"And? Did you talk to Alice yet?" Fred was finishing up making lunch for the three of them and looked at FP, who finished up some paperwork for the client they were about to meet tomorrow.
"I really don't know how to. Ever since we kissed I get so... nervous around her. Like I'm still in high school or something." FP shook his head a little confused.
He didn't understand where his sudden change in behavior came from. He never had trouble being around women before, so why was this different?
"Maybe Archie has some advice for you." Fred nodded at his son, and smirked a little.
"Why don't you take her out on a date? No pressure, just see how it goes." Archie shrugged a little as he accepted his plate with toast from his Dad.
"How come your eighteen year old son is more helpful than you?" FP turned to Fred with a serious frown on his face, but couldn't hold back a smile.
"He has a point. Going on a date can't do any harm." Fred added, actually thinking that Archie had proposed something good.
"Maybe I will. Do you think she'll want that?" FP turned to face Fred, his voice a little insecure. This wasn't just any other woman he was asking out, this was Alice.
"Depends, how good was the kiss?" Archie said with a straight face, but laughed as soon as he saw how FP looked at him.
"Come on, FP. There is nothing to be nervous about." Fred tried to help him out a little. The teasing was fun but he needed more encouragement if he was actually going to do this.
"I know, it's pathetic. I can't even remember the last time I went on a date." FP sighed and rubbed his eyes frustratedly.
He had experience with tons of women, but not the romantic kind. The last one he had actually tried to impress had been Gladys, even before Jughead was born.
"I'll take you to the florist to buy her some flowers and then you can go next door and just ask her." Archie proposed simply, as he saw that FP desperately needed some help.
"Thanks, Red. I appreciate that." FP smiled gratefully.
He had never guessed he would get dating advice from the son of his best friend, but as it works out he did have some helpful tips.
"Fine, I'll do it. On one condition." FP clapped his hands together and turned to Fred. He waited for him to share his terms.
"You ask out Hermione." He pointed out, a smirk on his face.
If they would encourage him to go out with Alice then at least he could try to convince Fred to take a shot too.
"What? Are you insane?" Fred almost spit out his coffee.
"Do we have a deal?" FP wasn't going to negotiate about this. Fred needed a little push and he was only giving it to him.
"Alright, you win." Fred sighed a little, but had to admit that the thought of asking out Hermione excited him.
**
Alice had finished up dinner when she heard a knock on her door. She expected Betty and Polly to be home from grabbing a milkshake from Pop's, but to her surprise it was her neighbor.
"FP? What are you doing here?" She asked surprised, a friendly smile on her face. It was late, so she was wondering what brought him at her place at this time.
"Are these flowers for me?" She noticed the small bouquet of roses in his hands. He was shaking a little.
"They are. I hope you like 'em." He handed them over, a nervous smile appearing on his face.
"They are beautiful. Thank you." Alice smiled gratefully and gestured for him to come further while she was looking for a vase to put the roses in.
"I was wondering... if you aren't doing anything tonight, would you like to join me to the carnival? My treat." FP proposed sweetly, his signature smirk tugging on his lips as a way to conceal his nerves.
"Are you asking me out FP?" Alice grinned a little, as she now putted the roses in the empty vase she had found in one of her cabinets.
"Yeah, I guess I am." He said a little surprised himself. It was going way better than he would have guessed.
"I would love to. Let me grab my coat." She smiled, and walked over to the coatrack to make sure she would stay warm.
**
The two of them were walking in Pickens Park now, which once a month a year was being changed into the Sweetwater Triangle Carnival. It was a big hit. FP came there every year, but for Alice this was a first time. He had lead them towards the gigantic Ferris Wheel. She caught into what he had planned very quickly.
"I'm not going in there." Alice said hesitating, as she stopped in her tracks.
"Why not? Are you afraid of heights?" He teased, elbowing her a little.
"Just a little, but..." Alice muttered, not sure what kind of arguments she could bring in for her not having to go in there.
"Come on, it's fun! You can look out over the whole town at the top." FP's eyes beamed.
He was clearly very enthusiastic about the Ferris Wheel. He could see that Alice needed one little nudge to join him.
