Waking up with the sun shining in her face, Betty opened her eyes and felt comfort instantly. She realized she was in Gio's arms and facing him. He was sound asleep, so Betty just looked at him whilst she could without him noticing. Absorbing in every detail of his face, she closed her eyes and replayed the events of the previous night; she couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.
"Whatcha thinking about explorer?" Gio said, startling Betty. She looked down at him and noticed that his eyes weren't yet open, so he must have got a glance of her when she closed her eyes for a second. Seizing the moment, Betty swooped down and kissed Gio longingly. "Mmm, I was thinking similar thoughts too…" Gio said as he pulled her in closer for a cuddle. Betty wrapped her arms around Gio and pulled into him too. "Thank you for last night G, it couldn't have been better" Betty said whilst rubbing his back. "Ohh, there's plenty more where that came from and it'll get better – that was only the icing Suarez!" Lying there together, enjoying the embrace and morning sun warm their room, they didn't want to move, until they heard each other's stomach's growl.
"Time for breakfast eh? We should be getting up soon anyway. We've gotta get ready for work." Betty agreed, heading off to the bathroom to take a shower whilst Gio prepared breakfast in the kitchen. "Perfect timing B! Pancakes - Rossi style!" Gio said as he was laying out a plate with a very tall stack and a mixture of condiments along with a pot of coffee. "You start eating; I'll jump in the shower and join you in five minutes." Betty nodded and started to make her coffee whilst getting her bag ready. She thought it would be better to wait for Gio and then they could have breakfast together – like a normal couple. She was ready to take that step and be a couple in public; 'explorers' that everyone knew about, with no more sneaking around and being embarrassed. She deserved to be happy after the Henry fiasco and Gio ought to have a chance for a proper relationship. He is 'the guy' after all.
Betty was too busy checking appointments in her BlackBerry that she didn't notice Gio sneak up behind her. Grabbing her from behind, he squeezed her tight and rested his head on her shoulder. "Whatcha doing?" "Oh nothing, just checking Daniel's schedule for the day, organizing our life…" "Organizing our life? What do you mean?" "Gio, I want us to be a proper couple. I want everyone to know that we're together." "Ahh, B, I think everyone will know that by now, seeing as we've moved in together…and I think the neighbors definitely know!" Betty blushed and Gio moved around to face her and kissed her cheek. "Don't be embarrassed B, you were amazing, I can't wait for next time!" He said winking as he walked over to the table. He sat down and started on his pancakes. "Why isn't my Eater eating? Don't like my pancakes?!" "Do you have to call me Eater?"Betty said as she also sat down. "It's our 'thing'; couples have 'things'". "Yeah well couples eat breakfast together too!" Betty retorted back. Gio put down his cutlery and reached across the table to grab one of Betty's hands. "Sorry babe, I just didn't want us to be late, but from now on, we'll eat breakfast together. Ok?" "Thanks Gio. It means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me. And your pancakes are divine!"
They finished their breakfast and put the dishes in the sink to be washed. After collecting her belongings, Betty met Gio at the door, took his hand, and they left the apartment together, heading for the basement car park where the deli van was parked.
Today was their first day as a proper couple and Betty couldn't wait to tell the world. The first thing she was going to do was put a picture of them as her wallpaper on her computer at MODE.