A/N: Hello, guys! Thanks for giving this story a chance. I've been writing stuff of my own for a while but never really got the guts to publish anything, so this is my first. I hope you somehow like it and if you don't then that's completely fine (I normally hate my stories anyway). If you feel like giving some reviews then that's awesome as well, feel free to say "hey, you suck" or "hey, I vaguely like this" whatever comes to your mind.
Also, english is not my native language, so, I beg your pardon if there is any mistake. This story might be a little slow burn but I will try to make my best of it.
For more information you can check my profile.
I hope you are having a nice day. See you soon.
-Sue.
September 28th, 2013
Clarke leaves her apartment exactly at 6:30 p.m., she knows it won't take long to get to the club because it is relatively close.
The cold autumn air cuts through her black coat and pierces into her skin making her quiver slightly. Ignoring this, she gets on her Triumph America phantom black motorbike, putting on the helmet afterwards just to turn the bike on as she gets that warming feeling in the chest when the machine rumbles. She straightens her back before she speeds through the streets.
She enjoys the journey to the club, she loves this, she loves feeling the cold hair caressing every inch of bare skin, she loves driving pass the cars and the people, she loves that she doesn't think about anything else when she's driving, like the breeze was taking away all of her problems, even if it's just for a moment.
She parks the bike outside the club in the employee parking lot and walks to the rear entrance. Today the place is not very crowded, it is Wednesday and Wednesdays are bands days, people normally come these days to relax, just like Thursdays. The insanity itself begins on Fridays, Clarke hates Fridays, just as much as she hates Saturdays; but how she loves Sundays, Sundays are her sacred days, her resting days, which is something she always tries to enjoy.
"You're early" comments Kane—her boss—as he sees her passing by. She looks at him for a brief moment whilst she takes off her coat to hang it on the coat hanger.
Clarke shrugs "There was no traffic" she walks away from him, taking steps through the short hallway that leads to the bar. Everything is exactly as they left it yesterday, which she quietly thanks.
The place is practically empty; she knows they haven't opened the doors yet. However, on the stage there is one of the bands that are going to play tonight; the stereos emit the sound of the instruments they're testing. Finn—a member of the band—talks through the microphone, making his enthusiastic voice fill the whole room.
"Clarke, always so pretty" he greets her from the stage, giving a big, friendly smile and she resists the compulsion to roll her eyes really hard. Nevertheless, Clarke waves back at him vaguely, not even making an effort to smile… Not like she likes to smile very often anyway.
Raven and Jasper arrive about ten minutes later. Jasper greets her politely, on the other hand, Raven kisses her cheek at the same time she spanks her ass, making Clarke look at her annoyed but Raven only laughs, because that is how she is; free, humorous, unprejudiced, untroubled.
Clarke is not a people lover; there are just a few people in the world she likes enough to preserve a friendship with and Raven is one of them, even when she doesn't show it quite often.
"You're so sexy" Raven says, winking playfully. Inevitably, Clarke's lips curl upwards almost showing her teeth, but that doesn't last long.
The place starts getting crowded after 7:30 p.m.; the tables begin to be occupied by several people, the undersized silence turns into a bunch of murmuring voices, voices that are quickly silenced when one of the bands start playing.
Several people approach the bar to ask for drinks; Clarke, Raven and Jasper take good care of it.
Clarke goes to the bathroom for a moment, looks at her reflection in the mirror, running the tip of her fingers under her eyes to make sure the little amount of make-up she's put on is still in place. She also runs a hand through her golden hair that falls just above her shoulders, making it all fall into place.
She leaves the bathroom as she dries off the hands she previously washed, with a disposable little towel. She throws it in the paper bin and when she looks up both Raven and Jasper are attending a couple of clients except one, a girl that remains sitting on one of the tall chairs of the bar, she's giving her back to Clarke facing the stage on which one of the bands are now playing a cover of What's up by 4 Non Blondes.
Clarke approaches her and when she is close enough she clears her throat to call the girl's attention but it does not work because apparently she is too focused on the performance.
"May I serve you?" asks Clarke. This time the girl turns herself around to face her, at the beginning she's watchful, her eyes responding to the voice but then that watchful gesture turns into a very, very sly captivated one when her eyes come to rest on Clarke's.
The lips of the girl before Clarke are full and beautiful and half open, her hair is slightly curly and brown, long reaching her breasts, whilst her big olive eyes stare at her as if she was something she's never seen before.
Clarke looks away for three seconds, her brows furrowing in a hardly visible way before she places her eyes back on the unknown girl's. The blond mechanically raises both of her eyebrows questioningly.
"Are you alright?" she articulates, talking slowly as she always does.
The green eyed girl blinks several times, shifts on her seat and Clarke watches her swallow visibly before she speaks.
