CHAPTER FIVE
Hilda was just finishing up with a customer when she heard the front door slam and Betty's distinctive quick shuffle up the stairs. Older sister instincts kicked in immediately and she smiled, adding one more flourish of hairspray, just because, "Well, Alana, if Randen doesn't notice you now, I say kick his ass to the curb, because, sister, you look hot!"
Her happy customer smiled, handing her not only the fee but a large tip, "It does look fantastic, Hilda! You're a miracle worker! Thanks!"
"Honey, I work with what I've got and you've already got it all! I just…. enhanced and showed off your natural beauty in its best light. Have fun on your anniversary. I just know he's going to take you somewhere amazing and bust out something that will totally knock your socks off!"
"We'll see about that. Now that really WOULD be a miracle!"
Hilda added the money to her cash box and went to see why her sister had rushed upstairs, not even stopping in to say hello. Something was definitely up with Betty. She was normally always friendly and stopped in to say hello to Hilda's customers when she came and went. It wasn't like her to just run and hide in her room.
She knocked softly on Betty's door, "Hey, mami! What's up? You didn't see how sexy Alana looked for Randen! I really AM a miracle worker, if I do say so myself!"
She heard sobbing and stepped inside, not waiting to have Betty tell her to come in, as she rushed to the bed and sat down, stroking the back of her baby sister's hair and rubbing her back, "Betty! Seriously, honey, what's wrong? Are you having post traumatic stress over that crazy chica trying to burn you alive last night? Aw...maybe it would have been better to stay home today. You should have Daniel pay for therapy or…."
Betty turned towards her sister, "NO! I don't want Daniel...um…"
She hesitated and Hilda laughed slightly, "Well I know you don't want HIM! You want Henry, but sweetie, I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you about your situation there. I think…"
"You think I'm crazy, just like Daniel and Gio and Papi and Justin and everyone else...including me. I KNOW things are never going to work out with Henry. I get that. I do. He's going to be a daddy and...that's the most important thing.
Not some silly fantasy I might have once had about he and I being together. About him riding up on a white horse, being my knight in shining armor and me, being Princess Daisy...it's just not meant to be that way! Me and my STUPID imagination!
Life just isn't how you fantasize, is it? No! In real life your would be boyfriend knocks up his ex and you're the third wheel and this funny little sandwich guy who you kind of like is all into you but you don't know how you feel about him because it's all been about the other guy...and NOW, you accidentally kiss your crazy naked boss just to make things even MORE complicated! And you think...maybe you both liked the kiss…"
Betty looked up at Hilda expectantly, seeing her sister's eyes get wider by the second, then having her hit her arm, "WHAT? Are you crazy? You kissed your boss? You kissed Daniel? WHY? Betty!
Didn't you almost get killed by his crazy ex for supposedly having a crush on him which you swore you didn't and now you go and KISS him? Dios Mio! Chica, estás completamente loco! Have you seriously lost your mind? DANIEL? I mean, wanting to throw your boyfriend's pregnant girlfriend a baby shower isn't insane enough, now you want to go after your rich, famous boss? Really?"
Betty flinched, hoping they were done with the physical abuse part of their sisterly routine, "I'm not going "after him", Hilda. He kissed me, too. I mean...he started it. We were talking in his hotel about the fire and he thanked me for saving him and I thanked him for trying to save me and it just sort of...happened! He leaned close to me and I kind of leaned up into his...lips. Then we...you know, kissed! Oh man! Why did we do that?
Now everything is going to be all...weird between us! I knew I should never have teased him about NOT having a crush on him! Knowing Daniel he got insulted because I said I didn't because I was in love with Henry and now that he and Gio seem to be best buddies, Gio probably put him up to...I don't know, showing me I don't really love Henry!
Although, you know, I hate to admit it, but I really am...being stupid about him. I get that, believe me. I'm going to tell him, too. Tomorrow! I'm going to tell Charlie she can have Henry. She's welcome to him, because they are going to be a family and that's that! I'm going to try to end things with some dignity!"
Hilda listened to her sister's usual rambling, but she made a face, "Seriously? You're going to talk to that stupid skank?"
"Hilda!"
"What? She is! You know she is! You said it yourself. I mean, she slept with your crazy orthodontist, too, right?
Oh...wait! I have a great idea, Betty! Listen, you're going to go see that guy and get him to check your braces, to see if you're ready to get them off yet! It's already been two years! And then...I am going to work a miracle on you! And you can march up to Henry and that bitch, Charlie and tell them to kiss your sexy Latina ass!
Then you can decide if you want to go after Gio or Daniel. Personally, I like Gio. He DOES have his own business. And he's crazy about you, Betty. He's funny, too. Daniel has, I don't know...too much drama in his life! But he IS rich, so… whatever! As long as that crazy Renee doesn't ever get out of lock up and try to kill you again! Which she would if she finds out you do really hook up with Daniel!
Well, come on, Betty, what are you waiting for? Go...call that weird, red-headed cheating dentist of yours! Who COULD be Charlie's baby daddy! Ooh...maybe you could tell him that and get the treatment for free?"
Betty made a face as her sister pulled her up out of bed. Hilda always did this, made her do stuff she really didn't want to do. She was so bossy! And she called HER bossy!
She whined, "Hilda! Stop, will you? Fine, I'll call Dr. Farkus."
Hilda's eyes shone with excitement, as she rubbed her hands together, "I'll get Justin! That Charlie is going down! You're gonna look amazing!"
Betty failed to be quite as excited about the possibility of getting her braces off. Yes, she wanted them gone, of course. But putting herself out there… was a scary concept, too. At least WITH her braces (and glasses, to some degree), she could tell herself that people only hated her because of them.
But once she had them both off, then what? What if she still didn't measure up? She was never going to look like the girls at Mode! She wasn't sure she even wanted to, anyway. She made the call to the doctor's office and got an appointment tentatively scheduled for two days later, that Thursday.
Dr. Farkus's assistant had sounded different than the one she had spoken to before. That had been a terrible night...finding out about Santos. In any case, she tried to get pumped up for this. Hilda and everyone was right; it was time to move on, to admit defeat to Charlie. She had won the minute she told Henry she was pregnant. Betty needed to just let it go and walk away.
But now, at least she would be walking away with a little strut to her step. She didn't have any hard feelings towards Henry, surprisingly. She knew he felt stuck. He wanted to be with her, but he felt obligated to be a good father, unlike his own father who left him. He really was a good guy.
She sat down, trying to make some kind of sense of her swirling emotions right now. Henry was a good guy...Gio was a good guy. Daniel was… impossible! Why did he have to be so...good looking and sexy and such a good kisser?
She took the next two days off work, using her night of terror at Renee's hands to stay home and let her sister and nephew give her their support and encouragement. She was starting to get a bit less apprehensive about their ideas to give her a little re-boot. If she had to tell Charlie she was giving up, this was going to be a good thing for her.
She would have asked Gio or even Daniel to come support her, but she didn't want to hurt Henry any more than he was already. This was really between her and Charlie now. Part of Betty wished she had had the nerve to push the girl that time in the subway station! Not really, of course. But it was a thought.
In any case, as Justin declared, Betty was going to look totally "fierce" when she told Charlie she was done trying to hold onto her relationship with Henry. Then she would get to see the look on everyone's faces at Mode as she walked in the following Monday.
And this time, she was going to do it right. No put downs from Wilhelmina. Besides, with that diva gone (at least for now; Betty was certain the woman was plotting to get back at Mode), Alexis wasn't really that bad. Betty still felt she could win Daniel's sister over and convince her to work with her brother.
She kept sending Gio and Henry and Daniel's calls to her voicemail. This was a girl thing. She didn't want any of their influence in this time of her metamorphosis.
She smiled, thinking she really was going to be like the butterfly she had dressed up as on that Halloween, back when she thought everything was just starting with Henry. But did spreading her wings and trying "new things" include Daniel?
She sighed, biting her lip as she decided to pick up this time, "Hello, Daniel."
"BETTY! You answered!"
"Yes, this IS my phone. What's up? I'm out today. Is there some kind of emergency? Did you run out of condoms?" she couldn't help feeling a bit bitter, considering all she had been through because of him. She really COULD have gotten killed; she had finally allowed that fact to sink in and it made her angry that he had chosen to ignore how disturbed Renee really was.
"No...I...sorry, I just wanted to check on you, Betty. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"
"You mean like a kiss? No thanks. I'm full up."
There was a slight pause, "You did kiss ME, remember?"
She blew out a breath in frustration. He could be the most frustrating and annoying man on the planet sometimes. "Ah, now I see the connection between you and Gio Rossi! You're both...a pain in the butt!
Fine, I kissed you. But only AFTER you...paraded around naked in front of me and flashed around in your silly robe and then….started leaning towards me like you were going to kiss me! I just wanted to get it over with so I could get out of there! You're impossible to argue with when you're drunk!"
He chuckled slightly at how flustered she clearly seemed, "I see. Sorry about that. I didn't mean to "parade" in front of you and I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't wait to get away from me. It...honestly didn't seem that way at the time. It actually seemed almost like...you enjoyed the kiss."
"Still milking the whole, "every woman on the planet is madly in love with me' theory? Yeah, good luck with that one. Maybe you should see if they have a two for one couple's discount wherever they took Renee!"
"Okay, okay. Fine. You hated kissing me. That's just fine with me, Betty. Less trouble that way. We can just stay being friends. I won't have to go out and buy you flowers or jewelry, then, I guess."
"FIne with me! Don't bother!"
"Fine! By the way, I'm supposed to put in a plug for Gio. He's a much better match for you than Henry. Or me, apparently! Yeah, as far as I'm concerned, you and he should be a great pair up. You're both pains in the asses!"
"Well you don't have to be so snarky about it! Just because I wasn't waiting by the phone for you to call and panting breathlessly for you to tell me how amazing I am or whatever the silly little skinny models do after you kiss… sorry, they kiss you!"
"I'm not being snarky. You are! I'm the one who's been burning your phone up. You've got ME waiting by the phone like some teenager, waiting for you to decide to speak to me. I was afraid you were going to sue me for sexual harassment or something.
Even though you came into MY hotel room uninvited, taking unfair advantage of my drunken state and nakedness, then you ARE the one who initiated the kiss, so...I'd say you don't have much of a case!"
"What? Taking unfair advantage of you? Are you kidding me? I had to practically force you to put some clothes on! And you know as well as I do how things really went. Besides, I...wouldn't do that. Not unless you really did anything. Don't you know me better than that by now, Daniel?"
"Yeah, I hope so. I thought I did. Look, I'm sorry. Let's start over. I did call just because I was worried about you and I miss you. You never take off sick. Are you upset about the fire? Or about Henry? Or...is it me you're mad at?"
She sighed, lying down on her bed, "All of the above, really. Mostly about Egg Salad, though, I guess. I know it isn't going to work. It just...hurts. Things are almost never how you imagine they're going to be, are they?"
"No." He admitted, but added, "But sometimes...they end up turning out even better than you could possibly imagine! You never know. You have to keep a positive attitude about things. They can work out really amazing in ways you couldn't have even dreamed they would if you're...open to new possibilities."
"True. So...I'll be back at work tomorrow. Are you and Gio still friends?"
"Yeah, I guess you could call it that. We've been hanging out a little. He's a nice enough guy. No matter what he tells me to say...I don't really think he is good enough for you, either, though. But hell, nobody is! So...do you need a pep talk or something to help you face...Egg Salad and the woman?"
She smiled at his concern, "No, thanks. I'm good I think." She looked up at the mirror, seeing how nice her smile was now that Dr. Farkas's replacement had removed her braces and how much more you could see her face with her new contacts.
Between those major changes and the great fashion, hair and makeup help Hilda and Justin were giving her, Betty knew she would feel quite confident when she faced Henry and Charlie to say her goodbyes. She almost felt sorry for Henry. Almost. He had still broken her heart, though. He did back when she first found out about Charlie, so she was getting used to it by now and starting to feel immune to the pain. It was more of just a dull ache at this point.
"Just let me know. Contrary to popular belief, I CAN throw a punch, you know. When properly motivated."
She laughed, "That's okay. I appreciate the support, though. And Daniel."
"Uh huh?"
"Thanks for not saying I told you so."
"Of course not! I wouldn't dream of it! I KNOW you can throw a punch!"
They both shared a laugh at that. After a moment, he said quietly, "So, listen. I'm really sorry if I was totally out of line and such a 'pain in the ass' the other day, Betty. I know you were only there to check on me. And instead you got a naked drunken idiot annoying you. After saving my life and everything."
"I didn't really, though. You weren't even there."
"Yeah, but you didn't know that."
"And you didn't know I was okay, either. So...we're even. We both tried to save each other."
"It's...kinda cool. I don't know if I've ever been willing to risk my life to save anyone before. I'm not sure there's anyone else who'd be willing to risk their life to save ME before, either!"
"Your family."
"Hmm...maybe YOURS! You have MET my family, right?"
She shook her head, "Your mother really does love you, Daniel."
"Yeah. She does. Okay, here you go again, trying to cheer me up. I was supposed to call and give YOU a pep talk!"
"Mission accomplished. Consider me...all pepped up!"
"Good. So...I guess...I'll see you tomorrow?"
"You will. Bright and early. You want the usual for breakfast? Onion bagel, toasted with cream cheese and coffee, two sugar…"
"How about tomorrow, I'll bring YOU breakfast?"
"O...kay. I'd like…"
"I know what you like." the low timbre of his voice did something not quite "friend appropriate" to her, causing her to wonder if things were ever going to be the same between them. Or if she really wanted them to be.