#typing123

She turned away from the scene in front of her while Veronica unsuccessfully tried to hold in a laugh.

“You don’t?” Veronicas eyes narrowed on the scene unfolding in front of them, “How the sensitive, intellectual would have college girls in a tizzy?”

Betty refused to meet her gaze, but could feel the scrutiny of Veronica’s eyes on her.

“I guess, he can be sensitive.” Betty admitted, finishing her glass. She could blame the blush that ran up her neck to her cheeks on the alcohol if need be.

Truth was Betty had always been able to see the qualities of Jughead Jones that others may have missed or overlooked. She had always been able to see the best in people. How Archie was loyal, Jughead was kind and Veronica was strong.

She could even see the good in her mother, no matter how hard that was at times. How much harder it became as the years passed.

She had known that she needed to get out of Riverdale. As soon as she had that acceptance letter in her hands she was as good as gone. The town of Riverdale had changed her. And not in a way that sat easy with her.

She thought that Jughead would have followed, she had hoped that he would. That maybe the two of them could escape this town together.

But Jughead was kind, and loyal and all of those qualities that she had seen in him would keep him in Riverdale. FP Jones had left the serpents and Jughead wanted to stay with him to make sure he kept it that way, that he didn’t slip into old habits. Including the petty crime and the booze. He would attend the local community college while Betty went to New York on her own.

Jughead, despite what he had endured, was dedicated to his family.

As soon as Betty had arrived back in Riverdale she went straight to Sunnyside, hoping to see him. There he was outside the same old trailer working on the old truck with a sober and well looking FP and Betty finally truly felt like she was home.

She tried not to fixate on the way his arms wrapped around her as he brought her into a hug, and she buried her head into his shoulder letting herself get lost in his embrace. They had kept in contact of course, nearly every week he would catch her up on the local news and she would talk about her lectures, and the city that had captured her heart. But nothing compared to his physical presence.

But too soon it was over and he was pulling back and Betty put the lid back on those feelings she had held onto for far too long.

“Right. So you haven’t had a crush on Jughead since I arrived in Riverdale?” It wasn’t a question.

Betty opened her mouth to defend herself, when Veronica held up a single finger to silence her.

“Don’t even try to deny it.” This wasn’t the first time Veronica had commented on the relationship between herself and Jughead. In fact as soon as she arrived in Riverdale she had assumed they were a couple.

Her and Jughead had both nervously laughed it off, explained that it ‘wasn’t like that’ and moved on, hoping that Veronica would do the same.

But over the years Betty had learnt that there was no point lying to Veronica, there was very little that got past the astute brunette, so she kept her mouth shut and looked instead around the room for any kind of distraction.

“Even Archie’s noticed.” Veronica added and Betty couldn’t help the look of disbelief that crossed her face. Archie had a host of good qualities but keen observation had never really been one of them.

Veronica’s face then shifted to a face that she had seen many times before and Betty felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.

“In fact.” Veronica’s tone confirmed Betty’s feeling. Veronica was up to something, “That’s why Archie convinced Jughead to come to this little party in the first place.”

“Veronica,” Betty warned. Although Veronica’s plans usually worked out for the best there had been some spectacular failures over the years. Like the time she had involved herself in the love lives of Sherriff Keller and Mayor McCoy.

“Betty, you have been carrying a torch for that boy for too long.” Veronica;s face was set in determination, “You need to tell him and put us all out of our misery.”

“Wait a second, was that you with the mistletoe as well?” Betty asked, remembering finding herself under some mistletoe Christmas Eve with a nervous looking Jughead and a very suspicious looking Archie perched on top of a ladder above them.

“Guilty,” Veronica said proudly, “Was a little disappointed with the kiss on the cheek though Betty.”

Betty wasn’t.

It was all she had thought about all week. The way Jughead had looked at her, eyes meeting hers for the briefest of moments before her lips pressed against his cheek. Etched into her memory the slight stubble of his cheek against her own lips, the way he smelled like the black coffee he would always order at Pops. She had analysed every second of that interaction, looking for some hint of what he was thinking. He had smiled at her afterwards, she remembered that. But was it a best friends kind of smile or a something more kind of smile.

