After lazily staring at Jughead's text several more times, Betty got up and headed to her bathroom, running a bath. She brushed her teeth as she waited and then let herself soak for a good 20 minutes, luxuriating in the hot water. She rubbed the vanilla body wash she knew Jughead loved over her arms and legs and smiled at the scent. Only when the water started to become lukewarm did she get up. After drying herself, she put on a warm fuzzy white robe and made her way downstairs. It was nearly 11 and the house was still quiet. In the kitchen, she saw a note taped to the fridge in her mother's elegant cursive script.
Elizabeth, we went to the antique sale in Greendale. We should be back in the evening after dinner. Please do not spend the day in bed. There are leftovers in the fridge.
Betty shook her head and giggled. Despite her mixed feelings toward her mother, it amused her how old school Alice was. She insisted on leaving paper notes when a text message would easily suffice. Betty made herself a cup of coffee, pouring in an extra amount of milk and sugar with no one around her to make a comment. She took the mug upstairs and decided to get a head start on assignments for the semester's end in a few weeks. She was grateful for the quiet and the chance to focus exclusively on something she knew she excelled at. Homework and school, while of course challenging, came easy in a way. Compiling study guides for tests and drafting outlines for essays was soothing to her. She was an obsessive organizer and it was satisfying to check one task after another off her list. After a few hours of uninterrupted work, her stomach rumbled and she went downstairs to heat up the leftovers. In the fridge, wrapped in pristine plastic wrap, was a plate of brown rice, broccoli and chicken breast. Betty grimaced slightly, but placed the plate in the microwave to heat up. Her mother was a fine cook, but she was really craving something fat and oily. She decided, although it was risky, to swing by Pop's before going to see Jughead and bringing them takeout for dinner.
As she ate, she checked her phone again. Jason hadn't written, which meant he was either doing weird twin bonding with Cheryl or hanging with the guys. Good riddance, she thought. Veronica had texted complaining about the difficulty of their latest AP History assignment. For all her party girl ways, Veronica was a diligent student and had some of the best grades in their class. She wrote back commiserating (despite having finished it earlier in the week) and they chatted about school and the party for a few minutes before agreeing to meet the next day for a girls plus Kevin excursion to the mall.
She washed her plate and headed back up to her room, planning to work a few more hours before heading over to Pop's and then the Twilight. She typed out a message to her parents to let them know she was taking the second car to meet her friends tonight, certain they wouldn't actually check up on her. At least Alice's version of hands-on parenting didn't include needing to constrain Betty's whereabouts at every moment and just sufficed with constant put-me-downs, Betty thought with a scowl. That's how she had successfully navigated the morning after she first slept with Jughead, by lying and saying she'd spent the night after the homecoming dance at Veronica's. Her mom's only response had been to rip into Betty for how she'd heard complaints about the catering of the dance. Betty assumed her mother's laissez-faire attitude about Betty's day-to-day whereabouts probably had to do with who her friends were, the so-called golden children of Riverdale. She was sure if her mom caught even a whiff that she was spending time with, let alone sleeping with, a Serpent from the South Side, she'd be shipped off to God knows where faster than Polly was.
Shaking the intrusive thoughts from her head, Betty continued outlining her assignments based on prompts her teachers had already OKed—a research paper about the Jazz Age through the lens of the Great Gatsby for AP US History and an essay for AP English on problematic characters in two Shakespeare comedies. Jughead would be proud of her for having managed to sneak a literary element into a history paper, she thought with a smile before digging back into the work. Before she knew it, it was already 5:30 pm and the sky outside was nearly dark.
Stretching her arms slowly, Betty approached her dresser, contemplating what to wear. She was so used to dressing in pastel colors and preppy-style clothing in her daily life that when she secretly met Jughead, she had a fetish about wearing black. She knew it was his favorite color too. That said, she had no real desire to dress up and preferred to be comfortable. She knew he wouldn't care. Jughead told her she looked sexy in whatever she wore. She even sometimes believed him. Betty grabbed a plain pair of black cotton panties and a lacy black bralette that provided little coverage. Over it went a midriff-baring blank tank top, followed by plain black leggings. She zipped up an oversized gray Riverdale High sweatshirt over it all and then laced up sneakers. She glanced at herself in the mirror and tied her hair up in its usual high ponytail. If anyone saw her, she decided, they could assume she had been running. In her bathroom, she put on a light daub of concealer and a thin line of black eyeliner, finishing up with a coat of strawberry chapstick. Satisfied, she checked her phone again. It was nearly 6; she could head out. Her stomach was filled with butterflies of excitement, as it always was anytime she was about to see Jughead.
