Learning to breathe again
Disclaimer: I don´t own Ugly Betty!
Of course that Betty had a crush on Daniel. "Had" being the operative word and it sure isn't a cause of her current fight with Matt through a small blurry screen on her computer.
"I'm sorry, Betty, I thought you understood why I want to be here in the first place," he says looking a bit sad and Betty bits her lip stopping words that could make it all worse.
Sure not to be with me!
"I do, Matt. I really do, it's just you couldn't expect me to be absolutely okay with that. You want to stay there for another year!"She raises her voice a bit and looks around. It's almost midnight so there is no one on the floor, just the security guard.
She lowers her voice for sure.
"Look, Matt. I love you, but this," she gestures between them" is making me feel stuck and I am afraid I started to move on."
Matt's brows shrink and it's hard to say if he is angry or sad.
He chooses anger.
"Is somebody else on the picture?"
Betty lets out a frustrated sigh.
"It always does need to be someone else on the picture? I just started to live a new life, found a new place in it; no one else is a cause."
Really?
Matt looks sad now, the granulation making him look older and Betty wonders if it's a good idea discussing it now. It isn't exactly face to face.
"Then probably, we don't have anything to say," he says and the screen goes black. It bothers her a lot, ending it all in these circumstances.
And she really hates the word "crush".
xXXx
Nothing feels lonelier than wandering through empty offices in the middle of the night, but it helps him think. Daniel knows that a walk in the park is a better idea than hiding in this iron monster, but he loves it here. It's his past and future mixed together.
It's him.
He passes the closet and sees a small light coming out of there. It's probably a forgotten lamp but he is careful nevertheless.
What he sees there makes him want to turn around and run. He absolutely isn't ready to face her. After the fiasco in her apartment, he kept avoiding Betty even more. And that this time she didn't do the first step was telling him, it was a good choice. She must hate him, or be afraid of him. The point was he destroyed the best friendship he ever had.
He wished to turn back the time.
The only possible thing now was to turn around and before she´ll have a chance to spot him. And he really wanted to do that and was slowly turning around when he heard a quiet sob.
He could be feeling really bad, was afraid to be near her and just wanted to vanish but one sob from her made him forget everything.
Beady necklaces hanging around his neck make a clattering sound when he finally decides to turn around. Daniel curses softly because it makes Betty aware of his presence.
She raises her head and looks at him with glistering eyes.
"Daniel? What are you doing here?" she asks whipping her eyes with her hands quickly knowing it's late. He saw them.
He feels guilty for a while, he should've announce his presence not just stand there and stare. Daniel takes one of the necklaces in the hand and raises it in an answer.
Betty smiles.
"Good answer," she says still smiling.
"Yeah."
He feels stupid and this situation is just so awkward. He knows he isn't helping with his look that says how much he wants to vanish.
"This is stupid," Betty says and lays her head on her crossed arms. She isn't crying anymore he can tell that but it's still bugging him. He knows he could leave now, she gave him the chance.
Daniel was always a masochist.
"Are you alright?" he asks and is suddenly much closer to her, kneeling on the hard floor his knees touching her feet. Daniel knows that trying to make it all better could make it all worse but is sick of having this status quo, to hiding from her.
"No," she mumbles still hidden in her arms.
Daniel wants for her next reaction and plays with his necklaces in the meantime. They had a kid's charity for a visit. Little girls from poor families were excitingly squeezing about everything, models, clothes and Daniel of course. He was enjoying their affection a lot. As a thank you they gave him necklaces and a kiss on the cheek, he felt great.
But it didn't last long, he was now really worried about Betty.
"Betty? Talk to me, what happened?" he is brave enough to touch her shoulder and risk the temptation of her warm skin, and smell. He could never forget the smell.
She then finally raises her head.
"I talked to Matt, we broke up," she says simply looking at him. Daniel screams at the small happy voice in his head and instead gives her a sad smile.
"I'm sorry."
She seems to snap from her state because suddenly she is talking, a lot.
