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Day 1 - December 23
Veronica was so fucking late. she had planned everything, she was going to leave her work at 2 o'clock in the afternoon to go to her apartment to check her bags and go to the airport in time to catch a plane that would leave at 10:00 pm. However, with ten minutes left, her boss demanded that she stay for one more hour to redo the schedules for the next week because of a great business opportunity that arose in Japan. And as for Veronica, this internship meant a life of opportunity, so she cannot deny his demand. And so she stayed, for more than two hours at work.
After that it all went downhill, she left work, she tried to take a taxi, and when she finally managed to get one, she was stuck in a row of cars for three hours, but Veronica is not a quitter, so knowing that the taxi was not the solution, she went down the Metro, that was full of people and for her misfortune at one of the stops a woman dropped Cold brew in her YSL dress.
Now she was walking on a snow day to her apartment, shivering in the cold, because unfortunately, her Saint Laurent’s jacket couldn't help when her dress that’s was frozen glued to her skin. Finally, she arrived at the stairs of her apartment, she looked for the keys in her purse, and when she came to the conclusion that she had forgotten the keys in her work, the whole series of misfortunes hit her like an avalanche.
“Fuck!” she turned and put her hands on the rail and let out a long scream of frustration.“What did I do to deserve this?" She looked up, while snowflakes were on her cheeks. "I'm just a good Catholic girl wanting to see my family for Christmas!"
"Considering what I saw you do this year, I wouldn't use the term good Catholic girl."
Veronica turns her head to face her roommate, wearing a brown overcoat and sweater that clearly reflects his status as a Brooklyn introverted writer, that she hates herself for finding attractive.
“Hi, Jughead ... how long have you been there?" Jughead gave a slightly arrogant smirk, which she knew very well, she hated it and loved it, he gave her every time he beat her in the chess game. As he went up the stairs and passed all the bags in one hand to get the key from his pants pocket.
“Time enough to watch your Leonardo DiCaprio's rage moment.” Veronica rolled his eyes as they both entered the building. It was a simple place that thanks to the low price of the apartments, attracted all kinds of peculiar people.
“I bet you must be freezing, just be careful when you go up the stairs.” Jughead leads the way and Veronica looks at the steps covered in white goo.
"What the hell is on those steps?"
"Do you know the resident of 2b?"
"The guy who said we're all products of a simulation he's in?"
“The same one, so this morning he put glue on the stairs because he said it was, in his words, a method for capturing fairies who wanted to steal hair from his ear. " He finishes talking while opening the door to the apartment where we live.
“This is so typical.”Veronica enters her room to change clothes, she opens one of her bangs and takes the first thing she sees, she has no time right now to think too much about what she will wear.
“How is this typical?” He asks and Veronica can hear the sound of the microwave whistling that something is ready to be eaten.
"You know everything that happens in this building. After all, since we moved here, you are living the life of a misanthrope." Jughead sits on the sofa and starts eating the popcorn. He was already tired of her indignities about the fact that he was always in their apartment. Last time it was right in front of his date while they were having breakfast. After that day she said she could no longer see him because he already had a girlfriend.
“I'm not a misanthrope, I'm just working on my book.”
“Yeah, I can see that by you sitting on the couch watching random things on tv. " Jughead turns to give Veronica an appropriate response until he sees her frustrated at her cell phone.
"What's going on? Why do you look ready to throw the phone on the wall?" Veronica lets out a frustrated breath, she could feel a migraine starts.
“I have to go to the airport. I promised my parents I would be there for Christmas eve, you know, but I am finding no uber car available.” Jughead frowns in concern. And switch to the news channel.
“ Did you watch the news?” Veronica takes her eyes off her cell phone towards Jughead who was pointing at the TV in the center of the room. He increased the volume but it was not necessary, she could clearly read the title of the report.
"A heavy snowfall arrives in New York City, all airports are closed and it is recommended that everyone stay home."
“Fuck me.”
