This is just a short, one-shot story inspired by a writing prompt. (Not sure if the rating I chose was neccessary, but I thought I'd be safe rather than sorry, lol.) Enjoy! :)
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"Are we walking or driving to the park?" Betty asked as she held Lindsay Dunne's grandson in her arms.
"Do you even have to ask? I barely passed the driver's test here and have only taken the car out a couple of times – both resulting in near accidents, as you recall – stupid lefties . . ." Daniel grumbled. "Why would I want to risk endangering your boss' grandson?" he went on.
"Okay, okay - I get it. We'll take the stroller. It's supposed to be a nice day anyway," she tried to calm him down.
He certainly was in a weird mood. Normally she'd just tell him so, but lately she found herself holding back more than usual. She didn't want to mess anything up, since things were still questionable over exactly where they stood. They were trying the dating thing and seeing what developed.
She wasn't comfortable with blurting her blatant judgments out anymore – not yet at least. So instead she made a suggestion and apologized.
"If you don't want to go, you don't have to . . . I know it was last minute and we were supposed to go see that movie, but I felt sorry for Lindsay – it was his weekend with his grandson and his wife ended up in the hospital with some sort of food poisoning or something," she gave him an out.
"No – it's okay. Really. We can see the movie tomorrow, if you want. I was just frustrated with myself about the whole driving thing. I think this baby excursion could be interesting," he told her as he mussed Liam's hair and rubbed Betty's arm in reassurance.
His touch sent tingles up her spine. She never thought Daniel would ever make her feel this way. It was weird thinking of her best friend as something more. But there they were on their third official date since he had come to London, and she couldn't seem to get enough of him and everything new with their relationship.
"Are you cold?" Daniel asked, noticing she shivered.
Betty smiled, embarrassed.
"Um . . . no. Never mind - you're going to think this is stupid . . ." she scoffed and reached for the stroller.
Daniel gently grabbed her arm.
"What? I promise I won't laugh," he said.
"I - I just felt this spark when you touched me – it felt . . . different - good," she admitted.
He kissed her cheek.
"Good," he whispered in her ear, his breath on her lobe sending another sensation through her.
She shook it off, remembering the 18 month-old boy on her hip. Not to mention, they might end up with one of their own, if he kept doing that or anything related. She was nowhere near prepared to go down that road – or even the one that led to it, right then. It was too much to wrap her head around.
"Bee-tee," the child latched onto her frameless glasses.
She smiled at him and gently pulled his hands off, reaching for some baby keys instead.
"Yay! That's my name – Betty - great job!" she praised Liam.
"We'd better go – have any idea how we're gonna get this stroller down all those flights of stairs?" she turned her head towards Daniel, as it suddenly hit her that the elevator was broken when he arrived that afternoon.
"Does it fold up?" he inquired hopefully.
"I don't know – you'd think it would since it's a two-in-one with a car seat," she assumed, putting Liam back in his portable playpen.
She had a feeling this would take a while. Everything had changed so much from sixteen years ago, when Justin was born. She was just as clueless as she was to begin with. Plus, it wasn't like Daniel had ever been great with handy-man type jobs, given his upbringing. And she wasn't really any better.
"Maybe there are some directions posted online?" she suggested.
"Don't need any – I've almost got it," Daniel gruffly insisted.
Betty watched in amusement as Daniel struggled to collapse the stroller, gritting his teeth and pushing as hard as he could on the bottom of it, attempting to flip it up, sweat beginning to drip from his forehead. Betty burst into a fit of laughter.
"You think this is funny?" he asked, smearing some of his sweat on her cheek.
"Aaah!" she squealed, frantically wiping it off with one of Liam's blankets. "I'm sorry – I can't help it. You just look so cute when you're determined," she giggled, running her hand through his damp hair.
"Are you sure you don't want me to find some directions?" she kneeled down beside him. "'Cause if you break the thing, there's no way it's coming out of my paycheck . . ." she joked.
Daniel continued to diligently work on the stroller.
"Ha – got it!" he exclaimed with a smug face.
"Ha!" Liam gleefully repeated.
"That's right, buddy!" he chuckled at the baby boy.
"See – didn't need 'em!" Daniel smirked at Betty, giving her a satisfied, brief kiss on the lips.
"Mmm . . . Okay, Mr. Smarta . . . y-Pants," she looked at grinning Liam, peering at them through his pen, and caught herself. "But - do you know how to get it back open again?" she crossed her arms, enjoying watching him squirm.
"Uh – I – well – just – um . . . I've got a better plan!" he jumped up and went to the playpen, hoisting Liam onto his shoulders as the baby squealed with delight.
"Come on, little guy. Uncle Daniel's gonna show you what it's like to be a giant!" he told him and opened the door.
Betty shook her head, grabbing the diaper bag and following.
"Say it," she commanded.
"What?" he innocently asked.
"That I was right," she replied.
"No – why should I? It's not that I couldn't get it back together again . . . I just thought this way would be more fun," he stammered, attempting to defend himself.
"Uh-huh. Whatever, Daniel," she rolled her eyes at him as they neared the stairs.
"What do you mean 'whatever'? It's true. Neither one of them would be as fun to him as seeing the city from a big-person's perspective," Daniel kept on as Liam giggled and tried to cover his eyes.
Betty snickered at Daniel's lame excuse.
"Okay, little man. Uncle Daniel's gotta see where he's going – he doesn't want to look like an even bigger dork in front of your Aunt Betty," Daniel grabbed his hands as they walked down the five flights of stairs.
"Dork!" Liam repeated.
"You can stop, you know?" Betty said as they reached the first floor.
"What?" he wondered, confused.
"Trying to impress me," she replied, laying a hand on his chest as Liam cooed.
Daniel sheepishly smiled.
". . . because you already have," Betty gazed into his blue eyes with an affectionate smile then hugged his waist with one arm, leaning against him as they proceeded to walk along the city streets with the baby.
She could now honestly picture them there someday – waaay into the future – but someday.