Cordelia couldn't believe her bad luck. She tried to move again but Angel was to heavy for her. She'd had fantasies like this over the years except Angel wouldn't be passed out drunk. He'd be awake and doing things that would make her body tingle for weeks. Reality was no fun at all. He moved slightly but only to bury his head between her breasts.
"Perve," Cordy muttered.
Somehow she managed to fall asleep. When Angel woke up the next morning, he was surprised to find his head resting on Cordelia's exposed breast. Her top had come undone in the middle of the night. He shot up from the floor as if he'd been touching fire. He quickly took off his coat and put it over her.
"What happened last night?" He wondered and then he remembered.
He bent down to pick Cordy up from the floor and put her on the couch. He gently put her down. The movement woke her up.
"You're up!" she said sitting up letting the coat fall off her shoulders.
She quickly realized she was exposed and rearranged her top. She then put Angel's coat back on her and held it closed with her hands. It hadn't bothered her the night before when he'd seen what she was wearing because he was too drunk and she was too distracted but it was daylight now. Cordy didn't want anyone she knew seeing her that way. She got up from the couch and turned to Angel. For a second, he saw her vulnerability but that faded into a look of defiance.
"You owe me big time," she said.
"I'm sorry about falling on you," Angel said.
"I've gotta go get ready for school," she said rushing towards the door.
"It's Saturday, Cordelia," Angel said.
She stopped in her tracks remembering.
"What were you doing at that place?" he asked her.
She hesitated so long he was beginning to think she would never reply, "My parents had some IRS problems and had to leave the country."
"Your parents didn't leave you anything?"
"They took everything they could with them," Cordy said.
"You shouldn't work at that bar," Angel said.
"I need the money," she replied. "I've got this other job for after school at this dress shop, but it doesn't pay enough."
"I could help you out," Angel offered.
"I can take care of myself," Cordy said heading for the door. "I never saw you last night and you never saw me okay?"
Angel nodded and she walked out the door.
Later that night when the bar was closing up, Cordy was surprised to see Angel walk in the door. He had wanted to talk to her some more and convince her to let him help her. He didn't know how to convince her.
"Hi, Angel," she said warily.
"You've still got my coat," he replied.
"I was going to drop that off at your place tomorrow afternoon. It's at my place now," Cordelia said.
"I'll give you a ride home," Angel said.
"Okay, I'll just get my stuff," Cordy said going behind the bar.
She put on her jacket and walked with Angel to the door. They didn't talk on the drive to the Sunnydale Motel. Angel followed her to her room.
"It's over on the chair," she said walking into her room.
Angel stood outside because she didn't invite him in. She went to the door to hand him his coat.
"Cordelia, let me in," Angel said.
"You don't have to save me, Angel," she replied.
"Can we just talk?" he said.
"Okay, come in," she said going to sit on the bed.
Angel took a chair by the door and put it in front of her. He sat down and then realized he had no idea what to say.
"How are you?" Cordelia asked me.
The question threw him off, "Fine."
"You didn't look fine last night."
"Buffy and I broke up."
"You'll get back together," she said. "It's what you guys do. What happened this time?"
"The whole trick on Faith freaked her out," Angel explained.
"Was it easy pretending to be Angelus?"
"No," Angel said getting uncomfortable. "Can we not talk about me?"
"At least you got to hit Xander," Cordelia said.
"That part was good," he said.
Angel and Cordy exchanged a smile.
He spoke before the thought, " Why don't you just stay with me?"
"I can't," Cordy said. "If people knew I was staying with you they'd find out about what happened with my parents. I don't want anyone to know."
"Your friends could help you through this," Angel said.
Cordy shook her head, "Harmony and her flock would enjoy my problems too much and the Scoobies..."
She didn't bother finishing the sentence. She didn't want them pitying her, and Angel understood that.
"I'm okay, Angel." Cordy said. "Don't worry about me. Once graduation comes I'll be out of this town anyway."
"Where will you go?"
"New York. Maybe LA. I haven't decided yet."
"I could help you out until then, lend you some money. I don't want you to have to go back to that place," Angel said.
He could tell she was tempted to accept the offer.
"Remember, I do owe you for last night," Angel said and he knew he was winning.
"I'll pay you back," she said.
Cordy kept her job at the dress shop and quit the job at "Girlies." Things were different now between her and Angel. They would hang out sometimes in her hotel room. Most nights she'd end up at the mansion having dinner. He was worried she wasn't eating enough, and he tried to make her something. They confided in each other. Angel told her about his family and she told him about hers. He knew way more than he wanted to about her crush on Wesley, and she knew how much meeting Buffy had meant to him. Cordelia had never understood how alone and unloved he had been.
"Sometimes I fell like I'm still alone," he told her one night as they sat outside watching the stars.
"You aren't alone Angel," Cordy replied taking his hand and squeezing it.
"Neither are you," he replied looking into her eyes.
He was going to miss her when she left Sunnydale.