This is it. This is the final chapter of Gossip Mode Style.
I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has read this story over the last seven months. This was originally going to be a one shot,but your reviews turned it into a story that is over 140,000 words. This has been the most original writing experience I have ever had. I'm going to miss the thrill of trying to write a story live with this season and not knowing what the writers will throw at me.
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. Some of your reviews have really shaped this story. For those of you who have not reviewed, I understand. I know myself, that there have been many times where I have not had time to review. However, I ask you since this is the last chapter, please make an effort.
I've decided that I would tell the New York story and the London story together in one story instead of dividing them into two as originally planned to make it easier on the readers.
Today is my one year anniversary of posting on the site. I think everyone will agree that my writing has improved over the last year.
Chapter 37: Rumors Of Happily Ever After: Part Five
His mom was furious in a very Victoria Hartley way. This meant she would never truly display any marks of being angry. They were in public after all and Aunt Brianna was there.
He wished his mom had decided to leave after losing consciousness. Instead of leaving the restaurant like a rational person, she ordered herself a glass of wine. She is currently drinking her third glass of the evening.
During the dinner, she smiled at her former sister in law and made small talk with Amanda's father. They both served together on the board of the NYC Hope charity, just like Monique's mom. The fact that his mom liked her biological father may make the situation slightly less tense. Spencer was happy to make this dinner marginally less painful for his daughter.
His aunt sat back and pointed out every time Victoria was being a hypocrite which added to the tense atmosphere. She also mentioned that Amanda was practically designing Monique's dress herself. Even though Amanda was trying the stylus thing, he knew she still wanted to design her own things. Underneath the baby books, were notebooks filled with dressed designs. Maybe his aunt can help her with that dream.
His mom kept giving him her "I'm so disappointed in you" look for the duration of the dinner. She publicly focused her anger on the fact that he was leaving another program without completing it.
"I'm not quitting this time because I'm bored. I love it there mom. I'm not even really quitting. I'm going to work with the group in New York until I go back to school in January. If Amanda wasn't pregnant I would drag her back to Botswana with me. I thought you would be happy that I'm going back to law school and taking responsibility for my own actions. You are the one who does not want me running away any more."
"You are going to do volunteer work?" His mom looked at him dubiously. Her idea of helping people is writing a check as a tax deduction or hosting a charity ball so everyone will say what a good person she is. She would never get her hands dirty.
"I found what I want to do. I want to help people. There are many people I can help by finishing up some of my degrees. I already have half a law degree. I might as well finish it." Maybe if he was not having this conversation with a pregnant girlfriend, his mom would be happy with the fact that he was finally finishing something he started.
He liked law but didn't like the idea of being a corporate lawyer or the guy who got the rich executive off for a crime he actually committed. Before he dropped out to try being a Canadian Mountie, he didn't think about being a criminal lawyer or focusing on civil rights law. Maybe he was too immature back then to really settle down with one focus.
Of course, his mom wasn't happy. Half way through the dinner, she pulled him in to the back room to have a little chat. She essentially told him to give the little girl a check and get on with his life. At least she didn't say that A word. That really didn't matter because Amanda was 18 weeks at this point.
"Mom, if she was the type of girl who could be bought off with a check, I wouldn't be with her. She would have come to you or dad the moment the test came out positive, but she didn't. I'm not running away mom. Amanda is going to be around for a long time. Get use to it." With that, he walked back into the restaurant leaving a stunned mother behind.
If his mom thought he was going to run away again, she was sadly mistaken. He was in this for the long haul despite how bad her reaction was. He had Amanda and their child. He didn't need anyone else. The guy who ran away was gone for good.
17 days earlier.
"Are you sure you want to go in this time?" Matt asked her as they stood outside the visiting room of the rehab center. His half brother was currently sitting at the table with his adoptive mom and dad. Claire would have come with them but she was busy meeting with the police and the press again. Matt and Daniel were not at the point in their relationship where they could take a few hours together in the same car.
"He was my friend for a while there. I think I should at least come see him. He is not a bad person. He has a lot of the qualities that I like in both you and Daniel."
"I thought he was more than a friend?" Matt asked her with a slightly angry expression on his face.
"He kissed me lightly on the lips once. I have had deeper kisses with your ex girlfriend. I was just mad because you dumped me." She said with a bit of anger in her voice. She was still very mad about that.
"I'm sorry."
