Disclaimer: I own nothing, except perhaps a deep admiration for Betty's character.
Spoiler alert: Set after episode 2x06, so spoilers for the whole series until this point, really.
Could this really be happening?
Betty was amazed at how quickly Teresa came into her life and showed her she could act upon her desires that have been frightening her so much.
It was like a switch was turned on and she could feel safe at being herself for once, with another woman like her. And what a woman - she thought, as she finally kissed her back without any kind of hesitation.
She heard Teresa moan in response and embrace her with even more desperation. Betty marvelled at the sound that came out of Teresa's throat and the proximity they were sharing was quickly turning her thoughts into mush.
Whenever Ivan reacted like that towards her it felt like it was someone else provoking those noises on him. She was following a role society wrote for her and it felt nothing more than fake and awkward.
But now, now everything made sense. She felt whole and in control, and she wished she had experienced this sooner - that Teresa had appeared in her life years ago. Better late than never, and the wait was definetely worth it - she thought later on, when both of them were lying side by side resting for the second time that evening. Betty began wondering if they were too loud (her confidence certainly boosted after the first time) and suddenly thought of Kate. A small chill ran through her spine as she pondered at the possibility of Kate overhearing them.
Why do I care anyway? Let her go and have a happy life with Ivan. Wish all the best for her.
Deep down she couldn't really stop caring, but right now something else felt stronger in her heart. A certain lady playing with her hair, sitting right next to her.
"Something on your mind?" Teresa asked, with a knowing glance.
Teresa had this way of undressing Betty with her eyes. Betty felt as if she couldn't lie to her. She didn't want to, anyway.
"Well, soldier…I was hoping we didn't wake up my fellow housemates with our little party" she said in what she hoped was an unpreoccupied and flirty tone.
"I'm sure this boarding house has a lot of those going on at night." She answered.
"Sometimes…not so frequently on this hall though."
"I see. I hope I get to change that in the near future."
"I must say, you already contributed a lot. And here I thought you were the one collecting help for the war."
"This night hasn't been particularly a sacrifice for me, dear." - Teresa teased.
"I should hope not!" Betty said, feigning hurt in her eyes.
Teresa winked at her and Betty suddenly felt she was going to miss this woman when she was away.
"When will you be back from the bond tour?" She asked, trying to sound casual.
"In three weeks." She said, the expression on her eyes less cheerful now. She leaned into Betty and left a soft trace of kisses down her neck.
"Hum…" Betty inclined her head to the opposite side, giving Teresa more space to explore. Everything about this evening was wonderful, and Betty was trying not to think of the next three weeks without the soldier, so she lead her hand to the side of Teresa's face and went in for another kiss, the first rays of sunshine already making their way through the room's only window.
—-
The next few days Betty was in a swell mood, with a promise of Teresa visiting her as soon as she was back in town. Gladys was the first one to notice the unsual chirpy mood Betty was in recently, when she didn't erupt into a hurricane of rage when a new girl messed up at the line. Well, not as much as usual.
"What's putting you in such a happy mood Betty?" Gladys asked Betty, as they both sat down at the canteen tables.
"Whatever do you mean by that, princess? I'm pretty much myself nowadays." she said, trying to dodge Glady's suspicions.
"You're not one to fool me, Betty McRae. Something's making you happy and it's definetely not Kate." - Gladys said, looking back over her shoulder at Kate who was sitting with Ivan some tables behind them. "You two haven't even been talking lately." She pointed her spoon at Betty "What's up between you two by the way? Kate keeps glaring this way like you've committed some kind of crime."
"That's waaay too many questions, Princess. Don't feel like answering all of them honestly." Betty said with a shadow going through her expression. The mention of 'Kate' and 'crime' in the same sentence was not pleasing.
"Help a friend out and let me know at least what's putting a smile on your face. You know how much I'm in need of a distraction." Gladys said, clearly making a reference to the misery she's been through after James' death.
Betty bit her lip, clearly battling her thoughts. This was not the time or place to let Gladys know about Teresa. She surveyed their surroundings and saw no one paying attention at them, except perhaps Kate who was clearly sending some heavy looks at their table whenever she got the chance.
Betty made an effort to ignore her for the time being and told Gladys:
"Let's just say I have a soldier who'll keep me warm at night."
Gladys mouth hang hillariously open for a few seconds. She was about to say someting, but closed her mouth in confusion for a while, as if pondering who this soldier was. Then something clicked on her princess's head.
"Noo. The…" she paused to begin whispering, excitement very clear on her face. "…war bond one?". Disbelief was all over her eyes.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Betty answered, not being able to hide a lopsided smile.
"Betty McRae you player!" she slapped Betty's arm, consequently making Betty drop the fork she was holding at the moment.
"I still have no idea who you're talking about." Betty insisted, still with a small smile playing on her lips. She was feeling bloated with utter happyness at Gladys being so observant and incredibly supportive.
"Don't worry Betts, your secret's safe with me." She winked with a smile, and keeping her eyes on Betty for seconds onwards, admiring her courage.
"Will you stop staring at me with that stupid smile?" Betty begged, beginning to feel uncomfortable. What if she begun asking questions about it?
"I demand to know everything." Gladys said with what she thought was an authoritative tone.
"Keep dreaming princess." Betty said in response.
"Even if I randomly appear tonight at the boarding house with a bottle of champagne?" She teased.
Betty pretended to hesitate for a moment.
"Better be a good bottle." She eventually said.
"When do I ever bring a bad one?" Gladys asked, clearly delighted at the prospect of Betty confiding in her.