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George lived his life by one rule his mother installed in him from a young age. 'Don't Judge'. This rule had done him well as he grew up. He was always a sweet and quiet boy who never judged, no matter how little he understood something. Which is probably why he was so good as what he did. Drive around the richest and strangest New York had to offer. The company didn't market themselves as particularly discreet, just a simply luxury car and drive hire. The most discreet thing they had to offer is tinted window, but that was implemented for high end customers who might get chased by paparazzi. With no idea that it would become so well loved by the rest of George clients. Who almost exclusively consistent of kinky wall street guys. When George start this job he was surprised by how all his client seem to do the strangest things in his back seat, but 2 years on and now he barely blinks.
It was a normal Saturday evening. And one of his regulars wanted to be driven from Upstate Manhattan to Downtown Brooklyn. Castiel Novak. He pulled up to the tall glass block building. Letting the random play the same radio show he played all day and night. George sent out 2 texts. One to Mr Novak.
'Afternoon, Mr Novak. Your ride is waiting outside'
And another to his girlfriend Betty.
'I'm dropping my next client next to yours, could come over if you want?'
Betty response came in form of a phone call. He doesn't understand why she hated to text and the one time he did ask, she just old him 'I sound better when you can hear me' so George dropped it, not really minding all that much. He did like the way she sound over phone, after all.
'You coming over?'
Betty asked, skipping over 'Hello' as she usually did.
'If that's oaky with you?'
'Of course!'
Betty started yelling away from the phone, hard lightly covering the mic judging by the muffled static.
'Mary! Is there enough food for 5?'
'There enough for 10'
Casey replied on Mary's behalf. The line cleared up as Betty brought the phone back to her ear.
'We'll feed you when you get here. I'll even wait until your here to smoke up'
Betty told George.
'Whoa. You really like me, huh?'
He could hear Betty smile and felt his heart flutter sweetly.
'You're alright. I guess.... see ya later'
And with that she hung up, not waiting for him to say goodbye back. She never did.
Mr Novak came up to the window. Slightly more dressed down then usual and accompanied with a much younger man dressed like an all American lumberjack. George briefly wondered how they met. But dropping it as quickly as he picked it up. As it was none of his business at the end of the day. The lumberjack leaned down and told him the address. George politely nodded as he accepted the information. Mr Novak smiled dopily to himself at the sharing of unnecessary information. As the address was already programmed into the GPS.
As it turned out the younger man's name was Dean. He met Mr Novak online a few years back but had been living with him, here in New York for just over a year now. He was a much more curious person than George was and kept asking about his family and how he got into driving. Leaning on the divider. George told Dean that his family were all back in India which is where he learnt to drive so well. He mostly worked private hire gigs, as it pays much better than company like Uber did.
He briefly mention Betty. How they met as she cussed him out because he ordered the last burger at her favourite food truck. He felt pity for her as he watch her water line fill with unshed tears, so offered to share the burger and cheesy chips. As they ate she apologise for yelling, explaining how she had a long and hard shift that day that leaved her without a lunch break. He found himself having so much fun that he asked her out. Figuring if she said no he'll never see them again. Instead she said 'Fuck it, sure'. Dean didn't fail to let him know how lucky he was to be forgiven for such an evil deed. When the conversation hit a quiet moment, Dean asked how long until they're there. 30 minutes. Dean gave Mr Novak a look George has seen from the back seat 100 times before. Granted never from Mr Novak and company.
There was a sliver George could still see through if he was looking in the rear-view mirror. It was there for safety reasons and George had explicit instructions to never let the clientele know he can see them. So he kept his eyes trained forward. However it was hard not to see Dean lock Mr Novak to the handle above his window in a pair of black fluffy handcuffs. It was hard not to see the sly smile spreading across Deans lips as he whispered into Mr Novak's ear, quickly following it with a little bit. And it was hard not to notice when Dean ducked out of frame especially with how Mr Novak mouthed 'Amazing'. After a final passionate kiss Dean opened the partition.
