A/N:Taking a stab at a one shot. I don't know where this went or how we got here. I hope I did them justice. Please excuse the spelling errors! Comments are appreciated.
Dear Betty,
Do you remember when we sat at Pop's until four in the morning? We had at least two milkshakes each and three baskets of fries. I doubt Pop minded. I would have bought you milkshakes all night if it had made you feel better. Strawberry is still superior to vanilla, always remember that.
I remember you were having a bad day because your mother was constantly pestering you about college applications and sticking to only schools that would put you on top. You seemed so exhausted with the same argument over and over again; I could see it in your eyes. They were tired and a bright green from the tears of annoyance, but it didn't matter. I let you cry even if you thought it was stupid. It wasn't. Nothing was ever stupid with you.
Do you remember what I said to you? That no matter where you went or what you did that you would be brilliant? I meant every word and still believe that whatever you are and whatever you're doing that you're enjoying your life. Because out of all of us…. Archie, Veronica, Kevin… You deserve the world. You deserve happiness.
Do us all proud, Betts.
Jughead
"Mr Jones? There's a taxi out front ready to take you to the airport."
Jughead folded the letter and stuffed it into a envelope, quickly scribbling the last known address he had of Betty's. He wasn't even sure if she lived there anymore but he had gotten no return to sender. He got up from his seat in the hotel lobby and shrugged his bag over his shoulder.
"Not sure if you do this, but could you mail this out?" Jughead handed over the sealed envelope to the bellhop. He was eager to agree, taking the letter and shower Jughead to the taxi.
Three years was a long time and he still wasn't sure where they had gone wrong. One day it was fine and the next they felt like strangers. Perhaps trying to be high school sweethearts wasn't all it was cracked up to be, at least for him and Betty. Since the day she had walked out of their apartment, he had missed her. He tried to let it go and move on but he was stuck. There was no one else that was ever going to be like Betty Cooper.
Out of pure nostalgia, Jughead flicked through some old pictures of him and Betty on his phone as the driver took him to the airport. Finally something of Jughead's was going to be published, he was going to be a real author with a novel in a bookstore. A more dramatization of Jason Blossom's murder was finalized and all the evidence was going to lie out there in the open even if it had been years. Among the other works he had written, this was the only one he could finish. He had fallen into a slump after Betty left.
Jughead didn't mind flying but he hated how long the flight usually was. He had started off his by going to New York to meet with publishers but when those started to fall through he went out to Los Angeles and finally a publishing house there picked it up. Los Angeles wasn't necessarily his favourite place though. There were too many egos being thrown around and try-hards that were in your face. So to say he was happy that he had some time to go back to Riverdale and relax was an understatement. But what was Riverdale without Betty?
Six months after she left was when the ball started rolling and he was hardly at home anymore so it didn't make sense to keep the apartment. Whenever Jughead came back to town, Archie and Veronica let him stay with them in the spare bedroom of their house. As Veronica liked to put it, Jughead was her adoptive brother-in-law since her and Archie were both only children. Family doesn't get left behind. However, sometimes he felt like he was intruding but Archie ensured he wasn't.
"Hey JB." Jughead answered his phone. He was in the homestretch of finally being able to take off his shoes and lounge on the couch.
"What do you want for Christmas?" Jellybean asked her older brother on the other end of the phone. He could hear music playing Pink Floyd in the background. That always brought a smile to his face.
He laughed. "Christmas? It's June."
"I'm planning ahead this year." She replied. It was hard to believe how grown up she was now. Eighteen going on thirty, he believed. It was crazy. "Are you still in LA?"
"No, just taking a taxi to Archie's now."
"Do you think Archie and Veronica would let me stay with them if I wanted to come visit for a few days?" Jellybean asked. "I don't want to be a bother."
"I think they'd be fine. How about I ask them tomorrow?"
Jellybean grinned on the other end of the phone. "Yes. And then you can make your Christmas list. Don't write nothing like you did last year, everyone needs something even it's just a pair of socks, Jug."
He smiled again. "I'll do my best. I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?"
"Sure. Night, Jug."
"Night, JB."
