Chapter Text
the lodge trials (part 1)
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The sound of the basketballs thumping against the ground echoes throughout the court. Archie laughs at the children’s enthusiasm—it always warms his heart to see them focused on making the best of each possession.
He claps to fire them up. “Yes! You’re doing great! Let’s go!”
As it usually is with sports, some kids are better than others. Archie tries his best to instill cooperation and not competition between them. So, when the smallest girl stays behind, he’s proud to see the rest of the team cheering on her.
“C’mon Violet!”
“You can do it!”
She reaches the other sideline almost a full minute after her classmates, but they receive her as if she were some national hero. Archie beams and blows his whistle, bringing them to a halt.
“That’s all for today! C’mon, gather up.”
All fourteen children take position in a circle, Archie crouching down to be the same height as the expectant, red-faced third graders.
“Before teammates, what are we?” he asks.
“Friends!” They yell in unison, bumping their fists together in the center of the circle, all of them smiling except for Andy who scraped his knee when he tried to jump off the stands even if Archie told him not to.
“And I’m grateful to have friends like you,” he says, standing up. “I’ll see you guys next week!”
The kids are so much easier than the teenagers, it’s what he always thinks. It’s been almost four months since he started filling in for the teacher in Riverdale Elementary who got on maternity leave, and it’s a walk in the park compared to the young monsters in Riverdale High.
Working as a PE Teacher/Coach at both schools is equally exhausting and entertaining. And even though the teens are more difficult to deal with—which makes him think about his own angst-filled years, and feel more sympathy for his father, particularly—he can’t deny that it is a rewarding job. Whenever a student thanks him or seeks for his guidance, he’s filled with that sense of accomplishment he came back to this town to find.
When Archie moved back to Riverdale a little over a year ago, he had no idea where his decision would lead him. He spent most of his young adult life in the military, but that career prevented him from creating roots or connections. So, when his time as a reservist began, retracing the steps back to his hometown seemed inevitable.
And while he was unsure, then, of what he was looking for, he ended up finding so much: not one, but three fulfilling jobs that he juggles with surprising ease, friendship and, most importantly, love.
While the children collect the basketballs to put them back on the racks, he glances down to his watch. He has about one hour before he needs to be at the community center that he finally was able to open in the old Andrews Construction warehouse.
“Mr. Archie! Look!” Violet shouts, ponytail following after her as she hurries to the gym door. “It’s Miss Ronnie!”
Archie turns around. His heartbeat picks up as it always has when he sees her. Veronica Lodge, the girl of his dreams, the girl who now he can proudly call his girl.
Things with her have been so amazing in the past year and two months that they’ve been together. He spends basically all his free time with her, and visits her every morning at the cafe she runs for a smooch and coffee to go. Sometimes, she’ll stop by the school or by his apartment, to bring treats or just because she feels like it, and he can’t complain at all.
He’s never been so happy.
“Miss Ronnie!”
Archie chuckles at his girlfriend quickly being surrounded by a gaggle of kids who are excitedly chanting her name. They used to call her Miss Veronica when they were first introduced, but after hearing their coach call her Ronnie one too many times, they’ve adopted the nickname.
He’d normally feel jealous—that was his brand, and his only, since they were nine—but the kids were too adorable with their big grins and missing teeth for him to mind. He’d also chant her name if he wouldn’t look absolutely ridiculous.
“Oh no, Mr. Archie, help!” Veronica calls between giggles as the kids ask her incessant questions about the box and the large thermos she’s carrying.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replies, winking at her feeble attempt of disapproval. It’s been a running joke between them, and even though she’s told him many times how much she hates it, he’s pretty sure she secretly loves it.
“Okay, okay!” Veronica tries to calm the children when Archie manages to take the box from her hand. “Well, I was on my way here when I remembered you guys were probably exhausted after all the hard work Mr. Archie puts you through.” Some children nod vigorously, which makes him smile. “And I thought, maybe I should get them some snacks!” Bright eyes widen at her words. “But of course, I also brought some hot chocolate for everyone.”
The cheering is deafening. Archie can’t help but laugh and clap along with his pupils.
“Now line up everyone. There’s enough to share. And don’t worry, Danny, no peanuts this time.”
“Thank you, Miss Ronnie!” Some children shout over the excitement as they start to form a line. Archie asks Andy to hold the box, which finally brings a smile to his face, while Violet helps Veronica fill up the cups with hot cocoa.
Archie stands next to Veronica, grinning as he captures the motherly instinct she claims not to have pouring out of her in waves of kindness. He pecks her cheek and mutters thanks, babe while some children giggle at them or make faces of disgust. She gives him a little wink.
It’s not the first time she’s done this. Hers and Betty’s coffee shop, La Belle Vixen, also supports the football team and have baked some Bulldog inspired pastries to help them raise funds. The cheerleading squad is the cafe’s favorite. Some of the Vixens even work part time there. He didn’t really expect Veronica to be such a good partner in this aspect of his life—that need to give back to the community—but he can’t say that he was surprised by it either. She’s always been one of the kindest people he’s ever met.
It’s one of the reasons why he’s been in love with her his entire life.
Little by little, after everyone has finished their cookie and cup of hot chocolate, the kids leave the basketball court looking for their next adventure, but not without giving Archie and Veronica a hug. Soon, there’s only the two of them there.
“You’re the best, Miss Ronnie,” Archie says, his arm wrapping around her waist easily, just as her hands find his chest. They mold against each other without any effort.
“Mmm, I had some time to spare.” She reaches out to touch his face. Archie leans in for a soft kiss that he punctuates with a smile. “Hi, Coach.”
“Hi.” He kisses her again. Her lips are sweet from the hot chocolate. “Are you going back to the cafe? I’m heading to the warehouse soon. Munroe will start giving free boxing lessons today.”
Veronica puts her arms around his neck. “You’re going to box? You weren’t kidding when you said you have way too many hobbies.”
He laughs. “I’m not gonna box, I’m just gonna watch them boxing. I actually have some paperwork to deal with too.”
Veronica gives him a look he knows all too well, one that gets his skin tingling. “In that case, I guess you’re gonna need a shower before you go.”
It’s about twenty minutes later, when he’s holding Veronica against the wet tiles of the shower in Riverdale Elementary locker room, risking his three jobs and his reputation to be this close to her—her legs wrapped around his waist, her dark nails digging into his shoulders, her voice in his ear saying yes, baby, God, yes—that a realization rushes over him.
Wow. He wants to marry Veronica.
At first, he considers that it could be the sex that got this kind of thought flying through his mind, but afterwards, when they’re both getting dressed on opposite sides of the locker room with the smiles of two people who did something really mischievous on their faces, he thinks it again. When she says that Betty will give her a hard time for showing up for work with damp hair in the middle of the afternoon, he thinks it again. And then when she kisses him goodbye. And then hours later, again and again, when he’s already at the community center and she’s already at the cafe, and there’s nothing to prompt that idea other than the truth behind it.
He has been in love with Veronica his entire life. Maybe that love had to stay dormant given all the things that happened in both their paths and all the years they spent apart, but it’s been there, hiding somewhere inside him until he saw her again. Until they finally gave it a chance.
She’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. She’s hard-working, kind, and strong. She takes care of him in a way that no one else did before. They fit just right, in every single way, even with their different upbringing, even with the little things that they had to compromise on.
“Wow,” Archie says to his empty makeshift office at the community center. Outside, the Southside kids are brawling in the boxing ring. “I want to marry Veronica.”
Archie sits with his thoughts for a couple of days.
It’s a life decision that he doesn’t want to take on a whim. The thing is, he knows himself. He's the exact kind of person that would do this out of impulsiveness. That would be overwhelmed by his feelings and get down on one knee without a ring or a plan. That would just blurt out MARRY ME from the top of his lungs out of nowhere.
But Veronica isn’t like that. For a million reasons, she’s guarded, and cautious. He can't forget how carefully he had to thread the steps into their relationship.