"I know you are. Let's not worry about it." She said as she grabbed his hand and walked into the room. There were a few tense moments before Tyler even recognize that they were in the room.
"Mom and dad I would like you to meet my brother Matt and his girlfriend Amanda, who happened to be carrying my new niece or nephew." She knew that between Matt and Daniel, Tyler pretty much knew the entire story of her relationship with Matt. She could detect a little bit of irritation in his voice as he said the last part.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. --Tyler's mom and dad. I'm sorry I don't know what to call you." Matt said as he stumbled through that greeting. She tried to stifle a laugh, but could not.
"Last names are not important. Any brother of Tyler's is a son of ours. Just call me Anna and my husband Nicholas. So your Claire's other son?" Both Tyler and Matt looked away when she asked that question.
"Claire's other son is now her daughter. She lives in France with her son DJ." Anna and Nicholas both looked at her as if she was crazy.
"I may have forgotten to mention that my Sister Alexis is transgender. Matt is my brother from that man that hates me."
"If it makes you feel better he hates me to. Aunt Brianna loves you. Aunt Briana told me, she wants you to be the face of her new men's wear campaigned. She's the normal one in the family."
"Your aunt is such a lovely woman. We met her yesterday. She even took us out to dinner afterwards."
"Your aunt is a fashion designer?" She was seriously going to have to ask Matt why he neglected to mention his aunt was a fashion designer. That in itself was another reason to love him. she was upset he never told her before. She never did get to hear his reply because of Tyler.
"Mom and dad do you mind if I talk to Amanda alone for a few minutes." Tyler asked quietly.
"Sure no problem." They both said in unison.
"Matt why don't you go with the two of them and tell them more about your side of the family?"
"Okay, I will be back in a few minutes." He said as he squeezed her hand before he left.
"I guess congratulations are in order. It would have been nice to know that you were also dating my other brother as well. Were you only talking to me so you could complete the set?"
"Don't be like that. First, I was not dating Matt or Daniel when you took me out to dinner. Daniel and I have been friends for a very long time. He was helping me out through a very tough situation. That first time we went to dinner together after the incident with Daniel, I told you all about my ex boyfriend in Africa. I also told you I wasn't ready for a relationship with you because I was still in love with my ex-boyfriend."
"You neglected to mention that he was my half brother or the father of your child. Actually, you didn't even mention you were pregnant."
"I found out the day of the fashion show. I was still denying it to myself when we went out the first time. I'm just starting to tell people now. If it makes you feel better Matt did not know I was pregnant until Saturday."
"If he didn't know you're pregnant why did he come back?"
"He came back for you. He wanted to meet you. Matt has always wanted a sibling. He told me all the time he wanted to have a dozen kids because he grew up by himself. That was before he even knew about you. He wants to get to know you."
"At least he hasn't tried to buy me off yet."
"Do not hold that against Daniel. He grew up in a family where you say "I'm sorry for being an ass" with gifts. That check was really his way of saying "I'm sorry for being a prick". You should see the things he has gotten Betty over the years. He paid for her father's immigration lawyer and recently just paid for her sister's bachelor party in London."
"Are you talking about his girlfriend Betty?" She just rolled her eyes at that comment.
"Yes. unfortunately he's too stubborn to acknowledge that. I would really like it if you would stick around. Matt would love to get to know you and so would I."
"Maybe it would be better if I go back home for a while."
"Trust me I get it. I'm adopted too remember. In my case, I saw my mom every day for years and didn't know she was my mom. She was at my high school graduation. I should have known something was up because she paid for my prom dress. I didn't know what she meant to me until after she was gone. I was so angry when I first found out because I had no one to be angry at. She's gone and I'll probably never find my biological father. I never had the chance that you do."
"That may be a good thing. It hurts finding out you have a father that doesn't want you."
"You have a brother on that side of the family that wants you and an aunt. You met her before I did. You have a chance that I would give everything for. My baby is never going to meet his biological grandmother on my side and I seriously doubt she will ever get to meet her biological grandfather. You are my baby's only biological uncle and she deserves to get to know you." She said passing him a still photo from the ultrasound.
"I'm giving everybody in the family one. If you're around in a couple weeks when we find out that I really am having a girl you can come to the appointment. Think of it as a family bonding activity."
"I will think about it."
