A part of her was really mad at him, he’d hurt her feelings, and she wanted him to know that, either he’d care or not. But at the same time she was blaming herself about what happened, since she was the one who’d invited his father over without asking, and she just wanted to make everything okay again. Truth was, she loved Spike so much, even though he acted like a jerk sometimes, and she was convinced that if they could just sit down and talk, really talk, everything would be okay. But for them to do so, she needed to find him. Then she could also kick his ass for walking out on her like that.
She decided that if Spike was here, he’d most likely be close to where the alcohol was, so that’s where she’d start. With her mind made up, she took a deep breath, and headed for the bar. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, and spun around, half expecting it to be Spike. Her face fell when she saw who it was. “Angel?”
“Hey, Buff, long time no see!” The dark haired man smiled at her, and Buffy remembered a time when that smile would’ve made her knees go weak. “How are you?”
But that was a long time ago, and she really didn’t have time for this. “I’m fine, thank you, but I have to go. Excuse me.” She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her.
“What’s the hurry? I was hoping you’d let me buy you a drink.” He smiled again, which caused Buffy to roll her eyes.
“No thanks. And I’m here with my boyfriend.” That wasn’t exactly true, but Angel didn’t know that. Besides, there was a possibility that Spike was around here somewhere. Buffy had to suppress a laugh as Angel’s smile disappeared.
“Boyfriend, huh? That’s great, congratulations.” Angel sounded polite enough, but it was obvious that he wasn’t happy, and Buffy wished he’d just turn around and leave.
“Right, now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go find Spike.” Buffy didn’t bother with being polite anymore, she just wanted to get away from him. There used to be a time when she’d almost convinced herself that she could love this man. She and Angel had been dating for a while, about a year ago, and she had liked him a lot. Of course he wasn’t Spike, but back then, Buffy had given up hope that there could ever be something between them.
Angel was tall, dark and handsome, and he’d treated her like a princess. Until he’d gotten what he wanted, that was. She still remembered the hurt and humiliation she’d felt when Angel had dumped her, just a couple of days after she’d finally agreed to sleep with him. Of course, he wouldn’t admit that the only thing he’d been after all along was sex, he’d given her a pathetic excuse how he wasn’t ready for a serious relationship, but she hadn’t bought it.
“Wait, you’re dating Spike? He’s your boyfriend?” Angel stared at her now, mouth open, and Buffy gave him a confused look.
“Yeah, why? Do you know him?”
“Do I…?” Angel was unable to hide his amusement, and let out a laugh. “You could say that. Actually, Spike and I go way back!”
Spike quickly downed his third beer, then picked up the glass of whiskey he’d also ordered at the bar. His plan had simply been to get so drunk that he’d stop feeling guilty about what he’d said to Buffy before he’d left, but so far it wasn’t working. She probably hated him now, not that he could blame her. Buffy had gone through all this trouble to make a nice dinner for him, and he’d thanked her by yelling at her before taking off. She really should leave him, he thought, she deserved better than him.
He took a big swig of the whiskey, then put the empty glass down on the bar with a grimace. Then he waved at the bartender, and a moment later the glass was full again. This was a bad idea, he knew it, but right now he didn’t care. This was just like him, finally having the woman of his dreams back into his life, and then he had to screw things up. If only his father hadn’t come back here, then none of this would’ve happened.
But he still shouldn’t have taken his anger out on Buffy, she had only been trying to help. Maybe it wasn’t too late, maybe he could go back and apologize, hoping that she’d forgive him for being such a git. Spike swallowed down the contents in his glass, and got up, swaying a little. He had to grab hold of the counter to keep from stumbling, and the bartender gave him a worried look. Chuckling a little, he gave the man a smile that he hoped would be convincing. “M’fine, mate!” The other man looked doubtful for a moment, then shrugged and went back to mixing his drinks.
Spike grabbed his coat and headed for the exit. He’d go home and have some coffee, trying to sober up a bit before going to find Buffy. She would already be mad at him, showing up at her place like this wouldn’t exactly increase his chances to be forgiven. Suddenly he spotted a blond head at the other side of the dance floor, and frowned. It was Buffy. The realization that she must had come here looking for him made him feel all warm inside, and he immediately started towards her.
Then he saw that she was talking to someone, a dark-haired man. A man who looked all too familiar. Spike stopped in his tracks, realizing who Buffy was talking to. It was Angel.
TBC