“That’s not true. You changed. You stopped yourself from drinking tonight and making a mistake.” She pointed out.
“That’s not enough I guess. I don’t think I can stay here.” He concluded and informed her.
Buffy was a bit hurt. She wanted Riley to stay around because she wanted to get to know him better, but she could see where he was right. He couldn’t stay in this house. Not with Dad as well. It would end badly, and he was trying to avoid that.
“Okay, you don’t have to stay here, but could you visit a little?” she asked him.
“For you kid, sure. I’d like to get to know my lil’ sis a bit better.” He smiled and walked over to hug her.
She giggled like a little girl, happy to have him be around for a little big longer. They hugged for a few minutes before Riley looked down at her with his large blue eyes and asked her, “You datin’ anyone yet?”
Smiling thinking of her honey, she said happily, “Yes I am. His name is Angel…” she started to say.
“His name is *Angel*?” Riley asked a bit skeptically. What kind of guy had the name Angel?
“Yes, he lives next door.” She said with happiness in her soul. She couldn’t stop smiling at the thought of him.
“He treat you good?” Riley immediately asked her. If there was one thing he needed to know about this guy, it was if he was treatin’ his sister right. If he wasn’t, oh there would be hell to pay.
“He treats me like a god. Well, since about a week ago anyway. Before a week ago we hated each other with the fire of a thousand suns. Now, we couldn’t be happier.” She told her brother the story.
“What changed?” he asked intrigued to know how they went from hating each other to falling in love for the other. It sounded like something out of a story. *wink* It wasn’t that common that he’d known of.
Struggling to find the right words, she wasn’t about to tell Riley of all people what had been going on in her life. Especially since he just threatened if anyone had mistreated her he’d for sure kill them.
“Something happened and we just got over it. It’s no big deal. For hating each other for so long to have one little thing happen to change that, makes me wonder if we hated each other as much as we thought we did.” She thought out loud and tried to make sense of her thoughts.
“Whatever it was that made you guys realize that you like each other, I’m glad. Because you look really happy Buffy and if he’s doing this to you, he sounds like an okay guy to me.” Riley told her. He was really glad that his little sister was happy in her life. He didn’t know a lot about her life, but from what he did know, she hadn’t had it easy growing up with losing her mom and everything.
“He’s a great guy.” She reiterated. He wasn’t just an okay guy, he was a great guy. And he really was.
Walking to the back door they walked out to the back porch together and sat down on the steps and chatted away. They talked about all kind of things. They talked about sports, even though Buffy didn’t know a lot about them, movies, music, guys, girls and friends. They talked about everything about two subjects which Buffy clearly avoided: Life and what happened when Riley left. Those were two topics that she didn’t want to talk about. Especially the former. She’d do anything to just have that part of her life erased and never come back.
From over in the O’Brien house, Angel looked out his window and heard laughing and chatting from the Summers house. Moving the curtain to the side, he peeked out the window and saw Buffy sitting with Riley, chatting away and having fun.
“Good,” he thought, “You deserve it.” He finished. With a pleasant smile on his face, Angel turned around and laid down on his bed. Flipping on his bed light, he pulled out his copy of Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and continued to read it.
About twenty minutes into his book, there was a slight, small knock on his door. With his quietest voice he said, “Come in.”
The door opened and in walked Buffy. She was standing there in all her glory with her hand firmly on the doorknob, looking at him like she wanted to eat him alive.
“What are you doing here?” he asked her.
Walking over to him, she didn’t speak, she never uttered a word to him. She climbed on top of him and proceeded to kiss him hard on the mouth. Placing her hands on his face, she wanted to feel him. She needed to feel him. She needed him now!
“Buffy?” he asked her as she continued her adventure of his firm, muscular body. Feeling the sense of his chest on her hands, glad that he hadn’t been wearing a shirt to bed, she kissed his chest all the way down to the top of his boxers.
“Buffy!” he said more forcefully bringing her up to his face and stopping her movements. He saw the disappointment in her eyes. He could tell she was confused as to why he made her stop. He wasn’t gonna lie, it felt nice. It felt wonderful even, but they weren’t about sex.
“I’m not ready yet.” He told her.
“GAH!” he screamed as he jumped up out of his bed. Looking at the clock it was one twelve in the morning. He must have fallen asleep.
