Shout-outs: Alana Lissens

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Chapter 6

Two days after she realized she still loved Jughead, Kevin Keller showed up at her door. Another visitor that Betty wasn't expecting and this time she was hopelessly unprepared.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it!" Kevin told her as she poured him a glass of wine. "I've booked a room in a hotel in town. Of course it won't be as fabulous as this place is when you're finished with it but I've got to sleep somewhere!"

"I just wish you had told me that you were coming," Betty said. "I could have gotten something ready for you!"

"I wouldn't want to impose though." Kevin winked at her. "I know how two people can be when they've just gotten together. Or in your case, back together."

Betty frowned. "Kevin, what on earth are you talking about!?"

"You're glowing! You and Jughead have to be back together. . . or at least doing it!"

"We're not doing anything except for restoring a villa!" Betty protested.

"And you're living together and probably running around the Italian countryside together!" Kevin added. "And sharing your lives. . . oh my gosh, you're blushing! Elizabeth Cooper, you tell me what's going on right now! I know you can too because Jughead as at some little coffee shop slaving away on his next novel over a cappuccino."

"There's a possible little chance that I could still love him."

"I don't think there's a chance, little or big that you still love him. I think you actually do. You can't hide those lying eyes!"

"Kev. . ."

"What? It's okay if you still love him. You know, sometimes the girl ends up with her high school sweetheart."

"Yeah. Well, I think that's Ronnie and Archie's story," Betty said, slicing some fresh parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

"It could be your story too," Kevin replied, grinning at her. "Anyways, tell me about the dating scene here. Any hot single Italian men who aren't straight?"

"I don't know. The only men I've met are on my crew and we're not exactly discussing sexual orientation. Is that why you came to Italy, to see if there were any single men?" Betty joked.

Kevin looked affronted. "No! I missed my best gal pal!"

"You still have Veronica!" Betty reminded him.

"And she is ah-mazing!" Kevin answered. "BUT before there was Veronica, there was you and me! And I miss you, girl!"

"I miss you too," Betty said. "When I get the chance to think about it, that is. Renovations keep me busy as you know."

"That and Jughead," Kevin added teasingly.

Betty just laughed and tossed a grape at his nose. "Hush you!"

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"Look who came by for a visit!" Betty said when Jughead got home later on that day.

"Hey Kev!" Jughead answered, dropping his messenger bag and going over to shake Kevin's hand. "You've come a long way just to drop in for a visit."

"Haha. I missed that sense of humor," Kevin replied. "Italy looks like it's been treating you well!"

"It looks like it hasn't treated you very well," Jughead said.

"Jetlag," Kevin explained.

"It kicked my butt too," Jughead told him. "I'd say you'll get used to it but I'm guessing you won't be here that long."

Kevin shrugged. "I could only take the week off and I had to agree to do a bunch of fashion stuff while I was here. My boss is a nightmare."

"I can commiserate," Jughead said. "Trust me, if my agent hadn't been riding my back about this whole book thing I might not even be here right now."

Kevin looked at Betty, slyly. "I'm sure it'll all work out in the end."

"Are you hungry, Juggie? I think we should go into town and get some food. Our cupboards are kind of empty right now."

Jughead looked at her and smiled. "Betts, you know I could always eat!"

"Let's go then!" Betty said, tucking her black, silk, button-down cami into her cream-colored linen skirt. "I am craving pizza. Does that sound good to you, Kevin?"

Kevin stood up and stretched. "I could go for anything right about now and then I'm going back to my hotel to get some sleep. And trust me when I say it isn't either of your guys company. I'm exhausted!"

Jughead slung his arm around Betty's shoulder. "Don't worry. We can get along without you."

Kevin smirked. "Oh, I am sure you will!"

Betty shook her head. "I'm going to get my shoes."

"Speaking of people that Italy's been good to," Kevin commented when Betty had left the room.

"Betty's always been beautiful," Jughead replied. "Her style might have changed but when in Rome do as the Romans do. No pun intended."

Kevin nodded, looking at Jughead slyly. "You two have seemed to have fallen into a cozy little routine here."

"If you expect to find out anything about Betty and me, you won't. There's nothing to tell, she works on this villa all day and I'm writing. Trust me, Kev. It isn't as juicy as any of you or the tabloids would want to make it if they were to find out I was here with a former girlfriend."

"With your only former girlfriend!" Kevin pointed out.

"Did you come all this way to check in on me and Betty?"

"No! I just missed my best gal pal and my favorite writer. Seriously, for real!" Kevin replied. "Why do you and Betty both think I have ulterior motives for being here? Since when have you known me to do anything scheming underhanded?"

"Are you two ready to go?" Betty called.

"Ready Betts!" Jughead replied. "Come on, Kev. Your life is about to change. You haven't lived until you've tried real Italian pizza. I don't know what I'm going to do when I get home."

Kevin raised any eyebrow. "You know. . . you don't have to leave."

"You know, Betty has to ask me to stay."

"Come on!" Betty sang, opening the door and waving them towards it.

"We are being beckoned," Jughead told Kevin. "I'd get going before she gets really upset at us. I've seen it happen before."

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"I just realized we have to walk home," Betty said after dinner. "Kevin's gone and he took his rental car with him."

"It's okay," Jughead answered. "It's a nice night for a walk and we did just eat a ton of pizza."

"Oh please! Mr. Metabolism, you don't have to work anything off!" Betty replied, rolling her eyes. "All you've been eating is carbs since you got here and you haven't put on an ounce."

