"I don't think you understand," Bellamy Blake said over coffee one morning. He and his best friend Clarke were sitting in the back of the cafe at their usual window seat. The two liked to people watch and make up stories and adventures of the people they saw hurrying past the shop.
"Oh, I understand perfectly," Clarke, Bellamy's best friend, replied in a nasally voice. "You think your dogs are more important than me." Her hands were wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee, warming them.
They were watching a young couple arguing at the bus stop just outside their window. Neither Bellamy or Clarke knew who the couple was or what they were actually fighting about, but in their world, they thought they were breaking up. Over a dog apparently.
Bellamy smiled, and said, "Maybe if you were home more, it'd be different." Bellamy and Clarke were sitting on the same side of the booth, so they could have the same vantage point, and Bellamy enjoyed the closeness.
"You know I work weird hours at the monkey adoption agency," Clarke retorted, still in her nasally voice. "Those monkeys need me." Clarke always insisted on trying out different accents to get into character. Bellamy found it amusing most times as she usually couldn't stick with one accent for very long before it blended with another.
One of the servers that was bustling about happened to walk by during Clarke's explanation, and Bellamy noted the weird look he gave the two of them. Clarke was too engrossed in watching the couple out the window that she didn't notice. Bellamy should probably be embarrassed, but he only shrugged at the server and turned his attention back to the drama at hand.
"What about what I need?" Bellamy said with a whine in his voice. "You never care about my dreams! I always had a dream of starting a rock band and my dog played the drums." He hopped up and down a little in his seat for dramatic effect.
Clarke laughed, glancing at Bellamy sideways, "And do tell how your dog would play the drums?" The nasally voice was gone, and the game was over. The first one who dropped character or when the people they were narrating for could no longer be seen from the window, the game was over.
"With his tail, obviously," Bellamy explained with a smile. "He'd only be able to have a couple drums, but we'd write songs around those two drums."
Clarke nodded, "Obviously. What was I thinking?"
"Clearly, you weren't." Bellamy took another sip of his coffee, running a hand through his dark, curls. Stifling a yawn, he asked, "What's on the agenda for the day?"
Every morning they wound up at this cafe for breakfast together. Clarke worked at a small hospital in the area, and Bellamy was a History teacher at the local high school. This was sometimes the only times they would see each other during the day, so they made the most of it.
"I have a surgery later this afternoon, a couple of sprained ankles, and a few checkups. Other than the surgery, nothing too exciting. What about you?" Clarke replied, taking a sip of her coffee, relishing the warmth.
"There are going to be two quizzes, two tests, and a research paper due. So, will be a pretty lax day today. The kids during first period have to turn in their papers, so I'm hoping to be able to get through a good chunk while the other periods are taking the quizzes and tests," Bellamy replied.
"If you want to come over tonight when you get off, I can help grade the quizzes and tests?" she offered. She and Bellamy had a system where she graded the multiple-choice questions using Bellamy's answer sheet, and Bellamy graded the essay questions. Some people would tell her she was nerdy, but she actually enjoyed playing teacher sometimes.
"I'm gonna focus on finishing the research papers tonight so I don't have to worry about it the rest of the weekend. But do you work tomorrow? I can come over and cook lunch and then we can grade papers if you still want to help?" Bellamy suggested.
Clarke nodded in agreement. "That works for me."
Glancing at his watch, Bellamy quickly finished his coffee, "Shall we?" he said and the two got up, slipping into their coats, and heading out the door. Winter was Clarke's least favorite season, and she pulled her scarf around her neck.
The bus was just pulling up, and Bellamy and Clarke watched as the bickering couple got on. Now the couple wasn't talking to each other, and they got onto the bus in silence. They stood together and watched as it pulled away, heading downtown.
"See you tomorrow then?" she asked, looking up at Bellamy, as they walked to the parking lot towards their cars
"See you then," Bellamy agreed, waving goodbye.
