Betsy and The Beast

Fifteen (Betsy)

I stared at Anthony, with my mouth rudely hanging open for several minutes. After a minute, I vaguely heard Riley growl something at him and Anthony responded with another growl of some sort. Everything around me seemed foggy. It was like the world was standing still but I was moving at a high rate of speed, unable to keep traction.

Anthony looked different. His thick dark hair seemed longer and wasn't styled to perfection. Actually, he had what I'd call "bedhead". He looked like he literally rolled out of bed and left his house without combing his hair. The messy hair look worked for some guys and he was definitely one of them.  His clothes were different too. Gone was his fancy suit. In its place was a dark blue polo shirt and khaki shorts. On his feet... was that? No. He couldn't be wearing sandals on his feet. I was dreaming. That's what was happening, I decided.  Or maybe I missed Anthony so much that I'd conjured his image.  I was hallucinating.

"Betsy, Dear. Are you alright?" Paulette's voice finally penetrated, and everything seemed to whoosh back into focus.  Riley stood nearby, looking concerned. Anthony hadn't come closer, but I could tell he wanted to. He kept alternating between sending me pleading looks and shooting glares toward Riley.

"If you've come to try to convince my grandparents to sell again, you can get the hell out of here." Riley growled.

Anthony shook his head, "I'm not here for that. In fact, I no longer own Chapman Holdings."

"What?" I whispered, wobbling on my feet. Now I knew I had to be hallucinating.

"Careful." Riley grabbed my arm, clearly concerned I'd go down.

Anthony growled, "Are you dating him?"

"What?" I blinked, dumbly.

"Riley Henderson. The guy who needs to let go of your arm before I completely lose control. Are you dating him?"

"What if we were dating? You tossed her away. It would serve you right if she has moved on." Riley stated.

I sighed, "Riley, that's not helping. No, Anthony, I'm not dating anyone, but that really isn't any of your business anymore."

Anthony seemed to slump with relief. He nodded, "I know I've lost all my rights, where you're concerned. I just...can we go somewhere to talk?"

"How did you even know I was working here?"

"I didn't. I came to apologize to Henry and Paulette for the shady deal I'd tried to pull with them. I'm just as surprised to see you, as you are to see me."

I bit my lip. Did I dare go with him to talk? Did I dare have hope? He seemed so different. Could he really have changed that much so quickly? Who was the man standing before me?  Had I ever really known him?  In that moment, it became abundantly clear that I'd fallen in love with a stranger.

"Please, Betsy. If we could just talk for a few minutes." He pleaded.

"Ok." I whispered.

"You sure you're alright?" Riley asked and I nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. He'd become a good friend to me, as had his grandparents.

I moved toward Anthony, who told Henry, "I'll be back to pick up and pay for my order."

Henry nodded, "Take your time."

Anthony's hand on my lower-back, as we exited, felt so good and right that I wanted to lean on him. More than that, I wanted to collapse into his arms. Instead, I kept my back straight and my head held high as Anthony motioned toward a bench, across the street, under a shade tree.

Once we were seated, I waited. Anthony seemed jittery. His legs were bouncing and then he stood, pacing back and forth in front of me. I watched, fascinated. It was so unlike the man I thought I knew, I didn't know what to say to try to alleviate his nerves.

Finally, he stopped and sat beside me again, turning to face me. He gave me a sheepish, endearing smile, and my heart soared. The hope I'd began to feel, upon finding him at my place of work was really blossoming after that smile.

"Betsy..." He said, as he took my hands into his. "I'm an asshole."

A startle laugh left me, "What?"

"No, it's true. I've been nothing but an asshole for many year and... I was the biggest asshole to you. Betsy, you gave me the greatest gift...yourself and instead of cherishing you, I pushed you away. I didn't just push you away. I demanded you leave. There are not enough words of apology in the world for what I've done to you, but I am so sorry. Do you think you could ever forgive me?"

"Anthony, I was never mad at you. I was hurt and frustrated, but never mad. I understand you have issues with getting close to someone, but-"

"Wait, before you kick me to the curb. I want you to know I'm getting help. I've been seeing a therapist. I'm working through my trust issues and my self-loathing. I've hated myself all my life. See, my mom died giving birth to me and my dad, before he took off, never let me forget it. It was my fault she's dead."

"It wasn't your fault." I said, my heart breaking for him.

"I know that now.  I should have known all along, that it was beyond my control, but my childhood insecurities never went away. It's not my fault my mother died. It's not my fault Gloria died and our baby...none of it was my fault. I know that. I'm still dealing with it, but I know that."

I bit my lip, nervously, before telling him, "Look, I know grief too. My parents burned in a fire when I was seven. My grandmother raised me until she died when I was sixteen. I then became just another statistic in the foster system for the next two years. During those years I lived with five different foster families. None of them were terrible people, but none of them were home to me. I've spent years, since then, keeping people at arm's length. It just hurts too much to lose the ones you love, but Anthony, I'm done running. I want to live life. I want to fall in love and feel loved in return. I want-"

"I'm in love with you!" He interrupted.

My eyes widened and I whispered, "What?"

He ran a hand down his face and growled, sounding more like his old self, "I didn't mean to just blurt it out like that. I wanted to do some grand gesture or something."

I smiled, "I love you too."

His eyes snapped up and his eyes met mine, "Really? I'm not too late?"

I shook my head, "You're not too late."

"I'm going to kiss you now." He said, cupping my face.

"Yes please." I barely got the words out before his lips took possession of mine.