OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
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PART 8: Day 19
Clarke was drenched in exhaustion—her 12-hour shift quickly turned into a 16-hour one, and it was nearly midnight by the time she got home. She walked into the quiet, dark house and immediately headed to the kitchen. She was hungry—no, she was famished. The turkey sandwich she had for lunch did absolutely nothing for her, and the fact that she skipped out on breakfast made matters worse.
Upon turning the light on, she couldn’t help but smile at the counter. A single plate, covered with foil, and a note:
Know tonight was a late one, but wasn’t sure if you had a chance to eat. Warm up for a minute and a half. Watching TV in your room, if I’m asleep in there, kick me out!!
She followed the instructions, and once the food hit her mouth, she could have sworn that it was the best thing she had ever tasted. It was likely a combination of her hunger pains, Lexa being handy in the kitchen, and the sweet note—but c’est la vie.
After a quick clean up and running the dishwasher, she swiftly made her way up the stairs. A little peek around the corner, and she saw Lexa’s bedroom light on and the door wide open—the brunette nowhere to be found. She quietly made her way into her room and found Lexa just as the note described. She was sprawled across the bed on top of the covers and Sandy was laying against her. The retriever awoke when Clarke walked in, but didn’t dare to move from her spot. The TV was on, the sounds of a political documentary filling the room, because of course that was what Lexa was watching.
Her heart raced at the sight, and she couldn’t help but imagine a world in which she came home to find the same exact thing, but Lexa being meant to be there—Lexa not having to leave a note, saying to wake her up and send her back to her room if she had fallen asleep.
She exhaled the thought away and sauntered into her en suite to shower, deciding to give Lexa a few more minutes of sleep before she woke her. She washed away the smell of the hospital from her hair, her skin. She washed away the rough day. She washed away the thoughts she had been frequently having about her best friend. Her conversation with Raven the previous weekend had her thinking more and more about the possibility of telling Lexa, seeing if there was any chance that she could possibly feel the same way, but every time she tried to muster the courage, she could never actually bring herself to do it—there was too much at stake.
She toweled off and threw an old t-shirt and shorts on before walking into the bigger room. Sandy, still wide awake at Lexa’s side, started furiously wagging her tail at the sight of Clarke approaching the bed.
“Sandy, no,” Clarke called out in a hushed whisper. “You’re going to wake Lexa up, stop.”
The constant thrashing of the tail finally caused Lexa’s eyes to flutter, “Sandy, what is it?” Her arm curled around the dog to calm her. Once fully aware of Clarke’s presence, she turned her attention to her, “Sorry, did you see my note?”
Clarke nodded with a smile. She stood post a few feet from the bed.
Lexa rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, “I just wanted to watch this documentary and had been on the couch all day, so figured I’d find a room with new scenery.” Her eyes now fully open, “Hope you don’t mind.”
“When have I ever minded anything like this?” Clarke raised a brow—it was true. All the way back to college, Clarke would walk into her dorm room to find Lexa in her bed doing homework, reading, or watching some show, all because her roommate had a revolving door of visitors. The habit stuck ever since.
Lexa shrugged as she started to sit up, “I just figured you had a hard day, didn’t want to put another obstacle in front of you.”
“I did,” Clarke nodded. “But my mood got exponentially better when I got home and had that salmon. Thank you for that, by the way.”
“Least I could do,” Lexa smiled, readying to swing her legs over the bed to head back to her room.
It seemed like Sandy had other plans, though. As soon as Lexa made the move, the dog immediately sat in her lap. Sixty-five pounds of fluff plopped down on her, causing Lexa to fall back into the bed. She hit the pillow with an oomph, and Clarke couldn’t help but laugh.
“Sandy girl, come on,” Lexa exhaled, trying to push the dog off of her. “I gotta go to bed now, c’mon.”
To no avail, Sandy sat contently, wagging her tail and eyeing Clarke.
“Well,” Clarke started towards the bed. “Looks like this girl has other plans for you. Mind if I join?”
“It’s your bed,” Lexa sighed, still trying to remove the dog from her frontside. The angle she was in was proving to be unhelpful. “Clarke, get her off me.”
“She does what she wants, Lex,” Clarke laughed again as she took a seat next to the two. “You should know that by now, you’re basically her sole caretaker these days.”
As soon as Clarke hit the bed, Sandy bounded off of Lexa and found a cool spot at their feet.
“Finally,” Lexa gave out a tired sigh, as she brushed the dog hair off her tank top. “Sorry about that,” she offered.
“Tell me about the documentary,” Clarke started as she got under the covers. There was no doubt in her mind of how tired she really was, but it was nice to have Lexa next to her—even if it was just going to be a few more minutes. She wanted to make the most of it.
Lexa smiled, sitting up and propping a pillow between her head and the headboard, “It’s about how fucked our criminal justice system is. It was pretty good.”
“So good that it put you to sleep?” Clarke raised a brow.
“I was tired,” Lexa shrugged. “I’ve seen it a million times already, it’s one of my favorites.”
“You’re such a nerd,” Clarke pretended to shove her shoulder. “And that’s coming from someone who went through twelve years of higher education to get my job.”
Lexa shrugged it off, “Whatever. You still love me.”
“I do,” Clarke nodded. “Why don’t we start it from the beginning so you can see it a million and one times. I’m probably going to fall asleep, but I’m interested.”
“Okay,” Lexa smiled as she cozied herself back into the bed. “From the top.”
OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 9.5 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
—
PART 13: Day 28
Clarke paced from table to table as she rearranged the floral arrangements, cutlery setup, and chairs over and over again.
“Clarke.”
Baby’s breath was added, then removed. Then added. Then removed. Over and over and over again. The centerpieces were clad with Lexa’s favorite flowers. Sprigs of baby’s breath and eucalyptus surrounded the calla lilies on each table. The arrangements sat nicely inside the tall glass vases she had rushed ordered online.
“Clarke.”
It was a small backyard barbecue, and much to Lexa’s dismay, Clarke had gone ahead and ordered charger plates for the table settings. Charger plates. For a backyard barbecue. Lexa was less than thrilled.
“Clarke.”
Lexa’s request of plastic cutlery was laughed at, and the table was clad with Clarke’s flatware from inside. The plastic tables—Lexa was sure that they were the same their crew used during college breaks at the Griffin’s for beer pong tournaments—were diligently covered with linens and table runners.
“Clarke.”
The blonde stepped away from the three tables. Like she had promised earlier in the week, they were equidistantly apart and all faced inwards so that the people sitting at them would all be able to see one another.
“CLARKE.”
“Hmm,” the blonde snapped out of her hostess duties. “Did you say something, Lex?”
Lexa’s hands were woven into her hair as she scratched at the wild mane and shook her head, “What is all of this?” Her eyes scanned the space and all the fixings that were now coming along with it.
“It’s not done yet,” Clarke saw the worry on Lexa’s face. “I’ve got a little more to do. It’ll look great, I promise.”
“Clarke.”
“I’m just trying to figure out where I should string the banners from,” she let out as she took a step back and let her eyes scan the side of the house. “What do you think about above the sliding door?”
“Clarke, please stop.”
“What don’t you like?” Clarke started to worry at the look on Lexa’s face. She had planned Lexa’s birthday on multiple occasions over the years, even during the time Lexa was dating Costia. This one had to be special. This one had to be the most special of them all. She wanted it to be as perfect as a quarantine birthday could be. “I can run to Target and see if I can swap something out if there are things you’d like better. Just tell me.”
Lexa sighed. She knew that Clarke was just trying to make this birthday feel a little more normal than it should have been. She immediately dropped her shoulders as she exhaled again, taking a step closer to Clarke and bringing her hands to cup the blonde’s face, “Clarke.”
“Lexa,” she exhaled at the touch. The worry was still present in her blue eyes.
“You didn’t have to go through all of this trouble, Clarke,” Lexa offered her a half smile. “Everything’s beautiful,” she let her eyes wander over the tables and decorations, “but this is all too much. Especially because I’m just grilling burgers and wings.”
“I wanted it to be special,” Clarke mumbled. Her face was still sandwiched between Lexa’s hands.