A week in, Archie was more than ready to call her his girlfriend, but she asked him not to rush things. They had been dating on the low for about a month before she agreed to walk hand-in-hand around Riverdale, or tell their other friends that weren't Betty and Reggie about it. It was around that time that he ended up telling he loved her, naked, lying on her living room carpet in front of a roaring fire. He still remembers how she froze, didn’t say it back, and disappeared for a couple of days leaving him on the end of his rope before she showed up at his door with teary eyes to say that she got scared about how real everything felt, but that she loved him too, which was probably the most special moment of his life so far.
And even though they were (officially) committed, and in (declared) love, Veronica still got very anxious when he invited her to spend the fourth of July in Chicago with his mom and her girlfriend. She did end up going, and things went well—ever since then, Veronica and his mom seem to text each other so much more than he and his mom do—but it took her another three months to invite him for dinner in Manhattan with Hermione Lodge and her boyfriend.
Being with Veronica is kinda like undressing her—so many layers that he has to peel off: expensive silk, scratchy lace or something sturdy like leather, zippers that can rip off if he isn’t delicate. And even though surprises are sometimes welcome and needed, he knows that if he really wants to marry her—and more then, if he wants her to say yes—he can’t be hasty.
Which is why on Thursday, instead of going home after stopping by the community center, he heads to another part of the town, a pack of cold beer in hand.
He’s a bit nervous for no reason when he rings the bell. It doesn’t take long for a voice to come from inside the apartment. "Did you forget your keys, Sugar Pie?"
Sugar Pie? The door opens, revealing a smiling Reggie Mantle, who’s wearing a…black satin robe? Archie cringes a little. “Hey man.”
Archie feels something bumping against his feet and quickly notices the small wiener dog sniffing at his shoes and barking at him. Vader is the dog Betty and Reggie adopted not much after the decision of living together. Archie has the impression Vader isn’t his biggest fan—everytime he tries to be nice to him, Vader starts growling.
The smile on Reggie’s face is quickly replaced by a frown. “Andrews.” He squints his already narrowed eyes, and crouches to take Vader in his arms. He looks like the retail version of a Bond villain. And is Vader squinting his eyes? “Uh. What are you doing here?”
Archie sighs, showing Reggie the beers. “I need to talk about something.”
“What, is Munroe unavailable?” Reggie pouts a little, but he’s already letting Archie into his house.
Archie snorts. “Shut up.”
Ever since Archie hired Munroe Moore, this cool guy from the Southside, to work at the community center, Reggie’s been acting like he stole Archie from him. It’s not true at all—even though Archie and Munroe did hit it off immediately and were doing great work together, he still isn’t the type of friend Archie would go to unannounced on a Thursday evening for life advice. It’s crazy that Reggie, of all people, ended up being that person for him, but here they are.
He sits on the armchair while Reggie takes the couch. There’s a vase with flowers on the coffee table and the crochet cases for the cushions, which are traces of Betty’s presence in the house. “So, what do you need Mantle the Magnificent infinite knowledge for?” Reggie asks, cracking a beer open and handing one to Archie. Vader goes to his bed and stares at them before plopping down—he might have a proper idea that this will take a while.
He bounces his left knee. “I’ve made a decision. It’s…big, and I wanted to ask you what you think.” He takes a sip from his beer, trying to find some ground.
“Dude. You’re finally coming out? ‘Cause honestly, most of us already kn—” he stops, laughing, when Archie flicks the beer cap at him and Vader barks a couple of times, ready to defend his dad.
“No. I’m—” He heaves out a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking, and I want to propose to Veronica.”
“Oh God.” Reggie knits his eyebrows together. “Is she pregnant?”
Archie almost chokes on his beer.
“What? No.” He shakes his head. Reggie raises a suspicious eyebrow. “No. This has nothing to do with—I just…we’ve been together for a minute, and things have been so great. I want us to take that step together.” He looks over at his friend, whose expression has softened a little. “I want us to be together forever.”
“You do know you don’t have to involve God and the government for that, right?”
Archie takes another sip. He knows, of course, that you don’t have to bend to—what did Jughead use to call it?—social conventions to be happy with someone or to make someone happy. Take Betty and Reggie, for example, who moved in together in the past year and are making the most of it without any intentions of marriage. Or Munroe himself, who’s been living with his girlfriend for years. They even have a little kid.
But even though he knows that marriage is just an institution or whatever, and that it has never assured that anyone will end up with anyone—his parents were a good example of that—he just never stopped believing in the romantic aspect of it.
“I know all of this,” he finally says. “But I’ve always wanted it to follow tradition, you know? Check all the boxes. See her walking down the aisle in a white dress. Say vows. Pick the song for our first dance.”
His face is a little hot after he stops talking. Against all odds, Reggie’s mouth curls up in something that’s less of a smirk and more of an honest smile. “Look. I think it’s an idea as good as any other, but have you considered what she wants? Like, this kind of stuff, it’s better to be on the same page. Coop and I talked about it, and we reached the conclusion that it’s not really for us right now, for a million reasons. And you know, V has been engaged before, so.”
“Yeah.” Archie sighs. He and Veronica have talked about her engagement, and even though the entire thing was pretty off-putting, she did affirm she’d try again at the right time and with the right person. Archie does believe that he is the right person, so maybe he just needs to figure out if it’s also the right time. “I won’t do anything if I think she’s not up for it yet. It’s just…She’s the one, you know?”
Reggie makes a gagging sound. “Bro, you make me sick.”
Archie barely has the time to roll his eyes when Vader runs towards the front door wagging his tail, which makes them turn their heads. The door opens to reveal Betty. “Hey, Sugar Pie—oh.” Her face suddenly turns pink, but she crouches to scratch Vader’s head. “Hi Arch. Didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Check that out, Coop.” Reggie gets up to greet his girlfriend with a quick peck. Then, he points at Archie with his empty beer bottle. “Andrews is thinking about proposing to Veronica.”
“Oh God.” She takes a step back. “Is she pregnant?”
Archie is at first a little apprehensive about giving Betty the news. They had, after all, some complicated history between them. But it turns out that maybe he should’ve come to her before even talking to Reggie—after the non-pregnancy thing is clarified, she seems to be one-hundred percent on board. She flings herself at him for a hug and says things like do you have a ring and I have to think about the cake, which makes everything even more real.
He’s happy that Betty doesn’t think he’s crazy or rushed for wanting to marry Veronica and, most importantly, she’s Veronica’s best friend, one of the people who know her better. If she thinks it’s a good idea, the chances of it being an actual good idea are bigger.
He leaves Betty and Reggie’s house with his heart lighter and his head clearer. He’s planning on calling his mom to make an announcement, but when he gets to his doorstep, he stops in his tracks.
“What?! No way!”
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Betty and Veronica take turns on who gets to La Belle Vixen first. When it’s Betty’s day, Veronica uses the extra time in the morning to get one more hour of slumber, do some yoga, get a manicure. But when it’s her day to open the cafe, she needs to be in the kitchen at five to get things ready for the clients at seven.
The first thing she always does is start the coffee machine and make a double espresso for herself. She drinks it while checking the news on her phone, and then she puts on her apron, her hair up on a bun, some music on, and starts baking.
This Friday’s first batch is white chocolate chip cookies, which are a little too sweet for her, but some of her Archiekins’ favorites. She can’t help the smile that comes to her face when she thinks about her boyfriend, or how her heart starts beating faster. It’s been a little over a year since that Christmas when they first got together, and Veronica has never been happier. She’s so happy that it almost makes her anxious. She definitely doesn’t like pinning it only on the fact that she’s with Archie, and there are other good things in her life that contribute, but she can’t deny he’s a big part of it.
Veronica glances at the clock on the wall. It’s a little past six-thirty, which means Archie has probably just woken up. Singing along to the music playing, she washes her hands and reaches for her phone to text him good morning, another step on her routine.