The taxi pulled over to the ride of the road as they arrived at Archie and Veronica's place. Jughead paid the driver, giving him a little extra tip. The porch light was on and as he approached the door he could hear the TV too. Jughead pushed opened the door and removed his shoes, carrying his bag along to put by the bottom of the stairs.
Archie and Veronica were sat in the living room and he slipped into join them. He was glad it wasn't a big deal when he returned. Veronica used to make it a welcoming home party just in spite of annoying Jughead. His stay in the living room didn't last long as he was sluggish. Jughead went to take a shower and call it a night.
Dear Betty,
JB called me today. She was asking me what I wanted for Christmas; apparently she's starting early this year. She might come out this summer and stay for a while. I can only imagine Veronica is going to spoil her with shopping. They can be two peas in a pod.
Do you remember the first Christmas after we graduated? You were nagging me about going to see the Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree for two weeks straight. I kept telling you no and that my car wasn't in good enough shape to drive the city. You weren't very impressed with that answer. But since I know it was going to make you happy, Archie and I fixed it up and a week before Christmas I took you to see those damn Christmas lights.
I'll never forget how happy you looked. You were literally a kid seeing all their presents on Christmas morning. I wish I took a picture of that moment but the memory will last forever too.
Speaking of celebrations, if this gets to you for your birthday, happy birthday Betts.
Jughead
The morning was surprisingly cool for June. Jughead went out in his pajama bottoms and his t-shirt to mail out the newest Betty letter. He had wondered after sending probably over a hundred of these if it was even worth it anymore. He hadn't gotten a letter back, nor a text or a phone call. Maybe it was stupid but Betty was the one he'd share everything with and still to this day she was the one he wanted to tell things to.
Jughead stared at the envelope for a moment before sliding it into the mailbox. He turned, sticking his hand into his pocket and wandered on back to the house. Archie was awake and making breakfast for the three of them. Vegas came into the kitchen, rubbing up against Jughead's leg as he went to sit at the table.
"Morning, Vegas." Jughead murmured, scratching behind the dog's ear.
"LA is good?" Archie asked, flipping over the bacon in the pan.
Jughead shrugged, looking at the headline of the paper. "LA was subpar." He replied. The Register was still kicking with Hal and Alice Cooper at the helm. He never really said too much to them if they crossed paths, everything was cordial. "It's in the last of its edits then by November it'll be on shelves."
Archie turned off the burner and brought the food to the table with some extra plates for them. "Jug, that's so cool." The redhead replied. "A published author. Maybe it'll get made into a movie."
The dark haired boy laughed through his nose. "It's not a saga, nor does it have vampires so I doubt it."
"Everyone likes true crime stories."
Jughead nodded, his friend did have a point. That wasn't overly important to him anyway. He wanted to get his writing out there and see where it would take him. "I was talking to Jellybean yesterday and she wants to know if she can come stay for a few days, if it's alright with you and Veronica."
"Yeah, of course." Archie replied. "She can come anytime. Ronnie will be thrilled to have another girl in the house."
Jughead knew his sister would be beyond excited. She still lived with their mother in Ohio but as the years passed, him and JB had grown closer and saw each other more than once a year now. At least someone in his biological family was caring enough to ask him how he was doing.
Jellybean was set to arrive at the train station the week before August started. Jughead went ahead and waited outside of the station for a half hour, wanting to make sure he was there just in case the train was ahead of schedule. Veronica already had plans with JB later that day so Jughead thought they could at least go and eat lunch before she was taken away in a shopping coma.
The train pulled into the station and unsurprising, not a lot of people were getting off the train. Jughead out of the car and rested against the hood to wait and see if this was her train. Sure enough there came Jellybean with her long dark hair swinging from side to side with an oversized jean jacket hanging over her shoulder. And from what Jughead could tell, there was a vintage band tee underneath. Jellybean was and would always be the coolest person he knew.
"JB!" Jughead smiled, going over to engulf his sister in a hug.
"You're so affectionate today." Jellybean laughed as she hugged her brother back. "It's weird."
Jughead took her bag. "I can't hug my sister?"
"You don't hug anyone, Jug." She replied, walking over to the car. Jughead put her bag into the trunk of the car before sliding into the passenger's seat.
