Several months later and the love struck couple are still riding high together on cloud nine. Their five year plans have also kicked into gear. Gio has finally opened a second deli and Betty is now a permanent columnist for MODE magazine. If it wasn't for the supporting bond and passion they shared for one another and their endeavors, their dreams wouldn't be becoming a reality so soon.
Gio had Betty to thank for lots of things, but notably her honest opinions and patience. Long days and late nights were a common occurrence since the expansion of the business, thus, keeping him away from spending precious time with Betty. Invitations to renowned industry events also took up some of his time, he loved it when Betty could join him, but due to her own work commitments, could not always make them.
Betty knew she wanted to be a writer from young, but didn't have the motivation to chase after her dream - until she met Gio. Without him, she would still be 'just an assistant' to Daniel. Now, not only is she his assistant but also a writer for his magazine. Seizing the opportunity to pursue with her writing and ultimate goal of running her own magazine, she too spends long hours some nights, sitting at home in front of her notebook, typing away…but also waiting up for Gio. Neither could bear to sleep alone until the other was there.
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Coming home one night, Gio checked his watch and then opened the door to the apartment. "Damn, it's 2am…" Bleary eyed, he walks towards to the living area and stops to stare at the mound slumped over the notebook, seated at the dining table. Sighing deeply and shaking his head in disbelief, he walks over to the exhausted body, drapes one hand around the back of the it, grabbing hold underneath the arm, then cradles the legs with the other hand and he mutters sadly, "Ohh Betty…you know you don't have to wait up if you're sleepy..." Not expecting an answer, he adjusted her body in his arms and walked off to the bedroom. Upon reaching the bed, he gently lowers and covers her with the quilt half way. He then changes into his night pants and hops into the bed also, pulling the quilt up to cover both bodies. Once comfortable, Betty rolls over and snakes one arm over his stomach to snuggle, then says groggily, "Darling, I'll always wait for you…no matter…" Before she could finish her sentence, she was out like a light. Gio chuckled softly and inaudibly replied "I know B, as I would for you." Kissing her forehead, he too, turns in to face her and holds her tightly in his arms.
Not seeing each other properly for a couple of days, they didn't know each one's plans, so when they woke up the next morning, they were surprised to see that they had both slept in and the other person wasn't missing. "Don't you have work?...No, do you?!...Nah I don't…" Joy was filling the surrounding air very quickly as realization set in. "So…this is like our first day off, together?!" Gio questioned. "Yeah it is. Oh my god Gio, we can spend the day together! There's so much we can do!" "There sure is" he replied, looking at Betty suggestively and pulling her closer. Kissing her lightly and savoring every moment, he then told her, "I've missed you so much B", "Well I've missed you more!" was all that Betty said before she swiftly moved to straddle him. She looked down at him; a cheeky grin appeared on her face before she swooped down and started kissing him with such force and urgency. Gio returned the lust with just as much, if not more, energy and passion. In between the fierce kisses and perforated breathing, clothes were removed and thrown to the floor. Their longing for one another was soon enough satisfied, thoroughly.
"So…explorer, what are our plans for today?" Gio asked whilst stroking Betty's arm gently up and down. With her head resting on his arm and shoulder, and circling one of Gio's hardened nipples gently with her nails, she replied, "Well, I was thinking we could go for a picnic in the park with a walk afterwards and then maybe go out for dinner. What do you think?" "Sounds wonderful, but one thing babe...Yeah?...You're tempting me with what you're doing and if you don't stop, we're going to have to skip lunch AND dinner…Oh! Ok then!!" Betty said laughing. As she was sitting herself up, she flicked her tongue from his belly button to his chest, finally giving him a devilish kiss on the lips. Pulling away, she flashed him a mischievous smile and quickly ran into the bathroom to get ready.
Gio stayed in the bed a little bit longer, just to gather his thoughts. 'Today's the day' he told himself. With the amount of work that they both have been putting in the past few months, they had neglected their own relationship. Psyching himself up for the day, he pushed the covers away, put some clothes on then carried on to the kitchen to put together a hamper for their picnic in the park.
Betty took her time getting ready in the bathroom. She wanted to look beautiful for Gio. They had hardly seen each other which meant they rarely spent time together like how they used to. Today was going to be a different day. Leaving the en suite and reentering the bedroom, Betty went to her wardrobe and picked out a flowing floral dress to compliment the sunny weather outside. Applying the final touches to her outfit and putting on a white cardigan, Betty left the bedroom to find Gio in the kitchen.
