Quiet Betty

Nick's face showed every bit of his panic as he realized his brother was right. Rob saw it and laughed haughtily. "That's right, man, and if only you'd asked her before instead of after!"

Nick swallowed hard, turned and all but tore the door off its hinges letting himself out. He had his phone at the ready before he'd even made it outside. Thanking his lucky stars that he'd managed to ask Janice for her number, he dialed it before he could lose his nerve.

* * *

Of course Audra had been snotty as ever when Janice had announced she had a date with Nick. Janice hadn't cared about that. She'd just chalked it up to disappointment that her lie to Betty about dressing up for church had failed to get her goat. But Janice had cared, and still did care, about Betty's aloof reaction. Three days later, as she waited in the lobby of her favorite restaurant for Nick, Janice didn't want to have to think about Betty right now. But she couldn't help it - still not one word from Rob or about him from Betty, and here she was falling for his brother!

Enough of that, Janice admonished herself. She couldn't very well save her friend from herself, and she'd had it with feeling guilty about the pleasant tickle she'd been feeling ever since Nick had called on Sunday. She was wearing her favorite skirt and a breezy peach-colored top that matched the summer weather just about perfectly, and she had every hope that Nick would find her as beautiful as she was feeling at the moment.

And, deep in the back of her mind where she'd been doing her best to keep it, she couldn't help thinking he'd find her beautiful out of her clothes on July 14 - if the opportunity presented itself and she was brave enough to take it. She had no doubt at all that she would find him beautiful that way. Would it happen? She didn't dare speculate, but she couldn't help hoping.

One look at the delight on Nick's face when he stepped inside, and she gave up trying to tamp down that hope. He was gorgeous in a tight designer shirt and crisp black pants. "Hey, you!" she said, jumping to her feet and hugging him without a second thought. "You're looking great tonight!"

"Thanks, and you too!" He looked all set to kiss her, and she was ready to let him. But he was overcome by that same nervous giggle she'd seen Betty give in to so many times before. "Listen, I'm so glad you said yes, but I just want to say, if Rob and Betty break up..."

"We're not them, and we're not responsible for their hangups!" Janice said gently. With that she hugged him again and gave his earlobe a playful nibble. She thought she could feel him getting hard against her belly, but she couldn't be sure that wasn't wishful thinking. For now. "I love Betty as much as you love your brother, but I'm here because I want to spend more time with you, all right?"

"Thanks," Nick said. "I was hoping you'd say something like that. Now let's eat."

It was a perfectly delightful evening, Nick giving every indication that he was as comfortable in Janice's company as she was in his. If his praise for the memories of that day at the picnic were a bit effusive, Janice didn't mind. She'd seen Betty struggle with the same sort of thing so many times. "Sorry, I really don't know how to say 'gee, I just loved spending time with you that one time,' you know?" he said shortly after they'd finished eating.

"You just did say it, silly!" Janice hoped he wouldn't mind her laughing.

He didn't; he joined in on it. "It just - I don't know, it sounds silly to just say it, don't you think?"

"I don't! I think it's beautiful, Nick. We spend so much time thinking of the right thing to say, especially when we're flirting. I hope you don't mind if I think you're flirting with me, by the way, but if you are, you're doing a good job, really."

"Whew, I'm glad to hear that!" Nick said. "Never was my strong point, as my family are always reminding me. As you might have guessed from what you learned about us last Sunday..."

"Being shy isn't exactly welcome, I take it?"

"Bingo."

"Well, I think it's perfectly fine," Janice reassured him. "But I will say, it surprises me that you can be all right with going nude in public but still be shy."

"It's hard to explain, but it just isn't the same thing. I mean, in a community where we're all wearing nothing but a smile, it's really no big deal once you get over that first rush. But trying to say you're interested in someone, putting your heart out there...I mean, you can be fully clothed and that still makes you feel naked. Not nude, but naked, you know?"

"I do, Nick, I do!" Janice helped herself to a touch of his hand across the table, and to her delight he squeezed back. "That's why it's really sweet, the way you just went ahead and said it. And I had a great time that day, too, really."

"Thank you!" Nick sighed. "It was a long day today, dealing with some of the kids - you know, summer school, none of them want to be there, and you remember what you treated subs like, of course. You've really got to lay down the law with them! But every time I wanted to throw some troublemaker out the window, I thought of tonight."

