Just like magic

Chapter 5

I'd gone through the rest of the day, feeling melancholic. I sat alone at our usual spot for lunch, but they didn't come. Then I walked home, letting myself in.

When I got in though, it wasn't what I was expecting. My mum was there, sat on the sofa, and with Tara?!

"Mum? I thought you'd be at work." I was more surprised at Tara though. Why was she here?

"Oh sweetie, hi! I got home early. And Tara, she said she was your friend, so I let her in."

Great, she was using her usual "I'm the best person ever, I'm so nice" façade. Wait...Tara had called me her friend. It felt like a comfort after today.

"You know, I'm ruining this. How about you two go upstairs. Willow can show you her bedroom." She didn't take no for an answer, so I led Tara up to my room and closed the door.

This was so surreal...Tara...in my room. It wasn't a big room, nothing much but Tara looked around for a few minutes as if it was the moon. There was a single bed where some fairy lights I hadn't taken down hung all around and a picture on my bedside of me, Xander and Buffy. Felt like a century now... It also had some stickers I must've stuck on my drawers when I was 6, which made me feel embarrassed and wish I had kept my room updated...

"It's not much..."

"I-I think it's...m-magical." She looked back at me, smiling a little.

I was about to protest but then saw she looked genuine when saying that and it made my heart melt. I needed honest comments like that now...now that that'd happened... I felt my eyes wet a little...no, no...Stop...

She noticed, her expression tender. "Will?" The use of the nickname made the tears worse, and I had to let it go.

She sat me down on the bed and stroked my back. It wasn't much but it was definitely what I lacked right now.

I managed to pull myself together after a few minutes and speak.

"I-I'm sorry..."

She shook her head quickly. "No, no Willow. N-never apologise for expressing e-emotions..."

I wanted so badly to explain to her, I knew she'd get it but before I could she stuttered again.

"Is-is this about last n-night? Because it most defin-definitely sucked."

I shook my head and laughed a little at the thought of last night. She waited but I felt the tears coming again as I remembered why I was crying.

She pulled me into a hug, stroking my hair gently, clearly trying to soothe. It made me feel comforted, and it sent a shiver down my spine. A good feeling...

Then after I'd recovered, I spent the next hour or so explaining everything to her: about the Slayer thing, Oz and the werewolf. Sunnydale being a Hellmouth...and all through it she nodded and sympathised with the bad parts and then laughed with me about the good parts.

I felt bad for revealing all these secrets, but I trusted Tara. Sorry Giles...

"W-wow. I mean...I thought m-magic was the weirdest t-thing. And Faith r-really said that to you?" She shook her head.

"Yeah...but I mean...she's not wrong."

Tara looked up so quickly, I thought she might've given herself whiplash, an annoyed and slightly defensive look on her face. "She is wrong. She's s-so so wrong...You're powerful W-Willow."

She said this so sincerely too, I'd never felt so comfortable with someone before. "Powerful? No, I'm just...Willow. Study help robot..."

She shook her head and looked directly into my eyes, the blue glistening like crystals. "No, you are. I...I felt it."

I was confused and waited for her to elaborate. "Felt what?"

The way she spoke next made another shiver run down my spine. "Magic."