She couldn’t be sure and so she had stored it away in the part of her mind reserved solely for those moments that her and Jughead had shared through the years. The ones that she replayed in her mind when she felt like moving to New York was the biggest mistake she had ever made, or when her mum would yell at her down the phone for leaving.

The ones that made her safe and happy.

Veronica sighed, “Honestly Betty. Archie and I, both of us, just want to see you happy. Well, both of you happy. You should tell him.” Veronica took Betty’s empty glass as she took her leave to greet other guests, while Betty looked on at Jughead and his new friends.

She took another glass from a passing waiter, taking a quick drink, hoping for it to fill her with courage, before she placed it back on the counter behind her. She took a deep breath as she made her move towards the group of girls and Jughead.

Jughead met her gaze and smiled broadly as she arrived, shooting her a quick pleading look.

“Can we talk?” she asked, ignoring the looks from the other girls, as Jughead eagerly nodded. She linked her arm around his without even thinking as they took their leave from the loudness of the party finding the more secluded area of the Lodge library where the party was more of a dull noise in the background.

“I don’t know why I let Archie convince me to come to this thing,” Jughead said as soon as they entered the room, pulling his beanie down tighter over his head, “I miss our old tradition of the booth at Pops.”

Betty smiled at the memories of the many New Years spent at the old booth at Pops. Veronica and Archie on one side, her and Jughead always on the other. She would order strawberry and Jughead chocolate, even though they would end up sharing anyway. They would talk about stupid stuff, the stuff that didn't matter, the things that helped them to escape.Truth be told Betty would rather be there as well.

“Me too.”

“Thanks for rescuing me by the way,”

“You seemed to have things under control.” Betty couldn’t help the spite that tainted her tone. “Sorry,” she apologised.

Jughead let out a laugh, “I was just being polite.” Betty breathed a little sigh of relief. Perhaps seeing him with those girls, with the possibility that there might be something more had triggered a realisation that he might not just be hers any more.

That all those little moments that they had shared over the years might start to be shared with someone else and that, that tore her up inside.

“I kind of wanted to talk to someone else, anyway.” Jughead said with a smile.

“Oh,” Betty replied unable to hide the deflation in her voice. Of course he would be interested in someone. She had been away for months, it was silly to think otherwise.

Betty looked to the clock on the wall behind him. Almost midnight. The start of a new year. Her attention was drawn back to Jughead when he captured her hand in his own. She met his gaze trying to decode his look, but her heart was racing too hard to focus.

“I was kind of looking for you,” he whispered, a nervous smile as his thumb moved across the back of her hand. Betty could feel her pulse quicken, surely he couldn’t.

“Jughead.”

“I missed you Betts. Turns out Riverdale isn’t the same without you. Even Pop’s burgers don’t taste the same if I don’t have you sitting next to me.”

“I missed you too,” she admitted, her hand tightening in his. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back to visit earlier.” The number of times she had wanted to hop on the next bus to Riverdale, just to sit with him, just to hear his voice, unfiltered by the technology that had allowed them to stay in touch. To feel his arm wrap around her and tell her it was all going to be alright.

The seconds ticked by, the hand approaching the twelve as Betty felt something rising up inside her. She wanted to tell him. Wanted to tell him how she didn’t want another year to go by without telling him what he meant to her. How she wanted to be the girl who was touching his arm, laughing at his jokes, even twirling her hair at him for God’s sake. She wanted the girl on his arm to be her and the thought of another year going by without that, without him made her feel sick. The thought of even another minute.

The other guests had started the countdown, and she stood there in the library, with Jughead Jones in front of her. Her hand in his and she knew.

There was no use denying it, to Veronica or herself, she was in love with her best friend. She always had been.

As ‘Happy New Year’ ran out across the party, Betty closed the distance between them. Her lips capturing his as he wrapped his arm around her pulling her against him as he deepened the kiss. Betty gasped against his lips as her hands tightened on the lapels of his jacket. The sherpa material soft against her fingers. So familiar and yet this was so different at the same time.

She pulled away, her smile broad and wide as he grinned back, his cheeks a little rosier than before.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, as his hands settled on her waist, “Happy New Years, Jughead Jones.”