"I'm impressed you're still planning on getting your certification after that experience," Janice said. "I think I'd probably never want to see the inside of a school again!"

"I never thought I'd want to be a teacher in the first place," Nick said. "Shy, you know, and teachers hated that. Even the ones I liked had to comment on how I ought to speak up more, as if I could just throw a switch. But I guess that's what draws me to it now. I want to make sure kids like I was know some adults respect them and don't think they have to pretend to be an extrovert. And there's nothing like seeing a kid learn something they didn't get before. So rewarding!"

"God, that's refreshing," Janice said. "I don't know if Rob or Betty ever told you, our other roommate's a teacher, and all she ever has to say about it is how much she hates it, and the kids. Always remembering how much she loved being the popular cheerleader and why can't they all be like that?"

"Yeah, they told me about Audra." Nick said drily.

He tried. Janice could see he really, really tried to hide his obvious distaste at the very mention of that name. But he couldn't quite do it.

She thought about letting it go by - after all, hadn't she nixed any talk of Betty or Rob? But she didn't want his obvious discomfort spoiling such a wonderful evening. Gently as she could, she said, "Right, I guess your brother knew Audra from school?"

"Barely," Nick said. "I was the one who knew her well. We were in the same class, all the way up from kindergarten. I'm sorry, Janice, I know she's your friend, but..."

"Don't be sorry, Nick. She's been a real pain in the rear end lately."

"Believe me, it's not just lately!"

* * *

When she got home shortly after ten o'clock, Jance opted not to tell Betty how long they'd ended up commiserating about Audra. For one thing, she still wasn't to make sure of all she'd learned about her friend's younger days.

She wasn't really sure if she ought to say anything at all to Betty, who did not appear to have budged from the living room couch in all those hours. But she couldn't keep it all to herself. "I hope you don't mind if I say I had a wonderful time," she said in an uncertain tone.

"I mind!" Audra's voice rang out from the kitchen. Appearing in the doorway in a tank top and cutoffs with a beer in her hand, she went on. "It's bad enough Betty was mixed up with Rob, now you've got to date his baby brother?"

"Rob's our age," Janice reminded her.

"I know, I grew up with him, remember?" Audra said, flopping down in her easy chair. "I didn't mean 'baby' that way. Nick...he's not all there. He's got major issues. I'll tell you right now, Jan, I don't want him coming over here."

"You think he'd ever come in your home in the first place?" Janice snapped. She knew exactly what Audra meant by calling him a baby, for Nick had told her all about what she'd put him through back at school, and she was too disgusted with Audra to talk about it right now. Not wanting to lose what was left of the joy she'd been feeling throughout the evening, she gave Betty a sympathetic look and walked out through the kitchen to their balcony.

Looking out at the stars and ignoring the stray sounds of a few fellow tenants in the courtyard below, Janice tried to enjoy the lovely moment. A new romance, she lived with her best friend, and the bad old days were farther in the rearview mirror every day. But when it came to Audra, the best she could do was hope her spending more time with Nick would get under her skin.

She wasn't surprised when she heard steps in the kitchen behind her. But she was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't Audra but Betty who appeared over her shoulder. "How's Nick?" she asked.

"Wonderful," Janice said. "I promise we didn't talk about you, though. We made a point of avoiding it. Or Rob."

"So you don't know how Rob's doing either?" Betty's voice had an unavoidable note of disappointment.

"We already know more of your business than we should," Janice said. "And we were there to get to know each other better. But you know we both want to see you two make up."

"I think I do, too," Betty sighed.

"You think?"

"Well, he hasn't called me either," Betty said.

"Probably for the same reason why you haven't called him," Janice said more gently than she really wanted to. "One of you does have to go first. Besides, didn't you say you did want to join them for you-know-what?"

"I said it sounded like fun," Betty admitted. "But I do still have my concerns about what Rob'll think about my body."

Unbeknownst to them, Audra had been listening in from the kitchen. At this, she piped up: "I can still get you a waxing appointment, Bets."

Betty stared straight ahead, not wanting Audra to see she was near tears again. Janice had no such inhibitions. "Audra, haven't you done enough damage already here?"