Lexa leaned in and ghosted a quick kiss on Clarke’s lips before she finally dropped her hands to the blonde’s sides. Her arms extended behind her, and her palms found their way to Clarke’s backside where they laid rest, “This is already the most special birthday I’ve ever had, Clarke. Though I appreciate all of this, I didn’t need you to pull out all the bells and whistles.”
“It’s your first birthday I get to plan as your girlfriend,” Clarke smiled at the touch on her behind. “Maybe I got a little carried away. But can you blame me?”
“A little carried away?” Lexa questioned with a raised brow. “There are charger plates set on our college beer pong tables, Clarke.”
“They’re also my grandma’s old bingo tables,” Clarke added. “And fine,” she started to admit. “Yes, I got a little carried away. But I was excited, so we’re going to go with the decorations and you’re going to pretend to like them.”
“I more than like them,” Lexa offered with a smile. “Next time you do something, try not to go so overboard. Okay?”
“Says the one who dropped nearly $3,000 on furnishing my backyard.”
Lexa rolled her eyes, “I did it for my people, Clarke.”
“Hooooly shit,” a man’s voice boomed from the back gate. “This is quite the setup. Happy birthday, Lex. Wish I could give you a hug.”
“You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” Lexa smiled in his direction. “Even from six feet away.” She looked between Clarke, who was standing at her side, back to Lincoln and Octavia who were slowly approaching. “Doctor’s orders and all.”
“Thank you guys for coming,” Clarke beamed. “You can sit at whichever table you guys want, we’re just keeping it casual tonight.”
“Happy birthday, Lexa,” Octavia smiled with a wave as she followed Lincoln to one of the tables. “Casual, huh?” She glanced over the table setting, “Looks super casual to me.”
Lexa rolled her eyes, “Clarke got a little too excited with the decorations.”
“Looks like it,” Octavia laughed. “Clarke,” she turned her attention to the blonde. “I have the cake. Where do you want me to put it?”
“Throw it on the patio table and I’ll take it inside in a bit,” Clarke smiled. “Thank you for picking it up, O.”
“No worries. Least we could do,” Octavia smiled.
“Lex,” Lincoln sauntered towards the grill. “Holy shit, this thing is niiiice.”
“Right?” Lexa crossed her arms proudly. “It was rated one of the best grills to buy this summer. We’ve only used it a few times but it’s been fucking perfect so far. Right, Clarke?”
“Sure,” Clarke rolled her eyes. She turned back to Octavia, “She fucking won’t stop about that stupid thing.”
“That ‘stupid thing’ is what’s been feeding you dinner every night this week,” Lexa raised a brow.
Clarke shook her head as she sighed, “Lex. You’re the stupid thing that’s been feeding me dinner every night this week. You’ve just been using that stupid thing to cook it.”
“Looks like you guys have been having a productive quarantine,” Octavia observed. “When are Rae and Anya getting here?”
“Right now,” a voice called from the gate. “Sup, bitches? Happy birthday, Lexa!”
Lexa shook her head at the loud entrance, “Thanks, Raven.” She craned her neck to see Anya towing behind her girlfriend, “Hey, Ahn.”
“Hey yourself, birthday girl,” Anya nodded. “We come bearing gifts,” she started to round the corner with a case of beer carried over her head. “Birthday tradition, kiddo. You’ve gotta shotgun one–”
Anya took one look at the setup and immediately started laughing. Her train of thought was suddenly derailed, “Clarke, it looks like the fucking Crate and Barrel catalogue threw up in your backyard. I thought we were having burgers and wings today. It looks like you’re hosting a fucking bridal shower.”
Clarke rolled her eyes and mouthed a hello to Raven.
“I think she made it look lovely,” Lexa offered a smile in Clarke’s direction. She looked back to Anya, “We are having burgers and wings though, don’t let the fancy setup deceive you. And I will not be shotgunning a beer, thank you very much.”
Anya started emptying the case of beer in the cooler next to the grill, “Wow this thing looks top of the line.”
“I just Googled it,” Lincoln held up his phone. “Damn, Lex. Dropping over a thousand bucks to fancy up Griff’s backyard? I need a best best friend like you.”
Lexa rolled her eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time day, “It’s for all of us.”
“But it’s living in Clarke’s backyard,” Raven smirked. “Convenient for Clarke.”
“Convenient for me, because I’m squatting here for the foreseeable future,” Lexa corrected. “And once this is all over, you all know most of our time is going to be spent here anyway. She’s the only one with a big enough outdoor space for it.”
“Way to make a gal feel special, Lex,” Clarke nudged her shoulder against the brunette’s. “I throw you a birthday party and you basically tell all our friends you’re using me for my backyard space.”
“Hey,” Lexa shrugged as a smirk tugged her lips upward. “It’s a good space. Can you blame me?”
Clarke wrinkled her nose and shook her head, “You’re annoying.” She looked at her phone and realized it was probably a good time to start getting the food read, “Why don’t you make yourself useful and fire the grill up? I can bring some of the food out now.”
“You’re making her cook her own birthday lunch?” Raven laughed. “Damn, Griff.”
Clarke shrugged, “She wanted to do it. Who was I from stopping the birthday girl?”
“Speaking of the birthday girl,” Raven lowered her voice so only Clarke could hear her. She wiggled her brows, “Did you get the birthday girl a special birthday gift?”
Clarke rolled her eyes and matched Raven’s hushed voice, “You better cut it out, Rae.”
“Cut what out?” Anya butted in as she stepped closer towards her girlfriend. “What’d I miss?”
Raven let out a chuckle, “Oh, nothing. I was just trying to figure out what Clarke gave Lexa for her birthday. See if it was anything special.”
“Lex!” Anya called out towards the grill. Lexa had just turned the propane tank on and started to heat the machine up. “What’d Griff get ya for your birthday? Anything good you’d like to share with us?”
Lexa raised a brow, “She’s giving me my gift tonight. Why?”
“Tonight?” Raven smirked in Clarke’s direction.
“You’re literally being a weird perv for no reason, Rae,” Clarke huffed. “I literally got her clothes. Clothes and a book.”
Raven twisted her face in disgust, “That’s so boring, Griff. Clothes and a book? Seriously?”
“I mean,” Anya butted in again and shrugged. “Sounds right up Lex’s alley.”
Clarke rolled her eyes at Raven and walked towards Lexa. As much as she wanted to snake her arms around her waist, she restrained. “Need any help over here?”
Lexa smiled at the voice, “I was just going to head inside to grab a few things. Could use a helping hand if you wanted to accompany me.”
“Lead the way,” Clarke extended her arm.
Inside, in the confines of Clarke’s kitchen, and hidden in view from their friends, Lexa grabbed Clarke by the waist and pulled her in for a quick, searing kiss. “Been wanting to do that for a bit,” she mumbled against Clarke’s lips.
“Me too,” Clarke sighed. “I know this is your birthday party, but I’m ready for them to eat and leave so I can give you your gift.”
“And what would that be?” Lexa raised a suggestive brow.
“You’ll find out tonight,” Clarke shrugged.
“Can’t wait,” Lexa gave her another quick kiss before heading back towards the backyard with the food in tow. “Hey,” she turned around. “What were Raven and Ahn ganging up on you about?”
Clarke rolled her eyes, “Rae was trying to see what I got you for your birthday.”
“Did you tell her?” Lexa’s eyes were filled with mischief.
“Sorta,” Clarke laughed. “I gave her a version that’s more or less what you’ll be unwrapping later.”
---
Lexa was actually thankful for the tablecloths. The very unnecessary coverings were unneeded for a casual backyard affair between six friends, but most definitely were needed to shield the four unsuspecting people from watching Lexa’s fingers drawing circles on the top of Clarke’s thigh. The blonde had a content look on her face, and no one knew it was attributed to the light touches from the brunette sitting next to her.
“Is Raven staring at us?” Lexa whispered the question so only Clarke could hear. Lincoln, Anya and Octavia seemed to be in conversation about something, and Raven was chiming in here and there, but her eyes kept wandering back to the two silent hosts. “Why’s she being weird?”
