Chapter 25: Light

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone.

You shine it when I'm alone.

And, so I'll tell myself that I'll be strong

And, dreaming when they're gone.

Betty was disappointed.

Which she always knew would happen in any relationship: even if that relationship was between her and one of the most laid back men she knew.

Which happened to be the source of her current disappointment.

For the last few days, her and Jughead could only manage to see each other at school. Family obligations and other responsibilities limited any other contact to phone conversations or IMs. It wasn't that big of a problem, but she missed him.

And, and today, she was free to see a movie with her boyfriend . . . who apparently deemed it more important to catch up on his sleep than hang out with her.

What the hell.

It was a rather dull start to her afternoon, but it quickly picked up when Nancy called to invite her on a shopping trip for lamps.

"Now, that my cousin has finally moved out, I get to move into the bigger guest room and make it my own!" Nancy smiled, as the two of them mingled among the crowd at the Riverdale Outlet Shoppes. Enjoying a rare girl's-afternoon-out, the two of them had purchased a large order of frozen yogurt and sat at an outdoor veranda with the sun warming their skin.

Betty scooped a spoonful from their shared order, and savored the lemon flavor as it melted on her tongue. "How much bigger is the guest room from your old room?"

"By almost half. I've moved most of my stuff over, but there is still a bit of empty space. Which wouldn't bother me as much as it usually does, but there seems to be A LOT of it."

"I think a few floor lamps would be a great idea," Betty agreed. "I've always liked the ambiance of a room lit only by lamps."

"Me, too." Nancy grinned, tossing a casual wave at a passing group of teens before refocusing on her blond friend. "So, how are things in paradise?"

"Eh, you know. Good times and bad times. It just feels like Juggie has been spending more time with the boys and his family than me," she sighed. "Which sounds very selfish, I know, but I've been missing him."

"Ah, the honeymoon phase is over, I see."

Betty chuckled. "I don't know. Jughead and I have had very few disagreements and fights . . . which is bizarre, since I seemed to be angry with Archie half the time I was dating him."

"And, this scares you?"

"I don't know . . ." Betty sighed. "I guess I'm just waiting for the moment when Jughead wakes up and realizes that he is in over his head, and I wake up still in love with Archie."

Nancy rolled her eyes, more than used to Betty's random falls into self-pity. "Pu~lease, Betty. Get a grip on yourself. Jughead is a lot more rational, not to mention male, than you give him credit for. And, if you even toy with the idea of going back to Archie, I may have to beat you senseless myself."

She laughed. "You know what they say: habits are hard to break."

"Well, do you have feelings for Archie at all?"

Betty frowned. "Well, of course! I mean, we aren't dating, but we're still friends. I admit that things are a bit strained at the moment, but I would think that after spending our entire lives together, we'll get over that."

"Would you hug him?"

"Sure."

"Would you hang out with him?"

"Sure."

"Would you go out on a double date with him?"

Betty tried to imagine a double date with her, Jughead, Veronica, and Archie. She nearly shuddered out of her seat. "Probably not."

"Would you kiss him?"

"No."

The answer was so simple and came out without a thought. For a moment, it surprised her. Only a few weeks ago, her immediate answer would have been, "Just tell me where and when to be!" But now, the thought of kissing Archie tied her stomach in knots.

Had she really changed so much?

Nancy's eyes softened as she reached out and lay her hand on Betty's forearm. "It scares you."

"A little," she shifted in her seat. "I don't know why . . . I feel like a stranger."

"That's normal," her friend nodded, taking a bit of yogurt for herself. "You are exactly the same as you were before, Betty. Just a little wiser. And, you have to admit, a little happier. It's all part of maturing."

"I am . . . was mad at Jughead this morning," she quickly admitted, feeling decidedly immature at the moment. "We haven't seen much of each other lately, with the two of us dealing with family things and hanging out with friends separately. I had called him to see if he wanted to see a movie, but he said he needed to nap. Which . . . I know is the usual Juggie behavior . . . but, I feel duped!"

Nancy snorted. "Well, I would too, in your shoes. But, you have to admit, you are dating The Jughead Jones. Notorious glutton and napper. It is bound to happen. You probably do things that irk him sometimes."

Betty frowned at that. "Like what?"

She shrugged. "Beats me. I'm not the one dating you."

"Smart-ass."

Nancy laughed. "Chuck can get pretty irritating when he is in 'athlete mode,' and I know that he can get annoyed by my need to drag him to every chick-flick that comes out in theaters. It's all a part of dating, and you know it. You've been dating for over a decade now. You know the dance."

"Yeah, but I'm not dating just any guy. I'm dating Jughead-my-stomach-is-bigger-than-my-libido-Jones."

Nancy nearly choked on her spoonful of yogurt. "Oh my God. You did not just put Jughead and libido in the same sentence!"

"What? He can be sexy!"

"Jughead?"

"You saw him at the dance!"

"Pu~lease! That boy always cleans up at dances. His mother wouldn't let him out otherwise!"

"Then just take my word for it!"

