Betty and Jughead are sleeping soundly, his arms loosely wrapped around her waist, the early September sun warming up the room to just the right temperature for them to need the light blanket and the warmth of each other's body to make them feel perfectly cozy. Betty's sleep is, however, disturbed when she hears the front door of the apartment slamming shut.
"Shit!" she mutters under her breath when she glances at the clock that reads 9:15am. She didn't mean to sleep that long. Jughead was supposed to sneak back into his apartment before either Archie or Veronica woke up. But after they decided to make the most out of their night, again and again, she must've been too tired to think of setting an alarm.
She quickly extracts herself from Jughead's arms, pulling on a pair of pajamas that she didn't get a chance to wear last night and slips out of her bedroom, making sure to not wake him up.
"Ronnie! You're home already?" Betty exclaims, as if surprised to see her roommate.
"Doing the walk of shame, I know." Veronica gives her a small smirk that says she's certainly not ashamed. She's wearing the same skirt as last night, but instead of her own top she's wearing Archie's light blue button-up, and despite it being way too big on her, somehow she manages to pull it off with perfect elegance.
"So, how was your date?" Betty asks, knowing that Veronica is dying to tell her and won't wait for prompting much longer.
"Oh, B, last night was amazing! The restaurant we went to was simply spectacular. The food, the music. It even had a tiny dance floor." She sighs, the look on her face all dreamy. Being sort of a socialite and having visited most of the prestigious places in New York, it's not every day that Veronica finds a restaurant impressive. "I so wish you had a boyfriend so we could go on double dates there. It's perfect for that."
"Yeah." Betty gives her a tight lipped smile. This is exactly the reason she and Jughead decided not to tell Veronica about their relationship. While they both love their friends dearly, they don't want to make a big deal out of it and involve other people just yet. And they definitely don't want to get roped into their friends' double dating obsession.
A couple of months ago, Veronica and Archie met another couple their age and quickly fell in love with the idea of double dating. But after a few weeks of dance classes, weekend long spa retreats and dinner parties, the two couples slowly started to get tired of each other. They never officially broke it off, and instead began actively avoiding each other on campus, never visiting the places they used to go to together and acting like a pair of exes who ended their relationship on a bad note. They swore to never get into that type of relationship with another couple, but Betty and Jughead knew it was only a matter of time before they'd start considering it again.
At the time they thought it would happen whenever Betty or Jughead found a new partner, not counting on the possibility that they'd find themselves in a relationship with each other. This situation that is probably Veronica's biggest dream is also Betty and Jughead's biggest nightmare.
"I'm going to make breakfast. Do you want an egg white omelet?" Betty asks, trying to change the topic before Veronica has a chance to bring up her potential boyfriend candidates again. During one of their snack breaks last night, Betty ended up scrolling through the profiles of her possible suitors that Veronica sent her, while Jughead criticized her choices.
"He doesn't even wear a stupid crown beanie all the time. Why would you want him?" he asks, pointing at one of the men with a scowl.
"I wouldn't. The beanie is a deal breaker." Betty grins at him, snuggling into his side. "And I already have one hot beanie-wearing man right here."
"Oh, no, thanks," Veronica replies, pulling Betty out of her thoughts. "Archie and I are heading out to have brunch. But you guys should come too."
"We as in..." Betty trails off, acting confused. It's not like Veronica has any reason to suspect anything, but lying to her friends still makes Betty feel paranoid that they'll figure it out before Betty and Jughead themselves have a chance to tell them.
"You and Jughead, of course," Veronica says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Then again, it's not like they ever really hang out with anyone else. "I told Archie to ask him when he wakes up. We still have so much to catch up on. And who doesn't love brunch, right?"
"Yeah." Betty grins at her, trying to hide the nervousness that suddenly overcame her. "Brunch is awesome."
"Well anyway, I gotta hop in the shower because I'm a sweaty mess after last night." Veronica giggles, making her way towards the bathroom. "Be ready in an hour?"
Betty nods quickly, the wheels in her head already spinning. If Veronica wants them to leave in an hour, it's probably not long before Archie wakes up, looking for Jughead. Jughead who is currently still sleeping in her bed, completely unaware of his surroundings.
As the door on the bathroom close behind Veronica, Betty rushes towards her bedroom. While her friend likes to take her time when getting ready, there is only so long before she gets out.