“Maybe she can see you feeling me up,” Clarke offered, to which Lexa immediately retracted her hand. “Oh calm down, I was kidding.”
“Do you think she knows?” Lexa whispered again.
Clarke turned to her girlfriend, “I mean, would it be the worst thing if she did?”
“You’re the one that wanted to wait,” Lexa reminded her. What Lexa didn’t realize was that her voice raised at the surprise of Clarke’s question.
“Wait for what?” Lincoln turned around. He was sitting closest to Lexa’s side.
Lexa looked at Clarke to answer. The normally calm and collected Lexa Woods had finally found herself to be flustered and not wanting the responsibility of answering the question.
Clarke rolled her eyes at the suddenly tense person seated next to her.
“For cake.”
“We’re sleeping together.”
They both spat out at the same time.
“SERIOUSLY?” all five yelled towards Lexa’s direction as she turned as bright as the sliced tomato sitting on top of her burger.
“Sleeping together?” Clarke’s voice was still raised and her brow suggested Lexa correct her statement.
“Dating,” Lexa muttered. “Clarke and I are dating.”
“Holy shit,” Lincoln laughed.
“It’s about time,” Octavia gasped.
“We fucking knew it,” Raven and Anya said together, as if on cue.
“We were going to wait,” Clarke rolled her eyes and seared a look into Lexa’s. She brought a hand to the side of her own face and sighed, “But guess this was a good time to let the cat out of the bag.”
“So,” Octavia looked around at the group of friends. “This whole time? Or like…”
“It’s literally been a week,” Clarke shook her head. “We wanted to see how things played out before we told anyone. But I guess that’s gone out the window,” she shot Lexa another look.
“It’s my birthday,” Lexa nervously laughed. “You can’t be mad at me on my birthday.”
“Look, she’s already groveling,” Anya pointed out as she leaned towards Raven.
“I’m not groveling,” Lexa huffed. She looked back to Clarke and cracked a nervous half smile. “At least I get to do this now,” she placed a kiss at the corner of the blonde’s mouth. “Sorry, I’ll make it up to you.”
Clarke took a breath, “It’s fine, they were bound to find out anyway.”
“I think this calls for a celebration,” Lincoln spoke up as he held a bottle of beer. “Happy Birthday, Lex. And congrats to you two for finally realizing you should be getting your freak on together.”
OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 9.5 | Part 10 | Part 11
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PART 12: Day 24
Clarke woke with a smile on her face. The steady breath on her neck and arm clinging to her waist was surely part of the reason. The other was embracing the fact that her and Lexa finally made the full leap into their relationship the night prior.
She slowly opened her eyes and grasped for the hand that was holding onto her, the touch started to stir Lexa to wake.
“Mmm,” Lexa sighed. “Morning,” she placed a kiss to the back of Clarke’s neck.
“Morning to you, too,” Clarke rolled over to face Lexa. “Quite a night we had, huh?”
Lexa smiled, “Small fortune to pay to be able to have my way with you.”
Clarke raised a brow, “Small fortune?”
Lexa’s smile turned into a mischievous smirk, “All the money spent on the grill and patio furniture. Plus the house of manual labor.” She pretended to tally everything in her mind, “Hmm, yeah. Definitely the most expensive booty call I’ve ever had.”
Clarke swatted her chest, “Don’t be a jerk.”
Lexa leaned in for a kiss, in which Clarke happily welcomed.
“Last night was amazing,” Lexa smiled as she pulled away. “More than amazing, actually. Spectacular, even.”
“Oh?” Clarke jokingly batted her eyelashes, “Tell me more.”
“I just can’t get enough of you,” Lexa leaned in for another kiss.
Clarke sighed a content breath when Lexa pulled away, “I’m all yours.”
Lexa nestled her thigh between Clarke’s bare ones and brought her lips to her neck. She peppered a trail of kisses up to her ear, “Good. I think we need another go this morning. For good measure and all.”
“For good measure,” Clarke repeated with another sigh.
---
“Yeah,” Clarke kicked her feet up onto the chair planted next to hers, as she let her eyes graze over Lexa. “I could get used to this.”
Lexa turned around with a smile plastered on her face, “I really should have bought this sooner.” She waved a hand over the grill, “It’s quite excellent and has really been getting my farther in life.”
Clarke rolled her eyes, “Just so we’re clear. I said I could get used to this because of the bountiful food it brings me.”
“I’m the one that brings you bounties of food,” Lexa corrected as she flipped the burgers. She shut the hood and walked towards the table. In a careful movement, she lifted Clarke’s legs to sit in the chair next to her, then lowered them back into her lap. “It’s just a new kind of food we’re having.”
“Charred and delicious,” Clarke wiggled her brows. “Should I go get the salad from inside, or do we have time?”
Lexa looked at the timer on her phone, “Five more minutes, maybe.” She took the sunglasses from the top of her head and fixed them on the bridge of her nose before she offered Clarke a smile, “I’m a fan of evenings like these.”
A grin appeared on Clarke’s face, “I’m a fan, too. Especially because of the burger I’m about to inhale.”
Lexa laughed as she started to stroke her fingers onto Clarke’s exposed ankle.
“Hey,” Clarke smiled in Lexa’s direction.
“Hey yourself.”
“So,” Clarke cocked her head to the side. “Your birthday is coming up.”
“It is,” Lexa agreed with a half smile. “Listen, before you say anything. We don’t have to make a big deal out of it. At all. You know me and birthdays…”
Clarke rolled her eyes, “I do know you and birthdays, but I want to do something nice for it.”
“You do something nice for my birthday every year, Clarke,” Lexa started. “We’re literally in a quarantine, we don’t have to do anything.”
“But it’s the first year we get to celebrate it together,” Clarke replied. “Like, actually together. I want to do something nice for you.”
“How about we order in and I get to pick a movie,” Lexa suggested, her fingers were still grazing Clarke’s legs. “I just don’t want any fuss. And I don’t want our friends to feel like they have to log on to some video conference happy hour just on my accord.”
“Our friends would be more than happy to watch you take birthday shots on a video call, Lexa,” Clarke reminded her. “We could do something small and simple.”
Lexa raised a brow, “What do you have in mind?”
“What if I had mom bring over her folding tables and chairs,” Clarke started. She paused to get Lexa’s reaction, but the lift in her brow remained and Clarke could tell Lexa didn’t know what she was getting at. She took a deep breath before starting again, “What if Anya, Rae, Lincoln, and O came over.”
“Clarke,” Lexa shook her head. “That defeats the purpose of us quarantining.”
“Well,” Clarke nodded. “We have a grill now, and this patio furniture. What if we made a triangle of three tables all a safe distance from each other. We wear masks except for when we eat. We can do it safely, we’ll all be outside. If anyone has to use the bathroom, it’s right off the porch door, anyway. Hand sanitizer and wipes for everyone that goes in and out. As long as we’re safe about it, I don’t see an issue.”
“They’ve all been seeing each other,” Lexa thought out loud. “I don’t want them to feel obligated to come here, though.”
“If they don’t feel comfortable, then we can order takeout and watch whatever movie you want,” Clarke’s voice softened. “I know they’ve all been seeing each other and I honestly just feel awful that the only person you’ve been seeing is me.”
“I made that choice,” Lexa smiled. “And sure. If you think it’s safe, and if the four of them are comfortable with it, then yeah. It sounds like it could be a nice time.”
“You birthday conveniently falls on a Saturday too,” Clarke grinned. “So we can do a lunch, do a little day drinking, then have the night to ourselves.”
“You’re not working at all?” Lexa scrunched her nose. Clarke had worked every Saturday until last weekend, and Lexa was sure it meant she had to be in the hospital this coming one.
Clarke shook her head, “Switched with someone. It’s your birthday, Lex. You really think I’d let you be home alone all day for it?”
“I would be with Sandy,” Lexa corrected her. There was a pang in her heart. A good kind of pang. “You didn’t have to do that,” she smiled. “But thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Lex,” she smiled back.
Before Lexa could reply, the timer on her phone went off. “Burgers are ready for some cheese,” she started to get up.
