Hello! I would like to say how sorry I am that it's been nearly 3 months since my last update! I am simply the worst. In all honesty I have lacked any sort of drive these last few months, for everything in my personal/work life including effort to make a new chapter. That being said, I woke up today and have been typing like a maniac for hours to deliver the next installment for you lovely people. I hope everyone enjoys it!

-casualfridays

BPOV

"Jughead Jones that was the best lasagna I've ever had." Betty sighed, leaning back on her chair, hands rubbing her stomach with satisfaction. She and Jughead had finished off the entire dish- Betty only contributing to having 2 of 8 slices. Betty couldn't help but feel warmth throughout her body, and not from the wine she had consumed. They had merely chatted casually for the last 45 minutes, jumping from frivolous topics to Jugheads' recent move to Riverdale, yet she felt comfortable as if they were old friends simply catching up about lost time.

"I'm glad you liked it. I'll tell Kevin he has your seal of approval." Jughead joked, standing from his seat while reaching for their dishes.

"Let me do those, it's the least I can do after your hospitality, Juggie." Betty said as she reached out to grasp the dishes from Jughead's hands.

"Not a chance, Betts. You actually prevented me from eating the entire lasagna, so I should be thanking you." Jughead motioned, making no move to let go of the dishes.

"Fine. At least let me help. I can dry since you don't have a dishwasher, sound fair?" Betty suggested, standing from her seat. Betty watched his cheeks crinkle with a grin as he nodded, the lone onyx curl bobbing on his forehead. Jughead turned to the sink, grabbing the plug and starting the water. Betty poured herself another small glass of wine, the bottle nearly empty now. She had insisted she grab the bottle before coming over for food, her mother's chiding in the back of her brain reminding her to be a pleasant and prepared guest.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" Betty asked, taking a sip of her renewed glass. Jughead set down the bottle of dish soap and turned to her, outstretching his hand for the glass she was holding. Betty obliged, letting Jughead take the cup from her hand, feeling his fingers pass over her own. He took a small sip and passed it back.

"I'm not much of a drinker." Jughead commented, turning back on his heel to the sink. Betty noted his tone, sounding tense and guarded.

"It sounds like there's more to that." Betty stated, setting down the glass. Jughead turned back to her, his arms folding.

"My dad liked to drink. A lot." Jughead started. Betty watched his eyes turn down, his hand reach to his neck and rub it awkwardly. She felt the gut wrenching pulse of a back story he wasn't ready to share.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pried." Betty quickly stuttered, feeling awful for drinking so indulgently for the last hour. Jughead snapped his head back up at her tone and stepped towards her, his hands clasping her shoulders.

"Hey, hey don't be sorry." He said, rubbing his hands up and down her shoulders. "It's nothing. Honest. No one has ever really asked about it, that's all." Betty exhaled, feeling relieved yet hyper aware of his touch. Her sweater doing nothing to conceal the heat that radiated from her skin at his touch.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Betty asked, clearing her throat as her voice sounded thick with disorientation. Jughead let go of her shoulders and stepped back, resting against the ledge of the kitchen counter. He proceeded to go into detail about growing up with his family, the separation from his mother and sister, and the onslaught of his father's grief resulting in drink. Betty watched his face, how his eyes lost a hint of their shine as he told her the details of his childhood.

"Was that too much?" Jughead asked, grinning slightly.

"What do you mean?" Betty asked, confused at his sudden lightness.

"Was that too much information from one neighbour to another?" He asked, chuckling slightly. Betty knew what he meant, but shook her head.

"I think we are past the pleasantries, Juggie. I feel like I've known you for a lifetime." Betty murmured.

Jughead stopped smiling, his eyes darkening and he adjusted from his leaning position on the counters' edge. He took a step towards her, stopping just in front of her standing form. Betty felt her pulse race and her breath catch and he stood there, not knowing what was happening. Jughead finally opened his arms and wrapped them around her shoulders in a hug, his cheek resting on the side of her head. Betty felt his warmth though his soft grey shirt and she wrapped her hands around his back, embracing his hug, her face resting in the crook of his neck. Betty wasn't sure if they stood there for seconds or minutes, but all she felt was a feeling she could only describe as home. She had felt something similar as a child. It had been Christmas morning when she was about 5 or 6. Her parents watched her and her sister Polly unwrap a big present together, the anticipation of joy in their eyes. They had received a Barbie playhouse with a pink VW Buggie to drive the dolls around in. This was the last Christmas Betty remembered being a happy family before the fighting. Betty inhaled and closed her eyes, the smell of old cigarettes and some kind of spicy soap invaded her nose. The combination somehow relaxed her and excited her at the same time. The sound of Jughead exhaling pulled her back into the present as he stepped away.