His visit with Tyler went better this time than last. He was okay with the establishment of the trust fund and with Matt being executor. He honestly did not care about the money at all.
The paperwork showed up to Amanda's apartment yesterday showing 300 million dollars had been put into an account for Tyler. He wasn't sure what surprised him more; the fact that his father knew to send the paperwork here or that there was a second account setup for the baby.
His dad was always good at saying "I'm sorry" with money but never with his time. Matt tried to call him to talk to him, but his assistant made up some silly excuse. He knew that his father didn't want to talk to him and that was fine with him.
He was happy that at least his aunt was welcoming Tyler into the family with open arms. She was probably the only one who was okay with the baby. Then again, she was the only one who has ever been OK with him.
He was very exhausted as they finally arrived back at Amanda's apartment that night. The stress of the last few days was finally getting to him and his girlfriend picked up on this.
"Are you okay?" Amanda asked as they turned the corner.
"I'm fine just a little tired. These last few days have been surreal and I'm just trying to take everything in. Also, I think my body is still on Gaborone time." He decided not to mention the fact that Amanda dragging him into the ladies room for a bit of "fun" after lunch contributed to his exhaustion.
"That's okay I know what will make you feel so much better." Amanda said as she kissed him right there in the hallway in front of her apartment. This was a mistake. At that moment, Betty walked out into the hallway and saw him kissing Amanda. Actually, she saw Amanda kissing him as she tried to unzip his pants. Worst of all Amanda's top had slipped up at some point as they "kissed" against the front door. The baby bulge was very visible even if it was still very small.
The next 15 minutes was filled with Betty yelling in a very Betty way about him and Amanda being more than just friends, the baby, and the fact that he was back in the U.S. and never told her. Amanda was crying so bad that Marc had to promise her pizza and pickled potato chips to get her to stop crying. The only thing that kept Betty from completely going off was the fact that Daniel was holding her hand.
After Amanda left he sat in his ex girlfriend's apartment trying to explain everything as the guy she is really in love with watched. It would probably be easier if Daniel weren't there, so he could tell Betty for once the real reason why they broke up.
"So you didn't break up with me to go to Africa. You broke up with me to be with Amanda."
"I didn't break up with you for Amanda. I broke up with you for me. You don't love me." He said this to her as he gazed at her hand that was holding on to Daniel for dear life.
"Are you still hung up on the Henry thing? That's never going to happen. We're not the same people we used to be."
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. However, I have known since I got punched out at the U.N. who the real competition was and it was not Henry. The truth of the matter is you don't love me. You almost did. If the situation was different, maybe we could have worked out. However, you can't love me when you're in love with someone else. Even if you're lying to yourself about the identity of that person, I know it's the truth." He said this as he looked at Daniel.
"Do you love Amanda?" Betty asked quietly.
"Very much. Just so you know nothing happen until after we broke up." He purposely decided not to mention kissing Amanda the night he caught Betty and Daniel on the front porch. Considering a week later, she made out with Daniel at a party, they were both even.
"Considering she is pregnant, I think something happened. How far along is she?"
"She'll be 16 weeks Sunday. We got together the weekend before I left, but after that point, our relationship was restricted to Emails and phone calls. The one advantage to a long distance relationship is you really do get to know someone on a whole different level." This awkward conversation was interrupted by Amanda screaming. He walked in to find her cradling the lifeless body of Holston in her bathroom. Betty couldn't yell at Amanda when she was crying over her dead dog.
One day later
After everything that happened with Amanda and Matt the day before, Daniel begged Betty to stay with him for a few days. She agreed as soon as she started to hear the sounds of comfort sex from across the hall. They were currently in his bedroom sitting on the bed watching movies and eating pizza.
"It's not like I'm upset that Matt is moving on. He is right I didn't love him. I'm not even that upset that he moved on to Amanda. She deserves to be happy. I'm upset that one of my closest friends didn't trust me enough to tell me that she was pregnant or that she was dating my ex boyfriend."
"You do remember that last time you raced her down a water slide for Matt?"
"I don't think that is going to happen this time. I don't think you can even ride on a water slide when you are pregnant." She said this as a joke. "Honestly, I am really OK. I am just upset she didn't trust me."
"It was not that she didn't trust you." He said to her as he put one arm around her and pulled her onto his lap. "She just wasn't ready to tell you yet. Have you ever been faced with a situation or decision that was completely life changing, but you were not ready to tell people about it yet. Maybe you are afraid to say it out loud because if you do it will make the situation real. That's exactly what Amanda was going through when she found out she was pregnant."