"Aren't you going to get ready?" Betty questioned. "Only one of us can be in the bathroom B" said Gio, "Well, you could've joined me y'know?" she flirted back. "Believe me! I thought about that, but once again sweetie, if we did that, then we'd have to cancel all plans for the day! We'll do that another day, there's plenty of time for that type of fun!" Gio said winking provocatively. Betty walked over to Gio, kissed him on his cheek and told him to get ready whilst she finished packing the basket.
Emerging from the shower, Gio was lost in his thoughts with his plans for the day and didn't notice Betty sitting on the closed toilet seat. Startled and worried he questioned, "B! Are you alright?" "Yeah I'm fine! Your phone rang, so I answered it. It was the main deli, they said they needed you for something but wouldn't say any more. If you have to go, that's not a problem, we've still got our dinner plans. I've made reservations at the Pemberley Inn." Trying not to sound upset by the possibility of their plans being cancelled, Betty was taken aback by Gio's defensive response. "Of course it's a problem. I'm spending the day with my sweetheart and that's that! I'll see what they wanted but I'm not ruining our day." "Ohh thanks hunnie. That means so much to me…to us!" Betty was over the moon that Gio wanted to spend the day with her and give up work for once. She left the bathroom, so he could get dressed, and went to the dining room, turning on her notebook, she couldn't help herself but do something work related and check her emails.
Gio closed the bedroom door and got dressed. As soon as he was ready, he called the deli back, fixed their minor issue and told them to only call him if it was a real emergency because he was busy for the rest of the day. He hung up and made another phone call. After ending the call, he put his phone in his pocket, then checked them for everything else he needed – car keys, wallet and a little velvet box.
Betty looked up when she heard the bedroom door open. 'Phoaaar…man does he look delicious' Betty's imagination went into overdrive when she saw Gio walk into the living area. "Hey spunk! Are we ready to go?" "Yep, we sure are" he said, grabbing the picnic basket and waiting for Betty to join him at the front door.
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Parking the van and getting out, Gio grabbed the picnic basket with one hand, locked the van then held Betty's hand with the other. They walked off to find a good spot to set up their lunch.
After finding the perfect spot, under the warm sun with a little bit of shade, they laid out the blanket and sat down. Emptying the basket, Gio placed the sandwiches on a plate while Betty poured some juice for them to drink.
Enjoying the sun, eating, talking and drinking, time was flying by. Laughter filled the air for most of the meal as well as quick kisses every now and then. Betty was so delighted she could spend the day with Gio. She missed the times when they used spend every possible minute with each other. Gio knew it had to be true, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', he felt as though he was falling all over again and a lot deeper in love with Betty. 'Today is definitely the day,' he thought to himself again.
Finally, looking at the time, Betty then suggested that they get going for a quick walk before they go out for dinner. Holding hands they walked around the park for an hour before returning to the van.
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The drive to the Pemberley was enjoyable, singing out of tune and laughing til their stomach's hurt. Soon enough they arrived at their destination. Parking the van a couple of blocks away, they walked to the restaurant in the relaxing early evening breeze. After a few minutes, they reached the entrance to the restaurant, recognizing Betty, the maître d' checked the reservation book and led them to their table on the front verandah.
After helping Betty into her chair before sitting down also, Gio leant across the table and held Betty's hands for a few minutes. Time stood still and no one else existed in the world as they gazed deeply into each other's eyes for those moments. "Ahem…are you ready to order?" Interrupted the waiter; breaking the trance between the two lovers. "Ahh…yeah sure…we'll place our order" replied Gio. Once they had ordered their main courses, wine and dessert for the evening, the waiter walked away from the table leaving them alone.
The conversations and laughter kept flowing between them as their meals were served and empty dishes taken away. Finally, their desserts were served and the last two glasses of wine were poured before the bottle was taken away. Raising his glass, Gio toasted, "To my darling, to us and our future together," Betty replied, "To us." Their glasses chinked and they each took a sip from their flute. Quickly swallowing, Gio put his glass down and slid down to face Betty. Kneeling on one knee, he withdrew the velvet box from his pocket, opened it and revealed a stunning ring. "Betty, I love you with all my heart. What do you say? Will you be mine forever, officially, Ms Suarez?" he questioned. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Betty squealed whilst jumping excitedly in her seat. Slipping the ring on her finger and cupping her face, they kissed tenderly as onlookers clapped and whistled. When they parted, Gio sat down and they continued with their dessert. Gio ordered another bottle of wine and they celebrated the night away.