Living Next Door To Alice

19/ The Letter

"We played some videogames for a while, yeah." Jughead smirked.

"It's nice hanging out again." Archie bumped his shoulder. He had truly missed his friend. Nothing compared to gaming nights like they used to do as kids.

"Dad, I wanted to ask—" Jughead decided to be straight forward, but before he had even the chance, his mother came walking into the kitchen.

"Good morning, everyone." She walked over to FP and stroke his bicep up and down while she looked up at him.

"How did you sleep?" He asked.

"Let's say I might get used to your body next to mine again." Gladys gave him a playful wink. FP couldn't return the same gesture, which didn't went unnoticed.

"Come on, show me a smile." She encouraged him, causing FP to give her a forced and weak smile.

"Did you think about it already?" Gladys casually opened the conversation about him moving back to reunite the family. FP looked at Fred once more. There was no way back.

"Yeah... I'm coming with you. I'm moving back to Toledo." FP confirmed, and while Gladys started to smirk, Jughead's worry only grew.

However, before he could give voice to that worry there was a knock on the front door.

"It's open!" Fred yelled.

Alice waltzed on with a laundry basket in her hand, not at all expecting a full house. She stopped in her tracks when she saw a few unfamiliar faces.

"Oh, you have visitors. Sorry, didn't want to interrupt." She said a little uncomfortable.

"It's fine. Come on in." Fred gestured for her to come further. Alice's gaze had shifted to the boy she had seen before.

"Jughead, right? Good to see you again." She greeted him, giving the boy a warm smile.

"Nice to see you, too." Jughead genuinely smiled back.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Gladys urged FP, clinging to his side to somehow tell that she wasn't just anybody.

FP cleared his throat uncomfortably. This was the last situation on earth he wanted to be in.

"Right. Al, this is Gladys. The mother of Jughead and Jellybean." He explained her with a weak smile, the guilt written all over his face.

"You're Gladys," Alice said quietly, her heart dropping as she looked straight at the woman.

She felt her stomach tying into a knot. Why did this bother her so much? She quickly dismissed it, that wasn't something she wanted to spiral about.

"I didn't want to crash this family reunion, I was just going to do some laundry and wanted to ask if you had something I could throw in for you." She gestured to the basket in her hand and smiled weakly.

Her gut told her to get out of there as soon as possible. Gladys glanced at her, as if she was trying to read Alice. It made her uncomfortable. But it wasn't just that, her throat was tightening with emotions and she didn't want that to be revealed.

"Oh, yeah. I have some jeans. Would you mind?"

"If I would I wouldn't have asked." She sent him a grin.

FP smiled back and quickly made his way to his bedroom to grab them out of his hamper.

"Let me walk you out." He made his way over to her, but besides being polite he wanted a few seconds alone with her.

FP quickly closed to door behind him. She sensed that he was about to say something that he didn't want to say out loud with everyone around.

"Sorry that I didn't tell you, they were here as a surprise and I—" FP nervously started to ramble, as he had a feeling he had to defend Gladys and Jellybean being in their apartment. Alice had cut him off before he would keep on talking.