“I’ll go get the salad,” Clarke followed suit. “I’m going to send a group text to see if everyone’s down for Saturday.”
---
Raven raised a brow as she turned to Anya on the couch, “Griff’s throwing Lexa a birthday party? That’s cute.”
“Wonder if she’s gonna give her birthday sex,” Anya rolled her eyes. “But yes, it’s cute. I’m down to go, are you okay with that?”
“Yeah,” Raven nodded. “It’ll be nice. Clarke said we’ll all be careful about it. I don’t have any issues, and I do want to see this outdoor palace Lexa has built in Clarke’s backyard.”
“That’s a stretch,” Anya rolled her eyes. “It’s a grill and patio set.”
“Still weird that Lexa bought it for Clarke for no reason,” Raven suggested. “What’d she tell you? That it’s for everyone since we’ll all be hanging out there after all this shit is over anyway?”
Anya shrugged, “Something like that.”
“Has she said anything else about Clarke?” Raven wondered.
“Nope,” Anya shook her head. “Has Clarke?”
“Radio silence,” Raven sighed. “It’s almost been a month. They’re both secretly hot for each other. Maybe Saturday we can nudge them along a little.”
“Any more nudging from me and Lexa will literally throw a punch my way,” Anya noted. “I think Clarke is the way in with this one. At least she’s blatantly admitted to you that she for sure has the hots for Lex.”
“Yeah, true,” Raven nodded. “Griff will be easy to break anyway. Especially after two drinks.”
“Operation Clexa is in full effect,” Anya high-fived her girlfriend.
OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
—
PART 9.5: DAY 20
After Lexa’s somewhat of a confession, she simply hopped out of bed as if nothing had happened and exited the room. Clarke, still totally unsure of what had transcended—and certainly unsure of how to navigate the rest of the day—stayed put in her spot.
Almost fifteen minutes later, Lexa called from downstairs, “Clarke,” a pause. “C’mon, breakfast is almost ready!”
Clarke scrunched her face. That’s where Lexa fled off to, because, of course.
She took her time—changed into another set of comfortable clothes, brushed her teeth, tried to salvage the mess of bedhead, and finally made her way down to the kitchen.
“What’s all this?” Clarke’s brow was raised—pancakes and eggs were set on the small table.
Lexa sat down at her normal seat, “I figured if we were going to have somewhat of an awkward conversation, pancakes would help us ease into it.”
“Do we have to do this right now?” Clarke sighed.
“We don’t,” Lexa shrugged. “But figured it would be better to, rather than us be home all day pretending like nothing happened.”
“Fine,” Clarke rolled her eyes, begrudgingly taking her seat as she watched Lexa put food onto her plate. “Thanks.”
“So,” they both started at the same time, both gave an awkward laugh, before Clarke finally spoke up again.
“Sorry,” she smiled. “You first?”
“Sure,” Lexa nodded. “I know you said you were mortified,” she started, her inquisitive eyes finding Clarke’s. “But I really want you to know you have no reason to be. I woke up and realized what was happening, and I just…”
She paused—perhaps the conversation she wanted to have with Clarke would be harder than she initially thought.
“You what?” Clarke finally asked, breaking the silence.
“I just wanted it, too,” Lexa confessed. “I’ve been trying to wrap my head around a few things, and Anya has been saying–”
“Anya?” Clarke immediately turned her attention from the hot cake on her fork back up to Lexa. “What has Anya been saying?”
“Nothing, really,” Lexa shrugged. “I mean, she’s been asking me if something’s been going on between us, and I keep telling her that nothing has—that we’ve been the same as usual, but I suppose our ‘same as usual’ has always raised eyebrows in the past anyway.”
“I’m going to kill Raven,” Clarke shook her head.
“Raven?” Lexa tilted her head in thought. “What does Raven have to do with this?”
“She probably fucking told Anya everything,” Clarke let out. “I’m seriously going to kill her.”
“Everything?” Lexa set her fork down—her eyes were keenly focused on Clarke’s. “I don’t think Raven’s said anything to her. What do you mean by ‘everything?’”
“What has Anya been saying?” Clarke asked again.
Lexa scrunched her face, “I already told you. What are you talking about with Raven, though?”
“I’ve just been talking to Raven, too,” Clarke exhaled. Her train of thought drifted far away from the breakfast on her plate. Perhaps Lexa was right—pancakes serving as an early-morning icebreaker. “She’s been wondering if something’s been going on with us, also. And has been very vocal that she thinks something should be.”
Lexa nodded in understanding, “Have you said anything to her to make her push for that?”
“Yes,” Clarke admitted. “Yeah, I have.”
Lexa raised a brow, “I see.”
“Is that okay?” Clarke asked.
“Clarke,” Lexa softened her expression. “Of course it is. That’s why we’re sitting here talking about it. I mean, after this morning,” she looked up to meet Clarke’s eyes again. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re both seeing our relationship differently.”
“When did you first think about it?” Clarke finally asked. She needed to know.
Lexa shrugged, “I think it may have always been in the back of my mind. I’m not sure. You?”
“Sophomore year,” Clarke stated. “I’ve thought about it since sophomore year.”
Lexa’s eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets, “Why didn’t you say something?”
“But back then?” Lexa started. “Why didn’t you say something back then?”
“I tried to, once,” Clarke shook her head. “But we were nineteen, and you were—are—my best friend, and that was just the most terrifying thought.”
“What?” Lexa blinked. “When?”
“Remember sophomore year when you planned that road trip for me, you, Rae, and O to go visit Anya at school?” Clarke smiled at the thought. “Right around that time.”
“I do,” Lexa recalled. “Since then, huh?”
It was a shotty plan, at best, but Lexa was still proud of it. The four friends were to take the holiday weekend, a Friday and Monday off of class, and drive Raven’s old Lesabre on an eight-hour drive to visit Lexa’s childhood best friend. She had met the group a bunch of times, and thankfully, they got along famously—but it was now Lexa’s turn to go visit her, and she wanted to bring everyone else along. The route was easy—Raven was in charge of that. Clarke and Octavia were in charge of road snacks and games, and Lexa was in charge of the playlist for there and back.
It was the Thursday night before they were set to leave, and Lexa barged into Clarke’s dorm room—Clarke and the other two were sitting on the floor discussing food choices and different places to stop for gas and snack-refuels. The look of excitement and happiness on Lexa’s face caught Clarke’s attention—in the two years they had been friends, she had never seen Lexa look so proud, and that’s when she knew.
Lexa held her phone in the air, boastful about the two playlists she created. Beamed at the fact that she sprung for a Spotify premium account so that no ads would interrupt her music flow. Said it was going to be like a symphony of sounds in the car the whole way there and back, and made sure to let everyone know that “no skipping” was allowed.
The smile on Clarke’s face said it all, and though Lexa didn’t catch on, Raven and Octavia most certainly did.
“Was there a particular moment? Did something happen?” Lexa questioned. Her mind was trying to sift through all the memories the pair had shared, trying to pinpoint a place in time that would lead Clarke to feel the way she did all that time ago.
“The look on your face when you came into my room the night before we left,” Clarke sighed again. “You looked so happy, so proud. And my heart dropped into my stomach and I guess I just realized it. I don’t know.”
“That was a killer playlist,” Lexa smiled.
“Debatable,” Clarke raised a brow. “There was too much Kenny Chesney.”
“Clarke,” Lexa started. “I literally crafted that playlist to the scenery I knew we’d be driving through. It was perfect.”
Clarke rolled her eyes, recalling the drive from Nashville to New Orleans, “I wanted to gouge my fucking eyes out.”
“Glad you didn’t,” Lexa smiled. “They’re too pretty.”
Clarke immediately softened, offering Lexa a smile, “Wow, I would have done that sooner had I known it would have meant you’d start being nicer to me.”
“Please,” Lexa scoffed. “I’m always nice to you. It’s probably why everyone always thought something was going on with us.”
“Everyone?” Clarke asked, but was just met with a shrug from Lexa.
“When did you try to tell me?” Lexa asked, changing the subject.
