Flash of Red

Chapter 8

He choked on his saliva, sitting up looking at her with wide and confused eyes as he coughed. "What?" He croaked it out, Betty wincing a little.

"H-He insisted on coming and... I can't tell him no." Jughead cleared his throat, calming down from the coughing fit he had just gone through. "And he's not even coming until the end of next week, so you have time to prepare."

"Prepare, you think that's what I do?" She shrugged and he sighed. "Why didn't you think to ask before you just openly invited him into my home?" She gave him another shrug, looking up at him with sad eyes.

"You just... I didn't think you would mind because, well, you let me stay here without any protest s-so I just thought maybe you would be okay with him coming here." He sat up and she followed, furrowing her brows when he pulled on his clothes. "What did I do?"

"What did you do? Are you..." He cut himself off, inhaling deeply. "We've slept together, what... twice and now you think you can just invite people over without asking me? You don't own this house, you don't own me, you don't pay the bills, I do. Ask me if I'm okay with things like this before you run off and do them."

She hurried off the bed when he started to walk off, pulling her dress on quickly. "Jug, let me explain-"

"No, I don't..." He turned around to face her, holding his hands out in front of him but close to his chest. "No. I'm done listening to you explain everything you do down to the beginning detail. I just need time to process this. So go to your room and... I'll see you in the morning."

"But you're mad and-and..." She swallowed and started to twist her hands.

"And what?" She shook her head, averting his glance. "You don't get to hide tomorrow morning, understand? We are over that."

She bit her lip as she nodded, waiting until Jughead walked downstairs to go to her room.

~

Betty hadn't slept well that night, waking up every few hours. She didn't have the energy to go on her run or even a walk that morning and had just laid in bed until there was a knock on her door. She had sat up with a huff, dragging her body over to the door and pulling it open.

"I'm sorry." She rolled her eyes, stepping back to pull the door open wider. "I mean it."

"Why are you apologizing? Shouldn't it be me?" He shook his head as he sat down on the bed, Betty closing the door and standing in front of him cautiously.

"I was upset at first, okay? Last night... you just invited him and I had no clue you two were even discussing that."

"Well, not to be rude, but what we talk about is none of your business." He clenched his jaw at her words, nodding.

"I know, and I was getting there. I am not entitled to knowing what you two talk about and honestly, I could care less, it's the least of my worries." She watched him and he looked up at her. "But as soon as you brought him staying here into that conversation, I needed to know. This room is the only other room besides my own with a bed in it. The other ones are empty because... the only people who have ever come out here are Archie and Veronica. I don't... they don't even come out here often, no one does."

"What does this have to do with Kevin?"

"Okay, come here." She sat down next to him and he sighed. "One: you can't sleep here anymore so you're going to have to sleep in my room because you're not sleeping on the couch or outside."

"I fell asleep out there once." He smiled and chuckled, Betty narrowing her eyes as she held back her smile.

"Two: we can't have these petty arguments because it will disrupt everything." She agreed silently, sighing. "That's really it."