stay away

Part 18

Betty pov

-Besides, I think I fell in love with you pretty hard.-

These words hit me unprepared and stone-cold. Did he really just confess that he had fallen in love with me? Jughead Jones, the leader of one of the most dangerous gangs is getting soft for a girl like me? I couldn't believe it, was it really possible?

My brain was trying to connect with the outside world and get into the here and now, because he was still standing in front of me, with a very insecure look on his face, still waiting anxiously for an answer or reaction from me. I tried to speak but no sound would come out of my throat so I stepped a few steps towards him, put my hand on his chest while looking deep into his eyes and pressed my lips to his.

It was a kiss that was free of lust or desire but was more to show what affection we had for each other. Jughead held me close to him with his hands on my hips as if he never wanted to let go of me again. We both felt that it was more than just two people who had found each other randomly. We were soulmates even if there were some stones in our way and we still had a lot to talk about but for the first time since Polly's death I felt safe and secure again.

We let go of what seemed like hours and caught our breath again. He smiled at me while he put one hand on my cheek and caressed it tenderly.

"Jughead I don't know what to say, only that I also fell in love with you. But not only since yesterday." I giggled, stood on my tiptoes, gave him a quick kiss and snapped the bag of Pop's that he had previously placed on the small table where the tools were. While we ate, many things were our topic. What school did we go to, where did we live, who do we trust the most, but when the question arose if I had siblings my mood became sad and I tried to avoid talking about it at all costs.

"Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's okay, I understand. Maybe you'd like to tell me how you know so much about cars." he laughed to lighten the mood since he couldn't have known that this was another topic I didn't want to talk about either.

"My dad taught me on the days when he wasn't completely drunk or high." I told him bitterly whereupon his smile died and he looked at me worried.

"Betty, I'm sorry. I-"

"No Jug you don't have to apologize, it' not your fault. Let's talk about the fact why you don't know anything about cars even though your gang has a workshop." I made fun of him and popped a fry in my mouth.

"Why do you think I have people doing that kind of work for me? That's the advantage of being king, but now my girl can do it for me." Did he seriously just say "his girl"? I automatically went red and tried to process what he said but I couldn't.

"Your girl?" I asked and bit my lower lip whereupon his eyes became darker and filled with lust. He bent over to me, closed the little gap between us, put his finger under my chin so that I had to look at him.

"Yes, you are now officially mine. Maybe Miss Cooper can teach me the best way to fix a car." he smirked and let go of me again. I hungered for his touch, wanted to feel the warmth of his lips on mine but he pretended to be actually interested in learning about cars even though I knew it was just for show. He got up, walked over to Kyle's car and looked under the hood with a look that immediately told me he had no idea what he was looking at.

"And what's the problem, mister?" I joked, also stood up and watched him. For a brief moment I admired his shape and memorized every detail of his beautiful face. His skin color was a light olive tone that made him glow, while his eyes were the color of an ocean. It was never possible to define exactly what color it was, because it shimmered differently depending on the light. The perfect shape of his lips and jaw completed his beauty.