As expected, he doesn’t take long to read and answer.
good morning babe
She sends him a picture of the white chocolate cookies, now in the oven. look what’s waiting for you here
oooh. too bad i can’t go this morning. there was some sort of leakage in the warehouse and i have to go check before class
Veronica sends him a sad-faced emoji in reply. Archie almost always stops by the cafe on his way to one of his jobs. Even if they don’t have a lot of time to see each other during the day, at least they make sure to start it the right way—that is, when they don’t spend the night at each other’s places, which is happening more and more often lately. She even emptied out a drawer in her closet for his stuff.
But, while she will play the online-pouting game, it’s okay that he can’t come—she knows how important the community center is for him, and it’s important for her that he’s so dedicated to his work. Besides, they’ll probably just make plans to meet later.
i know…i do have a surprise for you, though. dinner at my place at 7?
you do? ok, i'll be there
bring the cookies. love you x
Veronica bites on her lower lip. An idea flashes through her mind because while she does adore to be surprised by him, she adores surprising him even more.
me too. see you later
Most days, the cafe stays open from 7am to 7pm. In their arrangement, whoever opens the shop gets to leave a little earlier, and the other stays to lock it up. More than once these rules have been broken—if they get a big order for the next day and need to prep some stuff, for example—and Veronica doesn’t mind working late, but today, when Betty tells her that it’s five, she just finishes arranging the sugar packs on the stand, and takes off her apron.
“Am I imagining things, or Veronica Lodge decided to call it a day after twelve hours of work?” Betty teases as she prepares the complicated chai latte a teenager just ordered.
“Well, you seem to have it under control, and I,” she puts her coat on, “have plans with Archie tonight. He says he has a surprise.”
“He does?!” Betty turns to look at her, sounding a little too eager.
Veronica knits her eyebrows at the enthusiasm. “Do you know anything about this?”
“Who, me?” Betty quickly returns to her chai latte. “Why would I know anything about some surprise Archie has for you? Do you think he calls me to help him plan the kinky st—”
“Oookay,” Veronica stops her right there, laughing. While Betty’s reaction was a little weird, there’s probably not much to it. “Have a nice evening, B,” she says, planting a kiss on Betty’s cheek. On her way out, she remembers to get the box of white chocolate cookies that she promised her to take to her lover.
At home, Veronica takes a long shower, moisturizes her skin, and blow-dries her hair. No matter what’s expecting her at Archie’s, she knows she wants to look her best, so she applies her makeup carefully and selects a very tasteful set of La Perla lingerie: a corset made of black lace and honeycomb mesh that’s both revealing and concealing, combined with matching panties. It’s still cold outside, so she opts for thigh high boots to tide her over, and a black overcoat.
It’s not far from the Pembrooke to Archie’s flat on 3rd Street, but she has Smithers drive her there anyway. Her trusty friend and butler, who has been there through a lifetime of mischief, only wishes her a goodnight when he parks in front of Goodie’s. One of the things that got her so sure of Archie was how quick Smithers was to approve of him.
Veronica lets herself in with access code for the building. There’s a buzz running through her when she rings the bell for 2B.
Archie doesn’t take long to open the door.
“Hi, Coach,” Veronica greets before he can say anything, voice dropping a notch. She takes in his soft smile and is quick to untie her overcoat, exposing what she’s wearing underneath with a kink of her eyebrow.
Archie has the exact reaction she was hoping for. His eyes widen and his mouth hangs open, his face and neck suddenly very red. She can’t help the giggle that escapes her, but she’s back in her game fast, biting her lower lip. “Did you order some cookies?”
He looks paralyzed. “Ronnie.”
“What’s wro—” Veronica looks behind him and into the apartment. It’s her turn to widen her eyes and let her mouth hang open. Sitting on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table and munching on some crackers while watching the scene unfold is no one else than, “Jughead?!”
“Riverdale’s delivery service has really changed since I left, huh.” He lifts one eyebrow, the mop of black hair not following the movement of his head.
“Veronica!” Archie looks exasperated and she remembers being semi-naked. She rolls her eyes—Jughead isn’t really checking her out, which is a statement if she’s ever seen one, but for Archie’s sake she ties back her overcoat.
She steps into the apartment and in one swift move the box of cookies is taken from her hands. She gapes at Jughead, but before she can bother to say anything, he already has half a cookie in his mouth. Throwing a look at Archie, she sees her boyfriend shrugging.
“And what is he doing here?”
“I told you, I had a surprise.” He tries with a sheepish smile, but with her hands on her hips, Archie should be aware she’s not in the best mood right now. And he should have stopped her when she started undressing in front of his best friend instead of standing there like a lemon.
“And the surprise is Jughead?”
Archie opens his mouth but then seems to think better of whatever was about to be said and closes it again.
“It’s great to see you too, Veronica,” Jughead says around a mouthful of cookies. “Even if I saw more of you than I really wanted to.”
Before Veronica can say anything, a few barks coming from the corridor catch their attention. A dachshund’s nose appears, followed by Betty and Reggie. Vader doesn’t look as excited as his humans when they stop by the door.
“Oh no! Did we miss it?”
“Huh?” Archie frowns, looking at Reggie with slightly crazy eyes. “Miss what, dude?”
“No, you didn’t.” Veronica sighs. Great. It’s a full party. There goes the hot romantic evening she’d planned out in her head once Archie told her about a surprise. “Jughead’s still here.”
“What?!” Betty lets go of Vader’s leash as she peeks into the apartment. “Oh, my God! Juggie!”
She confesses that it is a bit endearing to see Betty run into the apartment and basically jump on their childhood friend, who hugs her back in that slightly-uncomfortable way he always got whenever people got too close. Veronica smiles a little and glances at Archie, who’s beaming. Vader, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to like it all—he trots towards them, barking non-stop as if he’s trying to say something.
“The surprise is Jughead?” Reggie echoes her sentiment from a moment ago. By the looks of it, just like his dog, he doesn’t seem so happy to see Betty and Jughead reuniting either.
While Betty and Archie cook dinner, Veronica sits on the tall stool at the counter. She borrowed a band t-shirt from Archie’s closet (Green Day. Really.) and a pair of yoga pants that she had there for emergencies (after all, she couldn’t stay only in her expensive lingerie the entire evening), but luckily her friends are more interested in Jughead’s reasons to be back in Riverdale all of a sudden than in her choice of outfit. And it is, indeed, an interesting tale: his food critic career seems to have hit a roadblock after his appearance in a podcast.
“Long story short, I was canceled.” Jughead rolls his eyes. “You’d think there’s no such thing as an anti-white statement, but.” He shrugs.
“But what exactly did you say that was so bad, Juggie?” Betty asks as she cuts vegetables. Veronica looks at the couch, seeing both Reggie and Vader look from Betty to Jughead, identical unpleasant expressions on their faces.
“Nothing. Just that America doesn’t have a cuisine.” He pops some peanuts into his mouth. Betty stops chopping, shocked, and Veronica herself snorts. “What? Nothing the US ever did is original. We just deep fried everything that was already out there.”
“Dude, you don’t have to talk like that about your country.”
Archie pours more peanuts into the bowl. Jughead gets another handful.
“Said the man who served in the military.”
“Well, that must’ve angered your sponsors,” Veronica concludes, taking a sip of her glass of wine—Archie has proper wine glasses now. The first time she ever visited, they drank from coffee mugs.
“Yeah, well.” He swallows. “Taco Bell cut me off because I said tex-mex isn’t even real. But I’m right! I’m not gonna apologize.”
“I suddenly want to listen to this podcast,” Reggie says, playing with Vader’s ears and making Betty and Archie laugh.
“Anyway, that’s what happened. My strategist said I need to lay low for a couple of months before I can go back out there. In the meantime, I guess I’ll stick around.”
“And we’re glad about that, Jug.” Archie raises his glass.
“Are we?” Reggie asks her. Veronica chuckles and raises her glass too.