"Jug, c'mon, you gotta get up," Betty whispers, shaking him gently but with urgency. Usually when she knows he only has a few more minutes before his alarm is set to go off she starts pressing soft kisses to his face and lips and running her hand through his hair, causing him to wake up slowly and with a smile on his face. This is not one of those mornings.
"No. Sleep," he mumbles with his face buried in the pillow, showing no signs of trying to get out of the bed.
"C'mon, Juggie," she pleads, rubbing his back. "Veronica got back and she just went to take a shower. You need to get back into your apartment before she finds you here and freaks out."
The mention of Veronica makes his eyes shoot open and he jumps out of the bed so quickly it makes the room spin. Betty needs to grab his arm to keep him from falling back into bed. "Is that idea so bad?" she asks, trying to stifle her giggle as Jughead attempts to regain his balance.
"You know how she is. I don't want her interrogating me with my morning wood still up." He scrunches up his face and this time she can't stop the laugh from escaping her throat.
"You're adorable." Betty smiles and kisses him softly as she shoves his clothes and beanie into his hands. "But you need to get dressed and get out of this apartment before she sees you if you want to avoid that."
He quickly does as he's told and Betty sticks her head out of her bedroom door to make sure the coast is clear. She doesn't hear the water running but knows that Veronica likes to indulge in a dry brushing session before her shower, so she doesn't question it. Betty gestures at him to follow her and they quietly make their way toward the front door. They don't dare to speak or stop, but Betty presses a quick yet hard kiss to Jughead's lips before swiftly closing the door. She's not fast enough, because right at that moment, Veronica walks out of the bathroom, wrapped up in her silk bathrobe.
"Who was that?" she asks, her pointed eyebrow raising when she sees her best friend awkwardly hovering by the door.
"No one. I just... I thought I heard a knock. But I must've imagined it." Betty shrugs, hoping to play it off.
"Oh, okay," Veronica replies, not giving much thought to her friend's strange behavior as she makes her way toward her bedroom, shuffling through one of her suitcases that she didn't get to open the day before. "I just remembered I haven't unpacked the new conditioner I got in Paris and it seriously works wonders. It's got Kaempferia Galanga root extract. I don't know what that is, but it's supposed to provide natural UV protection. Isn't that amazing?" she asks as she re-emerges from her room with a fancy-looking bottle in her hands that must've cost more than all of Betty's beauty products combined.
"It is." Betty nods with a polite smile. With their friendship growing so quickly, she sometimes forgets how different their backgrounds are and how miraculous it was they even met in the first place.
When Betty first saw Veronica, she was sitting on her satin sheets in their tiny, dingy looking dorm room, reading the newest issue of Vogue and Betty wondered whether she entered the wrong room.
Despite her initial friendliness, Betty expected Veronica to be a roommate from hell. A spoiled socialite attending NYU and living in the dorms as some sort of experiment or perhaps a punishment from her filthy rich parents. Of course, she didn't tell her any of that, and Veronica explained her situation by saying she wanted an authentic college experience. Betty wondered how authentic it could be when she kept wearing her Louboutins to class and scribbling her notes with a Montblanc. But Betty Cooper has always tried to give people a chance, and this time it was the best decision she could've made.
Despite their obvious differences, Betty and Veronica quickly became best friends. Two years later, while living together in a small apartment in Brooklyn, it was becoming easier and easier to forget about their different upbringings. Well, sometimes.
"Of course I got you one as well. Only the best for my best girl." Veronica gives her a bright smile and disappears into the bathroom again.
Jughead barely makes it two steps into his apartment, trying to stay as quiet as possible, when the creaking of Archie's door startles him.
"Jug? What are you doing up?" Archie asks with a yawn. He heads straight for the coffee machine, trying to rub the sleepiness from his eyes. "And why are you dressed?" he adds with confusion. Everybody who knows him at least a little knows that Jughead Jones is a night owl and likes to sleep in as long as his schedule allows him. So it's rather rare to see him up, let alone dressed to go out before Archie.
"Ummm... I just woke up, but we don't have the cereal I'm craving so I thought I'd pop into the store real quick." Good thinking. Jughead praises himself for the quick lie and Archie doesn't seem to question it. He knows that Jughead is always particular about his cereal choice so it's not too surprising to him.
"Ronnie and I are going out for brunch and she asked me to invite you. She says there's this new place she wants to try out. Some Spanish name I don't remember. Or maybe it was a word she used to describe it. You know I don't speak Spanish," he says, running his hand through his hair. "But I bet they have better stuff than cereal."
