shanshuinla:

                    This is a bad idea.

No, it isn’t. He isn’t about to start having second thoughts now.

… But what if Cordelia was having second thoughts?

He takes a deep breath - needless, sure, but enough to temporarily push down the doubt. More persistent is the fluttering sense of hope, turning his stomach into knots.

He checks his watch again. Even with traffic, she should have been here ages ago. He’d call, except that his phone is in shattered pieces down the cliffside. Perfect.

The thing is, he knows Cordelia had plans with Groo. He’s no expert on love, but this whole set-up feels pretty romantic to him. And she wouldn’t make that kind of choice lightly, right? Not on such short notice. She’d be here. He drums his fingers against his leg. Any minute now.

The bluffs are eerie: silent and desolate.

                    It’s okay. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.

With one last look at the ocean, he turns away. He’s still fighting against disappointment when the glare of headlights prompts him to look up. Cordy, pulling up in her jeep. The sense of relief he feels is almost enough to counter the anxiety.

“… I thought you weren’t coming.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Her voice is apologetic as she clambers out of the car, slamming the door behind her.

“The traffic was completely horrible.” That’s her only explanation, and she’s sticking with it. Angel doesn’t need to know anything about Skip, or the fact that she had turned him down in order to make it here.

(She has no idea what could happen as a result of that, but for Angel, it’s worth it.)

She treads carefully across the beach, picking her way around scattered debris and rubble littering the sand until there’s only a few paces between her and Angel. She swallows hard, focusing on her feet; now that she’s really here, alone with him, she doesn’t know where to start. Her carefully planned words all fly out of her head, leaving her uncharacteristically speechless as she hesitantly meets Angel’s gaze.