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"Never, is an awfully long time..."

@neverisanawfullylongtime

~ J. M. Barrie
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neverisanawfullylongtime
mieteve-minijoma
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mieteve-minijoma

lovely.... (bughead one-shot(?)....)

Thought I found a way

Thought I found a way out (found)

But you never go away (never go away)

So I guess I gotta stay now

-lovely, Billie Eilish

Jughead sat on his barstool at the Wyrm, staring down at the bourbon he'd ordered and fighting back all the emotions he was feeling at the moment. After today, everything would change and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. Wasn’t even sure if he had a right to feel the way that he did.

He just couldn’t believe that after everything, this was how their story ended. He’d spent over a decade loving Betty Cooper and, while they had broken up eight years before, this was not how things were supposed to go. They were supposed to be together forever, but he supposed forever was subjective.

He should have fought harder when he had the chance, should have driven to Boston from Iowa that first semester and begged her forgiveness and asked her to marry him. He should have transferred closer to her and supported her when she needed him the most. But, sadly, he didn’t do any of that.

No, he was too stubborn and self-centered for that. All he thought about was how her actions had hurt him, never once thinking about how it affected Betty - or how bad she was hurting. Didn’t think about what she might have been feeling all those nights when he was out trying to forget she even existed.

Now, it was too late for any of that. So instead of being honest about his feelings, he was just gonna sit his sorry ass in the bar underneath his place of employment and fight falling off the wagon because today was the day she would become Mrs. Archie Andrews.

He wondered if he’d broken things off with Tabitha sooner, if he hadn’t agreed to jump right into living together - hell, if he had only been there for Betty when Polly died - would things have turned out differently. If it had been him that she leaned on and not Archie, would he have been the one standing at the end of that aisle today?

He felt tears pricking his eyes again as he thought back to the night at Pop’s a few months ago when she and Archie announced that they were getting married. In that moment, his heart shattered all over again, just like it did when they were eighteen and she told them about that stupid kiss.

“What the hell was I thinking,” he mumbled to himself, hand gripping the condensation slickened tumbler. He knew this wouldn’t be what she’d want, him falling back into the bottle (much like his father had) when faced with the loss of the only woman he’d ever truly love. The only one he could ever truly be connected to on a cellular level. But he didn’t think he’d have the strength to live through today sober.

Just as he was about to throw it all away and raise the glass to his lips, his phone began to ring with that all too familiar tone. The one he’d used for her contact ever since they were sixteen and fighting against the prejudice of their town like some modern day Romeo and Juliet. He stared down at the phone confused as to why she’d even be calling, given how busy she probably was preparing for today. He shook his head clear and answered on the third ring.

“Hello,” he said hesitantly after swiping the green call button.

“J-Juggie?” His heart constricted at the tremble in her voice, the weak and raspy way she spoke his nickname making it clear that she’d been crying. His mind raced at the possibilities of why she would be sounding so devastated on the happiest day of her life.

“Betts, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Did Archie do something--” He was cut off when a sob escaped her throat and he gripped the glass tighter in hopes to ground himself. He couldn’t promise he wouldn’t punch Archie if he found out he’d done anything to hurt her.

“I know this is... I mean... Um, can you come get me? I just-- can’t do it, Jug. I can’t marry him. I need to-- gah, please, Juggie. I just need to get out of here as quickly as possible and I don’t know who else-- I just need you. Please?” she begged, rambling into the phone.

Without hesitation, he pushed away from the bar, leaving the untouched beverage behind in his wake. He had to get to her, he needed her to know that... Well, he’d tell her how he felt when it was time. But, right now she needed him to be there for her and that was all that mattered to him.

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Be ready to run.”

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