The next day...
I began to stir as the sunlight peered onto my skin through the curtains downstairs, Jug's legs fidgeting underneath me, tangling the blanket that rested atop the both of us as I let out a relaxed yawn.
"Morning, gorgeous. You didn't wake up last night. You get a good night of sleep?". His voice was calm, but still very much laced with optimism. My head, previously laying flat on his shoulder, turned to rest my cheek onto it with a smile, my eyes fluttering back shut gracefully as I let the blissful lavender on his chest infiltrate my system. I hummed "mhm", hugging his torso tighter than before.
"Can I have cuddles now? I'm still kinda sleepy.", I requested, receiving a chuckle in response along with compliance, his arms holding me closer.
"I had a plan for us today, you know. It was initially going to be just in celebration of you opening up a bit more yesterday, but I also think we can extend the celebration to be for your nightmare-free night. I can let you in on all the 'deets', if you'd like.".
"Mmm... no, thank you. You should surprise me.".
"Betty Cooper likes surprises? Since when?".
"Since right now.".
His lips pressed against my forehead, which it had done routinely every morning, and I inhaled deeply as I absorbed the comfort and serenity of his presence. I could sense him doing much of the same thing, his ankles crossing over mine to sandwich them in between his, and I could feel his toes wiggling anxiously.
"In that case, you have one more hour of sleep and cuddles before we need to start getting ready to go and to eat breakfast.".
~~
He tossed me up a little bit while I continued to cling my arms around his neck, but not too tightly. My face remained buried against his neck, eyes clenched shut while the cool breeze brushed against my exposed arms and my ankles. Gravel crunched under his feet as he continued to carry me to wherever he'd decided to take me, requesting that I didn't look until we arrived at the desired location. He assured me that it would be much warmer there than it was at that point.
I promised him that I'd make him pay if it turned out that he'd lied or misjudged, which he understood loud and clear.
Before I had the chance to ask if we'd gotten there, he lowered the two of us down onto the ground and lifted my face from against his soft, heat-bearing skin.
"You in the mood for a swim?", he asks. I brought myself to succumb to my built up anticipation, my eyes met with the gleam of the sunlight reflecting against the gentle movement of the greenish-blue water. A variety of shrubbery and greenery surrounded the lake, along with tall trees as far as the eye could see. A subtle haze clouded over, and my skin felt the mist that gradually blew our way, my body tingling with the freshness of the cold. You could see rainbow fragments as the light refracted against the mist, illuminating the excitement in Jug's eyes, colored much in comparison to the lake. I could've swam in those, too.
"What do you think, Betts. Was this a good choice on my part?".
"You never fail to take my breath away, Jughead Jones. This is absolutely incredible. It's stunning. I never thought I'd see something so simple, yet so beautiful.".
His hand found my bicep, his thumb caressing it through the borrowed cotton t-shirt of his that I practically begged him to let me wear, though not much convincing was needed to begin with.
"You could always just look in the mirror, you know.".
To that, I couldn't help but snort, but that was quickly followed by the typical, very bashful blood rush to my cheeks. "Ugh. You're such a dork.
So are we gonna swim or what?".
A smirk replaced his smile full of pride, his shirt flying off not a moment later. "Hope you don't mind swimming in your underwear, Coop. Race you in!".
"Hey! That's not fair! You took off your shit fir- JUG!".
I sprinted and dove in after him, nearly falling on the slippery dock while I watched him fully submerge underneath the water before bobbing back up with a chortle. I leapt directly on top of him, laughing as I watched him scramble to catch me in the few seconds he had before I hit the water.
He succeeded, releasing an over-held breath, relieved as he wrapped his arms around me securely.
Our laughter died down after a second, the insects chirping around us in song that we took a moment to appreciate together. He stared into my eyes, his face straightened as any other thought seemed to dissipate from his mind. I reciprocated by default, immediately drawn in.
Before I could blink, our lips had managed to find each other.
