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Betty Cooper looked herself over, taking in the way the vintage polka-dot swing dress hugged her waist, and sighed deeply. Tonight would be the first new year’s eve since her break up with her high school sweetheart, Trev Brown, and she wasn’t even sure she wanted to attend Veronica Lodge’s yearly extravaganza at La Bonne Nuit.
Betty honestly would’ve preferred to just stay home, where she could order from her favorite restaurant and watch the festivities on tv, but she has never been able to say no to Veronica. Her only solace was that her best friend promised her that she would stick to her all night, despite the fact that she was supposed to be playing hostess to over a hundred people.
She checked the time and decided that she couldn’t stall any longer. She gathered her things and left her apartment. She followed the familiar path to Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, happy once again that she lived within walking distance of her place of employment since she opted for heels tonight.
When she arrived, she could hear music floating up from the speakeasy located just below the diner and steeled herself, hoping that she wouldn’t have any awkward run-ins with her ex who was sure to be there.
It wasn’t a complete surprise to Betty when Trev said he wanted to break up - they’d been drifting apart for a while - but she was shocked to find out why. A year before, Trev had taken on duties as the tour manager for his sister Valerie’s band. Valerie Brown was the lyricist and keyboardist for the Grammy Award Winning group, Josie and the Pussycats, who also grew up in Riverdale with Betty and the rest of the gang.
Betty thought everything was fine between them - even though he was gone a lot more than usual, putting a strain on their relationship. Then six months ago, Trevor called to explain that he’d met someone else while the band was on playing in the city. He told Betty he was sorry, that he never meant to hurt her, but he wanted to try things with this new girl so he was ending their seven-year-long relationship.
Betty had been crushed when he moved but pushed herself to stay busy, trying not to let it affect her. She knew he was the one at fault, even Valerie had called to apologize for her brother’s behavior, but it still stung nonetheless. This party would be the first time she’d have to see him since he dumped her and she was apprehensive.
As she made her way inside La Bonne Nuit, she smiled, loving the classic decor that Veronica had chosen. Veronica insisted on having a 50s themed party this year, complete with traditional cocktails and music from the era. The place perfectly matched the vintage feel of Pop’s Diner and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think you stepped back in time.
Through the sea of poodle skirts and leather jackets, Betty managed to spot her best friend on the stage speaking to Josie and the other Pussycats about their set for tonight. Veronica looked amazing as always, wearing a form-fitting pin-up style dress, her hair up in pristine victory rolls, and looking like she just walked off a movie set. She looked up and beamed at Betty, waving and indicating that she would be another minute.
It didn’t take long before Veronica swept her up, dragging her around as she met with all of her guests. The night progressed quickly and Betty was thankful for the distraction that her friend provided. She had almost forgotten Trev was supposed to be there until he arrived just before midnight.
“Hey, V? I’ll meet you in a minute, I need a drink.”
“Okay, B! I’m going to see if I can find where Archie ran off too.”
Betty ducked her head as she carefully made her way to the bar through the throngs of partygoers, being sure to keep a lookout for Trev and his new lady at the same time. In her distraction, Betty didn’t see that the man in front of her had turned around until it was too late, nearly spilling his drink on her in the process.
She stumbled into his arms and cried out, muttering her apologies as she glanced up to meet a set of deep blue eyes that she hadn’t seen since her freshman year of high school. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry-- Jughead?”
Standing in front of her, all grown up and looking like walking sin, was none other than Jughead Jones. The same Jughead Jones who was Betty’s best friend growing up, the same boy who gave Betty her first kiss, and even took Betty to her very first high school dance.
He was also the boy Betty was convinced would have been her first (and possibly only) boyfriend, had it not been for the fact that his parents split up the summer after their freshman year and he moved away to Ohio with his mother and sister.
“Oh my god, Juggie?! Is it really you?!” Jughead chuckled as she threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug, squealing into his ear in excitement.
She hadn’t seen Jughead in person in far too long, but they’d managed to keep in touch over the years through texts and video chat, remaining close despite the distance. She followed his career, sending him a congratulatory gift when his first novel was published, and subsequently buying every book he’d published in the six years since they’d graduated high school. She had missed him terribly and she was so happy he was standing here in front of her.
“Betty Cooper, graceful as always, I see. Don’t worry, I won’t let you face plant,” he teased, pulling back to look at her. Betty blushed, realizing that she was still clinging to his leather jacket as if her life depended on it.
“Well, you know me, Jug. I always had two left feet, so thanks for the support,” she giggled nervously, pulling herself upright and straightening her dress. “What are you even doing here? I thought you were staying in Brooklyn for the new year?”
“I was, but Arch called me to see if I wanted to come to V’s party tonight instead.” He leaned close, whispering in her ear, “If you ask me, I think Archie’s finally gonna pop the question.”
“What?! Well, it’s about damn time, they’ve only been dating for like a decade already!” Betty shrieked excitedly. “Oh man, I hope he does, they deserve all the happiness in the world.”
“Yeah, they do. So, what about you, Betts? Any special guy in your life lately?” Jughead asked, finishing off his drinking and placing it on the bar behind him.
“That would be a hard no, Jug. Honestly, I haven’t really even thought about dating since Trev broke up with me,” she admitted with a shrug.
As if on cue, Trev Brown walked out from backstage with his new girlfriend, Alexandra Cabot, on his arm. They were both dressed to the nines and seemed to be the picture-perfect couple, leaving Betty feeling self-conscious. She grimaced when she noticed them heading her way, so she buried her face in Jughead’s shoulder and prayed they wouldn’t see her.
