𝐌𝐫𝐬. 𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 | Choni

Thirty two

She screwed up her features in confusion but reassured Cheryl none the less. “That’s okay. We can always find someone else…” Toni wasn’t sure what she was saying. Of course she didn’t want to watch Cheryl marry a man, but Reggie did seem like a good choice.

Cheryl shook her head and picked up one of Toni’s hands. “I don’t want to marry a man.”

She looked at the Princess sceptically. “Okay... but I don’t think your parents will let that go on forever.”

“What if my parents couldn’t have a say over our future?” Cheryl bit her lip hoping the brunette would catch on to what she was saying.

Toni sat up fully and rested her free hand on the Princess’ knee. “Cheryl, what are you talking about?”

“What if we left, left Riverdale, left all this behind and just be us?”

Toni searched the brown eyes in front of her, for what she didn’t actually know. “You want to run away?”

“I think I do, yes.” The Princess nodded as she played with the fingers on the Serpent’s hand.

“Where would we go?”

Cheryl snapped her head up to the brunette in front of her. “Really?”

The Serpent held up her hand from the Princess’ knee in an effort to try and make the woman slow down. “Let’s just talk this through for a second.”

“We could go anywhere, everywhere!” Cheryl could feel the excitement swallow up the dread in her stomach.

Toni tilted her head in question as she watched the redhead. “Cher, where has this come from, why now? I thought we had a plan?”

Cheryl sobered immediately and asked. “You don’t want to run away with me?”

It was Toni’s turn to scoop up Cheryl’s hand, so they held onto each other. “Of course I do, I would in a heartbeat. But I’ve got to know what’s happening in that pretty head of yours.” The Serpent pulled the redhead forward slightly and lent in to place a kiss on her forehead.

Cheryl sat back down fully releasing both of Toni’s hands. “If we go to Westercourt there’ll be no more of this.” She waved her arms around them. “We’d have fewer opportunities to spend time together. I’d be sharing my bed with him when all I want to do is share it with you. It has never been clearer to me than right now, you’re my future. Not Reggie, not some man who I could never bring myself to love. Loving you is so natural to me, it happened without me ever thinking to stop it. And if I love you like that then why should we settle for anything less?” Cheryl finished by placing her hands on the knees of the woman sat cross legged in front of her.

She couldn’t fight the smile of pure delight that spread across her face. The brunette joined Cheryl’s hands on her knees with her own and followed up her arms. “Wow, you sure are good at this speech making thing.” She took a breath and looked directly at the Princess before asking. “Where do we start?”

Cheryl's face lit up. “Really!? We need a solid plan. We need maps, and transport.” She listed not fully believing that they were actually talking about this.

Toni sat back, releasing Cheryl’s arms. Cheryl mirrored her actions. “Where are we going to go?”

Cheryl shook her head not caring where only of who she was going to be with. “Anywhere we can think of.”

The brunette pulled her lips in tight against her teeth in thought before looking to the redhead again. “I have one request. Can we stop in Sunnyside?”

The Princess nodded her head enthusiastically. “Of course we can.”

“I just want to see it for myself.” She continued trying to convince herself it was a good idea.

Cheryl understood. “Of course, we can plan a route for there first.”

“I think we have some old southside maps in the kitchens.” Toni shared as she remembered the rolled up parchments in one of the broom cupboards that the Serpents would sometimes get out and share stories of days long ago.

Cheryl nodded pulling that information into her mind. “Okay, if you can get those we can cross reference them with the maps from the library and work out a route.”

“One more thing.” The Serpent woman said tentatively.

“Anything.” Cheryl meant it; she’d give her anything.

“I can’t leave Anton behind.”

Cheryl noted the almost guilty look on the brunette’s face and made sure to try and reassure her not to feel like that. “Of course you can’t, he needs to come with us. Only if he wants of course.”

Toni nodded grateful. She let out a breath. “Okay, so we’re doing this?”

Cheryl beamed at her. “We best start planning when we get back to the castle later.”

“I love you Cheryl.”

“I love you Toni.”

They couldn’t determine who moved first, their lips met in the middle with familiarity that they’d never tire of.

Cheryl noted that kissing the brunette felt different now, knowing that these were the only lips she was going to be kissing. Toni claimed them as her own as she nipped lightly at the bottom one, she didn’t have to share the Princess with anyone else.

“Happy birthday my love.” Cheryl whispered as they rested their foreheads together knowing that their lives will never be the same again and that that was all they could ever wish for.