Betty unwraps herself from Jughead's embrace and searches for her clothes amongst the mess on his floor. Rubbing her hands together, she remembers how they stripped down the hallway and heads for the open door. Her clothes lie in a pile on the kitchen floor and she tugs them on, tossing her hair out of her face in the process. She reaches into her jacket pocket for her phone, falling back against her fridge at the astounding amount of messages blinking on her screen.
Jughead slinks into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What's that look for?"
"One guess." Betty says, walking towards him slowly. "Answer correctly and you'll get a kiss."
Jughead taps his chin in mock thought. "Hmmm…Veronica?" Betty smiles and leans in to kiss his lips softly. Her legs are still shaking from their earlier rendezvous in the sheets but she ignores their quaking and continues to move her mouth against his.
"She wants us to all go out for dinner." Betty looks down at her phone and shuffles through her texts. "She also says 'YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO BETTS' in all caps. I'm so confused."
Jughead shrugs and grips Betty's shoulders to steady himself, his stomach growling at the mention of food. "Ignore her, except for the dinner part. Look at me, I'm practically shrinking in front of my own eyes." Betty's gaze travels down Jughead's bare chest, trailing down to the waist band of his boxer briefs. His half naked body was way too distracting for her.
"Just because we had sex doesn't mean you can start walking around the apartment like a Calvin Klein model." She tells him, continuing to eye his body appreciatively.
Jughead raises a tempting eyebrow. "You think I could be a model?" He grabs the dish towel hanging over the handle of the stove and wraps it around his head like a scarf. "Oh Betty, stop it." He pops his foot and smiles at her, batting his eyelashes like the cartoon Minnie Mouse.
She leans in for another kiss when her phone goes off her hand. Betty presses a finger to his puckered lips. "Hold that thought." She lifts the phone to her ear and answers.
"BETTY!" Veronica screeches through the speaker. Jughead kisses her forehead and backs out of the kitchen down the hall.
"I'm just going to go shower," He whispers, leaving Betty all alone to deal with Ronnie.
"Hi Ronnie," Betty says into the receiver, keeping her tone as even as she can, despite the mushy gushy feeling in her stomach and the tingling in her toes. Her lips are spread in a wide smile and she twirls her hair around her finger, watching Jughead as he disappears into the bathroom like a love struck puppy.
"Don't 'hi Ronnie' me. What is up? How did the shoot go? What happened? Did you touch the hair? Let me know how soft it was I took a picture of the conditioner he uses before I left earlier." Ronnie rambles on at a mile per minute, barely stopping to catch her breath.
"Whoa whoa whoa. Take a breath Ron and slow down. You really need to get over your obsession with Jug's hair. It's weird. When's dinner by the way? I'm starving." Betty rubs her belly, remembering she barely ate anything all day in lieu of the spontaneous photoshoot. The cliché saying I'm so hungry I could eat a horse was uncannily fitting for her at the moment. Needing a snack she peeks her head into the fridge and grabs out a box of strawberries, wishing it were chicken tenders.
"Don't think you can just change the subject like that. And we were thinking maybe 7:30ish?"
Betty removes her phone from her ear and checks the time. "But it's 7 o'clock right now."
"Well maybe if you had been paying attention to your phone, you would've known about the dinner when I texted it to you over an hour ago. What was so riveting that you've been ignoring me?"
Betty blushes. She was having way too much fun making Ronnie suffer, so she told a little white lie. "Nothing Ronnie. We did the shoot. We came home. We uh, we took a nap."
Ronnie squeals on the other end, so loudly Betty can actually hear it through the walls across the hall. "Any chance this nap happened together, with the two of you wrapped in each other's arms? Come on Betty don't let me down. You can't just photograph your best friend in the nude and not let it lead somewhere."
Betty's breath becomes shallow as she relives the previous afternoon. She's completely dazed as she pops a strawberry into her mouth, chewing the sweet fruit and tossing the stem into the garbage. "Veronica we're friends. You need to get your pretty little head out of the gutter and relax." Betty's stomach growls. "So where were you planning on taking us for dinner? I'm assuming it's your treat, Ms. Lodge."
"Probably Pop's, like always. You know, I don't know why I bother to call you when you live right across the hall. I'm coming over."
