Hello Lovelies! Here's the next installment of Betty and Daniel. This one is a little sad, a little heavier. But I promise, my intention is to create a beautiful life for them in these pages; just in the most realistic way I can. Please enjoy and please review. You know how much I love hearing from you all :)
"Okay, so I know the situation in Boston is really quite controversial, but it's not like us the shy away from a story. I think it would be smart to at least talk to the attorney, he's really a nice guy. At least that's how it came across from his e-mails." I push my glasses up, taking another drink of my coffee. "Erin, would you mild contacting him today, ask him when would be a good time to get together?"
Erin scribbles a note in her book and smiles, "Sure thing Betty."
"Betty what do you want us to do about the shoot at city hall at four?" Ben scratches his temple with the end of his pen.
"Ahh, right, don't worry about that, I can get there by that time and officiate no problem." I flip my planner open to today's day, and make a note under the 4PM slot and smile at Daniel's name written neatly under the 12PM, and proceed to circle it absentmindedly throughout the remainder of the meeting.
"Miss. Suarez," Grace our receptionist, pokes her head into my office, "There is an extremely attractive man here to see you."
Each person in the meeting looks to me curiously, Grace smiles.
"Grace, I've asked you not to tell me who is here based on their looks," I set down my pen, "What's his name?" Though I know full well who she is talking about.
"Right," Grace squints, obviously trying to remember who he introduced himself as. "Mister…" She draws the word out long, thinking hard. I smile at her effort and good humor. "Blue-eyes, is here to see you."
I shake my head.
"Thank you Grace," I close my laptop and day planner, standing up and stretching, "Thanks everyone, meeting dismissed!" I gather my papers as everyone filters out with their 'thank-yous' and suggestive 'have a good lunch' comments.
Checking my watch, he's a little early. I slip my feet back into my heels and do up the ankle strap, removing my coat from the coatrack by the door.
"He's here." Sarah, my assistant, stands up quick as I exit my office.
"I know," I whisper loudly, trying to keep my butterflies at bay.
"Can I meet him?" she begins to follow me down the hall.
"Sarah, phones!" I point back at her desk and she pouts a little. "I'll bring him back to meet you, I promise." She smiles, obviously satisfied, and returns to her desk.
Turning the corner, I pause. Daniel is leaning against the reception desk, flipping through the latest issue of the magazine. Dressed more casually than usual in a grey sweater and dark washed jeans with his black trench, it hits me again exactly how much I've missed him. Grace is taking a not-so-discreet picture of him from behind the desk.
"Hey," I continue into the entrance, causing him to look up from the article he is reading, pulling his face into his million dollar smile. I nearly roll my eyes, I had forgotten how beautiful he was.
"Hey," he sets the magazine down next to our bowl of candy, and tissues and pushes off of the desk. "Great office."
I closing the space and lift myself up onto my tiptoes and plant a quick kiss on the corner of his smile.
"Thank you," I look around, admiring my new place of work, "I like it." I shrug, looking up at him, both of us grinning like idiots. "Grace," she jumps a little, "This is Daniel. He was my boss in New York, he helped me get my start in editing." Daniel's hand finds mine while I'm talking, and I let him interlace his fingers with mine.
"Daniel this is Grace, receptionist extraordinaire." I gesture to Grace, and she stands, shaking the hand Daniel offers her.
"It's nice to meet you." He nods and she smiles enthusiastically.
"You too."
"We've heard a lot about you." Putting too much emphasis on the words 'a lot', I roll my eyes.
Daniel chuckles, allowing her to wring his hand silly.
"You want the quick tour? My assistant will kill me if I don't introduce you."
"I would love a tour."
After freeing himself from Grace's grip, he lets me lead him into the back offices.
Briefly introducing him to the people we pass in the hall, we slowly make our way back to my office. Sarah is on the phone, scribbling a message down on a pink sticky note.
"I'll be sure Betty gets a hold of you as soon as she's back from lunch. Thank you for calling."
"Sarah," we both come around her desk, and she quickly stands, smiling widely.
