Think of The Firefly
Oh my goodness, can you believe how long its been since I've updated this story. Its practically been a million years. Somehow I got back my inspiration for it, so yayyy! :D This chapter is somewhat lengthy, but hope you enjoy! :P For entertainment only! :P
I know its been a while, hope you still want to read it. I feel so badly that its been so long. I don't realize how time goes by.
Chapter 37
You Know How to Pull My Heartstrings
"So... Betty?"
"Mhm?" Betty asked as they continued down the mountain. "What's the surprise?" he asked remembering her card and that she said she had a surprise for him.
"What surprise?"
"Your note?" he stated. She looked at him. "Uh...oh, that surprise."
He smirked. "Yes, that surprise."
There was silence for a minute.
"Well?" he said impatiently.
"What?"
"What's the surprise?" he laughed. She smiled. "It's a surprise." She said with a giggle. He shook his head. "You're crazy"
She smiled. "I know. I really am." I'm so crazy in love with you, I have no idea what I'm doing she thought to herself.
He smiled. "Glad you recognize that." He said teasingly. "Hey!" she slapped his arm making him laugh.
"Just saying, but...you know I love you" he said sincerely.
Betty's heart dropped. "I love you, too, Daniel" she said.
"I know you do" he said which made her laugh. He smiled.
When Betty and Daniel reached the house they walked inside to see her family sitting in the sitting area. They all smiled brightly "There you are? Where did you guys go?" Hilda asked curiously.
"The place I told you about, Hilda" Betty said with a smile. "Figures you took Daniel there" Hilda said getting up.
Betty looked at her, but decided to ignore her implication. "Well, he is my best friend" she said taking hold of his arm. Daniel smiled looking to her.
Hilda and Justin rolled their eyes.
"So, let's go eat" Daniel said happily. "YES, I'm starving!" Hilda said jumping up. Justin and Papi laughed, but agreed that they were both really hungry, too.
"Where are you taking us?" Betty asked looking at him. Daniel stared at her feeling his heart race for no given reason. Perhaps it was her proximity, perhaps it was because her family was here and they fueled his heart with their positive thoughts or perhaps it was simply due to her being Betty and he loved her.
"Daniel..." Betty said softly snapping him out of his daze. "Huh...oh uh...what?" he asked taking a gulp. Betty felt her heart race. How could she possibly control her urge to want to kiss him? She wanted to hug him. She looked to the rose that was in his pocket and felt her heart flutter.
Hilda saw them both standing there staring at each other and shook her head. "She doesn't love him my ass" she mumbled to Justin. He snickered and her Papi stifled a small chuckle as well.
She walked up to them. "Yoohoo" They both snapped out of their staring daze and looked to Hilda. "Uh..." they both responded.
Hilda placed her hands on her hips "Are we going to find food or are you two going to stand there and stare at each other all day?" she said having no mercy for her sister.
If Betty wasn't going to admit that she loved Daniel, Hilda was going to annoy it out of her.
Daniel's face turned red, causing Hilda to smile at him. She hooked her arm through his and pulled him along "Come on, Daniel. Tell me how the city boy likes it here?" she said wanting to drive Betty crazy.
Justin and Ignacio looked to each other with smiles and then looked to Betty who looked frustrated. "Come on, AB!" Justin said taking her hand walking out with her following Hilda and Daniel. Ignacio closed the door after him and watched them all shaking his head.
"Mis hijos" he said to himself with an amused smile.
Daniel looked at Hilda with an amused smile "what are you doing?" he asked wondering what she was planning. He could tell that she was up to something. She smirked rather wickedly.
"I'm being a sister" she said with a giggle. Daniel laughed shaking his head.
Betty watched as Hilda talked to Daniel ahead of them and felt more than annoyed. What the heck was she doing? Justin looked to AB's face and wanted to laugh "So, AB, how's Daniel? We all had so much fun with him back home" he said hoping that would stir his aunt into confessing her love for Daniel.
She looked to him. "What did you guys do?" she asked, but then took a glance ahead in the direction of Daniel. She felt butterflies, because he was so close to her family. She knew that Daniel was the right man for her. No one in her family was really in favor of Henry and he didn't seem to get along with them the same way that Daniel did.
"Oh we did all sorts of things. He played games with us and watched a telenovela with Grandpa" Justin said with a laugh "He sucked real bad at playing that dance game you and I like" he laughed again. Betty looked to Justin and smiled.
