A warm smile appeared on Lexa's face as she brushed her thumb over the anchor tattoo on her forearm. Of all tattoos, this was her favorite. It meant a lot to her, because it combined the two most important things in her life. It stood for her passion, the seafaring, but it also symbolized stability and strength, a safe haven.
She sighed as she pushed the door open to the harbor tavern and was instantly met with old rock music and the scents of tobacco and alcohol. She smiled. She loved it.
"Woods, good to see you made it home safe!" The bartender, Billy, greeted her as he opened a beer and slid it over the counter. Lexa nodded and took a large sip as he continued, "I heard the hauls were extraordinary again?"
Lexa lit her cigarette, "Yeah." She smiled, puffing out the smoke. The trip had indeed been successful, because she was good at her job. Because she loved it.
"Skip" Someone said in acknowledgement while walking by, and Lexa felt a rough slap on her shoulder and turned her head to see it had been one of her crew members, and nodded appreciatively.
The evening went on and Lexa had a few drinks and was challenged to a game of pool every once in a while, and as the trip's exhaustion finally kicked in, she emptied her last beer, waved the bartender goodbye and left the pub.
A few years ago, she had moved out of the small town house and had been living on her boat since. Other captains and fishermen had criticized her decision, stating that people of the sea needed a grounded home, a land home, but she had shrugged it off and she had not once regretted her choice.
She walked up the small gangway and lit her last cigarette of the night, leaning her forearms down on the railing as she closed her eyes for a moment, deeply breathing in the salty air.
"Do you work on that boat?" Lexa jumped slightly and opened her eyes to see whom the raspy voice belonged to. Without noticing, she raised her eyebrow when she spotted a blonde woman on the dock below her who now cocked her head.
"Yeah" Lexa replied and took another drag.
"Why are you still on it in the middle of the night?"
Lexa let out a small laugh. "Because I also live on that boat." She said, air–quoting the last two words.
The blonde woman's lips formed a smile, "Really?" and shifted from one foot to the other, "Can I... see it?"
The brunette raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You want to see the boat?"
"Yeah?"
"Well then... come up here– oh and be careful, the gangway is slippery."
Lexa held out her hand for the blonde to help her step over the gap between the gangway and the deck.
Taking another drag, she smirked when she saw the sparkle in the woman's eyes as she slowly walked around, taking in every detail her eyes could catch.
After a few minutes, Lexa flicked the stub away. "I'm Lexa." She said which caused the blonde to turn around, widening her eyes in slight shock. "Oh God, sorry! I'm Clarke... Jesus, I'm so impolite, walking around without even telling you who I am. Good Lord."
Lexa snorted in amusement. "You praise His Holiness up there a lot."
"I... yeah. I replaced all swear words with Bible characters a while ago."
"Why? Religious much?"
Clarke let out a raspy laugh and Lexa's heart skipped a beat at the unusual but beautiful sound. "Not really," the blonde said, "more like the opposite. I'm probably the most atheistic person you'll ever meet, I just tend to be..."
"Blasphemous."
Clarke's eyes widened, "Are you religious? God, I'm so sorry!"
"I'm sure God will forgive you." Lexa laughed, "No, I'm not religious. I mean the thought of someone watching over us is quite comforting and I can see why so many people believe it." She calmly explained and Clarke cocked her head. "I don't know... the thought of someone watching me all the time is pretty creepy."
Lexa laughed again, "Yeah you're having a point here... Would you like to go under deck?"
"Uh..."
Lexa smirked. "Not like that! I mean would you like to see the rest of the boat?"
Clarke tucked her lips into a wide smile and nodded. "Watch your head" Lexa advised, pointing at the low doorframe and then showed Clarke the inside and left nothing out. She explained the basics in the engine room, she showed her the fish tanks and the cabins, some fishing tools on the deck and then climbed up to the bridge.
"... and this is, well, the steering wheel." She finished the tour, pointing at the large wheel. Clarke had been listening carefully but only remembered half of the things she had been shown.
"Thanks for that, Lexa, really!... I'm not gonna lie though, the only thing I remember are the nets and that wheel."
Lexa laughed. "You remember more than I did on my first day then!"
"When did you start working on a fishing vessel?"
"On my sixteenth birthday." Clarke raised her eyebrows, and Lexa continued, "And I'm twenty–seven now. As you can see, it's been a while."
Clarke nodded and she realized how intrigued she already was by Lexa. "I've always had a thing for fish–... fishing. I mean it's... romantic, isn't it?"
"You have a weird taste if you find piercing hooks through a squirming fish romantic."
Clarke grimaced. "Thanks for ruining this for me!... What's your boss like? No wait, it's captain. What's your captain like?"
Lexa tilted her head, "I don't know... what am I like?"
"You're the captain?"
"Yep."
"Well you're..." Clarke faded out when dozens of words rushed through her mind that would describe Lexa. Polite, beautiful, funny, smart, super attractive actually, I could get lost in your eyes and your lips... "cool." She said instead. "What's a life like if you live on a boat, and work on a boat? I mean isn't it super complicated to have a boyfriend?"
Lexa smirked, "I've never had the desire to have a boyfriend, so I wouldn't know." She paused to check her watch. "It's really late actually but if you'd like to get a proper answer to your question... how about you stop by tomorrow? I'll be here or in the pub so you won't miss me."
"I might miss you anyway." Clarke smirked and sent Lexa a suggestive wink. "But yeah sounds great! … see ya tomorrow then!"
And with that, she turned around and left, leaving a grinning Lexa behind. She knew exactly what kind of an effect she had on women but she usually didn't meet women who could keep up with her... and Clarke could definitely hold a candle to her with ease.
Tell me if you like it, then I'll update this story :)