Jughead drove them off to Pop's for lunch. It wasn't busy but there were booths full of teenagers and small families. "The Jones clan, some of my favourite customers." Pop greeted them, placing a menu on their table. "Chocolate shake, vanilla shake and a basket of onion rings to start?"
"Pop, is there anything you don't remember?" Jellybean grinned.
He chuckled. "Anyone who comes in here is treated like family, you never forget family."
Dear Betty,
I took JB to Pop's today for lunch before Veronica kidnapped her to buy everything from the mall. I always thought shop till you drop was an expression, but Jellybean is currently passed out on the couch beside me. She couldn't make it five minutes into An American Werewolf.
Do you remember when we went and saw it at the Bijou? I walked by there the other day and it's being renovated for water damage. Thank God they haven't got rid of that too, if they did you would probably see me on the news protesting. You know I'll never be a birthday person but that is one of my favourite nights I spent with you. The popcorn had just the right amount of butter, and if I'm being honest here, I'm still upset you ate all of the Whoppers. I did buy them, you know.
Anyways, Jellybean is here for the week. Maybe we'll go see a movie.
Hope you're well.
Jughead
"Does he still write letters to Betty?" Jellybean grabbed a bowl of cereal for snack one afternoon. Archie glanced over at her as he was fixing the sink.
"Yeah." Archie replied with a nod.
The girl sighed. "If he still loves her, why doesn't he go find her? Have you talked to her?"
"The last time I heard from Betty was through Veronica, that was months ago. And even then it wasn't anything too interesting. It was more of an 'I'm alive, don't worry about me' sort of deal. And she has a boyfriend, apparently." Archie shrugged his shoulders as he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. "I can't tell him not to write her, I think it's some form of a coping mechanism. I don't even think she's getting them. He's gotten no response."
It was heartbreaking to watch but who was Archie to step in and tell Jughead to stop, that it wasn't worth it. Betty wasn't going to come back, she had moved on.
"Where is he anyway? I haven't seen him."
Archie turned on the faucet and the water seemed to be streaming clearly now. "He's been out since this morning. I figure he usually goes somewhere and writes, I don't know. I don't prod anymore. Text him and remind him that Veronica wants everyone around for dinner tonight."
Jellybean nodded, taking a bite of her cereal. All she wanted was her brother to be happy.
That night when the four of them sat around the dining table, Jughead could tell something was a little off but he wasn't sure exactly what it was. Maybe it was nothing.
"So, we have gathered here tonight for dinner and I am so glad there wasn't any protests to it." Veronica looked pointedly over at Jughead for a moment. He rolled his eyes briefly. "Archie and I have some news, good news. We're having a baby!"
Dear Betty,
I'm not sure if you've spoken to Veronica lately but she's pregnant. Archie and Veronica are going to be parents. No confirmation on the gender but Ronnie swears it's a girl, something along the lines of mother's intuition. Archie's ecstatic. He's going to be a great dad. Veronica labelled me as the kid's uncle and I'm not sure that's a good or bad thing, she'll probably end up regretting it when I help the kid be rebellious in its teenage years.
Where did the time go? It feels like only yesterday we were still in high school and talking about where we would be in the future. After all this time my book has the green light to be published, should be out in November. Do you remember every rejection letter I got from authors to read my work? That a small town crime wasn't hitting the mark anymore? You encouraged me to keep going no matter what anyone said, that I was capable of doing anything I put my mind too. Sometimes, when I'm feeling a little helpless, I think back to that night when the power went out in our side of town and we had to sit when candlelight for five hours. I'm still always surprised how strong of a person you are, Betty. You're an anchor to everything chaotic in this world.
I'll keep you posted about Baby Andrews. Red or black hair? It'll be a mystery.
Jughead
The week was too quick. Jellybean was sad to be going back to Ohio but Jughead promised his sister he'd come out and see her soon.
"Hey Jug." Jellybean looked at her brother after they both got out of the car at the train station. "Are you happy?"
Jughead thought that was a bit of a bizarre question. But as he took a moment to think about it, he wasn't sure. "I'm fine." He told her.
"But are you happy?"
"I'm happy that I get to see you and get to watch you grow up, JB." He replied after another moment in thought. He knew that wasn't the answer she was looking for and it was telling on her face. She didn't question him again; instead she hugged him for a long while. "I'll see you soon, kid."