Against all odds, dinner is a fun time, with the entire gang back together like old times—even Vader warms up to Jughead eventually, something to do with him letting the dachshund eat the leftover carrots. Since it’s Betty’s turn to open the cafe the next day, she and Reggie leave first. As Archie and Jughead clean up, Veronica starts to feel sleepy. She did wake up at four.
“I think I’m gonna ask Smithers to pick me up,” she says, lazily reaching for her phone.
“You’re not staying?” Archie, who’s about to start doing the dishes, asks.
She gives him a look and it’s enough for him to comprehend that there’s no chance she’ll spend the night while there’s a guest crashing on the couch. He chuckles, quickly drying his hands.
“I can drive you. Let me get my keys.” He kisses her forehead on his way to the bedroom.
Veronica puts her overcoat back on and tells Jughead to stop by the cafe at some point. He gives her a hand salute when bidding her goodbye, and takes over the sink.
The drive is short but at least it’s a moment they can steal alone after the eventful evening. Riverdale is quiet at night and the streetlights shine a pale gleam on Archie's skin. She loves how he automatically places one hand on her leg as he starts to drive. She puts hers on top of his.
“I thought you’d be happy to see Jug,” Archie comments when they reach a stop sign. He takes a look at her, and Veronica smirks.
“I was. I am. I just had a very different idea about what was going to happen when you said you had a surprise for me.” She pushes her hair behind her ear and snickers. “Believe me, stripping in front of him was not in my plans.”
Archie purses his lips but chuckles anyway. “In my defense, I didn’t expect you to wear only that for dinner.”
Veronica turns her body to look at his profile from a better angle. “So you say you have a surprise on what I thought was a date with just the two of us, and don’t expect me to dress for the occasion?” She gapes her mouth in faux-offense. “I’m never bothering to surprise you again.”
“C’mon,” Archie glances at her and smirks. “I know you’re not evil.”
“Watch me.” She wiggles her eyebrows. Archie takes her hand to his lips and kisses it.
They stay in companionable silence for another couple of minutes. “So,” Archie starts. “I guess Jughead is going to be living with me for a while, at least until he has something figured out. And since I know you’re not very keen about roommates, I thought we might spend more time at your place?”
She smiles. “Well, Archiekins, you already have the keys and an empty drawer at your disposal. Other perks of Chez Lodge like bathtub rights and Netflix access will depend on how you behave.”
“What about cookies?” he quips but she shakes her head, laughing.
“Oh, you’ve forfeited your rights to get any cookies tonight, but maybe you’ll have a batch waiting for you tomorrow morning.”
“I wonder if we’re talking about the same thing.” Archie laughs as well. The way it lights up his face always gets her buzzing like a little girl with a crush. He slows down and parks in front of the Pembrooke, leaning towards her. “I love you.”
“Mmm, I don’t know.” She reaches out to touch his cheek. “I think you’re just addicted to sugar and I provide an easy supply.”
“I’d pick you over sugar any day, baby.” He gently presses his mouth against hers.
“Good answer,” Veronica says against his lips, deepening the kiss for a couple of minutes. “Regretfully, I’m exhausted. See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” he says, his forehead against hers. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, lover.”
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The first half of March runs past Veronica. Riverdale is defrosting after the long winter and the cafe has been busier than ever. One of the advantages of Jughead being around is that he’s been helping them at the coffee shop, taking off some of the workload from hers and Betty’s back. He’s been a surprisingly good addition to the team, despite eating one too many brownies everyday.
The other advantage is having Archie to herself most days now. He’s practically moved into her place and, even if it’s been less than a month, they already settled into a routine that’s more than perfect.
She's usually awake before him, trying to get ready as quietly as possible not to interrupt his rest. But like some sixth sense, he always wakes up right before she’s about to leave for the cafe, to go on his morning jog and to kiss her goodbye with rosy cheeks and tousled hair. It’s silly but it’s a better way to start off the day than her usual dose of caffeine. She misses him at the rare times he goes back to his flat to get something he needs.
Overall, it’s been a good month so far. She can’t complain.
But in the morning of the 15th, after the early morning buzz has come and gone, she’s working on the books while Betty teaches Jughead how to deal with edible glitter—which has rendered them some laughter so far. It’s all very calm until the Ides of March hit her, in the form of a phone call.
“Leroy?”
“¡Prima! Buenos días. It’s been a while.”
Well, yeah. She hasn’t spoken to her cousin Leroy since…she can’t even remember. Maybe right after Hiram died and she passed her responsibilities with Lodge Industries onto Hermosa, her half-sister.
She asks the first thing that crosses her mind. “Is Abuelita alright?”
“¡Fuerte como un roble!” he says, laughing. Veronica lets out a relieved breath. “But you know, that’s exactly why I called…”
The next five minutes talking to Leroy on the phone are enough to give Veronica a headache. As soon as she hangs up, she presses her fingers to her temple, her eyes closing. Betty, who definitely overheard their conversation, comes closer with a worried frown between her eyebrows.
“Okay. Jug. Can you get V a double espresso?” Betty says, her avert-crisis mode kicking in. Jughead complains about something but does as he’s told, giving the girls privacy. Veronica looks at her, somewhat grateful. “Is everything okay with your grandma?”
“Yeah. Her 80th birthday is coming up next month. My cousin Leroy wanted me to know I’m expected at the Lodge Hacienda for the celebrations.”
“In Mexico?” Betty smiles sweetly. “That’s fun, right?!”
“I wish.” Veronica sighs. “Leroy also told me that Mr. Banderas, my father’s old right-hand man, is about to retire. Which means, the horse race for the next Lodge Industries’ big boss has begun.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
Jughead approaches them with the double espresso. Betty looks at him, nodding at the front of the store, and he seems to get the message. Veronica thanks him and sips on the coffee before carrying on.
“We both know that Abuelita is going to try to convince me to come back to it. Since I’m not going to, the contenders are basically Leroy and Hermosa. It should be a clear choice, but while my grandmother is amazing, she’s also about to turn 80. She doesn’t believe that a child conceived out of marriage is a valid heir.”
Betty makes a face. “Ugh. Yeah, you did tell me that she was very unhappy when you decided to put Hermosa in your place.”
“I don’t regret it. It was the best thing I did.” Veronica drinks more of the coffee. “Hermosa loves that company. She busts her ass to keep everything flowing and she would definitely carry on making the Lodge name proud if she took over. But then there’s Leroy, who’s an incompetent asshat, but also a ‘legit’ nephew,” she mimics quote marks with her fingers, “and the closest grandchild to Abuelita.”
“You’d hate for him to take over, right?”
“I’d absolutely hate for him to take over. This is not gonna happen on my watch.”
“That’s right.” Betty taps the table. “So, what’s our plan?”
“I don’t know.” Veronica puts a hand on the back of her neck. She needs to tell Archie about all of this, but it tires her out to even consider it. “Maybe start an Hacienda Aesthetic board on Pinterest and buy cute outfits until I figure something out?”
Betty laughs. “It’s surely a plan.”
Archie didn't trick Veronica into moving in together, but every time he puts some new clothes into the designated drawer and realizes he’s almost out of space, he considers that it might’ve been exactly what happened.
It seemed like a logical decision. Jughead needed a place to stay and Archie was already spending entire weekends at The Pembrooke anyway. It was just a matter of adapting to a routine. But if he’s really, really honest to himself, maybe he was testing out the waters to get a taste of what might come next.
And if this was an experiment, even if an unconscious one, then at least the results have been more than positive. They start their long work hours early but there’s something magical about knowing that one or the other will be at home waiting for them when the day is over. His first and last smiles of the day are Veronica’s and that’s exactly how he wants to spend the rest of his life.
The little things are what he likes the most. It’s short after nine on a Friday night and they’re already getting ready to sleep. He just loves how she’s casually moisturizing her legs while he brushes his teeth.
Once he’s done, he plops down on Veronica’s bed and she chuckles—he tries not to call it their bed but he’s getting worse at avoiding it with every day that passes. If they even have sides picked, how is it that it’s not theirs already?
“So, I've been thinking.” Archie turns his face to watch her patiently cover her left arm in the almond-scented body lotion, paying attention to her elbow before taking some more lotion for her right arm. “You know how it’s my turn to choose what we’ll do this Sunday?”
Veronica pauses and smiles softly at him, like she’s aware that going antique shopping in Greendale last week wasn’t his favorite activity, but that he put a brave face on because of her.
(It was not all bad, though—he liked the part where they finally sat down at a tea shop and she fed him a chocolate éclair, kissing the frosting away afterwards.)
“Please, enlighten me,” she jokes, rubbing what’s left of the lotion on her knees.
“I think,” he says, taking her hand and starting to kiss up her forearm, breathing in the almond scent of her soft skin, “maybe we should stay in bed all Sunday…Actually, no, starting Saturday night. Clothing optional.”
He pulls her towards him and she laughs as she ends up splayed on top of him.
“Really?” She raises an eyebrow.
“Yup.” He smiles bigger, knowing his cheeks are probably getting red just by the way she looks and smiles at him. “Good idea, huh?”
He had a grueling week handling both schools, the community center, and also planning a proposal to the woman of his dreams without her learning about it. So, having time to themselves, in their little bubble, sounds like the perfect escape from all the mundane stuff.
“Or…” Veronica starts before heaving out a long sigh, pushing herself up right to straddle his thighs. “We could go to Manhattan and…have lunch with my mom and Andre?” There’s hesitation, and she pulls that face of disgust that she usually reserves to him ordering a rootbeer float at Pop’s.
“Uh.” He pushes himself up on his elbows to look at her. “I’d rather stay in bed?”
Her shoulders drop a little. “I know.” She pouts, placing her hands on his chest. “It certainly sounds like a much better plan, and I hate to ruin the weekend but my mom has been guilt-tripping me about how she never sees me, and I’ve been ignoring her past invitations, so…I kind of said we’d go. I’m sorry.”
Veronica looks at him with those big dark eyes and Archie can’t really get mad. With a lopsided smile, Archie nods. “It’s okay, babe. We can go.”
“You’re not upset?” She reaches out to touch the side of his face.
“Oh, I am devastated.” He wraps one arm around her waist, rolling them over without warning, so that he’s on top of her. She squeals and giggles. “But now you owe me two weekends and a batch of brownies.” He leans closer to kiss the spot between her eyebrows, making her cringle her nose. Looking at her more intently, he softens his smile. “If it’s important to you, it’s important to me.”
He notices how her expression melts as he hovers over her, bracing himself on his arms. She touches his face again and her voice is quiet when she speaks. “I love you like I’ve never loved anyone before. You know that, right?”
“Yeah?” Archie bites back a big smile, his insides turning to mush like they do every time she says something like that. It always strikes him, how fucking lucky he is for having the greatest woman in the world say something like that directed at him. His heart thumps against his ribs and his mouth gets a little dry. “That makes things easier, then.” He bends forwards to peck her lips. She probably thinks he means lunch, but it’s everything else. If she loves him like that, she’ll surely want to be his wife, right? “I love you, too.”
She tugs him closer, kissing him deeper, her leg hooking around his waist. “Plus, there’s always tonight to stay in bed.” She nibs at his lower lip, and he hums when her tongue briefly meets his. “Clothing optional.”
“Oh.” Archie mumbles before her hand sneaks into his pajama pants. “Oh.”
On Sunday morning, they take the southeast road to Manhattan, following the Hudson River. Veronica wants to get a train (first class, Archiekins, leather seats) but Archie convinces her that the road trip would be fun, even if it’s a short one. There’s definitely some childish joy and excitement about being on the road that he knows she can’t fully understand, since she didn’t have the same experience when she was young—even if they essentially grew up together, their social status was very different.
“You cannot possibly tell me this is how you spent eight hours on a trip.”
He chuckles, glancing at her. Ronnie has one foot up on the seat, and is coating her toes with clear nail polish. It's impossible not to think about other road trips they can have together, going to see his mom in Chicago or something, singing with their kids in the backseat. “Sure did.”
“Spotting license plates.”
“It was the only way my mom got me to learn the states and capitals.”
She looks at him with a raised brow, mocking. “If I remember your Geography grades, this was a flawed method.”
He rolls his eyes. “What did you do?” Archie asks on purpose, a smirk accompanying the follow-up, “in your long private jet flights?”
“Ha-ha,” Veronica fakes a laugh. “Depends. With Daddy I was usually questioned about financial markets and economics. My mother usually saved the time to grill me about social life and fashion. Both forced me to practice my French.”
“And you’re not joking.”
She laughs while shaking her head. “Pas du tout, mon amour.”
It takes them only two and a half hours to get to the Big Apple—Archie truly thinks it takes them longer to find a parking spot around Mrs. Lodge’s building in the Upper East Side than the entire road time. They only manage to find one a few blocks away, but he enjoys walking down the busy streets while holding his girl’s hand.
In the elevator, she checks herself on the mirror and then smoothes down the collar of his dress shirt. Even if she doesn’t say anything, he knows that she’s a little nervous—it’s always like that whenever they’re about to see her mother. He steps closer to her to give her a supportive kiss on the forehead, and she smiles softly at him.
The elevator stops directly into Hermione Lodge’s living room—and she’s there, waiting for them as soon as the doors slide open, wearing a bright yellow silk shirt and handing out a champagne glass to Veronica. “Mija, ¡cuanto tiempo!”
While Veronica hugs her mother and they talk in Spanish, Archie and Andre nod at each other in recognition. Andre, no last name, is Hermione’s boyfriend (who used to be her driver), about three or four years older than himself, which is a little odd, all things considered, but Archie has learned not to judge.
“How's it going?” he asks, politely.
Andre doesn't really reply, because Hermione interrupts them, coming closer to greet Archie (two air kisses). Everytime she sees him, though, she says he looks more like his father every day, and today is not different.
It's a little unnerving, to know that he's going to ask for her blessing at some point during this lunch (preferably, without Veronica noticing), but the fact that Hermione always talks about his dad with fondness definitely gives him some advantage points.
Lunch, a four-course meal served by a private chef from Australia, happens without much fuss. As he goes through all kinds of different dishes, Archie keeps glancing at his watch, wondering when Veronica's phone will ring. He did come up with a plan to get him alone with Hermione for a minute, considering it'd be hard for Veronica to be distracted by chatting with Andre.
They have two desserts—tres leches cake that Veronica brought, and some other stuff with foam and matcha made by the chef that Archie doesn't really understand. Veronica gets curious about the technique, and that's when his hopefully future mother-in-law pays more attention to him.
“So, tell me, Archie, what kind of job do you have now? Veronica always mentions how… resourceful you are. Your need to give back to a town like Riverdale sounds certainly commendable.” Hermione looks at him pointedly as she takes a sip of her white wine.
Archie’s eyebrows are drawn together. He doesn’t want to assume anything, but he knows that when it comes to Veronica’s parents, nothing was ever good enough for their princess—and he gets it. He's had that kind of self doubt before, but he also trusts their feelings. The life they have is nice and it’ll be much better in the future.
“Mamá,” Veronica grits out, almost chastening Hermione. The older woman smiles a little.
“I’m just curious. I was born in Riverdale but that place used to bore me out of my mind, so I’m always amazed by the many interests Archie seems to find.” Hermione places a hand over Andre’s. “There are some men who are always looking to leave their mark, and others…” she glances at Andre but as quickly her gaze returns to Archie. “Others are waiting patiently for a mark to hit them.”
“That's true, sweetheart,” Andre agrees.
Archie and Veronica share a look, and he has to hold his laughter in if he wants a chance at getting Hermione’s blessing. He coughs instead, hiding it with a dip from his water.