"Just jump his bones already," Raven told Clarke exasperatedly. She was laying on Clarke's couch with her legs hanging over the end of the couch reading one of her magazines.
Clarke was sitting on the floor at Raven's head, wine glass in hand, and she was filling out a to do list that she needed to get done this weekend. "But what if he doesn't feel the same way as I do?" Clarke asked as she started writing down the grocery list she needed.
"Why are you so blind?" Octavia asked from her perch on the other end of the couch, her legs curled up beneath her. Wine glass in one hand, her phone in the other. She was shaking her head at Clarke.
"He's never given me one indication that he feels anything other than friendship with me," Clarke shrugged before taking a sip of her third glass of wine.
"Are you kidding?" Raven replied, snapping her head in Clarke's direction to glare at her, but Clarke's back was to her and she couldn't see her. "He's sending you all of the signs. You're just too oblivious to pick any of them up."
Clarke turned to Octavia, "Has he said anything to you about me?"
Octavia shook her head, "I'm not telling you what my brother says about you. You want to know, stop being a baby and ask him yourself."
Clarke set her glass down and stopped writing. Were they right? She tried to think back over her friendship with Bellamy. They had met in college at a toga party. They were in the same year even though he had been several years older. He hadn't been able to go to college right after high school because he had needed to get a job to support his sister after their mother died. He saved up money and after scholarships had been able to go to college while Octavia was a senior in high school.
Bellamy and Clarke had been in the same year and had gone to the welcoming party for freshman. Toga attire only. She had seen him enter the house from across the room. He had looked exactly like a Greek God. Smooth, muscular chest, and dark, shaggy curls. He walked with a confidence Clarke usually found annoying.
A boy at the party had gotten way to handsy with Clarke in the kitchen, and she had shoved him off her. The boy was drunk and thought she was playing hard to get. Bellamy, seemingly coming out of nowhere, slipped an arm around Clarke's shoulders. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch my girlfriend."
Holding his hands up as if in surrender, the boy backed up and hurried from the room. Bellamy had immediately dropped his arm. "Sorry about that," he had said. "Are you okay?"
Clarke nodded, "Yes. Thanks for your help."
"I'm sure you could have handled yourself, but I just wanted to get him out of here. For some reason guys like that leave faster if they think you're another guy's girlfriend. On behalf of guys like that, I apologize," he told her.
Clarke smiled, "I'm glad you're not one of the fuckboys."
Bellamy had smiled, "Me, too."
They had spent much of the rest of the party learning more about each other from the benign to the deep stuff. Clarke told him about the death of her dad and best friend. And Bellamy told her about his mom and how he had raised his little sister. It had felt right to talk to Bellamy, and she hadn't wanted the night to end.
Of course, it did, and she had asked him for his phone number. She had invited him to hang out with her and her friends, and he soon got sucked into her friend circle, bringing a couple of his friends: Murphy and Miller. Pretty soon, they were a giant circle of friends who would do anything for each other.
Clarke and Bellamy were practically inseparable. They studied together, played video games together, cooked with each other, stayed up late talking to each other. Even after graduation and they had gone out into the 'real world', they had stayed close. They decided they needed to make sure they did coffee each morning. The two were still close with their entire friend circle, but Clarke and Bellamy were on a different level. Bellamy and Clarke went together like Jasper and Monty. Wherever one was, the other was soon to follow.
Clarke had thought about asking out Bellamy on multiple occasions, but the timing was always off. They had both been single after that party, but a few weeks later, she found out Bellamy was sleeping with some girl named Roma, and Clarke had started dating a boy named Finn Collins, who, it turned out, was actually dating Raven. Bellamy was there for the fall out of that, but it had worked out because she had gotten a really good friend out of that bad break up. Now Clarke couldn't imagine her life without Raven.