Nancy grinned and leaned forward. "Oh, hell no. The conversation is finally getting really interesting. Why is Jughead sexy? Do tell!"

Betty took half a second to consider holding out on the juicer aspects of their relationship before she realized that he was practically bursting with the need to share everything.

So she did.

Her face burned with a mixture of pride, excitement, embarrassment, and a smidgen of lust as she whispered the heated moments she had kept to herself ever since Jughead and she began this unexpected dance. Jughead can kiss. Jughead can pull you so deeply into a make out session that you forget your own name. He has a secret deep-voice that he uses at just the right times. He is built like a swimmer!

"Damn~!" Nancy squealed. "I think I may be getting a bit hot over here!"

Betty sighed happily. "Oh my God, Nancy. I have never been kissed like how Jughead kisses me. I mean, he focuses all of his attention on me when we are together. Well, of course, unless there is food in the immediate vicinity, but that's just usual for him."

"Kissing. Oh wow. I guess I've always seen him run away from a smoochy female, that I always thought that he was allergic to them."

"Oh, no! Juggie is an absolute pro!"

Nancy laughed, her head thrown back in disbelief and absolute delight. "I guess there are quite a few perks in dating a genius!"

And, boy, did Betty agree. Even without him there beside her, Betty felt bright and alive. Just knowing that he was the only girl he would ever look twice at seemed surprisingly enough for her. That had never applied to her relationship with Archie . . . because she wasn't the only girl he would ever look twice at.

There was also Ronnie. Cheryl. Midge occasionally.

Every female in the county, really.

Nancy dropped their napkins in the empty yogurt cup. "So much for that righteous anger against your boyfriend, eh?"

Betty dropped their trash into a nearby trash bin as she hooked her purse over he shoulder and followed her friend to the sidewalk that would lead them through the Outlet. "I can't help it! And, don't tell me that you do the exact same thing with Chuck."

"Well, the poor boy always seems to be in some kind of trouble as far as I'm concerned," Nancy winked. "If I was angry about it all the time then we wouldn't have much of a relationship."

"Boys are soooo much work."

"Preaching to the choir, hun."

Both girls linked arms as they giggled their way along the various shops, glancing through windows and pausing every once in a while to point out cute items. The sun was high, and a cool breeze kept the day light and enjoyable. A lot of families seemed to be enjoying the pleasant weather, and for a moment, Betty felt like Riverdale was the best place in the world.

She spotted the river of red hair as the two of them neared the antique store, and Betty's smile brightened. "Cheryl!"

The red-headed heiress turned at the sound of her name and beamed at the sight of them approaching her. "Hey, girls!"

"We haven't seen you since the race," Nancy was quickly pulled into a hug, which she quickly returned. "How have you been?"

"Yeah," Betty nodded. "And, in front of an antique store of all places."

Cheryl shrugged. "This is as good a place as any to catch the eye of any passing gentleman."

The girls laughed and invited Cheryl along on their search for Nancy's lamp.

"Ooo! Interior decorating! A secret passion of mine," Cheryl grinned. "I'd love to come!"

"Just make sure that we stay within my budget and not yours." Nancy pointed.

Cheryl huffed. "Well, I knew that. It is an antique store. Hand-me-downs are a popular item among most middle-classed people."

Both girls easily shrugged off the comment, used to Cheryl being Cheryl. They had a lot of practice with Veronica, after all.

"And, speaking of that," Cheryl fingered the glass plating of a bronze lamp. "I'm actually glad that we ran into each other. My father is hosting a concert next weekend to help raise funding for breast cancer research, and I wanted to invite you and some of the other girls."

"A concert?" Nancy smiled. "Well, I'm all in for that! Anything to help my fellow women."

Betty agreed."Do you want us to invite the others?"

"The more the merrier, I say! Oh, Nancy look at this one!" Cheryl reached over to point out a particularly rustic lamp.

The movement, shifted the floral scarf she wore to compliment her strappy red dress, clearly revealing a dark hickey low on Cheryl's neck.

"Oh my God, Cheryl," Betty pounced, grasping Cheryl's arm. "Is that for real?"

Cheryl blinked, surprised to be accosted by the usually meek blond. "Is what for real?"

Betty wiggled her eyebrows, feeling ridiculously funny in the face of learning a little bit more about her nerdy classmate. "That hickey, darling!"

Nancy appeared at Betty's elbow. "Where? Where? Where?"

Cheryl smirked and turned up her nose. "Really. Were there ever any doubts that my Dilly is a man of intense romantic inclinations?"

"Dilly?" the duo echoed.

"What I call him is beside the point," she grinned. "He is my man, and has earned the right to decorate me with hickeys as he so pleases, as long as I can retain my dignity with cute scarves."

Betty laughed as she got a closer look at the hickey. "Let me guess: this has given you the perfect reason to be obsessed with neck-wear now?"

"Very French, don't you think?"

"In more than one way," Nancy grinned. "Wow, I didn't think that he had it in him."

"What can I say?" Cheryl winked, readjusting her scarf. "I bring out the beast in every man." She dropped a look at Betty. "Well, except one."

