Part Three

Daniel had taken Betty hand in hand to the bar in the Savoy Hotel. Pulling her into his body to simply draw the warmth from her own, they walked with little distance between each other; letting each other know that they weren't going anywhere. He never let Betty's hand free from his and the longing that Betty had felt to have Daniel's skin close to hers had vanished; it had been erased by the touch of his hands on her skin. He had finally let go as they sat down at the bar. Betty's bronzed legs crossed over each other as she sat on a bar stool, the silk of her dress falling and rippling over her body in a way that drove Daniel to the edge of insanity. The dress she wore was a deep crimson, the silk material crossed and wrapped at the front and pushed her cleavage slightly; making Daniel's stomach tighten and flourish with nerves. She could sense his eyes on her body and for some reason she couldn't meet his gaze. Instead she smirked as she pulled off her coat and pulled her hair onto one shoulder. Daniel had noticed the habit that he adored so much had returned. Whenever Daniel complimented her, she'd shy away and tuck her hair behind her ears; smiling as she tried to change the subject. In that moment she finally met Daniel's gaze and he just looked into her eyes, observing the way her smile made her eyes glint.

"Can I get you a drink sir?" a barman soon knocked them out of the moment that they had just shared and Daniel had completely lost any train of thought

"Oh yeah sure. B, what do you want?" Daniel turned to Betty as she simply looked at him and realised that she loved the nickname he had for her

"I'll have a Long Island Ice Tea please" she smiled at the barman as he nodded in response

"and I'll have scotch thanks" the barman began to mix Betty's drink before he asked

"Would like your scotch neat or on the rocks sir?"

"On the rocks would be great thanks" Daniel smiled at the barman before turning to Betty

"So c'mon B. I wanna know all about this job of yours" he beamed at her as the barman handed them their drinks and Daniel the bill.

"You can just put these on my account"

"Certainly sir, what is your room number?"

"It's 523"

"I'll do that straight away sir" the barman typed away on the computer at the end of the bar as Betty began telling Daniel everything that he wanted to know.

"Sorry…" Daniel said as he picked up the tumbler filled with whisky and swallowed a mouthful

"It's ok" she giggled as she brought the straw that sat in her drink to her lips and took a sip, the alcohol instantly warming her throat.

"I'm guessing that it's a bit different from MODE?" Daniel asked as he set his drink down on the bar and leant against the counter, looking at Betty in the way that made her blush uncontrollably.

"Just a tad" Betty giggled as Daniel looked at her in awe of the woman that she had become.

"Seriously though, I didn't realise how hard it would be. Now I know how you felt when you first started at MODE"

"Yeah but I had you so it was a lot easier" Daniel said nodding his head towards Betty who was sipping on her drink. She smiled before replying

"I didn't run the magazine Daniel, you did. I just got you coffee" she laughed as Daniel reminisced about the past; he was wincing in disgust at his former self and remembering how much of a player he really was.

"I know that you can do it B, you just have to believe that you can" Daniel said, his body shivering as she smiled in response to his words.

"Yeah well I guess only time will tell" she said as she nursed her drink and moved the ice around the glass with her straw.

"And anyway how's MODE going to cope without its editor-in-chief?" she smiled as Daniel sighed into his scotch, watching as he swirled the liquid around the glass

"I'm sure it'll be fine while Wilhemina has control over it"

"She always was a control freak…" Daniel laughed as Betty placed the straw between her lipstick tainted lips and sipped on her ice tea, raising her eyebrows as she swallowed. Daniel watched as her lips moved, desperately needing to feel them against his own

"I don't know how you drink that" she gestured towards the half empty glass of scotch in Daniel's hand. She'd missed more than anything the feeling of his hands of her skin, the way his fingers would brush her skin accidentally, causing it to burn and tingle.

"It's good, you should try it"

"I have, it's disgusting"

"It's not that bad, you get used to it after a while"

"It's bit like you then"

"Oi!" Daniel poked at Betty's ribs making her jump and squirm under his touch

"I'm joking! Daniel I was kidding!.. You have a lovely personality…"

"I know, I know I was just messing with you B"

"But for the record so do you" he looked at Betty once more with that look of complete happiness on his face again.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything" Daniel's brow furrowed in confusion

"No, you're looking at me like that again" Betty shoved his shoulder as she blushed slightly.

"Sorry…it's just….I can't believe how much you've changed, you're gorgeous B" he shook his head in disbelief at the woman that sat in front of him, trying to take in how beautiful she was. He had always known that she was beautiful but it was now that he could finally see it. He watched as she smiled and turned a deep pink; laughing as she looked into her drink and not into his eyes.

