Silence. The sweet sound of nothingness. The exact sound Lexa loved when she sat in her favourite spot at the university library. Her studying always went well when she sat here. It was a secluded corner with two desks that no one other than her ever sat at because of the uncomfortable chairs. She's sat here every school day for the past two years and she's only once seen someone else there; it's how her and her step-brother, Lincoln, unknowingly met for the first time. After he graduated, no one else filled the other seat.

She worked studiously on her Political Science paper – even though it wasn't due for another two weeks – enjoying the way that her thoughts were easily coming to her. She was already halfway through the required 12 pages, quickly almost creating a new paragraph when a bag landed with a loud thump on top of the desk to her left.

Her head whipped up, looking at the person who dared to disturb the bubble of bliss that she had been in. Blond, so much blond. Long and wavy yellow strands of hair flew astray as the girl practically dropped herself into the seat with a loud exhale. Lexa clenched her jaw and took a deep breath, but before she could turn back to her laptop, the other girl shifted to face her.

Blue. Oh so much blue. Like the glimmering ocean on a sunny day. Like a cloudless summer sky. Like the calm you feel when nature takes your breath away. "Is it always so hard to find a seat in here?"

The raspy and frazzled tone of the stranger's voice caused a strange clench in Lexa's body. She was staring. She knew she was doing it, but her brain wasn't exactly working as well as she wanted it to and she couldn't peel her eyes away. "Uh, yeah, I – I mean, yes, most of the time. These seats are never taken though", she explained.

The blonde smiled and Lexa was sure this girl was trying to kill her. Is there something more flattering than the word "Beautiful"? Because Lexa knew without a doubt that this girl would be it.

"Good to know."

20 minutes had gone by and from the time the blonde sat down, Lexa had only added a total of 253 words to her essay. She was stuck, to say the least. For some reason, with another student beside her she suddenly couldn't focus. The words just wouldn't come to her anymore. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, willing herself to ignore the blonde and continue typing.

She was on a roll; three paragraphs in 15 minutes. She had successfully been able to rid herself of all distractions and was finally once again fully concentrated. She had this. This essay was a piece of red velvet cake and she was going to finish it like it was the last slice she'd ever had. Not many moments after her self-congratulation, a muffled sound began coming from the left of her; Lexa breathed deeply and told herself to ignore it.

Her productivity lasted only a measly five minutes after the first muffed tunes were heard.

"…Wear the sheriff's badge put your toys away…"

Clear as day, the lyric interrupted Lexa's hard-working brain.

"…Jump with me on the count of three…"

Focus. It's all she needed to do for the last hour she planned to be here.

"…They let us go but we lost one…"

Her fingers pressed harder onto her keyboard, obnoxiously punching at the keys, forcing the words onto the screen. Just because Lexa recognized her favourite song that didn't mean she would let it further distract her progress of her work.

"…Youth without youth, born without time…"

Damnit. She ripped her gaze away from her laptop and stared at the beautiful blonde menacingly. Her hand reached out for the wire of the girl's earbud and she pulled one from her ear, causing the stranger to face her questioningly. "Listen, your music is way too loud, and yes, that might be my favourite song because I like that it's about a kids having his innocence taken away, but I really have to finish this damn paper" she stated, not breaking eye contact.

A slight blush tinged the girl's pale cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I'm so used to studying in my dorm when it's loud, I didn't realize that you could actually hear my music. I apologize, it's just that this song is so amazing and it really gets me in the zone. You said it's your favourite? Mine too! I love the fact that it's pretty much based off of a generation of kids that don't actually have a childhood. Oh my gosh." Her palm came up to rest on her forehead before continuing. "I'm sorry, I started rambling and now I'm just bothering you even more." She sighed in what seemed to be embarrassment after ending her spiel.

Lexa tried desperately not to smile at the flustered blonde but she couldn't help herself. No matter how much she wanted to be frustrated, she couldn't find it in herself to be. She held a hand towards the stranger in an attempt to help tame the unease. "Lexa."

The blonde looked up from her shoes and a look of relief washed over her face as she took the hand in her own. "Clarke."

A slight gasp escaped the brunette at the sudden contact. She remembered the words of her sister, Anya, before the woman had passed away. "Never be afraid of love, Lexa. Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone's hand is the beginning of a journey. At other times, it is allowing another to take yours."

"Well Clarke," she liked the way her name sounded, pronouncing it tenderly from her lips. "I'm about to head out for some coffee. Perhaps you'd like to join me so we can talk more of our favourite things?"

The stunning smile returned on Clarke's face. Her hand was still grasping Lexa's when she replied. "I'd like that."

**The song that is playing is Youth Without Youth by Metric and the little part from Anya is actually a quote by woman named Vera Nazarian in her book The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration