A complete crush.
Disclaimer: None of the characters/ familiar storylines are mine.
A/N: Reviews are 100 percent pure joy. Thanks so much for the great encouragement, namedone! :D Thanks so much to everyone for their praise and thoughts.
Sedimentation is a natural phenomenon. Please shake thoroughly before use.
Christina sat open-mouthed across from Betty at the small coffee table.
For once, the seamstress was simply dumbstruck. "Daniel and...Gio?" she croaked, finally.
Betty nodded, looking at the table. "Yeah. So...I really don't know what to do," she said.
"You mean, who to choose?"
Betty nodded again.
"What d'you mean you dunno who to choose - it's hardly a competition -" Christina started to smile, then stopped at the seriousness of Betty's expression. "Oh, alright."
The two of them sat gloomily at the table for a while, and Christina said, "Well, I dunno - you see, Betty, I can't choose for you. It's just something you need to...know."
Betty groaned. "I know!" She brought her hands up desperately.
"So they're both in love with you so desperately they fought each other," Christina mused. "Betty, do you have any idea...any inclination..."
Betty shook her head, and then shrugged. "I don't know. I...well, if I think about it - I don't know, sometimes it seems like Gio's closer to me, because we're the same type of people, from the same neighbourhood - the same class of society -"
She stopped and glared at the evident disappointment on Christina's face.
"Oh, God, sorry," Christina said, snapping into a wide-eyed expression. "Well. I guess I can understand that." She cleared her throat fakely.
"If you're going to be biased toward Daniel, then..." Betty sighed.
"Oh no no, you're not getting rid of me," Christina said, hurriedly, touching Betty's arm. "Okay, I get it. You feel closer to Gio, so - well, go for it! You can't keep them both dangling like this. And I mean, it was Gio you had dinner with today, right, not Daniel? So...he'll get the message."
Betty bit her lip, twisting uncomfortably in her chair. The conclusion was...was what she had been thinking. But it didn't feel right. "But I can't do that to Daniel! He'll be so hurt!"
"Daniel's a big boy, he can take care of himself," Christina said, rolling her eyes. "Look, don't get so eaten up by all this. You can just be friends with Daniel, can't you?"
"Yeah," Betty said.
Hope not, Christina thought.
Because she really thought that Betty and Daniel would be perfect together. It seemed really cheesy and soap-opera-y and too overly romantic, but really - what could be more perfect? The sensible, smart, witty, down-to-earth girl and the former-spoiled-playboy-who-has-been-converted.
Betty prodded the vacant smile off Christina's face.
"Okay, Betty! Jesus, what is wrong with you? Let's go someplace nice and you can think this all over."
They paid for Christina's coffee and left the cafe, walking down the street slowly in the cool night, pausing only for Christina to duck quickly in and out of the toilet.
The Round Sickle club was a mouthful, but it was a really great place to chill. One of Christina's favourites, in fact. It was a vaguely circular room, not too large yet not small, several tables surrounding a central sort of drinks area and a karaoke stage. The entire place was painted in several different calming shades of blue that still managed to radiate coolness.
Betty sighed and kicked back in the chair at the table she and Christina had left their bags on. There was a kind of ring that ran between the open karaoke area and the table section, and people mingled there, holding their drinks.
"Christina -"
"Eh?" the seamstress snapped her head around quickly to look at Betty. "Hi."
Betty frowned. Christina had been looking around almost frantically, all the while trying to appear nonchalant. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, nothing," Christina said, airily, sipping more of her drink. "Just...scanning the crowds."
"Are you looking for someone?"
A vaguely guilty and panicky look began to dawn upon Christina's face. "No, of course not -"
"Is it Stuart?" Betty asked, looking worried. "Do you need to be with him?"
"No! No, Betty, I'm with you tonight," Christina said. "Really."
"Then who are you looking for?"
"Oh, he-I mean, what? I'm not looking for anyone." Christina knocked back the rest of her drink and stared at Betty. "Right. Well, let's get this sorted. So what are you going to do?"
"I feel like I should go with Gio, and I'll have a...talk...with Daniel...?" Betty looked away down at the carpet.
"Oh, Betty," Christina said, watching her sadly. "But you must."
"I must," Betty repeated, sighing. "I suppose."
"Don't worry, things will work out," Christina said. "It must be really confusing right now." Useless words, these, but she had to say something, right?
Betty nodded. "Thanks."
Christina shook her head, smiling slightly.
"Betty."
The sound of Daniel's voice, clear and amplified, issued from the speakers in the center of the room. She turned slowly, staring. He smiled at her from atop the stage.
"What is he doing here?" Betty asked, turning to meet the eyes of a very guilty looking Christina. Betty's mouth fell open. "Christina!"
"What, at least this way you can know," Christina protested. "Give him a chance, Betty. You always cared so much about him."
"I did no-"
"You were always obsessing over him; remember when you announced his name in that club?" Christina ignored a little stab of apprehension, remembering that night - that night she'd revealed her betrayal to Betty. "Well, he cares about you, too. Yes, I called him, Betty. He didn't have to come."
Daniel
I watch Christina talk to Betty, wondering what she is saying. Finally, Betty turns, looking right at me with those chocolate depths I feel such a connection to even across the heads of so many avidly staring people.
She walks slowly over, moving through the crowd. When she reaches the side of the stage, I let go of the microphone stand and step down onto the floor.
I need to speak to her and tell her, but I have no words. I know what I want to communicate. This is no crush; I am desperately in love - with her. Take me, Betty, I am yours forever.
Betty
Daniel opened his mouth and issued a tiny little strangly noise.
And I smiled despite the twisty feelings I was feeling. I could feel the smile tugging the reluctant muscles of my face upwards. How utterly helplessly sweet and awkward Daniel can be sometimes.
Daniel's mouth formed the beginning of the letter B, before Betty took him swiftly by the arm and began to pull him toward the exit of the club.
"Minor problem," she assured the crowd; some people were still watching. "I just need to, uh, brief him on...a situation."
The wake of night air broke against their lungs; Betty marched them down the street, then let go of his arm.
"B-"
"What were you thinking? You're still my boss, Daniel," Betty said.
"Still? What - what else am I?"
The silence was thick. "Oh, I don't know, Daniel. You tell me." Betty was tired; tired of thinking.
"Your...friend."
She nodded mutely. True.
"Your best friend."
She nodded again, slower this time.
"Your no-longer-secret admirer," Daniel said, in a quick rush, feeling absurdly unlike himself. Had he just proclaimed love for his assistant on bended knee? He glanced down to check. Yup.
He grinned up at her in the blissful release of verbal admission.
"Tell me what to do," Betty said, after a long, long silence.
"I can only tell you that I...that I -" he cleared his throat "-love you. Very much." He nodded.
Betty
Again, that reluctant grin spreads over my face. Why am I smiling? Is it just the inexplicable rightness I feel in this moment?
The sudden, emotionless tone of Betty's mobile ended any further thoughts they might have shared.
"Betty," Gio said.
A/N: Please share your thoughts on where this story is going. I'm sorry if Gio popping up was too predictable D: