"Are you sure your Mom is okay with us studying in your room?" Jughead sat cross-legged on Betty's bed and propped his chin on his left palm as he exhaled.
Betty was full of nervous anticipation. "Why wouldn't she be? We have a ton of studying to do for these exams, and..." Betty's voice quivered when Jughead's powerful grasp reached her knee.
"And?" His hypnotic gaze gave her pause.
"And so...let's get started." Betty's heart rate was steadily increasing. She played with her bottom lip--it was a habit. Jughead was nothing like Archie had been. There were no mind games--no pain--only steady exhilaration. And it was very addictive. There were so many emotions behind her doe-eyed adoration. Her sweater was soft to the touch and she would have done anything to find an excuse to peel it off.
The jumble of open books on the bed reminded Jughead of an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet near the edge of town that he had heard great things about, but had never had the opportunity to sample. Her perfume made it hard to concentrate and something in her eyes was different this time. His lips began to crave a far sweeter aphrodisiac. His hands felt so right on top of hers. Why was this possible? How could this flaxen siren actually be mere inches from he--a lowly drifter in a town full of whiz kids and jocks? It was a combination of years of patience and gutsy determination on his part.
Betty tried to focus. "Uh...so what did you get for number 1? I thought for sure it was French Revolution, right?" Holding the book between them, knees touching, the tension was almost palpable. As she shifted her hips to pick up a pencil, the creaky bed left nothing to the imagination.
"Come here." His command was all that she needed. Willing obedience was like a cup of fresh water and she lay dying of thirst. The mountain of books slid to the floor as their arms found their ways through each other.
"Oh, Juggy..." There was so much Betty wanted to say, but there were no words--only action.
"Are you sure?"
Betty shook her head 'yes' implicitly.
"May I?" Jughead pantomimed a desire to take Betty's hair down out of its perfect ponytail. With chin down, and eyes up, she shook her head 'yes' again approvingly. "I like it better down." Running his fingers around her free-flowing locks, she noticed a slight tremble in his arm. Not 'her Jughead'--surely not this charismatic cinephile who epitomized cool and casual--was he just as nervous as she? She put her courage and detective skills to the ultimate test.
"It's only fair..." Betty tilted her head sweetly and Jughead begrudgingly allowed her to slowly remove his signature hat.
"It is only fair, I guess..." He repeated.
She squealed with a high-pitched squeal and fell on top of him with all of her weight. An onslaught of kisses and a canopy of blonde hair made it hard to catch his breath--but he didn't care. She leaned back to make sure no one was watching--especially through her nearby open window. One-click was all that was necessary to plunge the room into blissful darkness. One-click was also all that it took to free Betty from her suffocating bra. This detective was right once again. She thought it was so cute and sweet that her man was all thumbs. It meant that he hadn't been with every girl on the block like some guys she knew. Knowing she was his--knowing this moment was their special time and his alone--her neck rolled as he pinned her wrists to the pillow.
"I don't care about our pasts...our parents...or what anyone else thinks..." Jughead tried to catch his breath and speak from his awakened heart. "I love you, Betty."
"I love you too, Jughead!"
Looking down on her from above, his eyes welled-up with tears. Betty pursed her lips. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"I'm just so happy! For the first time in a very long time, I am actually happy."
"Come here." Betty wiped the happy tear from his eye and slowly laid his face onto her rising bosom. Their exhausted bodies just breathed in unison and they enjoyed the warmth of skin touching skin. "I guess that is a whole OTHER reason to call you Jughead, am I right?" Betty winked reassuringly and he had to chuckle at the motorboating quip. For once it was he who could openly laugh at himself. For once it was he being truly loved.
"It's a good reason I should call you Betty Jones." Their fingers interlocked as he leaned in to kiss her once more.
Alice Cooper yelled from downstairs. "Is everything all right up there?!" Betty and Jughead had eyes as big as saucers.