Chapter 7

Buffy fell to her bed with a sigh. They had returned to the table and rejoined the group. Angel had been more into the stories and had even thrown in a few of his own that had the entire table laughing. Ville had been eyeing Buffy ever since they had come back to the table and she had sent him a glare that told him 'don't ask.' She giggled to herself and sat up, pressing her fingers to her lips. She could still feel Angel's lips against hers even though the kiss had taken place hours ago. All of her nerve endings felt electrified and her eyes, when she glanced in a mirror, were shining brightly. She smiled to herself and looked away from the mirror.

Ville, being Ville, couldn't let her random giggles and bright smiles go unnoticed. He sauntered into her room and sat next to her. She couldn't hold it back and she started to laugh. He smiled at her and said, "So, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you and Angel are..." He arched an eyebrow at her, letting the sentence dangle.

Buffy did her best to stifle the laughter as she looked at Ville and nodded. "Oh God! He's like no one I've ever met. He's so... so... wonderful!"

"What happened tonight between you two?"

"He was so... weirded out about the whole thing at first. He made a comment about me not having normal friends and I took him to a dining room to explain why you guys are my normal friends. He understood and something just... I don't know, clicked!"
"And?"
"And..." She smiled at Ville and blushed slightly. "Well, we... It was amazing. I've never been kissed like that before." Ville arched his eyebrow again and Buffy felt a flash of guilt. "Sorry. You're a good kisser, Ville. Love kissing you. It's just... He was different. It was like..."

"Flying with your feet still on the ground?"

"Exactly." Buffy laid her head on Ville's shoulder. "This is amazing."

"I don't want to kick you off Cloud 9, but I feel I should bring him up." Buffy looked a little confused. Ville had thought as much. "Orlando."

"Oh." Buffy processed it and then said dejectedly, "Oooh." Ville just nodded. "Way to straight up catapult me off Cloud 9 there, Ville. God, I don't know. I do love Orlando, a lot, but... This thing with Angel... I can't ignore it. It's too strong. My mother always said I would know the one I was meant to be with the minute he walked into my life." She sighed. "She wasn't entirely right. Orlando was... is someone I can see myself with. He's safe, you know. Everyone loves him, everyone expects us to work out, we're perfect for each other, we don't ever fight..."

"Is that what you want?"

"What?"

"Boring love." Buffy stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "Safe is boring. I don't expect you to stay with Orlando. I expcet you to find the type of love that's messy and passionate and... wonderful. The type of love I know you're destined for."

"Destined?"

"I like the word."

"Oh."

"Buffy, if this guy makes you feel that way... You need to tell Orlando. It's not right to hurt someone by sneaking around behind their back."
"I know. I'm going to. I just have to wait for the right moment, you know. I can't just call him up and say, 'hey, I met someone else and I'm breaking up with you.'"

"No, I wouldn't do that."

Bam walked in. "Yo."

"What's up?" Buffy asked.
"I'm headed back to West Chester."

"Now? It's late."

"It's the best time. There's no traffic."

"Oh."

"I'll be back in a couple of days."

"You sure you don't want to shack up here? I'm sure I can find room for you."
"Nah, it's ok. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Sure, ok." Buffy gave Bam a quick kiss and hugged him tightly. He and Ville nodded at each other and Bam left.

Downstairs, Buffy could hear Mige and Gas playing a video game on her large, flat screen, plasma TV. She had no clue what Burton and Linde were doing. They were probably in their room talking. Buffy's penthouse had four bedrooms. The loft bedroom, two guest bedrooms, and one extra bedroom she'd turned into a computer room. Linde and Burton were splitting a room and Mige and Gas were splitting the other room. Ville had actually set up in Buffy's room. She had a couch in there that was overstuffed and "pretty comfortable" as he put it. And that was where Ville was headed at the moment. He dropped down onto the couch and looked over at her steadily.

"What?" She asked.

"Does this mean you're not coming on the tour?"

"Oh hell no! I'm definitely coming with you. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

He smiled. "Good."