Daniel really was a bad dancer, she thought.
But he'd gotten so much better when she taught him. She smiled remembering that date they had when he first came here. She felt her heart race again. "AB"
"Hmm?"
"I was saying he tried to cook with Grandpa, but he nearly burned down the house. It was so funny. You should have seen him try to use the fire extinguisher."
Betty giggled looking to Justin. He grinned seeing that look in his aunt's eyes every time she looked to Daniel.
"What?" she asked "what's the grin for?"
Justin wanted to blurt out "the fact that you're in love with your BFF" but he thought against it.
"Daniel. He's cool, AB"
Betty smiled and looked in the direction of Daniel and Hilda. He was talking to Hilda, he had a smile on his face and she was laughing. Betty could not deny the fact that Daniel was amazing. Although her family may think he's 'cool', she actually thought he was such a dork sometimes.
"AB?" Justin said softly. "Mhm?" she responded still watching Daniel.
"You love him?" he said unable to hold it back anymore. From the way his aunt was watching and looking at Daniel, it was beyond evident that she was crazy in love with his cool uncle Daniel.
Generally Betty would have looked to her nephew with a shocked expression and tried with everything in her to deny that, but she simply couldn't. She just nodded "yes, Justin" she said feeling the tears well in her eyes. She looked to him seeing that bright smile on his face. She was able to return a small smile to him.
"OMG AB! Why don't you tell him?" he asked excitedly. Tears slipped down her face. He looked at her in concern "AB?"
"I...I..." she sighed "I was planning to do something for him, Justin"
"What?" he asked in wonder. She tried to fight back the tears she felt coming on again. "I wanted to surprise him in New York, but..." she let out a breath and looked in front of her to see Daniel and Hilda ahead laughing and talking. "I don't know...it's so hard."
Justin looked at his aunt continuing to listen.
"I was going to give up and just tell him because it hurt too much to let him think I didn't love him, but Mrs. Meade really thinks I should go through with it. And the few others I told think the same" she explained feeling the twist in her heart.
Justin took her hand "AB, if his mom thinks it, then I say listen to her. She's a genius" he said so eloquently.
Betty giggled. "I love you, Justin." She hugged him tight. He hugged her back. "I love you, too, AB"
As Hilda and Daniel were walking together, she and Daniel were talking and enjoying making jokes. Then Hilda remembered Daniel told her about how he got a ring before he left New York.
"Daniel, do you have the ring with you?" she asked excitedly. "I always have it with me" he said holding his hand over his jacket pocket. She smiled brightly. "Oh, will you show it to me!" she asked with a bright smile
Daniel laughed "not now. I don't want her to see"
"Why? Maybe that will make her know for sure you love her."
"She knows" he answered certainly.
"And besides the only way I'll give it to her is if she admits she loves me." Daniel glanced back at Betty to see her hugging Justin. It looked like she was upset.
When Justin pulled away, he looked at her with a smile. "Daniel really loves you, AB. He never stops talking about you. And every time we asked him about you, he would smile really big and say the best things about you" he said causing a fountain of tears to escape her eyes.
Justin laughed "I promise AB. He will still love you."
Betty hugged him again feeling like her heart was bursting inside her. When Daniel saw Betty crying he rushed over.
"Hey, what's the matter?" she heard Daniel's voice. It was so gentle and concerning. It made her feel butterflies.
"Betty...? Why are you crying, mami?" Hilda asked next as she came up next to Daniel. "Mija?" hearing all of them caused her to cry more.
"Is she ok? Betty?" Daniel's voice sounded so concerned. It broke her heart.
She stood upright wiping at her face. "I..." she could barely speak.
Justin took hold of her hand again. "I was just telling AB how much we all missed her so much and I guess she kind of broke down because she missed us, too." He said trying to help her out. Betty looked to Justin with a thankful smile, her eyes still watery.
"Gee Betty, you practically gave us a heart-attack" Hilda said smacking her arm. Betty laughed through her tears.
"You scared me half to death" her father declared as he hugged her.
When he stepped back, her eyes met Daniel. His eyes seemed to be fixed on her. He just smiled at her. She smiled back, a tear slipping down her face.
"Aw, we love you Betty" Hilda said hugging her tight. Betty hugged her back shutting her eyes, tears slipping past despite doing that. Justin and her Papi hugged her as well.
Hilda grabbed Daniel's hand and yanked him in front of Betty rather forcefully "You hug my sister, too, mister!" she demanded.
Betty looked at him through full eyes. He moved forward and pulled her in for a warm hug. Betty's arms came up around his midsection hugging him tighter. Daniel felt tingles inside, he felt like the sun was engulfing him in its warmth and light. He closed his eyes relishing in her hug. He knew without a doubt that he would forever be in love with Betty. He never knew there was even such a thing as this kind of love.
Justin, Ignacio and Hilda all exchanged happy smiles.
Betty wanted to hold onto Daniel forever. He was so warm and comforting. She wished she could just merge her soul into him. She felt him rub his hands soothingly along her back. It made her feel all warm and tingly.
She reluctantly pulled back and looked up at him shyly.
He just smiled and placed his hands to her face wiping away the tears that set on her cheeks. Daniel wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but he resisted and whispered "uh...let's get that lunch" he took her hand and they started walking again.
Justin and Hilda looked to each other with smiles on their faces. They slapped each other's hands, with Hilda hugging him. Ignacio looked to them "Amor verdadero" he said before following behind them.
Hilda and Justin looked to each other again and smiled walking along.
When they all reached a small restaurant that was close by they had a nice lunch talking and laughing. Betty had called Henry to see if he wanted to come; he said he would be there but a few minutes late.
While they ate lunch Daniel told them of things that he and Betty had done the first day he was there and he even told them about how Betty fell into the stream.
They all looked shocked and scared but when Betty told them how Daniel saved her and all the thoughtful things he did to make her smile they all smiled and gave Betty this look practically telling her 'look how much this man loves you'.
While Daniel continued to tell them of things they'd done and people they'd met Betty could not stop looking at Daniel. She wanted to just tell him that she loved him.
"Daniel?" Betty took his hand that was on the table.
They all looked to her; Hilda and Justin were shaking their legs in excitement underneath the table realizing she was going to tell him. They could just feel it.
"Daniel, I-" just as she was about to confess her love to him, Daniel's phone starts ringing.
"AWWW!" Justin and Hilda groaned slumping back against their seats knowing that Betty had to get up a lot of courage to tell him, so they didn't see her telling him anytime soon.
Daniel pulled out his phone "Uh, crap, its Alexis. She told me she was going to call and it was important. Sorry Betty, just give me a minute, okay?" he said getting up.
She nodded feeling like her heart was stuck in her throat. As he walked away from the table, Betty looked down, feeling the tears threaten to slip out.
She took a deep breath and looked up at her family, trying to smile the best she could "So, I'm so happy you guys are here!" she said happily, although they could tell that she was trying to distract herself.
They played along anyways "we're happy to be here" Hilda said.
"We're so proud of you. Daniel told us about your project. It sounds beautiful, mija" he said which seemed to make her eyes get all misty.
"Thanks Papi. I'm so glad you could be here."
"Do we get VIP treatment?" Justin said excitedly.
Betty giggled "absolutely"
"YES!" he cheered. Betty giggled.
"Betty!" she heard Henry call as he saw them. She looked to him and smiled. "Hi Henry"
He placed a kiss to her cheek when he came up. "Sorry, I'm late" he said taking a breath. "My car's been giving me problems." He said pulling up a chair.
"Hi Mr. Suarez" he held his hand out. Ignacio shook his hand politely, although he was angry that he didn't seem to really care for his daughter while she was here. If Daniel weren't there he would feel uneasy about Betty living here with him.
"Hilda, Justin. It's good to see you all. I'm happy you could make it." Henry looked to Betty "It's really nice of Daniel to do that for you Betty."
Betty and the others looked at him with wide eyes wondering how he knew Daniel brought them. "Henry, how did you know that Daniel brought them here?" she asked curiously.
"Oh...I mean, I just figured... alright, I actually was driving and I saw Daniel getting out of a cab to this nice hotel. And then I saw him help your family out. I wanted to tell you as soon as I saw you, but figured it was a surprise."
Betty smiled. "Thanks Henry."
Daniel had finished his phone call about ten minutes later and walked back to the table. When he saw Henry sitting at the table his heart dropped. He knew that Henry would be there, but he wished it wasn't when he left.
Hilda saw the look on his face and felt sad. She grabbed his hand and made him sit by her "There you are! We were just talking about you" she said.
Daniel smiled looking at her knowing she was trying to make him feel better. It sort of helped, but not enough to stop that ache in his heart. He really wondered what Betty was going to tell him.
Betty kept her eyes on Daniel, and wondered why Hilda made him sit by her. Daniel looked to Betty meeting her eyes.
"Was everything ok?" she asked in a low voice. "I uh..." Daniel stood up "I'll be right back" he walked off. They all watched him as he walked out of the restaurant. "I'll go see if he's ok" Betty said getting up.
"No, let me Betty!" Hilda stood up.
"Hilda" Betty looked at her annoyed. "He's my friend!"
"He's my friend, too!" Hilda responded and stormed off in the direction of Daniel.
Betty looked down at her hands in confusion. She looked to her family and Henry feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Henry looked up at her "I'm sure everything will be okay, Betty. Maybe he just needed some air" he said reassuringly. Betty nodded and sat back down feeling miserable.
When Hilda walked outside of the restaurant, she saw Daniel sitting at the bench just outside. She approached him slowly and took a seat next to him.
Daniel let out a breath. "This is harder than I thought" his voice cracked.
"I know it can't be easy seeing the person you love with someone else" she said "but...I know my sister loves you, Daniel. We can all see it in her eyes."
Daniel nodded "I know. I just...I wonder what she was going to say to me." He let out a deep sigh. "I just...I had a feeling it was important. I didn't want to take the call, but I knew Alexis needed me."
"What happened with Alexis? Is everything ok?"
He nodded "She found out that uh...that she has a son" he said still wondering how that could work, especially given that now Alex was Alexis, so the poor kid's father was now a woman. Hilda looked shocked "What? Wow...that sounds...complicated"
"I know. And uh...the kid, his name's DJ, he thought I was his father. He was actually looking for me."
"Oh Daniel..."
"I uh...I don't know. I kind of wish he was my son. Is that weird?" he asked now looking to her. She shook her head "No, I don't think that's weird, honey. I wouldn't change anything in the world if it meant Justin wasn't in it. Just think about it this way, you can be an awesome Uncle Daniel to him" she said with a smile.
Daniel laughed; his eyes starting to blur remembering how Ashley told him her baby had an Uncle Daniel. "You're right. Thanks" he said.
"We're family, Daniel." She placed her hand on top of his. He nodded with a smile, feeling a tear escape his eye. He felt so lucky to have a family in Ashley and Eric, and then have his family in the Saurez clan, and even his own mother and sister.
Hilda smiled and hugged him. He hugged her back.
She pulled away excitedly. "Now, let me see that ring you got for my baby sister!" She said in happy squeal.
Daniel laughed and pulled it out of his pocket holding it out to her. She took it and opened it, her eyes getting bright in wonder.
"Woww...that's gorgeous! Oh, she will love it, Daniel." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Don't worry, honey. I'm sure she will come around." She pulled him close "Justin told me she has a surprise for you"
Daniel's heart lifted and his eyes were shining "really?"
Hilda nodded happily. "Yep! Just be patient. I don't know what it is. Justin wouldn't tell me. That kid, I tell you" she shook her head. Daniel laughed "but...she's got to love you. I know it!"
Daniel nodded a smile on his face again. "Thanks Hilda. I think I would have died without you guys" he said dramatically.
"Oh you're so dramatic" she said pulling him up. "And I thought my family was" she said with a giggle as they headed back in the restaurant. Daniel laughed "At least your family is not as crazy"
"Oh please. We're all a bunch of locos! Have you met my sister?" she said making Daniel laugh as they walked to the table. She smiled seeing that he was laughing and smiling again.
When they reached the table, Daniel slipped in next to Betty a smile on his face, and Hilda smiled as she sat back down next to Justin. Betty looked to Daniel curiously. He just smiled at her. "I can't wait to see the surprise" he whispered before turning in his seat and started eating again.
Daniel took her hand in his and gave it a soft squeeze before letting go. Betty's heart was going crazy. She didn't know what was happening.
As the lunch continued they all enjoyed each other's conversation and even Henry seemed to feel comfortable around them. It seemed that the weight was lifted since they were no longer together. He didn't realize that her family didn't know that they were broken up.
And her family seemed to not realize it as well. Betty took a deep breath trying to calm her heart down from racing, especially since Daniel was sitting so close to her and his intoxicating scent was giving her butterflies. And every time he looked at her, his eyes would seem to sparkle. She felt like he was pulling her heartstrings every time.
She knew today was going to be interesting. If she could just make through this night and tomorrow morning, she could finally be with Daniel. If he still loved her.
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