It’s well-known that Andre wasn’t chosen as a partner for the mark he’s leaving in the world—he’s not stupid but he’s obviously comfortable being a kept man. Hermione told Veronica she had dedicated most of her life to be the best wife Hiram had needed, supporting him through all his endeavors. Now, she just wanted to have some fun. Her retirement plan was to have a lover dedicated to her and enjoy her freedom. When Archie commented about this with his own mother, Mary's words were good for her.
“I'm still working at Riverdale Elementary and Riverdale High as a P.E. teacher, Mrs. Lodge,” Archie replies. “And running the community center at the old Andrews Construction warehouse.”
“It's such a nice place, Mom,” Veronica says, brightly, sounding proud, which brings a soft smile to Archie's face that makes his whole body tingle. “They have meals for the kids, a bunch of after school activities, and now free boxing lessons.”
“That sounds lovely.” Hermione takes another sip. “But is it profitable?”
Archie opens his mouth, that tingly sensation turning into a rush of blood to his face, but Veronica placates him with a hand over his. “Not everything is about money, Mom.”
“Please, Mija. It was just a question.” Hermione rolls her eyes a little. Archie wonders if he should say anything about his income—it's not impressive, but when added to Veronica's profits from the cafe, they could definitely lead a very comfortable life. However, Hermione seems to have moved on without a reply. “I'm sure you heard that Mr. Banderas is retiring.”
Archie frowns. It takes him a second to realize she's talking to Veronica, and not to him. Ronnie drops his hand, shaking her head.
“No,” she replies. But the no doesn’t seem to answer the question just made. She’s disregarding the entire conversation. “We talked about this, Mom. No.”
“Honey, you are the most qualified—”
“No, Mom. I’m a baker. I'm the owner of a small cafe in Middle of Nowhere, Butt-Freezing Upstate New York, and I'm happy with that.”
“Veronica,” Hermione scolds her. “Fine. Fine! You want me to pretend that you’re not a summa cum laude graduate from Barnard College, with a major in economics and a minor in mathematics, who was once known as the She-Wolf of Wall Street—”
“Dios santo,” Veronica taps her forehead and closes her eyes as she tries to breathe slowly.
“You bake cakes.” Hermione throws her hands in the air and heaves a sigh. “I’ve come to terms with that. Abuelita hasn’t.”
This time, Veronica stares at her mom like a wounded child.
All he knows about the mythical figure of Abuelita Lodge is that Veronica used to spend all her summers with her until she was thirteen. They own a big hacienda in Mexico, where Ronnie learned to ride horses at. Apparently her love for baking comes from those times too, where Abuelita insisted that Veronica needed to learn real life skills in order to succeed.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Mija—”
Veronica’s phone starts vibrating. Archie checks his watch and wonders if Jughead's timing could be any worse. He thought that by now they would’ve finished dessert and everyone would be happy enough, not that they'd be caught in the middle of an argument.
“It’s Jughead,” Veronica mutters, mostly to Archie, as she creases her eyebrows. “Sorry, I have to take this. He was in charge of the cafe today.”
Hermione sends her off with a little shake of her hand. For a moment, it's her, Andre and Archie staring awkwardly at each other. They can hear Veronica’s voice from the living room. No, Jughead, do not touch the meringue!
“Andre, dear, will you get me a Tylenol?” Hermione presses her fingers to the side of head. “I have a headache.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Andre says, giving Hermione a kiss on the side of her head before getting up, shooting Archie a slightly annoyed look.
Damn, this is not how he imagined things would go but this might be his only chance to carry on with his plan.
“Mrs. Lodge.” Archie heaves out a breath. “Uh, I have something to ask you.”
“You don't have to tell me not to push her, Archie. I'm just reminding her that she can't ignore her legacy for much longer, you know?”
He doesn't know, not really, what Hermione is talking about or what they were even discussing, but he has a goal and Jughead can only pretend to be ruining the key lime pies for so long. “I understand that Veronica is your only daughter, and that you and Mr. Lodge have… uh, invested, a lot in her—”
“Right? She should be more grateful.”
He widens his eyes a little. This is not what he meant, and his time is definitely running out. “What I wanted to say, Mrs. Lodge, is that you know I love Veronica with all my heart. I mean, I'm pretty sure I've been in love with her since you guys moved back to Riverdale all those years ago.”
“Oh, I know, Archie. Hiram was always saying, ‘if this kid thinks that if he works enough summer jobs for me he'll get my blessing to date our daughter…’”
Archie goes through an out-of-body experience for a split second, where he can see and hear Hiram Lodge saying that. He laughs, nervously, a little relieved that the scenario is just in his imagination.
“Yeah, he was never my biggest fan, I know. But I like to think that Mr. Lodge would agree that I would do anything to make Veronica happy, right? This past year with her has confirmed what I've been feeling since back then.”
Jughead Jones, don't you dare turn off that oven! Where even is Betty?
Hermione looks at him with slightly narrowed eyes, and Archie realizes that she now suspects what he's trying to do. “Are you going to ask her to marry you?”
Archie swallows, feeling his shoulders tense up. “Yeah. Uh, with your blessing, of course, Mrs. Lodge. You know, since Mr. Lodge unfortunately isn't here to be with us in this conversation.”
He waits for Hermione's response. She's always been a little intimidating to him, beautiful in a Disney villain way that he couldn't explain. She tilts her head to the side, considering. “Well, Archie, that's kind of you. The first one didn't even call on my birthday.”
Archie lets out the breath he's been holding, but he's still as nervous as one can be—she didn't really give him a reply. Was being compared to Veronica's first fiancé a good sign, or a reminder that she had been through that before?
“I'm glad you thought about asking me. Veronica's definitely happy with you like I've never seen before.” Hermione sighs. “But it's not my family you'd marry into. It's the Lodges and, with them, everything is more complicated.”
“Oh.” His face is still burning. “Hum. Should I—you mean—”
“Without Hiram, Abuelita is the one you need to ask, Archie, not me. Luckily her 80th birthday is coming up, so…too bad I was not invited.”
Archie, who hasn’t been invited either, and didn’t even know such an event was coming up, raises his eyebrows a little. He doesn’t know exactly what to say. Mrs. Lodge has known him for years, and his parents for even longer, it’s easy for her to believe in his intentions with Veronica. But what if Abuelita is harder to conquer? And why hasn’t Veronica mentioned anything about her birthday party?
“Have you considered which ring to buy, yet?” Hermione pulls him out of his thoughts. “It might be hard to top Chad’s choice of the Spiffany’s Soleste…”
After the very informative trip to New York, Veronica has been more closed off than usual. She’s decidedly avoiding the topic of her family and whatever it is that Abuelita is expecting from her, and he’s not pushing the subject.
He knows Veronica. Asking her about it will only get her defensive, so he needs to play his cards right. Of course, he doesn’t have all the time in the world because apparently there’s an imperious need to get himself invited to Abuelita’s birthday that happens to be in just a month.
Meanwhile, there’s another pressing matter that has been occupying his thoughts and forcing him to do impossible math with his budget.
“The Spiffany’s Soleste is 30,000 dollars. 30,000! Not even if I sell my body for a whole year, I could afford a ring like this one.” Archie plops down on the armchair he bought as one of his first pieces of furniture when he moved in. Running his hand through his hair, he leaves a trail of desperation that makes him look as hopeless as he feels.
Jughead doesn’t even glance at him while busy on his laptop.
“I’d say if you sell your body and Veronica finds out, you won't need a ring.”
That is in fact true, but his plan is flawed from the beginning. He’d never be capable of being with anyone else.
“I'm serious, Jug. Goddamn Chad gave her a 30k diamond ring.”
Probably noticing the despair in his words, Jughead heaves a sigh and looks up at him.
“I don't pretend to understand anything about these things, but maybe you shouldn't try to give her the same ring from her failed engagement.”
Archie pouts. While Jug might be canceled and unable to share tips about food and restaurants for a while, this seems like proper advice. It sounds reasonable. Though, how can Archie let go of the idea that Veronica actually deserves a 30k diamond ring and more? All the diamonds wouldn’t be enough for the love of his life.
