Author: ophelia11
Rating: PG-13 for pottymouths and innuendo. Strong chance for naughtiness later on.
Disclaimer: The story is mine. The characters are not. :(
Feedback: Pretty please? Please leave feedback on the Impulse thread on the Kitten Board.

Oh, this is the start of something good
Don't you agree?
I haven't felt like this in so many moons
You know what I mean? - Follow Through, Gavin DeGraw

Twenty minutes later Willow and Tara were sitting at a cafe table on the patio of a local bistro. After a lengthy dialogue with the waiter, their drink orders were placed and Tara chuckled behind the wall of a menu.

"What?" Willow peered over her own to see what was amusing the blonde.

"You're kidding, right?" Tara looked over at Willow's puzzled face and realized the redhead had no idea what she found so funny. "You're so adorably naive sometimes. You really have no idea the waiter was just flirting with you?"

"What?" The surprise was evident in her voice. Willow glanced to the door where the man disappeared a few minutes earlier. "Nuh uh."

"M'kay. If you say so." Tara shook her head and went back to browsing the lunch options.

Willow's brow furrowed in concentration. Barely a minute passed before she set down the menu again. "Why would you say he was flirting?"

Tara smirked. "Willow. It's no big deal. Just because I'm not good at flirting doesn't mean I don't recognize when others are doing it. I didn't mean to upset you about it." She winked, "Forget I brought it up."

She was not to be dissuaded so easily. "Seriously, though. I mean I just told him what I wanted to drink."

At first Tara believed it was just Willow being humble, but now realized the notion was completely foreign to the smaller woman. Accepting that the conversation would not go away, she set down her own menu and continued. "I said that he was flirting with you. I didn't say you were flirting back. All those 'what are you ladies up to today' questions were definitely not directed at me."

The comment bothered her, "That's just crazy."

Tara slipped her hand across the table and captured Willow's. "Sweetie, there's nothing wrong with it. You're charming and beautiful and people other than me were bound to notice." Noting the growing flush, she couldn't help smiling.

Dropping her eyes, she spoke in a low voice. "Now you're just trying to embarrass me."

She squeezed her hand once more before releasing it. "Not that I would ever admit that I enjoy making you blush...I was just telling you the truth."

Willow risked a glance across the table. Blue eyes were shining brightly and she couldn't help feeling the truth of Tara's words...at least from the blonde's perspective. They continued watching each other intently as understanding passed between them. The redhead started to speak, but was interrupted by the return of the flirty waiter.

The young man seemed oblivious to whatever was happening and set a water in front of Tara with a dull thud. He slid the iced tea on to the table and looked eagerly at Willow. "Have you decided on anything?"

Now aware of the waiter's attentions, Willow was both uncomfortable and irritated by the latest intrusion. She mumbled something unintelligible and pushed the menu toward him without looking.

Still wearing a pleasant smile, he eyed her with amusement. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't catch that."

Now more openly annoyed, Willow looked up at him. "Chicken Caesar salad. Dressing on the side."

"Anything else I can get you? The soup of the day is fantastic. It's this creamy tomato with basil and gorgon..."

Willow interrupted again. "Just the salad, please."

He nodded dumbly and continued staring. Tara couldn't be sure, but thought she heard a low grumble emit from Willow. Deciding to end this before it could get worse, she made an exaggerated effort to clear her throat. When the waiter still didn't acknowledge her, she spoke loudly. "Excuse me?"

"Huh...what?" He tore his gaze from Willow and finally turned toward Tara with a blank expression.

The blonde rolled her eyes, beginning to feel some of Willow's irritation. "I'd like to order now."

"Oh, right. Sure. What'll you have?" He shifted slightly toward Tara after giving Willow a final glance.

"I'd like the grilled chicken sandwich with honey mustard instead of mayo. Can I have a cup of the tomato soup instead of chips?"

"Sure." Looking between both of them, "Anything else?" Though the question was a general one, his eyes were back on Willow.

It was the redhead that spoke first. "No. That'll be all." She glanced at him only briefly before turning her attention back to Tara. In the process, she felt her annoyance fade away.

Tara smirked across the table, finding Willow's discomfort oddly amusing. "So I take it you were not pleased with the attention?"

How does she always make me blush? "Um...no...and he interrupted. Aren't waiters supposed to have a sixth sense about when to come to the table? His tip is dwindling, I'll tell ya that," she huffed.

"You're cute when you're angry." When she saw Willow's grin, her own eyes widened. The warmth started at the base of her neck and spread to the roots of her hair in record time. "How is it I blurt out every thought I have whenever I'm near you?"