"And it's totally my fault. I just screwed up another perfect chance to be happy. I don't know why I am doing it. I even destroyed our friendship!"
She gestures between them and Daniel is really trying to get the shock sink in.
"You what?"
Betty looks strangely at him.
"Daniel, it's ok. I shouldn't kiss you; I made it awkward for you. I am so sorry."
He knows she means it seriously, that she really thinks that she was the one who destroyed their friendship. Daniel wants to laugh.
Betty doesn't continue and buries her head again.
He knows he can make it better now, just say that it's ok, that they could be friends again. But no, he is Daniel Meade and making things more complicated is his usual action.
He puts his hand on her head and makes her look at him. At that point he still can save it. But no, instead of saying those right words he leans forward and kisses her softly. She doesn't respond at first and he parts sooner than she has a chance, but her lips are chasing him and suddenly, he isn't afraid anymore.
"It was me," he says leaning back and sitting on his toes.
"Hmm?" she mumbles touching her lips.
Daniel feels a bigger bit better.
"I destroyed it. I kissed you and I was so confused that I kept hiding from you. You were just you, "he says softly and leans again.
This time she greedily responds parting her legs inviting him closer and he accepts everything she offers. He pushes against her pinning her to the wall.
It´s heaven.
When they finally part, both are smiling.
They are still close breathing the breath from each other mouths.
"I'm sorry that I behaved like an idiot," he says touching her cheek and caressing her lips with his thumb.
"I can't argue with that," she smirks and this time is the kiss her initiation. But it's Daniel who makes her stand up and starts to push her toward the sofa.
She smiles against his lips when her knees bump into it.
"You really have a one track mind."
xXXx
"Christina would kill me if she knew," says Betty from her place on Daniels chest. She looks so comfortable that Daniel can't wipe off his smirk. It's all so normal that he keeps pinching himself on hand.
"So, you just won't tell her," he says and caresses her hand from her neck to the place where it ends under her own chest. She smiles at this affectionate gesture and leans forward kissing him.
Daniels hands shoot out and pins her to him not giving her a chance to move back to her previous place. He isn't able to let her go for a second; it's like learning to breathe again, to finally taste the forbidden fruit. After they part Betty stays above smirking, Daniel threads his hand in her hair and justifies her head in the perfect angle, the light above them making a halo around her. He keeps following the light, tips of her hair standing in opposite direction and pushing his line of vision in the corner exactly to security camera.
Registering what he is staring at Daniel jumps causing Betty to fall to the floor with a shriek.
"This is certainly a new way of getting rid of a new girl," Betty says massaging her hit butt.
Daniel looks at her and stutters showing her the edge of the wall.
"What?" she asks and looks the way he shows her.
"Ooooh," is her first reaction. Jumping on her feet and throwing her clothes on her, the second.
Daniel sits and stares, and in the end just laughs. He really loves her.
xXXx
"I hope Freddy is working tonight," Betty declares running at his side.
"You do know name of every single security guard?" Daniel asks shocked. He knew that such information were in handy through his "man-whore" days, hiding a security tape was a usual activity and all security guards were in the possession of the newest Rolex watches.
It was a regular joke between them, and the possibility of Betty being on the tape with him was absolutely out of option.
It stopped to be a few months ago and he plans on tell her.
"Of course, I do. They are an important part of our building, you'll never know when they could help you," she says and winks at him.
"You are incredible," Daniel stays and looks at her in awe. He isn't sure if he appreciated her enough through all those years. She was his best friend, his guardian angel, he couldn't do anything without her and now, from all sudden, the most important woman in his life. Life really has a strange ways.
She smiles all bright and happy and the spite of the moment he pulls her to him and catches her head in his hands pushing the fallen strays from her face. Betty stares at him, confusion written all over her face.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asks holding his hands on her face.
"Because I…"he is interrupted by a loud cough just behind their backs. They turn simultaneously and see a standing guard with a tape in his hand.
"You wanted this?" the guard asks smirking.
"Thanks, Freddie," Betty says and Daniel really wants to finish the last sentence, instead he kisses her.