Chapter 2

"Hey." A voice said behind her. Buffy turned and saw the man from the day before.

"Hi..."

"Angel."

"I knew that. It's just early and I haven't had my coffee yet."

"This line is ridiculously long."

Buffy glanced back at the line they were standing in at the coffee shop that was a block away from her hotel. "Yeah. Not used to standing in lines."

"Oh, so you're a cutter."

"Only on weekends."

He chuckled. "So, it's about seven in the morning and you're not in business attire, but you're not exactly in jogging clothes. I can rule out work and excersise. So that leaves me with... A morning person?"
"An insomniac."

"Ah, I see."

"I'm not the best morning person in the world, but I'm used to it, it's a habit, so... Here I am, waiting in line for a cup of coffee." She glanced at his nice, three piece suit. "You, however, must be one of the work people."

"Guilty as charged. But I don't have to be at my client's office for fourty-five minutes or so."

"Morning person. Eeep."

"Not until I've had my coffee. Then I can show the world my bright and bubbly side."

Buffy laughed. "I have one of those somewhere, but I think I may have lost it with my cheerleading days."

"Oh, an ex-cheerleader. Well, at least you're not running around trying to reclaim your 'glory days' like some of the ex-cheerleaders from my high school class."

"Who says I'm not?"

"Touche."
"No. I was only a cheerleader for about a year or so before I went back to homeschool."

"Oh, a homeschool child."
"Yeah. No time for school. I've been busy since I was five."

"It's called a vacation. You should try it sometime."

"Hey, I know what those are. And I have taken a couple in my life."

"Ever been to Disneyworld?"
"Once, but I didn't get to play. It was for work." Buffy was next in line for coffee and she ordered hers. Angel stepped up behind him and ordered his, saying that he would pay for both coffees. "Oh, chivalry. I thought that was only alive in the movies."

"Don't tell anyone. I'm usually reffered to as the evil asshole of doom."

"Won a lot of cases, huh?"

"Not that I'm bragging."

"Brag away."

Angel picked up the coffees and handed Buffy hers as she led them over to a table in the corner of the restaurant. "Incognito?"

"Hmm?"

Angel helped Buffy into her chair and then sat across from her. "Are we hiding in the back of the coffee shop?"
"Oh, habit."
"You seem to have a lot of those."

"I do, don't I?"

"It's ok. I've got a few myself."

"Practicing chivalry one of them?"

"Not so much anymore. I was questioning even being nice to you."
"Why's that?"
"Well, for starters, you ran into me yesterday."

"I thought we agreed that we ran into each other."

"You just thought I agreed. I had my fingers crossed." Angel held up his cross fingers in demonstration and then moved them behind his back with a smirk.

Buffy smiled. "Traitor." He shrugged. "That was for starters, what else is there to make you consider being mean to me?"
"Oh, the other day I opened the door for a little old lady and she told me to fuck off." Buffy's eyes widened in surprise and she tried not to laugh. "I'm serious!"

"I'm sure you are. I'm just trying to imagine the look on your face when some sweet little grandma told you to fuck off."
"It was one of pure shock."

"I bet."

"Have dinner with me." Angel said suddenly.

Buffy stared at him. "What?"
"Have dinner with me."

"Oh, I can't."

"Boyfriend?"
"Yes."

"He in town?"

"No, he's in New York."

"Then have dinner with me. Nothing fancy. Not a date, I assure you. Just two people who are unfamiliar to this town getting to know the town a little bit better together."

Buffy shook her head. "I don't know."
"Afraid the paparazzi will see you?"

"What?"

"I'm kidding. Come on, it can't hurt anyone."

Buffy sighed and then looked out the windows of the coffee shop. She didn't see any paparazzi out there. They mostly stayed around LA and New York. After another minute of thinking, she said, "Does Thursday night work for you?"

"Thursday? Um, yeah. I'll be in town until Friday afternoon."

"Ok, I'm staying at the Four Seasons."
"Woo!"

"What?"

"That's a lot of money."

"Not my choice."
"You're not paying for the room?"

"Not really. My job is paying to keep me there."

"Ah. Well, then... Thursday night at seven sound ok?"
"Sounds great."

"Well, I better get running. Can't keep Mr. Big Shot waiting."
"Your client's name is Mr. Big Shot?"
"Yes. He just doesn't know it."

Buffy laughed. "Oh an aka He's-An-Asshole."

"Pretty much." He walked over and helped her out of her chair.

"Thank you."
"It's been really nice talking with you."

