Chapter 2
Five seconds changed his life once. It only took five seconds to shift his path from one direction to a completely different one. For Bellamy, the day had been busy, busier than most days. School was always busy, with rowdy students and grading assignments and all the things in between. For some, that would sound like absolute hell. Dealing with high schoolers all day and school politics didn't appeal to most, but for Bellamy, it made every day an adventure and it was certainly never boring.
But some of the brightest moments in his life were with Clarke. He hardly remembered his life without the spirited blonde. One day, Octavia had brought home this new friend and declared that since this girl's dad had just died she had brought her home to be part of her family and of course, Octavia always got what she wanted. Their mother had taken Clarke in when Clarke's mother was shutting her out. Ever since, Clarke had been a big part of his life, almost as big as O was. Yet, at some point, she had changed from just being his little sister's friend and his friend, to be something more. When he had his first real heartbreak, she had been the one to pull him out of his funk. When he had flipped out at Octavia dating Lincoln, Clarke had been the one to reign him in and make him see reason. When his mother had died, Clarke had been the one to put both Octavia and Bellamy back on their feet. He relied on Clarke more than anyone else and he knew it wasn't just because he trusted her. He was in love with her.
And she had no idea.
And he wasn't going to risk their friendship by telling her.
So, instead, he kept her as close as possible without getting that close. Bellamy had called her to the restaurant to tell her important news. One of Clarke's most precious belongings is a painting her father had purchased of a spot in Greece. He had told her stories about how it was there that he had decided to follow his passion and love of history and art instead of what his parents had wanted. Ever since his death, Clarke had been looking for that spot.
Just today, Bellamy had found it. He had finally gotten a response from all of his years of searching and he couldn't wait to tell her. He knew that she would be busy painting today and wouldn't want to stop, but this was too important.
After running 10 minutes late, Bellamy finally arrived at the restaurant and spied Clarke sitting at the table waiting for him. He could still see the paint splattered in her hair and it made him love her even more. He ran to the table, out of breath as he stopped in front of her.
Five.
"Clarke, you won't believe this," he started saying before he even had fully stopped at the table, "I think I found-"
POP POP POP
Four.
Bellamy's instincts kicked in and he immediately pushed Clarke to the ground. As he did so, he felt himself falling. For half a second he couldn't understand why…until the pain hit. Not from hitting the floor, no, that was a different pain. This was a pain that stretched from his stomach.
Three.
When he hit the floor, he found he couldn't move from the ground. All Bellamy could see was the blur of Clarke's blonde hair as she looked around, searching for the source of the shots. She hadn't noticed him yet. Even through the pain, Bellamy couldn't stop thinking about how much he loved this woman. And now she might never know it.
Two.
She finally noticed him. Clarke's eyes widened and her medical training seemed to kick in as he felt her put pressure on the wound in his stomach. In that moment, he saw his life flash before his eyes. Cliché but true. Except, Bellamy could only focus on Clarke in his life. The first moment he saw her; when she and Octavia went to prom as each other's dates; when she came crying to him after she dropped out of college and her mom kicked her out. It was all her.
One.
In just five seconds, his life had changed just five seconds, he knew he couldn't lose her. Five seconds.