Jughead let go of Jellybean, telling her to be good and keep her head up. She waved as she took her bag to go into the station to wait for her train. He lingered around until the train had arrived and departed before he drove himself back to Archie's.
He stood in his room and looked around it in. With a baby on the way Archie and Veronica were going to need all the space in their house, a baby was a big responsibility after all. He figured that maybe he should start looking for his own place. It was about time anyway.
"Jellybean gone?" Veronica popped her head into Jughead's room.
"Yeah, about an hour ago." He replied, moving his laundry basket to the door to remind himself to wash his clothes later. "I think I'll start looking for a place after I get back from LA."
"Why?" Veronica asked, giving him a puzzled look. "I know Archie can be a terrible roommate. But I'm great."
He knew she was joking, but all he could muster was a flat smile. "You and Archie are going to be parents and I don't want to be in the way of that."
Veronica understood where Jughead was coming from. They'd probably end up living on top of each other as the baby grew. But even so, her and Archie had never minded him being here. "Well there's always going to be a place for you here. You do you, girl. Maybe I'll turn this room into another closet."
That made Jughead chuckle, typical Veronica.
The next week he was back in Los Angeles to go over artwork for the book cover. He wasn't sure why he was flown out if all he had to do was choose one of the three designs and call it a day. But hey, it was a free flight and hotel for a week so he supposed he shouldn't complain too much. Jughead spent some time researching apartments online and decided he wanted to stay in Riverdale to help out with Archie and Veronica when the baby came, it was the least he could do. And maybe if the time came, Jellybean could stay with him too if she wanted to get out of Ohio for a bit. He found a two-bedroom place that looked decent and made an appointment to see it when he got back to town.
Dear Betty,
I'm finally moving out of Archie's. I found an apartment a few blocks away from our old one. It's not anything special but I can tell you that the water pressure is ten times better and the hot water stays hot. And there's air conditioning, imagine that. There's a few boxes left in my room over at their place but Veronica already has paint swatches up on the wall. Somehow Archie managed to convince her not to make it into another closet. Who knows? She'll probably tell him that it's a necessity.
Do you remember when we moved into that apartment and we almost flooded the place? Correction, you almost folded the place. I'm still not sure how you mixed up the dishwasher soap and the normal soap. God, there were bubbles everywhere. You slipped and bruised you hip pretty good. Instead of cursing you starting laughing until we were both on the floor covered in apricot scented bubbles. We learned our lesson pretty quick after that.
No real changes on Baby Andrews. From certain angles you can see Veronica showing a bit. I think they're going to the doctors next week for an update.
Happy September.
Jughead
Jughead wasn't sure how it happened but he found himself sitting across the table from a gorgeous brunette Veronica had set him up with. She must have guilt tripped him hard into doing this and if he was being honest, this wasn't awful. It wasn't always small talk and when it got to those blips of silent, she somehow thought of a new topic for them to converse about.
Her name was Aimee, creative arts major from Illinois who was breaking out from her boring 9-5 life with the same lame routine. They clicked, and it surprised Jughead since he could be standoffish and distant. Admittedly, it was nice to get out of his apartment and eat something else other than pizza or Chinese food, or ordering from Pop's.
Aimee was intellectual, well educated and overall a kind human being. Jughead ended up seeing her two to three times a week, even if it was for a late night coffee. He supposed they were seeing each other and he wasn't protesting to it either.
It clicked to Jughead that a month had gone by and he hadn't written to Betty at all. That made him feel strange but maybe this was it, this was his time to push forward and move on. He had to let go and explore a new life.
Dear Betty,
Attached is an advanced copy of my book. It's finally here after years and years of trial and error. Whether you read it or not, a part of you is in that book. Riverdale forever in all its glory.
Take care, Betty.
Jughead
Jughead slid the letter into the larger package that contained the book, sealing it close. That was it. The final letter. Three years, six months and who knows how many letters he had sent. It felt like a loss and he had to proper grieve. He handed it off to the lady behind the counter as she told him to have a great day. When one door closed, another one would open and finally he had closed it. This was a new chapter in the life story of Jughead Jones.