"Um – " Jughead started "I guess the dishes aren't going to do themselves" He finished as she turned back to the sink. Betty stood for a moment, swallowing the lump of desire she felt as she took position at his side with a dish towel.

The duo had set upon a synchronized dance of the task- Jughead soaking and scrubbing, Betty rinsing and drying. They didn't speak, just performed in silence, their shoulders brushing occasionally. Betty's mind drifted to her dream of the two of them. The sloshing of the water in the sink resembling the water they were surrounded by in her dream.

"Get it together, Cooper! This is insane." Betty screamed in her brain. She was being ridiculous. Jughead was a friend and nothing more. If anything Veronica and he should be together. Not her.

"It's the wine. The wine and the hug. You haven't been hugged in a while. That's all. You are getting confused by a friendly hug between friends." Betty continued in her brain, rationalizing.

Jughead stepped away from her side, once again snapping her out of her own head. He grabbed a plate and the rest of the serving cutlery from the table to finalize the task. She watched as the top plate slide from its place on the small pile and into the sink, belly flop style. The dish water splashed out from under the plate and up onto Jugheads face, getting soap over his cheek and beanie.

His eyes stayed closed but he squinted his eyes tighter and smiled. Betty snorted and covered her mouth, trying to contain her laughter. Jughead set the rest of the dishes on the counter, freeing up his hand to wipe his right eye clear of soap.

"That went well." He joked.

Betty burst out laughing, clutching the counter and tears sprang from her eyes. Jughead started laughing alongside her, both laughing harder than the situation merited, but seemed uncontrollable after the extended minutes of silence prior. Jughead used his sleeve to wipe what he could feel from his face, missing a spot on his cheek and his hat. Without thinking Betty reached up and pulled his beanie free of his head and tossed it on the counter. The stray curl on his forehead had suds right on the tip, so she used her fingers and ran them through the front of his hair, pulling the strands and the bubbles from his locks. She noticed a spot at the top of his cheek and used her thumb to wipe it clean. It was only then as she grazed his cheek that she locked eyes with his.

They were stormy and dark, their usual ocean colour hidden by what Betty perceived as want. She stopped her thumb on his face, her fingers no longer hoovering but making their way through his dark hair. She knew she shouldn't be so close, but her body wasn't in the mood to reason with her. Her limbs felt like jelly, warm with fire but frozen with anticipation. She could see his pupils' dilate, his chest rising heavily. Betty swallowed and opened her lips to speak when Jughead closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers. Betty froze momentarily after the initial contact, but the moment was fleeting as she comprehended what was happening. The fire she felt as their lips touched was unlike any passion she had ever experienced, the desire for more could not be tamed. Betty reached with her free hand and entangled it with the other in his hair. She opened her mouth slightly to deepen the kiss, needing to be closer. She felt Jughead moan deeply in his throat as he obliged, snaking his fingers through the back of her hair, his other hand pressing her lower back, urging them to be closer. The kiss became fervent and hungry, Betty needing more from him. She felt his tongue slide against her bottom lip before she allowed entrance. His tongue danced with hers in her mouth, gentle yet passionate. Betty had never been kissed like this; as if they were the only 2 people left in an apocalyptic wasteland, not a care left but for each other. She felt the counter press against her back, then she was slid to the fridge. Betty snaked her hand out of his hair and down his face to his chest. She could feel his toned muscles through his sweater and she trailed lower to the hemline, tugging on the bottom of the grey material. He seemed to understand as she moved his hands from their place on her to his sweater, pulling it off swiftly, breaking their lips embrace. Betty looked down at his body, his chest and stomach toned but not overly muscled. He was perfect. She dragged her fingers back up his stomach, feeling him shudder under her touch. She leaned in and kissed his collarbone, working her way up his neck. She stopped at his jaw when she felt his hands at her own sweater, pulling up gently as if asking for permission. Betty stretched her hands above her head, allowing Jughead to pull off her sweater. She watched as his eyes locked on her body, taking in her nearly bare chest before he looked up to meet her eyes.

"God Betts, you're beautiful." He mumbled before grabbing her face in both of his hands, locking their lips once more. Betty moaned into his mouth, completely overwhelmed with what she was feeling. His hands left her face and travelled down her hips to her thighs, where he hoisted his hands under them and lifted her off the floor, causing Betty to immediately wrap her legs around his waist for support, feeling a prominent bulge from where her core met his hips. She felt as though she would die from lack of oxygen, their kiss demanding and unrelenting, giving her no time to breathe. She pulled her face away to inhale, allowing Jughead to kiss down her neck. She felt his full lips press into the crook of her collarbone and she could barely contain the moan that escaped her lips. She didn't know where this primal Betty came from; she was a stranger to herself but felt every nerve in her body alive for the first time. She had never felt this way with Archie.

