her shirt, then taking a step back in embarrassment, “They stink, don’t they? Should I run up and get a robe to wear?”


Tara shook her head in confusion.


“No, I mean the ones…” she trailed off and gestured into the machine, “Your darks and your lights.”


Willow gulped, wishing the ground could open up and swallow her at that moment.


“Right, of course! Because, the, um…”


“Colours would run together,” Tara finished for her, before her eyes went wide in realisation, “Have you never done laundry before?”


Willow remained silent, but the look on her face gave her away, while Tara looked a little dumbfounded.


“How many clothes do you have?”


Willow sighed, knowing the jig was up and slumped back against the machines.


“There’s a local service…they’re called lazybones. I just put my clothes into a laundry bag all together and call them and then they collect it and bring it back all nice and clean and folded the next day.”


“That sounds…” Tara started, unsure how to respond, “Expensive.”


Willow shrugged.


“Well I figured it would probably even out with my time and the cost of detergent and everything.”


Tara couldn’t help a tiny smile.


“How much do you think detergent costs?”


Willow shrugged, she had no clue, though had the idea in her head that it was among the expensive items in a regular shopping cart.


“30 bucks?” she ventured.


Tara held up the bottle of detergent she’d brought.


“$6. It does 32 loads. Lasts a whole semester.”


Willow looked like she was just told she’d gotten an F on an exam and quickly averted her gaze.


“You must think I’m such a snobby brat.”


Tara features softened and she reached out to rub Willow’s upper arm.


“No. I don’t. You just never learned at home?”


Willow shook her head.


“A cleaning lady came in once a week, even when my parents were gone, took care of everything. I just never had to think about it. My parents were big on ‘study, study, study’ when I moved out here, prepaid the whole year for the laundry service. I just kept it up myself this year, it didn’t occur to me not to.”


Tara could see Willow was embarrassed and continued to rub her arm.


“Why did you say you wanted to do your laundry with me if you use that service?”


Willow shrugged again, still looking away.


“I wanted to be with you.”


“Oh, honey,” Tara replied, unable to hide a small, touched smile, “I can do my laundry some other time, when you’re in class.”


Willow shook her head, not wanting to disrupt Tara any further.


“No, no, I mean we’re down here now.”


Tara glanced between the two hampers.


“I could do your laundry for you if you wanted?”


Willow again shook her head, even more vigorously.


“I can’t ask you to do that.”


“You didn’t, I offered,” Tara replied softly, but saw Willow was uncomfortable with it, “Well how about I show you how it’s done?”


“Really?” Willow asked, wanting to regain some face.


Tara smiled kindly and nodded.


“It’s not that hard, I promise. Might save you some money.”


Which I’ll spend on you for being such an amazing girlfriend.


Willow just smiled instead of voicing her thought and started to reach back into the machine.


“So I guess I better take all these out, right?”


Tara helped her scoop her clothes back into her hamper, then bent down onto her knees and took a black pair of pants, leaving them to one side, and a green shirt, putting them on the other side.


“So this pile is for lights and this one is darks,” she said gesturing between the two, “You don’t look like you have any whites, but if you do, put them in a different pile too, but we might have to come back another day to do them.”


Willow nodded to show she understood and began to pick and sort her clothes, quite enjoying the new way of organising, before a particular garment gave her pause.


“What about ones that are light and dark?” she asked, holding up a pair of stripped black and pink panties, before suddenly bunching them and blushing when she realised what exactly they were.


“They can go in the lights,” Tara replied, her cheeks flushing a little too but her tone remaining as kind as ever.


Willow dropped them into the lights pile, trying to discreetly cover them and the rest of her underwear. A few t-shirts followed and some odd socks until her hamper was finally empty.


Tara had two similar piles and glanced up and around the room for a moment before looking back to Willow.


“Do you mind if we throw our stuff in together? There’s only two machines free.”


“Sure,” Willow smiled, loving the idea of the domesticity of them doing so.


Tara smiled and gathered her ‘lights’ pile, throwing them into the machine, then did the same with Willow’s.


“You have to be careful not to overload the machines, but this looks fine.”


Willow nodded again and grabbed the bottle of detergent, keen to learn.


“Where do you put this in? I remember watching our house cleaner do it once when I was little but our machine opened at the top, it didn’t have a front circle-y door like this one.”


“Oh, well these ones have a little drawer,” Tara explained, opening said drawer, “You just pour a capful in.”


“Can I do it?” Willow asked eagerly, already unscrewing the top.


“Of course,” Tara replied, “There’s a little line in the cap that tells you where to fill it to and then you can just pour it in.”


Willow, with scientific precision, filled the cap of detergent and poured it into the allocated slot.


“Did I do it right?” she asked, her eyes wide with childlike hope.


Tara smiled and nodded.


“Best detergent-pouring I’ve ever seen.”


The words could have been mocking, but coming from Tara, they were nothing but genuine. Willow looked shy, but proud, and excited that she’d learned a new task.


“Now what do we do?”


“We turn the machine to the right setting,” Tara answered, showing Willow the different indicators.


“I didn’t realise there were so many options,” Willow replied, trying to make sense of all the different words and symbols, “Isn't there just a 'wash' button?”


“Well different types of clothing require different temperatures and stuff,” Tara responded, then began to point out what they needed for that load, “This one we can put on a cold wash, spin cycle and set it to dry after.”


Willow seemed surprised.


“It’s a dryer too?”


Tara nodded.


“The whole laundry room got revamped last year, they took out the old machines and put in these combos. I think a lot of people complained about there never being a free machine.”


Willow listened, then suddenly looked sad, but tried to hide it as they got their dark load on as well.


“I normally wait until it’s finished,” Tara said as both machines filled with water and began to spin, “People dump your clothes on the floor if you’re not down here the moment it’s done, some even take them out in the middle of the cycle if there’s no machines available.”


“Sure, we can wait,” Willow nodded, though her enthusiasm had clearly been deflated.


Tara led them over to the nearest wall and sat down, pulling her knees up to her chest while Willow sat turned at an angle towards her, her back leaning against the vending machine in the room. She kept her gaze down and idly turned the wheel underneath around, until she felt Tara take her hand in her lap and shuffle towards her.


“What’s wrong, sweetie? You got all sad between loads. Are you worried about folding them? Because I can do it for you, no problem.”


Willow couldn’t help but smile both at the assumption and offer but shook her head.


“No, that's not it. It's just...I always thought I was such a proud student. You know, go eagles! Not that I went to any sporting events, but still. Proud to go here. But I don’t know anything that’s even going on in my own building, let alone the whole campus. Didn’t know about why it was built or why the single rooms have bathrooms or that the laundry room got a makeover. Hell, I’ve never even been to the kitchen. Or anywhere really on the ground floor before I met you. Been in the student lounge maybe twice. I would just go right upstairs to my dorm, la la la, who cares that I live in a community.”


Tara was confused as to where this was coming from but did her best to comfort her girlfriend.


“Honey, there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re a great student, the university is lucky to have you,” she replied with a hand squeeze, though could tell straight away there was more to this than Willow had revealed, “But that’s not what you’re upset about.”


“Stop knowing me so well, it’s scary,” Willow responded, trying to laugh off the tension, but her shoulders remained tight and it was obvious after a moment that she was trying to swallow a lump that had formed in her throat before she spoke again, though far more choked this time, “You were right there, right below me for eighteen months and I didn’t even know it because I didn’t bother to look.”


“Willow…” Tara tried to venture but was quickly cut off.


“No, it’s true,” Willow replied with another swallow as words began to tumble out, “I let Becky set me up to get her off my back and when those girls…girl, singular, actually from the LGBT club asked me out I agreed because I thought that’s what you were supposed to do, I mean girls who don’t get asked out take any opportunity they can get right? It didn’t make sense to me, but that’s what everyone kept saying! Beggars can’t be choosers! Even though I didn’t really think I was a beggar because I don’t see the point of dating someone just for the sake of dating someone. But that’s not how the world works, Willow! A date is a date, you’ve got to get yourself out there! And I told you I never got past date three with any of them but that was a lie because I never even got past date one I just didn’t want you to think I was a loser that no one wanted to see again!”


Tara watched in alarm as Willow’s face grew as red as her hair in her exertions and quickly clasped her hand between both of hers.


“Take a breath, darling,” she encouraged, then felt a pang in her heart when she saw a single tear fall down Willow’s cheek and reached for a Kleenex that she had in her pocket and gently wiped it away, “Hey, now, you’re getting all worked up. You thought me, Miss No-Dates-Ever would judge you over that?”


Willow shook her head.


“Not now. But I’d already said it,” she replied with a sniffle, gratefully taking the tissue and wiping at her eyes, “I…I don’t mind that I went out on those dates. And I’m glad I didn’t let myself be pressured into continuing with them. It all just confirms to me how special what I feel for you is now. I just wish so much time hadn’t been wasted. All I had to do was…come down to the lounge on a Tuesday night when you were watching your show or made an effort to get to know more people in the building or…just done my own damn laundry. And I could have found you.”


Tara could see this was a clear point of contention for Willow and has obviously been on her mind for longer than just that moment. She shuffled over so they were shoulder to shoulder and let their clasped hands rest on her thigh.


“Maybe we met when we did for a reason. Maybe we both needed time to be by ourselves before we were ready to be together.”


Willow turned her head towards Tara.


“What do you mean?”


“Well,” Tara started in answer, “We both went through a lot of stuff in our first year of college, stuff we needed to go through. We needed time. So I could deal with my past, be open to our relationship. So you could come out to your parents, for yourself, by yourself. College was such a big change, we probably both needed the time to adjust and settle in before throwing ourselves into this adventure. I think things happened just the way they were supposed to.”


“You don’t wish we’d known each other sooner?” Willow asked, a little hurt.


Tara just smiled.


“I feel like I’ve known you my whole life.”


Willow finally let a little smile of her own form and decided she liked Tara’s explanation.


“The timing thing makes sense,” she agreed, before her eyes lit up, “Einstein said ‘The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once’. If you can’t trust Einstein on this stuff, who can you trust?”


“He definitely seems like a credible source,” Tara agreed with a crooked smile, then leaned over to leave a quick kiss on Willow’s cheek, “You okay?”


Willow was a little embarrassed at her outburst but was mostly giddy from feeling Tara’s lips on her cheek.


“I know you must really like me when you don’t go running after my crazy freak-outs.”


“My mom told me never to run away from the truth,” Tara replied promptly and with genuine warmth, “Being with you is the truest thing I’ve ever felt.”


Willow felt another tightening in her throat and opened her mouth to reply; to reiterate, to tell Tara how right and true and perfect being with her felt, but couldn’t find even a single word that would express it all in the hundreds of thousands of words that lived in her brain.


She eventually settled for another soft smile.


“She sounds smarter than Einstein.”


Tara seemed to agree as her eyes glanced away with a fond smile, before she dropped her head to rest on Willow’s shoulder. Willow turned her face in to kiss the part in her hair, taking the opportunity to discreetly inhale the spicy vanilla scent Tara seemed to emanate from her.


“You make me so happy,” she whispered, so quiet that it was lost, but it didn’t matter, the sentiment seemed to be just permeating the air around them.


After a few minutes of quiet contentment staying in that embrace, Tara lifted her head and twisted it a few times to stretch out a kink that had started to form before relaxing back to rest it against the machine behind them.


Willow shifted a little so they were still as close as they could be without sitting in each others' lap and smiled as their gazes settled on one another.


“Never been kissed in a laundry room, you know,” she said, leaving out it was only one of the multitude of places she hadn’t been kissed before meeting Tara, “I have to wonder… would it be different than say a dorm room…or in a bar…or…”


“We made out in the library last week,” Tara helped out, making Willow go wide-eyed with the same giddiness than when they’d actually been doing it.


“In front of the books!”


Tara smiled softly; Willow had explained to her the next morning why kissing in front of the books had had such an effect on her.


“Do you think they were judging our technique?”


“Well I don’t know about you, but I’m not taking any judgement from Scout Finch or Holden Caulfield!” Willow replied with a giggle, which made Tara laugh too.


Willow felt herself smiling as she watched how Tara’s whole face lit up with her laugh; her nose scrunching and eyes bright. The sun chose that moment to move across the window above them, cascading her face in light.


“You’re so beautiful,” she said, the words coming before she even realised, but was happy for them to do so.


Tara blushed and went to drop her gaze, but found it too firmly held to be able to. She lifted their conjoined hands and tapped her fingertips against Willow’s as she leant over to close the small gap between their lips.


Willow smiled against her girlfriend’s lips and decided that kissing in the laundry room was every bit as wonderful as any other place, as long as it was Tara’s lips she was kissing.


They were able to go a little longer undisturbed than their library antics this time, before Willow began pulling at Tara’s hip. The motion inadvertently urged Tara backwards and gave the soda machine enough momentum to push itself away, causing them both to slip a little.


“Whoops,” Tara commented with a shy smile, “We moved the soda machine.”


“Maybe it wanted in on the action,” Willow joked before suddenly jumping up and fishing for change in her pocket, “Wanna share a root beer?”


Tara nodded.


“Sure.”


Willow dropped four quarters into the coin slot and pressed the button for root beer, then heard the rumble of indication that the can was being dropped. The clang happened a moment later and Willow retrieved it, then held it up with a sigh.


“We got Mountain Dew,” she said, sitting back down beside Tara and popping the tab, “Guess the soda machine wasn’t included in the revamp.”


She offered Tara the first sip, then took one herself, giving a satisfied sigh as she left it on the floor between them. She retook Tara’s hand and shot an affectionate smile in her direction.


“Doing laundry together. I like it. I think lazybones have gotten their last phone call from me. We could even have a standing laundry date if you wanted.”


Tara seemed keen and returned the smile.


“That would be nice. I normally bring a book to read while I waited, but you’re much better company.”


Willow looked bashful but pleased.


“Is this time kind of time good? Tuesday afternoons? We both have those afternoons free. How often do you do it?”


“Once a week,” Tara answered, “And this is always been when I’ve done it, so definitely works for me.”


“Great!” Willow beamed, “I’ll even provide the soda.”


She held up the can in a mock-toast and delighted in the giggle it produced from her girlfriend.


They shared the rest of the soda and chatted some, having to forego any more kissing sessions when more people arrived to collect their laundry and some stayed to do more loads.


Their machines finished the cycles within just a few seconds of each other, and Tara showed Willow how to easily fold the clothes back into the hamper. There was some blushing as they handed each other bras and panties as they sorted and folded until they were all finished and heading back in the direction of Tara’s dorm.


“…and the big ball of yarn said string theory!” Willow delivered the punch line to the joke she’d been telling on the way up, beaming when Tara actually laughed, “No one ever gets my jokes.”


“I think they’re funny,” Tara replied with a smile as she set her hamper on the floor outside her room to put the key in the lock, “But I might have to brush up on my particle physics if they get any more complicated.”


“The fact that you know the words ‘particle physics’ is more than enough for me,” Willow answered as she followed Tara into her dorm, then looked down at her own hamper, “Guess I better bring these upstairs.”


“Okay,” Tara responded as she set hers down on her bed and started to remove her clothes to put away, “Oh, by the way, I cleared out a drawer for you if you wanted to leave some stuff instead of stuffing your pyjamas into your book bag in the mornings.”


