Part 7
“What’s that you’re reading?” Willow glanced at the card in Cordelia’s hand as she walked up to her locker. “I know it’s not your birthday.”
“Mmm? No. Not my birthday,” Cordelia answered with a far away glint in her eye. She shoved the card into one of her text books. “It’s nothing. Just something from a guy.”
Willow gave her a wry look. “That narrows it down a bit.”
The card was only the first surprise, Willow discovered. Every day for a week there was something new in Cordelia’s locker. Flowers one day, candy the next, sweets to go along with the sweet poetic words written out in calligraphic form and a portrait detailed with a skill that no one at Sunnydale High could match.
None Willow knew about, but it didn’t take a genius to guess the identity of Cordelia’s secret admirer.
“It’s Angelus, isn’t it?” she asked Cordelia one day, a worried tone in her voice.
Nodding, Cordelia found herself telling Willow that the vampire had been courting her as if they had some old-timey romance going on, mostly without Angel’s knowledge. “I think I’m falling for him. Is that crazy?”
Willow nodded excessively, “Yes. Crazy. Definitely. Uh-huh!”
“I think so too,” Cordelia admitted with a puzzled look. “This is Angelus we’re talking about. Evil Angelus. Only he hasn’t been evil. Not to me. He’s incapable of harming me and I know he wants me.”
“D-Do you want him?” Willow’s eyes were wide saucers.
Cordelia leant into the lockers. “Mmm, definitely.”
“Eep!” The sound squeaked out of Willow’s throat, the only response she could muster at the news.
“Don’t you dare tell anyone, Willow Rosenberg,” said Cordelia firmly. “Nobody hears about this.”
Willow wasn’t exactly good at keeping secrets, especially when they involved friends of hers falling in love with vampires. After all, she did have some experience in this area and knew that nothing but trouble lay ahead. “Cor, I think you should think this over before you do something you might regret.”
“The only thing I regret is wasting my time on certain guys who don’t know a good thing when they see it,” Cordelia snapped. “Guys who won’t fight for what they want and settle for something easier.”
Frowning, Willow wondered just what Cordelia was getting at. “What guys?”
Cordelia blinked as the question brought her out of her little rant. The bell rang just then distracting Willow who was suddenly commenting on her upcoming exam. “I’ve gotta go, Cordelia. Trig test. Just remember to think about what I said.”
It didn’t take long for Cordelia to think about it. She hadn’t even made it to class when she made up her mind. The trick would be finding a way to make this happen without Angel blowing a gasket. Not that she expected to be so lucky.
***
Once again, it was Friday night at the Bronze. This time an out-of-town band held the stage. The Dingoes had the weekend off for once and so Willow and Oz were dancing amidst the crowd. Xander had convinced Buffy to dance with him since Angel continued to refuse to do so and that left Cordelia at the table with the two vampires.
Rising to her feet, Cordelia told Angel, “I’m going to dance with Angelus now. I expect your butt to stay glued to the seat.”
He looked a little suspicious. “Why wouldn’t it?”
Angelus had an idea, but he wasn’t about to spoil the fun. He took Cordelia by the hand and led her to the dance floor without allowing time for her to answer.
Watching, Angel found his anger growing by leaps and bounds. He rose from the chair twice, sitting back down each time after convincing himself that he didn’t need to make a scene. Apparently, Angelus had watched the damn video a few too many times.
“I could dance like that if I wanted too,” Angel muttered under his breath reaching for his whiskey. Gulping it down, he hoped the song would end soon and Cordelia would come back to the table where Angelus wouldn’t dare to let his hands rove over her bared skin.
The red dress Cordelia wore only hinted at her cleavage, but left her elegant back almost bare as two spaghetti-thin straps crisscrossed to support the skirt that left her long legs exposed to his view. A pair of high-heeled sandals finished the outfit and Angel imagined removing those shoes and kissing her toes one by one before working his way up to taste the rest of her.
This has to stop, Angel told himself. Before I do something we’ll all regret.
When the music ended, Angel watched Oz and Willow making their way back to the table. They were laughing and obviously having fun. He managed a weak smile as they greeted him. Buffy and Xander stopped at the bar for sodas before returning, but there was no sign of Angelus nor Cordelia on the dance floor.
“Where are they?” Angel asked sounding panicked as he scanned the room. “Never mind.”
Spotting them back at the shadowy corner where the column blocked them from most of the room, he sat back down. It looked like they were just talking, he realized as he relaxed back into his chair. Angel found the others gaping at him.
“What’s with you tonight?” Buffy grumbled. “You won’t dance with me and all you do is stare at Angelus like you expect him to pounce on Cordelia. She’s a big girl, Angel. Let her make her own decisions.”
“That is Angelus,” he stressed as if that was all he needed to say.
Xander had to agree. “Just because the vamp has a sense of humor doesn’t mean I think he should date Cordelia.”
