heartbeats ; bughead

26

Archie

The night I emailed the package to Veronica, I was filled with dread. 

I had a feeling she wouldn't cry. 

What if she isn't emotional?

What if I never see her again? No.

I would. So the next day, I assumed she had listened to all of it, and I called her.

"Hey, you've reached Veronica Lodge. I'm probably not available at the moment. Call me back if you have the chance, unless my dad's already paid you to shut up. Thanks!" 

For a whole hour, I called her, but every time, the same message. 

Until around 2:30 a.m. 

"Hello?" 

"Roni?" 

"Hey, Archie." We were silent. I didn't want to jump right into it.

"So how's your boyfriend?"

She laughed softly. "That's so random, why would you ask that?"

"Just-wondering. You know how I can be."

"Yeah. How are you, Archie? Found any special someone yet!" She giggled.

It took my entire willpower and then some to not tell her that it was her, that I haven't had any girlfriend, haven't been thinking of anyone since she left.

"Um, yeah, I have a girlfriend. Val. Valerie?" 

"Oh!" Her voice dipped in pitch a little, and turned a quieter. "Nice. She's pretty."

"Yep." Silence. "So, uh, Veronica?"

"Yeah, Arch?"

"Um, I wanted to know if you listened. To my album." 

She cleared her throat, sighed a bit, and let out her words, spilling across me like a river.

"Yeah, I did, Archie. And-I loved it. It's beautiful. I just...I didn't cry."

My heart sunk to my feet. Crap.

"Until the last part. I mean, that was-it was a genius-where did you even get all those videos of me?"

"Oh, uh, Betty, and I recorded some of them." 

"Well, you know, I apprec--it made my heart melt. Thank you, Archie--" She let out a choked sob. 

"Roni?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," She murmured, sniffling, but not stopping her tears. "I'm sorry, Archie."

"Hey, cry a little for me, okay? I just want to see you feel real again." 

"The truth is--" She sniffled, but she had stopped crying. "--Archie Andrews, I miss you too.

"And I love you. And I'm sorry I ever left.

"You probably don't love me anymore, because you have Val and all. I just-I still love you. And I'm happy for you." 

I smiled silently, in the darkness, under the moonlight which before, had reminded me of how much sadness had spilled into my life. 

"I'm-I'm coming home, Archiekins." 

awwww, i'm not a varchie stanner but that was noice! anyways, i'll not be writing for a bit, but thanks for all the <3 so far! i'm so happy this book has 4.5K+ views, and i hope we can keep pushing forward! it's been a real thrill so far, and we're halfway done (a little more than halfway). i'm thinking it'll end at around forty to forty five chapters. but i've been writing this for a year, and i love it so far. tysm for the love!

~mo