I'll Keep You Safe | Bughead

16.)

The next morning I woke up to eyes staring into mine. "Were you watching me sleep, stalker?" I asked with a laugh as the morning light peered into my windows. "Maybe. You're so beautiful, you know that?" Jughead responded, tucking stray hairs from in front of my face to behind my ear.

I just smiled in response as my arm moved under the covers to his hand. "Last night was..." my voice trailed, looking for the right words. "Amazing?" he asked with a chuckle, trying to fill me in. 

"No, way better than amazing. It was...perfect," I smiled. "Wow. What happened to you hating that word?" Jughead asked, surprised. I just shrugged and said, "I guess it's not so bad when it's used the right way. 

Just then, I heard footsteps coming from my mom's room and my eyes widened. "Put your shirt on," I said urgently, looking for mine on the floor before throwing it over my head and whispering, "We're asleep, okay?"

I heard my mom come into my doorway before seeing us 'sleeping' and walking out. "We dodged that bullet," Jughead chuckled, placing a kiss on my neck before I turned to face him. I guess we did," I replied with a smile.

---

A few minutes later we decided to get up, but since it was still early there wasn't much to do until I saw the book Jughead got me for Christmas. I hadn't read it yet, so I just shrugged my shoulders and asked, "Why not?"

A few pages in and Mom came in, telling me good morning and that she had to go to work. " Did you have any more of those nightmares last night?" She asked with a hand on my shoulder. "No, I actually slept really well after it," I replied, closing my book slightly. "Okay, well, I have to leave, but you'll be okay here with Jughead, right?" 

"We'll be fine, Mom," I replied as she walked out. I went back to my book as a piece of paper fell out from a later page. "What's this?" I mumbled to myself, picking it up from the floor and reading it. 

"I'll never take my eyes off you, for you will always be mine."

"Aww, Jug," I smiled. The note wasn't signed, but I could tell who it was from-- my very own Romeo. The context was a bit creepy, but knowing Jughead, he might have been going for that -gloomy/romantic vibe. 

---

The next day I found another note in my makeup bag, folded right on top for me to see first thing. 

"Eyes colored the same, you bear my own name."

I understood the first half of the note, "eyes colored the same," since Jug and I both have the same green eyes, but what about the other half? "You bear my own name"? I have heard Jughead referring to me as Betty Jones occasionally as a joke or romantic gesture, but this couldn't be a marriage proposal. It's too soon, we're only 16 and 17.

I wanted to see how long I could go without saying anything to Juggie about the notes to see if he'd come clean. And so far, no confessions.