"Oh, come on!" Audra said. "I guess my trick with the church clothes was a little mean, but - "

"It wasn't." Betty had found her self-control again, and turned around to face Audra. "Rob loved that outfit, I told you. And I kind of enjoyed dressing up, too."

"You don't have to lie about it, Betty," Audra needled. Having finished her beer, she tossed the can in the recycling bin without rinsing it. "Scoot over, I want to join your klatch."

"Actually, I was just thinking of hitting the sack," Betty said, and she squeezed past Audra to step back into the kitchen.

"I'm done, too," Janice said.

"Oh, come on, join me for another beer!" Audra protested.

"I'll think about it," Janice lied. "But first things first, I'm ready to get out of this bra."

Audra laughed. "I don't see how either one of you can go without a bra, even at home. But whatever."

Betty lost her resolve and turned to give Audra a dirty look, but Audra was facing away and didn't see it. Janice patted her comfortingly on the back, inadvertently discovering that Betty already wasn't wearing a bra.

And all at once she got an idea. "Betty, come to my room!" she whispered.

* * *

Janice was expecting a firm no to her idea at the very least. But she was astounded when Betty took a quiet moment to think about it and said, "It just might work."

"Glad to hear you think so!" Janice said through her top, which she was in the midst of pulling over her head; true to her excuse for leaving Audra on the balcony, she did want to be rid of her bra. She was glad Betty couldn't see the surprise she was sure on her face. "I just think, from what you said and what Nick had to say about Rob, it sounds like you both might need a strong dose of something to clear the air," she explained once she had the top off.

Betty giggled nervously. "Nice bra," she said.

"Haven't you seen it before?" Janice paused with her hands on the clasp behind her back. Then just as quickly she recalled, though they'd been roommates for nearly six years, Betty had always been scrupulous about avoiding being in the room when Janice or Audra were changing. "Oh, wait, I guess not."

"I never wanted an audience when I undressed, and fair's fair." But now Betty made no effort to avert her gaze as Janice's breasts fell free, and she dissolved into girlish laughter.

"What's so funny? You've got two of your own, haven't you?" Janice felt a touch embarrassed, but she made no effort to cover up, and proceeded to unzip her skirt.

"Until last week, I'd have guessed this is what Rob thinks you and I were always like, always openly tearing our clothes off together," Betty explained once she'd caught her breath. "Now I know it's more like his family than like us!"

"And maybe your family one of these days, if you can get over your hangups," Janice pointed out.

"How wonderful would that be," Betty said with a thoughtful gaze. "Raising our kids to never hate their bodies the way I did. If only I can do it."

"You can!" Janice pulled her nightgown on.

"Thanks." Seeing it was okay, Betty sat down on the edge of Janice's bed. "Honestly, I do want kids and I want them to have a better self-image than I had for so long. I don't ever want them to leave any bullies feeling like they'd won, the way I did."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Janice sat down and put her arm around Betty. "Has Audra ever talked to you about Nick?"

"Only to say she hates him even more than she hates Rob."

"That figures," Janice sighed. "We got to talking about Audra over dinner, and now I know why Rob was always so standoffish with her."

"High school stuff, wasn't it?" Betty asked. "He didn't want to bother with the younger kids?"

"Then he'd have been just as unfriendly to us, wouldn't he?" Janice pointed out. "No, it goes back long before high school..."

* * *

When Janice told Nick of her plan, he loved it but wasn't sure he could get Rob to play along. "Last time we talked wasn't very friendly," he explained. "And I doubt he'll be very happy to hear you and I are getting along."

"That's all the more reason why he and Betty ought to make up," Janice said. "Listen, I can join you for asking him, if you want."

"I don't think that'll help," Nick said. "You know what would help, though?"

"Making sure Audra's nowhere to be found," Janice said in a knowing tone.

"He won't even consider it if there's any chance she'll be there," Nick said. "But you know, maybe that's how I can convince him. We wouldn't want Audra to win, would we? He's still pretty protective of me about all that."

"Great idea," Janice said. "Tell you what, let's make it tomorrow night. I know Audra's got a date with some hotshot, she wouldn't shut up about it this morning. I'll call you if she's not out of the house by dinnertime, otherwise come on over. And then let's you and I get lost somewhere!"

"Yes please!" Janice was sure she could almost hear Nick's grin on the phone.