She grabbed her bag from her closet and headed down the stairs, turning the porch light on before slamming the door behind her. She grabbed the keys out of her bag and directed her mother's car to Pop's Diner. The bell jangled as she walked in but hardly anyone noticed as the dinner rush was in full swing. She headed to the counter where Pop Tate was working the register. He smiled warmly at Betty when he spotted her.
"What can I get you, Betty?"
"One double cheeseburger, no onions. One grilled cheese. Two orders of fries. And milkshakes, one chocolate, one vanilla. To go."
If Pop noticed she had recited Jughead's regular order along with hers, he didn't let on. He just smiled and nodded. "Coming right up."
Betty sat on a stool by the counter to wait, trying not to feel anxious. After ten minutes or so, Pop came back with her food wrapped tightly and she thanked and paid him. Heading back out to her car, Betty placed the bag in the passenger seat and directed the car to the Twilight. The place looked deserted, which wasn't unusual for a Saturday in late November. She laughed as she saw Rebel Without a Cause was really playing on the screen in the distance. Once he saw no one had arrived to the movie scheduled, Jughead probably hadn't been able to resist.
She approached the projection room and quietly opened the unlocked door. Upon seeing him, her heart started beating wildly. Jughead was faced away from her, pounding away at the keys of his laptop. The small space heater she'd bought for winter in the drafty Blue & Gold office, and which she had insisted on lending to him after a freezing tryst in late October (despite his initial reluctance), was chugging away in the corner warming his feet.
"Hey Jug," she called as the door shut behind her, and he turned to smile at her, softly closing his laptop. The aroma of Pop's filled the small enclosed room and Jughead's smile got even wider.
"Please tell me that's a cheeseburger I smell, Betts," he said, walking toward her, that sexy smirk of his already having her stomach doing somersaults.
"A double," she teased and his arms were soon around her, grabbing the small of her back and kissing her so thoroughly that she almost dropped the bag of food.
"You are the girl of my dreams," he said, half-seriously, grabbing the bag from her hand and placing it on the small table. He quickly moved his laptop to the projection desk and brought over the stool to sit on. Betty began to unpack the food before settling in the chair. Betty watched Jughead dig in as she more carefully used the plastic utensils Pop had placed with their order to cut her grilled cheese into smaller pieces. Jughead was about halfway through his burger before he finally came up for air.
"Some girls might consider the way you inhale your food a turn-off," Betty joked, before taking her first bite of the deliciously greasy sandwich.
"Why a turn-off? I'm a very good eater and have a very healthy appetite, as you know," Jughead replied, winking at her, the innuendo obvious.
Betty nearly choked on her bite, but quickly recovered. "Yeah, you're not bad. Who taught you?" she teased back.
"Oh, Betty, as if I'd need anyone to teach me how to eat. Especially something delicious that I want all the time," his voice went low and sultry at his last words, and Betty could feel goosebumps rising on her skin. She turned a delightful shade of pink and Jughead laughed at her softly. "You're cute when you blush."
"Maybe focus on your food," she said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.
"You're right," he said, still with a flirtatious tone. "I can focus on you later."
"Or, I can focus on you," Betty shot back.
Jughead grinned, tipping his milkshake toward her and taking a long sip. "I love when you're feisty. And I love when you bring food. Thank you, Betts," he said, his voice genuine.
"You're welcome," she replied, smiling back. "How was your day?"
"You were looking at most of it. Napped here in the morning and then I've been writing for 8 hours or so. Came here after a few hours of writing and coffee at Pop's."
"You didn't go home after the party?" she questioned, the worry evident in her voice.
"Nah…FP hasn't been so great lately. Didn't feel like dealing with that."
She nodded. He had told her a little about his father. Basically that he was a semi-functioning alcoholic, who had infrequent periods of sobriety, when he would manage to work odd jobs, usually with Fred Andrews' construction crew, but then fall off the wagon before long. Jughead didn't like to talk about it much, though.
"So when's the last time you showered, or brushed your teeth?" she asked half-jokingly, wrinkling her nose in mock disgust.
"I may or may not have taken advantage of the Mantles' deluxe en suite shower after you left last night," he winked at her.
She giggled, knowing he certainly had and not blaming him in the least. Her voice turned serious with the next question, though. "And the owners here don't mind you co-opting this place?"
"Hey, as long as the movies get played," he said, throwing up a mock shrug. "It's not like this is a big money-making machine. I think they're just happy to clear a profit at the end of the month. They don't ask too many questions."
"I hope they're paying you enough," she said, biting her lip.
"Don't worry about me, Betts. I'm good."
