That night Angel's phone rang and he picked it up to be confronted by an irate Buffy.

"That was all your fault!" Angel rolled his eyes at the phone. "Oh come on Buffy, it was funny."

Buffy gripped the phone harder. "It was not funny! You're a guy, you're allowed to have secrets. I'm a girl, we're supposed to tell our friends everything. So now my two best friends think I don't trust them." Angel flopped down on his bed. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

"It's worse! You just don't think before you do things, do you!" Angel had had enough. "Fine Buff. Sorry if I upset you. Forgot fun was a thing you didn't have"

He slammed down the phone and Buffy stared at the receiver for a moment before putting it down and sighing. She hated arguing with Angel. And the truth was, she wasn't that upset about the love bite. She kind of liked having his mark on her. But she didn't like fighting with her friends, and it was getting harder to lie to them. Keeping her relationship with Angel a secret was, when it was good, fun and almost sexy. But when she was alone with her friends, all she wanted to do was tell them and get it over with.

She looked at her watch. Nine. Cordelia wouldn't be back from Xander's yet. She threw on her coat and hurried next door. Jenny answered the door and Buffy told her she'd left something of hers there a couple of days ago, so she was invited to go right upstairs and get it. Buffy knocked tentatively on Angel's door, not sure if he'd want to hear from her. He didn't expect her so when she walked in, he was shocked. "Buffy. What are you doing here?"

She looked at him nervously. "I erm…I…wanted to apologise. I'm sorry I shouted at you, I hate arguing with you, but I hate arguing with my friends too. You and me is just…it's getting harder to keep it a secret from them. I guess I let it get to me."

He stood up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him, so her head rested on his chest. "I hate arguing with you too. I was just about to ring you back. I didn't mean what I said…when you said it's harder to keep it a secret…did you mean you want to tell them? Or…" He hesitated before continuing in a slightly quieter voice. "Did you mean you wanted to break up?"

She moved her head from his chest but stayed in her circle of his arms, placing her palms flat against his muscular chest. "Of course not, Angel. I love being with you!"

Angel looked relieved and Buffy carried on. "And about telling the others…I don't know. Sometimes I like keeping it a secret. It's kind of…sexy"

He gave her a heart-stopping grin and she returned it.

"And it's just us too. There's no one to interfere. But I'm not used to keeping things a secret from my friends, especially Cordy and Willow. It's hard lying to them." Angel nodded. "I know what you mean. And I know it must be harder for you. But I find it pretty sexy too. And any relationship I've had that's been any good has been ruined by other people. I don't want that to happen with us."

Buffy looked surprise. "You…you think we have a relationship?" He looked sheepish. "Well, yeah. Don't you?" She smiled up at him shyly "Yeah, I do." He felt his heart melt slightly. She was so damn cute. He gently grazed his lips over hers and kneaded her back with his fingertips.

"So. What do you want to do?"

"How about we keep it a sexy secret for a bit longer, and if we decide it's too hard, we can tell people. In the meantime, make up a boyfriend, but make up some excuse why Cordy and the others can't meet him."

Buffy was flustered from his hands on her back. Her eyes flickered to his lips and her tongue unconsciously came out to lick her own. She nodded slightly at his words. "Yeah that's a…good idea."

She lifted herself up on to her tip-toes and kissed him again, her tongue dancing with his. When she finally pulled away, minutes later, both were breathless, and when Buffy spoke, it was in a husky voice. "I should go. I only told your mom I'd left something here. She'll think I've gotten lost if I stay much longer."

He murmured his agreement but pulled her back to his lips anyway, swallowing her further protests as she sank against him. "God, you feel…" He panted slightly. "You have to go." Buffy nodded. "Right. This is me. I'm going"

She met his eyes again and drew him down to kiss her, this time even more passionately than before. Angel rubbed her nose with his. "Mm I love making up with you."

"Me too."

He pressed his forehead to hers, then unwrapped his arms from around her, placed them on her stomach and pushed her gently towards the door. She smiled at him and turned around, squealing quietly when she felt him smack her backside. She bounded downstairs happily and said goodbye to Jenny. "I thought you said you'd left something here."

Crap! "Oh…yeah, I couldn't find it. It must be at home after all"

"Oh, okay, night Buffy."

Two weeks later

"So when's Tom getting back?"

Buffy smiled to herself. She'd taken Angel's advice and made up her boyfriend. His name was Tom, he was nineteen and in his first year at college. She met him when he was here visiting relatives for a couple of weeks and they got close. The reason they couldn't meet him was because he went to UCLA and he'd gone back there.

She put on a sad expression. "Not for another couple of weeks" Willow sighed at the romance of it. "I bet you miss him."

Faith grinned suggestively at her. "Yeah, no one to get down and dirty with!" Buffy looked shocked. "Faith! I only knew him for a couple of weeks."

"And?" Xander looked annoyed. "Do we always have to talk about this Tom guy? I for one don't trust him." Buffy rolled her eyes. "You've never met him." Xander pointed vigorously. "Exactly."

The girls rolled their eyes and Angel, who was standing nearby with Spike and Matt, grinned.