'So tell me more about the girl'
George did happily. Telling him about Betty being the bravest and most experimental person he had ever met. Constantly looking for new experience sometimes calling it 'collecting aunt lore'
Across town Betty had wandered inside, away from the cold breeze to find a hoodie.
'So George coming over?'
Casey asked across the apartment smiling over her mug. Perch in a corner of the kitchen so she can watch Mary cooking.
'Yeah. Why? Don't like him'
Betty teased back from her bedroom, shrugging on an old blue hoodie.
'I actually really like him'
Mary spoke up from where he stood over a bubbling pot. It was rare for Mary to like men. So rare in fact she would count all the men she liked on one hand. Three of which were family members, the fourth is Tom but he jumps off and on to the list based on his behaviour and the type of day Mary is having.
'Yeah'
Betty was relief whenever Mary confirm liking George. Helps to settle the voice in her that worries only chooses the wrong answers.
'He a very respectful young man'
Mary told her. Betty laughed. George was a whole year older then Mary, almost to the day. But Mary refuse to act accordingly.
'Okay, Mum'
Tom walked in turning the happy chatter to a chilling silence. Bypassing everyone to go straight into his room. He haven't really talked to Betty since she had first brought George home. He hadn't talked to any of them for that matter. Seemingly to only get angrier every time George appears.
'Do you think he'll ever talk to me again?'
Betty asked Casey and Mary. Heart aching for the easy way they used to talk for hours. How he used to put an arm around her as they smoked on the fire escape. Casey was the one who spoke up first.
'When he stops being a little bitch. Yeah'
Betty laughed desperate it all. Thankful for Casey constant reassurance that Betty hasn't done anything wrong. She ducked back out to the first escape to read her book and wait for Geroge
George rolled up to the street of a long line of much older, but just as tall red brick buildings. Letting the adventurous young men out. Waiting politely for them to be all the way inside no. 12 before locking up the car and heading up to Betty's building. Which as fate had it was only no. 14.
When he reached the apartment he was greeted at the door by a smiling Tom whose face fell the minute he saw him.
'Bettys on the fire escape'
He spoke quickly and bitterly. Turning around immediately to march back into his bedroom. Tom was welcoming the first they met until George bent down to give Betty a kiss on the cheek while she read another thick tome. From that moment on Tom eyes stayed hard and his brow sealed in a frown line.
'Thanks'
George mumbled to one. He gave Casey and Mary their hugs hello, commenting on how amazing the food smelt. Before rushing to fire escape.
Betty was sunk into a ratty monster high bean bag that had been around since she was a tween, wrapped in a fluffy tarot card blanket. Reading 'How To Love Your Afro by Paige Lewin' she didn't notice him at first. Giving George the perfect opportunity to dash into her bedroom and grab the black and white interlocking cat pattern blanket that he has all but claimed this point. Wrapping it around his shoulders in a desperate attempt to protect them from the cold night air. He carefully climbed onto the fire escape and folding his large body around Betty to cuddle without interrupting her read. She instinctively leaned in, putting her finger under the word she was currently ready to show him how far through she was. Once her finger slid to a full stop, she dog eared the page, putting the book down on her lap. George had picked up every free book mark he came across to give to her and Betty still choose to dog ear.
'Hello'
She sounded so sleepy and content. George placed a light finger under her chin to guide Betty into a sweet kiss.
'How was the drive?'
She asked with a gentle smile and gentler brown eyes.
'Honestly, one of the stranger ones'
He told her, remembering peaking at the fluffy handcuffs through the mirror.
'What did the rich and powerful do to you now?'
She asked pouty her lips at him. George shook his head at her joking constant teasing.
'They didn't do anything. They were actually one of the nicest clients I ever had. They just had sex in the car'
She had an amuse smile at that.
'A lot of people give handies in your car'
That was true. Usually it was tiny women digging their hands into some large man's pants. George assumed in the pursuit of money whether it was her job or a long term scam. Neither was his business so he kept his eyes on the road and pretended to not hear deep rumbling moans from behind him.
'Yeah, but not a lot of them of them hand cuff their partners to the car so they can give him a blowie'
She laughed quietly. Leaning her full body into George like an over grown cat.
