Later that day...
Betty Pov:
We stayed at the treehouse for the remainder of the afternoon. Jug and Lola woke me up, Lola laying on my chest and giggling. We went home, made dinner, and watched a movie together on the couch. As if we were a happy family. Lola fell asleep, her body splayed across Jug and I, and he fell asleep with his head rested on my shoulder. I didn't want to wake either of them. I laid my head on top of Jug's, all of us getting a good night's rest.
"G' MORNING, MAMA! G'MORNING, DADDY!". Lola decided it would be funny to awaken us with her adorable screeches and laughter, jumping up and down on the floor in front of the couch. Jug shot up, startled before he realized that she was playing around.
He blushed as soon as he recalled how he slept on my shoulder, spinning his head to face me as he tried to blurt out an apology. "Betty, I'm sorry. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable or-". Without thinking, I hurriedly placed my lips onto his cheek. I didn't linger, having realized what I'd just done. "Oh my God.... I- Uh.". I then cut myself off, bolting to the bathroom in a sprint, making it just in time to hurl.
I heard Jug dismiss Lola to her room for a few minutes before his light footsteps made their way to the bathroom. He didn't bother knocking, my sobs audible throughout the entire house. He rushed in, pulling me into his chest. Why was I so needy all the time?? Why couldn't I keep myself together? Why did I have to kiss him? HE JUST TOLD ME YESTERDAY THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE TOGETHER, I thought. I'M SUCH AN IDIOT.
Whatever tricks Jug had you his sleeve for helping me calm down always worked, and my wails subsided after a few minutes. "Breath, Ba-Betty. In and out. In... and out.". My breathing regulated, and I sagged against him, exhausted.
He spoke to me as he held me close, rocking us slowly and subtlety. "Betty, it's- it's okay. This isn't anything worth getting all wound up about.", he hushed. I sniffled. "I wasn't upset that you slept on my shoulder, Jug, and that was just the first way I could think to tell you. It was ch-childish. You've set our boundaries, and I need to respect them. You don't want us to be together right now.".
A flash of pain crossed his face. "Betty... You know as well as I do that I didn't mean it like that. We just need to work on ourselves, plus, we need to work on getting over... what happened between us. I'll still be here for you, Betty. And... Nevermind.".
I was too fatigued to push him for the rest of his sentence, slumping further against him as I wrapped my arms around him. He sighed heavily before he picked me up. I giggled a little, and he brought me back into the living room. He set me onto the couch before jumping up the stairs to fetch Lola back down.
Lola and I were both on the couch again, and Jug stood in front of us. He cleared his throat. "Alright, so I start work tomorrow. I'm going back to my normal job at the newspaper, and I won't be back home until around 3 tomorrow. You should be fine.", he stated, a hint of question and concern in the last sentence. I nodded him reassuringly. "Yes, we'll be okay in your absence, Jug. Don't worry about us.".
We shared a pleasant smile, him sitting next to me and pulling Lola onto his lap before we spent the rest of the day together.
😳 Having some minor writer's block, so here's this shitty part :)