"But I do," she said quietly. "Worry about you."
He grabbed her hand over the table and squeezed. "I know," he said, looking deep into her eyes. "Ditto."
She smiled at him and pushed her half-eaten fries over to his side. "Here, finish them. I'm guessing you haven't eaten since Pop gave you a leftover piece of pie with your coffee this morning."
Jughead gave her a knowing smile and grabbed a fistful of fries. "What about you? Anything new to report?"
"Going to the mall with Veronica and Kevin tomorrow. I think she wants us to pick out our outfits for New Year's already."
"Ah, and what are the upper crust doing for the new year of our lord?" he mocked, but with a smile.
Betty took a deep breath. "The Blossoms are having a party," she said, her voice small. She hated talking about anything related to her boyfriend with him. And especially now, after that moment of vulnerability the previous night.
His smile immediately disappeared. "Oh." He was silent for a few seconds as it looked like he was recalling something. "I thought they were going to Aspen for the holidays…that you might be able to take a night off and come to the thing at the Whyte Worm," he said, referencing the Serpent bar/hangout.
"Only for Christmas," she said with a sigh. "I'm sorry."
He nodded, stone-faced. He seemed to be waging some internal argument in his own head. He was silent for what felt like at least a minute. Betty let him be. She knew that despite telling her he wanted her any way he could have her that first night, the situation was hard on him. However, she didn't really feel there was anything in her power to fix it. Of course, she wanted to be with him, fully and in public, but that all still felt like a remote fantasy, not anything close to reality. She watched him carefully, hoping, selfishly, they could put the subject behind them for the night. Finally, he shook his head and rolled his eyes to himself, pushing the intrusive thoughts away. He smiled at her to signify he was fine and continued the conversation from the point before, immediately erasing the sour mood that had descended.
"And what did you do today?"
"Nothing much. Worked ahead on final assignments for the semester," she said, blushing slightly at how dorky she sounded.
He chuckled. "Such a nerd," he joked, his tone now full of affection.
"Not all of us can be cool and edgy enough to be a moody bad boy in a gang," she taunted back.
Jughead licked the salt of the fries from his lips and grinned. "You love moody bad boys."
Betty flushed. "They're alright," she replied defiantly.
Jughead chuckled. "I'll show you tonight how much you love them," he said gruffly, his midnight blue eyes turning even darker as he scanned her body like she was dessert. Her chest immediately started heaving and her breath sped up at his tone.
God, he couldn't get his mind out of the gutter, not that she minded. She loved flirting with him and teasing each other, building up the tension before things turned physical. It was the luxury of time they didn't often have. A night together like this was special for just that reason. She was grateful for the non-sexual moments, too. As much as she loved being with him physically, taking each other to heights of pleasure, she couldn't deny how easy being together like this felt. Just the two of them talking, the intimacy present in their conversation without any need for touch.
"What else are you gonna show me?" she replied, putting him on the spot. Jughead smiled and shook his head. As was evident from their differing personalities, he was usually more forward and sexually open than her. But she was starting to get more flirtatious as their relationship deepened, and she could tell he liked it.
"How much I like good girls," he replied, winking at her again.
At first she blushed. But then, with the confidence she was slowly developing around him, she thought of an idea of how to drive him wild. He usually had the upper hand in their flirtations, constantly pushing her buttons and turning her into a wet puddle of need for him, but tonight she wanted to turn the tables on him. She tried to smirk like him and then slowly pulled the hair band down from her blonde locks, shaking them out and letting the golden waves fall around her face like a halo. "What do you like about good girls?" she asked, her voice sweet and demure.
Jughead groaned, watching her. "I like when they act innocent but are secretly naughty. How they spend the whole day working industriously but at night give in to their fantasies," he replied hotly, challenging her.
Betty almost gave in, already turned on by his impressive vocabulary and seductive tone. But she steeled herself and stood up. She fiddled with the zipper of her sweatshirt, following his entranced gaze. She slowly pulled it down and shrugged it off her, his eyes hyperly glancing from the exposed skin of her smooth stomach to her chest rising and falling, her hardened nipples obvious through the thin material of the bralette and tank top. She ran her hands through her locks and then trailed the outline of her body, her eyes on him the entire time. "Would good girls do this?" she questioned, her voice silky.
His eyes burned black like coals and his lips curled into a smile. "Betts, are you trying to seduce me?" he questioned, clearly referencing the famous line from The Graduate. She just looked at him, a smug half-smile on her face, waiting to see what he would do. He licked his lips and stood up. She could see the arousal in his jeans, spurring a shiver through her body and the wetness in her own pants to pool. In an instant, he was on her, grabbing her body in his hands, and easily lifting her legs around him, positioning her center around his hard cock. His hands gripped onto the spot between her ass and thighs and he stared directly into her eyes. "Is this what you wanted, baby?"