Clarke looked towards the window, then back to Lexa, “A week or so after we got back from Anya’s. Raven and O had been pestering me to finally come clean, and I had some liquid courage, so I figured I might as well.”
“But you didn’t,” Lexa was confused. “I mean, you never told me.”
“Correct,” Clarke gave her a sad smile—it showed in her eyes. “We were in my room—Monty had dropped off a jug of his ‘Murder Sangria’ and we were just drinking it and watching a movie,” Clarke recalled. “I don’t even remember what it was, but something happened and I was the only one that laughed. I couldn’t believe they didn’t think the scene was funny and made a comment about how you would have.”
“We do have a weird sense of humor,” Lexa chuckled. “I’m sure whatever it was, wasn’t actually funny, Clarke.”
“Semantics,” Clarke rolled her eyes. “Anyway, they both started egging me on, teasing me about how I was crushing on you and finally got me up and had me marching towards your dorm room to tell you.”
“But you didn’t,” Lexa repeated, still confused as to why Clarke never said a thing to her. “What happened?”
Clarke, tipsy on sangria and drunk off of a mad crush, sauntered over from her dorm room to Lexa’s. Two and a half weeks’ worth of teasing from her other two friends finally drove her to do it. Lexa had opted to skip out on movie night—second semester finals were around the corner, and she was hellbent on maintaining that shining GPA of hers.
A knock at Lexa’s door brought her out of her zone, and once she opened it, she found Clarke with a certain glow to her. Lexa smiled immediately, excited to see her best friend. To Clarke, the smile was the same one that gutted her heart right out of her chest from a few Thursday night’s ago.
“I have to tell you something,” they said in unison—both girls wound up laughing, but Clarke’s anxiety got the best of her. As ready as she was to tell Lexa what she wanted to, she figured another minute wouldn’t hurt her cause.
“You first,” Clarke offered.
“You’ll never guess,” Lexa beamed, her smile was growing even wider, and Clarke’s chest swelled even more at the sight.
Clarke raised a brow, “Then I guess you’ll have to just tell me whatever is it that’s gotten you so riled up, Lex.”
“Costia asked me out,” the look in Lexa’s eyes matched the smile on her face. She was happy—no, she was ecstatic. She was ecstatic and elated and beautiful and everything in between, and Clarke tried to pretend to be the same for the other, but the fake smile on her face was barely enough to mask her devastation.
“Oh, wow, Lex,” Clarke offered.
Lexa nodded, not realizing Clarke’s reply was nowhere near sincere, “You remember, right? That girl I told you about from my poli-sci class?”
“Yeah, wow,” Clarke couldn’t find the words. The combination of the Murder Sangria and Lexa’s news was starting to make her sick, “Lexa that’s awesome. Really exciting. Really happy for you.”
“Thanks!” Lexa beamed. “I think we’re going to try to do something after our poli-sci final this week. I’ll keep you posted. I’m going to need your help with what to wear and all that stuff.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Clarke nodded. “Of course.”
“What’d you have to tell me?” Lexa tilted her head. “Sorry, you came here for something and I totally hijacked the conversation.”
Clarke shook her head, “No, it was stupid.” She closed her eyes, “Uh, we were watching a movie and something funny happened and I wanted to tell you, but I don’t even remember. Your news was much more exciting.”
“Oh, okay,” Lexa smiled. “I’m glad you came by, though.”
“I showed up to your room to tell you,” Clarke nearly winced at the thought. “And then you told me about Costia.”
Lexa immediately felt her stomach drop, “Clarke.”
Clarked nodded, “Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Lexa asked—Costia was new, but Clarke was a constant. Surely, had Clarke said something, they would have been able to navigate it together all those years ago.
“I’d known you for two years at that point, Lex,” Clarke offered. “I thought you finishing your stupid playlist was the happiest I had seen you, and I guess it was. Until that exact moment.”
“But–”
“No,” Clarke sighed. “You had been talking about her all semester, Lexa. You had a wild crush on her and wouldn’t stop blabbing about it. She finally asked you out, and I wasn’t going to take that away from you.”
“But–”
“No buts, Lex,” Clarke shook her head. “It’s in the past, okay?”
“But it was so new with Cos, Clarke,” Lexa tried. “If you told me, then maybe we could have figured this all out back then.”
“I wasn’t going to get in the way of you and Costia, Lexa,” Clarke started. “And look—it lasted six years with you guys, so it clearly meant something.”
Lexa rolled her eyes, “It’s not like we ended up together.”
“Six years, though,” Clarke pointed out. “It meant something.”
Lexa nodded, “Okay, so have you always felt this way? Since then?”
“I don’t know,” Clarke shrugged. “I really don’t. After all that, I kind of brushed everything to the side. You’ve been my best friend since we met and it was more so me just coming to terms with the fact that that’s all you’d ever be to me. Maybe I kept it in the back of my mind, but since then, I’ve just looked at you as my best friend.”
“Okay,” Lexa nodded. “I get it. So what do we do now?”
“I mean,” Clarke finally broke a smile. “I guess we see where things go? I’d say we take it slow—and this is new territory, so I do want to do that—but considering this morning…”
“We can take things slow and see where things are going, Clarke,” Lexa nodded.
“Can we refrain from telling Raven and Anya and everyone else about this morning, though?” Clarke winced at the thought of the endless teasing that would come her way.
“How about,” Lexa leaned in, grabbing Clarke’s hand with her own. “We keep this between us right now. We’ll see where things go, and if we decide we’re on the right track, we can let those idiots in on it.”
“I like that,” Clarke nodded. “Just me and you?”
Lexa smiled, before releasing her hold on Clarke’s hand. She stood up and made her way towards the blonde, leaning over her seat to brush a stray golden lock behind her ear, “Just me and you.”
Clarke’s expression softened. Her heart was beating out of her chest.
“I’m going to kiss you now, Clarke,” Lexa smiled, looking into her eyes to gauge her reaction.
“Fucking finall–”
Clarke was cut off by the feeling of Lexa’s lips against her own. To her, the kiss was ten years in the making—but the softness of Lexa’s touch, the look she had just given her, the hand that was now caressing her neck—that made it all worth the wait.
OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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PART 9: Day 20
Upon waking up, Lexa’s body immediately tensed. Not because the sun was beating into the room, through the blinds that she forgot to close. Not because she was in a tangled mess with Clarke in the blonde’s bed. But because somehow in that tangled mess, her thigh had managed to find its place between Clarke’s own legs—and though Clarke was still asleep, the sharp breaths exhaling onto Lexa’s neck and slow movement of Clarke’s hips alluded to the fact that she was definitely having a good dream of sorts.
Lexa laid there in contemplation—she could easily shift her position, subtly wake Clarke up and pretend she didn’t know what was going on, but with the past few weeks—the looks she had seen Clarke sneak, the conversations with Anya, and coming to realize that perhaps there was something there? She couldn’t help but let Clarke continue on.
Hips were canting on her thigh, and the breathing on her neck became more rigid, and Lexa couldn’t help but close her eyes again and match Clarke’s movements with her own leg. They had shared a bed before—too many times to count, and with that, they normally woke up contorted with one another. Lexa wasn’t a stranger to that—in fact, it had always had a calming effect on her.
But this. This was new. This was something that was short-circuiting her brain. This was something that she wanted to indulge in, to see out, but wasn’t sure what the consequences would be.
Clarke’s ragged breath turned into soft whimpers, the canting hips sped up, and Lexa’s insides swirled with her own arousal. Against her better judgement, Lexa moved her hand from Clarke’s side to the small of her back, rocking her body further, guiding her to her orgasm.
As soon as the force of Lexa’s added movement went into play, she felt Clarke’s face move against her neck—she was starting to wake up.
“Shh,” Lexa cooed, her own breath was shaky. “I’ve got you, Clarke.”
Waking from her slumber—from her dream that was seeming to be a reality—Clarke was equally embarrassed as she was turned on, “Oh my god.”
“I don’t want you to stop,” Lexa whispered back. “I’ve got you,” she repeated.
Clarke sighed into her neck, her face hadn’t moved from its spot. Lexa reassuring her was all she needed to hear to continue on. She pushed the apprehension to the back of her mind and focused on what she wanted right in that moment, but she didn’t dare to look up, to look Lexa in the eye as she continued.
