Betty set her cutlery on "five o'clock" on her plate and sighed happily. She gazed at the man on the other side of the table who seemed like he was looking forward to some kind of summary about the dinner he had just cooked for her. Not only had he done an amazing job with the cooking, but Jughead had set the mood by lighting candles around the house and chosen some slow tempo music to play in the background. The young couple didn't go too many dates these days - despite already being married - but every now and then they took time to arrange something like this to break the structure of their hectic life.
"I have to say that I'm really impressed", Betty began talking, laying her hands on her round belly, rubbing it with a pleased smile on her face. "This has got to be the best meal you've ever cooked, Jughead."
"Well I'm happy to know that I've at least improved from cooking basic mac'n'cheese", Jughead chuckled, finishing his glass of wine.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with your mac'n'cheese", Betty said, jumping to his food's defense. It wasn't special, she knew, but it had been one of the first things Jughead had ever prepared for her almost ten years ago when Alice had been admitted to a hospital and Betty had been too distracted to even realize that she was supposed to eat to keep her strength up, which was why it had a special place in her heart.
"Okay, so next time I'm cooking, it's gonna be mac'n'cheese then", he teased, getting up from his chair and then collecting the plates.
"No matter the food; as long as it's made with love, it's all good", Betty replied. Jughead walked past her, giving her forehead a kiss before he took the plates away. "Thanks for this, Jughead. I really needed it. I know you must be tired after work, yet you still took the time to make this happen..." Her gaze lingered on the man by the sink.
"Anything to my two favorite people", Jughead said, rinsing the dishes under a running water. "How have you been feeling today, by the way?" he chatted.
"I've been good, thanks. The baby's been moving a lot", Betty told him. Almost as if as an instinct, she looked down. "I know it can be hard to believe - since the belly is so big now - but at times I keep forgetting I'm pregnant while I'm working. I can be so focused that everything physical just sort of... disappears. It's not until I feel the little feet drumming against my ribs that I remember that I'm never really alone."
"Wish I could cut down some hours and spend more time with you guys..." Jughead spoke after listening to Betty tell about her day. "But I know we're going to need that money when the baby comes, and then I'll be thankful that I chose to do the things I did, even if it made me exhausted", he said as he cleared the rest of the things from the table.
"I don't like you working so much if all it does is make you tired." Betty worried a little bit over her husband. "It makes me feel like I should do more to make things more equal."
"Oh, don't you dare", Jughead interrupted her before she could come up with some kind of excuse to demand more from herself. "You're already working as it is - and besides, you're not only taking care of yourself now, but you're taking care of our baby too. Trust me, you're doing more than enough."
"Fine", Betty said as she stood up. "Well at least let me help you a little bit." She went around the room, blowing out the candles, as she wanted to help Jughead clean up. Even if she was pregnant, she was still capable of doing things just as long as she kept her and the baby's safety in mind. Betty knew she could be stubborn, but the pregnancy had changed the way she thought of herself; she wasn't just thinking about herself now, she was thinking about the life growing inside her too. "I think I'm going to head to the shower. Are you sure you'll be able to handle the dishes?"
"I promised you that I would take care of the food and the dishes tonight. I'll let you do all of this some other time this week so you don't have to feel guilty about it. Go to shower, I'll be fine", Jughead said. After Betty was assured by him, she walked over to give him a kiss before she went to the bathroom.
