Between Our Sheets | Falice

70/ I've Had The Time Of My Life

The bell above the door chimes as Alice, FP and Jughead enter the diner. Pop smiles warmly at them. "No Jellybean today?"

"No, she went back to Toledo a couple days ago." FP tells him.

"That's a shame, it was so nice seeing her again."

"Believe me, she was excited to come here, she said no place in Toledo beats Pop's."

The older man smiles proudly at that. "Well I'm honoured. What can I get for you?"

"Can I get a cheeseburger with fries and onion rings, and a root beer, please?" Jughead orders. He turns to Alice and FP. "I'm going to go grab us a booth."

"What would you like, babe?" FP asks Alice.

"Veggie burger with fries and an iced tea, please."

Pop jots down the order and looks up at FP. "And for you?"

"I'll get a cheeseburger, onion rings and an iced tea as well. And can I also get a chocolate sundae?" He looks over at Alice. "Thought we could have some dessert too."

She smiles at him, curling her arm around his. "I like that idea."

"Coming right up."

"Thanks Pop."

He looks at the two of them, both so obviously smitten with one another. "Can I just say that I'm really glad you two found each other? You make a great match."

Alice blushes. "Thank you, Pop. I'm glad we found each other too."

"I'm just glad you aren't hiding it anymore." FP raises an eyebrow at him. "I've known for months." He explains, seeing how confused they are.

"How did you find out?"

He lets out a laugh. "The smile on Alices face every time she came in while you were working, the amount of times I'd see you two in one of the booths towards the back during your lunch break, and just the way you look at each other like you're the only people in the room. It wasn't exactly rocket science."

FP's cheeks turn pink. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I figured you were hiding it for a reason, I didn't want to out you two when you clearly weren't ready. Plus it was kind of cute seeing you two all googly eyed over each other. You've clearly got something special, don't let go of that." Alice and FP smile at each other.

"We don't plan to." FP says confidently. "Come on, let's go keep Jug company."

The three of them eat their meal in peace, talking and laughing with one another, it feels strangely natural, which is something Jughead hasn't expected when he found out about his dad and Alice. He had expected it to be awkward forever but he's grown quite fond of the woman, he likes seeing his dad so happy.

The bell above the door catches Alice's attention and she freezes when she sees a blonde ponytail. "Oh my God." She mutters quietly.

"What's wrong?" FP asks, concerned with whatever has her frozen in place.

"Betty." It comes out just above a whisper in her shocked state, and she just stares. She hasn't seen or talked to her daughter in nearly a month, so she doesn't quite know what to do when she sees her standing at the counter.

"You should go talk to her." FP encourages.

She shakes her head, eyes wet with tears that she refuses to let fall. "I can't. She clearly wants nothing to do with me, the last thing I want is for her to feel forced to talk to me."