"I understand. Recently, I have been afraid to tell someone I care something important. I am afraid it will completely change our relationship –I mean it will completely change my relationship with that person." Even though she tried to cover it up, he knew she was talking about him.
"You don't need to be afraid. This person will understand regardless." He said running a hand down her cheek. "You know you can tell me anything right?"
"I know. There is actually something really important I need to tell you."
"Go ahead." Unfortunately, at that moment the phone rang. It was Jackie with a graphics emergency. The bad thing about putting her on night shift is when something went wrong she had to call him directly. He wished Jackie would have called 10 minutes later with the crisis because by the time the situation was resolved, Betty was too scared to tell him again. Whatever she was going to tell him before, he doubted it was an invitation to the funeral Amanda was holding for her dog.
Three days later
Matt was currently reading over every book in the apartment containing a chapter about mood swings as Amanda slept with her head on his lap. Amanda has been crying hysterically for the last few days and it has gotten worse since she found out Betty was leaving this morning. Maybe he should call her doctor to see if this type of behavior was normal.
His studies were interrupted by his ex girlfriend screaming his current girlfriend's name as loud as possible. Amanda did not move at all. He quickly but gently removed her head from his lap and went to stop Betty from screaming before she woke up his girlfriend.
"Why are you screaming?"
"You're crazy girlfriend put her dead dog in my freezer. There is a dead dog in my freezer. Why did your girlfriend put a dead dog in my freezer?" Betty yelled at him. Just then Amanda walked into the apartment.
"Why are you screaming? I am trying to sleep. The baby does not like screaming." Every time she wants somebody to stop doing something or to do something for her, she blames the baby. He would think it was cute except for the fact that Amanda made him go out at 1:00 AM last night for double chocolate chip ice cream and crunchy salt and vinegar potato chips. He had a feeling that Marc and Daniel were just happy not to be doing these runs anymore.
"Amanda why did you put your dog in Betty's freezer?" He asked her gently not wanting to trigger a mood swing.
"I am preserving him. You are the one who told me that the dog could not stay in the house. You said it was bad for the baby." Of course, a dead dog would be bad for the baby. He was not going to yell at her because otherwise she would start crying again.
Too late, she was already starting to tear up. She was currently hugging Betty as she started crying.
"I heard you are leaving?"
"Yes Amanda I'm really leaving."
"I will miss you. Is it OK if the dog stay here for a few more days anyway?"
"No." When Betty said that Amanda started crying even more.
"Can you please take her into the apartment and I will take care of the dog." As soon as Amanda and Betty were safely out of the apartment he grabbed a trash bag to remove the dog from the freezer. Just then, Monique called to let him know that Wilhelmina was out of her coma and they needed to speak to her immediately.
"I'll be downstairs in a few minutes. Do you know anyone who can take care of the removal of dead animals in New York City?" It turns out Monique actually did know someone that would take care of the dog. That was fine with him.
The next 24 hours were horrible. The only good thing that happened was Betty and Amanda were able to talk things out when he was at the hospital with Monique. Wilhelmina turned down their proposal and the most dramatic way possible. This morning he went along with Amanda to meet with Spencer for a consultation. That went badly. Amanda was still crying after Spencer yelled at her for the bad press his outfit received.
Things got worse when they got to mode. After watching video of Daniel lighting his office on fire, Amanda started robbing the closet literally. Then Marc just had to tell her that Spencer was her father. Then Betty walked into the closet and said something to Amanda that triggered another crying jag.
As he was "consoling" his girlfriend, Marc convinced Betty to confront Daniel. Finally he got to watch Daniel tell Betty that couldn't live without her but then proceed to convince her to stay with the offer of the ultimate dream job. All he had to do was offer her himself and Matt knew she would stay.
Now for some reason he was now picking up cheese fries for his girlfriend with his ex girlfriend tagging along. Cheese fries are probably the only way he was going to get his girlfriend out of Monique's Office without more crying.
"You really do love her?" Betty asked him this as they grabbed their purchases and started walking back to the Meade building
"Yes I do. Otherwise, I would have run away days ago."
"Then why did you still go to Africa?"
"Why are you still going to London? You know Daniel loves you. I think that's what he meant when he said he couldn't live without you."