Willow couldn't help but smirk at Tara. Deciding a little light-hearted teasing was in order, her eyes twinkled as she planned her attack. "Mmm hmmm," she said with a tone of skepticism. "Is that your flirting strategy?"

Unfortunately, Tara chose that moment to sip her water. "What?!" she sputtered.

"Mmm. Play all innocent, Maclay. I think that's your thing. You pretend you can't flirt which in turn is how you do it."

Tara took another drink, hoping to cool down her body. "You're high."

"Nope." She sipped her tea slowly. "Just figuring you out. This new discovery combined with your flirty face explains a lot."

This time Tara's laughter came in a loud burst that drew the attention of several patrons. She sunk in her chair slightly and glared across the table. Her voice lowered just above a whisper, "I do not have flirty face. I don't even know what that is."

Willow paused to take in the blonde's expression. Noting that it could take some time to explain, she set down her glass. "You have a very expressive face. I think maybe that's why you tend to hide behind your hair. 'Cause if people can't see your face...especially your eyes, they can't really figure what you're thinking."

Hearing Willow discuss her actions so easily made her dizzy. "I..." She struggled to find the words. "Sometimes it's scary how well you get me..."

The redhead smiled softly. "It's a two way street, you know. Sometimes you don't even say anything and I know you know exactly what's going on in my head. Maybe even more than I do."

The intensity was continuing to build between them. Tara didn't want to break the connection but felt like she needed to shift the attention slightly. "What about you?"

"I don't know really. 'Cause most of the time me liking someone translates to becoming a total spaz." Off of Tara's incredulous look, she continued. "Oh I'm serious. I'll spill things. Trip. You can just forget about complete sentences. Pretty much anything that makes me look as unappealing as possible is a sure sign I've got it bad."

"Poor thing." Tara's eyes softened as she watched Willow. "It can't always be that bad."

She shrugged. "Most of the time? Yes, it's that bad. Once in awhile, either the person can look over the spaz or else I somehow manage to hold myself together."

"What happens then?" Knowing that this was a side of Willow she would never experience, she found herself intensely curious about it.

"Usually goofy stuff. Footsie under the table. Shy looks. Sometimes I really bring the mojo." She grinned and waggled her eyebrows at Tara.

Laughing, "And what mojo would that be?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She returned an elusive smile.

You have no idea. "Tease."

Willow batted her eyes innocently. She scooted her chair around the table so she was closer to Tara. "May I see your hand?"

Tara looked at her in confusion but held out her right hand for Willow. "Should I be worried?"

"Funny." The redhead scolded her lightly before taking the hand gently in her own. She cradled Tara's wrist with her left hand and with her right, she slowly unfolded Tara's fingers until her palm was laid bare.

The blonde was still unsure what the other woman was up to and remained quiet. When she felt the pads of Willow's fingers trail over her skin, she bit down on her bottom lip to avoid saying or doing something she'd regret. When Willow began gently massaging her fingers, Tara nearly kicked the table over.

Willow seemed oblivious to the effect she had on the blonde. She was quiet while she traced the lines of Tara's palm. "You have long fingers. Very sleek." As she studied the hand more intently she seemed less aware of her actions. One finger trailed along the side of Tara's. "Do you play piano?"

Tara was grateful for the question, finally able to distract herself from Willow's torturing touch. "A little. We had an old piano growing up and my mom taught me. I haven't played much since I was a kid."

She nodded. "Hmmm. Guess I'll have to find a piano somewhere so you can serenade me." Her eyes rose slowly, in time to see Tara's anxious expression. "Awww. You don't have to. I had lessons when I was little. I had trouble sitting still...which I'm sure just shocks you. The teacher used to yell at me and told my parents I was unteachable." She frowned a little as she shared the last part. "Although when it comes to learning musical stuff, I can't really argue. Anyway, I just like watching people that can play. Like you can sit down and make music. I can barely hum."

Even though she still felt nervous, she smiled back at Willow. "I don't really do well in public, but maybe I can play something for you someday."

Willow looked back hopefully. "I'd really like that." Her attention returned to Tara's hand. She turned it over and continued the gentle massage. "You have pretty nails. I always end up biting mine when I'm nervous. How they are smooth and round? It means you are good-natured and sensitive."

"You can tell that by looking at my nails?" Tara watched her actions intently.

"Well it helps that I already know you," she winked, "but yeah. Hands can tell you a lot about a person."

The blonde was no longer aware of her surroundings, now focused solely on Willow and the way the woman was cradling her hand. She cocked her head to the side and asked shyly, "What else do you see?"