"Yeah, it has." Buffy's cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was Bam. "I gotta take this."
"Ok. I'll see you Thursday at seven then."

Buffy nodded and answered her phone. "Hey." She watched Angel walk away down the street. He glanced back once and waved at her. A smile broke across her face as she said, "Thursday it is."

"Thursday what is?" Bam asked.

"Oh! Hi, Bam."

"What's Thursday?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing. You're smiling."
"How can you tell?"

"I can hear it in your voice! What's going on?"
"Nothing. I just love hearing I have a night off." Her tone of voice was one that said 'stop prying.'

"Ok. Are you having fun all by your lonesome in Texas?"

"Actually, yeah. I miss LA, though."
"And Orlando?"
"And Orlando. But I'll see him soon enough."

"You don't sound excited about it."
"I'm just a little tired."
"Where are you at? Are you at the hotel?"
"No. I'm at this little coffee shop down the road." Buffy glanced over at two teenage girls walking down the street and staring at her. "Uh oh."
"What?"

"I've been spotted."
"I'll let you go, then."

"Wimp."
"Hey, you're there, I'm here. Sucks for you. Love you. Bye."

"Bye." Buffy hung up the phone with an exasperated sigh.

"That's Buffy." One of the girls whispered to the other.

"No. Buffy's blonde." The second girl said.
"I'm telling you, that's her!"

Buffy shook her head and walked up to them. "Hi."

"Oh my God!" The second girl said.
"I told you!" The first one said.

"Oh my God! I totally love you! Can I please have your autograph!" The girl thrust a notebook at her.

Buffy put on her best smile. "Sure. You got a pen?"

"Oh, yeah! Sure!" The first girl produced a pen from her satchel and handed it to Buffy.

Thursday night came quickly for Buffy. She had a hard time finding something nice to wear on her not-a-date tonight. She was going through her suitcases and tossing things around. She had already tried on five different outifts and she was working on her sixth when the hotel phone rang. "Shit!" Buffy ran over to it and grabbed it up. "Yeah?"

"Miss, there is a man here to see you. He says his name is Angel." The consierge said.

"Send him up."

"Are you sure, ma'am?"
"Send him up." Buffy repeated before hanging up the phone. "Shit!" She snatched a random T-Shirt to go with her favorite designer jeans and tossed it on. It was ablack,H.I.M. baby-doll tee witha redHeartagram logo. Deciding it was fine, she grabbed her courduroy, Bisjou-Bisjou blazer that looked old-fashioned and went down to just past her knees and slipped it on. Then, she grabbed a pair of knee-high leather boots and zipped them up under her jeans. Her dark hair was down and straight with a little bit of curl that came naturally to give her a little bounce. She was just about to brush it again when her cell phone rang. "Yeah?"

"Hey." It was Ville.

"Hey, sweetie."
"Bad time?"
"Sort of."

"What's going on?"

"I was getting dressed and getting ready to go out."
"With who?"

"Myself."

"Sounds like fun. You're a fun person to go out with."

"Are Bam and the guys back?"

"They came back this morning."
"Oh."
"Bam says they lost all their money so they're all depressed."

A knock on the door made Buffy jump. "Be right there." She started to clean up the mess she'd made with her clothes.

"Be where? You're acting weird."

"Not weird, just occupied."

"Want me to call you later, then?"
"I'll call you."
"Now you sound like a pompous agent."

"Casting director."

"As you like to say: Whatever."

"I'll talk to you later, Ville."
"Bye Buff."

"Later." Buffy hung up and rushed to the door. She opened it to find Angel standing there in a pair of dark, fadedjeans, a gray T-Shirt that clung to his muscles, and a black, casual blazer. "Hi."

"You look good." He eyed the Heartagram.

"It's a band." She explained. "Not a Satan worshiper. Promise."

"Yeah, H.I.M. I know. Good band."

"You know about them?"

"Yeah, I heard them when I was in Germany a couple years ago. Brought their CD back for my younger brother to listen to."

"Cool."
"How do you know about them?"

"I'm friends with the lead singer... And the rest of the band."

"Oh. Wow."

Buffy decided to change the subject. "So, what's the plan?"

"Huh?"
"For tonight? What's the plan?"

"I thought we could have a picnic at Zilker Park and then go for a stroll."

"Oh, I've never been on a picnic."
"Never?"

"I told you I lived a very busy life."

"Well, you're in for a treat." Angel smiled and held out his arm. Buffy hesitated a minute and then happily wove her arm through his. Orlando was the farthest thing from her mind at the moment.