"I asked you first. I don't know if I'm going to London anymore. He just offered me a lot."
"Because it was something I needed to do. Even though I didn't want to leave I knew I needed to. I wouldn't give up the last four months for anything."
"Even though you miss the first four months of Amanda's pregnancy? If I go to London I'm going to miss so much."
"Maybe I regretted that part a little bit. It was still a life changing experience. Amanda was here when I got back. In addition, there is this great invention called a telephone. You can talk to Daniel all the time when you're in London. Long distance relationships are fun."
A few days later
Amanda was standing in Daniel's office trying to find the perfect place to put Holston's ashes. She was originally going to spread them over the receptionist desk but Matt stopped her during the impromptu funeral. He suggested that they put the ashes in Daniels office since it used to be her mother's.
During the second funeral, Spencer told her that he was her dad. Even though Marc and Matt already told her, it was comforting to hear it from him. She was glad that he wanted to be in her life. She was happy that her little girl would have her grandfather.
Spencer left a little while ago and now Matt was upstairs crashing Monique's going away party. Although it's not really crashing because he was writing an article series for the magazine. She should go up there to say goodbye later but she didn't want to. She was mad at her. It was so unfair that both of her friends were leaving for London at the same time. Marc was too busy with Troy to pay attention to her.
"What are you doing here?" She heard Daniel ask from the doorway. He looked as if he was about to cry again. She knew that Betty's going away party was very hard on him.
"I am trying to find a good place to put Holston's ashes. This was my mom's office; I think he belongs in here. Also, I'm tired of everybody coming up to me and telling me how happy they are to know that I'm not getting fat. I think Megan tried to throw something at me when she found out Matt is the father of my child."
"Fine you can stay in here. I guess Holston can rest next to Molly's ashes." Daniel said as he sat down his desk and started looking at the book.
"You have your dead wife's ashes in your office?"
"It's not that unusual."
"I guess not. Why are you in here and not outside talking to Betty? You should really talk to her."
"I will catch up with her later; I need to work on the book now." At that, Amanda got up from the couch and slammed the book close.
"I am so tired of all these excuses. She is going to be leaving for London Saturday. This is your last chance Daniel. What are you going to do fly over there to say goodbye?" Daniel suddenly got this crazy look on his face when she said that.
"That is exactly what I'm planning on doing. Amanda I know you remember my credit card number. Can you please book me a flight first class to London? Maybe something leaving Monday or Tuesday."
"Sure, no problem. Why am I booking you a flight to London?"
"I'll tell you later. I'm going to go make Wilhelmina happy."
One day later
Betty looked at her watch for the 10th time but there was still no Daniel. She emailed him a dozen times with the time she was leaving. He had no excuse not to be here. Even Matt and Amanda came to say goodbye.
She waited to the last possible moment to say goodbye to her family and friends. Matt kissed her on the cheek and wished her luck right after her sister took her glasses but before her father gave her a snack. Just as the town car was about to leave, Amanda hopped in.
"Amanda what are you doing?" she practically yelled at her.
"Don't worry; I'll get out in a minute. I just want to talk to you without everyone else around."
"Okay." Betty replied in puzzlement.
"You're one of my three best friends and I'm going to miss you. Plus, you were like going to be my favorite baby sitter."
"You'll still have Daniel."
"I don't think he's going to be available." Amanda said cryptically with a smile on her face that Betty didn't get. "I know you're upset that he's not here but you shouldn't be. Things will get better. You know he loves you."
"Then why is he not here?" Betty said as she tried not to cry.
"Because it's hard to say goodbye to someone you love. I'm ready to get out now." Amanda said as she hugged her as she tried not to cry.
"I'll call you when I get to London."
"You will come back when the baby is born?" Amanda asked as she got out of the car and prepared to shut the door.
"I promise." That was the last thing she said to Amanda as the car began to pull away.
"Where exactly are you taking me Daniel? Shouldn't you be on your way to Queens to say goodbye to Betty? That is where Matt and Amanda are right now." It was 4:03 AM Saturday morning. Betty would be leaving to catch her 7:00 AM flight at any moment. She was shocked to have Daniel call her an hour ago telling her to meet him outside in a pair of jeans.
"Why should I say goodbye when I'm going to see her Friday?"
"How very optimistic of you. Honestly, Daniel where are you dragging me to at this time of night?" Monique said with a high level of irritation in her voice.
