Chapter 11

Hey all! I'm very sorry for the prolonged wait- I know I did mention something about it but it was a little longer than I expected. Plus, I know this is quite a short chapter but hey- it could have all been a dream. I could have done that. I have that power.

Big thanks to everyone who's reviewed- hope you enjoy!!

xxx

"Buffy. Come on." There was no impatience in his voice, but he sounded firm. She knew he wouldn't let her off that easy. Damn.

"How about you drive round the block and I watch?" She suggested brightly, "Same educational merit, less, y'know...crashy danger."

He arched an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth pulling up in an amused flicker of a taunting grin. "Crashy danger?"

She brushed her hair off her face and squinted at him through the shaded lenses of her sunglasses.

"Yeah, you know...me, in a car, driving, alone..."She waved an arm, as if what she was telling him was obvious," Hence the crashy danger."

"You won't be alone. I'll be right there in the passenger seat."

She watched as he moved around to the passengers' side of his sleek car and rested his elbows on the door.

"I mean, a responsible adult, like...like my mom."She paused and squinted, thinking, "Okay, maybe not my mom. But somebody less...distracting."

Angel smiled his quirky smile again. "You find me distracting?"He teased, leaning closer. Buffy rolled her eyes. "In what way?"

"In every way." She said lightly. She was all too aware of his eyes burning into hers. She felt a mixture of pleasure, that he regarded her so intensely, and also a feeling of slight discomfort. Straightening up, she tugged her sleeves down further down her arms.

Angel watched this familiar movement, scrunching up his face in an adorable way as the sunlight blinded him.

"Aren't you hot in that shirt?" he asked simply. Buffy shrugged nervously, like it was no big deal. He studied her for a moment or so longer, then slapped his hand on the bonnet of his car.

"Come on."He repeated.

"Angel! I'm a klutz! I can't even walk three feet without seriously wounding myself or another person. Putting me behind a wheel isn't exactly top in the Neighbourhood Safety Plan...thing."

It was over three weeks since the incident at the restaurant. There had been a shift since then; some things had changed, but many were still the same.

It seemed that no matter how hard Buffy tried to convince her, her mother was still worried about her. A couple of years ago, Buffy would have found her constant worrying a little annoying, but not now. It made her feel nervous; an irrational part of her thought that because her mother suspected that something was going to happen, something actually was going to happen. It made no sense but no matter how many hours she spent altogether reassuring herself and her mother, she didn't feel any better.

Her Dad still understand her exactly like before (i.e not at all). It still bothered her, of course. They had talked in the last three weeks; he had apologised profusely but she knew that he wasn't entirely sure how to react to the event. He wanted to be her father, Buffy knew, but she also wondered whether recently too much had happened for this to happen. He was visiting soon- they were building bridges. It was taking time, but the foundations were being laid, and all she could do now was hope that soon, she and her father could go back to being what they were before...

She didn't like to think about it any more. It was getting harder though. Especially now, because of the most significant change in her life.

Angel, obviously. They were currently "Dating." Dating as in they hung out at Angel's house every night, or drove to the outskirts of town to catch a film. Or, occasional, bickered affectionately in the street as Buffy resisted yet another attempt at a driving lesson.

Nobody else knew about their relationship- not their parents, not their friends, not...whatever Cordelia was to the two of them. She seemed pleasantly spiteful around Angel, happy in the thought she had stopped any chance of anything happening between Angel and the mysterious blonde, and sure that any day now, he would beg for her forgiveness. She was slowly growing impatient- Angel had no intention of begging his Ex for anything. So, as the days went by, he ignored her more, and her patience grew shorter and shorter- not unlike her dresses, her hemline snaking up an inch or so everyday. Buffy found this quite amusing, speculating that by the time the next month began, if Cordy hadn't got the message yet, her skirts would be reduced to the size of a string of cotton wrapped around her thighs.

Secretly, it did bother her a little. She knew Cordy and Angel had known each other for years, even if they didn't really like each other. She wondered how far they had actually gone, but was scared to ask. Despite the closeness they had shared the day he had come round to demand an explanation, they had resisted the incredibly strong urge to go any further. Buffy had reluctantly told him she wasn't ready. He had understood and of course he hadn't pushed. He wasn't like other guys. He wasn't only interested in getting into her pants.

Not that she would mind. The thought made her blush from head to toe every time she acknowledged this. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. More. Yes, it would be moving things along a little fast, but hadn't the last year taught her that life was short? Seize the day, she regularly remembered, and she wanted to. Seize it, that is.

But as much as the events of the last year spurred her on to make this decision, it also was the main reason that held her back. She hadn't told him about Celia. Whether he had forgotten, or was tactfully prolonging the time till he asked her about it, she was incredibly thankful, yet still incredibly on edge every time he watched her eyeing the car nervously, or tugging her long sleeves down. Always long sleeves. She couldn't cover her feelings that well, but she desperately wanted to cover her scars.