“Date?” Angel’s voice cracked as he spoke.
“Well…whatever they’re doing,” shrugged Xander as he took a swig of his soda.
Angel looked furious at the boy’s suggestion. “They’re doing nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“If you say so,” Buffy commented as she looked over Angel’s shoulder to see the pair in question making out in the corner, “but that doesn’t look likenothing to me.”
“What’s going on?” asked Angel, at first not wanting to turn to face that direction as if he knew what he would see.
Buffy considered for a moment and then told him, “Mutual pouncing?”
Slowly, Angel turned back around to gaze across the dance floor. He was out of his chair and moving when he felt a hand holding him back. Buffy noted the look of fury on his handsome face while hers was filled with hurt and confusion. “Why can’t you just leave them alone, Angel? It’s none of your business.”
“Cordelia is my business,” he answered abruptly shocking Buffy who thought he would suggest that his brother’s behavior was what he was concerned with.
She whispered the name, “Cordelia?”
“Let go, Buffy,” Angel’s tight jaw indicated he wanted no arguments. “Just drop it. I don’t have time to deal with you right now.”
“Deal with me,” repeated Buffy as she let go of her firm hold on his arm. “You think you deal with me?”
“Go back to the others,” he nodded toward the table of gaping onlookers. “We’ll talk later.”
Buffy watched him stalk across the dance floor, not bothering to issue apologies to anyone he bumped into on the way there. “Talk? You’re not kidding. We certainly will.”
Reaching Angelus and Cordelia in a matter of moments, Angel stood by with his arms crossed over his chest and clearing his throat loudly. “Déjà vu anyone?” he inquired just before grabbing Angelus by the shoulder and pulling him away from Cordelia.
“What do you think you’re doing, Angel?” Cordelia snapped angrily. “Don’t bother with the excuses. Just give me an explanation.”
His answer came as Angelus stepped back up and put an arm around Cordelia. “I don’t want his hands on you.”
“I happen to like his hands on me,” she told him point blank. “So start getting used to it, buddy.”
Flashing a glare at his brother, he asked, “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means,” answered Angelus with a triumphant smirk, “Cordelia has accepted my claim.”
“The hell she has,” Angel growled, his eyes yellowing to a deep topaz. “Cor—”
She poked at his chest, “My decision, Angel. I want this and you won’t change my mind about it.”
Oh, how he wanted to argue. Angel also wanted to beat Angelus until he was a pulp of bruised flesh on the floor. Only, he did neither.
Angel brushed his fingertips across Cordelia’s flushed cheek. “Don’t do this.”
The plea came on a bare whisper, but it sounded clearly despite the music and noise of the crowd. Sucking in a shaky breath, Cordelia released it slowly, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”
“I don’t like it,” Angel answered.
Cordelia countered with, “Not good enough.”
“He’s a killer.”
“Former. Just like you. Next?”
“He can’t love you.”
“Does a good impression, if you ask me,” Cordelia had to admit. “Besides, you told me yourself he knows how to make up for deficiencies in the true love department by— how did you phrase that again? Oh, yeah. Making me come six different ways by sunrise.”
That brought a growl to his throat. “It’s just sex, Cordelia.”
“No, it’s not,” she told him. “Not for me.”
Angel looked thunderstruck, almost heartbroken. “It’s not?”
“I think I could love him, Angel. Really,” Cordelia decided to tell him. There’d be no hiding it anyway with the two of them having to live under the same roof. “I want to explore that.”
“I-I…see,” he managed to get out the words.
Angelus did his best to keep a straight face through it all. Damn, Angel certainly had it bad. What was that saying? Lucky at cards, unlucky in love. Hmm. Angel wasn’t that lucky at cards, come to think of it. Speaking of luck, Angelus figured he’d push his a little.
“Bro, can I borrow the Plymouth?”
Angel actually blinked at the question. He hadn’t let him touch his car before now. “Why?”
“Cordy didn’t bring her car tonight,” Angelus explained. “I don’t want her to have to walk all the way back to the mansion.”
Refusing wouldn’t stop them from getting there, Angel realized. It would only cause a wider rift between him and Cordelia. He’d already put their friendship at risk with his behavior to date. Silently, he removed his car keys from his pocket tossing them to Angelus.
Taking it as a sign of consent, Cordelia flashed her megawatt smile, and jumped up and down a couple of times before grabbing Angel for a hug. He selfishly held onto her a moment longer than necessary and felt her warm lips press against his cheek.
“C’mon, Bad Boy,” Cordelia threaded her fingers through Angelus’ clasping his hand. “I wanna see those moves you promised to show me in private.”
Angel stood as still as a statue as the pair walked away. He watched them until the red flash of Cordelia’s dress disappeared through the door. Turning, he found Buffy standing directly behind him.