Day 2 - December 24
Veronica is not sure what time she woke up, she just felt a great headache and felt very cold, she swore she could feel her toes freezing. So with the little willpower she had, Veronica walked over to Jughead's bedroom door and started calling him. She could hear him cursing behind the door, but when he opened it his sulky countenance changed to concerned quickly.
"My God Veronica, you look pale, are you okay?" Veronica came close to him and put her head on Jughead's chest.
"I'm too cold, can we just curl up like cats and make the cold go away?" Jughead is surprised at first without knowing how to react, should he hug her and take him to his bed? The image of her in his bed hits him like a truck and he moves away from her a little. He looks at her again and more closely he can see that she was sweating, Jughead touches her head and realizes that she was running a fever.
"Shit, you better lie down, Veronica, I'll get the blankets from your room and how much do you lie on my bed, okay?" He spoke softly to her and she nodded to him.
Jughead went to her room and started to collect the blankets he could, he should have known, but she was clearly wet, it was obvious that she was going to catch a cold. After all, what should he do now? Jughead tries to remember what his mom used to do for him, but he can't remember, he remembers that his dad after his mom left home used to give him a sip of whiskey to end the “cold”, but he will not do that with Veronica.
He enters the room and sees her lying covered up to the head, Veronica looks so helpless that it made his heart squeeze for a moment. He covers her with the blankets and decides to try to go to the nearest pharmacy.
"I think I'm going to the pharmacy to buy something that will lower your fever." He says sitting next to her. Veronica wrinkles her nose and puts her hands around his face.
“Do not go! I don't want to be alone, and I feel so tightly wrapped around you."
“See why I have to go? The fever is making you delirious."
“So promise me it won't belong. "She says, still holding his face and caressing him with her thumbs. He can't help smiling for a moment.
“I promise.”
Jughead opens the apartment door and goes down the stairs quickly, but when he tries to open the apartment door he fails, and at that moment he feels the panic taking care of him, the door was blocked by snow. He then decides to pick up the phone to make a call but realizes that he has no signal.
He leans against the door and puts his hand over his face. What the hell is he going to do?
“Are you okay, young man? " Jughead turns his head towards the voice, he recognizes the lady earlier in the morning, she had asked for help to get her nephew off the stairs because he was gluing the steps.
“I'm not really well, I mean, my roommate is sick, she probably has a cold, but I have no way and I don't know how to help her.” The lady in her pink polka dot pajamas smiles at him.
“Luckily for you and your friend, I'm a retired nurse and I'm willing to help. Come on boy. "
When they arrived at the apartment, the lady asked Jughead to prepare a hot tea while she was going to help Veronica take a shower so her fever would go away. Since the tea was ready he went to the room to serve Veronica, but at first, she did not want to have tea. Whatever eventually Jughead convinced her, after that she fell asleep. Now he was sitting next to her watching her sleep.
"She'll be fine, young man, don't worry, all she needs to do now is sleep.”The woman spoke, stopping at the bedroom door. And Jughead, without looking away from Veronica, replies to her with a slight smile.
"I overreacted, didn't I?” The old lady smiled.
“Maybe a little, but this is normal since it is clear, you love her deeply.”
Jughead doesn't answer this time, he looks at Veronica peacefully asleep.
Yeah, he loves her.
Day 3 - December 25
Veronica woke up to the smell of chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven. For a second she thought she was home, but when she opened her eyes she realized that she wasn't at her parents' house, that she wasn't even in her room. Then she remembered last night and felt ashamed for the things she said.
She gets up from the bed and goes to the kitchen, it's Jughead putting the cookies in a jar.
"Look who woke up! I thought you were going to sleep all day." Veronica felt her stomach churn with hunger.
"What time is it?"
"It's nine-thirty in the morning. I suggest you change your clothes, Mrs. Sanchez invited the people who live here in the building but didn't get together with the family to participate in a special lunch and the only condition was that we bring some food for all of us to eat. "
“ Who is Mrs. Sanchez?”
