Next Chapter
In the morning Angel walked back to his car but the night had given him little satisfaction despite Darla's best efforts. It was a feeling that was very strange to him, Darla was practically a pro except that she didn't take money for it. But still the blond he left behind before coming to Darla to ease the ache she had caused him haunted his thoughts.
Darla had informed him that she was taking a long vacation in Europe, a confession that wouldn't have had much affect on him before but now even less difference to him, a warm willing body had always been easy for him to find but now he knew exactly who he wanted, it would just take a little more work to get.
He stepped into his car and drove straight to his apartment. He'd get few hours of sleep before going to see Buffy, work could wait, having her was his new priority.
Buffy was sitting by her desk deep in her work as a quick tap on the door caught her attention. She directed her gaze to the door and found Angelus leaning lazily to the frame and looking sinful while doing it.
“Hey”, he drawled and Buffy had to question how could such a simple word sound so sensual coming from his lips.
“Hey”, she breathed in reply.
“I came to whisk you off to lunch”, he informed her.
“I can't just leave the gallery alone”, she protested. He shook his head and with few long steps he was standing right in front of her.
“Gloria said she doesn't mind looking after the shop while we're out. And I don't take no for an answer”, he said and took a hold of her hand, pulling her to her feet.
“Angelus...” she started to protest but quieted as he pressed his finger to her lips. She met his eyes as she felt him smooth his finger over her lips and slowly lean into a kiss. Even though it was brief, barely touching her lips, it left her breathless and wanting more. He pulled back and without saying anything, grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and led her out of the office.
“We're going to lunch now, Gloria”, Angelus informed her while walking past her desk.
“Have fun”, Gloria called out after them with a crooked grin on her lips.
“I see you've charmed Gloria”, Buffy stated as they walked to his car. He opened the door for her and gave her a playful smirk.
“We have a common interest.”
“And what would that be?” she questioned skeptically.
“You, of course”, he answered and closed the door before she could say anything. She had been taken by surprise not knowing what to think of his answer.
“So, where are we going?” she changed the subject as he stepped into the car and started driving.
“You'll see”, he promised with a wicked smirk.
“Should I be scared?” she asked pulling a laugh out of him.
“I think you'll be safe with me”, he promised. He glanced at her not loosing the smirk and kept on driving till he parked near the beach. She looked around herself in awe and then turned her gaze into him, looking at him not believing where he had taken her.
“The beach?” she asked incredulously, a smile tucking her lips.
“You don't like it? We can go somewhere else”, he suggested but she shook her head furiously.
“No! How did you know I love the beach?”
Angel smiled inwardly, she was practically signing the marriage license. “Come on, I'll buy you a hod dog”, he said and got off the car. She stepped after him, turning to look at him curiously.
“I never figured you for hot dog lover”, she stated, she was learning lot of surprising things about him.
“I'm not. Just in the right company”, he answered hoping he wasn't talking too sweetly, that she would start suspecting something.
“You keep saying things like that...” she said not knowing how to finish.
“Cheesy things”, he helped out with a chuckle and she nodded somewhat embarrassed.
“Not the word I was going for but okay. You don't really seem like that kinda guy.”
She could vividly remember the scene at his office as she told him about the baby and even more the night she spent with him, he had been so cocky and full of himself, yet he hadn't been a selfish lover and he had some kind of vulnerability about him when he heard about the baby.
“Maybe you bring out the cheesy side of me”, he suggested and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head but not pushing further.
Suddenly she stopped walking and Angelus turned to look at her curiously, soon realizing she was taking her shoes off, but it didn't make him any less confused. She lifted her eyes to his and laughed at his expression.
“It's the beach. You just have to be barefooted on the beach”, she explained like it was obvious.
“There is no way I am walking around the beach with bare feet”, he shot back and again she laughed.
“There you are”, she teased and started walking towards a small dining booth with the shoes dangling in her hand. Angelus got them both hot dogs and they went to sit on a table. Not long after, she noticed him staring at her and she shifted uncomfortably.
“What? I have mustard on my chin, don't I?” she questioned self-consciously and wiped her chin with a napkin. He chuckled and shook his head.
“There's nothing on your face”, he assured her but she didn't look convinced.
“You were staring”, she stated like it explained everything.
“I was just admiring how beautiful you look in the sunlight.”
She blushed and looked down at the table before shifting her gaze to the sea. “Sweet talk doesn't suit you”, she played it off. He took her chin between his fingers and turned her to face him. He couldn't understand how such a beautiful woman could be so self-conscious.
“I wasn't sweet talking, I just stated a fact.”
He let his fingers gently grate against her cheek as he let go of her. “By the way, you can call me Angel. All my friends call me that, ever since I was kid. And considering we're having a child together, I think we qualify at least that”, Angel said and added the last part with a smirk.
“Angel”, she said his name testing how it sounded, it came out almost breathlessly and to him it was like it was the first time anyone had said his name.
Buffy sat in her office trying to keep her mind in her work but noticing her thoughts constantly trailing off to the lunch date she had with Angel. Or was it a date? She was feeling confused because of him, more so every time she saw him. But her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing telephone and quickly she snapped the phone into her hand and answered it.
“I called and called! Where have you been?! I was going to stop by for lunch with you but you didn't answer your phone! The point of having a cellphone is to keep it with you and answering it. I was this close to calling every hospital and morgue in town!” Faith's voice ranted accusingly on the other end of the phone.
“I'm sorry. I had lunch with Angel”, Buffy apologized and there was a long silence, she was getting worried if Faith had fainted from the long rant.
“Okay, stay right there. I'm coming over”, she broke the silence and hung up the phone.
Less than twenty minutes later Faith showed up to the gallery. “Okay, spill”, was the first thing she said and lazily sat down to a chair.
“You really didn't need to come here, it was just lunch with Angel”, Buffy answered and Faith raised an eyebrow at her.
“Angel?” she questioned with a crooked smile.
“Umm... Angelus said that I should, could, call him Angel, that his friends and family calls him that”, Buffy explained squirming in her chair, only making Faith's smile wider.
”So he's Angel now? What did you do with Angel on lunch?”
Buffy rolled her eyes and laughed. “Down, girl. You make it sound like we were doing something... that you would do.”
“You weren't? Too bad”, Faith smirked.
“He took me to the beach and we had hot dogs.”
Faith laughed out loud, almost falling down from the chair. “Angelus O'Reilly eating a hot dog?” she asked between bouts of laughter.
“My reaction too, except minus the laughing”, Buffy said with a smile but sobered, continuing. “He's really a nice guy when you get to know him. I could fall in love with him.“
Faith looked at her best friend slightly worried. “Just be careful, this is Angelus O'Reilly we're talking about”, she warned.
“Don't worry, after what happened with Riley, I'm not going to jump into anything”, Buffy assured her and Faith let out a sigh of relief.
“I just hope you know what you're doing.”
“I hope so too”, Buffy conceded.