"Thank you Daniel" she smiled up at him and for the first time he felt like he was blushing too, swooning over her smile and the way she captivated him.

"C'mon let's go sit down" Daniel said picking up their drinks and leading Betty towards a table at the back of the bar. He needed to explain why he acted the way he did when she left. He just hoped that she would at least listen to him but he wasn't expecting her to accept the things he would say.

"I know what you're going to say Daniel"

"How did you kno…" once again he'd been interrupted whilst asking that question and Betty soon answered him

"I know you Daniel and I know that you're going to try and explain to me why you did everything that you did when I left." Betty looked at him with that questioning look, as if she's asking him "am I right?".

"But I understand and I'm not mad at you. If anything that's the reason why I love you so much because you actually showed that you cared. Most people just turned up at the party, got pissed then left. You, however, did the complete opposite" Betty laughed as she remembered how mad she was at Daniel when he didn't turn up on that night she left. But now she couldn't be further from hating him, it was as if her heart had erased any bad feeling she'd had towards Daniel. But then she realised that she hadn't actually hated Daniel at all, in fact it was because she loved him that she'd been hurting so much.

"Yeah well I should've been there. I thought that it would be easier to let you go if I didn't say goodbye. But actually it turned out that it only made it worse"

"I don't blame you, if it was you that had left I would've done the same thing. After everything that we've gone through together, the least that I owed you was time to understand why I was leaving or time to accept it. But I didn't give you that and I know that I should've told you or talked about it with you. But I just know that if I had, I wouldn't have left at all."

"I'm so sorry B, I never meant to make you feel like that. I only ever wanted you to live your life and do what you've always wanted to do. And I figured that I'd hold you back if I came here"

"It's ok, I know that I hurt you by not talking to you about taking the job" she looked so vulnerable as she poured everything out that she'd felt over the past three months. Daniel immediately touched the tips of her fingers which lay on the table in front of him. She gently turned her hand over and Daniel brushed his fingers over her palm; letting her know that he was listening and understanding.

"You have to know that it wasn't an easy decision at all, Daniel. But I know that I would've regretted not trying to do what I've dreamt of doing my whole life… I couldn't bear the thought of hurting you by leaving and I thought so many times about calling you, but I'd got it into my head that you wouldn't want to speak to me. And now I've never regretted anything more because I feel like I lost you"

"I don't care anymore B. As long as you're here now it doesn't matter

"…but I know that I hurt you B and it killed me to think that I wasn't there when you needed me" Daniel exhaled deeply as he felt his eyes begin to sting once again.

"It's ok… you're here now" he took her hand in his and kissed it gently, hearing her inhale and relax in comfort.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked still grazing her hand with his fingers just looking contently into her eyes

"Of course you can. You don't have to ask" Betty smiled as Daniel kissed her hand once more.

For the next hour, they sat telling each other everything that had happened since they had been apart. The bar was stilling buzzing with couples and Londoners who filled the air with loud conversation and tipsy laughter. During that whole hour, not once did Daniel take his eyes off of Betty. He loved the way that she'd laugh at little things that he'd tell her or how when he tasted her drink his face screwed up in disgust making her giggle and her eyes glisten.

"Come on drink up, I'm taking you home" after arguing with Daniel over who was paying the bill she took one final sip of her drink, looking over the rim of her glass to see Daniel smiling contently at her.

"You ready?" Daniel asked as he threw a tip down on the table and put his wallet back in his pocket

"Yep!"

"C'mon then" he stood up as she slid on her coat and placed her bag on her shoulder before Daniel wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. They made their way out of the bar in silence with Betty's head leaning against Daniel's chest; the sound of Betty's heels hitting against the lobby floor the only sound between them.

"You should've let me pay for my drinks you know"

"It's my treat. You deserve it" Daniel kissed her forehead before squeezing his arm further around her waist. It was then that she sighed into his body, just enjoying the scent of his aftershave and the way his hand was firm on her waist.

Before too long they had made their way through the revolving door of the hotel entrance and Daniel was hailing down a cab.

"You don't have to take me home Daniel, you should go sleep. You've had a long day" Betty said as the cab stopped next to where her and Daniel were standing.

"Betty I'm not letting you go home by yourself, especially not at this time of night" his hands had found their way to the tops of Betty's arms, rubbing them in concern

"Honestly Daniel, I grew up in Queens. You think I can't make it home by myself?"

