Living Next Door To Alice

37/ Long Distance

FP had been gone for a almost two weeks and since Alice had been working a lot of nights they hadn't been able to Skype with one another before. And though it had been barely fourteen days since he had gotten on the plane, it felt like had been gone for an eternity.

But whether they liked it or not, an important part of long distance relationship was the online communication. It was all they had before FP would head back for a weekend home.

He was calling her exactly on time as promised. She was curled up under her sheets with her computer in her lap. Though she was excited to see him, all she could think of was how badly she wanted him with her, and not just through a screen.

Alice pressed the green button on her screen, revealing FP on other side. He smiled up at her the minute he saw her face.

"Hey, honey. Are you alright?" She smiled sweetly as she welcomed him.

"Yeah, everything is okay here. Missed seeing your face though." said FP, a bittersweet tone in his voice.

"I missed seeing your face, too. Did the project start already?" Alice swallowed the lump in her throat to try to keep her emotions under control. All she wanted was to pay an interest in his work instead of thinking of how much it hurt to miss him.

"We've had a few meetings, but we won't start building until next month. Lots of talking, discussing and drawing first." explained FP, as he sat down on his bed too.

"Sounds fun." Alice teased, trying to force out a laugh. It looked like he was buying it.

"It actually is, the process is one of the most interesting journeys of all." He perked up a little.

If he was totally honest with himself, he had been even more miserable ever since he had landed. This city was strange and unknown to him, this apartment was no where like the one at home, and there was nobody around that he dared to call a friend. The only thing that kept him from breaking down was the job, which he did really love.

"And how are you feeling?" asked Alice, knowing that this was a huge and scary step for him.

One night before he had left he had tried to explain her how he was feeling about the job, but somehow his most honest feelings he couldn't share with her. Not because he didn't trust her with his whole heart— he did, but because he didn't want to be weak. He wanted to show that he was making progress.

"The sun shines a lot here, so that's helping. Besides that I think I am doing alright." He shrugged, sending her a smile. She wasn't sure it was genuine, but before she could ask FP spoke up again.

"How are you, babe?" He asked in return, wanting to know more about what was happening back in Riverdale.

"I'm good. Great, actually! Work has been busy, and I've been babysitting a lot to take some things of Polly's plate." Alice forced a smile.

She knew it was stupid to try to play it cool, like everything was fine, when in fact it wasn't. However, the last thing she wanted was for him to worry around her when he already was under a lot of pressure.

"I'm happy to hear you're doing so well. How's the rest doing?" asked FP curiously, not questioning her well-being as she was a master in disguising her true emotions.

"Betty, Polly and Archie are working hard to graduate, so they've been studying a lot. Fred makes sure everyone gets fed, per usual." She grinned a little.

"That does sound like Fred." chuckled FP, immediately missing his best friend already.

"Did you have a chance to explore the city?" She asked, trying to turn the conversation back to him before she'd burst out in tears. The more they talked about life back at Riverdale, the more she wanted to tell him how much she, and everyone else, missed him.