Chapter Nine
"I'll see you when you get back to your room." Michael said, his eyes scanning the room full of people watching them. His gaze moved straight to Jughead who narrowed his in return, his fist clenching around the cold switchblade. Michael straightened the sleeves to his dark blue button up shirt, a wicked smile on his face as he took Betty's chin in his hand and quickly jerked her head up to look at him, his hand moving to cup her entire jaw.
"You bastard." Sweet Pea snarled as he stepped forward, Jughead and Fangs grabbing a hold of his jacket and keeping him in place.
"Hold on." Jughead warned quietly, his eyes never leaving the man at the doorway. He was tall, Betty just coming up to his chin in high heels and his shirt was tight over his muscled torso. Jughead glanced at Betty who was absolutely frozen in place, her skin paled and her hands still shaking.
"What are you gonna do, gang banger?" Michael sneered in Sweet Pea's direction and smiled when he tried to break free of Jughead and Fangs to go after him.
"Michael." Betty said calmly, reaching up and placing a hand on his chest, "Please. Let's just go to the hotel, I'll get my car and follow you. Have you already booked a room?"
"No, Elizabeth, I'll be staying with you." She nodded hesitantly, Michael walking out of the house and Betty turning to look at her friends. Her face was red with embarrassment and she cleared her throat as she looked over at Veronica.
"Ronnie, do you mind if we postpone our girl's night?" She asked and clutched her purse in both hands, her voice shaking as she willed herself not to cry.
"It's fine, Betty, I understand." Ronnie answered her softly and Betty nodded, avoiding Jughead's gaze as she turned to leave.
"Betty, wait." Jughead stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, Betty stopping in her tracks and turning to look at him, "Betty, you don't have to."
"I do, Juggie. I really do." she said quietly, her eyes shining with tears that she tried to hold back, "Thank you guys for everything you did for me, and everything you've done. I appreciate you all more than you know, and I'm so grateful I got to have you wonderful people in my life."
"Betty..." Jughead pleaded and she inhaled deeply, forcing a smile on her face as she turned to Archie.
"Arch, if you don't mind putting the key back in the planter."
"Of course." he answered quietly and she turned her attention back to Jughead.
"Goodbye, everyone." With that she reached up and placed her hand on the one he had on her shoulder, giving it a firm and comforting squeeze, "Goodbye, Juggie. Thank you." Before he could say anything she turned and stepped out the door, pulling her keys out of her purse and making her way to her car.
Betty wiped her tears in the elevator as she thought back to her goodbyes and the look of worry and sadness on Jughead's face when she turned to walk away. She looked up through blurry, watery eyes and felt the dread as the numbers climbed higher and higher to her floor. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out to check.
Jughead Jones:
Betts, call me or text me when the coast is clear.
Please, I'm worried about you
The doors opened and Betty's head snapped up when a shadow fell over her, quickly hitting delete and putting her phone back into her purse.
"There you are, Elizabeth. I thought I was going to have to continue looking for you."
"How did you know where I was staying?" she asked as she stepped out of the elevator and he placed his arm around her, leading her towards her room.
"I have my connections." he answered and stopped at their door, taking a copy of her key card out of his pocket and sliding it through the reader. It granted them access and he led her into the room, locking the door and dropping his car keys on the counter.
"How was your drive?" she asked him softly, Michael turning her around and she flinched as he brought his hand up. He placed it under her chin and tilted her head up, kissing her lips softly and backing her against the counter.
"It was long, and the whole way I was furious that you made me come out here to make sure you were doing what needed to be done to sell that damn house." His voice was low and cold, Betty frowning and hanging her head.
I didn't ask you to come out here at all.
"I'm sorry." she whispered and he turned her around, slowly unzipping her dress and unhooking the halter neck before pushing it down and letting it fall to her feet.
"Bedroom. Now." he demanded and Betty nodded in obedience, slipping out of her shoes and kicking them and the dress to the side. She walked through the dimly lit suite and into the bedroom, her stomach churning as she heard the doors shut and lock behind her.
Betty lay looking at the ceiling, closing her eyes and choking back sobs as she tried to move her aching body. She hated giving in to him, especially when he was mad. It wasn't loving like it used to be. No, instead it was mechanical, unenjoyable to her and always left her without being finished. And if he was mad at her? Well, all she had to do was look at the bruises on her wrists and arms that were forming as he rinsed off in the shower. She reached over and picked her phone up, scrolling through her contacts and finding Jughead's name. She stood, grabbing her robe and slipping out into the living room of the suite and placed the phone to her ear.
"Betty? Are you okay?"
"I'm okay, Jug, I promise." she answered as she listened to make sure the water hadn't shut off, "I just wanted you to know."
"Was that a goodbye for good?" His voice was soft and calming, but Betty could hear fear lacing the edge.
"I really hope not."
"I hope not either, Betts." The water in the bathroom shut off and Betty cupped her hand over her mouth as she heard the shower curtain slide across the rod.
