Part One
Daniel Meade watched as Betty Suarez's heels clicked against the stone steps leading away from where he was rooted, watching the sway of her hot pink coat. He wanted to take in the transformation of his once poncho-wearing secretary with this new lens tinting his vision. She hitched up the black tote bag with both hands, and Daniel saw once again the insecure girl he met for the first time four years ago. Bursting with optimism and good spirit, Betty Suarez was not somebody that could be taken down. Her against the world. Daniel saw the parallels in his current predicament and chucked, still staring at the place where he lost Betty, blending into the crowd of the London bustle. He would take her advice and ask for an appointment at their dinner tonight.
Betty Suarez knew it took every ounce of her resolve not to give a little happy dance as she walked through the streets of London back to her office. She wanted to swing her hips and give a little chasse as she would do on the streets of Queens when one of her pitches went through or if Daniel gave her a particularly good compliment. Not that she required it to feel good, she thought with a firm nod of her head, a lie only meant for her.
She made it to her office in record time, seeming to float over cracked cobblestones. The day was a blur; getting advertisers, organizing layouts, delegating roles in this clockwork company. She had no sooner been enveloped by her puffy black couch, the only real furnishing in her new apartment aside from her four post bed a television and several boxes pushed together to make a table, when her phone buzzing on the hardwood floors dragged her from the edge of sleep.
"Betty? It's Daniel."
"Daniel? Oh hi! How was your day?" Betty sat up from the couch, a smile sprouting onto her face as she shifted the phone into her other hand.
"It was alright, I settled into my place a bit." Daniel let a long pause consume the conversation, "So…what would you like to do for dinner?"
"Uhmmm well I haven't had a real chance to explore but I do know there's a Thai place near here that delivers," Betty's eyebrows rose as she let her words develop a musical lilt, "Do you wanna come over, have a chance to catch up?"
"Your place? Well uhm I guess that'd work…"
"Well if you'd like to go out I can change and we…"
"No let's eat in; you've spent a long day working."
"That's great Daniel I live on High Road in Willesden Green number 10 on the Northwest side. Can't miss it!"
"I'm sure Betty. See you soon." Daniel hung up on a chuckle and then heaved a sigh after setting his phone on his new glass coffee table, then went from his couch to his closet to figure out what to wear.
Betty scrambled trying to get her apartment in order, clearing off her own makeshift table and digging out the menu, already shoved between the black cushions. While figuring out what to wear she set her computer to her favorite "Sassy" playlist and after she picked out her nice skirt and blouse she put it on and did something she hadn't done since she moved into her first apartment; danced. Hair flying, jumping up and down lightly so as to not upset her neighbors, silly faces, hips swaying; she almost missed the doorbell buzzing. Not realizing who was going to be on the other side the door swung open leaving a slightly rumpled and flushed Betty Suarez in front of an impeccably dressed Daniel Meade with her eclectic playlist still pouring out of her speakers.
"Cool song Betty," said a stunned Daniel, "Can I come in?"
Betty righted her slightly askew glasses and nodded, fervently running her fingers through her hair and smoothing her hands down her skirt while Daniel walked into her apartment which she now noticed was pretty small and bare and was far from immaculate. She looked at Daniel's face as he spun around her apartment.
"Pretty empty Betty. Going minimalist now?" Daniel joked at her and she forced a chuckle out of her now dry mouth.
"Well you know me, less is more." And they shared a laugh, "But not really I just haven't had time with trying to get the magazine off the ground and all of the late nights and business meetings. But you didn't come over to hear about me! Let's order."
They both sat on the couch and quickly decided what to eat and with the promise of 30 minutes or less they were left alone save Betty's playlist left on repeat which had finally been noticed by the forgetful host.
"Oh! I'll get that, sorry Daniel," she scurried into the bedroom and quickly shut her computer leaving the space in a nice, albeit a bit awkward, silence.
"So…" Daniel fished for a topic that would be a good jumping off point without being weird, after a few minutes of silence he heaved a sigh, "God, when did it get hard to talk to you?"
Betty let out a true laugh and tucked the hair behind one ear, "I don't know, maybe when you traveled across an ocean to say goodbye?"
"No that sounds like something the Normal Daniel would do," he said with a small smile, "Maybe when I saw you dancing?"
"You saw that? How? I mean I don't have any windows that can be seen from"
"Betty, I meant at your party. I went and saw you dancing and I don't know something, happened. Don't know what but I was in a mood for days"
"More of a mood than before I left?"
"Yes even more and then I knew that I had to come see you but now that I have it's weird and I don't even know what to talk about and" he was cut off by the rhythmic buzzing of the delivery man.
Betty gave him a puzzled glance and she rose to get the door, beating a momentarily thrown Daniel to the bill and tip. She walked back to the couch with the food and settled down, devouring the food inside the paper containers.
"I get to pay next time," Daniel decreed putting on a stern face over his generally bemused look at eating inside Betty's apartment.
"So Daniel I'm confused, what are you trying to say to me? And why didn't you come say something to me at my party? I know you were upset but still, that's kinda crappy," Betty stumbled out between mouthfuls of noodles.
"I'm saying Betty," he sighed and set his food down, "Can-can you stop for just a second?"
Betty nervously put the carton down and situated herself better on the couch.
"I'm saying, or well trying to say, that… I like you."
"Oh. Well. I like you too Daniel. I'm glad I have a friend here in London."
"God Betty you're so thick sometimes," Daniel smiled cautiously "Betty, I…I love you."
"Oh. Oh! Well Daniel that's-that's big, that's huge. Oh," Betty shifted to face straight at the door and smoothed her skirt once more.
"Betty? You're kinda leaving me hanging here," Daniel now forced a chuckle furrowing his brow and tapping his feet against the floor.
"Sorry I just, need to think through this. How about I call you?"
"Alright Betty…when you're ready," Daniel let his head droop slightly before wiping the disappointment off his face and putting on a half-hearted smile, "I do owe you dinner."
They both rose and said their goodbyes soon after that. After Betty had shut the door, she leaned against it and decided she needed a personal day. After a month she needed to get her apartment in order. And the time to think about Daniel would help as well.
Daniel leaned on the other side of the door and his jaw tensed; worried that he frightened her off and ruined her life. He didn't ask if she was seeing anybody; what if he's pulling a Henry and just coming in and turning her life upside down? Sensing she wasn't going to suddenly open the door and throw herself at him he took heavy steps down the stairs leading back to the streets below.