Nick did succeed in convincing his brother not to let Audra win. But Rob still wasn't in the best of moods on the drive over the following night. "I do love Betty and I don't want to leave everything hanging like this," he admitted. "But if she wants to talk, where's she been all week?"

"Waiting for you to call her," Nick said. "And thinking the same things you're thinking, for all the wrong reasons."

"When did you get to be a relationship counselor?" Rob grumbled.

"I just know what it's like to be shy and afraid," Nick said. "And let's face it, the news was a shock."

"That's why I agreed to this," Rob said. "That, plus I do love her. But I've still got my suspicions that she's just too demure and repressed."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Nick had to keep his eyes on the road, and couldn't tell if Rob noticed his mischievous grin.

Janice greeted them at the door. "Come on in," she said. "You-know-who is out, probably all night."

"Thanks for making sure she's not here," Rob said. "I don't know if Nick's told you about his history with her..."

"He has, and I wasn't surprised at all," Janice said. "All through college she never shut up about her fond memories of being queen bee. Betty and I were always waiting for her to grow up. Now I don't think she ever will. I really need to look at getting a place of my own once you and Betty move in together."

"If we do," Rob said.

"Oh, Rob, don't be that way!" Janice said. "At least not until you've heard what Betty has to say about it. I think you'll be surprised."

Nick had stood by silently though all this; now he couldn't suppress a chuckle at Janice's last comment. He tried to make it sound more like a cough. When that didn't work, he spoke up. "Anyway, Rob. Janice and I are going to give you both some space. We're going to a movie."

"What if I need a ride home before you get back?" Rob asked.

"Take a Lyft and I'll pay you back," Nick said. "But look, I really don't think - "

"You don't know anything about our relationship, bro," Rob reminded him. "You either, Janice. No offense."

"None taken, but I think Rob's right," Janice said, picking up her purse. "Betty's in her room."

"Have fun, guys," Rob said.

He stood by the door for a moment after he'd watched them leave. Something about that tender moment with his brother's arm around Janice made him want to forget about all that had gone wrong, and to find a way around all his concerns with Betty. He did love her so, shy or not, prudish or not, and why should his kid brother be the only happy one? Feeling like he was living in the pre-climax scene of a teen movie, Rob took a deep breath and was pleased to find his smile wasn't forced as he walked around the corner and down the hall.

In her room, Betty heard his footsteps. Her heart was in her throat and her insides felt like a playful volcano as she stood up and untied the sash of her robe. She wasn't even sure why - wasn't this the man she planned on spending the rest of her life with? Hadn't she been wanting this for ages?

That was the problem - exactly what did he want? Win or lose, she was about to find out.

Rob knocked on her door. "Betty?"

"Come in!"

He opened the door, to find his future bride standing by her bed, wearing a very nervous smile and a beautiful magenta negligee with the lowest neckline and highest hemline he'd ever seen on her. She giggled like a schoolgirl as he took in the lovely view.

"Well, hello," he said, shutting the door gingerly, as if he were afraid she might order him not to.

But she didn't. "Rob, it's okay!" she said, taking a step towards him. "It's not like you wouldn't be seeing this and everything under it soon enough anyway, you know!"

"I certainly was looking forward to this after the wedding, you know."

"As was I!" Betty was still nervous, though tremendously relieved. "But after last weekend, I realized we needed to clear the air about some things."

"Well, I'm certainly willing to do that!" Rob said, wringing his hands nervously. "Sorry, I just want so badly to touch you right now..."

"Who said you couldn't?" Betty opened her arms, and without another word he flung himself into them. His embrace felt wonderful through the silk. "I hope you don't mind, Janice and Nick figured out we each thought the other one was waiting for marriage, when really neither of us is," Betty explained, rubbing his back. "And I realized I've been awfully uptight about what you'd think of my body."

"What I think of your body is, it's incredibly beautiful!" Rob drew back.

"You still haven't seen all of it."

"I don't need to, I know it! But...you're not saving yourself?"

Betty shook her head. "Don't you remember I tried once with you?"

"Oh my God!" Rob cringed. "Betty, I'm sorry!" He let go of her and looked away. "You'd be totally justified if you threw your clothes back on and told me to get lost. I just - that time, that was really early on, you know, just three or four dates, I think?"