Cheryl takes a nervous breath. Veronica places a hand on her shoulder, offers an encouraging smile. Cheryl returns it, though her anxiety is clear as day on her face.
“You look beautiful, Cher,” her second closest friend for years assures.
Cheryl feels an ancient ache in her chest, one that has been dulled significantly with the help of the people in her life as well as years of therapy. It’s understandable, she knows, to remember him today of all days.
“I wish he could be here.” She says quietly.
Veronica hugs her gently. Cheryl melts into the embrace, closing her eyes to fight the lump in her throat. “He would be so, so proud of you.”
Cheryl bites the inside of her cheek. She won’t cry. Not now. She really can’t afford to - her makeup took half the day and she’ll be damned if she lets it smear. So she takes a deep breath.
“Cheryl?” Betty knocks on the door. “Are you ready?”
Cheryl opens her eyes, meets Veronica’s gaze in the mirror. Veronica gives her an encouraging smile.
“Yeah,” Cheryl murmurs. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Veronica takes her arm, still smiling. It’s really the biggest event in Riverdale right now, and it’s not that Cheryl is getting cold feet - quite the opposite, actually - but she’s so goddamn nervous as she exits the room that for a moment she forgets to breathe. Betty is at her other side in an instant, an excited grin on her lips.
With gentle coaxing from them both, she calms down a bit, and they make their way downstairs.
Thistle House is, as always, extravagantly decorated but there’s much more flare and personality to it than there was when she’d first inherited it. Of course, there’s a lot of Toni here, too. A bit of them both, enough to create their perfect home.
Perfect.
“Auntie Cher!” Juniper scurries up to her with a huge smile. “You look so pretty!”
Cheryl’s heart leaps. The little girl has her blonde hair curled - clearly Polly’s hours of ‘Sit still’ and ‘Stop fidgeting!’ had paid off. Her dress is pink with roses all over them. “You look beautiful, Junie!” Cheryl gushes.
Juniper giggles, fidgets excitedly. She’s always so fidgety. Never sitting still. She has Jason’s eyes.
The music starts, and Veronica holds her arm a bit tighter. “Ready?” She asks.
“Ready.” Cheryl confirms.
Betty opens the french doors, still grinning brightly. Heads turn from the benches set up in the massive backyard. Juniper leaves first, her little basket of rose petals in hand. In true Blossom fashion, she struts ahead of Cheryl and Veronica like she’s the star of the show. It warms Cheryl’s heart in a million ways.
The backyard is illuminated by countless fairylights hanging from the branches of the trees. The spring air is sweet with the scent of flowers - both from the surrounding area, and from the countless ones that Cheryl splurged on for the ceremony. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, with the afternoon sun shining down on her and her white gown.
