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Cordelia seemed content to carry the conversation for most of the drive back to her house, and Angel was happy to let her. It was strange yet comforting listening to Cordelia’s problems involving shopping, math homework and Harmony. He couldn’t believe the girl beside him found a dismembered body just a few hours ago. However, when the conversation lulled he felt the need to say something, ‘Won’t your parents ask why you’re back so late from cheerleading practice?’
‘Dad’s always out and Mom might as well be,’ Cordelia replied, not sounding like her usual perky self.
‘Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…’ Angel couldn’t finish his sentence before Cordelia interrupted.
‘Don’t freak. Trust me it’s useful for sneaking in late from college parties, The Bronze or burying vampire bones, whatever really. It’s pretty lucky of me actually,’ He wasn’t convinced but he didn’t want to pry. So the rest of the car journey passed in silence, aside Cordelia crooning along the radio.
‘And we’re here,’ Cordelia said pulling up in front of a large McMansion. ‘Walk me in?’ she said with a smile Angel was sure no one said no to. Angel hesitated, but the smile was working on him. They walked up the steps in side-by-side in silence.
‘Well, this is me,’ Cordelia announced. ‘Thanks by the way,’ she added softly. Angel was about to reply when the door swung open to reveal a women in her early forties, and even with her blonde hair, Angel could clearly see where Cordelia got her good looks from.
‘Cordelia! I was worried about you!,’ the woman exclaimed, casting her eyes to Angel ‘but I can see you were with a nice young man. Clearly I had nothing to worry about, or maybe I had more!’ she threw her head back with laughter.
‘Mom, he’s n-
‘Her boyfriend, Angel.’
Cordelia didn’t think she’d ever been more shocked in her entire life, let alone today, and she just found a severed hand in trash bin.
‘Oh, come in it’s freezing out here,’ her mother said, waving them both in as if Cordelia didn’t live there too.
‘It’s 60 degrees Mom, it’s hardly the Arctic,’ she said, as much as she thought wanted Angel in her house, it felt wrong. She thought having him here would feel good, like a victory. But now that it was here it felt like anything but. If Angel was here she wanted it to be because he wanted to be there, not out some twisted favour, or whatever this was. But clearly the psychic message of ‘don’t come in my house bucko’ was lost on Angel, as he was already stepping through the front door.
‘You have a lovely house Mrs. Chase,’ Angel said surveying the room.
‘Oh and polite!’ her Mother exclaimed, ’I like him so much better than whats-his name, Carl?’
‘It was Kevin and he died Mom, remember? I wore black for a whole three days,’ but her mother didn’t seem to care and was instead too interested in Angel.
‘Do you go to school with Cordelia?’ her mother asked.
‘No, I go to U.C. Sunnydale,’ Angel replied, slinging his arm around Cordelia’s shoulder. For a moment she’d couldn’t pay attention to anything else, only how she’d never been more aware she of her shoulder before.
‘I’m majoring in history, and Cordelia here wanted some help on the subject. So I offered to tutor her and well here we are,’ he said flashing a smile so wide, she was sure Angel must have encountered some sort of brain damage between now and leaving her car. It was a damn nice smile though. He should do that more often. It also occurred to her that she had no idea if any of what Angel was saying was true.
‘Actually, I just got an A in history so we were out celebrating,’ she sighed, deciding that she should just play along. She had actually gotten an A in history, but on her own thank you very much.
‘She’s not just a pretty face,’ Angel said ‘she must take after her mother in that way.’ Okay Cordelia had to roll her eyes at that one, she was only human after all, but her mother seemed to be licking it up.
‘Oh you’re too kind! And right because I know you two were hoping for the bedroom but the doorstep will have to do,’ she laughed at her own not-joke, before warning Cordelia ‘Be back in a few minutes.’
‘It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Chase.’ Angel said on the way out. The door slammed behind them and the two were left alone. Cordelia didn’t think she’d ever heard Angel say so much in such a short space of time, or any space of time, so returning to the silence felt odd.
‘You don’t have to stay you know.’ She whispered.
‘She’s watching’ Angel murmured back, his eyes flicking to the window.
‘God,’ Cordelia moaned ‘she’s either Super Mom or barely there,’
‘Sorry,’
‘For what?’ She replied but everything was starting to fade away as Angel’s face became dangerously close to hers, until finally his lips touched hers.
It wasn’t strong, nor was it fast, or breathless or any of the ways Cordelia was familiar with kissing. It was simple, sweet, chaste even. It was closed mouths, it was hands by their sides, it was just enough to spark something but not enough to do anything about it. It just was.
Neither of them knew how long the kissed lasted, it could have been hours or seconds or anywhere in between. Slowly they both pulled back, but Cordelia kept her eyes closed for just a few seconds longer. Wanting to live in the kiss for that little bit longer. To feel his cold breath on her face. To take in his crisp, masculine scent. To hear his breathing, long, slow and controlled. For this moment she wasn’t ‘Cordelia Chase, Queen Bitch of Freaksville, USA,’ she was anyone in anytime, with anyone from anywhere. She was a girl with no problems, she wasn't a girl that just kissed a guy with a girlfriend she was sure could kick her ass.
With one last sigh, she savoured the moment for a second longer and opened her eyes. She was expecting to see his eyes wide open, she’d prepared for seeing those big brown eyes and pretending she felt nothing. But seeing his eyes closed sparked something else entirely. All the harsh lines of his face were gone, he looked about ten years younger, and peaceful. He wasn’t a man that brooded in the corner. He was someone else too. Cordelia ached to be the one to see him like this first thing in the morning, like he didn’t carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Seeing his eyes slowly open, she couldn’t act unaffected. She couldn’t not act like the smallest of touches would forever get her heart racing.
So in true Cordelia Chase fashion she said the first thing that came into her mind, ‘Buffy’s a lucky girl,’
His head giving the slightest of nods, before they both slowly retreated to their sides of the porch.
‘You sure you’ll be okay?’ Angel asked.
‘I’m Cordelia Chase, I’m always more than okay.’ Cordelia replied with a smile.
‘I don’t doubt that.’ He said making his way back down the steps out into the road. Cordelia stayed on the porch watching him walk away, wondering if anything had changed at all. With every step he took away from her, she slowly became Cordelia Chase again. But not the Cordelia that would be proud for kissing Buffy’s boyfriend, but the Cordelia who none of this happened to. The Cordelia who if anyone asked about this night, ended in her car.