She nodded and tried to move her center over him to relieve the tension between her legs, but his grip was too tight and he held her firmly in place. He chuckled at her attempts, his dark eyes smoldering into her emeralds filled with desperation. "Tell me what you want," he demanded.
"Kiss me," she replied, her voice a breathy sigh and he pulled her into him even closer and brought their lips together, ravaging her mouth. She opened her lips for him, letting his tongue slip inside her and they dueled for dominance until Betty felt like she couldn't breathe. She broke away and began kissing down his neck, as he walked them over to the cot determinedly, depositing her gently on the bed and climbing on top of her.
They resumed kissing, Jughead running his hands over the skin of her stomach and making contact with the hem of her tank top. He lifted it up over her breasts, squeezing them through the thin fabric of the bralette. He lowered his mouth, moving the fabric away to take a puckered nub inside, and Betty squirmed under him, moaning as he bit down. As he moved to her other nipple, she ran her hands under his long-sleeved T-shirt and over his back until he pulled away to throw the shirt off. With him half upright, she began to fumble with his belt buckle, undoing it and unbuttoning his jeans. Jughead stood up to push the pants off him, and Betty sat up, taking the moment to also throw her tank top away. Turning back to her, Jughead reached for the waistband of her leggings, sticking a few fingers down to tease her lower stomach just above her center. She lifted her ass up slightly, so he could peel the leggings off her, his hands grazing her legs as he did so. As Jughead moved to get back on top of her, she halted him by running her hand over his crotch, before twisting her hand into a fist and running it over the tip of his erection.
"What are you doing, Betts?" he asked, his smirk making it perfectly clear he was aware of what she was angling for.
"I'm still hungry," she teased, pulling him free from his underwear and letting them fall down his legs. He kicked his shoes off and stepped his feet out of the offending garment, pushing them both away with his sock-clad feet. Betty moved her hand up to the base of his shaft, pumping it slowly. Jughead groaned, running his hands through her hair, as she positioned his cock to her mouth. Her hands found his lower back and she pulled him in, nibbling on the tip before slowly taking him all in her mouth. She went up and down leisurely, curling her tongue against the taut skin as she descended. Jughead hissed each time she did so and she could feel him turn even harder in her mouth. She licked the pre-cum off his tip and then moved him back inside her mouth laser fast, continuing to suck him up and down.
"Fuuuck, Betty," he moaned, his fingers digging into her scalp as he thrust desperately into her mouth, his release coming. She ran her hand over his saliva-soaked cock, pumping with her fingers after each stroke of her tongue. It threw Jughead over the edge. "Oh fuck, Betts. You're so good at that, baby. Oh my God," he chanted, his stomach muscles rippling as he exploded inside her mouth. Betty held the hot white liquid in the back of her throat, sucking his tip clean, before swallowing it all and looking up at Jughead with a satisfied smile.
"Would good girls do that?" she asked again, her green eyes twinkling.
Jughead growled and pushed her backward onto the cot, holding her down. He entangled her two hands, holding them by the wrist over her head. "Do you have any idea how sexy you are?" he asked, before kissing the pulse point on her neck, sucking gently so he wouldn't leave a mark. She panted beneath him and he continued his descent downard, stopping to suckle each of her nipples, this time through the fabric of the bralette. Betty shuddered as the warmth of his tongue gave way to the feel of damp fabric against her skin. She could feel herself dripping into her panties, hungry for him to fill her, with his hand or mouth, she didn't care. As if reading her mind, he moved his free hand down and stroked her over her panties, bringing his mouth down from her breasts to leave a ring of kisses around her navel. His grip on her wrists loosened as the fingers of his second hand began rubbing circles around her clit. She could feel a very pronounced wet spot forming on her panties and if the wide grin he shot her was any indication, so could he. "Definitely a good girl," he murmured, "So wet for me."
Jughead let go of his hold on her, grazing his second hand downwards, until both were on her waistband, running the ruined panties off her legs. Grabbing her waist, Jughead positioned his face at her center. He slowly ran his tongue up her slit, taking in a first taste of her juices. Betty immediately melted into him, her body on fire. Her hands gripped his hair as he moved his tongue up and down before snatching her clit gently between his teeth. He sucked on the sensitive nub and Betty bucked her hips, the jolt of pleasure his mouth brought shaking her whole body. "Juggy," she gasped, and he brought a hand down to replace his tongue. He used his forefinger to rub her clit, using his tongue to now penetrate her and taste inside her walls. "Ohhh," she gurgled, her whole body bubbling. Just as she felt herself starting to fall over the edge, the movement of his fingers against her clit stilled and he lazily licked up her center, using only the barest tip of his tongue. "No," she begged, writhing under him. "Don't stop. Please."
