//chapter//\\four\\

"Where to for dinner, milady?" Scott asked in a fake British accent that made Angel laugh. She didn't have an accent, but she had been living with people who did for almost two weeks, and was now able to mock the accent quite easily.

"I'm not sure. Somewhere fast, I guess, because I'd like to have time to do a lot of things tonight! I want to make this night last forever."

"So do I." Scott replied, his voice now soft and sweet. Just hearing it made Angel tingle all over. She had always claimed that she loved Scott Moffatt, but it had never meant a thing till she met him. Now she knew that it wasn't just infatuation. She sincerely liked him a lot, but she knew that she couldn't love him, because she didn't want to get hurt again. She didn't want to lose another loved one.

"Well, what about grabbing something from the drive thru at Wendy's?" he asked, "They make awesome nuggets."

"Yeah, sounds great!" Angel said, turning the corners of her mouth up ever so slightly.

"Was that a SMILE?" Scott teased, touching her cheek.

"Maybe..." Angel replied, pulling her face away, but the semi-smile stayed.

"I swear Angel, if it's the last thing I do, I'll make you smile tonight."

"I wish you could." she answered, and the remains of the smile disappeared, causing Scott to quiet down until they pulled into the drive thru.

"What do you want?" he asked, taking his wallet from his back pocket and pulling out a bunch of bills.

"I'll just have a Caesar salad." Angel told him quietly.

"Are you sure that's it? Come on, live a little!" Scott dared her.

"Alright.. I'll have a cheeseburger and a frosty."

"That's more like it!" Scott smiled.

Subsequent to a messy meal in the car, Angel and Scott drove to a beach not far away. Both slipped their shoes and socks off and walked side by side along the shore.

"I feel like I'm in Baywatch or something." Scott smirked.

"Yeah, or like, Jaws." Angel added. Scott could have sworn that he saw a little smile begin, but it departed too fast to be sure.

"What else is on our agenda for tonight?" Scott asked, trying to keep her talking.

"I'm not sure. I was thinking paintball. Have you ever done that? I haven't, but it looks like a lot of fun."

"Yeah! Paintball kicks ass!" Scott exclaimed.

"Paintball it is then, I guess." Angel ended.

"Guess so." Scott said, then looked over at the water. "Ya think that's cold?"

"I'd say so. It's only May." Angel replied certainly.

"Really? Hm... Maybe we should just check.." Scott said slyly.

"Why?" Angel asked, as Scott scooped her up into his arms and dumped her into the water. When she surfaced, she gave him a smug look, and the corners of her mouth rose again.

"That was cruel!" she said, "I think that I might have to get you back for that."

"Oh?" Scott laughed, running away from Angel as she approached quickly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and tried to pull him into the water, but only ended up tripping over his feet. They landed in a heap on the sand, laughing hysterically.

"Hey, you're laughing!" Scott exclaimed, holding himself over her with his arms.

"Oh my God, I am!" Angel gasped, "Thank you!"

Overwhelmed with mirth, Scott let his arms give way and his lips met Angel's. She kissed him back passionately, then pulled away suddenly.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry." Scott breathed, sitting up and dusting the sand off his pants and shirt nervously.

"No, no, it's okay. It's me. I just.. I can't... I'm sorry."

"No, that's fine. Is this going to wreck our night?"

"No!" Angel replied quickly, "No! If anything, it made it better, but I just.. well, I... nothing. It wasn't anything you did."

"Okay. I understand." Scott answered, giving her a hug. He felt bad for stirring up any buried emotions that Angel had, but he was glad that she wasn't upset with him. He prospected that they would still be able to have a good time without too much awkwardness.

>>>>