'Dinner tonight, 7pm? - B'
Daniel re-read the text trying to place the oddity surrounding it. The dinner part wasn't strange, they ate dinner together all the time.
In fact ever since she'd started going to see her therapist it had become a more frequent event, the last couple of months introducing many various public outings. It had been slow going at first but eventually they'd worked up to dinners, the movies, karaoke... all to rebuild her confidence. Marc and Amanda had even taken her out to a club recently -despite his reservations- but she had enjoyed herself, proving the concern wasn't necessary.
She was bouncing back in true Suarez style and he was immensely relieved... but despite the progress she'd been making, there had always been a note of hesitation whenever she asked him out.
That's what was missing from her text.
'Sure, pick you up?' He typed back, surprised when the phone vibrated almost immediately.
'Yes! Wear something nice ~(0v0)~'
He chuckled at what he assumed was meant to resemble a bumblebee. She hadn't been at work today -she was out with his mother- and as he slipped the phone away he felt a small wave of excitement at getting to see her.
The idea for the 'spa date' had apparently risen after her first therapy session and his mother had decided to make the outing a regular occurrence between them. It unnerved him at times, particularly when they would poke fun at something he hadn't been privy to but it warmed his heart to see them bonding so closely. He knew how much Betty missed her own mother and while his would never admit it, he could see how much she thrived at the chance to be a strong maternal influence. Not that she'd been a bad one for him... but their family had never really had the same warm and fuzzy quality as Betty's.
Either way they were both happy and that in turn made him happy.
Now all he had to do was stay that way, a task that wasn't necessarily easy on a Friday afternoon. For some reason if something was going to go wrong, it never happen on a Monday or Tuesday... it always reared at the end of the week when he had the least amount of time to deal with it.
He was pleasantly surprised though, to be proved wrong this time.
The rest of the day went off without a hitch and after ducking home for a quick shower and shave he found himself oddly nervous as he started the journey to her apartment. When he arrived he took the elevator up, fidgeting with the knot around his neck the entire ride.
He'd assumed by something nice she'd meant 'dressy' so he'd chosen a black suit, light blue shirt and a navy tie.
The same tie that was now trying strangle him...
As the doors parted he stepped out trying to swallow his nerves as he walked the short distance to her door. With a slight shrug he composed himself, extending his hand to knock sharply.
He heard movement coming from inside and waited patiently, catching his breath when she finally revealed herself. She was wearing an elegant short back dress and the garment choked his words, causing them to stick thickly to the back of his throat.
"You look... wow-" he coughed sharply, trying to dislodge the squeak in his voice.
Betty smiled widely at the reaction, convinced the purchase had definitely been worth it. She'd hesitantly confided in Daniel's mother, expressing she finally felt ready to explore the nature of their relationship... and the CEO of Mode had insisted it was the perfect occasion to warrant a shopping expedition. She wasn't sure at first but when they had spotted the one shoulder dress with a vibrant red bow belt she couldn't resist.
Tonight she'd chosen to keep her hair straight, teeming the outfit with a pair of red heels and she knew by his reaction the ensemble had worked its charm.
Feeling boldly confident she stepped forward on the heels, bringing her hand up to brush his cheek. He was clearly still stunned, remaining motionless under her touch and she forced enough courage to press her mouth against his lips.
The kiss spurred a reaction and she felt herself relax as he leaned into it.
It had taken a long time to introduce their situation into her counselling sessions but once she had it was surprisingly easy to open up about her fears. With help from her therapist she'd come to realize that labeling their social outings as 'treatment' was now just a cover. Technically they were dating, it was just a matter of whether she was ready to admit it and explore the connection.
It was a revelation that left her feeling lighter and she instantly knew she was ready to take the next step.
Breaking the kiss, she felt a slight flare of embarrassment as she pulled back. She had invited him to dinner to talk things through not lunge at him and his sudden grin only increased the butterflies spiraling around her stomach. "Sorry, that was... I probably shouldn't have done that-" she stuttered awkwardly, but if anything it only seemed to heighten his amusement.
"I think... I might have missed something here?" He cast a suspicious gaze over her, "I mean, yesterday we were 'just friends' right?"
"Why don't you come in?" She asked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
She hated when he was sarcastic.
He stepped past her, feeling the amusement slip from his features as he took in the elaborate picnic set-up she'd sprawled over the floor. There was a blanket covered with pillows, plates of foods, candles and even a selection of action dvds -that he knew she hated- all sitting in front of the tv. He was actually speechless as he turned to find her gaze beaming at him.
"I've know I've been dragging you around a lot, so I thought you might like to stay in for a change?" She explained, raising a playful eyebrow, "also, I can't really walk very far in these heels."
"Okay, hang on a sec..." his mind warned him not to get too hopeful as he posed the question, "is this a date... like, a date date?"
"Well it's not a fruit-" she teased, knowing it was sort of mean but unable to resist. For the first time in weeks she was starting to feel like herself again, only better... like Betty 2.0 and she took a step closer to him, hoping the new found sincerity in her voice would make him understand. "When I said I needed you as my friend you didn't have to accept that, but you did. You were there for me and if you still want to I'm ready... I'd like to give this a try."
If he still wanted to? He felt his heart start to beat faster as he stepped closer to her. Of course he still wanted to. He'd only backed off because of her request and he entwined their fingers, pulling her enthusiastically down into the array of cushions.
She landed in his lap with a soft chuckle, "is that a yes?"
A wide smile beamed across his face as he captured her lips, breathing his answer through the kiss, "I might need some... time... to think it over?"
She pressed him back, hovering above him with a smirk, "how much time?"
"One... two... yeah, that's definitely long enough-" he kissed her again, feeling the joking nature descend into a more serious desire. There was nothing stopping them now, no excuses and his body shivered with anticipation.
This side of their relationship was one he actually wanted to explore with excruciating slowness...
And now was the perfect time to start.
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AN: Done! :D Thanks everyone for reviewing! I'm going with a different style for my next story, so I will keep you 'posted'. Ok, yeah... that was a terrible pun I know... :D