The following week, Angel had started work at Joyce's gallery. New stock had arrived and so Buffy went by after school to help with the inventory, as she usually did when new things arrived. She was still slightly shaky around Angel after what had happened. They acted as though nothing had happened but Buffy couldn't help but remember, and now every time she saw him, she felt a strange stirring in her stomach, one she'd never felt before when she'd looked at him. It was ridiculous really. She didn't like Angel in that way. He was a good friend to her, that was all. She was just blowing things out of proportion, she was imagining things that never happened, and feelings she never had.
Still, she was apprehensive when her mother sent her into the back room to work with Angel. Every brush of him against her made her tense up, and every smile was forced. Angel couldn't help but notice. He'd always noticed; so he laid a hand on her arm, stopping her work. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She gave him yet another fake, bright smile and turned back to the boxes but he gently turned her towards him, again stopping her.
"Your eyes aren't smiling Buffy, what's up? Is it Parker?"
She looked startled and shook her head, a wry smile turning up the corners of her mouth. "No, not Parker. Believe me, he's so of the past."
"Then what?" Looking into his eyes, she could see genuine concern. She hated it when he looked at her like that. She stepped a little closer and splayed a hand on his chest, trying to show him that she was okay. He dipped his head to look at her more closely and she tilted her head up towards him.
It seemed to her that he was moving closer to her, but she couldn't quite be sure whether it was she who was getting closer to him. She felt her breath catch as she looked up into his eyes when he quickly put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away, wringing his hands together nervously.
"Buffy…what's happening here? You and me it's…it's…"
"Wrong? Weird? Yeah I know. Maybe it's not anything. You know, I'm still feeling hurt, you're just like being the protective big brother guy."
"Yeah, yeah, that's it. That's it." He nodded emphatically, to prove his point; then they were silent, both pondering what they had just said. Angel shook his head, picked up a box and took it out of the room, leaving Buffy alone, wondering why her words felt so hollow when she'd said them.
A few days later Angel moved into his new apartment. Spike, Giles and Kathy were helping him move in, but Buffy offered to help her mother at the gallery in Angel's absence. She still wasn't sure how she felt around him, and she needed some time to work that out.
Angel was in the back room at the gallery when he heard a feminine giggle. He peeked out to see Buffy leaning against a table talking to Riley Finn, a freshman at UC Sunnydale. His teeth clenched together when he saw the way Finn lent in towards her, saw the way she responded and how her eyes lit up when she smiled.
But he wasn't going to do anything until he heard what they were talking about. "I had to tell him to."
Buffy smiled softly at Riley. "You didn't. I didn't want his apology, I knew he didn't really mean it. But still, it was sweet of you to stand up for me." Angel's anger simmered inside of him. So that was why Parker had apologised to her, Riley had told him to. And sweet! Sweet! All he got was a thank you! His eyes flashed and he stalked into the room, glad Joyce was out for lunch and couldn't see his show of masculinity.
He stood next to Buffy, folded his arms across his chest and glared openly at Riley, who balked slightly under the strength of his stare. "Buffy, I know you don't have to be here, but if you're gonna be maybe you could, oh I don't know, work."
With that he stomped back into the back room, trying to control his sudden rush of testosterone, and trying not to think about what it meant. He heard Finn leave, and two seconds later Buffy stormed into the room, her face set with anger.
"What the hell was that about! I was just being friendly."
"You were all over him, Buffy! This is a gallery, not a dating centre." Her mouth opened in shock and anger as she stepped closer.
"What's this really about, Angel? An hour ago I was sitting in here painting my nails, doing no work whatsoever, then Riley walks in and you practically combust!"
He began to speak, then stopped. She was right, he was being unreasonable. So what if she was talking (FLIRTING!) with Finn, why should he care? She'd had plenty of boyfriends before, heck he didn't even act this way when she was with Parker. And so what if Riley had stood up for Buffy to Parker, he'd be a hypocrite if he said he didn't like that. He looked down and then met her eyes again, happy to see that some of the anger had dissipated.
"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to over-react." He was right in front of her now and she had to crane her head to look up at him.
"So why did you?" His eyes were smouldering as they looked into her own. His eyes flickered down to her lips as he bent down, bringing himself even closer to her. She focused on his lips for a few moments, then closed her eyes as she felt them meet hers.