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The prompt I was sent for this story was: Betty finds a song that Archie wrote and she reads it and finds out its about her and Archie catches her reading it and he admits he's in love with her and then they get together! xx
The air is hot and still, the breeze Betty had been hoping would float in through her bedroom window non-existent. She hasn't moved from her bed in an hour, and sweat pools in the small of her back. The air conditioner broke sometime yesterday afternoon, and there is no one to fix it until tomorrow. Of course, the one day without it happens to be the hottest day of the summer.
Betty fans herself with a piece of paper she's folded up, but it's ineffective. She needs to get out of this house, find somewhere cooler. The cinema, maybe. She can hear music coming from next door, the sound of Archie strumming his guitar, and makes the decision that she'll go over and ask if he wants to see a movie with her. If not, he probably at least has a working air conditioner and she can hang out there.
She changes from her tank top into a floaty white dress and heads next door, Archie's voice getting louder as she goes. She pauses at the garage door, looking in at him with a fond smile on her face. He's got his head down over the guitar, his shirt off. Not that she can blame him. It's hot as hell. He must sense her presence after a few moments, because he looks up, smiling when he sees her.
"Hey," he says, stopping mid strum.
"Hey," Betty replies, walking over to him. "My air conditioner is broken. You want to come to the movies with me?"
"What's on?" Archie asks.
"I have no idea," Betty shrugs. "I just figured they'd have air-conditioning."
Archie gives a melodic laugh and puts his guitar down. "Okay, just let me go get a shirt," he says. Betty nods and Archie heads inside to put some clothes on. She takes a seat on the stool he'd just been sitting on, noticing some pages of lyrics laying on the floor beside it. He won't mind if she reads them right? He usually plays her the songs he writes anyway.
She's no good at imagining melodies or anything like that, but she can appreciate the lyrics for what they are. A kind of poetry. She picks up the pages and reads the title. Someone You Deserve, it reads. She glances down at the first line, and once she's started, she can't stop.
Verse:
I'm just a dumb kid
Don't have anything figured out
Sitting here, lonely tonight
Thinking about all the times I let you down
Like when you gave me your heart
But I couldn't take it
'Cause I was afraid
That I would just break it
But
Chorus:
One day I will tell you how it's always been you
Back then I didn't trust my own voice
I didn't want hurt you, but I know I don't deserve you
And I know that I made the wrong choice
And I wanted to tell you then, but I lost the nerve
But maybe one day I'll be someone you deserve
Verse:
I'd be a damn fool
Not to give you everything you dream of
Sitting here, nostalgic tonight
Thinking about the times I fell deeper in love
Like when I said let's get married
But you said we're too young
But I will keep waiting
'Cause I know you're the one
And
Chorus
Bridge
I don't have anything to give you
I know I'm not worthy of you
I know you think words are just words
I know you've cried, that you've been hurt
And I know that's all on me
But I'm gonna try my hardest to be the man you need me to be
And
Chorus
Betty stares at the lyrics, reading them over again, quickly, trying to work out if she's misinterpreted. The first verse – that could be about anyone. But there's no mistaking the second verse. Unless he's asked someone else to marry him lately… this song is about her. But – it's a love song. That Archie wrote. About her. She has to read it again.
Her heart is thumping out of her chest, and when she puts her hand to her face she finds her cheek is wet. Has she been crying?
"Betty?" Archie's concerned voice startles her. "Are you-?" He spots the paper in her hand and he pales. He's silent for a moment before he works up the courage to say something. "You weren't supposed to see that. Sorry."
"It's about me," Betty states, and Archie nods, looking kind of awkward. Betty's heart is hammering in her chest, and feelings that she's tried to squash for years come billowing to the surface.
"We can just… forget it," Archie hedges. "Right? Pretend you never saw it? This doesn't have to be weird. I mean… it's just a song."
"So it's not true?" Betty asks. That would be worse. To get her hopes up like that, and then tell her it's just a song.
"What?"
"You said it was just a song. But these lyrics… did you mean them, or…" she trails off. Archie licks his lips, studying her.
"I meant it," he finally says. "I know it's probably not what you want to hear, and it's not really how I wanted to tell you… but Betty… I love you," he says. Betty looks down, not meeting his gaze.
"How could you possibly think I wouldn't want to hear that?" she says when she finally looks back up. She stands up and walks towards him, looking at Archie's dumbstruck expression. "All that stuff in the song, about not being good enough for me… you don't really think that, do you?"
"Of course I do," Archie laughs shortly. "Betty, you're amazing. And I'm definitely not… but I really am trying to be good enough for you."
"You're already there," Betty tells him fiercely. She reaches for his face with both hands and pulls him in to kiss him, like she's wanted to for so long. Betty swears she hears Archie let out a small sigh the moment their lips meet, and then he's kissing her back, pulling her close like he never wants to let her go. Betty smiles into the kiss, and Archie grins in response.
"Archie," Betty whispers against his mouth. "I love you too, you know."
"Good," Archie says, kissing her again. Betty laughs, pulling away.
"Still want to go to the movies?"
"Like a date?"
"Sure," Betty says. Archie takes her hand in his.
"Let's go."