"Don't worry, I'll hold your hand if you get scared." He held out his hand for her to grab, which she accepted with a smirk. How could she possibly say no to that?
All the way up Alice had clutched his hand in her own, almost being sure that his fingers would be blue by now. She didn't like moving heights, but FP hadn't lied about how fun it was once you were on top.
"You were right, the view is beautiful." Alice looked out over the whole town, her hand relaxing a little as the sight totally took her breath away.
FP looked at her, seeing her eyes grow as she looked out over Riverdale. She looked really happy and carefree.
"It really is." He whispered quietly, his eyes not breaking from looking at her.
"You're not even looking." Alice focused back on him and playfully slapped his chest, making him laugh.
"Oh, you're not my view you mean? Sorry, my bad." FP joked, seeing that he was making her blush a little.
Since their hands were free from one another, he wrapped his arm around her, letting it rest so his finger tips could graze her shoulder.
"How do you like living in Riverdale so far?" He asked kindly, as she had been living here a few months now.
"Honestly? I expected to be less happy than I actually am. I've got a pretty good life right now, I wouldn't trade it for what I had."
Alice smiled a little as the memories of the life she had before flashed in front of her eyes. Her marriage had been good for a long time, but what she had now was pretty special too.
"I'm glad you moved across the hall." FP said quietly, the confession easily slipping his lips.
"Having you and Fred as a neighbor is alright, I guess." Alice said nonchalantly, fighting a smirk.
"Hey! We're fun!" FP exclaimed, feigning his hurt.
"I'm just teasing you. I'm very lucky to have made such amazing friends." Alice leant into him a little bit more as she chuckled.
"You were born here, right?" She asked him, as she recalled him telling her that.
"Yeah, I love this town more than I can explain. Not that it has only happy memories... but it's my home. I only moved to Toledo with my ex-girlfriend because she wanted to raise the kids there." He explained, his eyes glinstering as he looked out over the top of Riverdale. Nothing felt like home like this town did.
"And you were okay with that?" Her voice was soft and low. She knew the answer, but she had to ask anyway.
"Well, yeah. I'd do anything for my kids." FP shrugged as if it was nothing, while in fact it was a big sacrifice.
Alice gave him a weak smile. "I've only met your son, but he's a wonderful young man. He's a lot like you."
"He is, isn't he? That boy has so much potential, I can't even describe how proud I am." The grin on his face told her enough. Every time one of his kids was mentioned something in his eyes changed. A sparkle of pure joy.
"They make every day worth living, you know? No matter how dark the days are every now and then."
Alice swallowed as he mentioned his dark days. She hadn't only witnessed what that meant to him, but they had shared an intimate kiss they hadn't talked about yet. But that wasn't important. Not as much as is health. She didn't want for him to think their kiss was all she cared about when it came to her visit.
"FP, if you ever have a dark day again... promise me that you'll call me if I can help?"
FP looked at her, a little stunned that she would say something so sweet like that. He wasn't used to people trying to be so understanding.
"Not sure I can promise that, Alice. But I'll try."
She would take that for now. Trying was the very first step. And if he struggled with that? She could be the one to try to check up on him more.
"What kind of day is today? A good one? A dark one? Somewhere in between?"
Her question seemed simple, but the answer was so much more complicated. But then he realized, that being with her made a big difference. Ever since they had sat foot in Pickens Park, he hadn't worried for a second. He felt calm. He felt okay. He felt like no matter what the world had in store for him, it'd be fine even if it was for just a little while.
And so he took a risk, by leaning in, seeing if she'd back out. Their first kiss had been left unspoken about, but by the way he could almost hear her heartbeat pick up he knew that she was just as nervous as he was.
He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, to find out whether it had been more than just the emotional moment together. Under the lights of the Ferris Wheel, with the sound of laughter and music on the background, his lips touched hers again. And though it was cold, Alice could feel her whole body glow when he kissed her. She smiled, and as soon as she did she could feel him do the very same.
When they slowly pulled back, both of them had a goofy grin on their faces as if they were teenagers who had just shared their very first kiss. However the fact that they were both adults with a long and complicated pasts when it came to relationships, it certainly felt like that very first time kissing someone that made you feel butterflies.
"Today is a good day." FP said quietly, kissing her again.