“Fuck,” Clarke whimpered as she got closer. “Fuck, Lex.”
Lexa felt Clarke speed up even more, heard her whimpers turn to soft moans—she knew she was close. She held on tighter to Clarke, wishing she could feel more of her—but for right now, this had to be enough. The grinding of their bodies and the blissful noises escaping from Clarke’s mouth were enough to send Lexa over the edge in tandem.
Lexa moved her other arm from under Clarke’s neck to grasp the back of her head. She lifted it, bringing Clarke’s eyes to level with her own, and the look Clarke was giving her—the vulnerability, the want, the need—it sent Lexa into a spiral.
She immediately crooked her head down, burying her mouth atop the nest of blonde hair, “Please don’t stop.”
“Lexa,” Clarke’s voice started to shake, her moans leaving her mouth at a more frequent pace. “Lexa, God.”
“Come on, Clarke,” Lexa urged her, wanting Clarke to reach her point, wanting Clarke to collapse into her. She kissed the top of her head, before whispering, “I want to hear you.”
As soon as the words left Lexa’s mouth, Clarke’s whole body shuddered. Lexa wanted to hear her, and knowing that—Clarke made sure she did. A guttural moan escaped her mouth, followed by whispers of Lexa’s name alongside other expletives. She rode out her orgasm, then finally reached up to remove Lexa’s hand from her back.
With her face buried back into the crook of Lexa’s neck, Clarke offered a deep exhale, “Oh my God, Lexa. I’m so sorry.”
“Never apologize for that again,” Lexa offered, understanding how Clarke was probably feeling. She placed another kiss atop her head, “What were you dreaming about?”
Clarke shook her head against Lexa’s warm skin, “Don’t want to say.”
Lexa couldn’t help but laugh, “Don’t you think we’re a bit past that by now?”
“Ugh,” Clarke groaned. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
“What were you dreaming about,” she asked again.
Clarke let out a loud exhale—Lexa was right, after what just happened, she realized there really wasn’t anything to hold back anymore, “You.”
“Hmm,” Lexa hummed into her hair. “What about me, Clarke?”
“Lexa,” Clarke started. “Do we have to do this right now? I’m mortified.”
“I told you I didn’t want you to stop,” Lexa used her free hand to trace a finger down Clarke’s spine. “What was happening in your dream, Clarke?” She wanted to hear it, wanted to know what had gotten them to the point that they had reached.
“I’m sure whatever your imagination is telling you is pretty on par with my dream, Lex,” Clarke sighed.
Lexa nodded, deciding not to pry further, “Perhaps next time we can stay on the course of your dream, then?”
“Next time?” Clarke immediately questioned.
“If you want there to be a next time,” Lexa offered.
OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 9.5
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PART 10: Day 21 & Day 22
“This is weird,” Clarke leaned into Lexa’s hand that was wrapped around her. For the first time ever, she was actually thankful of her nightshift the day prior—after what happened the previous morning, neither woman was sure of what would be moving too fast or too slow, but the nightshift was a good buffer for that.
Lexa stiffened, “Oh, sorry. We don’t have to–”
“No, no,” Clarke reached for Lexa’s arm to stay draped around her shoulder. “Sorry. I just meant that I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Oh,” Lexa nodded. “Yeah, me too.”
“I’m happy it is,” Clarke rested her head on Lexa’s shoulder.
“Me too,” Lexa placed a gentle kiss on top of her head. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Mhmm,” Clarke hummed. “It’s astounding how my sleep schedule isn’t as fucked up as it should be, though. What time is it?”
Lexa looked down at her phone, “3:30.”
“Enough time for a movie before you have to start making my dinner,” Clarke suggested.
Lexa rolled her eyes, “You know, it’s basically like we’ve been dating this whole time minus the kissing and the leg humping.”
“Lexa!” Clarke sat up. “Ugh, can you seriously at least give me two weeks to recover from that?”
Lexa laughed as she reached to pull Clarke back in. She traced a finger down her jaw, stopping at her chin and hooking her face upwards. When she finally brought their lips together, she felt Clarke exhale.
“It was an incredible turn on, Clarke,” Lexa whispered against her lips, before connecting them again.
“Mmm,” Clarke relaxed. “Whatever you say.”
Unspoken words were shared through soft and sweet kisses. The two had talked a bit more before Clarke had to head to work the previous day, but there were still so many things that had been left unsaid, so many things both were left to wonder with. But this—being together the way they both wanted to be, though at a tentative pace, just felt right.
Lexa moved her hands to Clarke’s sides, pulling for her towards her. Quickly, Clarke moved to exactly where she knew Lexa wanted her. She was now situated on Lexa’s lap—her legs were suddenly straddled around Lexa’s and their mouths moved together to deepen the kiss. The kiss was hungrier than any they’ve shared in the past two days. It was fast, lips were being nipped at, hands were roaming.
It wasn’t until Lexa finally broke the contact, resting her forehead against Clarke’s and put her hand on the blonde’s chest to slow things down. “Clarke,” she said between short breaths. “Is this taking things slow?”
Clarke sighed, “Probably not. But do we have to?” She leaned in for another kiss in which Lexa willingly obliged.
“We’re moving at the pace of two horny teenages,” Lexa smiled against the lips that were hungrily engulfing hers again. “Not that I’m complaining,” She added, taking another breath. “Just calling it out.”
Clarke sat up, still in Lexa’s lap, and looked her in the eye, “Who cares about taking things slow? Fuck it.”
“It was your idea,” Lexa raised a brow. “I was just obliging by your rules.”
Clarke rolled her eyes and let out a defeated sigh. She dismounted from her position, climbing back to Lexa’s side where she was originally sitting, “Fine, fine. Slow is better. Test the waters. Make sure we don’t ruin our friendship.”
“What’s the worst that could happen, anyway?” Lexa smirked. “We have awkward and awful sex, can’t look each other in the eye for a few days, and then I move back into my apartment?”
“That sounds about right,” Clarke sighed again, at the thought. As badly as she wanted Lexa—wanting to really feel her, wanting Lexa to unravel, the worst-case-scenario scared the living shit out of her. “Put a movie on,” she commanded. “And stop with the talk of you leaving, my brain can’t even compute that.”
“Aye aye, captain,” Lexa pretended to salute. “Your wish is my command.”
---
“There goes my weekend off,” Clarke rolled her eyes as she set her phone down on the table.
Lexa put her fork down, “You’re getting called into work?”
“No,” Clarke sighed, taking another bite of the pasta. “Mom wants us over to grill tomorrow. She realized that it’s the first weekend we both have off at the same time.”
“What if we already had plans?” Lexa questioned.
She was met with a blank stare from Clarke, “Oh, yeah.” Clarke scoffed, “Big plans during a quarantine.” She pretended to type back, “Sorry, mom. Lexa and I are doing a bar and restaurant crawl with all of our friends tomorrow. Can’t come.”
“Jerk,” Lexa rolled her eyes as she took a quick bite of food. “What’s wrong with going to your mom’s anyway? I miss Abby, haven’t seen her in ages.”
“Maybe I just wanted to spend my day off making out with you on the couch,” Clarke shrugged. “But if you’d rather hang with my mom, then we can do that.”
“As lovely as an all-day makeout sounds, Clarke,” Lexa smirked. “We should probably go.”
“You’re probably right.”
“I am.”
---
“There are my girls,” Abby greeted them with the biggest smile and arms wide open. “Clarke, honey,” she looked to her daughter. “Why haven’t you come sooner?” She turned to Lexa, “And Lexa, it’s been far too long, dear.”
Lexa was first to make her way to the woman, “Clarke’s been keeping me prisoner.” She smirked back at Clarke with her exaggeration, “This is the first time she’s let me out in public. But I’m glad it’s to see you.”
“You’re such a kiss-ass,” Clarke murmured, loud enough for both to hear her. “And sorry that I’m the responsible one trying to keep everyone safe.”