She only meant to do a cursory look, not wanting to pry. Now that Tara wanted to know more, Willow was eager to learn and share. "Well...your hands are very feminine. I know...duh! 'Cause you're a girl, but some women have really manly hands..." Looking up, she caught Tara's amused look, "...anyway, I digress. They are kinda small and round. That tells me that you are usually optimistic and creative. Actually a lot of stuff about your hands says you're creative." Slowly she looked back up at Tara. "They also say that you would like to find a special someone to share your life."

The last statement caught Tara by surprise. Closing her hand over Willow's, she squeezed it gently. "You making this up as you go, are you?" she teased.

Willow gasped in mock outrage. "How dare you mock my perceptions." She grinned when she saw the blonde smiling back. "I wouldn't really do that. I just...I was never one for the big social scenes so...lots of free time." She shrugged, "I read a lot."

"Me either...the social stuff, I mean. I um...I'd sneak books when I was little and then read them under my blanket at night." Her lips curved in to a small grin.

The redhead, though, looked at her with bemusement. "You had to sneak books?"

Tara rolled her eyes dramatically. "They are the devil's play things. Books lead to thoughts. Thoughts lead to questions. Questions lead to disorder and then there is chaos." Finding that Willow was still watching her with an odd expression, she tried to explain. "My father... He was a jerk, but people always used words like devout instead of calling an ass an ass."

Recognizing the effort it took for Tara to share this, she squeezed her hand for encouragement. "So what kind of books were you sneaking? Sidney Sheldon?"

"No," she answered chuckling.

"Danielle Steel?" Red eyebrows waggled for emphasis.

"Will! You goof! I was twelve." She was ready to swat the redhead, but doing so would mean letting go of Willow's hand and she wasn't quite ready to do that.

"So that's a 'no' then?" Tara leveled her with her gaze and she shrugged in response. "John C. Holmes?"

"He wrote a book?"

"I have no idea. I was just trying to see what naughty books you might be reading...and anyway...you knew who he was!" She nodded her head, feeling triumphant.

Tara leaned forward, causing the ends of her hair to brush across Willow's skin. "Before you get too smug, you realize that you would have to know who he was to ask in the first place?" She leaned back and batted her eyes innocently.

Suddenly squirmish, Willow blushed at being caught. "We'll just move right along...so books?"

"Right...books. Anything really. Encyclopedia Brown. Nancy Drew. Sylvia Plath."

"I've heard that Nancy Drew often leads people to Plath." Willow teased.

Tara stuck her tongue out. "Shouldn't our food be out soon?"

Willow just rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? He's probably trying to figure out how to ask for my phone number using the croutons of my salad."

"Well...I guess you must continue then, Swami Willow."

"Swami Willow? Really? That's the best you could do?" Her lip stuck out in a pout.

"I don't know. I've never had my palm read. What should I call you?"

I have a whole list. She felt her face flush. "Um...I don't know. So...hand." Her attention moved away from Tara's face and she flipped over Tara's hand to examine the pattern of lines.

Tara noticed Willow suddenly get flustered and couldn't understand why. Assuming she was still irritated by the waiter, Tara silently grumbled her displeasure. Her reverie was broken when Willow's fingers moved over her palm. "That tickles."

Looking up shyly through red lashes, "Sorry. She used her pinky to point out a long curved line near Tara's thumb. That's your life line. Pretty basic but see this line that runs up the center of your hand?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw the blonde nod, so she continued. "That's your fate line. It can mean different things, but see here how it curves in close to your life line and then shoots back out?"

"Mmm hmm..." At that moment, Willow could've been reciting the ingredients to macaroni and cheese and Tara wouldn't have cared.

"Well the closeness has to do with you and your family. Like how close you were?" Her eyes drifted up for a response from Tara, but the blonde remained motionless. "See it's out on its own now, but there's this space where they're close together. That would be your mom's influence...well...that's Willow inference, but..."

"No...I get it. What about yours?" Blue eyes locked with green in time to see a flash of sadness.

Without letting go of Tara, Willow held out her other hand. Unlike Tara's, Willow's showed significant space between the two lines. She shrugged, almost apologetically. "Not much influence there."

"You really weren't close." She knew little about Willow's family life...only the snipits shared in conversation. It saddened her to consider how lonely she was as a child.

Willow was quiet for several minutes as she decided the best way to answer. "I like to believe that life happened that way so I'd get to know my grandmother better. She certainly had an impact on me, but growing up in my parents' house made me independent at an early age."

"I'm sorry." It was all Tara could think of to say.

