Just another evening with Betty
Disclaimer: I don´t own Ugly Betty!
Daniel was sure that everyone can see it. That it's there, written all over his face with a glowing pink letters, and they are big, really big.
He is even dreaming about it. That he comes out of the elevator on the Mode floor and every single person is pointing his/hers fingers on him. You are lusting after your best friend. You want to get her to bed. You want to fuck her. All those not nice words and fingers and looks are making him guilty, so he runs. In his dream he hurries to his office to hide and there he finds her. Betty. She is dressed in wedding dress and he swears there is something glowing over her head.
But the speech is the worst about the dream.
We´re friends, Daniel. I love you like a brother, Daniel. I am going to marry Matt, Daniel.
He wakes up in sweat every single time.
Usually when he needs to change his sheets daily because of a woman, it's because of more enjoyable circumstances.
xXXx
He knows he is paranoid but that doesn't stop him to look suspiciously at every person who passes him in the corridor. He walks, his head is high and tries to look as normal as he could.
Well, any normal person forgets that there are glass door to his office. Daniel massages his nose and looks inside cursing.
Betty is there sitting on his desk going through some magazine he has there. For a few seconds he hopes that it isn't the playboy he bought from desperation last week. When she raises her head, she sees him and smirks.
The raised cover isn't playboy, its Disney magazine Wilhelmina dropped him to look at some young models they could include to the snow fantasy they are planning for Christmas edition.
She is still smiling and he thinks he should move, but he keeps standing there staring. He tries to remember if his got up from bed this morning, if this isn't again the same dream. When he rules out this possibility, his heart speeds up and finally makes him move.
"Good morning, Daniel," she says standing from his desk.
He is about to say that she can stay sitting but quickly realizes how stupid it would sound, probably as stupid as his avoiding her office, places she uses to be or is a chance of meeting her. He hopes she didn't notice.
"Morning, Betty. What brings you here?" he asks casually coming around his desk and dropping his case on it.
"I just want to see how you are doing; we didn't see each other in a long time." She sounds a bit nervous and he is sure she is massaging her hands and putting her hair from her face.
"Well, I was busy," he says looking at his desk. He sounds cold even to himself.
"I know, "she says softly and Daniel finally raises his head and lets all his thoughts vanish, because this is them. Daniel and Betty and nothing will change that, not even his stupid infatuation. He'll make it work somehow.
"Look, Betty, I am sorry. I'll try to be better friend, ok?" he says hoping to see that smile again and yes, there it is and there is really something glowing over her head. He is about to pinch himself, when he realizes it's the sun reflecting on the mirror.
She nods and asks: "So, what about a friendly dinner at my apartment today?"
Betty bends her head forward a bit hoping for a positive answer like he could give her opposite.
He regrets it the second she is away from his office.
xXXx
Daniel doesn't know what he expected but he is sure enjoying himself a lot right now. He is lying on the floor next to the sofa Betty is sprawled on. Her head is on her elbow and she keeps throwing popcorn in his mouth.
To someone it could look romantic, to Daniel definitely, to Betty, nope. But he still likes it.
After a delicious dinner consisting from pizza they opened a bottle of wine and ended here. Two bottles were already empty lying at his side and Daniel was feeling a slight buzz. She was drunk, that was sure, her eyes were glowing and her blouse was slightly opened to his gaze.
He just hoped that she was drunk enough not to notice him, he didn't even feel guilty for staring at her lingerie. If he really wasn't as drunk as he thinks, it was pink.
Cute.
He is feeling great, lying there listening to the movie and letting Betty feed him. Even when he is sure, that Betty drank more than him, he is happily letting himself having the excuse of being drunk. Inappropriate thoughts come here, I have a good excuse.
When suddenly the expected popcorn doesn't fell into his opened mouth, Daniel slightly opens one eye and sees Betty staring into space.
"It's everything alright?"He asks rising himself on his elbows.
Betty changed her position and is sitting slightly bended forward. She doesn't seem to hear him so he raises himself and sits next to her. He sees that her lower lip is shaking and he really wants to know what happened, why all glowing smiling Betty is on the verge of crying.
Well, alcohol can do that.
"Betty?" he asks again. He is worried; maybe she caught him staring and freaked out. She is now trying to tell him he is a perv, that she likes him just as a friend, that he is a big disappointment.
She sure doesn't look like she going to admit a passionate love to him.
"Matt is staying longer in Africa," she says quietly and looks at her hands folded in her lap. "He called on Sunday saying he won't come home next week."
"Oh, Betty, I am so sorry," he says hugging her with one arm, he is afraid of having her too close. But Betty isn't, she turns around and molds her body to his, putting her head under his chin.
"Why is everyone running from me? It's like a curse," Betty murmurs and her breath makes Daniel shiver. He wants to stop her, to remove her from him, her warmness, and her smell. It makes him dream, hope.
Then his wish comes true as Betty tears herself from him, stands up pacing in front of him.
"Yeah, it's a curse. I am a curse. They all left, Walter, Henry and now Matt. They saw it; they saw what a disaster I can be. You should run too," she says pointing her finger at him and continues babbling about those three men. Daniel really tries to listen, he really does. But the way her blouse is moving, her hips swaying, it's catching his gaze more than he want to.
Daniel snaps out of his trance as Betty lands next to him on the sofa.
"You understand me, do you, Daniel?" she asks and even when he doesn't have any idea what she is talking about he nods. And her smile is his reward.
"You are a true friend, "Betty says and resumes her position in his arms.
He can't ignore the way her words made him fell.
Friend.
I may want more.
"Always," he says instead.
She raises his head and in the spite of the moment, or accidentally, he really doesn't know, kisses him, just a small friendly peck that was meant more for the cheek than for lips.
Daniel freezes, feels her, smells her and in this moment doesn't care. His instinct kicks in and he grabs her head and brings them fully together kissing her with all hidden passion forcing her to open her mouth. Later, he is afraid of opening his eyes, of seeing her shocked look.
Just lack of breath stops him and then he sees.
"Daniel?"She asks.
There isn't anything to say.
"I need to go," are only words that leave his mouth on his way out. He doesn't even look back at her.