However, he needs to be realistic.
“Dude, I've checked Spiffany's and Dartier and the cheapest rock I could find would cost me like, five months salary, if not more.”
Jughead shrugs, looking at his screen again.
“Did you know that the diamond industry is one of the bloodiest, most vile facets of capitalism?”
Archie stares deadpan at his childhood friend. “Jughead.”
“Okay.” Jughead sighs, shutting the laptop closed, which is a sign that he'll finally pay attention to Archie's woes. “Listen, Veronica knows you can't afford a diamond like this, and if you ask me, she wouldn't want it. She somehow likes your broke ass, so why don't you give her something that's more like you. Something personal, full of heart, history? Like, your mother's ring, or something sentimental like that.”
Archie shakes his head. “I thought about it, but my parents did get divorced. I don't think my mom's ring would be a good omen.”
“Oh, shit. Yeah. Hum.” As a child of divorce himself, Jughead must understand why Archie would like to have a better beginning in his own marriage.
“In fact, my entire family has a terrible history, Uncle Oscar was also divorced, and—” Archie stops and sits up, his eyes widening. “Wait a minute. Jug! You're brilliant!”
He searches frantically for his phone in his pocket, while Jughead knits his eyebrows together. “I know, but I’m sure I haven’t said much yet.”
“A genius!” Archie says with his phone already on his ear, his heart beating faster now that he's definitely found the perfect solution for his dilemma. “Mom! Hi! Do you still have that other box with Dad's stuff? How fast can you send it over?” He smiles brightly, looking at a confused Jughead with a thumbs up once his mother replies. “Also, Mom, I have some good news.”
Veronica puts a little bit of bolognese sauce in the back of her hand and tastes it. It’s good. She’s been decent at baking and sweet treats since childhood, but actual food is not her specialty. However, ever since Archie basically moved in with her, she’s been practicing a little more. He’s the one who cooks most of the time, so Veronica thinks he also deserves to come home to a decent meal once in a while.
The sound of the front door being unlocked calls her attention. It takes only a few seconds for Archie to announce his arrival. “Babe, I’m hom—wow.” He stops as he walks into the kitchen. “It smells great in here.”
Veronica smiles at the sight of him. She can’t deny that her heart has been a bit heavy ever since Leroy called her, but Archie’s existence makes it all better. “It’s bolognese. Do you think it needs more salt?”
Archie comes closer to taste the sauce that she feeds him with the wooden spoon. “Mm, no,” he says, placing a hand on her waist. “It’s perfect.” He leans in to give her a peck. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Veronica gives him another quick kiss. “How was your day?” She turns her attention to the sauce again.
“You know.” Archie opens the glasses cabinet to get one. She hears him filling it with water as she stirs absentmindedly. “There was so much paperwork to deal with at the community center. I don't get it, it feels like everytime I sign something I have to sign three other th—”
There’s another reason why she decided to cook tonight. The truth is, she knows she’s been avoiding him a little since they went to New York and had lunch with her mother—of course, with him there it's impossible to keep a real distance, but there's been a lot of silence and that's her fault. She’s never been one to share her feelings so easily. The good thing about Archie, though, is that he always patiently waits until she’s ready. But she’s been postponing this talk for a few days, and her time is running out. This week it feels like he's been going to his own place more often, and she doesn't want that to happen.
“Mhm.”
Archie’s mouth curves to one side as he snorts. “Ronnie?”
She heaves a long sigh, realizing she's zoned out. She places a half-open lid on the pan, lowers the fire, and turns around. “I’m sorry, Archiekins. My mind has been somewhere else lately.”
Archie rests his hip on the kitchen island, looking at her with half a smile. “You don't say.”
It makes Veronica smile a little too. She walks over to him, placing her hands on his chest and pulling the collar of his plaid shirt. He holds her by the waist. “I owe you an explanation about whatever it was that happened at my mom’s the other day.”
“Is this about your grandma’s birthday coming up?”
Veronica frowns. “Yeah—but who told you that?”
“Andre,” he says, seriously, and it takes Veronica a second to realize that he’s joking. She pulls harder at his collar, making him laugh. He leans in to give her another quick kiss, that she feels on her smile. “It was your mom. She was complaining about not being invited to the big event.”
Veronica sighs. She steps away from him just to check on the simmering sauce. “It is a big event. Abuelita is the most important person in my family. Everyone respects her so much for helping build Lodge Industries basically from scratch in a time when Mexican immigrants were seen as inferior. And, you know, she’s the glue that keeps it together.”
“She sounds badass,” Archie says, moving again to the glasses cabinet, but this time taking two wine glasses. He shows them to her, silently asking what she thinks about the idea, and she nods. This conversation definitely needs some alcohol.
“She is.” Veronica leans against the sink. “And, well, as grandchildren go…I hate to say it but everyone knows I’m her favorite.”
“So we have something in common,” Archie quips, taking a bottle from the wine cooler.
Veronica smiles at the flattery, perhaps even blushes a little when he wiggles his eyebrows at her, shaking her head. “Let me correct that. I was her favorite, but then I gave up on the family business and got my sister, whom she never really liked, to stay in my place.”
“Why doesn’t she like Hermosa? She’s so fun.”
She watches him as he opens the wine. “Fun, but also the product of an affair. In true fashion, Abuelita blames that on Hermosa instead of her precious son.”
Archie pours some of the wine on the glass and smells it. He hands it to her. “I’m gonna bet she wasn’t invited to the big event either.”
Veronica takes the glass, swirling the liquid inside of it. “No. And there’s Abuelita’s new favorite grandchild, my cousin Leroy, who despite being an asshole, did not become a baker after leaving it all behind and breaking off an engagement…that was very much approved by Abuelita.”
“Oh.” Archie looks away for a moment. Veronica notices a slight change in his voice. “Chad?”
Biting her lower lip, she holds a deep breath. Yes, Chad. That’s the part she was dreading telling Archie the most. It was a huge mistake to introduce Chad to her family, but it had happened, and Abuelita—and a bunch of her tias and primos—were instantly taken by him, God knows why. If Veronica can be honest, she gets it: her ex-fiancé was very charming and perfect-on-paper, before he showed his true self. Her grandmother never really got over their ending, but it’s been years now. Certainly something must have changed, right?
“Yeah.” She rubs the back of her neck. Archie shakes his head a little, taking a big sip before even toasting. “Anyway, now that Mr. Banderas is stepping down as CEO of Lodge Industries, Abuelita might choose Leroy to take over, which would be completely unfair to Hermosa. Unless someone does something about it.”
Archie looks at her over his wine glass. “Someone…like you?”
“I’m not gonna come back to Lodge Industries. I’ve never been happier than I am now, working with Betty at the café, and with you.” She tries a sweet smile. It works, because Archie’s expression seems to melt a little. “But I also can’t let my dad’s life’s work go into the hands of an incompetent dumbo like my cousin. So, I’m about to go to Mexico and step into a family crisis.”
He tilts his head to the side, considering. “Do you want some company?”
“Yes. I would love for you to be by my side,” Veronica says, honestly, feeling her bottom lip forming a small pout. “But I don’t wanna get in the way of your work, and it's in 25 days, so if it’s too complicated to get time off—”
Archie mimics her pout and steps closer. “Good thing that I asked for vacations in exactly 23 days, in both schools,” he says, clinking his wine glass to hers, that was still untouched in her hand. She can’t help the warm feeling blooming in her chest, realizing that he was planning on supporting her with this even before she said anything, and reaches out to cup his face. “And I also asked Reggie to step-in for me in the center.”
“Reggie? Running a community center?”
“He’s good with legalities, and he can be intimidating.” She gets an incredulous look on her face that makes him snort a laugh. “For everything else, Munroe will be there.”
“Mm. Maybe they can become besties and leave you alone.” She finally sips on her wine and then leans in to give him another quick kiss. She loves him so much, he'll never understand. “Thank you, lover.”