Buffy sat close to Angel, holding his hand as her head rested on his shoulder. They were curled up on her couch in her living room watching a home movie Bam had filmed and then edited on his editing equipment. It had been his first self-made movie and it was of Buffy skating in a competition and hitting every element with grace and agility, wowing the crowd. Angel was watching in wonderment, his mouth every now and again dropping open. Buffy would let out a little laugh and close his mouth for him. When the movie was over, she got up and turned the system off.

"That was..." Angel looked at her. "You're amazing."
"WAS amazing. Not anymore."
"So, how exactly did it become a was?"

"I dropped into a back sit spin and started to travel. The back of my blade caught in the wall and my knee bent the wrong way. I broke my kneecap, tore cartilage, my knee filled with fluid, I tore a couple of ligaments in my knee, and hyperstretched the outside muscles of my thigh."

Angel hissed as if in pain. "Ouch."

"I was in a leg brace for over a month and then I was in a knee brace for four. Physical therapy was a bitch. I could've been out of the knee brace sooner, but I'm stubborn. I tried to skate after only a month in the knee brace. I managed to hurt myself even more when I tried a simple waltz jump. Ended up in the leg brace for two weeks and then back into the knee brace. My armpits hurt a lot because I was walking around on crutches. Luckily Bam was around. He moved in with my family about a month before I hurt myself."
"Why?"

"Because he was tired of driving back and forth between here and West Chester. And he wanted to film every step of the way to Skate America. Everyone was convinced I was going to the next Olympics."

"That's gotta be the hardest thing you've ever gone through."

"Close, but it doesn't compare to making the decision to quit skating. We announced it as a 'temporary' retirement due to a severe injury." She snorted bitterly. "Temporary my ass."
"Can you skate now?"
"Not like I used to, but I can still skate. But my knee tires out too quickly when I do any elements, so I basically just go around in circles and maybe throw in one or two minor spins."

"Must be hell."
"It is, that's why I don't skate very often anymore. Bam and Ville have both tried numerous times to get me to go more often, but it's just heartbreaking for me."

"I can imagine."

"Maybe one day I'll take you."

Angel's eyes widened. "Oh, god no. I can't even roller skate."

Buffy laughed. "It's easy. I'll teach you."

"She's a good teacher." Bam said from the doorway, tossing his keys on the table by the door.

"Bam!" Buffy ran over to him and hugged him, letting him carry her back to the living room on his hip.

"Hey Angel."

"Hi." Angel said.

"We were just watching one of my old skating videos you made." Buffy said.

"That's some good work you did."

"Thanks." Bam said, slightly eyeing Buffy. Then he turned his full attention on her. "Where's Ville?"

"At the studio of course."

"I knew that."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "He'll be back in a couple of hours. You wanna watch some more videos?"
"Sure. Oh, Ape and Phil are here. They're downstairs talking to Carl." Carl was the desk attendent that had been there for twenty eight years. He was there everyday, except Sundays and Mondays, and knew all of the frequent guests of the tenants. He had become chatting buddies with April and Phil, Bam's parents, a while back and they always stopped to talk when he was there.

"Cool."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Bam walked over and opened it and then disappeared in the kitchen. April and Buffy hugged tightly. "Hi honey."
"April!"

"You look so pretty."

"Thank you. Phil!" Buffy hugged Phil tightly. She loved Bam's parents to death. "How are you?"
"I'm good." Phil said.
"Ape, Phil, this is my friend Angel."
"Bam told us about you." April said to Angel as she shook his hand. "He said that you and Buffy are pretty close."

Angel glanced at Buffy with a smirk as he shook Phil's hand. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"What do you do Angel?" Phil asked.

"He's a lawyer." Bam said, coming out of the kitchen with a beer and a slice of three-day old pizza.

"Then you need to be on your best behavior around him. You've been in trouble with too many lawyers already." April said.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Margera, I'm only into divorce and family law." Angel said.

"Call me April. Everyone else does."

"Ok then." Angel said.

Buffy could tell Angel was wooing Phil and April. She considered them part of her family and she wanted everyone in her family to love Angel just like she... Whoa, Buffy! Love? Love? Are you really thinking that now... This soon? She thought to herself.

"B, what movie you want?" Bam asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh... Whichever. I don't care."

Bam shrugged and grabbed a box.