Willow’s eyes almost bugged out of her head, but she tried to remain as composed as Tara seemed to be, calmly sorting her clothing into piles.


“You…you’re giving me a drawer?”


“Uh huh,” Tara replied casually, not looking up, “I can make more room if you need it.”


Willow felt like letting out a squeal of joy and doing a happy dance all at the same time but managed to stay collected as she walked over to the dresser and saw the top, emptied one just a little open.


“So I’m just gonna leave my stuff in here. My clothes. That I wear. And change into. Here.”


Tara looked over her shoulder and smiled, not aware of the social meaning behind the gesture, though did get a thrill from the idea of Willow sharing her space in such a way.


Willow reached up to the knob on the dresser and pulled it out more, looking inside reverently, seeing so much more than just an empty space. She took a second to take in the enormity of it, wondering if she was making too big a deal, but then decided no; this was a big moment.


She started to fold some clothes into the drawer, separating it into four parts in her mind; some pants in the first quarter, followed by a few neatly stacked t-shirts, then her three favourite sweaters and ended with her bras, panties and socks aligned tidily.


I could stay here for a whole week without having to go up to my dorm!


She kicked her now half-emptied hamper into the corner to deal with later and waltzed over to Tara, holding her from behind. She rested her chin on her girlfriend’s shoulder and felt Tara wiggle happily.


She closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the embrace, then opened them and chuckled when she saw a kitten-patterned sock poking out between two of Tara’s t-shirts.


“You stole my sock.”


Tara spotted the errant sock sticking out in the corner and plucked it up, holding it out for Willow.


“Forgive me?”


Willow felt herself melt at the smile she was given and adjusted her gaze coyly with her own answering grin.


“Yeah.”


She took the sock and tossed it over to her hamper before wrapping her arms around Tara tight again.


“I’m sorry, I’m almost done,” Tara said, mistaking it for impatience, “Just let me put them away and we can do something.”


Willow shook her head into Tara’s neck.


“Take your time.”


She gave her girlfriend’s midsection a squeeze and kissed the corner of her eye.


“Long as I don’t have to move from right here, I’m the happiest girl in the world.”

[BuffyFan4ever]

Dibs

Great chapter.

Glad Willow learned to do laundry and that Tara was so understanding. The whole scene was very cute.

“No, that's not it. It's just...I always thought I was such a proud student. You know, go eagles! Not that I went to any sporting events, but still. Proud to go here. But I don’t know anything that’s even going on in my own building, let alone the whole campus. Didn’t know about why it was built or why the single rooms have bathrooms or that the laundry room got a makeover. Hell, I’ve never even been to the kitchen. Or anywhere really on the ground floor before I met you. Been in the common room maybe twice. I would just go right upstairs to my dorm, la la la, who cares that I live in a community.”

I can definitely relate. At least Willow got to know her roommate and went on dates.

“Whoops,” Tara commented with a shy smile, “We moved the soda machine.”

And it was the way non-witches do it.

“Wanna share a root beer?”
...
“We got Mountain Dew,”

"Ah trusty vending machine, I push rootbeer, you give me Coke." Sounds like Sunnydale finally got rid of theirs.

Hooray for Tara letting Willow have a drawer.

Can't wait for more.

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for great update-y goodness... Extra big yay for their laundry room date... I'm glad that Tara teached Willow how to do laundry...

[wimpy0729]

Ah, Laragh, you can even turn the menial task of laundry into a sweet adventure.

Tara handled Willow being inexperienced in laundry so perfectly. She recognized Willow's embarrassment and did the best thing she could -- taught her how to do it. Every little thing they do together is another step toward togetherness.

And now Willow has a drawer, her own drawer in Tara's room, where she changes, right there. Wow. I'm surprised she didn't do a happy dance, but I give her props for playing it cool when she was so obviously overjoyed.

I gotta say I love Tara's philosophy on things.

“Maybe we met when we did for a reason. Maybe we both needed time to be by ourselves before we were ready to be together.”

I totally believe this 110%. Things happen when they're meant to happen, and I think their coffee spillage meeting was exactly how and when it was supposed to be.

As for the girls bodily reactions to naughty thoughts, all you had to do was mention Willow realizing she was wet and my mind went straight to Naughtyland. It's a lovely place and I like to visit it often. But I can't help but be curious about how their thought processes are moving right now. They're young, never been in relationships and a lot of this stuff is new to them. I doubt either of them has ever had anyone to talk to about anything like this. Willow was scared that Tara would know she had gotten aroused like that, but I agree that Tara is more secure in these things. I can't wait to see how they learn about some of these things together. I'm sure it will be a wonderful journey for them both.

More soon please?

Wimpy

[willowtaralover]

“Hey, just me,” Willow’s voice came, followed by her body as she came in and shut the door behind her, “You should keep that locked, even if you’re here. This campus has some weirdos, what if you were in the shower or something?”

I'm pretty sure that if Willow discovered Tara in the shower it would definitely lead to .

“I guess I just liked reading when I didn’t have to write thousands of words of essays on them. Or analyse things that the damn author probably never even thought about.”

I sympathise with Becky here as it was the same when I did film studies at University. I'll never watch 'Rocky Horror Show' the same way again.

From what Willow says pre 1900 literature sounds like it would be fun, or at least interesting, to study.

“Oh no,” Willow shook her head, “I, um…attend to it as needed.”

Which I guess means very rarely to never

“From my clothes?” Willow asked in confusion, pulling at the collar of her shirt, then taking a step back in embarrassment, “They stink, don’t they? Should I run up and get a robe to wear?”

oh Willow, so adorably adorable.

Tara just has to be the sweetest, kindest person in the universe, being so understanding about Willow's never having done her own laundry in the past and offering to help teach Willow how to do her laundry. And Willow is just as sweet wanting to be with Tara, though that's something all kittens want.

I love the scene where Willow is being shown what to do by Tara and she asks if she can fill the cap and pour it in. Her childish enthusiasm reminds us that both she and Tara never really got to have the proper childhood that they both should have had.

Willow's huge babble in the laundry room is actually quite sad and suggests that she has more than a few issues about her self image. But at least Tara is there to reassure her

“Whoops,” Tara commented with a shy smile, “We moved the soda machine.”

“We got Mountain Dew,” she said, sitting back down beside Tara and popping the tab, “Guess the soda machine wasn’t included in the revamp.”

Love it two episode references in one with 'Hush' and then 'Graduation Day part one' both being referred to.

“Long as I don’t have to move from right here, I’m the happiest girl in the world.”

A big YAY for Willow finally being able to keep her clothes in Tara's room. It won't be long before she moves in to Tara's permanently.

[taralicious]

Tara picked up a couple of odd socks

And Willow has quirky socks to go with the different coloured pens, right?

“I was just going to do my laundry.”

There really should be a college freshman tutorial video DIY series with Willow and Tara guiding hapless kids away from home through all the mundane domestic tasks 'cause Tara showing Willow how to do laundry step by step turned me on since i could hear Amber's voice doing the narraration.

have you ever tried to study American literature from pre-1900? Boring.”

Yes I have and it was a good time for me but I'm the guy who spent as much time in the library than he did the classroom through Uni.

“Pre-1900 literature sounds like it would be fun to study. Mark Twain, Dubois. Writings from the civil war, the philosophical challenge of Darwinism.

Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward and its vision of a social Utopia in the future. the works of Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll.

“Colours would run together,”

And after that dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

“Well how about I show you how it’s done?”

This is where the tutorial video would begin; with Tara guiding Willow through the steps of doing laundry and slowly fondling Willow's undergarments and...

but I’m not taking any judgement from Scout Finch or Holden Caulfield!”

Shout out to Harper Lee and J.D. Salinger

The motion inadvertently urged Tara backwards and gave the soda machine enough momentum to push itself away, causing them both to slip a little.

How did they do this? Magic.

“…and the big ball of yarn said string theory!”

[/quote][/quote]
Wizards of Waverly Place was such a great show and Selena Gomez was hot even at 14
This isn't as random as it may seem. Justin tells that joke in an early episode.
And Willow gets a drawer in Tara's dresser. nice

[Laragh]

Buffyfan4ever –

Glad Willow learned to do laundry and that Tara was so understanding. The whole scene was very cute.

Glad you enjoyed it

I can definitely relate. At least Willow got to know her roommate and went on dates.

Me too. I’m the token recluse.

And it was the way non-witches do it.

Just had to throw it in.

"Ah trusty vending machine, I push rootbeer, you give me Coke." Sounds like Sunnydale finally got rid of theirs.

I’m was always more of a Dew than Coke fan

Hooray for Tara letting Willow have a drawer.

Big deal…things are moving along!

Thanks for commenting!

zampsa19752001 –

Extra big yay for their laundry room date... I'm glad that Tara teached Willow how to do laundry...

Glad you enjoyed it, it’s an important life skill!

Thanks for your comment!

wimpy0729 –

Tara handled Willow being inexperienced in laundry so perfectly. She recognized Willow's embarrassment and did the best thing she could -- taught her how to do it. Every little thing they do together is another step toward togetherness.

It is indeed! And another step towards things that might be said in this chapter…

And now Willow has a drawer, her own drawer in Tara's room, where she changes, right there. Wow. I'm surprised she didn't do a happy dance, but I give her props for playing it cool when she was so obviously overjoyed.

Oh she did an internal one, I’m sure.

I gotta say I love Tara's philosophy on things.

She’s very much of the everything happens for a reason train of thought.

I totally believe this 110%. Things happen when they're meant to happen, and I think their coffee spillage meeting was exactly how and when it was supposed to be.

So do I!

As for the girls bodily reactions to naughty thoughts, all you had to do was mention Willow realizing she was wet and my mind went straight to Naughtyland. It's a lovely place and I like to visit it often.

Oh, don’t worry, me too.

But I can't help but be curious about how their thought processes are moving right now. They're young, never been in relationships and a lot of this stuff is new to them. I doubt either of them has ever had anyone to talk to about anything like this.

It’s sometimes really hard to show the progression in thought processes because it would be odd to just insert a random line in a chapter, but there’s not enough content to flesh out a whole one.

So what I think Willow’s now is; omg I’m getting turned on omg what do I do>omg I’m getting turned on…and it feels really good>she’s turning me on…could she touch me more?>please touch me more…don’t say it, don’t pressure her…>holy crap, is she going to touch me?!

Whereas Tara’s is; I love how you make me feel>I’d love to let you touch me more>you can keep touching me…but I’m too shy to say it>you’re touching me more…you want me too>Touch me everywhere…I want it all.

Willow was scared that Tara would know she had gotten aroused like that, but I agree that Tara is more secure in these things. I can't wait to see how they learn about some of these things together. I'm sure it will be a wonderful journey for them both

Well, here’s hoping!

Thanks for the feedback!

willowtaralover –

I'm pretty sure that if Willow discovered Tara in the shower it would definitely lead to

I think it would lead to lots of squirming and embarrassment

I sympathise with Becky here as it was the same when I did film studies at University. I'll never watch 'Rocky Horror Show' the same way again.

I feel your pain!

From what Willow says pre 1900 literature sounds like it would be fun, or at least interesting, to study.

I think anything can be interesting given the right frame of mind.

Which I guess means very rarely to never

Pretty much

oh Willow, so adorably adorable.

Isn’t she just!

Tara just has to be the sweetest, kindest person in the universe, being so understanding about Willow's never having done her own laundry in the past and offering to help teach Willow how to do her laundry. And Willow is just as sweet wanting to be with Tara, though that's something all kittens want.

I love the scene where Willow is being shown what to do by Tara and she asks if she can fill the cap and pour it in. Her childish enthusiasm reminds us that both she and Tara never really got to have the proper childhood that they both should have had.

They sort of get to experience it all together now – how good life can be.

Willow's huge babble in the laundry room is actually quite sad and suggests that she has more than a few issues about her self image. But at least Tara is there to reassure her

I think she definitely does have a lot of self-deprecating issues…but she’ll learn to stop beating herself up so much.

Love it two episode references in one with 'Hush' and then 'Graduation Day part one' both being referred to.

The first one, yeah, the second one not so much. I didn’t really watch the episodes Tara wasn’t in.

A big YAY for Willow finally being able to keep her clothes in Tara's room. It won't be long before she moves in to Tara's permanently.

You’re quite right!

Thanks for commenting

taralicious –

And Willow has quirky socks to go with the different coloured pens, right?

But of course.

There really should be a college freshman tutorial video DIY series with Willow and Tara guiding hapless kids away from home through all the mundane domestic tasks 'cause Tara showing Willow how to do laundry step by step turned me on since i could hear Amber's voice doing the narraration.

Is this alongside the cooking show?

Yes I have and it was a good time for me but I'm the guy who spent as much time in the library than he did the classroom through Uni. … Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward and its vision of a social Utopia in the future. the works of Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll.

When you look a little deeper, there’s always something interesting to find.

And after that dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

We’d soon plummet into cannibalism.

This is where the tutorial video would begin; with Tara guiding Willow through the steps of doing laundry and slowly fondling Willow's undergarments and...

Surprise! It’s a porno.

Shout out to Harper Lee and J.D. Salinger

How did they do this? Magic.

The magic of love!

Wizards of Waverly Place was such a great show and Selena Gomez was hot even at 14
This isn't as random as it may seem. Justin tells that joke in an early episode.

Are we going to pretend it’s not weird you watch kids shows? (I tease, I tease)

And Willow gets a drawer in Tara's dresser. Nice

And soon some closet space, then her own nightstand and soon the world *evil cackle*

Thanks for commenting

---

Update Directly Below

[Laragh]

********

TITLE: College Confidential

AUTHOR: Laragh

CHAPTER RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.

SUMMARY: The first part of the prequel to Hacker Confidential and Family Confidential - the college years!

SPOILERS: Perhaps minor references to the show or stealage of dialogue, but nothing that would spoil the series.

FEEDBACK: Yes please

Chapter 15

********


“Your hair is so pretty.”


Tara looked up from the textbook she had been reading from and blushed.


“You’re supposed to be studying.”


Willow shuffled on her stomach along the grass in the quad to get closer to Tara.


“I am. I’m studying you and your pretty hair.”


Willow closed her own textbook, deciding it was much too dull a thing to be concentrating on when she was lying out in the sun with her girlfriend.


“I love your zigzag part. It must take forever.”


Tara tried to keep her focus, but couldn’t help smiling.


“Not really, I normally just do while I’m reading over notes for whatever class I have that morning.”


“Yeah I’ve seen you playing with your hair a few mornings,” Willow mused, leaning over to kiss right in the middle of her head, “Well it’s super cute.”


Tara smiled shyly and turned the page of her textbook, highlighter ready for when she needed it. After several moments realised she had a very steady gaze fixed on her. She turned her head and saw Willow resting her chin under her palms, just smiling at her.


“Willow, you have an exam in the morning,” she tried to reason.


“I’ve studied!” Willow protested, not wanting to be disturbed from her favourite pastime of late, “I know it! Ask me anything! Chromosomes; social influences; systemising and empathising thinking; gender contention – I’m all schooled up!”