He started to not immediately think of Betty when something new or interesting was happening. He started to associate things with Archie, Veronica or Aimee. The four of them got along great and Veronica was delighted to have double dates with them. Starting over and dating again in adulthood was so strange. Holding hands felt foreign but he was trying to get used to it, Aimee's hand were so soft.
The problem was that Jughead didn't know if his heart was fully in it yet. He still sort of felt a little lonely. Aimee had assured him that it was okay and they didn't have to race into anything. As long as they had the mutual agreement they had some type of feelings for each other is all that she cared about.
"Aimee's great." Archie told Jughead. "Kind of a bummer she can't make it for Thanksgiving. Veronica got extras of everything."
"Are you sure that isn't because she's eating for two now?" Jughead laid some plates on the table. Fred was going to be joining them; Hermione and Hiram couldn't make it in from New York City since there was a brutal snowstorm heading through the area. "I told her she wasn't going to miss to much."
Fred arrived with pumpkin and apple pie, placing it in the kitchen as he helped the boys bring the food to the table.
"Archiekins, can you help me zipped up my dress?" Veronica called from the upstairs bedroom. The redhead made his way up as the doorbell rung; Fred told his son he'd go answer the door for him.
Jughead finished getting the glasses and drinks for the table, sort of humming to himself. He could hear Fred conversing, inviting the person on in. "Look who decided to make it for Thanksgiving this year." Fred called out.
Jughead looked up from stealing a piece of turkey from the platter. There stood Betty Cooper, blonde hair down out of a ponytail and wavy. A light pink lipstick applied perfectly to her lips, a burnt orange sweater to fit the autumn mood with a pair of leggings underneath. Jughead thought he must have been hallucinating, but he knew that he was staring as well. This was not happening.
"Hi Jug."
It was happening.
Her words were soft and light, yet there was a shy undertone to it. Clearly she was nervous, he could tell by the fidgeting of her fingers around the bottom hem of her sweater. There Jughead Jones stood, feet cemented to the floor and his heart beating at a millions miles per second. She looked good. She looked beautiful.
Say something, Jones.
"Betty." Was all Jughead could breath out.
"Betty?!" Veronica's voice called from the top of the stairs. She wanted to bolt down the stairs but she went down as fast as she could with Archie right on her tail. "What are you doing here?" She engulfed the blonde in a long hug.
"I-"
"It doesn't matter, you're staying for dinner and dessert." Veronica grinned. It was incredible. An hour ago she was almost going ballistic over the mashed potatoes not being mashed enough and now she was on top of the world with Betty being back in town. Pregnant hormones worked overtime.
"Hey Betty." Archie moved around Veronica and gave her a hug as well.
"Hi Arch." The blonde smiled at the comfort of the hug. "I was just stopping by, I didn't mean to intrude on your dinner."
Archie shook his head. "Stay. We have tons of food. Ronnie can catch you up on everything."
Veronica took Betty's arm to whisk her away into the dining room. Betty caught glimpse of Jughead who was still frozen in his spot.
Dinner was only slightly awkward, at least for Jughead. His ex-girlfriend was sitting across the table from him looking angelic under the chandelier lighting and it was bothering the fuck out of him. How could she just wander back to Riverdale and into his—their- friends home and act like everything was fine? Maybe it was fine but everything was suddenly rushing back to him.
"A little Thanksgiving day news." Veronica looked around the table. "Fred is going to be a proud grandfather to a baby girl."
Fred smiled, laughing. "That's fantastic news, Veronica."
"Let's hope she's nothing like Ronnie." Jughead quipped.
Veronica glared, tossing a small piece of carrot across the table at Jughead. Betty laughed to herself, smiling over at Jughead. He automatically smiled back before catching himself and scaling himself back, hiding his face in his drink as he took a long sip. Betty's eyes averted away, excusing herself to use the washroom.
The boys cleaned up the table as their dinner finished. Fred put the pies into the oven to warm up. "You okay? I know this is-"
"Weird." Jughead interjected Archie. "Weird is even an understatement. It's cool, Arch. We're all adults here. Whether it be today or another, Betty and I were going to end up in the same room." He placed the last plate into the dishwasher, closing the door. "Told Aimee I was going to call her after dinner."