“The lady who helped look after you that morning. We talked about certain things after you fell asleep.”
“I see, I think we really should go, I want to thank her for helping me.” Veronica moved closer to Jughead, she could smell him mixed with the cookies. For an instant, she didn't know whether to kiss him or take a cookie from the jar. She took a deep breath, she needed to calm down. She knew that this attraction to him would have to go at some point, it was just a silly thing.
“Besides, I want to thank you, usually I always only have myself, it's good to know that I can count on someone, for a change. " Jughead didn't answer it at first, which in itself was strange, but then the way he looked at her, did he always look at her like that? Veronica didn't know what it was, but something has changed.
“You know you can always count on me, don't you? Since we came here, we've been in this together.” Does she know? Since they came to New York they got closer, that's a fact, but it's not like there's room for anyone in her life is it? Work, college have taken up a good part of her life and the other part she spends with Jughead. And she knows that is why she developed a certain attraction to him. Well, at least that's what she believes.
But a small part inside her when she heard what he just said whispered in her mind. Maybe she's not with anyone else, because she doesn't need anyone else, because she doesn't want anyone else.
"I think I know." She turns away from him even though she could feel his gaze on her, she goes to the bedroom to change clothes.
When they finally arrive at Mrs. Sanchez's apartment, Veronica couldn't feel more welcomed. The place was completely decorated, the Christmas lights were all over the house and people were talking and laughing, there was even a group that near the piano was singing Christmas songs.
“It's great to see you, Mr. Jones and Miss Lodge, we were waiting for you to finally be able to get together at the table. " Mrs. Sanchez approaches them together with a tall man with brown hair who should have been about the same age as Jughead and Veronica.
“I'm sorry, Mrs. Sanchez, but Veronica said she would only leave the house if she found the perfect dress for the occasion. " Veronica gave Jughead's arm a little push.
“At least I know how to dress, I didn't wear it all my adolescence the same stinky hat.” Mrs. Sanchez laughed, leaving Jughead with red cheeks.
"Well I think I'm with the guy in this one, you could wear any dress that he would look perfect in you." Now it was the man next to Mrs. Sanchez who caught Veronica and Jughead off guard. The boy held out his hand to Veronica.
“ My name is Jonas, I am the grandson of Mrs. Sanchez." Jughead narrowed his eyes at the boy but before he could say anything, Veronica lengthened and introduced Jughead and her.
Soon after, Mrs. Sanchez took the jar of cookies and served it at the table, everyone gathered at the table and all this time Jonas flirted shamelessly with Veronica, which was making Jughead incredibly uncomfortable. Jughead, unable to bear to see the situation, got up on the table and sat on the sofa in the living room, only Veronica and Mrs. Sanchez noticing.
"You have to understand the boy, he is clearly saddened by the whole situation." Mrs. Sanchez said in a low voice beside Veronica.
" Is it because your grandson is flirting with me?" Veronica asked, confused.
"Of course, sweetheart, it's very clear that he is in love with you." Veronica swore that for a second she could feel the floor crumble under her and she had started to fall over a precipice. She got up from the table and went to Jughead.
“I think you have something to say to me, Torombolo." Jughead looked up and saw Veronica standing in front of him.
"What do you mean?" Veronica snorted and pulled him by the hand to a hall that led to the rooms away from any curious look.
“Earlier this morning you said I could count on you for anything, so now the only thing I want from you is the truth, so tell me.”
What should he say? That he is jealous of Jonas with her? What right does he have to feel any possessive feelings around her? Should he say he loves her since he doesn't know when? Right on Christmas Day? What a fucking cliche he is.
So like any movie when the characters have nothing more to say, he leaned over and kissed her. Veronica was taken aback at first, but she smiled and kissed him back by wrapping her arms around him.
"I am also in love with you." Said Veronica moving away from the kiss almost breathlessly. Jughead genuinely smiled at her, for the first time since they left Riverdale.
"I love you Veronica Lodge and Merry Christmas."