“We agreed we’d study for an hour,” Tara replied, looking at her watch pointedly, “It’s only been twenty minutes.”


“Fine,” Willow grumbled, dramatically dropping her head against her textbook.


Who would have thought I’d ever be annoyed about studying? Well it’s dumb and unnecessary when Tara-gazing could be occurring!


She flipped her textbook open and pretended to read for appearances sake, but she wasn’t really taking anything in – she was being truthful before, she really had boned up on what she needed to for her exam the following day; and while a second, third and fourth re-checking of this information would be commonplace for her, it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, she was lying under her favourite oak tree with her favourite person, and she had better ideas than reading the same things over and over again.


Key parental roles, blah blah, social expectations, blah blah blah, chromosomal abnormalities, blah blah BLAH.


She leaned her head down on the left side of her book and pretended to read the right page, all the while taking sneaky glances of Tara. She smiled, proud at her sneakiness, but also in admiration of how beautiful Tara looked; the sun hitting against her face and lighting it up, the way she was nibbling on the lid of her highlighter, the way her brow creased every so often when she had to re-read something to make sense of it.


She’s so perfect. Has it been an hour yet?


She glanced at her watch and saw that no, it hadn’t been, but they were edging closer, so that was something at least. She wondered if she might be able to get away with playing on her phone (and maybe take a sneaky picture or two) to pass the last few minutes, but her attempt at a hidden forage in her nearby book bag only located an apple she’d thrown in there at lunch.


She shrugged, figuring it was better than nothing and dug her teeth into the shiny green skin. She looked down at her textbook again and saw there was only two pages in the chapter left to reread, on the at least moderately interesting subject of the media’s constructions of femininity and masculinity, so she resolved to finish it, but not before doing the polite thing and offer to share her apple – she was nothing if not well-mannered.


“Want a bite?”


Tara turned her head away from the book and shook her head softly. She was about to voice gratitude for the offer, when an unexpected shiver went through her spine – the sun had moved to hide behind the tree and the late afternoon was bringing in a light breeze.


Willow saw it straight away and dropped her apple onto her book before whipping her sweater off to leave over her girlfriend’s shoulders. Tara shook her head and started to hand it back.


“Don’t be silly, Will. You only have a little t-shirt on, you’ll be cold.”


“You just shivered, therefore already are cold,” Willow countered, refusing to take the item of clothing back, “Anyway, I'm from California, I’m warm-blooded. I don’t need the sweater.”


Tara again went to shrug it off.


“But-”


“Let me take care of my girl,” Willow interrupted with a warm smile, “Okay?”


Tara smiled bashfully and pulled the sweater on completely, thankful it fit her comfortably and she wouldn’t stretch it out. She shot Willow a grateful look and leaned over to show her gratitude with her lips.


Love how sweet she is…Love how much she cares about me…Love her kisses…Love her. Love…her. Love her. I love her. I love her.


She retreated from the kiss, her eyes wide at the sudden clarity of thought. Willow wiped her mouth self-consciously when she saw what she perceived as Tara gaping at her.


“What’s wrong? Do I have something in my teeth?”


Tara was snapped back into reality then and quickly shook her head.


“No, no. It’s just I…”


She swallowed her words, unsure whether to voice them.


Should she say it?


What if Willow didn’t feel the same?


Was it too soon?


They’d only been together a couple of months, though she had no idea what the social conventions on this kind of thing were. Even if she did, she had a feeling they hadn’t been following them in their relationship so far anyway.


“I just remembered I forgot to take a book back to the library.”


She hoped it wasn’t obvious how blatant a lie that was, and appeared to be successful as Willow just smiled at her.


“Oh. Don’t worry about, I’m going later anyway. I’ll take it back for you.”


“Thanks,” Tara replied, forcing a weak smile and wondering what book she had that she could give her girlfriend to return.


She turned back to her book but any attempts at studying went out the window as the words all mashed together, her brain unable to contemplate anything but these newly-discovered feelings.


She remembered when she was very little and her mother had told her she loved her at least three times a day. She had asked why once and her mother had simply said that when you loved someone, you should tell them.


“Willow?” she tried after another minute or two, thinking she’d found the confidence.


Willow turned her head again and smiled.


“Uh huh?”


Tara opened her mouth, but couldn't quite get the words out.


“I…I think you’ve got something in your hair,” she clenched her teeth and kicked herself internally as she chickened out and pretended to pick out an invisible piece of lint from Willow’s hair, “Got it.”


“Thanks, baby,” Willow replied warmly, taking the last bite of her apple before tossing the core into a nearby trashcan.


She turned the last page of her chapter and closed her eyes to make sure she could list the examples without looking, when suddenly she felt something fly past her hand. She looked down and saw a small, ripped and folded piece of notebook paper sitting square in the centre of her book.


She was confused as to where it came from and examined the pages of her textbook to see if it had somehow grown hands and had gotten into self-mutilation. When that, what seemed to be obvious reason to her, was ruled out, she opted for further examination and picked the piece of paper up, unfolding the two creases until it was flat.


She read the words etched onto it, but it only further increased her confusion.


I love you. I love you. The paper loves me? Or the pen loves the paper and wrote on it to tell it? Clearly I’ve gone completely crazy. Loony, screwy, kooky. All because of Tara. Yep–Tara! Tara! Tara wrote this!


Her breath caught in her throat as some rationale finally broke through.


She loves me! She’s telling me she loves me! And I love her! Of course I do! Tell her, quick!


She turned her head and saw Tara trying to appear to be calmly reading her textbook, but her tense body language said differently. Willow closed her own book, making sure the scrap of paper was safe inside, and lay back down on her stomach beside Tara.


She opened her mouth to speak; so many words ready to fall out, so many ways she could express how she was feeling, but in the end she, for once, knew she only needed a few.


“I love you, too.”


Tara blinked a couple of times, unsure if she'd heard right. She chanced turning her head towards Willow, about to shakily ask if she'd heard what she thought she'd heard, but Willow took gentle possession of her lips before she had a chance.


Tara couldn't help but respond, the soft caress calming her pounding heart, but only for a minute. She broke the kiss but stayed close; eyes meeting Willow's, hopeful yet vulnerable.


“I just have to make sure…I didn’t just imagine that you said-”


Willow cut her off by smiling and bumping their noses together.


“I love you,” she whispered, “I love you with all my heart.”


“You do?” Tara asked, her voice soft but emotional.


Willow reached for one of Tara’s hands and held it tenderly.


“It’s so weird, I didn’t even realise that I hadn’t said it. Like, I felt it in my heart and just... I love you. I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you. I love you. I love you so much.”


Tara looked down at the hand covering hers and smiled softly.


“I feel the same.”


Willow sought out Tara’s eyes, shining with giddy joy.


“You gonna tell me or do I have to read the paper again?”


Tara blushed lightly but kept Willow’s gaze.


“I love you, Willow.”


Willow's breath audibly quickened.


“Wow,” she said, rubbing her hand over her chest as she felt a deep fluttering sensation, “We might have to limit how often you say that or I might have a heart attack. Actually scratch that. Worth it. Say it again.”


Tara cradled Willow's hand tenderly and drew a shy circle on her palm.


“I love you.”


Willow smile slowly spread across her face, then she jumped up in excitement. She let out a happy yelp and pulled Tara up with her, twirling her around.


“We’re in love, we're in love!”


They attracted a few stares but neither seemed to care much as Willow wrapped her arms Tara and hugged her tight. She pressed her lips against her girlfriend’s ear, then cupped her cheeks to kiss all over her face.


“Okay, that's it, I'm putting my girlfriend-y foot down! No more study!” Willow announced, bouncing on the balls of her feet, then added on sheepishly, “I mean, if that's okay with you.”


Tara smiled and nodded; she knew any concentration for the day had long been flown out the window.


Willow clapped her hands together, then made a grab for Tara's.


“Let me take you out for dinner. I’ve never taken you out to a restaurant and if ever there was an occasion…” she trailed off hopefully, but saw Tara’s instant unease at the suggestion, “I’m not talking some place with a French name we can’t even pronounce. How about that little Italian we pass on the way to the T? I’ve never been but it looks nice. Cosy. Please, Tara? This is special.”


She frowned when she realised she’d just made her girlfriend uncomfortable when Tara still didn’t meet her gaze. She moved her hands to Tara’s hips and kissed her cheek.


“If you wanna get a pizza and eat in bed, that’s fine. More than fine. I just wanted to treat you to something special, because you’re so special to me.”


Tara thought about it for a moment. She felt guilty that she couldn't afford things like restaurants or movie dates - she saved her pennies so she could buy Willow a coffee every once in a while or even get them a pizza once in a blue moon, but that was the extent her budget allowed.


But was it really so bad to let Willow treat her when she seemed so willing? And she couldn't deny it was a special occasion.


She finally let her lips quirk upwards into a shy smile and gave a soft nod.


“Okay. Thank you, that would be really sweet.”


“Really?!” Willow asked, her whole face lighting up, “Yay! Are you hungry, do you want to go now?”


Tara nodded again so Willow quickly went to gather her things.


“Great!” she practically yelled, overcome with excitement as she threw her book bag over her shoulder and gathered the rest of hers and Tara’s books in her arms, “We’ll just drop this stuff off and get changed super quick!”


She ploughed ahead in a half-bounce, half-skip and Tara had to make an effort to keep up.


“Um, all my clean stuff is in my room,” Willow said as they went through the doors of their building, “I’ll meet you in yours in a few?”


“Do you want me to take your books for the morning?” Tara asked, before adding shyly, “If you’re staying over.”


“Haven’t missed a Tara-cuddle yet!” Willow quipped, handing over “I’ll just be a couple of minutes.”


Tara smiled and nodded, then started to turn to walk towards her dorm but Willow suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her back, kissing her warmly on the mouth.


“Love you!” she said giddily before bouncing away and up the stairs.


She took the steps two at a time and did a twirl as she reached the top for good effect. A guy rushing past her stopped to give her an odd look but Willow didn’t even notice as she skipped down the hallway and burst through the door of her room.


“Becky, guess what, she said she–” she started to gush as she entered before promptly squealing when she saw her roommate wasn’t alone in her bed, “So sorry! Leaving! Bye!”


She clapped her hand over her eyes and tried to blindly find her way out the door again, while Becky sat up in her bed and sighed.


“Willow, chill out, we’re fully clothed.”


Willow stopped scrambling around but still had a grimace on her face.


“Didn’t mean to disturb. Just wanted to grab some clothes.”


“You can take your hand away from your eyes,” Becky replied slowly as if speaking to a small child.


Willow dropped her hand but kept her eyes closed another moment before venturing one open, then the other as she gave the man lying next to Becky with slightly-tousled hair an embarrassed wave.


“Hi Paul.”


Paul smiled easily.


“Hi Willow.”


There was a brief lull of awkward silence before Willow turned on her heels and headed straight for her closet.


“So, like I said, just grabbing some clothes,” she said as she pushed some hangers around and tried to find appropriate ‘going-out’ attire, “Taking my lovely girlfriend out. Love-ly. Really, really lovely.”


Becky cast Paul a sidelong look and shook her head as she pushed herself to perch on the end of the bed.


“You’re doing that thing where you think you’re being really obvious and no one has any idea what you’re talking about.”


Willow forwent her search and jumped around then, giddily bouncing on the spot.


“Tara said she loves me!”


Becky’s demeanour instantly changed from annoyed to excited as she stood and rushed over to her friend.


“Did you say it back?”


“Of course!” Willow exclaimed.


“That’s awesome!” Becky replied, grinning, then cast a look over her shoulder at her Paul, “Isn’t that awesome?”


Paul looked like a deer caught in headlights and started to open and close his mouth like a fish.


“Uh…um…uh…”


Becky rolled her eyes, sensing he thought she expected him to say something similar.


“Oh calm down, I’m not looking for a declaration,” she said before turning back to Willow and clapping her hands, “I’m so happy for you.”


“Happy for you,” Paul called out too, though still with a little squeak in his voice.


Becky grinned at Paul’s nerves, but was focused on Willow.


“You said you’re taking her out? Where?”


“That Italian place on the corner,” Willow answered, turning back to her closet, “What do I wear?”


Becky joined her to help.


“What’s she wearing?”


“I-I don’t know,” Willow replied, going wide-eyed, then grabbing the very few items in her closet that would be deemed ‘appropriate’ for such an event, “I’ll bring them all and ask her.”


“Uh, you can just call–” Becky started, but Willow was already skidding towards the door, the bundle of clothes in her hand.


“Thanks, bye,” she called back to them before suddenly coming to a halt as she for the first time noticed a giant screen in Becky’s corner of the room, significantly larger than the one she was used to seeing, “Uh…was that always there? Because I know I haven’t been around much, but I’m pretty sure I’d remember that thing taking over your whole wall.”


Becky walked over and flopped back down on her bed.


“Look what Daddy Dearest bought me for my birthday!”


Willow’s brow creased in confusion.


“Your birthday isn’t ‘til October.”


“Yeah he probably mixed me up with one of the kids from the second family in Montana or the third in New Mexico,” Becky replied with a ‘go figure’ look, then brightened, “Who cares, I got a bitchin’ new TV!”


She had long given up attempting to care about the lack of paternal interest she had in her life and figured she might as well get something out the deal, so happily and wordlessly accepted the gifts sent to her at random occasions.


Willow gave a quiet nod, but was still confused.


“But didn’t your old one work perfectly fine?”


“It wasn’t a flat-screen,” Becky replied in a sing-song voice.


“That is cool,” Willow had to admit, admiring its shiny new-ness, “So what are you doing with your old one?”


Becky shrugged.


“Paul said he’d take it somewhere to toss it.”


“Toss it?” Willow asked in shock, “But it works!”


“It’s just gonna take up space,” Becky whined, then shifted uncomfortably as she realised how she sounded, “Guess that makes me sound like a spoilt brat. Does Goodwill take TVs?


Neither of the other two knew, but Willow had a better idea.


“If you’re just getting rid of it, can Tara have it?”


“She doesn’t have a TV?” Becky asked in astonishment that anyone could live such a way, “Sure!”


“I’ll pay you,” Willow said quickly, but Becky just shook her head.


“So I can spend your parent’s guilt money instead of my Dad’s guilt money?” she asked with a wry grin, the subject having been the subject of numerous discussions between them since they’d become roommates, “It’s all good, but thanks.”


“Where does Tara live?” Paul suddenly asked.


“Uh, right down there,” Willow answered, pointing downwards, “109.”


“I’ll bring it down if you want,” Paul offered, scooting off the end of the bed, “I’ll just get it all back together. Do you want it now or later?”


“Now,” Becky interjected before Willow had a chance to respond, putting her hand on Paul’s bicep and squeezing, “I have plans for you later.”


Willow chose to ignore the implication.


“Thank you!” she exclaimed, grabbing her bundle of clothes again, “I better get back, I said I’d only be a few minutes! Have a good, uh, evening!”


She rushed out the door back down the stairs, swinging Tara’s door open with ease.


“Sorry I took so long, I couldn’t pick what to wear and hey, didn’t I tell you to lock that door and–” she started but cut her babble off promptly when she saw her girlfriend sitting on her bed, eyes downcast and playing with her hands in her lap, “Are you okay?”