Jughead went and stepped outside. He sat down on the step and could see his breath in the cold when he breathed out through his nose. He had his phone in his hand but couldn't bring himself to press on Aimee's name. He did miss her, though. But Betty… Betty had such a pull on him and he hated it.
He didn't hate it.
The door opened and closed behind him. He didn't even have to glance over to know that it was Betty, walking down a step and sat beside him. For several moments there was silence with a siren in the far off distance. Jughead kept his head on his the lamp post across the street.
"I read your book. I read it in a day." Betty spoke up. "It's so good, Jug."
Jughead licked his lips as his eyes averted to his lap, nodding in a thank you.
Another blanket of silence fell over them.
He could hear Betty sigh. "You stopped writing."
"Excuse me?" Jughead's head shot up and looked to the girl beside him. "You got my letters?"
Betty nodded, swallowing as she turned to meet his eyes. "Every single one of them. I have them all in this shoebox. I've read all of them twice, three times. I never could build up the courage to write you back. I didn't know what to say."
"You could have said anything."
"I know." She whispered.
Jughead pulled his hat off his head, rubbing his eyes and his fingers raked through his hair. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or horrified that Betty had received all of those letters. There were too many emotions running through his mind and he didn't know which to settle on.
"Why are you here, Betty?"
Betty adjusted her sitting position, covering her hands with the sleeves of her sweater. "I was seeing this guy, I thought it was going really well but then I found out he was married." She explained. Jughead's brows rose. "His wife and I worked in the same building, different floors. I caught him one time kissing her so I confronted him asking why he was cheating; yet I was the one he was cheating with. It was awful. She blamed me for the entire 'affair' and labelled me a slut and whore. It was all just too much so I needed to leave."
Jughead's features softened as he listened, shaking his head. This man was a complete asshole and Betty didn't deserve to be treated in such a way. She was innocent through it all. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Betty waved him off. "I should have put two and two together when he wouldn't stay over or said he was out of town for business. I was a fool. But what can you do?" She gave Jughead a loose smile. "Adulthood sucks."
Jughead let out a genuine chuckle. He glanced at his phone as it vibrated seeing Aimee's name pop up onto the screen with a text message. He dismissed the notification.
"Who's Aimee?"
"Aimee is…" He trailed off. "She's…"
Betty raised her brows slightly. "Your girlfriend?"
He slowly nodded, placing his phone on his lap. "I guess you could say that."
Betty was smiling at him. How did she do that? How was she so pleasant and encouraging with a smile on her face? "I bet she's great, Jug."
"Yeah." He scratched the side of his head. "She's something."
"Would you two get in here? It's freezing outside and the pies are ready." Veronica opened the front door. "You're going to catch a cold and I don't want my baby to be contaminated."
Jughead rolled his eyes, getting up from the step. He helped Betty to her feet as well, she saying thank you as they went back into the house for dessert. Archie already had a big piece of apple pie with vanilla ice cream. They gathered around in the living room to catch up and reminisce on old times.
Before it got too late, Betty, Jughead and Fred thanked Archie and Veronica for their hospitality. Veronica gave hugs to everyone, still oozing with excitement from Betty showing up. Fred waved from his car as he drove off down the road back his home.
"Drive safe." Archie called from the door as Jughead and Betty went to their own vehicles.
"Take care of yourself, Juggie." Betty mused as she stood in front of her car. "Maybe we'll go grab a coffee, or a milkshake at Pop's."
Jughead nodded. "I'll see you around, Betts."
She went ahead and gave him a hug, holding onto him for a moment. Maybe a moment too long, but Jughead didn't protest. She pulled back and waved, getting into her car to drive off to her childhood home. Jughead watched her car go down the street until her taillights were a small speck in the distance.
Betty Cooper, the epitome of Riverdale, was back. And suddenly Jughead didn't feel so lonely anymore.
Snow started to fall in Riverdale. Jughead had been working on a new novel idea but it wasn't really something inspiring. It was more so mindless writing to get him through the cold days and the daytime TV shows. He helped where he could with Archie and Veronica as they were setting up Baby Andrews room; building a crib and hanging some picture frames and shelves. It was all coming together. He could sense Betty had stopped by a few times with the two mugs of tea he would see on the coffee table and the lipstick residue on the rim. It was almost like they were dancing around each other.