Thinking back to his dream, he knew what it meant and had to tell someone. He needed to tell someone now, and the person he NEEDED to tell it was asleep across the yard. Going for second best, he walked down the hallway and opened up the door to his sisters room.
“Faith! Faith wake up!” he shook her. He didn’t care that he was having to wake her up, the excitement in him was too much to just sit there and be left.
Slowly her hazel eyes opened up and saw her brother in front of her. Damn! She’d been having a REALLY nice dream with Colin Farrel too. Why did he have to ruin it? And at one thirteen in the morning? What was going on?
“I’m in love with Buffy.” He told her.
“That’s great, I’m going to sleep…” she said not having really heard him and not really caring.
“Faith! I’m in LOVE with Buffy. It’s not about sex. I don’t want to have sex with her yet. I’m not ready.” He said to her.
That got her attention. Looking at him like he was crazy, she saw the excitement and giddiness in his deep, soulful eyes.
“What do you mean, ‘you’re in love with Buffy?” she asked him slowly.
Smiling, he repeated, “I mean just that. I’m totally, completely, insanely in love with Buffy. I had a dream tonight that she was in my room, ready to have sex with me and I stopped her. I told her that I wasn’t ready yet. I wasn’t ready because I don’t want our relationship to be based on sex. I love her too much to do that to her.”
Smiling, Faith patted her brother on the shoulder and said, “Well congratulations, you’re now in love. And if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with Colin Farrel that you got me out of.” And with that, she fell back asleep.
Walking out her room, just enjoying this feeling, he walked back to his room and listened to music. There was no way he could sleep. Not with this revelation. There was no way! Putting in his cd, he turned to number 17 and “Headstrong” by Trapt filled his ears.
“Back off I’ll take you on, headstrong, I’ll take on anyone, I know that you are wrong, headstrong, your headstrong, back off I’ll take you on, headstrong I’ll take on anyone I know that you are wrong and this is not where you belong…I can’t give everything away… I won’t give everything away…” he sang along to himself.
Closing his eyes, still with the song playing he did as he thought he wouldn’t and fell back asleep for a peaceful sleep that he hadn’t had in a LONG time.
The next morning Angel hadn’t felt so good since before his mother was alive. He jumped out of bed and whistled a jaunty tune as he stepped into the shower. Taking off his boxers, Angel stepped inside the steaming hot water and continued to lather, scrub and completely thoroughly wash his muscular, shiny, wet body.
The whole time in the bathroom, Angel’s stupid, eat-shit grin didn’t waver. It was like he was a robot and he could only show one face and that was it. It was a happy face. Which was rare to see on Angel O’Brien. The only time Faith remembered seeing Angel act that happy was when he got a bike for Christmas one year. She remembered what he told her this early morning, and she was happy. She was extremely happy for Angel, Buffy was a great girl. He was getting the real deal when it came to her.
Taking a big, exasperated sigh, Angel kept his same face on as he walked down stairs in his outfit for the day. He had his hair styled just the way he liked it, in messy spikes, and looked hot. He had on his tight, Banana Republic blue jeans with his tight black t-shirt that so nicely fit his firm, muscular chest. All in all, he looked HOT! He sprayed on a little bit of cologne, but not too much. He didn’t want her choking for air.
“You ready to go?” Angel asked Connor as he grabbed his little brother’s lunch and tossed it to him from the fridge.
Catching the brown sack, Connor replied, “Yep, I’m ready.”
Angel closed the refrigerator and said, “Let’s roll!”
Faith walked into the kitchen and laughed at him. She had to. It was SO hard not too when he was acting goofy. It was just so un-natural to see him act like this, she was enjoying it while she could. You never knew what the future held, that’s what she always told herself.
Walking outside, Angel unlocked Connor’s door and got him inside the car. Walking around to the driver’s side, Angel opened his door and immediately put on his sexy shades. The sun was shining so brightly for seven forty in the morning. That was California for you.
Turning on the radio, Angel backed out of his driveway and turned up the music a bit as Connor sat there and listened like he always did. Connor wasn’t one for a lot of talking, at least, not with Angel. True he loved his brother and his family, he was just the shy, quiet kid. He definitely had the mysterious angle going for him. He could see why girls liked him at school. Also, it was painfully obvious that he was an O’Brien with the O’Brien good looks curse. He heard the girls in his grade call him a “little hottie” once. He chuckled at the memory.