"Oh yay! You must be Daniel!" she claps her hands together excitedly.
"Daniel, this is my assistant Sarah this is my—" I almost choke on my words, my sentence coming to a halt as I realise I don't know what word to use. "Daniel." I clumsily finish the sentence.
"Hello Betty's Daniel," she doesn't let me get away with it, putting emphasis on my slip up.
Daniel is chuckling as I quickly wrap up the awkward encounter, pulling him into my office, closing the door behind us.
"Ta-da!" I dramatically gesture to the room.
"Wow," my hand feels cold as he lets it go, walking further into the room, taking in the generously sized office. "Hot-shot Suarez." He comments, and I smile uncomfortably. He approaches my desk and takes a seat in my chair, taking in the abundance of framed photos. I cross my arms over my stomach as I watch his eyes float across the one of my family and me at Christmas, Mark and Amanda in my old apartment, Hilda and I in dad's kitchen, until his eyes finally rest on the picture of the two of us, dancing at Hilda's wedding. We're both laughing at something, the couples around us blurry. I remember Hilda saying, when she gave me the framed print, that she didn't think she'd ever seen the two of us look so happy.
Before London. Before I left, and he let me.
"Why didn't you say goodbye?" The words are out of my mouth before I realise. These are the words I've been wanting to ask him since the day I left, they've been rolling around in my mind for weeks, tormenting me.
His eyes stay on the photo for another second before they find mine.
"I think," He clears his throat, standing up and taking a few steps towards the window. "I—I don't know. I think saying goodbye meant that it was real, and I wasn't really ready to confront reality." Scratching the back of his neck he finally looks back at me, a hopeless look in his eyes, "that wasn't something that I wanted to do."
I wait, to see if he will say anything else, to see if I can understand what exactly he thought would come from avoiding the inevitable. Only London wasn't inevitable. Does he not know that?
"But," I take a step forward, shaking my head, "You didn't do anything. You just disappeared, you let me believe that you didn't even want to see me."
"Betty, what did you want me to do? You had already made up your mind that you were going, and the thought of life without you was killing me! I didn't want to take this opportunity away from you. I didn't want to be selfish, not with you." He throws his hand in the air, his voice rising.
"Why didn't you say this to me then?" I match his volume, stepping closer, "Why did you let to get on that plane? Why did you let me leave?!"
"I asked you to stay, I wanted you to stay."
My shoulders slump, the air in my lungs escapes, "You never asked me to stay Daniel." My voice deflates, my throat thick with month old tears.
His eyebrows knit together, his hands finding his pockets again.
"I asked you—"
"You offered me a promotion. You never asked me to stay." I watch realization dawn on him, confusion blossoming in his eyes. My own eyes filling with tears, I refuse to look away, "I would have remembered that."
He lets out a silent breath, his shoulders losing their usual posture, he looks lost. Hurting and confused.
Slowly, I begin to walk to him, my shoes breaking the silence of the office space, I wonder briefly if Grace and Sarah are listening at the door.
As I reach him, my hands find his forearms, my fingers lightly trail up to his shoulders and neck, easing his eyes to find mine.
"I would have remembered that, Daniel," my eyes swim, blurring the man in front of me. "Because I would have stayed." And there they were. The words I hadn't let myself think, let alone say a loud. Admitting exactly the mount of influence he has in my life and in my heart. They hang heavy between us, heartbreakingly clear. "I would have stayed for you."
My arms wrap around his shoulders, he buries his face in my neck, his arms wrapping all the way around me, crushing me to him in an embrace so desperate and strained it's nearly uncomfortable.
Nearly.
"I missed you." His words are muffled, his breath tickling my neck. "I should have fought harder. For you."
I relax into his arms, my fingertips play with the hair at the nape of his neck, my tears sting my eyes when they close, I turn my face and plant a smattering of kisses near his temple.
"It's okay," I whisper against his jaw. "It's okay," Because it's true. He's here now. With me. "We're okay."
Review? Thanks guys :)