Jughead grabbed his coat one evening to go meet Aimee for dinner. He was running late having fallen asleep on the couch, so he was rushing, texting her that he was on his way. Jughead tugged a navy blue sweater over his head and stumbled to put on his shoes, opening the door to go. He retreated and went back in to grab his jacket since it was below zero. His jacket was all inside out and turned around, Jughead grumbled to himself. It was just one of those days.
As he finally managed to put on his jacket, he shoved his hands into the pockets and scrunched the paper in one of his pockets. Jughead took the paper out believing it was a receipt but he noticed the handwriting. His eyes narrowed, unfolding the paper to see the perfect penmanship of Betty Cooper.
Dear Jughead,
Where do I begin?
He could practically hear the sigh in her writing.
I know you think you keep your life so tame and underwraps but it sounds like right now you're living your best life. Your book is in bookstores and you're number three on the New York Times Best Sellers. Number Three, Juggie. I am so proud of you. This was your dream and it came true. I wish I could be there with you to celebrate. Milkshakes on me if we happen to bump into each other one day.
I've been thinking about home recently. About Archie and Veronica, and the baby! A little Andrews baby. I can't believe it. Archie being a dad… Unbelievable. But he will be great. Fred has been a good father figure. And Jellybean came to visit? She's eighteen now isn't she? A fully-grown adult. I'm glad you got to see her; maybe you'll see her again at Christmas. And it's never too early to start Christmas shopping; she has her priorities in order.
I miss Pop's. There's a diner down the street from my place but it isn't the same. The fries aren't salty enough and the burger is subpar. I crave a milkshake almost everyday. And yes, Jug, strawberry milkshakes are superior, blah blah blah...
Jughead closed the door, leaning against the wall. He took a moment to remember the hug they shared after Thanksgiving, and she must have slipped the paper into his pocket during that time. There was a break in the letter, like she had hesitated writing.
I miss you, Juggie. Nothing has felt the same since I left. I don't even know why I left? What were we fighting about? I'm happy, believe me, but it always feels like something's missing. I miss talking to you every day, sitting in our booth at Pop's, watching movies all day and walking down by Sweetwater River. I miss us. And I'm sorry for leaving you in the dark.
I hope you find what you're looking for.
I'll see you soon.
Betty
Jughead lowered the paper from his eyes, sighing to himself as he gathered his thoughts. She still cared for him. She missed him.
He missed her.
Grabbing his keys, Jughead left his apartment. He still had to meet Aimee for dinner and now he was really late. He hoped their table hadn't been given to another couple or family. He walked, the wind was brisk and it had begun to lightly snow. Jughead approached the restaurant, peering inside to see Aimee sitting at the table, glancing from her phone to the door as she waited from him to arrive. He couldn't manage to get himself inside, it didn't feel right anymore.
Before his thoughts could process, Jughead's legs were taking him into the direction of Pop's. He was taking a chance to see if she was there but it was always the place to be. The cold was nipping at his nose and he was shriving as he pulled opened the door to Pop's. The bell went off and few people looked over to see the new customer walking on.
Jughead looked around, spotting Betty stirring her untouched milkshake as she had a book open on the tabletop. "Betty."
Betty looked up, her brows furrowing. She got up from the booth, Jughead seemed out of breath and looked wary. "Jughead." She said. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"
She looked him over. His nose was pink along with his cheeks; his body was rigid from the cold. Was Veronica okay? Was the baby okay?
"Jug." Betty spoke again, placing her hand on his arm.
"You wrote me back." He said, pulling out the paper from his pocket. Betty's face softened, as she looked at his hand then his face again. "How did you…"
"Shh." Betty laughed, pulling Jughead to her. She planted her lips onto his cold ones, closing her eyes and kissed him deeply for a moment. "I wrote it on my way back here. I had a feeling you'd be at Archie's that night. It was the perfect plan."
Jughead smiled, putting the paper back into his pocket. "Always one step ahead of me." He murmured, not hesitating another moment to kiss her again. "Stay."
"Don't have to ask me twice, Jones."