“You like this?” Angel asked his little brother who was jamming to the song.
Shaking his head, concentrating on the music and the sound, Connor asked, “Yeah, who is this?”
Angel glanced at his brother and said, “This is VAST. This is the song called Here.”
“I like it.” Connor simply said.
A few minutes later when that was over, Angel changed the station and passed by Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl. About to change it, Connor stopped him.
“You like this?” Angel asked him intrigued. He didn’t know Connor knew who Van Morrison was. Let alone, this song.
“Are you kidding? This is Van Morrison. I love them.” Connor’s eyed turned wide, looking at Angel thinking, “Do you think I’m dumb?”
Angel simply shrugged, it was an honest mistake. “Sorry, I didn’t know you knew who this was. I’m surprised and impressed you know who Van Morrison is. They were way before your time. Shit they were before *my* time. Or close to it anyway. The point is, I’m proud that you’re listening to actual music and not just loud, notes that pass for music.”
“Mom used to make me listen to all her old albums.” He quietly informed Angel as he pulled up to the school. Without another word and Angel in silence, Connor got out of the car and was greeted by three little middle school girls waving ‘Hi’ to him. In the back he could see Dawn looking at him, eyeing him carefully. Connor brushed by the other girls without a second look and went right for Dawn.
“Must be a Summers thing to real in the O’Brien men.” Angel thought. Turning back around, Angel drove back to their house to pick up Faith and get his stuff ready to go to school.
Arriving at his house he saw Faith standing outside their house with Buffy by her side. Next to her was a tall, brown haired man with his arm around Buffy’s waist. Immediately seeing the greened eyed monster, Angel ripped out of the car and started toward Buffy and his sister and the creep who thought that he could put his hands on *his* girlfriend.
“Buffy?” Angel asked her raising his voice a bit.
Leaving Riley’s side in an instant, Buffy smiled happily as she saw her boyfriend get out of his car looking damn fine if she did say so herself. Wrapping her arms around his neck she drove him for a big, long, hard kiss on his mouth.
Breaking past his lips, their tongues battled for dominance. Both were equally passionate as their mouths dueled against each other. Neither dominated and neither trailed. Both were equal in their need, in their lust, in their love.
With that thought, Angel broke the kiss and both caught their breath. Resting their foreheads against each other Angel and Buffy both closed their eyes. Turning their heads when they heard the whistling sound come from Faith, they both cocked a grin.
“You two love birds almost done with the macking ‘cause we need to get to school.” Faith said as the disgust rolled off her tongue. She was fine with them being together, but she didn’t need to see her brother making out with her best friend at eight in the morning.
Taking his hand in hers, Buffy led Angel over to Riley and said, “Angel this is Riley. Riley this is my boyfriend Angel.”
“I hope he is, other wise you might want to approach guys a different way other then kissing them.” Riley teased her.
Elbowing him lightly, she muttered, “Just say hello Riley.”
Riley stuck out his hand for Angel to shake and Angel, now feeling like the stupidest person on the earth for not knowing that it was her *brother*, he took Riley’s hand in his and gave it a good firm hand shake.
“It’s good to meet you Angel. I haven’t heard much about you, but from what Buffy did tell me, you sound like a nice guy.”
“Well thank you. To be honest, I really didn’t know about you until yesterday. Buffy and I don’t really know each others personal lives very well.” Angel informed Riley of their relationship status.
Shaking his head a bit and letting Angel’s hand go, and Riley told Angel, “Well Angel, you might want to work on that.”
“Yeah, we’re working on it. We’re going out tonight to dinner and we’re going to have a nice, long talk. About everything.” Angel said with a twinkle in his eyes. He really couldn’t wait to have dinner that night. He had something VERY important he had to tell her and he couldn’t wait until he got to that time.
Smiling at her as she glowed in the morning sun with his sister next to her, she caught his strong, magnetic gaze and winked at him lovingly. With her half, sexy little smirk, he thought, “How am I EVER going to make it to tonight without telling her I love her and I would worship the ground she walks on if she’s let me?”
With that, he climbed into his car along with the two lovely ladies at his side and drove off to the place called Sunnydale High.
TBC