He chuckled, his hot breath tickling against her clit like a feather. He climbed up her body so he was looking into her hooded eyes, still clouded over in the expectation of an earth-shattering orgasm. "I want you to come when I'm inside you," he pronounced.
Betty whined, but he just kept smirking, leaning over her to grab a condom from the box he'd stashed next to the cot's pillow. He ran his fingers overy Betty's glistening center, earning another whine cum moan, using the wetness to coat his cock until he was fully erect. He opened the foil package and placed the rubber on. He lifted Betty upright and sat back down on the cot, using his muscular arms to position her over him and then lower her onto his cock. "Oh God," she gasped. He was filling her so deep, in places she wasn't sure he'd ever reached before. It felt incredible.
"You pick the pace, baby," he muttered, his hands holding her ass in place. Straddling him with her knees against the cot, she used her thigh muscles to ride him up and down. He moved with her, meeting her thrust for thrust. She bent down slightly to kiss him and he groaned appreciatively, releasing one hand from her backside and bringing it up to their mingled tongues. After wettening his fingers, he moved them back down to find her clit. Betty moaned, unable to keep up the pace as he pleasured the sensitive nub. She could feel herself losing control of her body, and she gave up any hope of guiding their pace, letting him take the lead in penetrating her. Rubbing her pretty pink clit with purpose, his cock buried deep in the back of her walls, Betty could feel her body careening to climax.
"I'm so close, Juggy," she moaned, her legs already shaking against him.
"Come for me, baby," he mumbled against her lips, stroking her engorged clit once more for good measure. In an instant, she felt the orgasm ripple through her body. Waves of ecstasy shot through her all the way down to her toes and her walls started to close in on him. Jughead's movements grew jerky, and his climax followed closely on the heels of hers, both of them collapsing backwards, as he shot the milky white cum into the condom. He held her against him, both of their chests heaving, as they tried to catch their breaths. "Fuck, that was incredible," he said, closing his eyes momentarily, before releasing his hold on her.
Betty slowly rolled over onto the cot, her heartbeat still not yet returned to normal, a residual effect of her intense orgasm. She breathed heavily, watching him get up and dispose of the condom through hooded eyes. She felt so calm and like she could doze off any minute, despite it probably only being 8 in the evening.
When he came back, still naked she noted happily, he smiled at her and ran a tender caress over her face. "I think the bad boy tired the good girl out," he joked. Betty had just enough energy left to roll her eyes at him and he laughed. "Do you need to go?" he asked.
Betty shook her head, knowing that after their day antique hunting, her parents would probably each pour a stiff drink and fall almost immediately to sleep tonight. She just needed to be home before they woke up in the morning. "In the morning. Early," she responded.
He nodded. "I'll set an alarm for 5?"
"That's good," she replied drowsily and he smiled down at her again, before kissing her forehead. He set up the alarm, laid his phone down on the table, and then climbed into the cot next to her, spooning her from behind.
"Sweet dreams, good girl," he teased, closing his eyes and cuddling her body closer to his.
"Sweet dreams, bad boy," came the yawning reply.
When the alarm Jughead set up shrilled and woke her in pitch blackness, Betty's stomach turned unhappily. She felt tired and heavy. She didn't know when she'd be able to see him again. Sure, they would see each other at school, but like this, just the two of them? December was gearing up to be a busy month with football playoffs, the end of the semester, and the winter holidays. She hoped they would be able to scrounge up some alone time in the coming weeks. She knew her heart wouldn't be able to take it if they couldn't.
Extricating herself unwillingly from Jughead's embrace, which prompted a groan in his sleep, Betty began to search for her clothes, stumbling around the darkness, with only Jughead's cell phone to illuminate the space. Once dressed and with her purse in hands, she collected the leftover crumbs and plastic containers from their still strewn out dinner into the plastic bag. She tied the top and placed it in the trash bin next to the projection equipment.
As she turned the knob of the door to leave, not wanting to wake him, she heard him call out to her.
"Wait, Betts" came his sleepy voice. "I'll see you next week?"
"I hope so, Juggy" she whispered back.
"I'll miss you," he mumbled before turning back to sleep, and Betty hurried out, trying not to tear up at the thought of how much she'd miss him too.
