He woke early, the morning sun beating in thru the windows. He showered quietly, not wanting to awake the sleeping beauty that laid beside him in his bed. He didn't want to wake her, he had a few errands to run before their flight in the afternoon, and she looked so beautiful and peaceful. He sat back, watching her and taking all of her in. In a few short hours, she would don a cardigan sweater, and pull her hair back into a tight ponytail. He would spend the next several days, watching her, pretending to still be the girl she was years ago. He would watch as she clenched her fists into her palms, taking the onslaught of opinions from her mother, watch as her eyes danced and laughed with old friends, watch as she struggled to connect with her sister. He had been in love with her since he was 5, but right now, in this moment, he didn't think he had ever loved her more. Her long blonde hair was twisted up into a knot, little curls and frizzes creating a halo around her head. Her long tanned legs stretched and curved around the blanket, which was haphazardly thrown over her. Her thin white t-shirt was bunched around her waist, the small of her back exposed where the t-shirt didn't meet the blanket, and he knew if she were to roll over, her breasts would be exposed through the thin material. She was an angel, an angel that had only ever been his.
He leaned down, gently kissing her forehead, and she stirred slightly, her hand slipping out from under the pillow to reach up for his.
"Juggie." Her voice was soft and raspy, that first morning sound barely slipping from her lips. "Come back to bed." Oh, how much he wanted to. He was struggling at the sight of her, not to climb back into the bed that they shared, to wake her with his mouth on hers, peppering kisses down her stomach, between her legs, until she was fully awake.
"Bets, I've got an errand to run, I'll be back in an hour or so. But we need to leave for the airport at 11, so make sure you're ready when I get back." Knowing the week they had ahead of them, staying at her parents, he knew they wouldn't much time to be alone like this, but he had already wasted time watching her sleep.
After high school graduation, he and Betty had moved to California for college. Well, she had moved to California for college, and he had followed her. They had a small apartment, not far from the ocean, where they liked to spend most of their free time paddle boarding or kayaking, strolling the beach or hiking the trails. After college, she had taken a job teaching English at a local high school, and she served as the faculty advisor for the student newspaper. He spent the days either working on his novel, or tending bar down the street from their apartment. They lived a life so differently than they did back home. Back in Riverdale, Betty had been the perfect student and perfect daughter, here in California, away from the grasp of Alice Cooper, she had learned to relax, learned to truly laugh, and figured a way to find herself. Somewhere in the sand and the sun, she had become this person who was fierce and stubborn, but carefree and free-spirited. She had managed to shed that perfect girl image of herself, and found she was happiest with her wild blond waves falling free, or braided back, her cardigan sweaters traded for flowy dresses and skirts. The sun had been good for him too, he was still brooding, but less dark, still the trademark crown beanie, but shorter raven-haired waves. His chest and arms had filled out, spending time in the water and on the beach had done more than darken his skin tone. He still preferred jeans and a flannel, but depending on the weather, he had a steady rotation of grey and black t-shirts he wore too.
Late November in Laguna called for jeans and a flannel, the cold wind coming in off the ocean. He pulled his beanie down further on his head, and hustled through the parking garage to his truck. Just a short drive off Laguna Ave, he found the place he was looking for. A small store front, something he would have overlooked had she not pointed it out a few weeks earlier on one of their walks thru town. He pushed thru the doors, and was overwhelmed by the large glass cabinets and display cases that peppered the room. This marked his third trip to the little store, but he found himself feeling more nervous than he had been the first time he stepped through the doors.
"Ahh, Mr. Jones!" An older lady stepped from behind the counter, arms outstretched, greeting him like an old friend.
"Hi, Julia. I got your call earlier in the week that everything was ready, sorry I didn't make it over sooner."
"No problem, no problem! Everything is all ready, let me go get your package!" Julia quickly returned from the back of the store, carrying a small package. "Would you like to see it?"
"I'm sure it's perfect, thank you! We've got a flight home this afternoon, so I need to be going." He reached out to shake the old lady's hand, taking note of the smile that was spread across her face.
"Make sure you two stop in here when you get back, I need to know how she likes the final product!" She had been so helpful through all of this process, working with him to help him select the pieces and design, he had no doubt the final piece of work was beautiful.
He hurried out of the store, back to his truck, and back to the apartment. He was right. He was greeted at the door by a beautiful blonde Betty Cooper, hair in a tight ponytail, perfect make-up accentuating her features, pale pink cardigan over a louse white blouse, dark straight jeans. Back to the perfect Riverdale Betty Cooper.
Jughead had taken longer than planned to run his errand, which resulted in them running through the airport after being caught up in the line at security. Betty was seething. He knew she didn't like going home, but she felt like he'd taken too long on purpose, hoping to miss their flight and have to stay in California for the holiday.
She disliked going home just as much as he did, but her best friend from high school, Veronica Lodge, would absolutely kill them if they missed their flight. The girls had a full day of dress shopping and wedding planning scheduled for tomorrow, and Veronica's bridal shower on Saturday, all planned just because Betty Cooper would be home. He knew she was excited to see her friends, and spend time with her older sister Polly and the twins, but it was her mother she dreaded seeing. Her mother was overbearing and pushed Betty to be perfect, not allowing for failure from her youngest daughter. He smirked, thinking of what Alice Cooper would say to Betty if she showed up in jeans and a t-shirt, or one of her flowy dresses or skirts that she favored in California. No, her mother expected her to be the living example of a Stepford Daughter- perfect hair, perfect makeup, perfect matching cardigan set.
They reached the gate just in time for the final boarding call, and the plane hadn't even taxied onto the runway before the beautiful blonde had curled up next to him and closed her eyes, her arm linked under his, her head on his shoulder. He stared out the window, watching the bright sun and the white clouds roll by, headed back to that place they had both came from, and the place they avoided as much as possible.