"C’mon, Wills, admit it!"
"Xander, shut up!" Willow groaned as her face became the color of her hair.
"Not until you admit it," Xander gloated, laughing when Willow glared at him. "Uh uh, Willow. You know that doesn’t work on me. Now tell your bestest bud what’s making your face turn such a lovely shade of pink."
"I’m going to get you for this," Willow muttered, her green eyes flashing with amusement as she almost forgave Xander for his teasing, knowing that he did actually deserve the chance to tease her a little this time.
"And my little dog, too?" Xander quipped, his brown eyes glancing behind Willow’s chair. His smile grew even more mischievous as he saw his girlfriend approaching, talking and smirking at an equally flustered redhead. He leaned forward and said, "Willow, darling, dearest friend, just admit it. You know how stubborn I can be and I’m so pestering you until you admit that I was right!"
Meanwhile
Hermione smirked at Ron, "I told you that you’d love her!"
"Hmph, you also told me that potions would prove vital to my future and I’ve not used it all since Hogwarts so excuse me for doubting you," Ron said dryly, his brown eyes looking across the restaurant and finding Willow easily. His date.
She was bloody beautiful, though she seemed to have no idea just how sexy and pretty she was. She was Hermione’s friend, working at the Council with his best friend, and she was also best friends with Hermione’s boyfriend, Xander. Ron had been hearing about her for months, Hermione constantly bringing up the witch’s name. Finally, two weeks ago, Hermione had grown tired of hinting, as he was informed by the brunette witch, she had been doing for months, and finally arranged a double date. He’d been pleasantly surprised that Willow was smart in the way he found undeniably attractive as well as funny and modest and had he mentioned that she was absolutely stunning? Once again, Hermione had been right, and Ron couldn’t deny that he was very interested in getting to know Willow better.
"You like her," Hermione smiled happily, pleased that her two friends were getting along so well. She’d noticed the attraction, of course, but it was moe than just lust and that pleased her. She loved Ron like a brother and wanted him to find what she had found with Xander. Ron and Willow made sense in the same way that she and Xander made sense, balancing and complimenting one another. They’d have adorable redheaded children that called her Auntie Hermione, she decided with a large smile as they approached the table. They arrived in time to hear Xander tell Willow to just admit that he was right.
Willow growled before finally admitting, "Fine! You were right! For once! I do like him, a lot. He’s so funny and sweet and very easy on the eyes. Gods, he’s sexy isn’t he? With that shaggy auburn hair and those laughing brown eyes….so, yes, you were right, Xander. Be sure to write it down since it happens so rarely!" she sighed as Xander acted offended by her comment, though he was smiling as she said, "I’m feeling something for him, Xan, which is silly because we just met, but I’d really like to get to know him better. Satisfied?"
"I don’t know about him, but I am," Ron spoke up softly from behind her, a slight smile on his lips that widened when Willow squeaked and jumped at hearing his voice, turning and knocking over a glass of water and spilling it on the table.
"Oops, sorry…did I do that?" Willow knew her face was bright red because she could feel the heat in her cheeks, and it definitely wasn’t the good kinda heat that she’d been feeling since first setting eyes on Ron Weasley. No this was a ‘please let the ground open up and swallow me before I make an even bigger idiot out of myself’ kinda heat. She laughed nervously as she looked from the smiling wizard and glared again at a smirking Xander, who had been joined by a grinning Hermione. She was so going to get even with them, she vowed, wondering how they’d like all their clothes turned pink.
"Don’t be embarrassed, Willow," Ron told her quietly as he took the seat beside her. He looked into her green eyes and smiled, doing a little blushing of his own as he confessed, "I feel it, too. In fact, I was going to ask if you wanted to do this again, without our smug and annoying friends?"
Willow smiled shyly, feeling like a silly schoolgirl who had been asked on her first date, slowly nodding as she said, "I’d like that a lot, Ron."
Hermione nudged Xander and grinned, whispering, "I told you so!" right before she pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss.
*the end*
Second String
Story Notes:
7/13/04