She searched through the crowd in the hall, trying to spot the familiar face
  of her best friend. She finally spotted him, leaning against her locker,
  obviously waiting for her arrival.

  Willow stopped in her tracks, admiring from a distance the way Xander’s hair
  was ruffled slightly, making him look oh-so-adorable. She suddenly felt the
  urge to run her fingers through his dark hair. <No Willow, think about the
  matter at hand> her mind reminded her. She shook her head and continued
  walking towards him.

  Xander saw her coming and smiled brightly.

  "Hey Will!"

  "Hi. Listen, I kind of need to talk to you…" Willow silently prayed that she
  would say this the right way and not make a fool of herself.

  "Sure, what’s wrong?" Xander asked, a concerned and slightly confused look
  in his dark eyes.

  "Well…um…let’s go someplace a little more quiet." <Oh God, what am I
  doing?>

  She looked around, and noticing one of the janitor’s closets, pulled Xander
  in and shut the door.

  "Willow? What’s going on?" Xander suddenly felt his heart start beating a
  little faster. <This is Will…not Cordelia. Down boy>

  Willow looked up, surprised at the tone of Xander’s voice. <Why does his
  voice sound so deep?> Her eyes met his and suddenly all thoughts
  vanished.. <My god, he’s staring at me as if it’s not me. As if it’s Cordelia, or even
  Buffy>

  "Xander, I …well, um, I wanted to tell you something." She closed her eyes
  and pleaded silently that she could go on.

  "What is it? Come on, you can say it," he encouraged her. <Look at her.
  She’s so…so pretty.. How come I never noticed this before?>

  Willow looked down, flushing slightly. "I’ve been wanting to tell you this for
  a long time now, and last night it suddenly occurred to me to tell you
  before…um, before anything happens to either one of us."

  Xander blinked. "What’s going to happen to us, Willow?" he asked gently..

  "Well, nothing I know of. But if something *did* happen to you, or me, I just
  wanted you to know that…"

  Xander smiled his lop-sided smile, trying to comfort her. Subconsciously, he
  noticed himself slowly get closer and closer to Willow in the dim closet.

  "…I want you to know that I love you. I’ve loved you for years. I never told
  you because I didn’t want to lose our friendship. I'm, I’m sorry to have to
  tell you this now, but I had to get it out and…" she trailed off, noticing
  she was babbling. <Dammit, Willow. Real smooth there. Very not pathetic>
  she chastised herself.

  Willow blinked, suddenly noticing just how close Xander was. She felt her
  heart beat loud in her chest. She looked into Xander’s eyes and saw surprise
  and confusion. She sighed to herself.

  Willow started to back away, but Xander reached for her arm to stop her.
  "Willow, I don’t know what to say. I—"

  "No, it’s okay. I’m sorry for ruining your life," Willow cut him off,
  blinking back her tears.

  "No, Willow, you don’t understand. I…I feel the same way," he admitted
  softly. He smiled when he saw Willow’s surprise. "You’re my Willow. I never pushed
  our relationship further than friendship because of that."

  Willow stood there, letting his words sink in. Her eyes widened. "You
  mean…?"

  "I love you."

  "But—"

  "I’ve been so stupid. I always knew you were there for me, and I took that
  for granted. I never really saw you as anything but a friend because I didn’t
  want to hurt you." Xander watched as her surprise turned to shock and then
  happiness.

  "Xander…Oh my gosh… " Willow cried, stepping up to him and flinging her
  arms around his neck.

  Xander’s arm went around her waist, hugging her tightly against him. <My
  Willow…who just happens to fit perfectly in my arms.>

  Xander slowly released her, still holding lightly to her waist. He stared
  down at her, and came to a decision. He slowly leaned down to her lips.

  Willow smiled uncertainly up at him, lifting her face to his. <Omigosh, this
  isn’t happening.>

  Their lips met, and a current of electricity flowed down their spines. Their
  arms held one another tighter, and the kiss gradually become deeper. They
  broke apart moments later, letting the situation settle in their minds.

  "Xander?" Willow said quietly, her mind racing.

  "Yeah?"

  "You know, we’re in a closet."

  "Yeah, Will, I’m familiar with this closet." Xander chuckled softly.

  Willow suddenly felt unsure, nervous. "Well, um…I think—I think I should go."
 

  Xander broke out of his trace. "Oh…yeah, me too." His head was still reeling
  from the kiss. It was the sweetest kiss he had ever had.

  Willow walked out, then turned around to face him. "Thank you, Xander."

  Xander smiled, trying to hide his disappointment. "Sure! You’re my Willow."

  His smile faded as she left, and he sighed dejectedly. "Oh no, my life’s not
  too screwed up."