Jughead sat quietly on the chair, his hands clasped together, eyes fixed on the table in front of him. He was in another room at Veronica's, the disaster of Polly's baby shower ended with Alice Cooper and Penelope Blossom openly trading barbs in front of the guests before Polly became too upset to deal with them. Everyone quickly dispersed after that, leaving the Cooper women in the living room to talk about their issues and feelings. Jughead sighed deeply.
That will probably take awhile, he thought. But if it at all eased Betty's worry about Polly, her family and the fate of her baby, he was all for it, he reasoned.
Jughead wasn't sure how much time had gone by when suddenly the door behind him opened, his beautiful Betty appearing in the doorway, but stopping short at the sight of him. She thinks I left, Jughead mused quickly to himself as he stood, his eyes trained on her as he subtly adjusted his shirt. Jughead waited cautiously as Betty closed the door, with a quick glance his way, before her eyes migrated around the room.
"Polly is finally asleep. What a mess," Betty explained, her heels clicking loudly on the hardwood floor. She was slowly making her way towards him, but not making eye contact, which filled Jughead with a simmering dread.
Unsure of how exactly to proceed, Jughead's eyes moved down in an almost defeated gesture as she still wouldn't meet his watchful eye. His throat felt unbearably tight, his heart heavy in his chest. He tried to swallow, his brow furrowing a bit as he chose his words carefully. They would be important, maybe the most important words he'd said in front of Betty thus far.
"I should have told you about my dad, when I had the chance," Jughead finally spoke, a strong but regretful tone to his voice, before glancing up to Betty. Her eyes searched his cautiously, green orbs seeking out the answer to her unspoken question, wanting to understand; but at the same time not wanting to push the issue. Her flowing blonde locks moved slightly as she tilted her head, leaning in just a tad towards Jughead. Her body language speaking volumes that she wanted both the truth and wanted to comfort him in his obvious distress.
"So why didn't you?" she inquired in a soft tone, no hint of agitation, disappointment or anger present, just genuine curiosity. These simple words eased Jughead's mind quickly as well as the ache in his heart, an unexpected tension till lingering between them but she was clearly meeting him in the middle of this conversation. Giving him a chance. Jughead held her gentle gaze until he became overwhelmed by the shame of the honest answer he had yet to give her. The answer she deserved to know.
"I was ashamed," Jughead provided, his deep voice just above a whisper, cracking slightly with unfamiliar vulnerability. He couldn't bring himself to meet her gorgeous eyes, terrified of what he might find there. Comfort, he hoped. Pity? He wasn't sure he could handle that from her.
Betty slowly stepped towards him, a strong, half amused smile graced her features lightly when he chanced a look, before she reached out confidently for his right hand, just as she had earlier. His eyes followed her hands' actions. Jughead felt her thumb easily caress the back of his hand as her fingers securely clasped his. His eyes finally managed to gravitate back to hers, with the confidence of her comforting touch.
"Jughead, if we're gonna be together," she stated, his breath catching at her use of "if" quickly, steeling himself for the inevitable pain he was expecting to follow. "I want to know who you are. All of it," she continued, grasping his hand more firmly with each word, bringing it ever closer to her, willing him to listen. Jughead stared at their joined hands, a comforting touch that usually brought him peace and happiness. That slight tug of his hands towards her also tugged his heart closer to her, understanding that she was always with him no matter what. In that moment, Jughead knew he could never find anyone who could bring him back from his darkness so easily than Betty.
Their eyes connected again, making a silent pact for truth between them. Jughead had never been so thankful for that. For her. Even after all these years and these blissful past weeks tainted with Riverdale's latest mysteries, Betty could truly surprise him with her grace and beautiful soul. A small smile threatened to sneak onto his face but the sincerity of her voice keep the moment raw with important tension. Their trust in each other, her trust in him she was so freely offering, was serious and forever.
"Okay," Jughead answered quietly, a simple but powerful response laced with a promise to never keep secrets from his beautiful Betts.
"Okay," she answered back in that same promise laced tone, a quick nod of her head, her own version of physically letting him know she meant it. Jughead watched in almost fascination as a soft smile appeared on her lips due to that exchange, before fixing him with another pointed look.
"But Juggie, we should talk to your dad." He looked back down again, knowing she meant well and was still trying to investigate Jason's murder while offering him comfort in bringing up his dad's possible connection to it. "He might know something, about Jason," she continued with a tilt of her head, as though saying Jason's name out loud made it a real possibility that FP could know something about it. She gave him a tight smile and Jughead couldn't help but be awed by her. She was already back in Nancy Drew mode, their talk settled as if it was nothing. Yes, they would be okay, Jughead thought. More than okay.
He whispered "alright" to confirm he was on board with the idea, before wrapping his hand around her pink cardigan covered shoulders as she stepped closer to him at the same time. Together they turned and walked across the room, ready for their next joint interrogation.