Chapter 4: A Little Playtime Called a Date
Buffy, Willow, and Xander were sitting at their usual table, chatting and laughing while trying to shove the tedious cafeteria food into their stomachs. Spike was nowhere to be seen. He was too busy chasing the new exchange student. A rather huge intruder dressed in black with brunette hair interrupted their laughter. Willow and Xander looked up at the young man who stood behind Buffy.
"What?" curious, Buffy turned her head to see what her friends were looking at.
Buffy became startled as she stared at just right below the man's waist. For a few seconds, she registered what she stared at in her mind, taking it appreciatively at the sight. Shaking her head, forcing herself back to reality, she slowly looked up the man's face, which had a nervous smile on it.
"Hi, Buffy!" he greeted softly, almost like a whisper.
"Oh...H-h-hi, Angel!" Buffy managed to find her voice and felt her face burning up.
"I um...Can I talk to you for a sec?" The nervous smile Angel had, turned into a shy one.
"Yeah, sure." Standing up, she started to walk away from the table, taking a brief glance back at her friends.
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"Well, well...looks like someone is glowing. Quick, hide me somewhere. It's too bright up here! I'm turning into dust!" Xander hid his head behind Willow's back. Willow just giggled at her boyfriend's action.
"Ha ha! Very funny, Xander!" Leaning over the table, Buffy smacked Xander's shoulder hard, making him almost fall back from his seat.
"So...what were you talking about? Did he ask you out? Where? When is it gonna be? Come on, spill it already!" Willow tormented her best friend with questions.
"Whoa...whoa! Hyper girl, chill out!" Buffy tried to calm her too-excited friend. Xander put his hand on top of Willow's and patted it to calm her as well.
"Okay, first yes, he asked me out on a date. Second, it's this Saturday and we've decided to go to one of those Italian restaurants on Main street. So there you have it. And ooh...we exchanged phone numbers too." Buffy's tone rose up at the last sentence, grinning like an idiot. Willow joined in her excitement but Xander just smiled at Buffy, trying to be happy for her, while he knew there was somebody better for her.
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Willow rolled her eyes when her best friend kept complaining that she didn't have any outfits to wear for the date.
"Buffy, just pick one already! Don't worry, whatever you wear, he'll be just speechless as soon as he sees you," Willow reassured her friend with her famous resolved look and a nod. Buffy sighed in desperation. "Okay, okay....Geez Willow, impatient much?" Buffy glared at her. Willow just smiled sheepishly.
She took a look at her wardrobe once again. Then she picked a light blue tank top with two strings on one side, which could be pulled to wrinkle and shorten that side, making the hem turned into a diagonal. The neckline was v-shaped, showing a little cleavage. The skirt she chose was a black A-shaped skirt, the hem reaching almost to her knees. It was a hip hugger, showing a little skin on her taut stomach.
"Okay, how about these two?" Buffy held the top in her right hand and the skirt in the other, both pieces hung with hangers. "That's perfect! It's simple, but it's enough to make Angel drop his jaw to the floor," exclaimed Willow with a wicked grin. Buffy giggled at her best friend's statement and expression.
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Willow did have potential to be a fortune teller, judging from the way Angel opened and shut his mouth repetitively like a fish needing water to breathe, but couldn't find a word from the moment he saw Buffy's feet start descending down the stair until he rested his brown eyes on her face. Angel just stood near the door, too struck by her beauty. Buffy's face enhanced her beauty with a soft make up applied. Soft blue eye shadows swiped on each eyelid with long eyelashes, her eyebrows arching delicately and her lips tainted with glossy bubblegum lipstick. Her hair was curled into small loose strands creating a wet and sleek look.
"Hi Angel." Buffy smiled awkwardly because Angel kept staring at her, stunned.
"Hi...Buffy" Angel's reply was more like a whisper to himself. He blinked several times as he tried to snap out of his daze.
"Um...we better go now. The reservation is at 7, right?"
"Right," Angel confirmed.
"Okay then, I...just let me say goodbye first to my mom. Mom!! We're leaving," Buffy called her mom over her shoulder. A few minutes later Joyce made her walk through the hall nearing the two teenagers.
"Well, have fun you two! And Buffy, be home by 10, okay!"
Buffy nodded, and kissed the older Summers' cheek before they walked out of the house.
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"Wow...this place is actually not bad at all," Angel complimented, looking around the restaurant. It wasn't really packed that night, so it was quite good for having a nice quiet dinner and some conversation. Each table had two small candles lit inside crystal glasses. The tablecloth was white, covering the round table.
"Yeah, it is."
Buffy smiled shyly when Angel stared at her again for a full minute. They passed several awkward moments before Angel started to speak again.
"Um...I saw you and Spike together a lot at school. Well, besides Willow and Xander I mean." Angel bowed his head down when he mentioned Spike's name.
"Oh…yeah, of course. Spike and I have known each other since we were kids. So we've been best friends for like forever. I remember this one time when we were seven or eight..."
Buffy's face lit up as she started rambling on about the moments Spike and she shared through the years.
Angel's heart broke a little when he looked at Buffy's face light up at the mention of Spike's name. He tried to tell himself that this was her very best friend they were talking about. So her face becoming glowing and radiant was quite reasonable, right? Riiighhtt.