heartbeats ; bughead

16

betty [betty's pov is so fun to write in i'm sorry :) ]

"No," He was silent for a second.

"It was me." 

I turned away. "Um, could you repeat what you just said, because I thought I heard you say it was y--"

"It. Was. Me. Look, there really isn't much to say. You were drunk, or high, or tipsy, or whatever you wanna call it. You put your arms around me, and I had to sit you down somewhere, and then we talked, and it clicked, and it-we-we didn't even kiss, okay?" He threw down his hat. "And now you're gonna go tell Archie, and the one true friend I've had'll be gone. Just like my mom.

"And-and I tried to stop, but you know, I was too caught in moment, and by the way, you had just, like, punched me or something, but I completely forgot about that, so being that it was way too fast, and being the spineless idiot I was, I gave in to temptation, because-because I was falling for you." 

And he just looked at me, and I looked back, feeling tears cluster in my eyes. 

"You-you have feelings for me?" He nodded in uncertainty. 

"I-I mean, Jughead, I have a boyfr--"

"About that. So, um, I don't think I should be the one telling you this, but your boyfriend? And your best friend." He clicked his tongue. "I'm sorry." 

My heart pounded. "Um, thanks, for telling me, but Jughead--"

He shushed me. "Look above you." He tilted my head upward, and I saw a thousand stars shining like diamonds in the deep sky, like little lights in an infinite pool. 

"I wish that I could go up there sometimes. Sometimes, I hope that my soulmate, whoever it may be, and I are looking at the same stars. I would get that feeling, you know? Like they're the one for me." 

I looked up at the stars, which had gotten a new meaning because of Jughead. I was moving to get up, when I heard something shift. The crackling of leaves.

Silence. 

"Betty," I turned my head to face him, but he shook his head violently. "Betty, be absolutely still." 

Then it emerged out of the brush, a startling green snake against the midnight sky. I jumped back.

"HOLY MOTHER OF--" I stumbled back, my shoe catching on a tree root, and suddenly, I felt a pair of strong arms against me. Strong, but gentle to the touch.

"It's okay, Betty. It's harmless." Then I started to laugh.

What was a soft giggle turned into a guffaw, and soon Jughead was laughing with me, his laughter a soft, genuine sound. 

"Jug, I'm so stupid! Oh my lord," I slapped my forehead.

He gave me his sideways grin. "So, would this be counted as a date? You getting scared by a snake and--"

"And the charming man coming to the damsel's rescue? No thanks, not my thing." I smiled. "Nice try, though." 

"I hope so. Anyways, I gotta go, but..." He hesitated, and then he gave me a gentle smile, highlighting the amber flecks in his nutmeg eyes. "You know Betty, you're the only girl that I wanna talk to. You know that, right?" Then, he walked off, as quick as he came. 

He left me smiling in the firelight, for some unknown reason.

And at that moment, the glow from the firelight was unmatched to the glow from my heart. That glow has only come from one person before. 

Archie. 

Was I falling for him? He was elusive, mysterious, but made me feel special.

Why was I feeling like this? 

hi lol long time no seee! anyways i have some phatass news -- i got me a pupper! he's a shih tzu and he's literally five pounds and he's so cute and i love him and whatever. but i love y'all thanks so much for the reads! see y'all next chapter hehe

~mo