She quickly walked over and left her clothes at the top of the bed before sitting beside Tara to take her hand. Tara didn’t look up and remained silent for a few moments before eventually speaking up in an embarrassed tone.


“I-I don’t have anything to wear. The last time I was at a restaurant I was nine years old and eating chicken nuggets.”


Willow held Tara's hand and rubbed over her knuckles gently.


“You don’t need to change. I was just changing because my t-shirt has dancing penguins on it and I don’t know how the Italians feel about penguins,” she replied in all seriousness, “Wouldn’t wanna call an international incident.”


Tara looked up and had a tiny smile on her face.


“I like the penguins.”


Willow looked down at her shirt, then smiled back at Tara.


“You know what? Neither of us needs to change. We’re celebrating us – penguins and peasant skirts included. Let me just throw a sweater on, it’s getting chilly,” she said, then grinned as she saw Tara about to speak and got there first, “And before you say it, keep that one on. I like how my clothes look on you.”


Tara blushed, both at the compliment and that Willow had anticipated what she was going to say, then stood and went to her closet, taking a blue sweater out and offering it.


“Thanks!” Willow replied with a beaming smile, slipping it over her shoulders and buttoning the bottom few buttons, “It’s so soft! It’s the fabric softener you use, isn’t it? Because my clothes have totally been softer since we started doing laundry together.”


“I normally throw a dryer ball in, too,” Tara answered, only for Willow to look blank, “Those, um, spikey plastic balls.”


“Ohhhh!” Willow replied, the understanding dawning on her face, “I was wondering why the heck you were putting dog toys in there, but you know, Ms-Never-Did-Her-Own-Laundry wasn’t about to question. So they make them softer?”


Tara nodded.


“They take the stiffness out.”


“That’s so cool!” Willow replied, instantly wondering about the mechanics of such a device, but she didn’t get much of a chance to ponder as a loud, rushed knock at the door startled them both, then made her grin as she remembered what it was, “I have a surprise for you…”


She trailed off teasingly and walked over to the door, expecting Paul, but instead just saw the television and its wires sitting on the floor.


A few seconds later she heard a banging sound through the concrete above them, like someone was jumping on the bed up there. It took another few seconds for her to deduce that it wasn’t jumping they were doing.


She shook her head to rid herself of the image and dropped to pick the television up. It was less heavy than she was expecting and she was easily able to stand and turn, then kick the door closed again.


“Ta-da!” she announced, grinning at her girlfriend, who looked utterly lost.


“Is that a television?”


“Uh huh! It’s for you!” Willow replied before quickly adding when she saw Tara about to speak, “Now, see I’m all with the psychic-Willow today because I know what you’re going to say again! I didn’t buy this. This is the old one from my dorm and it’s going spare.”


“Going spare?” Tara questioned uncomfortably.


“Becky got a brand new one,” Willow replied, easing the TV down onto Tara’s bed, the bulkiness getting the better of her.


Tara glanced down.


“She doesn’t want to sell it?”


Willow scoffed.


“This is Becky we’re talking about, that's way too much like hard work.”


Tara still looked uneasy.


“Give it to a friend?”


“She’s giving it to you!” Willow responded cheerfully, but it faltered when she saw Tara was still less than receptive, “She was really happy about it getting to be used. Really.”


She reached for Tara’s hand again and gave it a squeeze.


“You know you’re really bad at accepting gifts,” she said to her, seeking her eyes under the curtains of hair Tara was trying to hide behind, “That’s all this is. Not charity or anything. She had something she doesn’t need any more and thought you might like it.”


Tara felt Willow’s fingers playing with hers and looked up into the kind eyes. Those combined with the hopeful smile on Willow’s face meant denying the gift just wasn’t possible.


“I don’t know how to set it up,” she said shyly.


Willow smiled wide.


“That’s okay, I can do it!” she replied, ecstatic that Tara had accepted, “When we come back, okay?”


Tara nodded, then looked towards the door.


“I should say thanks to Becky.”


“Uh, I wouldn’t right this second,” Willow replied, her cheeks flushing and eyes darting around, “She’s, um, uh, not, uh, alone.”


Tara seemed confused for a moment before realising and blushing too.


“Right,” she responded, clearing her throat, “I’ll, um, catch her in the morning.”


“Probably best,” Willow nodded, then promptly offered her arm, “Can I take ya out now, please? I have a beautiful girl I want to show off.”


Tara gave a pleased smile and linked her arm through Willow’s.


“And I have one too.”

[BuffyFan4ever]

Dibs

Great Chapter.

“I am. I’m studying you and your pretty hair.”

Lucky Willow

Who would have thought I’d ever be annoyed about studying? Well it’s dumb and unnecessary when Tara-gazing could be occurring!

Exactly!!

Hooray for them saying they love each other. Loved Willow's confused inner babble.

“She doesn’t have a TV?” Becky asked in astonishment that anyone could live such a way,

I agree. That would be a great political platform: "Free cable in every house and a TV in every room."

Can't wait for more

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for excellent update-y goodness... Extra big yay for them saying those 3 magical words to each other... Yay for Tar getting a TV...Can't wait for their first date after saying I Love You...

[wimpy0729]

Ooh, the 'I love you' moment still has me all giddy. It was just so sweet and perfect for them. That's a moment to be treasured always. If I remember correctly, Willow still keeps that piece of paper, maybe in her wallet with a picture?? Oh gosh, that makes me want to go read the others again. lol

I really wish Tara wouldn't feel so bad when Willow wants to do something nice for her, but it is understandable with her background. And man, break my heart why doncha -- she doesn't have anything to wear and hasn't been out to eat at a restaurant since she was 9. Okay, regrouping now...because Willow saves her from anymore awkwardness by saying she won't change her clothes either. It shouldn't matter what you wear -- they're together and IN LOVE!

And Becky gives her a TV! Tara actually saved that poor TV from landing on a trash heap somewhere, so it's all good.

Oh, I can't wait to see what their next step is now that they've admitted their feelings.


Wimpy

[WillowFish]

Laragh's amazing writing.

What she thinks she does:

What normal people think she does:

What her fans think she does:

What she actually does:

What her fans do as a result:

It's soooooo pretty, Laragh. I swear...I'm actually kind of excited to experience it with everyone else for once instead of waiting until you've finished it.

[taralicious]

Are we going to pretend it’s not weird you watch kids shows? (I tease, I tease)

The jury is instructed to disregard my obsession with Selena Gomez, not in a stalkery way or anything mind; she's just so adorably cute.

when suddenly she felt something fly past her hand. She looked down and saw a small, ripped and folded piece of notebook paper sitting square in the centre of her book.

This is how a girlfriend of mine and i communicated our love for each other when we both worked at our local public library and it was very electric to read a piece of paper and look at the person across a room who had put it with my checklists.

“I love you, too.”

And choirs of angels and other celestial beings all sang out, their voices raised in song to the utterance of the universal statement of declaration that binds the universe together.

How about that little Italian we pass on the way to the T?

Willow and Tara should do the spaghetti slurping scene like in "Lady and the Tramp" or Willow rolls a meatball over to Tara with her nose.

and eating chicken nuggets.”

mmmm...chicken nuggets.

“They take the stiffness out.”

I hate it when the stiffness gets taken out.

[Laragh]

BuffyFan4ever –

Lucky Willow

Luckiest!

Exactly!!

Tara-gazing > everything

Hooray for them saying they love each other. Loved Willow's confused inner babble.

Hooray indeed!

I agree. That would be a great political platform: "Free cable in every house and a TV in every room."

That would be a great platform! Obama should get on that.

Thanks for commenting

zampsa19752001 –

Extra big yay for them saying those 3 magical words to each other... Yay for Tar getting a TV...

A good day in their world!

Can't wait for their first date after saying I Love You...

Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for your comment!

wimpy0729 –

Ooh, the 'I love you' moment still has me all giddy. It was just so sweet and perfect for them. That's a moment to be treasured always. If I remember correctly, Willow still keeps that piece of paper, maybe in her wallet with a picture?? Oh gosh, that makes me want to go read the others again. Lol

Yes she does, kept always near her!

I really wish Tara wouldn't feel so bad when Willow wants to do something nice for her, but it is understandable with her background.

She’ll learn to accept gifts and that offering her own non-monetary ones are just as if not more special…and until then Willow will just have to keep trying to convince her!

And man, break my heart why doncha -- she doesn't have anything to wear and hasn't been out to eat at a restaurant since she was 9. Okay, regrouping now...because Willow saves her from anymore awkwardness by saying she won't change her clothes either. It shouldn't matter what you wear -- they're together and IN LOVE!

And fuck anyone who says otherwise!

And Becky gives her a TV! Tara actually saved that poor TV from landing on a trash heap somewhere, so it's all good.

Uh huh, knowing Becky it might of ended up dumped in a river or something equally awful – not an intentionally bad mistake on her part, just one of those things she’s ignorant of.

Oh, I can't wait to see what their next step is now that they've admitted their feelings.

Calm down, lady, I’ll get there

Thanks for your feedback!

WillowFish –

Laragh's amazing writing.

What she thinks she does:

What normal people think she does:

What her fans think she does:

What she actually does:

What her fans do as a result:

Haha! You’re awesome!

It's soooooo pretty, Laragh. I swear...I'm actually kind of excited to experience it with everyone else for once instead of waiting until you've finished it.

Glad to have you on board!

Thanks for commenting

taralicious –

The jury is instructed to disregard my obsession with Selena Gomez, not in a stalkery way or anything mind; she's just so adorably cute.

I will give you that. Plus at least she’s legal now, but do you really want Justin Bieber’s sloppy seconds?

This is how a girlfriend of mine and i communicated our love for each other when we both worked at our local public library and it was very electric to read a piece of paper and look at the person across a room who had put it with my checklists.

That’s very sweet

And choirs of angels and other celestial beings all sang out, their voices raised in song to the utterance of the universal statement of declaration that binds the universe together.

A Hallelujah chorus.

Willow and Tara should do the spaghetti slurping scene like in "Lady and the Tramp" or Willow rolls a meatball over to Tara with her nose.

That would be quite adorable

mmmm...chicken nuggets.

+1

I hate it when the stiffness gets taken out.

I’m pretty okay with it.

Thanks for commenting

---

Update Directly Below

[Laragh]

********

TITLE: College Confidential

AUTHOR: Laragh

CHAPTER RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.

SUMMARY: The first part of the prequel to Hacker Confidential and Family Confidential - the college years!

SPOILERS: Perhaps minor references to the show or stealage of dialogue, but nothing that would spoil the series.

FEEDBACK: Yes please

Chapter 16

********

“I love this time of the evening.”


Tara looked over to Willow as they walked, hand-in-hand, along a pebbled street on the way to the restaurant. Willow smiled back easily and continued.


“It’s just getting dark, starting to get chilly…the sky is this wonderful deep blue…” she trailed off for a moment as she looked into the other deep blue she’d fallen in love with, before blushing and averting her gaze, “I just really love it.”


Tara noticed the affectionate glance and felt her cheeks flush in response, but was smiling from ear-to-ear.


“I like it too. I think it’s my favourite after sunrise.”


“Sunrise is great!” Willow exclaimed, before adding on excitedly, “We should watch it together sometime.”


Tara nodded keenly.


“I’d like that.”


“Great!” Willow beamed, a distinctive skip appearing in her step.


They arrived outside the restaurant just a minute later, and could see the place already had quite a few patrons inside. Willow headed straight for the door and went to open it but stopped short when she saw Tara discreetly but nervously checking her appearance in the window.


She walked up close to her and took her hands, swinging her back around.


“You look so pretty. I’m so proud walking in there with you,” she gushed with genuine warmth, then looked down at herself, “Penguins still okay?”


Tara felt herself falling in love with Willow all over again and swallowed back a lump she felt starting to form. She kept Willow's hands tight and smiled softly.


“Almost as cute as you.”


Willow ducked her head and grinned bashfully, before offering her arm again. Tara linked in and let Willow lead them into the restaurant, where they were greeted by a handsome, African-American man with a dazzling white smile, about their age or a little older.


“We would like a table for two, please,” Willow said to him, bouncing on the balls of her feet.


“Sure,” the waiter replied, reaching for two menus and, while doing so, took the opportunity to let his gaze linger on Tara.


Tara was oblivious, taking interest in some of the art decorating the walls, but Willow noticed straight away. She spent the first few seconds fixing him with a patented Willow-glare but when she followed his eyes to a particular point on Tara's chest, she aggressively grabbed the menus and plonked them into his hands.


“There’s the menus,” she said, dropping Tara’s arm to insistently take her hand, “You looked like you were struggling.”


The waiter glanced up at her but was as oblivious to Willow’s gaze as Tara was to his.


“Right this way,” he said, gesturing them forwards.


Tara took a step further into the restaurant and Willow stood protectively around her to shield her girlfriend from any more prying eyes.


Yep. That’s totally what I’m doing. Protecting her. Not in the least bit jealous at all.


Tara looked over her shoulder and smiled shyly at Willow, who just pressed a kiss against her cheek, then pulled her chair out for her girlfriend as she shot the waiter a ‘get it?’ look.


He just smiled at her; either not getting it or not caring and Willow rolled her eyes as she took her own seat, then just shook her head and smiled. She wasn’t going to let some oblivious guy ruin their special date.


“Can I get you ladies some drinks?” the waiter asked as he set a menu down in front of each of them, but was shooting his smile in Tara’s direction, “I’m Deon by the way.”


Tara smiled back up at him in a way that could have been interpreted as coy, but Willow knew it was just her nervousness at being in such a setting


“Just some water, please.”


“Still or sparkling?” Deon asked, smiling again and revealing his dimples, “You look like a sparkling kind of girl.”


Tara shook her head softly.


“Still is fine.”


Deon nodded, then looked to Willow.


“And for you, ma’am?”


Willow sensed that this guy really didn’t get it and decided as long as he wasn’t being a creep, she could let it go.


“Iced tea, please. Actually can you just bring a pitcher?”


“Sure,” Deon smiled easily, “I’ll be right back.”


He walked away and Willow picked up her menu, feeling her stomach silently growl in anticipation of food. She looked around the tables to see if any particular dish the other customers were having caught her eye, then noted with a pang of annoyance that was starting to turn into amusement; that Deon seemed to have pointed Tara out to the other waiters at the bar area, where the door that led into the kitchen was.


She continued to peruse the menu for a while; the smells that reached her every time the doors to the kitchen opened were making her stomach give that same growl. She finally settled on what she wanted and closed her menu. She leaned her head against her hand to watch Tara; the way her eyes were darting back and forth, how her lips pursed together for a second when she saw something she liked the sound of, how one finger was tapping silently against the table in her own little tune.


She got an entire two minutes in, uninterrupted, before Tara finally realised there were eyes on her and looked up. She let the menu fall to her plate and bit the skin around her thumb self-consciously.


“What?”


Willow just smiled.


“Nice atmosphere…good food…” she said, then spotted Deon and two other waiters all talking but with their eyes planted on their table again, and not on her, “Those waiters are totally checking you out…”


Tara looked completely bewildered a moment, then shook her head.