Before Betty can persist, the other line clicks dead and soon Ronnie is at their door, pounding away. Betty unlocks the door and lets her friend in. "What a nice surprise it is to see you."
"Why was the door locked? You guys never lock the door." There's a coy smile playing at the edges of Ronnie's lips and Betty tugs at the hem of her sweater. Ronnie's eyes were speculative as they roved over Betty's body, looking for some sort of sign that something happened between her and Jughead. In a haste, Betty lifts a hand to cover her neck, praying there are no lingering marks from when nipped and kissed at her tender skin.
"You know we do live in a rather busy city, we decided it's probably best. Crime rates these days are sky rocketing."
Ronnie furrows her brow, not buying Betty's lame excuses. "You're acting weird Betty. Come on, just tell me what happened. Was it weird, being photographed naked? Oh my god did it not go well? Are you guys fighting?"
Before Betty has a chance to respond, the door to the bathroom opens and Jughead steps out wearing nothing but a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. "Betty did you miss me?" He calls down the hall, unaware of Ronnie's presence in their kitchen. Jughead enters and at the sight of Ronnie he loses his footing on the linoleum, slipping and dropping the towel in the process. "Oh shit, when did you get here?"
Ronnie looks as though she just witnessed a miracle. "Nice way to greet someone Jug." Her gaze travels approvingly over Jughead's body and Betty is suddenly fully aware of the fact that Jughead's towel is no longer covering him. She feels the heat flush in her cheeks. "So enlighten me Betts, which by the way you're turning a rather bright shade of puce. Why would Jughead suppose that you missed him while he's in the shower?"
Jughead scrambles to his feet, retying the towel around his waist and backing himself out of the awkward situation before him. "I'm gonna go get dressed." Betty swears under her breath, wishing she had an escape route of her own.
Betty grabs Ronnie by the wrist and drags her into her bedroom. "Sit there." She tells her, shoving Ronnie onto her bed as she begins to pace around the tight space. Betty begins furiously gnawing at her lip, realizing she should probably put on a bra before they go out to eat. With her back to Ronnie she quickly changes, clasping on a plain nude bra and changing sweaters. When she turns around she joins Ronnie on the bed and rests her head on her best friend's shoulder, while pulling at the sleeves of her sweater, her anxiety getting the best of her. "If I tell you what happened will you please shut up about the whole thing?" Betty asks with her eyes on the floor.
Ronnie twists her body so that she's facing Betty, and grabs her friend's hands. "I am all ears Betts."
Betty takes a deep breath and opens her mouth, suddenly pouring out her words like an open faucet. Ronnie clings to each word with bated breath, nodding along as she listens to Betty rehash out the events of the afternoon. At the mention of the kiss Ronnie lets out a long exaggerated sigh and touches her heart. Betty's leg begins to jitter as she describes the way Jughead felt against her skin, describing it as best she can, calling it an out of body experience. "It was amazing Ronnie." Betty finally finishes, as her heart swells inside her chest.
It takes her a second but soon Ronnie, is rolling over the bed, squealing as she kicks her legs in the air excitedly. "I knew it!" She yells and Betty tries to calm her, but she can't help geeking out with her friend.
"Just keep it on the down low, OK? We haven't had a chance to discuss what this means. I don't know what's going to happen from here on out. I mean, we live together and now we've slept together."
"First off, hell yeah you did, I am swooning at that retelling. Secondly, I approve 150% of this new development. And thirdly, stop worrying so much about what's going to happen and just go along with the flow." Ronnie reaches up and rubs her thumb along Betty's forehead. "You're too young to have worry lines."
Betty swats Ronnie's hand away and falls back onto the mattress. "But what if things don't work out?"
Ronnie leans back beside her, curling her head under Betty's arm. "What if they do?"
Jughead enters the room, pulling the girls from their thoughtful stupor. Betty sits up at the intrusion, happy to see he's fully clothed with his beanie back on his head. "I hate to bother you guys, but earlier Betty mentioned food, and I'm positively famished."
