Living is always better with you by my side | Choni

Confessions

Though the bunker in the woods had initially been just a place the teens would go to have rendezvouses, the gang had taken to using it for an unsupervised place to hang out or blow off steam. Which is how they all came to be sitting inside it playing truth or dare on a Friday night after school.

Laughter filled the air as Archie finished dancing to a god awful song that Kevin had put on, which fangs had dared him to do.

"Okay," Toni half shouted over the laughter of her friends. "I'm picking Elizabeth. Truth or dare?"

"First of all, it's Betty. Second, dare" she said dramatically.

Toni rolled her eyes. "Okay, Betty, I dare you to go outside and howl at the moon like a wolf"

Betty grinned. "Easy" she rose from her seat and climbed up the ladders to get outside. Cupping her hands around her mouth to louden the sound, she let out a scream. She was about to complain about the easiness of the dare when a howl responded to her own.

With a squeal, she flew back into the safety of the bunker. There was a round of laughter as she clutched at her heart before telling them to shut up.

"Cheryl," she exclaimed, the other girl cringing. "Truth or dare?"

"C-can I pass?" She asked hopefully. Her question was met with a crowd or no's combined with Veronica's "just pick one, already"

"Um, okay. Truth, I guess" she prayed that the question wouldn't be too embarrassing.

Betty smirked, the glint in her eyes making Cheryl cringe again. She just knew that Betty had picked a painful question, otherwise, why would Betty look so happy with herself or be looking around the group of people smiling. "Do you like Toni?"

Cheryl swallowed hard. "Of c-course. She's my best friend" she stuttered out, eyes fixed to the ground, refusing to look at the brunette in question. If she had looked, she would have seen the touched smile that flitted briefly over Toni's face before Betty spoke again.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it" Betty said firmly.

"What do you mean, then?" Toni asked, noticing Cheryl seemed unable to respond to the blondes question.

Betty smirked. "I mean, do you like Toni, Cheryl" she sent her cousin a hard look as Cheryl's face turned pink. "The way I like Archie or the way Veronica likes Reggie" she added. Veronica gasped at the question. Kevin and fangs shared a look as Tabitha looked at Cheryl in surprise that quickly became a smile and understanding acceptance.

Toni glanced at her best friend, watching as her already pink face turned a violent shade of red, before turning to Betty. Her eyes wide, she shook her head no, mouthing to the blonde, 'Shut up' they had a quick battle of facial expressions and silently mouthed exclamations that the brunette won. She looked from Betty to the rest of the gang, slightly inclining her head.

Taking the hint, Kevin stood. "Who wants to go and start a fire, so we can make some s'mores?" He asked, pulling fangs up with him.

The rest of the gang agreed, rushing from the bunker to give Toni and Cheryl some space.

Toni stood and moved cautiously to where her friend sat attempting to curl in on herself and disappear. She sat down next to the redhead, their arms almost touching. "If I'd known Elizabeth was going to ask that we never would have played" she's said making sure to say Elizabeth coz she knows how much the blonde hates it.

Cheryl peaked over at Toni before turning her face away. "You hate me now, don't you?" She whispered softly, feeling as if she could be sick from humiliation any second.

"No," the brunette said firmly.

"N-no?" her shock had caused her to actually look at the other girl, who held her gaze steadily.

"Exactly. No." with a smile she added, "you really have problems understanding that word, don't you?"

"Only when you say it" Cheryl said softly that Toni almost missed it. Almost.

The brunette shifted her hand until their fingers brushed lightly as they sat between them. Cheryl glanced at her in confusion but didn't move away. "Are we still friends?" she asked.

It was Toni's turn to look confused. "Of course we are. Why wouldn't we?"

"Because it must make you uncomfortable knowing I...that I have these f-feelings for you. I've tired not to, I swear."

"I'm not uncomfortable. I'm actually" she paused collecting herself. "Really relived" Cheryl looked at her puzzled. "I thought I was the only one feeling like this. When Betty.... I thought you'd never jump on the idea. But I'm guessing I was wrong. And that has to mean something, both of us feeling this way."

Cheryl frowned. Surely she hadn't heard that right? There was no way the Toni, nice, funny, amazing Toni, could like her. A small voice in her head reminded her that Toni didn't even glance at others around school, it always seemed like she was looking at her. She decided, for once, to listen to it, and asked hesitantly "so, you actually like me?"

"Yes"

"Not just as a best friend?" Cheryl hoped she didn't sound as pathetic to Toni's as she did to herself. If Toni's warm smile was anything to go by, she didn't.

"I like you the way Betty likes Archie or the way Veronica likes Reggie" she replied, feeling bold, she added "I think I want to kiss you now. Is that okay?"

Cheryl's eyes shot wide in shock. She nodded slowly in affirmation. Toni leaned forward a little before chuckling at the redheads still wide-eyes expression. "Close your eyes" the brunette whispered. Cheryl complied immediately. Toni leaned forward slowly until their lips were only a hair apart. She realised that it could never be taken back, the kiss. They could deny their confessions until their dying day, but it wouldn't ease the kiss. She decided it didn't matter and closed the gap between them.

Cheryl inhaled sharply at the sensation. The kiss was short, nothing more than simple pressing together of lips, lacking teeth, tongue or urgency. Toni's lips were a dry warmth against hers that lasted hardly a few wonderful seconds before they were gone. She exhaled shakily as she opened her eyes. "Wow" she breathed.

"You're the only person I've wanted to kiss so badly" Toni loved the red flush that tinted the redheads cheeks at her words. She wasn't at all prepared, though, for her response.

"M-maybe we should do it again" Cheryl stammer, face burning. "Just to be sure, I mean"

"How....forward. Not at all what I've come to expect from you, blossom" Toni grinned enthusiastically, hoping the redheads next to her couldn't hear her pounding heart.

"Je suis plein de surprises" Cheryl said softly before Toni's lips were once again on hers, the brunettes hand cupping her cheek.

"Should we join the other around the fire?" Toni whispered as they broke apart. Cheryl agreed, commenting on how glad she was that they were able to have their moment. Climbing up the ladder, they headed over towards the gang, walking hand in hand until they reached the logs and sat down to cuddle next to the fire.