Chit Chat: The Art of Getting to Know You
By Samantha Gold

Disclaimer: They all belong to Joss if you recognize them. The plot is mine.
Author’s Note: Wow…who would’ve thought that I could ever write something like that? And after I finished it, I certainly never planned on sharing it with anyone!! Oh well, be nice.  It's Riley's POV.
Feedback: Sure…but DO NOT FLAME ME FOR THIS!

I wrapped my arms around her midriff, loving how small she was compared to me and yet I was simultaneously captivated by the knowledge that she was still so much stronger than I am.

She leaned back into me, showing me that she trusted me. I knew that she’d been hurt by so many people before and that made her trust that much more valuable to me. I loved her. I still do.

She turned her face to look at me. Her ear rested against my chest comfortably and she paused a few moments, listening to its rapid beating. It does that when I’m around her. She’s so beautiful and wonderful that I can’t help but get worked up around her. It’s a nice feeling.

"I like that sound," she whispered to me, a smile playing at her soft lips. I just smiled at her, glad that I could make this wondrous creature happy.

We stayed like that for a while longer before she pulled away gently and looked at me. "We need to talk, Riley," she told me seriously.

I felt my heart plummet. "T – talk?" I echoed, forcing a word that didn’t want to come. No good conversations ever start that way.

"Uh huh," she agreed. Noticing my terrified expression, she laughed and grinned at me. "Don’t get all scared, fraidy cat!" She teased. "I’m not going to bite you, I just want to talk!"

I managed a strained chuckle. "Okay…about what?"

She shrugged. "Anything…I want to know all about you," she replied. "Well, not everything because then I won’t have anything new to learn…"

I laughed, for real this time. "Does this mean I should tell you about that time I spent in jail a few years ago…" She looked horrified and I laughed again. "I’m kidding!" She relaxed.

"Seriously," she said, "Tell me about you. Like, what kind of girl did you go out with before me?"

"Oh, I get it. I know what you’re up to now," I teased her. "Don’t worry, you’re my favourite so far."

She laughed. Her laughter is such a beautiful sound, like a choir of angels singing, or the beauty of the sunrise transformed into sound. Every time she laughs even the smallest chuckle, I find myself thanking God that I’m alive and that I’m with her.

"Tell me," she whispered.

I ended up telling her about all of my girlfriends, from my first girlfriend, Mary to my last before her, Anna. Mary lived on the farm next to ours back in Iowa. We were six when we started "dating". I liked her because her mom made the best brownies in the county. Well, that and she was really pretty. Buffy found that cute.

After her, I got my first real girlfriend. I was fifteen and her name was Suzie. Suzie was really smart and we went to the same junior high. She broke up with me when I beat her on a major English paper though. I got over it pretty quickly.

I moved on to Allison sophomore year. She was in my math class and sat in front of me. She had the prettiest golden brown hair and the nicest smile I’d ever seen… She didn’t live on a farm like most of though and she hated animals. After she dumped me, I found out she’d only been going out with me because she liked my best friend at the time, Tommy. All the girls seemed to like Tommy. We stopped being friends after he went out with Allison because I wasn’t over her yet.

I didn’t get over her until my senior year. I started out the year going out with Kathy, but we had to break up after about a month. It was a bad year for crops and my family needed my help so I didn’t have time for dating. We stayed friends though, and that was good.

Later on in the year, after my family didn’t need my help so much anymore, I went out with a junior, Courtney. She lived on a farm not too far from ours and was really strong. Most of the girls that lived on farms were, it was one of the requirements of living where we did. Work was hard and we all developed strong muscles in the process. Courtney, however, was stronger than any of the girls I knew. She was really nice despite that and that was why I liked her. We went to the prom together…or what passed for a prom in our tiny town anyway.

We broke up before College though because I was going to work in the army and she was staying home to help on her farm. I think she’s still doing that. The military sent me to UC Sunnydale where I joined the Initiative and I was able to work on my degree at the same time.

I was pretty serious for most of my freshmen and sophomore year and stuck with my fraternity of other guys in the Initiative for the most part. That was the year I met Forrest and Graham and we became best friends. My hard work paid off though and I got good grades while moving up through the ranks of the Initiative.

I had two girlfriends, but it wasn’t anything serious. I dated a redhead named Hillary my freshmen year and another girl that reminded me of Allison the next year. That was Anna.

For the most part, though, I wasn’t that interested in dating. The girls weren’t much like all of the girls I had known growing up and part of me was scared of that. I like it when things are familiar to me, change and unplanned things are…well, unplanned and when I don’t know what’s going to happen I can’t be prepared for it.

I think that’s why I tried hiding my feelings for Buffy at first. I wrapped an arm around her stomach and pulled her backwards into me. We sat comfortably, just basking in the silent presence of each other.

"So you didn’t date seriously until me?"

"No."

"What made you change your mind and decide to date me then?"

"You were peculiar," I said with a smile and was rewarded with one of hers. I tightened my arms around her stomach and buried my head in the crook of her neck affectionately. "Your turn now," I whispered into her ear.

She shrugged and I found my head pushed back from her shoulder by the action. "Nah," she muttered, "it’s not interesting."

"Sure it is," I prodded her. "Everything about you is interesting to me."

She slipped from my arms. "Riley, please?"

I sighed. She always withdrew like this. I don’t know why she won’t divulge any information on her past relationships to me, especially since she questions me so freely about mine… I wondered if she’d ever been hurt – badly – and then I remembered the office job from before.

Maybe it’s best if I don’t know…

So I plastered on a goofy smile and said, "All right then, how about you tell me what we’re doing tomorrow then instead."

And, relieved, she smiles. With the glow of that smile, it suddenly doesn’t seem to matter anymore. Who she’s been with, who she’s loved…none of it matters – because right now, it’s me.

-Fin-