Then Bellamy had started dating Gina Martin, and they had disgustingly cute together. They had broken up for reasons Bellamy had never really been clear about. But then Clarke had started dating Lexa. It was love if Clarke had ever felt it. It had been the most serious relationship Clarke had ever been in. She had been happy and in love. And then Lexa had been shot and killed. Wrong place at the wrong time.
Bellamy- and all her friends- had helped pick up the pieces of her broken heart. Bellamy had practically lived with her for a couple months, making sure she went to work, ate, and slept. He left only when she was sure she would be okay and was comfortable being alone again. But then she'd wanted to be alone all the time when she wasn't at work, and Bellamy always known what to do to make her feel better.
Now, Clarke smiled. The two of them had been through as much as two people could be through. Neither of them had dated anyone in a while, so if Clarke did decide to make a move, now would be the perfect time-before someone else realized how awesome Bellamy was.
"I don't know," Clarke told her friends. "Bellamy's always been there, and sure we flirt a little bit with each other, but it doesn't mean anything."
"Maybe not to you, but I don't think Bellamy feels it's nothing," Harper told her. Harper was laying on the floor, eyes closed, pretending to sleep.
Clarke scoffed and went back to her to do list. Flipping to another page, she started writing Bellamy's name in fancy calligraphy.
"Look, Clarke," Raven sat up straight and made Clarke turn to look at her. "All we're saying is if you like Bellamy, you should tell him how you feel. You're friends. Best friends. Even if for some insane reason he doesn't feel the same, that won't change your friendship. You need to say something before he finds someone else who appreciates him. And if you decide not to do something, then stop whining about it."
Raven's words were true, but it didn't make what she had to do any easier. "I'll see if I can find the right time to say something this weekend," Clarke told her.
"God, are you going to play teacher?" Octavia asked with a smirk. "You two are perfect for each other. You're the biggest bunch of nerds I've ever met."
Clarke smiled as she continued with her doodle. Bellamy Blake. She was going to do it tomorrow. No excuses. She was not going to let him leave before she said something. Satisfied, she smiled, and the girls finished another glass of wine.
The following morning found Clarke and Bellamy sprawled out on Clarke's couch as they sat side by side, grading papers together while they listened to an animal documentary on Netflix. Clarke was trying to pay attention, but all she could think about was how she was going to tell Bellamy how she felt about him. It shouldn't be this hard, but Clarke didn't know what would happen if he shot her down. How would she be able to look him in the eye again?
Clarke's stomach let out a loud rumble, which caused Bellamy to chuckle. "Should I start making lunch?" he asked, setting down his stack of papers on the coffee table.
Nodding, Clarke agreed with the statement. "What are you planning on making?"
Bellamy shrugged, "Depends what I find lying around in your barren kitchen." He got up and shuffled into the kitchen.
Clarke stayed on the couch, listening to him open cupboards and the fridge looking for some ingredients that he could throw together. "What's this?" Bellamy calls out as he walks into the living room holding the notepad Clarke had been writing in the night before.
Looking up, Clarke shrugged, "It's my to do list."
Surprise flickered across Bellamy's face as he looked back down at the list. "But it's just a piece of paper with my name on it."
Opening and closing her mouth like a fish, words failed her. Clarke's face heated up, and she was sure she looked as red as a tomato. Bellamy was staring at her with amused curiosity, which only made Clarke's heart flutter even harder in her chest. Why didn't she throw away that page last night or this morning before Bellamy showed up? She wanted to crawl into a hole and bury herself.
Staring at each other, Clarke had never felt so awkward before. Why couldn't she have used this opportunity to be smooth and confess her feelings. Clarke was probably the exact opposite of smooth.
The silence was almost tangible, and Clarke wondered what she could possibly say to salvage the situation. Her mind was blank, and nothing but pure panic rattled around in her brain.
"Oh my," Bellamy finally said as he walked further into the room, but Clarke couldn't look at him. She suddenly found the carpet much more interesting. "You know, you're really blowing a great pick up line."