"Don't be. Not only did my grandma teach me to make the best snicker-doodle cookies in the world, she also taught me how to play poker. Grandma wasn't too keen on the idea at first, but realized she was fighting a losing battle. If I was gonna play anyway, she figured I ought to learn how to win." She chuckled at the memory.

Tara felt a rush of warmth fill her chest as she watched Willow talk of her beloved grandmother. "So all this time you've known how to bake?"

Willow looked back guiltily. "Um...well. Sort of...I mean...it's really just the cookies, which I haven't done in years." Her eyes brightened as she came up with an idea. "How about this? I'll dig out the recipe if you'll help with the baking?"

Naughty kitchen images flashed in her mind and were quickly dispelled. "Sounds like fun."

"Great." The smile faded slightly when her thoughts returned to her parents.

Willow never finished talking about her mom as the waiter approached, effectively ending the conversation. Not the first time since entering the cafe, Tara wanted to throttle the man. She wished they were tucked away somewhere private where she could learn more of Willow's secrets.

He placed the salad gently in front of Willow and then did the same for Tara. The blonde was still stuck in her Willow-world, but the redhead was alert to his presence and none too pleased. She glanced at Tara's plate before turning to glare. "She asked for soup, not chips."

The puzzled look told Willow he hadn't paid a bit of attention when Tara ordered. "Um...oh. Sorry." Turning to Tara, "I can bring that out for you."

Before Tara could respond, Willow interrupted. Her voice grew angrier, "I also don't think that chicken is grilled." Tara and the waiter both glanced down at the plate to see a breaded chicken sandwich.

The man shifted uncomfortably under the redhead's glare. "Uh..."

She turned her attention away from him and back to Tara. "You wanna get out of here? Maybe get some takeout?"

"I think you read my mind," she answered quietly.

Willow rewarded her with a broad smile. "Great." The redhead reached for her purse and pulled out a ten dollar bill. Rather than hand it to the waiter, she set it on the table. Finally turning, "I think this more than covers our drinks and the salad."

He stood watching her dumbly. "Hey. I am sorry. Look, I can go get this fixed..."

"No. Thank you." She cocked her head to the side and looked at him closely. "You know...you might be a good waiter in spite of this whole fiasco. However, you ignored my friend and screwed up her order and I can tell the only thing you're really thinking right now is whether I'm going to go find your manager."

Tara tried not to smirk. Truth be told, she almost felt bad for the guy. Almost. So she watched this rare moment when the redhead got aggressive and had to admit it was enjoyable to witness.

"Well, relax. You have already held up too much of my time, so you can explain to him how some bitchy redhead walked out on your table." With that, she turned to Tara and held out her hand. "Ready?"

The blonde looked at her with surprise but quickly covered it with a warm smile. She accepted the hand and stood. They made their way out of the restaurant and Willow was still holding her hand as they walked down the street. She could tell the smaller woman was still irritated and allowed her to steam quietly.

They walked a block and a half before Willow finally spoke. "I'm sorry."

Tara stopped and turned to look at her with confusion. "What do you have to be sorry about?"

She frowned. "I picked the stupid restaurant and then the waiter was a tool. Then I got all cranky and I'm just sorry. I ruined everything."

"C'mere." Tara pulled her in to a hug. "You didn't ruin anything, silly." She kept her arm around Willow's shoulder when she pulled away." With a gentle nudge, they continued walking down the street. A happy sigh escaped when Willow rested her head against Tara's shoulder. "Aside from the starvation part, I wouldn't change a thing. Would you?"

"Heck no." Her arm slipped around Tara's waist and she imagined they looked like a little married couple walking down the street. "I like sharing with you," she said quietly.

"Me too." A thought occurred to her back at the restaurant and she finally decided to ask. "Will? The whole palm thing? Was that um...was that for me or was that..." she swallowed, suddenly feeling embarrassed by her question, but continued, "Was that flirty Willow?"

Willow secretly hoped that Tara wouldn't connect the dots, but wasn't so lucky. "Uhhh..." Without moving away, she shifted slightly to look up at her. "Both?"

Seeing the redhead's anxious expression helped to settle her own nerves and she smiled back in relief. "Oh. Um...what does that mean?"

She turned her head to stare out at the sidewalk. "Well, at first I kinda did it as part of our whole flirting conversation."

"But..." Tara prompted.

"Hmmm...well I really don't flirt well." She heard Tara attempt to stifle a laugh. "I don't, but with the palm thing it kinda anchors me to be able to ask stuff I'd normally be too awkward to ask."

"So it was all a ploy to interrogate me?" Her tone was still light, but she was curious why Willow did it.