“Clarke,” Abby scolded. “Lexa is quarantining with a doctor who is in and out of a hospital everyday. I’d imagine I’m being as safe about this as you are, there’s no reason for you two to not be able to come here.”
“Well we’re here now,” Clarke shrugged, before finally walking up to the two. “Hi, mom.”
“Come inside,” Abby waved them in. “Lexa, I have the grill fired up and the food prepared. Would you do the honors?”
“Mom,” Clarke whined. “You’re putting her to work? You invited us here.”
Lexa brushed Clarke off, “You know I’d love to. Your daughter doesn’t even have a grill, this is going to be quite a treat.”
Clarke rolled her eyes at Abby’s knowing smirk and finally followed them both into the house towards the kitchen.
---
“Clarke,” Lexa called out from behind the grill. “We should really get one of these, it’ll be a game changer for dinners when you’re not working nights.”
“We?” Abby asked her daughter in a whisper with a raised brow.
Clarke shrugged her mom off and called back out to Lexa from her seat under the patio umbrella, “If you want it, you buy it.”
“What about a small table and chairs for the deck?” Lexa asked. Her focus was on flipping the pieces of chicken on the grill, getting the perfect grill marks.
“Sure,” Clarke called out again. “You’re buying, though.”
“But it’s your house,” Lexa replied.
“You’re the one that wants them, Lexa,” Clarke waved her off and turned back to Abby. She was met with prying eyes and immediately felt the need to defend herself, “What?”
“Nothing, dear,” Abby sipped her iced tea. “So I take it that it’s been going well having Lexa around?”
“It’s been great,” Clarke relaxed into her seat. “She’s been so helpful with Sandy and I’m sure you can imagine what she’s been cooking every week.”
“Yes,” Abby nodded. “You’ve sent many pictures. Looks like you’re being very well taken care of, which I’m happy about.”
“Well,” Clarke smiled. “It’s Lexa. Of course.”
“Of course,” Abby agreed, turning around to watch Lexa prepare their lunch.
---
“The chicken is magnificent, Lexa,” Abby smiled at her. The three were seated at the table on the porch, enjoying the nice weather and the food that Lexa had just set down.
“You prepared it,” Lexa laughed. “I just grilled it, but thanks. And thanks for having us,” she said while looking around at the backyard. “The change of scenery is nice.”
“You two haven’t seen any of your other friends?” Abby asked.
“Mom,” Clarke started. “Of course not. I’m at the hospital so much, I can’t chance passing any germs on to anyone.”
“Except for Lexa?” Abby quipped.
Lexa laid eyes on Clarke and showed an endearing smile, “It was my choice to go to Clarke’s.” She finally shifted her gaze to Abby, “I knew what I was gonna be in for, but just wanted to help her out around the house and with Sandy and everything.”
“You know, Lexa,” Abby started. “You’ve always looked out for Clarke, no matter what. I’m so grateful that she has someone like you in her life.”
“She’s my best friend,” Lexa shrugged. “I love her.”
Clarke tilted her head to the side at the sound of the words and couldn’t help but send a bashful smile in Lexa’s direction.
Abby took keen notice of the interaction, looking between the two sharing longing glances and fleeting smiles, “Well, I’m happy you both have each other. All feels right when you two are together.”
Lexa exhaled, acutely aware of the tone of the conversation, “So, Clarke. About that grill…”
“Lex, if you want one then buy it,” Clarke shrugged. “I don’t care.”
“Excellent,” Lexa smiled. “It’s getting delivered tomorrow. Thank heavens for next-day delivery.” Lexa took a bite of potato salad and chewed it before adding, “Along with a table, chairs, and umbrella.”
“Are you kidding me?” Clarke set her cutlery down. “Lexa.”
“What?” Lexa smirked. “You said I could buy it if I wanted,” she replied back, before turning her attention to Abby. “She said that, didn’t she? You heard her, Abby.”
“She’s right, dear,” Abby laughed in Clarke’s direction. “That’s the lesson I learned with your father. I stopped telling him that he could do something if I didn’t really want him to.”
“Two very different situations, mom,” Clarke tried to deflect. “Plus, whenever Lexa goes back to her apartment, I’ll be stuck having to keep everything clean and tidy all on my lonesome.”
“Clarke,” Abby offered. “Something tells me Lexa will be there for a lot longer.”
Clarke’s mind went into overdrive, potentially even a slight panic, “Mom, before you say anything, we–”
“Because of the quarantine, Clarke,” Lexa interrupted, sensing her spiral. “And Abby, what I think Clarke is trying to say is that we’re just taking me being a squatter at her house on a weekly basis. Watching how many confirmed cases there are and what the state of the economy is going to be like. Once I hear from my office on when they’re opening back up again, we’ll start to assess when I go back home.”
Clarke blankly blinked, then shot Lexa a thankful glance, “Right. Yes. That’s what I was going to say.”
“Oh-kay,” Abby nodded—her mother’s intuition had already given her an inkling, but Clarke’s reaction and Lexa coming to her defense was enough to solidify her thoughts. “Well regardless, it’s nice you two are navigating this together.”
OP | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 9.5 | Part 10
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PART 11: Day 23
To say that Lexa was overwhelmed would be an understatement. She had spent the better part of her morning, pushing her actual work aside, to embark on her day’s project—setting up the grill and the furniture she bought for the deck.
Annoyed that she forgot to click the little box on the website to pay extra for assembly, she tried to bargain with the delivery guys, but had no avail. Instead, she sat out in the grueling sun and decided to face her fate.
Her goal was to get the setup completed by the time Clarke came home from work. To have a perfectly grilled dinner set up to eat outside and enjoy the new purchases, but without the help of anyone else, despite how handy she was, she was having a bit of a difficult time.
Between Sandy running up to her and plopping into her lap, knocking things around, and her phone constantly going off with messages and emails from her colleagues, hours had passed and she was barely halfway done with the task at hand.
“Fucking finally,” she huffed. Hands on her hips, as she proudly admired the final setup of the grill and table. All that was left were the six chairs, and she would finally be done. She started unloading the boxes, until her ringtone interrupted the task.
She looked down and saw that a Facetime was coming in from Anya. Excited to show off the fruits of her labor, she happily picked up, “Ahn, look at what I just did.” Without even seeing her face, Lexa turned on her back-camera to scan the backyard, “Doesn’t it look awesome?”
“Let me see your face, you loser,” Anya’s voice boomed.
“What?” Lexa answered as she flipped the camera. “Jealous of my handy work for the new setup?”
“Griff’s gotten you to do her dirty work, I see,” Anya smirked. “Looks good, though. Sucks she didn’t spring the cost for assembly, but I guess that’s what she has you for.”
Lexa rolled her eyes, “I’m the idiot that forgot to add on the assembly, but it’s fine. She swiped a bead of sweat on her forehead, “I’m quite skilled, you know. An all-around Jack of all trades.”
Anya raised a brow, “You forgot to add it on, huh?” She threw Lexa a smirk, “What, so Griff gave you her credit card and told you to pick out some new backyard toys? That’s cute. And awfully domestic.”
“No,” Lexa glared in annoyance. “We were at Abby’s for lunch yesterday and hung out in the backyard, and I had grill-envy, so I ordered it while we were there.”
“I see,” Anya nodded, her smirk still ever-present.
“What, Ahn?” Lexa blankly stared.
“Nothing,” Anya shrugged. “Like I said—cute and awfully domestic. Glad to see that you’re financially splitting household appliances.”
“It’s not like that,” Lexa rolled her eyes. “And plus, even after this is all over, you know we’re all going to be here all the time anyway. It’s essentially for everyone.”
“You’ve never bought me a grill and lawn furniture,” Anya teased. “But I guess you’ve never had the hots for me.”
“I have literally never said that I have the hots for Clarke, Ahn,” Lexa huffed. “Stop putting words in my mouth.”
“But you didn’t deny it,” Anya pointed out.
Lexa rolled her eyes. The annoyance was still present, and she was thankful the view from her phone didn’t show the blush creeping up her neck, knowing that Anya was actually right, “When are you going to give this a rest.”
“When you finally admit that you have feelings for Griff,” Anya knowingly shrugged.