Clarke frowned in confusion as she looked up at Bellamy. "What?" There, the first word she'd been able to say in a couple minutes.
Bellamy shrugged, "It was a great flirting opportunity that you fumbled in typical Clarke fashion."
Scoffing at his remark, Clarke looked away, "We can't all have game like you."
That made Bellamy laugh. "If I had any game, I would have asked you out years ago."
"Our timing was always a little off, huh?" Clarke admitted.
Nodding his head, Bellamy reached out a hand. Clarke accepted his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. "The timing seems to be okay right now," he said.
"I didn't fumble that so badly you don't want any part of me anymore?" Clarke asked.
Bellamy shook his head, "Nah. You forget I've seen you at your worst. This was just an adorable blip on the Clarke Griffin awkward scale."
Unable to stop the smile that tugged at her lips, "I've had a giant crush on you since we met."
Returning Clarke's smile, Bellamy replied, "I did, too. I was going to ask you out, but you kept only inviting me to hang out with you when your friends were around, so I thought maybe you weren't interested. And then when I said screw it and was going to tell you how I felt, I found out you and Finn were together."
"I was nervous and just used my friends as an excuse to see you. And then you were dating Roma, so I didn't think you were interested. That was the only reason I started seeing Finn," Clarke explained.
"I wasn't dating Roma. We slept together a couple times. But we were never serious," Bellamy said.
"We had such a horrible communication problem," Clarke said. "Kind of still do."
"It's something we can work on." Bellamy leaned down and hesitated right in front of her lips, his eyes dropping to watch as Clarke's tongue darted out to lick her lips.
Seeing the hesitation, waiting for her to answer his silent request. She smiled and surged forward, her lips finding his. His lips were soft and pliant against hers. She opened to him, and Bellamy dipped his tongue into her mouth eagerly. The kiss wasn't chaste in the least. It was all the years they'd been denying their feelings bubbling up to the surface. Everything they had missed, they would get to make up for now.
Bellamy broke away after several moments, his eyes shining with a happiness Clarke hadn't seen in a long time. "Clarke Griffin, will you count the lunch I'm about to make as our first date?" he asked her.
Grinning, Clarke nodded her head. "Bellamy Blake, will you be my boyfriend?"
Returning her grin, Bellamy leaned forward to kiss her again, this one gentle and chaste. "You being my girlfriend sounds like the best thing in the world."
"Then it's official."
Later, after they finished eating, Clarke checked her phone. She had texted Raven to tell her the good news. Clarke burst out laughing, and when Bellamy asked what was so funny, Clarke held up her phone. "I told Raven how we're officially a couple, and she just said that Miller and Murphy owe her and Octavia $20 each."
"I'm so glad our love life is so entertaining to our friends," Bellamy replied with mock annoyance, but the corners of his lips were pulling up in a half smile.
"Clearly my friends had more faith in me that something was going to happen than your friends did." Clarke started collecting the dishes and moving them to the sink.
Bellamy sighed, "Who knows how long this would have went on if I hadn't seen your to do list. My friends were right to have bet the way they did."
"I wish we were making money off our relationship," Clarke said. "It would be the cherry on top of this deliciously awesome sundae."
Chucking, Bellamy started spooning leftovers into a Tupperware container. "I'm sure we could think of something. We have betting friends, after all."
Nodding in agreement. "Want to go put on a movie and make out?" Clarke asked.
"Only if you promise we'll finish those tests when we're done," Bellamy said.
"How about after every five tests we grade, we get to make out some more?"
"So, we're setting up rewards to get done faster?" Bellamy pretended to think over the idea. "Seriously this sounds like the best use of a Saturday to me."
"I can think of something we can do as a reward when we completely finish later that will be even better than making out," Clarke told him.
"Let's hurry and get done!" Bellamy called as he rushed into the living room.
Clarke laughed as she followed behind him, plopping into his lap and kissing him. It was made so much better knowing she could keep doing this whenever she wanted.
They were together.
Finally.