He smiles a little against her lips. “So, what's for dessert?”
Veronica places her free hand on the back of his neck, caressing his short red strands. “There’s a chance that you’ll get some brownies.”
“Mmm,” he hums with his mouth on hers. She pulls him in to give him a deeper kiss, and Archie wraps one arm around her waist, holding her closer, his tongue slipping past her lips. Somehow, she feels a bit calmer and safer now that she knows he’ll be by her side and that he isn’t intimidated by her complicated family antics.
Not yet, anyway.
.
.
.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking from the flight deck. In a few moments we’ll start our descent to Mexico City. The forecast predicts good conditions—”
Archie holds Veronica’s hand, crossing their fingers. His heart beats a little faster thinking that when they come back, she might be wearing his ring. Betty made sure that he got the right size (and she even got tears in her eyes when she saw the chosen jewelry), and now it’s secure in his jacket inner pocket—the only place he thinks she won’t accidentally find.
Ronnie looks away from the window, giving him a sweet smile. He can see there’s a bit of nostalgia in her eyes. “I haven’t been here since my dad passed. Stirs some memories.”
Knowing exactly how she feels, Archie brings her hand to his lips, giving it a long kiss. “I’m sure he’d be proud of you.”
Veronica raises one skeptical eyebrow, which makes him chuckle. She comes closer to lie her head on his shoulder. “I bet these will be our last moments of peace and quiet for the next week.”
He turns his head to plant a kiss on her hairline. “Can’t be worse than our see you soon party.”
“God, what even was that?”
She laughs, making him follow. There was a hint of a family comedy movie in the way their friends decided to drive them to the airport and say goodbye. He never expected to start off his vacation in the backseat of Reggie’s car, squished between Jughead and Veronica while they were both endlessly bickering about the do’s-and-don’ts in the cafe, trying not to pick sides.
There was also Vader, staring into his eyes while peeking over Betty’s shoulder in the passenger seat—for a small wiener dog in a bow tie, he was a pretty scary dude.
“Who knows why they all decided to see us off,” Archie says. He knows why they all decided to see them off—because they would, probably, and if everything went well, come back engaged. Archie thought she’d be suspicious by now—Reggie looked like a proud father when Archie assured him that yes, he got everything he needed for the trip; Betty gave Veronica such a long hug, and even Jughead was smiling.
But she didn’t notice anything weird. And he’s glad, because he’s such a bad liar that he can’t believe how he’s managed to keep it a secret. Truth be told, she’s probably too distracted by the family issues she’s about to face.
Though, it can’t be that bad, right? Sure, at some point during the week he needs to find time to ask for Abuelita’s blessing, but he’s pretty confident that everything will work out. He wasn’t happy to find out that she did approve of Veronica’s ex-fiancé, but at the same time, there’s no way that man could be better for her than he is, and Abuelita also will see that. Archie even downloaded an app to practice his Spanish and at least try to say something to impress the Lodge matriarch, and he’s always been good with grandmothers.
“Thank you again for coming with me, by the way,” Veronica says, pulling him from his thoughts. She moves her head, and they look at each other. “I promise you that at the very least, Abuelita and my tias will provide amazing postres.”
Oh, that’s a word he’s learned in the app. Smiling, Archie leans in to give her a kiss. He really can’t see what could go wrong.
Landing is no big deal. There’s a man waiting for Veronica at arrivals, holding up a sign with her name. She speaks rapidly in Spanish with him—a little too fast for Archie’s Triolinguo skills, but he does catch something about coche, and it makes sense once the man makes them follow him into the parking lot.
They cross part of Mexico City, heading south. It’s already evening, but the city seems very alive and busy—at least the parts of it that he can grasp from the car window. It’s chaotic in the best way, and bigger than any city he’s ever been to, even New York.
“We’ll come visit at some point,” Veronica tells him. “You need to see the great Tenochtitlán in all its glory.”
They move slowly through traffic, but little by little the landscape starts to change, turning buildings and city lights into dark green trees and some fields. It takes them about one hour and a half to stop in front of a huge ass property that Archie would’ve thought was a hotel, a country club, or something like that.
“Bienvenida a la Hacienda Luna, señorita,” the driver politely says, as some other guys open the gates for them.
“Wow.”
“It’s quite something, right?” She sounds a little nervous. Archie keeps his eyebrows lifted in surprise. He’s always known Veronica’s family had a lot of money, but this is a little beyond. “I’ll give you the full tour in the morning. The stables are over there. I used to have so much fun riding Nick every summer.”
Archie looks at his girlfriend with his forehead creased. “Doing what, now?”
She chuckles, rolling her eyes. “Nick Jonas, my horse, you perv.”
“Oh, I’m the perv?” He laughs, cupping her face to kiss her bright smile. They get lost in the moment for a bit, because the driver clears his throat as the car stops, interrupting.
Veronica gives him one last quick kiss before they leave the car. Outside, the air is a bit chilly, but still ten times warmer than Riverdale. Archie places his backpack around one shoulder, but before he can take the rest of the luggage, a couple of other employees show up to do that. He feels a bit uncomfortable letting them, but follows Veronica’s lead when she says gracias and moves to the door.
“Okay,” she says, heaving out a breath and looking at him. She smoothes out his t-shirt and his hair, and then does the same to her blouse. “Ready?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he resorts to their internal joke to calm her down. She laughs a little, straightening her shoulders and grabbing his hand with determination.
One of the men carrying the suitcases opens the massive wooden door and waits for them to walk in first. There’s a big foyer framed by some brightly green palm plants and indistinguishable voices can be heard from the left side of the hall.
Veronica gives him a look before painting a big smile on her face and nodding towards the origin of the voices so he follows her. Calling the room a living room seems like an understatement because he has never seen one this big, much less filled with so many people.
“¡Mira! Es Veronica!”
All the women get up and start talking at once, so fast that Archie can’t make up many words—Triolinguo certainly didn’t put him in this scenario before. They come to greet Veronica with hugs and kisses, paying no attention to him. “Great, their little princess is here,” someone says with annoyance. Archie looks in their way. It’s a teenage girl wearing a backwards Red Sox hat and rolling her eyes at the scene. She leaves the room before saying anything else.
His spidey sense makes him feel observed. He turns around to see a man measuring him up—he’s certainly being judged and it feels a bit intimidating. He’s aware he probably stands out like a sore thumb.
Archie swallows hard and tries to smile. “Hello?”
The man, who’s tall and sports a mustache, chuckles.
“¿Otro gringuito?” Okay, that word Archie knows but he can’t pick up if it’s meant to be an insult or a joke. “Ay, Verito, ¿cuándo será el día que elijas un macho de a de veras?”
Veronica turns around, rolling her eyes, but smiling good-naturedly. “Don’t make yourself look like the epitome of the Mexican macho, Tío Javi. We all know you love your cashmere sweaters to endure the Boston winters.”
The man laughs again, loudly this time, pulling Veronica into a hug that makes her shriek before he kisses the top of her head. Archie smiles fondly at the scene, since his girl isn’t big on this kind of display of affection.
Once Ronnie is released, she asks, “Where’s Lupe?”
Tío Javi looks around. “She was right here. Probably ran off to sulk somewhere. You girls this age, madre mía.”
Veronica smiles, and reaches out to grab his hand. “Tio Javi, this is Archie Andrews, my boyf—”
“¡Ay que bonito, toda la familia junta!” Another male voice comes from the entrance. Archie turns around to witness a man who’s about his age walking in, his head shaved. He has a great smile and his arms are opened. “¡Primita!”
Veronica holds Archie’s hand harder. “Hi, Leroy.”
“Seems like we got here just in time,” a different voice says, in a distinct American accent. Archie frowns when he sees a white, tall man wearing a blue suit to match his blue eyes showing from behind Leroy. The entire room goes silent at the sight of him.
He hears Veronica’s quiet gasp of surprise. “What the—Chad?!”
tbc