"I'm not sure if..." Jughead starts to protest. He's not one to turn down food under any circumstances, and while he usually likes hanging out with Archie and Veronica, especially when it includes food that is more than likely going to be paid for by Veronica, he suspects they'll be all over each other today even more so than usually. He doesn't need to be a part of that. And, well, after last night, he could use some more sleep.
"I'm sure Betty will be there as well," Archie says matter of factly as he watches the brown liquid slowly drip into his cup.
"Why should I care if Betty is there?" Okay, way to lose your cool, Jones. He quickly berates himself. "I mean... why does it matter?" he attempts to fix his response, but feels like he's only digging himself deeper. Why is it that a simple mention of her name is turning his brain into mush?
Archie is a bit taken aback by Jughead's response but doesn't dwell on it for too long. "I'm just saying you won't be third wheeling, if that's what you're worried about."
"Yeah, right. I hate doing that," Jughead mutters. At least that much isn't a lie.
"So are you in?" Archie asks, taking a sip of his coffee and quickly pulling the cup away as the freshly brewed liquid burns his tongue.
"Sure," he replies with a shrug. "Sounds great."
A little less than an hour later Betty smiles at her reflection in the mirror by the front door as she applies a thin coat of strawberry lip gloss. She hadn't worn lip gloss since high school, but her niece gifted her this one and after putting it on one day, she found out Jughead couldn't stop kissing her, saying it only intensified the already addicting taste of her lips. She laughed at him then and called him silly, but continued wearing it every now and then, if only to see the way his eyes lit up when he noticed her shiny lips.
While she knows there will be no opportunity for kissing Jughead at brunch, she likes the idea of teasing him a little. Which is why she's wearing her short, flowy, red dress with tiny white flower pattern that she wore to one of their first unofficial dates.
They spent that day walking around the MoMA hand in hand, making up funny stories behind the paintings until they were laughing so hard people were giving them weird stares and they felt forced to leave. They continued with a stroll in the park and by the time they got back they were so eager for each other that she didn't even bother taking off her dress before Jughead slid between her thighs while pushing her against the front door. It was a wonderful day. One of many since they've both finally admitted they wanted to be more than just friends.
"I'm ready," Veronica announces as she waltzes into the living room, pulling Betty out of her thoughts and she tries to hide the grin that formed on her lips. But once again, Veronica is faster. "What got you all smiley?"
"Nothing. I just... love brunch. And I can't wait for all of us to hang out together again." It's not exactly the truth, but she did miss her friends and looks forward to spending more time with them again.
"Me too, B, me too." Veronica clasps her hands in excitement. "And we're gonna do a lot more of that now that I'm back. You'll see."
"Are you ever not complaining about something?" Veronica asks with a roll of her eyes. They've been at the restaurant for less than fifteen minutes and Jughead has already managed to criticize the air conditioning being too strong and the coffee not being strong enough, but mainly the lack of food to munch on while they wait for their orders to arrive.
"Well excuse me if I'm not in the best mood this morning. I didn't exactly get a lot of sleep thanks to the two of you." It's not really a lie, he thinks. He didn't get a lot of sleep, though he could hardly complain about that. What he'd like to complain about is not getting to spend the morning in bed with Betty due to Veronica storming back to their apartment way too early.
"Maybe you should try it sometimes. Might wash the grumpy look off your face," Veronica bites back and he grows silent. She shoots him a triumphant smile and he decides to take out his phone and distract himself until their food arrives. Lack of sleep and food in his stomach is not a good combination when trying to deal with anyone, especially Veronica. Thankfully, his friends are pretty used to his grumpiness and unwillingness to communicate until he fills his stomach, so they don't find it strange or offensive when he chooses to ignore them.
They all grow silent for a moment before Archie starts telling them a story about a gig he played in LA and a bunch of middle-aged ladies who threw their underwear at him. Betty listens to him intently, laughing at his dramatic reenactment of the night when she feels her phone buzz on the table. While trying to keep her attention at Archie she quickly unlocks her phone and sees notification of a new text.
Jughead: You look extra gorgeous today x
Betty bites her lip in order to hide the grin that is threatening to spread across her face and glances over at Jughead who is still staring at his phone with a perfect poker face. She wonders how he manages to do that when she's dying to crawl into his lap so they can eat breakfast together like they did just a few days ago.
When Jughead feels Betty's gaze at him, he looks up and sends her the tiniest, briefest smile to let her know he's on the same wavelength, and a couple of seconds later her phone buzzes again.