“Betts?” Jughead asked, worried about her sudden change in demeanor. He slipped his arm around her back, comforting her as she continued to hide.
“This is so embarrassing... Why can’t the floor just swallow me up, Juggie?” she mumbled, turning herself further into Jughead’s embrace. She didn’t want to have to face Trev and put on a practiced, Cooper-approved smile when she was still hurt by his betrayal. Jughead looked up, locking eyes with Betty’s ex momentarily before he got an idea.
“Hey, Betts? You trust me?” he murmured into her ear. Her eyes met his as she nodded in agreement. “Play along, okay?”
Suddenly, Jughead’s lips covered Betty’s in a fierce kiss, his tongue snaking its way inside her mouth to tangle with hers. Betty stiffened briefly before melting into his touch, her hands running up his chest and into his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as the kiss grew more heated.
They were both so lost in their own world that they didn’t even acknowledge that Trev and his date were standing right in front of them until he cleared his throat loudly. A dusting of pink covered Betty’s cheeks as they broke apart. She took a moment to fix her smudged lipstick while Jughead grinned smugly.
“Oh! Trev, it’s so good to see you. It’s been a while,” she paused, turning to Jughead. “Um, you remember Jughead Jones, my--”
“Boyfriend. How ya been, man?” Jughead finished for her, holding out his free hand while his other remaining clutching Betty’s waist.
“Boyfriend?” Trev repeated, clearly surprised.
“Yep, came to visit for a few weeks in July and haven’t been able to keep my hands off her since,” Jughead said with a smirk, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. Betty giggled, enjoying the shocked look on Trev’s face when he did the mental math and realized she had ‘moved on’ within weeks of their breakup.
“Oh. Well, I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone, Betty. I’d have thought, with as small as Riverdale is, someone would have mentioned it,” Trev stated.
“We’ve been keeping things low-key for a bit, but now that I’m moving back to Riverdale for good, we decided we’d go ahead and made things public tonight. Y’know, new year and all that. Ain’t that right, baby girl?” Jughead asked, leaning down to run kisses along her jawline.
It took everything in Betty to keep her face in check, butterflies erupting in her belly as his lips brushed across her skin. She wondered briefly if he was being truthful about moving back or if this was just part of his act. She wouldn’t lie, she was giddy at the idea of Jughead returning to Riverdale. She missed him terribly since he left all those years ago, so it would be nice to have him home again.
“Sure is, babe. I’m just so happy to finally have you home with me,” she replied innocently, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Now, if you’d excuse us, Trev , Jug promised me a dance,” Betty grinned, grabbing Jughead’s hand to drag him towards the dance floor.
“Well, congratulations?” he called after them, Betty giggling at Trev’s gaping expression. Jughead led her to the middle of the other dancing couples, pulling her close as a slow song filled the air.
Darling, you send me
I know you send me
Darling, you send me
Honest, you do, honest, you do
Honest, you do, whoa
“Oh my god, I can’t believe we just did that!” Betty laughed breathlessly, she and Jughead moving to the familiar song that played around them. “Did you see his face, Jug? That was amazing... Thank you for rescuing me from what was sure to be an awkward situation.”
“Anytime, Betts,” he smiled down at her, his hands stroking the exposed skin on her back. “I just hope that it wasn’t too forward? I really didn’t want you to be uncomfortable tonight so I thought ‘why not’, but I didn’t even stop to think about whether me kissing you might be worse than facing your ex.”
“Well, I’m most definitely not uncomfortable...” Betty replied sheepishly, a flush spreading across her skin. “It was actually, um,” she swallowed around the lump in her throat. “It was really nice. Just as good as I remembered.”
“Agreed,” Jughead responded happily, tucking a flyaway behind her ear.
You thrill me
I know you, you, you thrill me
Darling, you, you, you, you thrill me
Honest, you do
“So, are you really coming back to Riverdale, or was that just something you throw out there for Trev’s benefit?” Betty asked, staring at him with hope in her eyes.
“Well, it was supposed to be a surprise but yeah. I’m staying with Archie for now but I’m looking for my own place. I’ve been thinking about coming home for a while, but it wasn’t feasible before. However, there’s something in Riverdale that I just couldn’t live without anymore so I had to come back.”
“Let me guess: Pop’s world-famous double-decker cheeseburger and chili cheese fries?” Betty joked.
“Nope,” he replied without hesitation. He lifted her chin so her eyes met his and whispered, “There’s something I’ve wanted more than any meal from Pop’s.”
“And what’s that, Jug?” Betty wondered out loud as she got lost in his gaze.
At first I thought it was infatuation
But, woo, it's lasted so long
Now I find myself wanting
To marry you and take you home, woah-woah
“You...”
Betty’s breath hitched at that one simple word, her heart pounding in her chest as she took in the intensity in his eyes. She couldn’t believe what he was saying... Was he serious? Was he really coming back just for her ?
As if to answer, Jughead leaned down and captured her mouth again, his kiss hesitant at first but quickly becoming more heated when she returned it with fervor. Everyone else around them faded away, leaving the two of them in their own little world. It wasn’t until they heard the countdown begin that they broke apart, resting their foreheads together as they continued to sway.
10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1
“Happy New Year, Betts...” Jughead murmured before planting another soft kiss on her lips, smiling as she sighed happily.
“Happy New Year, Juggie...” she said softly, brushing her fingers along his jaw, “Wanna go back to my place, get in some pj’s, and have our own little new year’s celebration? Maybe get some take out from upstairs?”
“Do you really have to ask, Cooper?”