"You haven't put on any weight either!" Jughead argued. "In my personal opinion, which I personally think counts for a whole lot, you look spectacular. I don't think you have to be concerned about your figure, as soon as you eat something you go and do hard work to counteract it. So, stop worrying about it and let's stop to get some gelato before we go home. It'll be my treat!"

Betty sighed. "Juggie. . ."

Jughead took her hand and dragged her to a gelato shop called Mozzafiato. He pulled out his wallet and paid the man behind the counter before ordering. "Due gusti erm. . . cono cioccolato fondete. . ." he trailed off, shrugging. "Do you speak English?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Good. I'm still learning Italian but I think I'll impress my friend more if I don't screw up your beautiful language."

The man behind the counter beamed. "Of course! You mentioned you want dark chocolate, what else would you like with that?"

"Coffee," Jughead answered. "Betts?"

"Oh, I really couldn't eat another bite! I'm stuffed. . ." Betty trailed off. "You know what? I'll have the same thing as him."

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"I'm happy to see Kev," Betty told Jughead as they strolled home, the gravel crunching beneath their feet. "But I really wish our friends would call and say they were coming before they just showed up."

Jughead expertly threaded his arm through her's while still holding on to his cone of gelato. "You want them to book a room or the full experience at villa Sogni d'Oro?"

"I wouldn't make any of my friends pay," Betty answered. "I just want to make sure I have a room ready for them and that I'm not knee-deep in sunflowers for once."

"If they're your real friends, they're not going to care if you have a room ready for them or what you look like. They'll book a place to stay in town and wait for you to wash the dirt off your face," Jughead told her. "If the villa is full of guests, they'll understand and make other arrangements. Everything will be okay. And if it really is an issue, just ask them to give you a head's up before they jump on a plane."

Betty smiled up at him. "And what would I say to you, my dear friend if you just keep showing up at my door unexpectedly?"

"I'm assuming you'll always have a place for me to stay whether I make a reservation or not. Don't you think having a writer in residence would be good for business?"

"So, you expect me to keep the room across the hall from mine ready whenever you need it?" Betty asked, biting her lip.

"If I ever finish this second novel and sign a contract to write a third one," Jughead replied. "I'm about ready to scrap the whole thing and start something else entirely. But I've already spent a portion of my advance and I can't afford to return it right now. So, I guess I'll have to stick to writing about a fictionalized account of Natalee Holloway's disappearance in Aruba. I don't know what I was thinking when I came up with that."

"If you could stop writing it and begin all over again, what true crime would you fictionalize next? The Amanda Knox story, since we are in Italy?"

Jughead shook his head. "I don't think I'd write another novel based on true crime. I'd write about a beautiful American girl who owns property in Italy."

Betty laughed. "That's already been done though. Remember Under the Tuscan Sun?"

"It would be a completely different story!" Jughead replied, getting a far off look in his face.

"We're home," Betty said. "The walk wasn't that bad."

"No it wasn't," Jughead agreed, eyeing Betty's strappy, metallic, high-heeled sandals. "But if we go out with Kevin again, I suggest we take the Vespas, I imagine it wasn't very comfortable walking in those shoes."

"I'll be okay," Betty assured him, retrieving the antique key from her purse and unlocking the front door, she flicked the lights on and turned around to look at Jughead.

This was the part in the Hallmark movie where they went to their own rooms for the night, this was the part in the Lifetime movie where she offered him wine and then they made love while a generic R&B song played. She'd seen enough of both channels to know what happened in scripted situations. But this was real life, not a MarVista production, there was no cue. No hint to what was coming. And she was hopelessly clueless what to do next.

"I should do some writing," Jughead said.

Betty nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to order some books and DVDs on Amazon for the library before I go to bed."

"I'll see you in the morning," Jughead replied.

"Good night," Betty answered, feeling a little empty in her stomach despite the pizza and gelato. She watched him walk away.

She was always watching him walk away and most of the time it was her fault. But she wasn't brave enough to ask him to stay.

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The Diary - July 3rd

Kevin is here. Are all my friends to descend upon me without warning? It's not that I'm unhappy with the company, I would gladly put up everyone for as long as they'd like to stay. It's just the being unprepared for guests. There's still this part in me leftover from high school where I need to make plans and make sure everything is perfect for everybody. We didn't know Kevin was coming, so as a result he's staying in town and I feel a gnawing sense of guilt that he has to pay to visit me even though I have a villa full of rooms I could have offered if I knew he was coming. . .

He knows how I feel about Jughead. Guessed it almost as soon as he got here, I guess it isn't much of a surprise. He knows me better than almost anyone else. . . but I'm afraid if I am that transparent to Kevin then Jughead will know too.

Jughead is the one who really knows me better than anyone else.

What if he does know and he's not saying anything because he finally doesn't feel the same way? Sometimes he looks at me and I think he still does love me but maybe it's just wishful thinking. I don't even know what's keeping me from asking right out. The fear of being rejected? That's probably it.

If he rejected me, it would be worse than the times Archie rejected me for some other girl when we were in high school.

So, I'm just waiting for the day he says it first. If he never does, if my heart breaks in the process. . . I'll just have to live with it.

Either way I lose.

TBC. . .

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Author's Note:

I know Betty's diary entries are getting repetitive but I've kept about 70 journals since I was 13 and sometimes I tend to rehash a subject just to make sense of it. If you've ever kept one, does the same thing happen to you? I don't particularly love doing a self-insert. Anyways, we're still a little ways off from the end but I'll be back to regular updates soon. I hope you'll tell me what you thought, I love hearing from you!

Until Next Time!

Love,

Holly, 9/2/2017