"Yes… I'm… I'm alright"
Clarke watches her thoughtfully for a moment, and then she nods once "So… Do you want anything to drink?"
The brunette takes a breath "Yes, sure"
Clarke remains silent, waiting for the girl to tell her what kind of drink she wants but when the blond gets nothing but the brunette's eyes burning into her own she decides to speak again.
"Do you expect me to magically hear your thoughts?"
The girl seems to snap out her the trace again.
"Oh" she chuckles nervously "I'm sorry, I'm just a little disoriented. A margarita would be fine, thank you"
Saying nothing else Clarke walks to the counter to get the tequila and the Cointreau; she also gets the lemon juice from the refrigerator altogether with the salt. She proceeds to prepare the Margarita quickly, feeling the brunette's eyes on her the whole time, though, it doesn't make her uncomfortable, it is not the first time someone stares at her.
In less than two minutes Clarke is placing the drink in front of the green eyed girl, who gently smiles at her.
"Thanks" she says at the same time she takes the glass with her hands and gives it a sip, making a gesture of satisfaction once the liquid is already sliding down her throat. Meanwhile, Clarke sets the things in order; she notices the place is quiet, not many people are coming today.
"That accent… It is definitely not from here" she casually says, standing diagonally to the brunette as she cleans a few glasses with a dish towel. She doesn't even bother to look up while she speaks, but she observes with the corner of the eye that the girl is gazing at her.
"You're right" the brunette affirms, supporting her elbows on the bar table as she leans in a little bit. Clarke's eyes shoot up to meet hers this time.
"Australian, if I'm not mistaken" Clarke says hesitantly, although she is almost certain that she is right. The brunette's wide smile confirms it.
"Australian it is" she nods once proudly "You are, in fact, the first one to guess right. Other people somehow think I'm British, I mean, for the love of God, did they completely forget that Australia exists and that the accent is way different?" the girl talks animatedly, she uses her hands to express herself better and her olive eyes have that infant air, that is—someway—interesting. Even though she laughs a little bit at her own comment Clarke remains serious, which makes the brunette's laughter fade away slowly, turning into an awkward expression that comes along with a throat clearing.
"Don't worry if she doesn't laugh at your jokes, it's not personal, she's generally… petulant" both, Clarke and the brunette turn their heads to look at Raven, who's now next to Clarke and right in front of the nameless girl. Raven offers her that warm, welcoming smile that fills the air with good vibes and the girl gives a smile back as well, only that a little shy.
"Why do you always have to get in my conversations?" Clarke asks, feeling a little irritated, though, it is almost impossible for them to notice because the blond always keeps her face immutable, making it hard for people to know what she is feeling.
"Because it is the only way that someday, my darling, I can actually keep you from ruining any possibility of having a nice friendship with your adorably intimidating personality" Raven puts her arm around Clarke's shoulders but the blond rolls her eyes and shrugs away from Raven's embrace. On the other side, the unknown girl lifts her drink to her lips to give it a sip, trying to hide her little amused smirk with the glass.
"What's your name, dear?" asks Raven. Clarke gets away from them for a while so she can put the glasses she's been cleaning back in their place, but she clearly hears when the Australian girl says:
"Lexa"
"Very pretty. Don't you think, Clarke?" not stopping her brief chores Clarke looks at Raven and then her eyes fly to Lexa, nodding once softly before she focuses once more in her tasks.
She can practically feel Raven rolling her eyes at her intolerable behavior before she continues speaking to Lexa.
"How long have you been living here?"
"Just a couple of weeks, actually" Lexa responds.
"Do you have any friends yet?"
"Not really"
"Very well, Lexa, in that case… I could show you around the city together with Clarke someday if we keep in contact" suggests Raven and when Clarke hears such thing she turns to face both of them.
"That'd be amazing" Lexa's eyes sparkle full of joy. Quickly, Clarke takes away that feeling.
"With all the due respect, but don't get me into your absurd plans" she lets them know. Raven glares at her, different from Lexa, who simply looks a little disappointed "Now, if you excuse me" Clarke turns around on her heels to walk to a new costumer that just arrived.
Clarke spends the rest of the night working; nonetheless, she can't help but toss quick glances at Lexa, who's changed sits and is now on one of the tables close to the stage. Clarke feels how Lexa takes her time to look at her as well sometimes, but when Clarke decides to stare back at her she looks away and the blond notices how the Australian's lips curl up slightly in a shy way, she sees as well the way Lexa's hand—vaguely closed in a fist—rests over her own lips, as if she was trying to hide it from her.
Lexa leaves the club around eleven at night, with three Margaritas running through her bloodstream and her face slightly flushed. She kindly says goodbye to Raven, then, thinking twice, she waves goodbye at Clarke too, which the blond returns with a simple chin lift.