“Don’t be silly.”


“I’m not!” Willow protested, gesturing behind her, “They’re not super interested in our bread basket!”


Tara looked over her shoulder and caught the three men looking for a split second before they all noticed and quickly moved off. She blushed at the implication that Willow might be right and looked back to her.


“Were they really looking at me?”


Willow just looked at her girlfriend adoringly.


“And you can't imagine what they see in you?”


Tara’s cheeks flushed more but she didn’t look away.


You.


“I-I’m not used to that,” she answered after a moment.


“Lucky for me!” Willow replied jovially, though not jokingly, “Don’t know what I would’ve done if someone had snapped you up already.”


Tara instantly shook her head.


“It wouldn’t...” she trailed off shyly, her cheeks showing a red tint again, “There’s no world that I wouldn’t choose you.”


Willow felt her heart swell and reached for Tara’s hand across the table.


“I can’t believe you love me,” in said in awe, before tacking on nervously, “You still do, right?”


“I always did,” Tara replied without a moment’s hesitation.


Willow closed her eyes just for a moment.


“I-I thought I knew what happy felt like,” she said, opening her eyes again, filled with love, “Before I met you. I thought I knew. I mean who doesn’t know what basic feelings feel like at nineteen years old? But I had no idea…I had no idea just how happy I could be.”


She squeezed Tara’s hand and smiled.


“I don’t care if it’s been two months or two years. I know what I feel, now I do. And I love you,” she said softly but emphatically, then blushed, but was still smiling, “I’ll stop with the mushy now, I just wanted you to know.”


Tara felt overwhelmed with emotion, completely touched. No one had spoken to her like that before, and her initial reaction was to have a hard time believing it, thinking it was some game to play on her emotions.


But she didn’t think that when Willow spoke, couldn’t think that, because one look in her eyes told her she was hearing the truth.


“I don’t know what to say.”


Willow smiled bashfully and looked up through her eyelashes.


“I can think of three little words…”


Tara smiled softly.


“I love you.”


Willow felt her heart instantly start to pound in her chest.


“I’ll never, ever get tired of hearing that. I mean, I know that’s only like, three times, but I know, I just know…”


She trailed off, unsure how to even begin to verbalise everything she was feeling, but a different set of three little words from Tara settled her thoughts.


“I know too.”


They shared a look, that outwardly seemed affectionate and shy, but between them was intense and deep – what they meant to each other, what they’d always mean to each other. They were special. They were real.


After a few moments Willow blinked and broke the gaze, though kept her hand over Tara’s and a smile stayed on her face.


“So anything catching your eye?”


Tara looked at the menu again and shrugged one shoulder.


“The salads look nice.”


“Tara, you can’t get a salad!” Willow objected, “You’ll make me look like a fat pig when I get an appetizer and a main…and probably a desert too!”


Tara looked embarrassed and Willow internally kicked herself for making her girlfriend feel bad over something when she knew there were issues present.


“Hey, I know,” she said softly, searching for her eyes, “Not trying to make you feel uncomfortable. But just…check out the ‘classic pastas’ page. All of those look like they’re the same price as the salads, and probably a lot more tasty.”


Tara’s eyes went to the right section on the menu, and Willow decided to say what she wanted to say one last time before letting her girlfriend make up her own mind.


“And if I can convince you at all, please, please, please get whatever you want. And that’s all I’m gonna say.”


Tara knew Willow was genuine but still didn’t want to exploit her generosity…though comparing the two sides of the menu, she could see her girlfriend's logic in the pricing.


“The baked ziti does look nice.”


Willow instantly perked up.


“Yeah, it does. I was going to get the rigatoni…and some mozzarella sticks for the table?”


Tara looked up with a fond smile.


“I loved mozzarella sticks when I was a kid. My mom would take me to Buffalo shopping twice a year and we’d go to this little restaurant place and I’d have a milkshake and if I said I was hungry she’d get me mozzarella sticks.”


“That sounds so nice,” Willow replied, enjoying how they were settling into conversation, “A real treat, huh?”


Tara nodded.


“Yeah, my memories are a little…clipped…but I remember having fun.”


“Well I’m all for fun!” Willow replied, trying not to think of just how much was taken from Tara’s childhood, “So you’re going for the baked ziti? I mean, take your time, but my belly’s starting to get cranky at me for not feeding it.”


Tara confirmed her dish and Willow beckoned Deon back over to take their order, trying not to laugh this time as he went out of his way to make sure Tara was attended to.


“Tara’s got a boyfriend,” Willow said in a sing-song voice when he left again, “Tara and Deon, sitting in a tree…K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”


Tara blushed bright red and looked around to make sure no one was listening.


“Willow, stop.”


“He lurvvss you, Tara,” Willow giggled, “Can I get you more bread? Can I fill up your water glass? Do you want me to kneel down and be a human foot rest for you?”


Tara shook her head to herself, but had to admit it was a little funny how the man was acting around her, if uncomfortable.


“He is very accommodating,” she said politely, before giving a nonchalant shrug, “And has a very nice smile.”


That shut Willow right up and her mouth opened to let out a verbal tirade, but it shut again and she had to smile as she recognised the playful glint in Tara’s eyes.


Love that. She’s messing with me. We’re on a date and we’re in love and messing around and do you remember that love part, brain? Love, love, love. I love her, she loves me. You’re welcome for all these endorphins by the way.


“Am I going to have to fight to keep you?” she asked, her tongue momentarily poking out between her teeth, ‘Cause I’m not large with the butch.”


Tara’s lips quirked up on one side.


“And I’m not very good with the…” she started to throw her fists out, which Willow looked at with confused amusement.


“Swimming?”


Tara dropped her hands.


“Violence,” she answered sheepishly.


Willow gave Tara’s hand a squeeze.


“So we’ll agree to no fighting? That comes with an unbreakable you-staying-my-girl clause.”


Tara nodded, the same smile on her face.


“Agreed.”


“Signed, sealed and delivered,” Willow replied softly.


They shared another glance that could only be described an intimate, then settled into easy conversation and joking around as their food arrived and they tucked in.


“Definitely better than lasagne that’s been sitting in the cafeteria all afternoon!” Willow said happily as she pushed her empty plate away from her, “Your ziti tasted great too, did you enjoy it?”


Tara nodded, a happy smile on her face.


“It was really delicious.”


“Do you want desert?” Willow asked, before perking up with an idea, “Or they have a gelato bar by the door, we could get some and stroll back.”


Tara smiled a little more.


“A real gelato bar? Not the soft serve ice-cream station they have in the cafeteria?”


Willow grinned and gestured for Deon to bring them the check. She got her wallet out, having kept a tally of the costs of what they’d had and calculated the tip already so she could quickly pay without causing Tara any more unease.


Deon, however, had a different idea as he brought it over, turning his back to Willow and handing it straight to Tara. Tara looked like she might die of embarrassment as she handed it back across the table and Willow had to restrain herself from kicking the waiter from under the table.


She opened the book containing the receipt, intending to shove the money inside and then right back in Deon’s face, but a scrawl of pen at the bottom caught her eye first. A closer glance revealed it to be a phone number and she looked up to see Deon shuffling awkwardly.


“I think he wanted you to have this…” she said, ripping the end of the receipt off and handing it over to Tara.


He’d embarrassed her girlfriend and now she was going to embarrass him.


Unfortunately she didn’t think of what an awkward position she was putting Tara in by doing so until she saw her sinking down in her seat and blushing bright red.


Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Shit!


Tara, ever the polite and courteous person, forced herself to look up to meet Deon’s eyes.


“I-I’m very flattered, but I’m sorry…”


Deon nodded, trying not to appear awkward.


“Got a boyfriend?”


Tara smiled shyly in Willow’s direction.


“Got a girlfriend.”


Deon’s eyes went wide as understanding finally dawned.


“Oh, hey,” he said, lifting his hands in apology, “I’m so sorry. Meant no harm, I swear. I didn’t realise, girls all hold hands these days, or I wouldn’t have…I’m not one of those guys who think…my dads’ rescued me from foster care…I'm very sorry.”


Willow watched the young man’s eyes crease in deep conflict at having possibly offended them and felt bad for her intentional attack when his had been inadvertent. She offered him a smile of reprieve and handed the check back.


“Thanks for the great service. Really.”


Deon seemed visibly relieved.


“No problem,” he answered, smiling again, at both of them this time, then slipped the five dollar bill back onto the table, “And, uh, your mozzarella sticks are on me. Have a great evening.”


He offered them both a kind smile before leaving again. There was an awkward lull for a moment before Willow made a tentative reach for her girlfriend’s hand.


“Tara, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that to you, or him. I was being petty and I’m really sorry.”


Tara gave a small smile and nodded, not one to hold a grudge and put a damper on what had been a great day and evening.


“It’s okay.”


Willow would normally feel the need to continue to profusely apologise, to get repeated reassurance that there wasn’t some resentment lingering, but from Tara, those two words were all she needed.


It’s okay.


And it was.


“Still want that ice-cream?” she asked, sliding the returned five dollar bill into her hand, “It’s practically free!”


They made their way over to where the ice-cream bar was set up and got a small cone each; Willow, rum raisin and Tara, butter pecan.


They started to stroll back towards campus, the hands not holding their ice-creams gently clasped and swinging between them.


“I had such a good evening,” Willow said happily as she licked an errant drop from the side of her cone, “Hey, I even forgot I have an exam in the morning! It’s not every day Willow Rosenberg forgets an exam!”


“Do you need to go to the library to study tonight?” Tara asked, trying not to show her disappointment.


Willow considered it for a moment, but promptly shook her head.


“You know what? I know my stuff. My exam isn’t until eleven, I can spend a couple of hours after breakfast reading over everything again. I just want to relax tonight.”


Tara grinned.


“Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?”


“Oh no, the question is what have you done with me,” Willow replied with a giggle, before adding on softly, “And the answer is made me happy.”


Tara kept a tighter hold on Willow’s hand.


“You make me happy too. So happy.”


Willow leaned over and planted a kiss on Tara’s cheek, then took another lick of her cone.


“I gotta admit though, this ice-cream is running a close second. It’s soooo good.”


Tara nodded in agreement and offered Willow a taste of hers.


They took the long route home, wandering around the campus as they finished their ice-creams and enjoyed the stars, until finally arriving back at Tara’s dorm room, where Willow promptly brought her in for a tight, warm hug.


“Love you,” she said happily, just wanting to get it out.


Tara felt her heart flutter as she closed the embrace.


“I love you, too.”


Willow continued to cling to Tara for a moment, before bouncing over to the bed where she’d left the television before they left.


“Wanna watch something on your brand-new, two-year-old TV? We could get into jammies and snuggle.”


Tara couldn’t think of a more perfect way to end their evening.


“That sounds great.”


“Great!” Willow replied excitedly, “Where do you want it? If I put it on the corner of your desk we could see if from the bed.”


Tara nodded.


“Good idea.”


She walked over to her dresser to change into nightclothes while Willow busied herself with the TV-setup.


“Would you throw out my pjs with the baby chicks on them?” she asked as she got all the cables plugged in, “They’re nice and light. It’s getting so hot out!”


Tara made a sound of agreement as she rooted and found the pyjamas Willow had asked for, then got one of the standard tank tops she slept in herself and bypassed her sweats in favour of a cooler pair of shorts.


She left Willow’s clothes on the bed and took hers into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth.


Willow pressed the large circular button on the TV to turn it on, and saw the red indicator light come on, but the screen remain blank. She walked back over to the bed to find the remote but saw her pyjamas first and started to change into them.


She settled her top over herself just as she heard the bathroom door open again, and looked around to smile, but instead found her gaze instantly dropping when presented with the attire Tara was wearing – showing much more than the below-the-knee skin Willow had been privy to before.


Hel-lo Tara-thighs.


“-working?”


Her head snapped up as she registered works being spoken in her direction.


“Huh?”


“Is it working?” Tara repeated, walking over and around the bed to slip in under the covers.


My libido? Definitely! Oh crap, she means the TV!


“Yep!” Willow squeaked, fumbling for the remote and quickly clicking the button to turn it on, “Moving pictures, right in front of you!”


Tara looked at Willow curiously, then just smiled.


“Getting in?”


“Uh huh!” Willow nodded, “Just gotta do my teeth!”


And dunk my head in cold water!


She scurried off to do both while Tara settled herself in bed and reached over to set the alarm clock for the morning. As she was doing so, a glint of something caught her eye from inside the opened drawer of her nightstand. Her eyes widened as she plucked the shiny key, hanging from the heart-shaped keychain, from where she’d dropped it in during the week.


I forgot.


Willow came out just a few moments later, her cheeks flushed from the furious splashing and drying.


Tara scooted a little further over as Willow climbed in.


“I have something for you,” she said, shyly handing it to her, “You said I should keep my door locked, and I wanted you to be able to get in whenever you wanted.”


Willow looked completely surprised as she took the key.


“We’re not supposed to duplicate these.”


Tara gave a little smile.


“It’s a sneaky key.”


Willow just nodded, then smiled, more concerned with whether Tara wanted her to have the key than whether the college did.


“You really want me to have this?”


Tara nodded too.


“Definitely.”


Willow turned the key in her hand in wonder, then threw her arms over Tara’s neck.


“I promise I won’t invade your space.”


“I want you to invade my space,” Tara answered, settling her head against Willow’s shoulder, “I want my space to be filled with Willow.”


Willow thought she might cry from happiness and actually felt a tear prick in the corner of her eye but quickly blinked it away, not wanting to give Tara the wrong idea.


She squeezed her girlfriend and pecked her lips, then left her key carefully down on the nightstand near her.


“Love the keychain. Thank you,” she said as she turned back and took one of Tara’s hands, “Just thank you. I love you.”


Tara nodded in a silent returning of the sentiment and Willow couldn’t resist another kiss to her full lips before settling down to spoon her, as she had grown accustomed to.


“What do you want to watch?”


Tara smiled as she felt an arm settle over her waist, but her breath caught when she felt Willow’s fingers brush over her thigh.


She still felt quite shy about her body, but it was getting harder and harder to deny the feelings evoked when Willow touched her. Truth be told, she’d given up on denying them weeks ago, but wasn’t sure Willow wanted more yet…


She’s definitely rubbing my thigh…and that’s definitely a kiss on my ear…and she's kind of…grinding?…does she want to...maybe her birthday…if she wanted…


“I-I don’t mind,” she eventually answered, hoping her cheeks hadn’t turned too red.


Willow made her hand rest, but kept it on Tara’s thigh, unable to resist the warmth of her skin.


“Well, um, I’m sure I could find one of those cop shows you like. Or it’s Sunday night, there’s bound to be a whole load of movies on.”


“A movie sounds nice,” Tara answered, trying to keep a squeak from her voice.


“Okay, um…” Willow replied as she started to flick though channels, “Terminator… Sophie’s Choice… Sleepless in Seattle…”


“I like that one,” Tara nodded, resting her hands under her head so she could enjoy the movie, “I watched it with my mom once.”


“And it’s just starting!” Willow responded with a smile and turned the volume up before leaving the remote down.


Tara watched the opening credits play out on the screen and sighed contentedly at how perfect a situation she wouldn’t have even envisioned three months ago could be.