The blond beamed.

Nancy sighed, leaning heavily against Betty's arm with an exaggerated swoon. "Gosh, you guys are killing me. Who knew that I was a sucker for odd-ball romances?"

"I resent that," Cheryl pouted. "I am beautiful, and stylish, and cunning to the nth degree! No part of my person is odd."

"I'm afraid that that has changed now, hun," Nancy laughed. "If you and Dilton are for keeps, you are inheriting a little bit of oddness."

"She's right," Betty shrugged. "I've already accepted my own little odd-ball." Then, she leaned closer. "And, we are all the better for it."

It took the rest of their search through the entire antique store for the two teens to finally convince their rich friend that she was indeed a little crazy to be in a relationship with her polar opposite. And, that a little bit of crazy went a long way towards happiness.

They eventually found two complimentary lamps and Nancy purchased them on a deal that Cheryl easily convinced the cashier to give them with her perfect winks and smiles. A fake phone number also earned them a free home delivery.

Sometimes, Betty really loved being a girl.

Cheryl treated them to a quick dinner at the local fresh market before Betty hugged her good-byes and headed back home. Her spirit felt deeply revived after a successful day of de-stressing and pointless girl-talk. After listening to the red-headed heiress regale them with deeply fantasized stories about herself and Dilton, Betty felt a little more hope for herself and her long-nosed boyfriend.

Who she missed a little bit at the moment.

Jumping the gun seemed to be the newest form of decision making in Betty's life, and she couldn't help the smile that spread over her face as she changed course and headed towards Jughead's home.

Who said anything about not being able to see her boyfriend just be cause he was not up to it?

After all, if she was anything, it was pro-active!

Sliding her purse off her shoulder, Betty quietly closed the bedroom door behind her. The room was cast in a warm glow from the lamp on the desk, where the radio was playing a slow jazz song. Jughead lay on his stomach in the middle of the bed, his t-shirt wrinkled beyond saving and jeans tight against his oddly curled legs.

A random snore caused him to twitch, but other than that, he remained fully ensconced in la-la land.

Betty wished she had brought a camera.

Before, she had dreamed of doing something like this to Archie. Just, having the courage to walk into his house and into his room and to just . . . curl into bed with him. And, maybe she would have.

Maybe she could have.

If there wasn't the possibility of there already being a girl in his bed, cuddling with him. Or maybe if there wasn't the chance of him throwing her a strange look before asking her what the hell she was doing.

Maybe if he didn't break her heart all the damn time.

Shedding her cardigan, Betty felt slightly exposed in just her skirt and spaghetti strap, but skin-to-skin interaction sounded like a really good idea at the moment.

And, her boyfriend was just there for the taking. She practically had the blessings of his parents, who had no problems letting her sneak into their son's room unattended.

And, she was oozing bravery.

Well, kind of.

Her heart melted as he shifted to scratch his torso.

And, he was just so damn cute!

Smiling, Betty slid out of her flip flops and slowly eased her knee down on the bed, planning on claiming the empty space between Jughead and the wall. The downy comforter seemed to pull her further down as she brought both knees up and shuffled her way over him. The bed shifted with her every movement, and she fully expected him to wake up in sheer terror at any moment.

The fact that he had only shifted minutely once she was propped up on her side beside him was slightly disappointing. She pulled her arm in and dropped her entire body down on the mattress with a plop, causing both of them to bounce a bit.

Jughead's startled shake into consciousness made her grin.

And, her grin was the first thing he saw as he cracked an eye open. Stared. Cracked open the other eye in confusion. Stared a bit more. His body was pulled tight with confusion and slight wariness.

"Betty." His voice was scratchy with sleep.

Something tingled in the base of her spine at the deep sound. "Hello, Sleeping Beauty."

His body melted back into the mattress, the tension leaving him. He readjusted his legs, sliding one shin between her bare legs. "You couldn't come up with a manlier nickname?"

"It was the first thing that came to mind," Betty reached up and brushed his hair back from his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into her touch and melted even further into the mattress. "You still sleepy?"

Jughead looked at her with half-lidded eyes. "Just a little. I didn't expect these past few days to be so busy. Especially with finals going on."

"Finals weren't that bad."

"They were if you only study around this time of year. I can deal with tests through out the year, but these cumulative exams wear me out."

Betty chuckled, slowly raking her nails along his scalp. "What do you know? Even the brilliant Jughead Jones needs to study once in a while."

His arm came up as his hand settled on the small of her back, a comforting link between them. "How was your day?"

"Nothing extraordinary. Went out with Nancy and Cheryl. I was heading home, but decided that I wanted to see you first."

Jughead's eyes' drifted closed, his arm pulling her closer. "How long can you stay?"

His sleepiness seemed to be rubbing off on her as Betty leaned forward to press her forehead against his. Her eyes drifted shut. "I have two more hours before they start getting worried."

"Good," he mumbled. "I'll walk you home then."

". . .o.k," she sighed, following him to dream-land with saxophones and drums nipping at their heels.

-/-

[Words: 3,053]

AN: Merry Christmas, guys :)