Lexa shook her head again, “Change the subject or I’m hanging up. I have six chairs to put together and as daunting as that’s going to be, it feels like it would be more fun than having this conversation with you.”
“Ouch,” Anya feigned hurt. “I was just calling to check up on you. Raven mentioned she hadn’t heard from Clarke in a few days, and that made me realize I hadn’t heard from you in a few either. Just wanted to make sure you were both alive, but apologies for being a good friend.”
“Oh, yeah,” Lexa’s expression softened. After their Saturday morning escapade, the two spent the day phone-free enjoying each other’s company. She just realized that the time at Abby’s the previous day had also been the same, “Sorry, we were just watching movies all weekend without our phones and then went to Abby’s yesterday.”
“I can’t believe you guys went to Abby’s but won’t come hang with us or let us come there,” Anya let out. It had been three weeks, and other members of their friend group had started to see each other in each other’s backyards. Almost everyone had spent a little time together, other than Lexa and Clarke.
“Ahn,” Lexa replied. “You guys knew that we wouldn’t be able to see anyone. Not with Clarke going into work as much as she has been. It’s not necessarily safe. Or smart.”
“I still can’t believe you decided to shack up there, knowing it meant you’d be closed off to the world,” Anya sighed. “You could have come here or something.”
“I’d rather not third wheel with any of you,” Lexa let out a small laugh. “Plus, it wouldn’t be fair for Clarke to ride this out on her own. You knew I wouldn’t let that happen.”
“I know, Lex,” Anya sighed. “I know.”
“How are you and Raven holding up?” Lexa changed the subject.
Anya nodded, “Good, yeah. Everything’s good over here.”
“Glad to hear it,” Lexa offered a smile. “I’ve gotta run, though. Need to get these things put together so I can do some actual work.”
“Alright, Lex,” Anya smiled back. “Best of luck on your endeavors. Send pictures to the group, I’m sure everyone’s going to be excited for post-quarantine backyard activities.”
“Ha,” Lexa scoffed. “And potentially re-live the teasing I just got from you? Fat chance.”
Anya shrugged, “I’m going to stop myself from saying what I want to say. See ya, loser.”
“I appreciate that,” Lexa rolled her eyes. “Bye, Ahn.”
---
“What’s all this?” Clarke walked into the backyard to see the table set and Lexa standing at the grill.
“Damn,” Lexa muttered. “I wanted to have it all ready by the time you got back. It’ll just be a few more minutes, sorry.”
Clarke made her way over to the grill, admiring the table and setup on the way. She wrapped her arms around Lexa’s shoulders from behind and placed a soft kiss on the side of her neck, “Everything looks amazing.”
It was uncharted territory for them—going from friends to something more. They had spent the weekend acting like teenagers on the couch, but this was new. Coming home from work and the soft and gentle hellos. Neither of them felt like anything was out of place. If anything, everything was starting to feel right.
Lexa leaned her head onto Clarke’s, “How was your day?”
“Judging by how my backyard looks, probably equally busy as yours,” Clarke laughed. She stepped back after another kiss found its way onto Lexa. “Can I help you with anything?”
“Pour the wine?” Lexa asked from over her shoulder. “I got a bottle of that red blend you like.”
The gesture brought a smile to Clarke’s face, “I could get used to this.”
“As if I’m not always like this with you, anyway,” Lexa scoffed.
“Yeah, but now I can kiss you as a thank you,” Clarke shrugged as she poured the glasses.
Lexa walked over with a smile on her face and a tray of freshly grilled kebabs, “I guess I could used to it too, then. Show me what you’ve got, Griffin.”
Clarke waited until the tray hit the table to pull Lexa in. Arms were wrapped around each other and lips finally met. Everything was finally starting to feel right.
I’ll be adding short little updates here and there for this. Just wanted to do something a little lighthearted in lieu of what’s happening in the world right now. Hope everyone’s staying safe and staying home (if your job/life allows you to).
I’m gonna be honest - I’m not proofing these posts the way I do any of my other fics, because like I said, just doing little bits and pieces when I have time between work and trying to stay sane with this cabin fever. Enjoy!
----------
A sound of a soft thud outside her front door signaled the arrival of her “quarantine buddy.” Before the person on the other side of the threshold could bring their hand up to knock, the blonde had already gotten to her feet to swing the door open.
“I didn’t think you’d come,” Clarke offered a soft smile as she leaned against the frame. She took one look at the person across her, clad with not one, not two, but three suitcases, “And yet, these bags don’t surprise me one bit.”
Lexa offered a shrug, “Better to be prepared. I brought extra toilet paper and some groceries.”
Clarke rolled her eyes, “You know grocery stores are still open, right?”
Lexa brushed by the blonde with two bags in tow, leaving one for Clarke to grab, “What’s the whole point in this social distancing thing if we’re planning on going grocery shopping?”
Clarke watched the brunette stroll into her house before grabbing the final bag and following suit, “I think we’ve already breached the whole social distancing thing by you coming over here in the midst of it all.”
Lexa leaned the two suitcases next to the staircase, then lifted her brow and smirked at her friend, “I figured I’d be a good friend and keep you company. Don’t want you going crazy or anything.”
“I think we both know I’d be fine,” Clarke’s smirk suddenly matched the brunette’s, “I have Sandy and I also still get to leave here almost every day to go to work. You, my friend, might be the one that would have gone crazy.”
Lexa let out a laugh before Clarke continued, “You might actually be the one going crazy, being that I’m working in the ER during a fucking pandemic and you still chose to come stay with me.”
“Well,” Lexa eyed the golden retriever laying on the couch, “I also did it to keep Sandy company. With your long hours, I figured it would be best for someone else to be around here for her to hang out with.”
“You’re annoying,” Clarke shook her head, “and you also know where the second bedroom is. Make yourself at home, I’m going to start something for dinner.”
---
Twenty minutes later, Lexa emerged down into the kitchen, “Smells great in here. What’s cooking, Griff?”
“Frozen ravioli and canned marinara sauce,” the blonde smirked, “Just call me the millennial Martha Stewart.”
Lexa dipped her finger into the simmering sauce and took a taste, “Culinary skills of a true doctor. Love it.”
“That bad?” Clarke wrinkled her brow as she stirred the pot of sauce.
Lexa shook her head, “It’s delicious. Thanks again for the offer, I’m glad that I’m holed up during this thing with you. Well, mostly Sandy, but you too.”
“You know,” Clarke set the wooden spoon into an empty bowl, “it’s okay to say that you’re happy to be stuck with me for the foreseeable future.”
Lexa smiled, “That would be far too easy. But moving to a more important topic—where’d the TV in the spare room go? And what’s with that bike?”
“TV’s in storage. I had to clear it out to make room for my Peloton,” the blonde shrugged. “Speaking of which… what does your work from home schedule look like these days? I need to know when I can still get my workouts in without bothering you.”
Lexa looked at her friend, “It’s your house, I can do whatever’s convenient for you.”
“If I’m working the day shift, I try to squeeze in a ride around six before I leave. If I’m working the night shift, then I’ll do one when I wake up in the afternoon, but I can figure it out if that conflicts with your schedule,” the blonde said as she started to set the table. “I don’t want you to feel like everything has to be my way just because we’re in my house. I’m sure we can work something out.”
“I normally get up for a run around then, so that’s fine. And if it’s in the afternoon, I’ll be working from wherever else in the house,” Lexa took it upon herself to pour a glass of wine for each of them from the open bottle, before sitting down across Clarke.
The two clinked their glasses together before taking a sip, “And if you want to watch TV before bed, there’s always the one in the living room. If it’s a night when I’m working you can watch in my room, too. Or if I’m home you can hang in my room with me. It’ll be like a sleepover.”
“Griff,” Lexa laughed, “the last time we had sleepovers, we were in college and wasted off of Four Lokos.”
“Yeah,” Clarke shrugged, “but these can be the adult version.”
Lexa raised a brow, “The adul–”
“Shut up,” Clarke raised her hand, “you know what I meant.”
The smirk plastered on Lexa’s face could be seen a mile away, “This is going to be a fun quarantine.”