"But Betty…"

"No buts Daniel, you need to sleep. I'll call you when I get home, I promise"

"Okay you better, but next time you let me be a gentleman and let me take you home"

"Deal, I'll see you in the morning Daniel" she reached up and planted a sole kiss on his cheek before snaking her arms around his neck as he pulled her in for the final embrace of the evening. Everything that he had missed about Betty had been returned when he held her. Feeling her body close to his made him shudder in relaxation.

"Good night Daniel" she said as he squeezed her tight, the warmth from their bodies enveloping them both

"Sweet dreams" he whispered in her ear, making her believe every word he had spoken since she saw him getting out of that cab.

"Wait, take this" he said as he caught Betty's arm just before she got in the cab. He took out his wallet and handed her one of his room keys.

"What's this for?"

"Emergencies, you know if I lose mine or something" he winked at her before letting go of her hand. She laughed before hopping in the cab.

"I'll see you tomorrow Daniel" she giggled once more as Daniel shut the cab door and made his way back inside the hotel. As the cab drove off, Betty sighed as a smile swept across her face. Finally, Daniel was back in her life. She finally had him close, after three months of hell she felt like she was in a state of shock. Seeing Daniel was like wanting something for so long and finally getting it. She figured that it was because she hadn't seen him in so long that she felt so complete, so happy. But now as she made her way home she only wished that she could've spent more time with him. Just listening to the huskiness of his voice, getting lost in his eyes and wishing that he would hold her close to his body.

As Daniel closed the door of his hotel room and threw his key down on the coffee table his stomach tightened and somersaulted. He could still feel the warmth of her body pressed hard against his. But he longed to feel her skin; to feel nothing between their bodies. But somehow he had to try and erase that thought. He knew that if he tried to do something about his feelings he might destroy everything that he and Betty shared. So instead he'd cherish the close moments that they shared and carry on loving her platonically and romantically.

Betty made it home unharmed and as she pushed off her coat and wandered into her bedroom she couldn't wait to hear Daniel's voice again. She grabbed her phone and sat crossed legged on her bed; holding a pillow in her arms. She scrolled down her contact list and called Daniel, listening to the dial tone ringing out before he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's me, I'm just calling to let you know that I didn't get raped or mugged or stabbed on my way home"

"That's good to know" he laughed as he heard Betty giggle through the receiver

"Seriously though, you should go sleep. You'll be exhausted in the morning"

"It's ok, I like hearing your voice"

"Me too…" she said as she sighed into the pillow. After a while Daniel broke the comfortable silence and Betty's spine shuddered as she heard his deep voice.

"What time do you want to meet tomorrow sweetie?" he asked as Betty's began unravelling the ribbon that held her dress around her body.

"I don't mind, I'm free all day so it doesn't really matter" he could hear her shuffling about as she dropped her dress from her body and pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms and a camisole. She sat back down on her bed, hugging her pillow into her chest.

"Okay well why don't I pick you up at around eleven?"

"There's no point in you coming all the way out of town to pick me up for us to go all the way back into the city. I'll just meet you at your hotel"

"It's no problem B"

"Why do you have to be so nice all of the time Daniel?"

"I'm not, I just want to treat you right. You mean a lot to me"

"You mean a lot to me too Daniel. But I'm still not letting you pick me up"

"You're so stubborn you know B"

"I know. But so are you, you just give in faster"

"Yeah because I hate arguing with you"

"No you just hate it when I'm right Daniel" she laughed as Daniel pulled off his shirt and lay down on his bed in just his jeans.

"Okay okay, fine. But I'm still buying you lunch tomorrow and taking you home afterwards"

"Fine, I'll see you at eleven. I'll let you get your beauty sleep now, I need mine too"

"You don't need beauty sleep Betty. You're already beautiful"

"Good night Daniel" she tried to change the subject, trying to stop Daniel from embarrassing her and making her blush

"Sweet dreams beautiful" and with that she hung up and curled under the covers of her bed.

Daniel lay with his hands behind his head for a while, just thinking about how beautiful Betty was and how much he had actually missed her. He'd never really thought about just how painful the last three months had been. Living without her was like living without the ability to breathe or think. Soon after, he pulled off his jeans and grabbed a pair of thin, grey pyjama bottoms from his overnight bag before climbing into the empty, cold bed and nestling himself in the covers. He wished that he had Betty to hold and keep him warm. He so badly wanted to feel her skin against his and to revel in the scent of her perfume. He wanted to shield her from anything that could make her feel pain, to make her feel safe and protected. He wanted to kiss her skin, to feel her lips against his and look into her eyes; knowing just exactly what she was feeling.

He just wanted to hold her. To simply love her.