Chapter 11
Angel seated Buffy on his bed, moving away to fetch a small, wrapped gift.
"I - I hope it's okay," he half-whispered. "I - I wasn't sure if. I don't want you to be offended, it's just-"
"Angel, why're you so nervous?" Buffy asked, suspiciously. He didn't respond, but handed her the flat, rectangular package. With shaking hands, Buffy untied the silver ribbon that sealed it and smoothed the simple lilac paper, unfolding it to reveal a framed, charcoal picture.
She had to blink rapidly to stop the tears falling.
"You realise I can never show this to anyone, right?" she joked, touched more deeply than should have been possible. It was so beautiful!
"I should've known you'd hate it," Angel groaned, hanging his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I can get you something else, it doesn't matter."
Startled, Buffy stared at his retreating back as he stood and moved to leave the room. "Angel, no! God, how could you ever think this would offend me? Why on Earth would I hate it? I've never been given anything this wonderful in my life. God, you make me look amazing!"
"Really?" Angel murmured, disbelieving. As an afterthought, he muttered, "You are amazing."
"Really. Oh, Angel, it's fantastic," she asserted, the tears finally slipping free.
"Hey," Angel complained, closing the distance between them in two quick strides and wiping away her tears with the pads of his thumbs, "No tears tonight, baby. Not on your birthday."
"Make me look like that, Angel," she pleaded, tugging him to her and leaning back on the bed.
Angel's charcoal rendition of Buffy in the throes of ecstasy was abandoned on the bedside table as he set about bringing her to her first orgasm of the night.
Rain shrouded the lovers in a fine mist as the weather mirrored that of Buffy's 17th birthday.
* * * * *
"Mmm," Buffy breathed as she stirred the next morning, her hand pushing her hair out of her face. Blinking, she slowly allowed the real world to penetrate the bliss of sleep, only to feel a slight tickling sensation on her belly.
"Morning, love," the dark-haired vampire next to her whispered, replacing his trailing fingers with his lips. Buffy only smiled in return.
Angel sat up beside her, gently taking her hand in his own. "What's wrong, baby?"
Buffy took her time answering. It was stupid; he'd already told her the night before. But that wasn't enough. She needed confirmation.
She shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Buffy?" Angel tilted her head back, so that his head appeared in her field of view. Uncomfortable with her head nearly hanging over the far edge of the pillow - and on the verge of hitting the headboard - the Slayer pulled away, sitting cross-legged and turning to face the vampire. Her hands played nervously with the corner of the pillowcase, which had begun to slip off the pillow.
"It's nothing," she repeated firmly, even as her brain screamed at her to just tell him, let him laugh at her and get it over with. He wasn't the sort of person to hold it against her.
Sighing quietly, Angel nodded his acceptance. From the creeping blush of her cheeks, he was fairly certain he knew what was bothering his girlfriend.
"Well, I mean, it's not nothing, exactly. It's just not that important, really and I don't want to spoil this moment and-"
"Buffy." Angel cut off her babble with one simple word. Her eyes locked with his as she fell silent, expecting more pressure and questioning. "You were wonderful last night. And even if you weren't, it'd have been because you're not some kind of slut. You'd get better with time."
"Oh," was the only response Buffy could force her mind to form. He didn't think she was awful in bed!
A grin began to form on her face as the cobwebs of the morning dissolved from her brain. "Well, being as it took so long for us to clear that one up, why don't we. celebrate."
* * * * * Buffy grinned as she swallowed the last mouthful of her toast and watched silently as Angel lifted her plate from the table and took it to the sink. She felt as though she were floating. Her birthday hadn't been the disaster she'd thought it would be and she had a boyfriend who not only loved her but could cook as well. Things couldn't be better.
"So, that breakfast was to celebrate my birthday going well?" she clarified. Angel nodded, a half smile alighting on his sculpted face. "So, what're we doing to celebrate finally clearing up that I'm not awful in bed after two years? 'Cause, that's pretty much a big issue that's been left unresolved for way too long."
"True," Angel replied, pretending for a moment to be deep in thought. He knew exactly what they were going to do to celebrate. "I was thinking, maybe we could go out to dinner somewhere. If you want." Despite the depth of their involvement, Angel still found that asking Buffy out made him nervous. but then, they'd only ever had a few dates. Some part of him was still sure she'd say no, that she would realise what she would be giving up if she stayed with him. Only time would make that feeling dissipate.
"So where are we going and how long will I need to get ready?"