"No! Absolutely not. To be honest...I uh...I just like holding your hand. I figured if I kept talking then I'd get to keep holding it. Is that okay?"

It took several seconds to swallow the lump in her throat and to even out her breathing enough to answer. Finally Tara spoke quietly. "It's very okay."

"Good. Since it all started with the palm then we could sort of use that to control the conversation. Like now I know you play the piano."

So glad you remembered that. Smiling, "And you are going to bake me cookies."

"We. We are going to bake cookies. I'm still not so good in the kitchen unsupervised."

Tara laughed. "We, then." They walked in comfortable silence while she continued processing. In truth, Willow hadn't told her anything she didn't already know about herself. However, she had to admit it was an intriguing way to share those parts with another person. She was suddenly very curious what other truths her hand revealed. "Um...Willow?"

"Hmmm?" Willow said without looking up.

"Back at the restaurant when you were reading my palm?" She hesitated briefly, suddenly afraid of the answer. "What else did you see?"

Willow never expected the question and her eyes widened. "Uh...what do you mean?" Her steps slowed, but she managed to keep them moving forward.

"Well...I know you and you aren't the type to just know a little bit about something. You probably saw more than what you were able to share at lunch. I was just curious."

"Uh..." Willow considered the safest way to answer the question. It wasn't that she ever meant to spy on Tara, but inquiring eyes sometimes looked at areas they shouldn't. "Your heart line started in between your first and second fingers. That says you are emotionally balanced. You're also affectionate in a relationship and don't mind a little PDA."

"And you could tell all that from my hand..."

"Well yeah. I mean the stuff is in generalities a lot, so it isn't gospel. There were also these little branches that went down off the main line. That usually means that you're really cautious about entering a relationship to begin with 'cause you're afraid it'll be a short-term thing or that you'll be rejected."

"Huh." Tara stopped walking.

"What's on your mind?" Willow pulled back so she could look at Tara.

"Nothing really." She shook her head. "It's just interesting to hear you say those things without prior knowledge."

"Any truth to the observations?" Willow raised a crooked eyebrow.

"Startling in its accuracy. It's a little unnerving." Before she could consider her thoughts further, she noticed Willow's cheeks continue to redden. "What?"

"What what?" Willow knew she was likely fighting a losing battle but still attempted to distract Tara.

"Why are you so red?" She watched Willow turn away and caught her arm to pull her back. Suspicious, she waited until Willow's eyes looked up into her own. "What aren't you sharing?"

"Nothing?" She answered hopefully, but knew it was too late. "Um...well...you see...your hand talks about other things too...um...naughtier things..."

"Oh." Tara was at a loss for what else to say. She considered letting the subject drop, but couldn't help wondering what got Willow so flustered. The redhead already knew she was gay so what else could possibly be revealed? "What did you learn?"

Willow's eyes widened when she discovered Tara was not going to let her off the hook. "Uh...nothing bad...I mean it's good...I think it's good anyway...not that my opinion matters, but I say good for you and..."

"Willow!"

"Sorry," she replied sheepishly. "Just that you're verysensuousandhavequiteanappetiteandyouarekindaaggressive." The words blended together in a stream, several octaves higher than her normal speaking voice.

"You wanna try that one more time?" Bits of Willow's blurb stuck out which peaked her interest further.

"Fine," she answered in a huff. "You are a very sensuous lover and you have quite a healthy sexual appetite. Oh...and you tend to be the more aggressive one in bed."

Tara stared back dumbly. "Oh." She began walking again.

"That's it?" Willow ran to catch up as Tara's pace quickened.

"Um...yeah. Huh...really?" Tara glanced over at Willow.

"Well I don't have any basis to make that up." She stopped Tara from moving forward. "Are you okay?"

Tara managed a small smile and then rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. A little embarrassed. That'll teach me to push the issue, but I'm fine."

Willow nodded. "You do know those aren't bad things, right? Very sexy actually..."

"Did you just call me sexy?" Tara's head cocked to one side.

"That's not exactly what I meant, but since you asked, of course you are." She reached down and entwined their hands before starting their walk again. "Anyway, we'll curb the sex talk now."

Before she even asked, Tara knew it was better to let the conversation die, but for some reason she pushed further. "What do your hands say?"

Willow's laugh was unexpected and she bumped shoulders with the blonde as they continued down the street. "Well, my friend. That's for me to know and you to find out." Tara's answering huff only made her laugh louder. "So...food?"

Tara stopped moving and glanced to the shop window. It was a small mom and pop sandwich shop. "How about this?" She motioned with her head.

Willow followed Tara's gesture. "That looks perfect."