Ronnie laughs and steps up off the bed, pulling Betty along with her. "Oh I'm sure you worked up an appetite today." Betty groans and hides her face in her hands. What was she thinking, Ronnie was never able to keep anything on the DL. She was so extra about everything. And the news about her and Jughead had her friend absolutely shook with feelings. "Let me just go get Archie and we'll leave!"
Jughead leans against the door frame, hands deep inside his pockets. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you told her?" he asks, a wet curl falling into his face.
Betty feels so small under his icy gaze. She hugs herself tightly and draws her lip in between her teeth. "She wouldn't give up. You know Ronnie and how persistent she can be."
He kicks away from the door and pulls her lip from its grasp. "It's OK Betty, I'm not mad." He's about to lean down for a kiss when Ronnie calls to them from the kitchen. He sighs and brushes his lips against her temple adoringly. "We'll talk later, I promise. There is so much that needs to be said."
꙰
The gang gathers together in the corner booth of Pop's all laughs and smiles. Jughead gets lost in a conversation with Archie about video games while Betty and Ronnie discuss much more trivial matters, like the most recent episode of some new show they've been watching together on Netflix. Beneath the table Jughead's hand rests on Betty's knee, tapping his fingers like drums against her jeans. Ever since that afternoon he can't help but touch her and it encouraged him that Betty seemed to feel the same way.
When the waitress comes by to take their orders Jughead requests two burgers and settles on sharing a basket of fries with Betty. He can't remember the last time he's been this hungry. He was ready for a feast.
"I bet you won't even finish all that," Archie tells him in shock.
"Watch me." The waitress laughs and Jughead adds on another item. "And since I'm not paying for this meal…I'll have a chocolate milkshake as well." He winks in Ronnie's direction and grips Betty's knee a little tighter. Jughead loves a challenge.
"And why is it my job to pay?" Ronnie asks.
"Betty fed you with juicy gossip. Now you must feed us with delectable food." Ronnie falls back against the booth and crosses her arms in defeat.
Archie quirks an eyebrow, perplexed. "What gossip? Why am I always the last to know everything?"
Ronnie lifts a hand and ruffles his ginger hair sweetly. "Because you're too stuck in your own world to notice anything else, Baby."
"Thanks Ronnie. But that doesn't answer my question. What's going on?"
Ronnie opens her mouth to speak but abruptly stops when someone kicks her under the table. "What the hell Betty?"
Betty sits up a little straighter in the booth and reaches for her water, taking a lazy sip. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Ronnie grabs a sugar packet and throws it Betty, before turning to Archie and plunging into the story. "Jughead and Betty had sex this afternoon."
The waitress couldn't have picked a better or more awkward time to bring them their food. As soon as his plate is set down in front of him, Jughead chows down, filling his mouth with fries, watching the scene unfold before him. "I told you that in confidence." Betty laments, taking a bite of her chicken tenders. "And this is not something we should be talking about at dinner."
"Technically it's not my fault. Your boyfriend over there was the one that brought it up in the first place. If it hadn't been for Jughead, Archie wouldn't have asked."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Betty mumbles. She takes the ketchup bottle and squeezes out a little pile for her fries. Jughead nods along with her words and dips a fry into her ketchup, swallowing the hurt he tries to hide on his face. From her tone it didn't sound like Betty wanted him to be her anything.
The four of them sit in silence the rest of the meal. They avoid each other's eyes and focus solely on the food in front of them. Twenty minutes later and Jughead is stuffed as he slurps down the last bit of his shake, setting it down on the table while popping the cherry in his mouth.
He finally breaks the quiet. "Well Andrews, looks like you owe me ten bucks." He rubs his belly heartily and smiles, forgiving a burp that escapes his mouth.
"That's disgusting." Archie laughs and hands Jughead a ten dollar bill. "By the way, you're leaving the tip."
Jughead groans and leaves the cash on the table. He stands up ready to leave, offering Betty his hand. She ignores it and walks ahead of the rest of them, exiting the diner before they even get a chance to put their coats on.
"Thanks Ronnie, you just had to go and fuck everything up." He throws on his coat and runs towards the door. He sees Betty already halfway down the block. He would run but he's practically bursting and ready to fall into a food coma at any minute. He calls after retreating figure. "Betty wait!" But she's already turning the corner, disappearing into the night.