The Baby Arrangement

Chapter 14: Keeping Up Spirits

Chapter 14: Keeping Up Spirits

After the cupcake war, Beth and Daryl went back to their building so Daryl could change. She was feeling a bit better, but can't get away from the initial sting of her loss. While Daryl gets changed, Beth looks around his apartment. She's never really been in here and the whole thing is new. The place is so clean that she feels it's not an apartment, but a continuous viewing of an apartment.

Going to his bookshelf, she skims the bindings of each book, finding some on motorcycle care, some light porn, erotic books and then her eyes fall on one book that's like a big smack to the face. Pulling out the purple binding, she can't believe he would dare have this out in the open - What to Expect When You're Expecting.

Her eyes sink and so do her eyes. She can't believe he would have this book. Was it a mistake? A mockery? Hearing Daryl open his bedroom door, she shove the book back on the bookshelf and rushes to the coffee table, shuffling through a stack of nudey magazines, but she didn't know that when she picked one up and started looking at one.

"Let me guess, you jus like em for the articles, right?" He asks with a chuckle.

"Huh?" He makes a little flip it around gesture with his pointer finger and she finds a nude woman on the cover sucking on a banana. "Oh god."

Tossing it back to the table, Beth wipes her hands off on her pants and looks at him.

"Why would you leave that out?"

"Cause they're not mine."

"Who...Who's are they?" Beth inquires nervously.

"Carl's... I let him use my apartment the other day...didn't really expect him to do that, but ya know- teen age boys." He says a lil disgusted. Beth cringes and looks around his apartment. "So you wanna change?"

"Fer what?" She looks at him with a questioning look and he grins.

"We're going out to the club. So let's go get you dressed up." He says as he rolls up his white dress shirt's sleeves. Pulling her from the couch, she knows she doesn't have much of a choice. He takes her to her apartment and immediately starts going through her closet.

"Umm excuse me?" She says a little irritated that he's searching through her closet and simultaneously ping through her bra and underwear a drawer. He ignores her, but soon pulls out a cute red dress, black heels, and matching black strapless bra and panties.

"Here. Put this on. I'll call the cab... unless you wanna ride on my bike?" He snakily asks and she gives him a sideways look. She knows he never lets anyone on his bike unless it's a dire emergency.

"Umm...do I get a helmet?"

"Duh...I'm not risking you to mad drivers." He says and leaves the room. It touches he heart how he said it. He's not rocking her. Smiling, she changes into the dress that comes only a few inches above her knee and is flowy in style. She fixes her hair into a braid that goes across her forehead and turns into a bun in the back. After doing her makeup, she steps out to the living room and when his eyes catch her, his mouth drops a but and his eyebrows raise. He's never seen her dressed up so beautifully and elegant. Coming over to him with her clutch on her wrist she looks him in the eyes, that are shimmering with an unknown glimmer.

"How do I look?"

"You...I...well I do a pretty good job at dressing people....undressing them too." He winks and she knows he's back to being how he is always.

"Oh let's just go." She grabs her mini leather jacket and they head down to his cycle. Examining, the bike she has no way how she's going to get on it.