“I could get used to this.”


Willow cuddled in closer and left a kiss in the crook of Tara’s neck.


“I already am.”

---

Tara held her fist up to the door and hesitated a moment, before finally knocking on the door. It swung open a moment later and Becky smiled at her as she worked at fixing the back of her earring in.


“Hi, Tara!”


“Hi,” Tara waved shyly back, “Um, I’m not disturbing anything, am I?”


Becky’s lips quirked into a grin.


“Willow warned ya, huh? Paul left for the breakfast shift in the cafeteria an hour ago.”


Tara’s cheeks flushed and she nodded.


“I just wanted to say thank you,” she said, before clarifying, “For the television. It was really kind. And if you ever want it back, that’s no problem.”


“I won’t, but thanks,” Becky replied, stepping aside to let Tara in, “Did you give it a go yet?”


Tara nodded gleefully.


“Willow and I watched Sleepless in Seattle last night.”


“All snuggled up in bed?” Becky asked teasingly, though not with derision, making Tara blush, “Oh, hey, while you’re here! I have to tell you about Willow’s birthday party.”


Tara blinked in confusion.


“Birthday party?”


“Uh huh,” Becky nodded, standing in front of her mirror and applying eyeliner, “Her birthday’s next week.”


“I know,” Tara responded quickly, not wanting Willow’s friend to think she forgot such an event, “She just didn’t say anything about a party.”


“That’s because it’s a surprise!” Becky replied excitedly, “I’m gonna ask her to have a celebratory drink – non-alcoholic if that’s what she wants – in the bar and then surprise her! I have it all set up, a bunch of her…okay, my friends, are coming and there’s a great band playing that night.”


Tara thought that seemed more like a night Becky would enjoy than Willow, but wasn’t about to say that.


“That’s really nice of you.”


“So you’ll be there?” Becky asked, surprising Tara, “I’ll let you know the times and stuff later.”


“Okay,” Tara agreed, not wanting to sound rude.


“Great!” Becky replied, walking over to her desk to gather some things, “Oh and not a word to Willow.”


Tara nodded diligently.


“Right.”


Becky picked up a black pen to go with the bundle of papers in her arms.


“I better be getting to literature class,” she said, her tone indicating she’d rather be going anywhere but, “Hey, I heard you guys used the ‘L’ word…and I don’t mean lesbian!”


Tara blushed once again, which made Becky laugh.


“You’re so cute,” she said before adding a rueful shake of her head, “I wish I could fall so hopelessly for someone that I knew I loved them after just a couple of months.”


Tara knew Becky had a boyfriend, or so she thought by the way Willow had described him, so could only assume something was up there but had no idea what to say, or whether she should even say anything. Thankfully Becky didn’t dwell for too long as she headed towards the door.


“Until then, I continue my love affair with Oscar Wilde and remember that illusion is the first of all pleasures,” she said dramatically, then with a good-natured laugh, “Have a good day.”


Tara nodded and offered a wave as she left through the door.


“You too. Thanks again.”


Becky waved too and turned to leave in the opposite direction, while Tara made her way back to her dorm, where Willow was tying her shoelaces.


“You get her?” she asked while contemplating whether to go with a straight-lace or try something more adventurous.


Tara nodded, but was playing with her hands nervously.


“Hey, I think something might be up with her um, boyfriend. She seemed kind of um… sad when she mentioned us and the love thing.”


Willow looked up in concern.


“Sad?”


Tara thought for a moment.


“Well, not sad, actually…more…pensive.”


Willow looked relieved and smiled.


“That’s just Becky. She thinks love is a great thing in theory but doesn’t feel the need to subscribe to it in all her relationships,” she replied, giving a small grin, “That’s a direct quote.”


She went back to her sneakers and started threading the laces, but sensed Tara was still worried.


“Hey, I’ll talk to her and make sure she’s all okay, but she’s talked to me about him before, so I do know a little, I don’t think they’re an exclusive boyfriend/girlfriend kinda deal,” she said in reassurance, before sticking out her sneaker with a giggle, “Check it out! It’s like a checkers board!”


Tara looked at the lace design and nodded, impressed.


“That’s very cool.”


“Don’t worry, experimenting with my shoelaces is about as wild as I’m going to get,” Willow replied with a wry grin, “Wanna go grab some breakfast?”


Tara nodded again and found Willow’s hand in hers just a moment later as they left the room and headed towards the cafeteria.


“So your birthday is next week,” Tara ventured after a moment, trying to remain casual.


Willow grinned.


“Yeah, you won’t be dating a teen anymore, you ole’ cradle robber.”


“What do you want?” Tara asked, blushing at her inability to stay nonchalant, “I mean, from me.”


Willow just smiled.


“You don’t have to get me anything. You’re everything I want.”


Tara’s cheeks flushed again.


“But it’s your birthday. I want to get you something.”


Willow opened her mouth to protest again, then shut it as a shy look came upon her face.


“There’s one thing I’d like. And you can totally say no.”


Tara felt her breath catch in her throat, unsure what Willow was going to ask…and whether it would match the plans she already had.


“Will you sing for me?” Willow asked, her voice holding a tone of childlike hope.


Tara looked completely taken aback.


“S-sing for you?” she asked in total surprise.


Willow looked down bashfully.


“I hear you in the shower, and sometimes when we’re studying you hum and sing a few notes…I really love how you sound. And I’d love to hear a whole song. But only if you’re really, really okay with it.”


Tara felt a wall of shyness start to creep up, but couldn’t resist the adorable look on Willow’s face and quickly pushed it down.


“Okay,” she said softly, “I’ll sing for you.”


Willow looked like she might jump out of her skin with excitement.


“Really? I can’t wait! Thank you, thank you!”


She threw her arms over Tara’s neck, not caring at the stares they were getting from the other students passing in the quad. Tara closed the embrace without question and placed a soft kiss on the top of Willow’s ear.


It seemed she’d be pushing a lot of her boundaries come Willow’s birthday…and she was pleased to find she felt a lot more excited than scared.

[BuffyFan4ever]

Real Dibs

Loved the date. Even the waiter. Finally a nice guy!

Willow watched the young man’s eyes crease in deep conflict at having possibly offended then and...

them?

Hel-lo Tara-thighs.

mmmm Tara-thighs

Hooray for the sneaky key.

Singing and sex? Where was Birthday Tara a month ago?

Can't wait for Willow's birthday.

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for excellent update-y goodness... More clueless people. I think Willow should carry a 20-pound clue-hammer to hit people in the head so they might get a clue... Big yay for Tara giving Willow her key... I'm kinda worried about what is going to happen in the birthday party... Can't wait for Tara singing to Willow...

[WillowFish]

Dibs? Dibs!? ha! I got here before all of y'all. Before she even posted it, in fact!

And having said that, I don't need to give may inputs on your awesome story because I already gave them to you.

[wimpy0729]

Hey, Laragh! You do such a wonderful job fitting so much in here. I'm so glad the date ended on a good note. It was iffy there for a minute with the waiter trying to make his move, but I'm happy it ended well. I totally understand Willow getting pissed with him ogling Tara, etc, because I feel the same when I'm out with my gf and things like that happen, but after dealing with it for years, it's a nice feeling to know, hey, she loves me and is coming home with me, so I think those two are getting that already. I still felt sorry for Tara getting embarrassed over the bill, so I can't wait for the day that won't be so much of an issue for them.

Snuggling and watching TV with each other is a perfect way for them to end their day, and Willow getting her first glance of Tara-thigh is cute. If she gets that way over only that much extra skin, I bet she hyperventilates and passes out when she sees the whole nekkid Tara package. And from Tara's thoughts, it sounds like she's contemplating that for Willow's b-day. Can't wait to see how that works out, but I'm a little nervous over Becky's plans for the surprise party. Glad to see that Tara's more excited than nervous, and it's so sweet that all Willow wants from her is to hear her sing. I can't wait for it all!


Wimpy

[taralicious]

the sky is this wonderful deep blue

We are attuned as I was thinking of the cerulean shade of Tara's eyes and there so was Willow in the next sentence.

a lump she felt starting to form.

I always have a lump starting to form when I think of how pretty Tara is.

“Sure,” the waiter replied, reaching for two menus and, while doing so, took the opportunity to let his gaze linger on Tara.

Will he be another in a seemingly endless parade of troglodytes Willow and Tara encounter in food emporiums or even the much larger outside world from their dorm? Stay tuned, gentle reader.

“Still or sparkling?” Deon asked, smiling again and revealing his dimples, “You look like a sparkling kind of girl.”

Really, Deon?...Really. That's your opening line.

“Iced tea, please. Actually can you just bring a pitcher?”

If there is the name of a metropolis before the iced tea on the menu Willow, don't drink it.

the smells that reached her every time the doors to the kitchen opened

are nothing compared to the enticing aromas that waft out of Tara's kitchen exclusively open to Willow.

“Those waiters are totally checking you out…”

What would be really cool is if in a corner of the restaurant there was fish pond with a waterfall and a wooden bridge over it for verisimilitude.

“I’m not!” Willow protested, gesturing behind her, “They’re not super interested in our bread basket!”

Willow and Tara aren't interested in my breadstick either, I've come to accept.

“Were they really looking at me?”

Who wouldn't be?

“It wouldn’t...” she trailed off shyly, her cheeks showing a red tint again, “There’s no world that I wouldn’t choose you.”

All matter would be crushed to a singularity and wink out of existence to be replaced by an eternal void of nothing if Tara ever chose anyone other than Willow.
That is a quantum physics lesson anyone can understand.

“I-I thought I knew what happy felt like,

It is the difference between reading about swooning and tingling yearning and all the Victorian romance novel conceptions of love and actually experiencing them as they course through your veins.

“I love you.”

Three little words eight little letters but they convey so much about the human condition.

“And if I can convince you at all, please, please, please get whatever you want. And that’s all I’m gonna say.”

Tara will get whatever she wants but that is for a later chapter.

“He lurvvss you, Tara,” Willow giggled, “Can I get you more bread? Can I fill up your water glass? Do you want me to kneel down and be a human foot rest for you?”

Deon, that is my role to be obsequious to Tara in hopes of catching even a brief smile from her.

“Swimming?”

A closer glance revealed it to be a phone number and she looked up to see Deon shuffling awkwardly.

A swing and a miss, Deon

“Got a boyfriend?”

But before strike three can be called and he is knocked out of the park by Willow, Deon redeems himself by being a stand-up guy who admits that even he can't keep the trendy college gals apart from two women in love.

“No problem,” he answered, smiling again, at both of them this time, then slipped the five dollar bill back onto the table, “And, uh, your mozzarella sticks are on me. Have a great evening.”

Willow, rum raisin and Tara, butter pecan.

Pralines and cream is my favorite flavor.

“Do you need to go to the library to study tonight?” T

The books don't want Willow to come to the library without Tara anymore as they liked watching the two girls make out.

but instead found her gaze instantly dropping when presented with the attire Tara was wearing – showing much more than the below-the-knee skin Willow had been privy to before.

Who needs TV when you have Tara-vision?

“You said I should keep my door locked, and I wanted you to be able to get in whenever you wanted.”

But they haven't gotten to the sexual part of their relationship yet, have they?

“What do you want to watch?”

The 24 hour Willow and Tara cable public access channel

“Terminator… Sophie’s Choice… Sleepless in Seattle…”

Three movies that will never be seen in the sentence again.

“Will you sing for me?” Willow asked, her voice holding a tone of childlike hope.

Now that is a birthday wish; to be graced by the voice of an angel in human form.

[Laragh]

BuffyFan4ever –

Loved the date. Even the waiter. Finally a nice guy!

I said there would be!

them?

Thank you, fixed!

mmmm Tara-thighs

That is the general consensus

Hooray for the sneaky key.

The sneakiest of all keys

Singing and sex? Where was Tara a month ago?

On the train to Girlstown, population: Willow.

Can't wait for Willow's birthday.

It's here!

Thanks for commenting!

zampsa19752001 -

More clueless people. I think Willow should carry a 20-pound clue-hammer to hit people in the head so they might get a clue...

So many people would never even consider the thought someone might be gay unless smacked with said hammer!

Big yay for Tara giving Willow her key... I'm kinda worried about what is going to happen in the birthday party... Can't wait for Tara singing to Willow...

Don't be worried about the party itself...

Thanks for your comment

WillowFish –

You’re a bad winner

wimpy0729 –

Hey, Laragh! You do such a wonderful job fitting so much in here. I'm so glad the date ended on a good note. It was iffy there for a minute with the waiter trying to make his move, but I'm happy it ended well. I totally understand Willow getting pissed with him ogling Tara, etc, because I feel the same when I'm out with my gf and things like that happen, but after dealing with it for years, it's a nice feeling to know, hey, she loves me and is coming home with me, so I think those two are getting that already.

Yes, although I don’t think Willow ever quite loses those jealous green eyes! But it definitely goes from ‘stop looking at her because I couldn’t stand if you stole her from me’ to ‘stop looking at her because those are MY legs and MY boobs and MY ass and your eyes are not permitted’.

I still felt sorry for Tara getting embarrassed over the bill, so I can't wait for the day that won't be so much of an issue for them.

There’s definitely a moment coming up…soon-ish, maybe? Not quite sure where I’ll fit it in…but a moment where they both kind of resolve the money issue and agree to take it as it is.

Snuggling and watching TV with each other is a perfect way for them to end their day,

Or any day.

and Willow getting her first glance of Tara-thigh is cute. If she gets that way over only that much extra skin, I bet she hyperventilates and passes out when she sees the whole nekkid Tara package.

Oh just wait for the end of this chapter.

And from Tara's thoughts, it sounds like she's contemplating that for Willow's b-day. Can't wait to see how that works out, but I'm a little nervous over Becky's plans for the surprise party.

The party causes a bit of an issue, but not in the way you might think…Willow brain to the jumped conclusion again!

Glad to see that Tara's more excited than nervous, and it's so sweet that all Willow wants from her is to hear her sing. I can't wait for it all!

It feels like it’s been a long time coming! Hope you enjoy it

Thanks for your feedback!

taralicious –

We are attuned as I was thinking of the cerulean shade of Tara's eyes and there so was Willow in the next sentence.

If anyone mentions blue or green I automatically go there.

I always have a lump starting to form when I think of how pretty Tara is.

Nicely done.

Will he be another in a seemingly endless parade of troglodytes Willow and Tara encounter in food emporiums or even the much larger outside world from their dorm? Stay tuned, gentle reader.

The odds are even as of now...

Really, Deon?...Really. That's your opening line.

Oh yeah. He's that cheesy.

If there is the name of a metropolis before the iced tea on the menu Willow, don't drink it.

are nothing compared to the enticing aromas that waft out of Tara's kitchen exclusively open to Willow.

Almost...

What would be really cool is if in a corner of the restaurant there was fish pond with a waterfall and a wooden bridge over it for verisimilitude.

Feel free to imagine that.

Willow and Tara aren't interested in my breadstick either, I've come to accept.

Yet still are the granddaddy of all dick jokes.

Who wouldn't be?

Blind people.

All matter would be crushed to a singularity and wink out of existence to be replaced by an eternal void of nothing if Tara ever chose anyone other than Willow.
That is a quantum physics lesson anyone can understand.

Doesn't matter; would never happen.

It is the difference between reading about swooning and tingling yearning and all the Victorian romance novel conceptions of love and actually experiencing them as they course through your veins.

Thought and reality are two very different things.

Three little words eight little letters but they convey so much about the human condition.

That they do

Tara will get whatever she wants but that is for a later chapter.

Just wait...

Deon, that is my role to be obsequious to Tara in hopes of catching even a brief smile from her.

Looks like you have to share!

A swing and a miss, Deon

Poor guy

But before strike three can be called and he is knocked out of the park by Willow, Deon redeems himself by being a stand-up guy who admits that even he can't keep the trendy college gals apart from two women in love...

Had to balance it out.

Pralines and cream is my favorite flavor.

Yum

The books don't want Willow to come to the library without Tara anymore as they liked watching the two girls make out.

Don't tell Willow that!

Who needs TV when you have Tara-vision?

Far more interesting.

But they haven't gotten to the sexual part of their relationship yet, have they?

The 24 hour Willow and Tara cable public access channel

Is that with the cooking and gardening shows?

Oh to have such a channel

Three movies that will never be seen in the sentence again.

Doubtful

Now that is a birthday wish; to be graced by the voice of an angel in human form.

It is indeed, one Tara will do her darndest to fulfil.

Thanks for your feedback!

---

Update Directly Below

[Laragh]

********

TITLE: College Confidential

AUTHOR: Laragh

CHAPTER RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.

SUMMARY: The first part of the prequel to Hacker Confidential and Family Confidential - the college years!

SPOILERS: Perhaps minor references to the show or stealage of dialogue, but nothing that would spoil the series.

FEEDBACK: Yes please

Chapter 17

********

Willow was jolted awake by something loud and unforgiving.


She dug her head into the pillow to try and drown out the incessant ringing of the alarm clock.


“ –ara, ‘urn ifoff,” she groaned, roughly translating to ‘Tara turn it off’.


When the beeping just continued and, in Willow’s estimation, appeared to be getting louder; she reached out blindly and made contact with the device. She aimlessly hit it until it stopped the racket, having no idea where the actual ‘off’ button was.


“Why can’t you just use your freakin’ cell phone like everyone else?” she snapped in tired annoyance, her eyes instantly snapping open with regret when she remembered Tara had neither a cell phone nor appreciation of morning grumpiness.


To her initial relief, then sorrow, the other side of the bed was completely empty.


“Tara?” she called out, looking around the room repeatedly as if her girlfriend might magically appear.


No such feat happened, but she did spot a piece of notebook paper propped up against the lamp on her side of the bed and reached for it.


Had to go. See you later.
Love you.
T xx


“Love you, too,” she said to the air, a little annoyed.


Go where? And no ‘Happy Birthday’? Did she forget?


She clung to the ‘love you’ and tried to let it ease the hurt at having to wake up alone as she dragged herself out of bed to get ready for the day, with a lot less gusto than she normally had.


All alone and no smoochies make Willow a dull girl.


She gloomily left the room, her gaze firmly fixed downward on her shoes and the shoelaces she had left in their checkered set-up from the week before.


Probably thought I was such a dork. Oh hey, Tara, look at the dorky things I do with my shoelaces. Can’t just tie ‘em like a normal person, have to get all Rosen-nerd on it.


“Hey, Willow!”


She looked up at the sound of her name being called, the briefest glimpse of hope in her eye until her brain registered Becky bounding towards her.


“Hey,” she said without much enthusiasm.


“Happy Birthday!” Becky greeted with a quick embrace.


“Thanks,” Willow replied in the same flat tone.


Least someone remembered.


“So come to the bar tonight!” Becky replied, too hyped up with having her plans go right to notice Willow had the demeanour of a deflated balloon, “We have to celebrate you turning twenty!”


Willow shuffled awkwardly.


“I dunno, Beck, it’s not really–”


“Come on, it’s your birthday!” Becky cut her off, doing her best pleading voice.


Willow sighed.


Well it’s not like my supposedly adoring girlfriend is bombarding me with plans.


“Yeah, okay. I probably won’t stay long though.”


Becky clapped her hands as if her invitation had been accepted with open arms.


“See you there! Seven-ish?”


“I have Chem-lab ‘til th–” Willow tried to reply, but Becky was already gone with another quick ‘Happy Birthday’ over her shoulder.


Willow sighed, figuring this just wasn’t her morning and continued on her way.


She perked up a little in class when she got involved in a spirited debate about natural selection and whether it shapes the development of the human mind. Calling out intelligence- and/or reason-light arguments always gave her enough self-satisfaction to put a smile on her face.


She was cheerier as she approached the cafeteria towards the late afternoon, her stomach rumbling for more than the mocha and muffin she’d scoffed down that morning, and felt her heart flutter in delight as she spotted a certain someone at the back of the line.


“Tara!” she called out, excitedly bouncing over.


Tara looked around, her eyes going wide as she saw Willow coming towards her.


“W-Willow,” she started nervously, “Don’t you have Chem Lab now?”


“In twenty minutes, I just wanted to grab a bite first,” Willow answered, feeling warmed as she finally got to give Tara a kiss, even if it was just a quick peck, “You snuck away on me this morning, I didn’t get my morning cuddles.”


Tara blushed as a guy that had appeared behind them shot them an odd luck, but had more pressing issues to deal with. Like to run, flee and skedaddle.


“Sorry,” she answered quickly, grabbing the apple from her tray and abandoning the rest, “You know, I’m late for my Soc-Pol class. I gotta go, bye.”


She scarpered without another word, leaving Willow looking after her with confusion.


She wasn’t late. She doesn’t have Soc-Pol on a Thursday. That’s her Monday and Wednesday class.


Her brow creased as she took in that Tara had lied to her, but had to keep moving as the line behind her started to grow. She absently grabbed a plate of tacos and tossed a couple of pudding cups onto her tray before wandering down to a table, alone.


She’s doesn’t want to see me. She’s avoiding me. Still no 'Happy Birthday'. What did I do?


She racked her brains to try and think of anything that would indicate why her girlfriend was so jumpy and evading her, but came up blank.


We watched that show she likes last night, and shared an orange. And then made out for an hour! More than an hour! She was all over me, all squeeze-y through my shirt and doing that tickly thing on my back!


She sighed, hating not knowing what was going on and started to shove her food into her mouth, just wanting to get it into her so she could sulk off to class.


Chem Lab held none of its normal appeal and she did little but mope throughout the entire thing.


“You alright, Willow?” her lab partner, Kevin, asked as they were cleaning up at the end of their session, “You didn’t even crack a smile when we dropped the water into the Al+I2 and got that cool purple gas.”


“Girl troubles,” Willow replied dejectedly, shining a test tube to crystal clarity, because at least she could do that right.


Kevin nodded in understanding as he gathered his books together.


“Well I hope you work it out.”


Willow just nodded and offered a weak wave of goodbye.


Yeah, me too. ‘Cause right now she’s acting like she wants to break up with me.


She sighed deeply for a moment, then froze as a sudden realisation hit her, almost causing her to drop the test tube in shock.


And doesn’t want to do it on my birthday.


She left the glassware down in the basket with the rest and stumbled to sit on a nearby stool.


She’s breaking up with me. She’s breaking up with me again. Is that why she’s avoiding me? That must be it. What did I do? Doesn’t she love me? She said ‘love you’…She said ‘love you’! …on paper…didn’t say it when she rushed off, Ms. Lie-y McLie.


The idea cemented itself in her mind as soon as it entered, not thinking of the numerous indicators that Tara wanted to do anything but, and only the few questionable things. Rational thought flew out the window when it came to Tara, good and bad.


She quickly finished her clean-up, feeling as if the room was closing in on her and began to walk quickly across campus, wanting to just curl up and cry.


Halfway back to her building, she remembered her plans to meet Becky and for a brief moment actually felt like dropping to the ground and throwing a tantrum. After deciding that probably wasn’t appropriate behaviour for someone who was now twenty years old, she fetched her cell phone from her pocket and dialled her friend’s number.


“Becky, answer your phone,” she whined quietly, only for it to ring out, “Damn it.”


Not wanting to be being rude and just not show up, she decided to make a detour to the bar to tell Becky she wouldn’t be staying at all. She shoved her hands in her pockets and quickly skirted the few blocks to the ‘regular’ student bar she, or rather Becky, attended.


She could hear the music playing loudly already as she turned the corner onto the right street and hoped she’d be able to find Becky without too much trouble if there was a band playing – that normally attracted a crowd.


She pushed her way through the people out front, trying to swig from their beers without taking their cigarettes from their mouths, and spotted her roommate talking to a bunch of people just ahead.


She walked up and tapped her shoulder.


“Hey, Beck–”


Becky instantly spun around and almost dropped her drink, stumbling on the spot.


“Surprise!” she suddenly yelled, followed by some half-hearted repetitions from the cluster of other people around the area, most of whom Willow didn’t even recognise.


“Huh?”


“Surprise!” Becky repeated, with just as much enthusiasm, “Are you surprised?”


Willow blinked in confusion and it took her a second to piece together that this gathering was somehow related to her birthday.


“Um, yeah,” she replied, wondering if she could leave now.


She didn’t ponder it long, however, as she suddenly spotted a familiar head sitting in the booth just ahead, nervously playing with her hands, with a balloon bobbing above her head saying ‘Happy Birthday’.


She ran straight over, but stopped short of sitting.


“Tara.”


Tara jumped up as soon as Willow approached and offered her a wide smile and warm embrace.


“Happy Birthday, sweetie,” she said affectionately, loud enough to be heard over the music, “Finally get to say it.”


Willow thought she must be imagining the extra squeeze she felt and the kiss against her cheek – she must be, right?


“You’re here?” she ventured, trying to keep the shake out of her voice.


“I missed you today,” Tara replied shyly, taking both her hands, “I was so worried I’d spill the beans if I saw you. Just doesn't feel right keeping things from you and Becky was so excited about throwing you a surprise party. Lucky she only told me the proper details this morning or I might have ruined it.”


Surprise party. Right. I knew that. But wait…that means…she’s saying…


“That’s why…that’s why you’ve been avoid-y girl?” she asked, almost falling to the floor in relief, “I thought you were breaking up with me again.”


Tara’s brow creased.


“Again?”


Willow shifted awkwardly.


“You know, with the um, Dad stuff.”


Tara reached up to brush some hair from Willow’s face tenderly.


“I never broke up with you,” she said softly, “You need to stop jumping to that conclusion.”


Willow turned her head into Tara’s touch, then dropped against her shoulder and wrapped her arms around her waist. Tara smiled, despite noticing some peculiar looks from the people surrounding them.


“I’m sorry I worried you.”


“No, I’m sorry, I’m a dummy,” Willow replied, pulling away an inch and taking Tara’s hands again, “I clearly need a whole bunch of sense slapped into me. I’m serious, you should be spanking me.”


Tara had to make a concentrated effort to keep a straight face.


“Uh huh,” she said with a slow nod, wondering if her cheeks looked as flushed as they felt.


Willow was smiling still, not thinking too intensely about what she’d said, and Tara was saved from further embarrassment as Becky suddenly skipped over.


“Hey, I know you’re all lovey and dovey, but I planned a whole surprise party for you here!”


Willow turned to her friend and offered a hug.


“Thanks, you’re really awesome!” she said, before casting an eye around at the selection of people at ‘her’ party, “Do, I, um, know any of these people?”


“Okay, so maybe I did it a little for me too,” Becky replied with a playful grin, “Just have a good night, okay?”


“I will!” Willow answered, turning back to take Tara’s hands again, “Do you wanna dance?”


“Okay,” Tara replied shyly.


Willow swung her hands between them as they moved closer to the band, playing some soft rock.


“I have to warn you, I look like one of those inflatable men they use at car dealerships when I dance.”


“I always liked those,” Tara replied kindly, making Willow smile, “They looked like they were having lots of fun.”


They joined both hands as they started to dance, just moving and bouncing around in place until they were sweaty and giggling.


“They’re really good!” Willow half-shouted into Tara’s ear as they waded their way back through the crowd to sit in a booth.


“They’re really nice too,” Tara replied, before explaining when Willow looked confused, “I was talking to them when they were setting up.”


Willow grinned as Tara slid into the seats.


“Talking to the band huh? Are you turning into a groupie?” she teased, then kissed the flushing cheeks that resulted, “I’ll go get us some drinks. Sprite?”


Tara nodded and Willow skipped off to get some drinks. She returned with a glass of Sprite for Tara and a Diet Coke for herself and slid in beside Tara, feeling giddy from dancing still.


They had moved far enough back from where the band was set-up that they could chat comfortably while still enjoying the music and spent the next while doing just that, their bodies inching closer and closer together as time passed.


“Say cheese, lovebirds!” Becky’s voice suddenly broke through as she approached them with a camera.


Willow turned and leaned back against Tara, then felt hands rest over her stomach and a chin lean on her shoulder. She was about to crack a very cheesy but very real smile, but found herself giggling instead when Tara squeezed her stomach, tickling her.


She heard an answering laugh in her ear, then the click of the camera and for once didn’t care how she looked in the shot – she knew a happier photograph of herself didn’t exist.


“I love you,” she said to Tara as she turned back to kiss her cheek.


Tara blushed but smiled, then started to slip past Willow.


“I’m just going to go to the bathroom.”


“Want me to come with you?” Willow asked, trying to be helpful.


“I think I’ve got it down,” Tara replied with smile, before scooting out of the booth.


Willow watched her leave, to make sure she got to the bathroom safe, of course, but couldn’t help but notice the sway in her girlfriend’s step.


Mmhh, I’m owed a birthday snuggle for this morning…maybe I can snag one of my sneaky thigh grazes…I was practically touching panty last night!


“–ool?”


Willow blinked up at Becky when she heard her voice break through the Tara-haze.


“Huh?”


“I said I wonder if I can get the camera close enough to capture the drool,” Becky replied, shoving the camera right up close to Willow’s face.


Willow flushed with embarrassment and batted the camera away.


“We’ll probably head back soon,” she tried to say casually, eager to get what she was ‘owed’.


Becky nodded and sat in the booth opposite Willow.


“I’m heading into the city with…” she pointed at a muscular blonde guy standing at the bar, “That hunka-hunka burning love.”


Willow raised an eyebrow.


“Is Paul okay with that?”


“I don’t really care,” Becky shrugged, before adding as if an afterthought, “We broke up.”


“Becky, I’m sorry,” Willow replied sympathetically, “Are you okay?”


Becky nodded and gave a slightly sad, but accepting smile.


“This isn’t Tim, don’t worry,” she replied, referring to a messy break-up freshman year for a guy she really had fallen for, “Actually I think he’s sulking more than me!”


“Do you need to talk?” Willow offered, “I’m sure Tara won’t mind if you need some best friend time.”


Becky shook her head, a happier bounce back in her demeanour.


“Nope, I need to have fun and I need you to have fun!”


Willow felt the smile quirk onto her lips and cover her face.


“I am. Lots.”