"We're going to say goodbye just not to Betty." He said picking up a box from the bottom of the car.
"Is that what I think it is? Aren't those ashes supposed to be spread over Tibet?"
"They are. Most of them are anyway. Last summer, I wasn't ready to let go of her completely. I kept some of her ashes and brought them back with me. I'm sure you heard about the incident at the Airport."
"That was all over the rumor mill within a matter of minutes. I only focused on the part about Betty running out to get you without even thinking about anything else first. I get it. I did some crazy things after Jordan died. I think another reason why I kept the name Osborn was because it was the last thing I really had of Jordan. I told Gio I was keeping that name after the wedding for professional reasons. I think I was lying to myself."
"I think it's time we both let go. If I'm going to be moving to London to start over, I don't think I should bring Molly's ashes with me."
A little while later, she found herself in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge with a handful of her best friend's ashes in her hand.
"You were my best friend since I was 16. You were there for me when I lost the baby and lost Jordan. You were there when I was doing crazy things to get over Jordan like dating boy band members."
"You're the one who dated a Back …" she cut him off before he could continue. There was no way she was confirming or denying that rumor.
"We're trying to have a memorial service here. You can ask me questions later. Molly, I was there for you through cancer and stupid boyfriends. Just like you were there for me when I fell in love again. You will always be my friend but it's time to move on." Monique said as she let go of the ashes and allowed the wind to carry them away.
"I'll always love you. According to your crazy best friend, you have always known that I loved someone else. You were right. I do love Betty. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. If it wasn't for you convincing you're best friend to force me to see it, I probably would still be in denial. A part of me will always care about you. However, I need to let go of you so I can move on to the next part of my life. Goodbye Molly," with that the last of Molly's ashes were lost in the wind.
Eight days later
Daniel lay in their bed with one arm around Betty as he watched her sleep. His idea to have separate bedrooms when out the window Friday night. They managed to last an hour before he crawled into her bed. They were still taking things relatively slow for to people who were technically living together. This was his very first relationship where he hasn't jumped into "bed" with the person immediately since high school. He was enjoying the good old fashioned make out sessions with Betty.
Their peace tonight was interrupted by his girlfriend's phone ringing. He loved calling Betty that. Before he could grab the phone for her, Betty already had it in her hands. He did not find out it was Amanda until after the phone call was over.
"Did Amanda have to call me after midnight to ask me if we had sex?"
"I think she was just nervous about meeting Matt's mom for the first time. At lease you were not pregnant when you met Matt's mom."
"I'm just happy that your mom loves me. I think she took the fact that we are together now really well. I think my dad will too once we tell him that you are not just my roommate in London. Then again my dad will be happy as long as I don't come back to Queens pregnant," Betty said as laid back down in his arms. He decided not to tell her that her father already knew they were living together. He actually asked her dad's permission before getting the townhouse.
"I don't think he would be that upset even then." Daniel said as he placed a gentle but passionate kiss on her mouth.
"You're not telling me something?"
"Remember when your family was staying with you after the fire? At that point we still weren't sure if Matt was the father or not and I was sleeping on Amanda's couch." He emphasized the word couch because he knew that Betty was still a little bit upset about the fact that he almost ended up the father of Amanda's baby. "One morning your father caught me reading Oh Fuck, I Got Someone Pregnant in the hallway. He started screaming in Spanish immediately and then he welcomed me to the family. I found out from Amanda later on, that he thought you were the one that I got pregnant." Betty was so cute when she was shocked.
"Did everybody know that we were in love with each other but us?"
"Pretty much. There was even a club. They called themselves the Detty Conspiracy Group. I think they had T shirts."
"Were we really that blind?"
"Does it really matter anymore? You know I love you and I know you love me." Daniel said as he went down to kiss her on the cheek instead she moved up so they could kiss on the lips instead. He enjoyed kissing her before when she was still wearing braces. However, there were certain advantages to kissing her without braces.
"I thought you need to be up at five AM for a breakfast meeting at seven?" He asked as he broke away from her kiss reluctantly.
"I'm not sleepy enough to go back to sleep yet. I must still be on New York time." Betty said right before he felt her luscious lips on his and her tongue doing very delicious things to him again. As her hands started to run through his hair, he really did not feel like protesting anymore.
The End
To be continued in Adaptation Mode Style. The end is just the beginning.