Stare

Betty Cooper was knee-deep in her thoughts.

Pop's was quiet that night; nobody was going in or out of the building. The eerie mood was amplified a lot more because all she could hear was the steady whirring of the air conditioner and the odd clicks the flickering light bulb was making. Even the gentle ticks of the clock were audible. People must have left hours ago.

She should've felt scared. She should've felt her anxiety rush to claw at her neck and strangle her until her nails would make contact with her palm and the crack of her delicate skin would somehow snap her back to what is real.

But she didn't. And Betty knew exactly why.

Among the sounds of the diner, she could also hear the faint breathing of One Jughead Jones beside her; his taps and clicks on his keyboard as well as his constant sighs due to the dissatisfaction of his work. Seeing him like that made her feel lighter. Despite being only by her side, Betty felt like she was right at home.

He made her feel safe. Like she was everything that could've made things right and although it sounded like a lot of pressure, Betty felt free. His stare could snap her back out to reality – but a reality that she learned to love as long as he was around.

Moody. Dark. Brooding. Yet sweet. Understanding. And Jughead.

He made her feel worth it.

Archie made her feel giddy and like a schoolgirl. As if everything was happy and pink and rainbow-esque. It was the kind of happiness you knew would be temporary and fading. And alas, her heart got broken by the one person she thought was her prince charming. It ruined her definition of perfection to the point that the butterflies died in her stomach and her cheeks no longer blushed as much. Her feelings were blindsided and she didn't know what to do until…

Jughead made her feel giddy too but not like Archie's fantasy princess kind. It was soft and rough. It was free but rebellious. It was dangerous yet at the same time, it was safe. He was a walking contradiction. They were both walking oppositions but she knew; she just knew that it was right. This kind of happiness didn't have a time stamp. She didn't know if it was temporary or permanent. All she knows was that it was there and it'll stay.

With him, perfection was far but she didn't miss it. She'd rather be honest than be perfect. Because sometimes the truth is far from perfect. It could be harsh and not as reassuring as you would have imagined but it is the truth. And yet the truth still settles better in your chest.

Archie wanted her to be perfect.

Jughead didn't care if she was. He only wanted her to be his.

The way his hands would casually brush against hers brought those butterflies back up from the dead. The way his lips would slant over hers in an attempt to kiss made her cheeks flare.

He made her feel so loved.

Peering over her book, she carefully let her eyes flitter to the boy next to her sporting a beanie. Jughead was focused on writing and Betty had to bite the side of her cheek as to prevent herself from giggling. She had always found his selection for the hat kind of silly. So much for being moody, dark, and brooding.

Blue eyes made their way to the single jet black curl showing itself from the tip of his hat. She wondered if it was an honest mistake or was it really styled that way? Her mouth parted a little and she sighed.

The clicks and taps on the keyboard abruptly stopped.

"What?" His tone, an octave deeper than what his frame led on, snapped her out of her thoughts. She coughed and hid herself behind her book. Suddenly, the letters seemed to be so much more interesting than that one black curl (which was obviously a lie). "Nothing." She hummed, still not meeting his eyes. She had always thought of his gaze as piercing, whether it be intentional or not.

"Nothing is not an answer, Bets." Her heart skipped at the nickname. He liked to elongate the 's' on her name. "It's nothing, Jug." She sat a little straighter and sipped on her vanilla milkshake. She felt his ink-stained fingers grasp her book until it settled on the table. There was no hiding then. "Bets?"

His stare unnerved her and she found herself at a loss of words. Again. "Nothing." Jughead's brows furrowed in further confusion. Betty would never admit that she actually found that quirk of his to be quite endearing.

"Stop saying nothing. You can do so much better than 'nothing'." He sighed, a proud smile gracing his lips. His gaze trailed all over her features and she felt so scrutinized but in a good way.

Elizabeth Cooper was so used to being the one to stand and stare. She used to look at Archie like he was the one thing that could make her see. Her blinks would often follow how his fingers strummed his guitar and her mind would wander off to a future she once dreamed of. Her heart used to sigh when he would sling his arm across her shoulder and lean against her neck. She couldn't stand a day without seeing him. But things changed and man, was she glad it did or she would've mooned over the same boy who was obviously mooning over some other girl.

Oddly enough, after the heartache went away; she felt relief.

Now all she could think of was Jughead and how stupid she was for missing out on him.

She could feel his sight land on her eyes with that steel stare looking at the very windows of her soul; on her nose with adoration for her every little breath; on her lips with longing, desire, and a little bit of lust. Betty never had anyone look at her that way.

Her fingers made their way to the coarse hand lying on top of her book. Like a natural reaction, his fingers interlaced with hers.

She smiled. He never did take her for the speechless type.

"I've been thinking…" The teenage boy looked nervous as she said those words, his grip on her hand grew tighter. "What's wrong?" His words fell right out of his mouth, oozing of worry and comfort.

Betty could only smile.

"I love you." The three words were enough to light a spark within Jughead.

The hand that was on top of hers a moment ago found its way to cup her now rose-colored cheeks and shifting a little; he kissed her. It wasn't new. They already kissed a few times but every time they did, the blonde would always feel like it's happening for the first time. She would always find herself closing her eyes whenever his lips touched hers; her stomach would drop; and she could feel her ears burn at the contact.

Pulling away, Jughead flashed her a grin. "Really? After all that suspense and staring, you just wanted to say 'I love you?'"

Still a little bit dazed, Betty blushed and nodded her head.

With his hand still placed firmly on her cheek, Jughead whispered in return, "I love you too."

Betty felt glad and that night; she had never felt luckier than being by his side, with their shoulders touching and their quiet breaths drowning the sounds of the diner. She could look at him all night and he could do the same.

"I know."

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