“Makes two of us,” Becky grinned, then left the seat and gave Willow a quick hug, “Happy Birthday!”


“Thank you!” Willow called after her.


She idly sipped her drink as she waited for Tara to return, and started to get concerned when she was left waiting.


Did she fall into the toilet?


She kept her eyes fixed on the doors to the bathroom as a flutter of nerves started in her belly, wondering if Tara had slipped out on her.


No. Stop it. What did she tell you? Trust her for god’s sake.


She tried to relax and just listen to the music, tapping her fingers against the table in time to the beat, until the song ended and the lead singer’s voice boomed through the microphone.


“We got a special request here tonight and since we don’t think music would exist if it weren’t for matters of the heart, how could we say no? Happy Birthday, Willow!”


Willow’s eyes shot over to the platform stage and she saw the lead singer move back and take a bass against him, strumming the strings lightly, as someone else took the position at the microphone.


Her eyes almost fell out of her head when she saw the spotlight shine on Tara, her hand covering her eyes to shield it a moment before shyly stepping forwards so she was right at the microphone.


Willow just about registered the guitar and drums picking up the tune but her focus was primarily on Tara, who had sought her out in the crowd, hands tight around the microphone stand in nerves, but not a hint of which came out as she started to sing.


I've got sunshine on a cloudy day.
When it's cold outside I've got the month of May.
I guess you'd say…
What can make me feel this way?
My girl…


The three boys that made up the band offered perfect backing vocals and Willow could see the bright blush on Tara’s face, but there wasn’t a moment of hesitation as she sang.


I've got so much honey the bees envy me.
I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees.
I guess you'd say…
What can make me feel this way?
My girl…
Talkin’ ‘bout my girl…


Willow felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she took in what Tara was doing for her and wanted to just run up and throw her arms around her, but was struck immoveable in awe.


I don't need no money, fortune, or fame.
I've got all the riches baby, one woman can claim.
I guess you'd say…
What can make me feel this way?
My girl…
Talkin’ ‘bout my girl…


She was on the edge of her seat, smile beaming from ear to ear, and giggled when she heard Tara purposely change ‘man’ to ‘woman’. She felt like her heart might burst from her chest as the song finished up and Tara offered her, her special smile before slipping away to the edge of the stage.


“Round of applause for young love, ladies and gentlemen,” the lead said as he took the microphone again.


Willow absently heard some people clap but her eyes were searching for Tara in the crowd. She jumped up, ready to wade her way through the crowd but saw her girlfriend appear right as she did so, the strobe lights hitting her in such a way that Willow could have easily mistaken her for an angel.


She felt her breath catch in her throat but didn’t waste a moment in rushing to her, arms swung tightly around her.


“Tara, Tara. You sang to me.”


“You asked me to,” Tara replied bashfully, squeezing her back.


Willow pulled her head away from Tara’s chest, blinking up at her.


“I-I thought…you’d sing a bit louder in the shower, or maybe give me a few bars when we were cuddling, if I was lucky,” she rambled for a moment before feeling tears prick at her eyes, “Thank you. That…that meant…thank you.”


Tara blushed wildly for a moment that she'd embarrassed herself unnecessarily, but seeing how Willow responded made it much more than worth it. She brushed her thumbs beneath Willow's eyes.


“Don’t cry, sweetie.”


Willow turned her head in to kiss Tara’s palm.


“I love you. Thank you. That was the best gift I've ever gotten.”


Tara smiled and moved her hands up to cup Willow’s ears, affectionately rubbing her thumbs over her eyebrows, then left a chaste but warm kiss on her lips.


“I love you, too.”


Willow closed her eyes to savour those words, then reopened them and reached for Tara’s hand.


“Do you want to grab a pizza and go back to your dorm?” she asked, before adding on, “I didn’t get a chance to get any dinner…and I know a certain someone missed lunch…just so I could have a surprise on my birthday.”


She felt Tara squeeze their hands together and with a quick goodbye to Becky, they left the rowdy bar and its patrons in their good spirits. They made a brief stop to pick up a pizza. Willow smiled at how reminiscent it was of their first date.


“Tara, I’m gonna be a total pig and just dig in,” Willow said as Tara let them into her dorm, “I’m starving.”


“Uh huh, sure,” Tara replied, walking over to her mini-fridge as Willow jumped onto the bed and flipped the pizza lid, “I have apple juice and fruit punch. And you have a can of Fanta in here.”


“‘anta,” Willow answered through a mouthful of gooey cheese, “‘ee ‘an ‘are.”


“Thanks,” Tara smiled, understanding the offer to share.


She popped the tab and left the can on her nightstand, then opened the drawer and took out a rectangle of pink tissue paper, a thin red ribbon tied in a bow around it. She sat down next to Willow on the bed and shyly offered it.


Willow looked down at the gift and quickly swallowed the food in her mouth, almost choking in the process. She glugged down some of the soda to ease it down, wiping at her mouth self-consciously.


“Still haven’t got that chewing thing down,” she joked, then put her hand over Tara’s, “You gave me my present, you sang. So beautifully and wonderfully and it'll be in my heart forever.”


“It’s just something tiny,” Tara replied bashfully, “It didn’t cost me anything.”


Willow pulled the ribbon out of its knot and turned the paper over, folding it back. She picked up the necklace sitting inside by its black thread and held the hanging heart pendant in the palm of her hand, rolling the two blue and green beads that were affixed either side between her fingers.


“Tara, it’s beautiful,” she said softly, before looking up at her, “But you can’t tell me it didn’t cost anything.”


Tara gave a single-shoulder shrug.


“I made it in the art rooms. They have lots of supplies just laying around.”


Willow blinked in surprise.


“You made this? For me?” she asked in awe, getting a shy nod of confirmation, “Put it on me?”


She handed Tara the necklace and turned her back, bending her neck forward. She felt it fasten just under her hair and looked down to see it hanging down her chest in glee.


“I love it and I love you!” she gushed, spinning back around and planting her lips squarely on Tara’s.


Tara felt herself get lightheaded for a moment as Willow quite literally took her breath away but it only took her a second to respond, moving to rest her hands on her girlfriend’s shoulders.


She started to slowly slide her hands down Willow’s arms and let them fall to her girlfriend's waist. Her fingers deftly slipped just underneath the hem of Willow's shirt to caress the skin of her lower back. She started to open her mouth to try and deepen the kiss, but her stomach decided that was an opportune moment to protest the lack of sustenance it had received that day with a low rumble.


She had to stifle a sound of protest when Willow pulled away, letting her hands fall to her sides meekly.


“I insist you have a slice,” Willow said, offering Tara the box with a warm smile, “It’s my birthday, what I say goes!”


Tara tried to calm her flushing cheeks and took a slice of the pizza Willow was so eager to offer. Willow grabbed another for herself and flopped down to lie on her side, picking up the remote and flicking through channels.


“Hey, 10 Things I Hate About you is on!” she said excitedly after a moment, “I love this movie.”


Tara tore off the end of her slice of pizza, thinking it was a much meagre alternative to what her lips had been on before. She lay down beside Willow and shuffled in as close as she could.


“I haven’t seen it.”


Willow slurped another sip from her soda, delighted in her surroundings.


“It’s like a modern day re-telling of The Taming of the Shrew, you know the Shakespeare play? But it’s not Shakespeare-y at all, it’s all 90’s douchebags and cheerleaders and bad-guy-who-really-has-a-heart-of-gold,” she explained, before adding on sheepishly, “It sounds dumb, but it’s funny.”


Tara nodded and tried to pay attention to the movie, but it only held her concentration for as long as it took her to finish her slice of pizza – not a reflection on its enjoyability, but Willow’s neck was just a head turn away from her lips…and she had plans.


Willow instinctively tilted her neck when she felt Tara start to leave soft kisses there, providing the perfect accompaniment of tingles to satisfying taste of soda and pizza in her mouth and the laughs the movie was delivering.


“Hey, that’s my next request,” she giggled when Heath Ledger began prancing across the school on screen, the empty pizza box discarded on the floor, “Serenading me across the bleachers while being chased by campus security. But not that song because I already want you.”


Tara thought her heart might pound right out of her chest as she brushed her lips over the hollow of Willow’s throat and whispered against her skin.


“Do you?”


Willow giggled again, thinking Tara was joking around.


“Yeah,” she replied through it, then cast a glance downward and realised how intense the gaze she was receiving back was.


Never had a simple look caused her to feel like her body was simultaneously parched and flooded; caused her mind to both become devoid of thought and race with them; thrilled her and scared her at the same time.


“Tara?” she barely managed to croak out, eyes full of question.


Tara reached up and tapped her fingertips against Willow’s jaw, then silently picked up the remote and turned the television off. Never leaving Willow’s gaze, she grasped her girlfriend’s hand in hers and brought it up and under her shirt.


She tried not to let her chest heave as she left Willow’s hand on her breast for a few long moments before removing her hand again. Willow tried to hide her disappointment, feeling like a child that had a lollipop waved in their face, then snatched away, but it only lasted a brief second as she watched Tara begin to unbutton her own shirt.


Oh my god. Oh. My. God.


Tara felt her fingers trembling as she slipped each button free but managed to smoothly undo them all. The material hung over her shoulders for a moment as she sat up, but she shrugged it off once her back was free.


Willow wondered if she’d fallen asleep and was dreaming but quickly realised this was real – Tara’s bra-encased breasts were more than she could ever have imagined, asleep or awake.


She felt her hand being guided once again and audibly gasped as she connected with the globular flesh.


“You’re so beautiful…” she whispered, not daring to do more than brush her fingertips against Tara’s skin.


Tara felt her belly flutter as Willow’s hands grew more confident and took a soft squeeze. She turned her lips inwards to conceal a moan she felt rising from her throat when Willow’s palm hit against her nipple, sticking out through her bra.


Willow looked down in awe as she felt the same thing and started to slowly circle her finger around the protuberance. After a minute of doing so, she was sure she heard a moan come from Tara’s mouth, but not just any moan – soft and shy, but still unmistakably deep.


Before she had a chance to look up to confirm it had indeed been Tara who made such a sound, and that she was the one to cause it, she found herself shocked into stillness as her girlfriend’s bra promptly fell to the bed between them.


Her hand remained poised in the air, just a millimetre from Tara’s breast, but looked up before letting in connect. Tara was looking at her, shy but trusting. She felt her lean up and a soft kiss being left on her lips, the movement causing her hand to close the tiny gap.


As soon as it did, she heard that moan again, though it was more of a feeling this time as it vibrated against her lips. Her hands seemed to develop a life of their own then, squeezing and groping her girlfriend’s breasts as Tara showed her appreciation with hungry kisses.


At some stage, they fell back onto the bed and Willow found herself on top of Tara, her tongue eagerly playing in her girlfriend’s mouth while her hands teased the mounds of heaven she was quickly becoming familiar with.


She pulled back for a brief gasp of air but stopped short of retaking Tara’s lips again when she noticed the way they were quirked up on one side, in a way that she could only describe as sultry.


She could feel the air rushing from her lungs and a warmth spread between her legs, more than she’d ever experienced before. She looked up a few inches and spent several moments lost in Tara’s eyes until a movement made her gaze move downwards.


She caught sight of Tara’s hand move down her body and watched as she started to undo the button of her pants.


It all seemed to be happening in slow motion for Willow; the button was popped, then the zipper was dragged down, revealing a hint of red lace panties underneath.


As soon as that glimpse registered in Willow’s brain, the panic button switched firmly to 'on' and she jumped backwards from the bed as if she’d been struck by lightning.


“We ca-, we can’t!”


Tara started to awkwardly cover herself with the sheet.


“Willow?” she asked, voice timid, “A-are you okay?”


Willow shook her head furiously.


“Can’t, can’t,” she said, almost nonsensically, “Moment, caught up, and pressure, am I pressuring you? Can’t, couldn’t, couldn’t bear it if you regretted it.”


Tara looked relieved that’s all it was, then offered a smile across the room.


“No, honey, I won’t regret this, I want–”


Willow continued to shake her head, biting the skin around her thumb. As far as she was concerned this was the first Tara had expressed an interest in anything more than over-the-sweater action and she was terrified she was making a rash decision.


“No, you need time,” she rambled on, not thinking to stop and listen to her girlfriend, since she was barely able to comprehend her own thoughts, “You think about it, ‘kay? I’ll come back. Tomorrow. So you think about it, and if you still want to, then we will, and if you don’t, you don’t and that’s fine too, so I’ll be back, okay?”


With that, and without waiting for a response, she turned towards the door and promptly ran out.

[WillowFish]

DIBS! Delicious DIBS! I calls them! I shall call you dibs and you shall be mine. And you shall be my dibs.

Willow! Y u no stop jumping to conclusions!?

Willow....nooooo! Y u no stay for Tara love!?

Le sigh. Willow. You are...so Willow. lol.

[BuffyFan4ever]

Stupid slow computer

Too bad Willow had to wake up with no birthday snuggles. Luckily we knew the truth.

Hooray for Tara singing. Loved the song. Of course now I'm thinking about making a Frankenstein out of beautiful girls.

It all seemed to be happening in slow motion for Willow; the button was popped, then the zipper was dragged down, revealing a hint of red lace panties underneath.

As soon as that glimpse registered in Willow’s brain, the panic button switched firmly to 'on' and she jumped backwards from the bed as if she’d been struck by lightning.

“We ca-, we can’t!”

You're a tease! Luckily Tara knows why Willow ran away so she can go after her right away.

Can't wait for the next chapter.

[zampsa19752001]

Yay for excellent update-y goodness... Big yay for Tara going on stage and singing for Willow... I'm glad that Becky's surprise party ended without any embarrassing moments... Extra big yay for Willow's first expedition to Taraboobland... I really hope that Tara very very soon tells Willow that she indeed wants Willowhands on Taraboobs...

[wimpy0729]

Oh. Shit.

Damn. Honestly, I'm like speechless. Let me regroup for a minute.

Okay. The best word I can come up with at the moment is "Overload". I guess I never really realized it, but obviously this is something they haven't really talked about. In Willow's mind, Tara isn't ready for this huge step. Willow feels like she's pressuring her, yet Tara is the one making all the moves. I mean, taking her own shirt and bra off is a pretty big clue that Tara wants this. (Let me just go back and read that part again and picture it in my mind about 1,000 times. ) Willow didn't ask her to. But when Willow saw the lace panties, it was like Red Flag! High Alert! Tara's about to get naked, and holy fucking shit, did she freak out. Maybe Willow is the one who isn't quite ready. Some serious conversations are definitely in order. But poor Tara...putting herself out there, then Willow running out on her. SHIT! I can totally picture Willow pacing in her room all night thinking/overthinking and driving herself absolutely nuts, and Tara all sad and alone and confused in her room.

Tara singing for her was so awesome, and she had to be terrified to get up there and do that, but she did it for Willow.

On a different note, the guys at the bar trying to take a swig of beer while smoking brings back some fun memories. I think there's a video floating around out there of me and some friends doing similarly stupid things at a hotel after a softball tournament. Good times.

Okay, now I need to go find the Pepto, cause my tummy's all rumbly. You're gonna fix this soon, right? Please, before I pull all my hair out.


Wimpy