'I wonder if it was blue eyes and green eyes'
George carried the weight happily, holding her close and warm.
'They did have blue eyes and green eyes'
They both sat there wrapped around each other for a while longer. Warm in the thick blankets and bums numb from the unforgiving metal. Betty smoker her blunt, George declined as he had to drive Dean and Mr Novak home at the end of the night. They only went inside when Casey announced dinner was ready. Mary cooked everyone a hearty pasta dish with pesto and chicken. Which sorted out any munchies Betty might have had immediately.
Afterwards Casey made them all fancy hot chocolates in thrifted mugs topped with whipped cream and mini marshmallows. Which they had on the fire escape as Mary and Casey thought Betty's blunt ideas was so good they just had to copy it. Each couple was wrapped up in 2 blankets and each other. Mary and Casey sharing a large pink blunt between each other with Betty sneaking in puffs whenever they forgot she wasn't in the circle. They spent the time laughing together, gossiping and forcing George to play 'fuck, marry, kill' with old tv show characters he's never even heard of. It was a nice confidence boost for him whenever Betty chose to fuck a character that looked like him. Tom stayed in his room blasting divorce Dad rock before stomping out to do a last minute door dash shift. Casey was the only one who said anything.
'I'm sorry, if I knew he was gonna be such a dick I wouldn't have invited him to come live here'
Everyone shrugged and agreed none of them saw it coming either. George felt bad for betty having known they were close. Almost an item and that Betty didn't think dating someone else could destroy everything they had built over the last year. She always said it was fine and that it was not his fault. Even as she cried over the lost. She was still happy to have met George that night.
During a heated debate on whether to kill or fuck 'Dr. Perry Cox' from Scrubs, George saw Mr Novak crawl out of a window onto his own fire escape. George muttered a 'huh' to himself which caught Betty's attention. She just looked at him with questioning eyes as to not interrupted Marry and Casey.
'That's Mr Novak. The man I drove here'
She stood up to get a closer look despite the over 100 yard difference. This action caught Casey and Mary attention.
'I think, that's Blue Eyes!'
They all leaned over the railing, causing George enough anxiety to spike and grad the back of Betty shirt.
'That is Blue Eyes'
Casey replied. Before they turned around in time looking in and beyond George's soul.
'Mr Novak?'
They all said in time, nearly yelling.
'Yeah. Castiel Novak'
Casey looked the most stunned and asked.
'Castiel Novak? Like from Novak Finance Advisor?'
'Yeah he works in Finance. A lot of my clients do.'
George supplied. Deeply confuse by the sudden interest. He knew about blue eyes and green eyes and more importantly the groups obsession with them. How their paths crossed more then regularly strangers did. But George tended to stay away from it because it was, once again none of his business. He only listened to them tell him all the stories because he liked hearing Betty voice and watching her get all excited and animated about it.
'That explains how he never gets fired'
Mary supplied mostly to themselves.
'What Green eyes name then?'
Betty asked finally crawling back into George arms and the warmth of their shared blankets.
'It's Dean, he's very chatty'
George said simply, running his finger gently along the gap between Betty braids. Thinking that was the end of the conversation. Letting the group settle into silence.
'Well tell us everything!'
They all yelled clearly disagreeing with the idea that this was the end, but only the beginning. But looking at Betty pleading eyes he told them everything, just to keep her happy. It lasted much longer than he expect as they all told him stories he heard before. Even going as far to make 'fan theories' as they called it.
'I'm ready to pick up now, George. Same place as you drop us off at.
-Mr C. Novak'
Mr Novak texted a request to be taken home. Finally giving George the out he very much needed, as he hadn't said anything for half an hour now as he simply didn't have anything to add.
Betty walked him to the front of the building, still wrapped in her blanket and over sized slippers. They shared a kiss goodbye before he ran off just as Tom rolled back home.
The car ride was quiet and pleasant. Dean slept cuddled up to Mr Novak's side. He brushed Dean hair out of his eyes, giving him butterfly kisses. Mr Novak basically carried his partner inside at the end of the ride. It was so nice to see a love run so deep and be displayed so proudly.