Jughead: Would they notice if we just disappeared into the bathroom together until the food comes?
This time Betty is unable to hide her smirk when she reads the message, and of course Veronica is quick to pick up on it.
"Is someone texting you, B?" Veronica asks with curiosity. As it seems, while she got distracted by Jughead's texts, Archie managed to finish his story and Betty didn't even realize.
"No." Betty shakes her head quickly. "Just... Instagram. I have notifications on for an account that posts picture of puppies," she lies and Veronica purses her lips, not believing a single word that comes out of her best friend's lips.
"So you aren't by any chance talking to one of the guys I picked for you yesterday?" A tiny smirk appears on Veronica's plum-colored lips. She's confident that she knows exactly what her best friend is trying to hide.
"Does it always take this long for the food to arrive here?" Jughead interrupts before Betty has a chance to reply. "My stomach is trying to eat itself," he complains.
Veronica just rolls her eyes. It's the same complaint Jughead has whenever they go to eat somewhere.
"Don't be a drama queen, Jughead. You were eating a granola bar on the way here," she says, ready to get back to her conversation with Betty, but he interrupts her again.
"Yeah, a granola bar. That only sustains me for like ten minutes before I get even hungrier," Jughead explains, making Veronica groan in frustration while both Betty and Archie try to suppress their smirks.
Just then the waitress finally comes to their table carrying a stack of plates filled with a variety of foods, most of which, of course, are meant for Jughead.
"You'll manage to eat all of that?" the waitress asks as she spreads the plates in front of him.
"Yep. I have a bottomless stomach," he replies as his eyes scan the food, trying to decide what to eat first.
"You must work out a lot then," she says, brushing her hand across his bicep as if by accident, and while Jughead doesn't even register her touch, there is a pair of green eyes watching her every move.
"No, not really. I guess I'm just lucky to have fast metabolism." Jughead shrugs. It's the answer he gives everyone even though he's been told the truth makes people mad. The waitress, however, just smiles.
"Would you like some more coffee?" she asks when she sees Jughead's already managed to drain his cup.
"I'm good, thank you," he says, keeping the comment about their coffee being too watered down to be called that to himself.
"Something else to drink, perhaps? We have tea, juice, sparkling water, wine..." She trails off.
"Nah, this is fine," he says, lifting up the glass of water in front of him. "What about you guys?" He looks up from his plate, surprised to see all of his friends staring at him.
"That will be all. Thank you," Veronica speaks up for all of them, dismissing the young girl.
"Oh, okay then." The waitress sounds almost disappointed as she tucks the tray under her arm. "If you change your mind, I'll be just over there." She points towards the side of the big room and slowly walks away, turning around twice to look at Jughead before disappearing out of sight.
"Oh my god!" Veronica exclaims once the waitress is barely out of earshot.
"What?" Jughead raises his eyebrows, wondering what's making Veronica act so dramatic this time.
"That girl was checking you out so hard," Archie explains with a grin.
"Yeah, she was trying to flirt with you, but you totally blew her off," Veronica adds, looking mildly surprised, though it's not the first time she has seen Jughead be oblivious to a woman's advances.
"No, she wasn't." Jughead rolls his eyes, thinking his friends must be seeing things, but when his gaze lands on Betty, he notices the slight furrow of her brows.
"She was." Betty bites the inside of her cheek, trying to keep a scowl of her face. She knows jealousy is not a good look on anyone. And especially not when she's trying to keep her feelings about Jughead secret. So she's annoyed with herself more than anyone else for how much she wants to just wrap her arms around Jughead and yell at the waitress to back off.
"She was practically begging you to order something more just so she could come back here," she says, trying to appear nonchalant, while Archie and Veronica nod in agreement.
"Well, it doesn't matter if she was or wasn't because I'm not interested," he says, not even attempting to hide his annoyance. It's enough that he has to keep listening to Veronica pestering Betty about finding a boyfriend. He doesn't want to get roped into something similar. "I'm far more interested in finally digging into this food without all of you staring at me. So can we please do that?"
There is some incoherent muttering from Archie and Veronica, but eventually they turn their attention to their own breakfasts, leaving him alone. When he looks at Betty, her lips are still pursed in what he knows is a sign of annoyance and she's staring at her waffles way too intensely. He nudges her foot with his a couple of times and when she finally looks up, he gives her a soft little smile that's supposed to say, "Ignore those idiots." Betty seems to understand his message and smiles back at him. Only then he can finally dig into the food himself.