Riverdale Imagines

Milkshakes⇔Archie

You remembered snippets.
You could remember arriving to the party with Archie at your side and you remembered the first shot of that cheap spiced rum that Reggie had at the makeshift bar in his parent's basement – but besides that all you had were snippets.
You danced - that you knew for sure and despite knowing you were a god-awful dancer, when that song came on through the speakers, your movements became fluid. Or at least, you thought they did. Veronica always said every girl has that one song that brings out their inner vixen and unfortunately for you that song played not once but twice that night. You only remembered that because the second time around you could remember feeling someone's arms slither around your waist from behind.
"I didn't know drunk Y/N was such a good dancer." The familiar voice cooed in your ear. "I'm impressed."
Whirling around, you weren't exactly shocked to see Archie Andrews grinning down at you. He was your best friend and had been for years and though you could tell he too was feeling the affects of the booze, that familiar goofy smile he was giving you made you feel a little better about your own bad decisions.
From there, more snippets. You remembered dancing with the redhead for a few more songs but then those songs went from fast to slow – or at least in your alcohol riddled mind they seemed to – and before you knew what was happening your arms were secured around Archie's neck as he drunkenly rambled on about his music.
The one thing you could remember without a doubt, however, was the feel of Archie's lips on yours. You didn't know how it happened or how you'd somehow gone from the basement up to Reggie's porch but you vividly remembered the moment Archie leaned in and kissed you. It was soft and slow at first but as your hands knitted through his hair, the kiss grew hungrier, messier.
But then, in a flash, it was over. Someone had knocked down a planter at the side of the house and the sound of the ceramic hitting the pavement snapped you both out of your reverie. For a few brief seconds, you both simply just stared across at one another breathing deep as the realization of what you both had done came tumbling down.
"I should go." You mumbled to yourself as you scrambled up from the bench. You didn't wait for a reply as you ambled your way down the stairs towards your own house just a block away but you were shaking with regret.
Unfortunately, that regret didn't lessen any when Monday morning rolled around and things between you and Archie got all the messier. You had first and third period together but neither of you said a word to the other in either class. He'd catch your eye and look down, you'd catch his and look away – it was a vicious cycle that seemed to continually happen until lunch rolled around.
You were chewing on an apple when he approached you in the courtyard and as he loomed, you did everything you could to stop yourself from purposely choking on the remainder in your mouth in hopes to get out of a conversation you only knew was going to be awkward.
"We should talk." He said after a moments hesitation. He swallowed hard and rubbed the back of his neck – a nervous habit of his that you wish you hadn't known about.
"About what?" You were playing dumb but he saw right through it.
"Y/N," he sighed. "Just meet me at Pop's at eight tonight. I'll swing by after practice."
You attempted to respond with words but when none came, all you did was simply nod up at him as a bundle of nerves ate away at your stomach. Mimicking your actions, Archie muttered a quick goodbye before leaving you with your thoughts and your apple.
With an annoyed frown you tossed the apple into the bin and ran a hand through your hair. What the hell had you gotten yourself into?
It was two minutes after eight when Archie walked through the doors of Pop's looking just as nervous as you felt. His red hair was wet and stuck up in various directions – a clear indicator that he had quite literally showered and immediately left to meet you. You couldn't help but smirk at that despite your nerves.
"Jeez, Arch. Couldn't even be bothered to fix your hair before meeting me?" You teased, hoping it would slice through the tension.
Fortunately, it seemed to and before you knew it, that goofy grin was curling up the corners of his lips. "Sorry. My Sunday best was in the wash."
He took a seat and ordered himself a strawberry milkshake but not before ordering you a chocolate one. It was habit, that much you knew, and oddly enough it made you feel a little better than you were about where this conversation could go.
When the waiter left, Archie turned back to you and shot you a nervous smile. He was wearing the letterman's jacket that you'd come to know and adore so much but it was the look on his face that drew you in. He wasn't football Archie right then and there, he wasn't even musician Archie – he was the twelve-year-old boy who helped you learn how to skip a rock once upon a time. He was just Archie Andrews right then and there. Something about that calmed you down.
"I didn't mean for that to happen on Saturday." Were the first words out of his mouth. It was a blow to the gut despite knowing he was probably right but that didn't stop the visible wince that crept along your face.
"I—" You shut your mouth as words failed to come.
Archie, obviously catching his mistake, immediately threw his hands up and widened his eyes. "Not to say that I didn't enjoy it but you were drunk. I was drunk. I shouldn't have taken advantage of that."
Despite yourself, a small smile tugged at your lips. "From what I remember, I think I was the one taking advantage of you."
With a slow smile, Archie shook his head and let out a quiet chuckle. "You were pretty aggressive," he teased. "You bit my lip."
Your eyes widened and your jaw fell. That you didn't quite remember. "Sounds like a thing I'd do."
Archie laughed. "All I'm saying is that it shouldn't have happened—"
"Archie, I get it." You cut in with small, reassuring smile. "We're best friends; you don't have to justify it. I don't want things getting weird, either. I just—"
"You didn't let me finish, Y/N." He interrupted with a smile. "It shouldn't have happened that way." He clarified. When all he got from you was a confused frown, he elaborated. "I have been trying to deal with...a lot of things lately. But I have enough on my plate and pretending that I haven't wanted to do that for the longest time isn't going to be one of them."
His hand slowly crept towards yours and you watched his adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed back a bundle of nerves. "I'm not saying we should try anything right now. I'm not even saying that I think you'd be interested in starting anything right now, but if something like that happened again – maybe without the booze – I wouldn't be upset."
You watched his hand twitch nervously beside your own for a moment, as if he was too scared to seal his words with a physical affection. Feeling bold, you slid your smaller hand in his own and took a small sip of your milkshake. "How long are we talking here?" You asked with a teasing smile.
Archie's brow furrowed. "How long?" He asked in confusion.
"You said you'd been waiting a long time to do that." You said. "How long?"
A large grin enveloped his entire face as your words sank in. "That's all you have to say for yourself?" He let out a breathy chuckle. "Of course that's all you have to say. You're Y/N."
With a wink, you squeezed his hand and shrugged. "For what it's worth, I wouldn't be upset, either." You told him with a sincere smile and when he gently squeezed your hand back, that smile only grew.
You could get used to this.
---
credit to jughead-thethird on Tumblr