Archie.

Betty felt her blood run cold, her guts felt as though they were filled with lead. Archie Andrews. Her boyfriend.

"Jughead." Betty whispered, her voice trapped in her throat.

"Betts?" He asked, pulling his head back up from her neck.

"Jughead, stop. We just- we can't, I, I –" Betty mumbled, her brain firing a mile a minute at what she had done. Jughead let go of her thighs, easing her back down the fridge door. He pressed his forehead to her own, his breathing off an erratic. He must've known what she was thinking as he shut his eyes.

"Betty. Shit. I'm sorry." He whispered, his head shaking against hers.

"Juggie-Jughead, I should go." Betty mustered, crossing her arms across her chest, covering her black bra from his view. Jughead stepped back, allowing her to bend and grab her sweater off the floor before aggressively pulling it over her head.

"Betts- I, I don't know what came over me. I'm so sorry. I, shit, I don't even know what to say." Jughead said, his eyes wide with fear. Betty felt like she had been winded and leaned her head back against the cool fridge door.

"I need to go." She said, turning on her heel to the back door, avoiding Jughead's eyes.

"Betty please, can we just talk? I can't let you go like this." Jughead pleaded, pulling on his own sweater as he trailed her to the door. She couldn't bear to turn around and face him, so she continued to the door, exiting as fast as possible and slamming it behind her. She jumped down the 3 back steps and ran headlong to her own house, needing to get away before she broke down. She was sure he was calling after her, but the blood pulsing in her ears blocked out any sounds.

Betty wasn't sure how she got from the space between their homes to her own sunroom, but that's where she found herself, curled on the cold floor, shivering with anxiety in the dark.

"You cheated. You cheated. You cheated." Betty rehearsed to herself, over and over. She felt sick. She wanted to scream and throw up and scream more- not for cheating on Archie, but for how alive and wonderful she felt when she was with Jughead. She had never wanted anything more. The pain and the dull grey ache of her life had completely faded when she was with him. She felt desire and excitement and passion even before their moment. Simply being around Jughead had left her looking forward to the next day, something she had not experienced for the last 5 years.

"You need to call him." Betty reasoned to herself, hoping that hearing Archie's voice would shake her confusion. Fumbling while standing, Betty headed to the counter where she had last left her phone when the envelope for Archie stood out like a sore thumb on the floor, almost glaring at her. She stopped in her tracks, once again paralyzed with the reality that she had cheated on the man who she lived with. The man who moved here for her. The man who had changed his bank, his billing address and forwarding address on a whim for her. She headed towards the envelope and picked it up gingerly with the intent on placing it on the counter to await his return. Setting it down on the kitchen counter, Betty made the move for her phone when she noticed the company from which the letter was sent. It was their phone company. Curiosity got the better of her as she ripped open the envelope, curious to see why they sent a paper bill when they had gone paperless years prior.

"Mr. Archibald Andrews… blah blah….. Regarding your alternate business number added to your plan….. blah blah…..please note your account had experienced numerous overages. Please call the number below to discuss a new plan or additions to your current plan…" Betty read the first page of the notice, confused on the "business number" that had been added. As she flipped to the following pages of the notice, Betty felt her throat tighten. At the top of the page was a new number added to his account with multiple overages in data, air time, and texts containing downloaded files. All of the charges were from the last 2 weeks. Confused, Betty snatched her phone and called Archie, not caring that it was 11pm and that they hadn't spoken in weeks.

"Hello?" A very groggy Archie answered.

"Archie? What the hell have you been doing?" Betty demanded, infuriated that this was the first time they had spoken since he left.

"What? Who is- what time is it?" Archie mumbled confused. Betty was about to make her rebuttal when a noise in the background of Archie's phone stopped the words from escaping.

"Arch, babe who is it?" A female voice said quietly in the background. Betty nearly dropped the phone from her hand. Not for the reason of Archie being with someone, but for the fact that she recognized the voice; the voice of her high school friend Cheryl Blossom.

"Betty. Betty let me explain." Archie pleaded, sounding suddenly very awake. Betty froze for a moment, not sure of how to feel. She didn't feel hurt that he cheated, or relieved that he also cheated, but felt a weight lift off her chest, a weight she had carried for 5 years.

"Forget about it. I will have your stuff outside in the studio. Pick it up when you can and leave your key under the door mat. Goodbye Archie." Betty demanded as she hung up, cutting off any final words.

For the first time in most of her life, Betty was actually alone.