Angel seated Buffy on his bed, moving away to fetch a small, wrapped gift.
"I - I hope it's okay," he half-whispered. "I - I wasn't sure if. I don't want you to be offended, it's just-"
"Angel, why're you so nervous?" Buffy asked, suspiciously. He didn't respond, but handed her the flat, rectangular package. With shaking hands, Buffy untied the silver ribbon that sealed it and smoothed the simple lilac paper, unfolding it to reveal a framed, charcoal picture.
She had to blink rapidly to stop the tears falling.
"You realise I can never show this to anyone, right?" she joked, touched more deeply than should have been possible. It was so beautiful!
"I should've known you'd hate it," Angel groaned, hanging his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I can get you something else, it doesn't matter."
Startled, Buffy stared at his retreating back as he stood and moved to leave the room. "Angel, no! God, how could you ever think this would offend me? Why on Earth would I hate it? I've never been given anything this wonderful in my life. God, you make me look amazing!"
"Really?" Angel murmured, disbelieving. As an afterthought, he muttered, "You are amazing."
"Really. Oh, Angel, it's fantastic," she asserted, the tears finally slipping free.
"Hey," Angel complained, closing the distance between them in two quick strides and wiping away her tears with the pads of his thumbs, "No tears tonight, baby. Not on your birthday."
"Make me look like that, Angel," she pleaded, tugging him to her and leaning back on the bed.
Angel's charcoal rendition of Buffy in the throes of ecstasy was abandoned on the bedside table as he set about bringing her to her first orgasm of the night.
Rain shrouded the lovers in a fine mist as the weather mirrored that of Buffy's 17th birthday.
* * * * *
"Mmm," Buffy breathed as she stirred the next morning, her hand pushing her hair out of her face. Blinking, she slowly allowed the real world to penetrate the bliss of sleep, only to feel a slight tickling sensation on her belly.
"Morning, love," the dark-haired vampire next to her whispered, replacing his trailing fingers with his lips. Buffy only smiled in return.
Angel sat up beside her, gently taking her hand in his own. "What's wrong, baby?"
Buffy took her time answering. It was stupid; he'd already told her the night before. But that wasn't enough. She needed confirmation.
She shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Buffy?" Angel tilted her head back, so that his head appeared in her field of view. Uncomfortable with her head nearly hanging over the far edge of the pillow - and on the verge of hitting the headboard - the Slayer pulled away, sitting cross-legged and turning to face the vampire. Her hands played nervously with the corner of the pillowcase, which had begun to slip off the pillow.
"It's nothing," she repeated firmly, even as her brain screamed at her to just tell him, let him laugh at her and get it over with. He wasn't the sort of person to hold it against her.
Sighing quietly, Angel nodded his acceptance. From the creeping blush of her cheeks, he was fairly certain he knew what was bothering his girlfriend.
"Well, I mean, it's not nothing, exactly. It's just not that important, really and I don't want to spoil this moment and-"
"Buffy." Angel cut off her babble with one simple word. Her eyes locked with his as she fell silent, expecting more pressure and questioning. "You were wonderful last night. And even if you weren't, it'd have been because you're not some kind of slut. You'd get better with time."
"Oh," was the only response Buffy could force her mind to form. He didn't think she was awful in bed!
A grin began to form on her face as the cobwebs of the morning dissolved from her brain. "Well, being as it took so long for us to clear that one up, why don't we. celebrate."
* * * * * Buffy grinned as she swallowed the last mouthful of her toast and watched silently as Angel lifted her plate from the table and took it to the sink. She felt as though she were floating. Her birthday hadn't been the disaster she'd thought it would be and she had a boyfriend who not only loved her but could cook as well. Things couldn't be better.
"So, that breakfast was to celebrate my birthday going well?" she clarified. Angel nodded, a half smile alighting on his sculpted face. "So, what're we doing to celebrate finally clearing up that I'm not awful in bed after two years? 'Cause, that's pretty much a big issue that's been left unresolved for way too long."
"True," Angel replied, pretending for a moment to be deep in thought. He knew exactly what they were going to do to celebrate. "I was thinking, maybe we could go out to dinner somewhere. If you want." Despite the depth of their involvement, Angel still found that asking Buffy out made him nervous. but then, they'd only ever had a few dates. Some part of him was still sure she'd say no, that she would realise what she would be giving up if she stayed with him. Only time would make that feeling dissipate.
"So where are we going and how long will I need to get ready?"