"I have to go. I'll get a hold of you as soon as I can." She didn't get a chance to hear his goodbye as she hung up and shoved her phone in the pocket of the robe.
"There you are. I was wondering where you had disappeared off to." Michael said as he emerged from the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Sorry, I was coming out to get a drink and checking my emails. I have a photoshoot planned for Friday." she answered as she made her way to the kitchenette.
"You need to sell that house instead of worry about silly pictures."
"My realtor will be doing walkthroughs that day so I won't be able to be at the house. Perfect timing and it's my livelihood." she said and Michael sighed, running his fingers through his short chestnut hair and following her.
"Well it will end once we wed. It's a waste of time. I'm just ready for you to come back." he grumbled and she nodded as she grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, "Let's go to bed. I have a full schedule of conference calls tomorrow so I need the sleep."
"Wow. You look like complete shit." Toni observed as she took a bite out of a piece of bacon, Jughead shooting her a glare as he slid in next to her in the booth. A waitress who was used to them being there every morning stopped with a cup of fresh black coffee and set it down in front of Jughead who thanked her.
"I couldn't fucking sleep for shit." he grumbled as he laid his head on the table, Toni flicking his beanie off and ruffling his hair.
"It'll be okay, Jug. We can take him out."
"We're not hitmen, Fangs." Jughead said against the cold tabletop.
"Okay so he has an 'accident' in Fox Forest." Sweet Pea suggested, "Or caught up in a drug deal gone wrong."
"You really want Betty to hate us? He may be a shit person but I'm pretty sure she doesn't agree with murder." Jughead said as he looked up at them, the two shrugging in response and Toni pinching the area between her eyes.
"Don't listen to those two idiots. Jughead you just have to hope she makes the right decision to stay."
A stack of pancakes was set in front of Jughead along with a plate of bacon, scrambled eggs and a few sausage links, his mouth watering as the smells hit him. He dug in as Sweet Pea and Fangs started their own conversation of different ways they could take out Michael and Toni rolled her eyes in annoyance but still paid attention, eventually giving her opinion on each scenario. Jughead felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
Betts:
So I'm looking through some old Blue and Gold
articles you wrote. They're very good and the
library has a ton up where all of the old
yearbooks are. I think I'll be here
for a few hours trying to read them all.
"Jughead where are you going?" Toni asked as he hopped up all of a sudden, handing his money to the waitress as she walked by and waving to them.
"Library."
"You didn't even finish your food." Sweet Pea called after but he was already out the door and walking quickly to his motorcycle. It didn't take him long to get to the library and he nodded to the librarian as he walked towards the back where he took the stairs two at a time to get where Betty was hiding. He entered the room that hadn't seen daylight or people in years, looking down each aisle of town historical books and public records, each shelf having a thick layer of dust on them. He found her, her back to him as she flipped through a binder that had laminated pages of an old school newspaper. She had a little black hoodie on over a pair of old capris, her foot sliding in and out of a pair of flip flops as she read the article he assumed was one of his.
"Betty?"
She turned at the sound of her name and smiled back at him. Her hair lay loose out of her ponytail, falling over her shoulders and framing her face.
"You got my message." she whispered as she sat the binder down on a stack of books, Jughead sliding his beanie off of his head as his eyes never left hers. Betty stepped towards him and he reached for her, letting his hands slide up into her hair as she cupped his face and their lips came crashing together.
Relief flooded through his body as he held her to him and backed her gently into one of the bookshelves, Betty's fingers moving to his hair and letting her nails scratch along his scalp. He slid his tongue against her lips and she complied, opening her mouth and granting him entrance. He moved his tongue against hers, summoning a small moan from the back of her throat.
"This was so worth skipping breakfast." he whispered against her lips and she laughed softly, closing the gap again and pulling his body firmly against hers.
"I'm sorry, I know that was so sudden, but I just, I had to." she muttered as she tried to catch her breath and he rested his forehead against hers, "I've wanted to do that for a while now and I couldn't hold it back anymore."
"You and me both." he answered as she gripped his jacket to hold him close to her. He ran a hand down her face, tracing her jaw with the back of his finger before tilting her head up to claim her lips again in a more gentle, less heated kiss. She reached into her pocket as her phone started ringing and turned her head to look at the caller ID. Jughead took the opportunity and moved his mouth along her jaw and to her ear, nipping her ear lobe as she answered the call.
"Hello, Michael." She felt Jughead tense and his lips move away, Betty poking her bottom lip out in a pout as he looked down at her, "I'm at the Library just looking around but I can meet you there in about ten minutes. I'll be there right away." She hung up and slid the phone back in her pocket, moving to her tip toes and pulling Jughead back down to her.
"I thought you had to go?" he managed to get out between kisses, Betty pulling back and shrugging.
"He got an opening between conference calls and wants to get brunch and it will only take me about five minutes to get to the cafe." With that Jughead smiled and pulled her back to him, feeling like two teenagers in the heat of the moment, hiding in the most secluded part of the library as the worries of the world disappeared if only for a passionate moment.