"This isn't a great way to start the semester." Lexa said. It had been three weeks, and she had already visited the room across the hall no less than six times on noise complaints. There was something about her tone that confused Clarke. It was almost playful, teasing, but the seriousness of her set jaw and lowered eyes said otherwise. She wondered if she was overthinking it. It seemed like she over-thought every single interaction they've had, which had been quite a few. Aside from the school sanctioned reprimands, on two days a week they left for class around the same time, ending up waiting for the elevator together. The conversation never progressed past small talk, but every movement and glance felt loaded. She needed to know more about Lexa, she was hell-bent on it. The mystery of Lincoln's words hung heavy over every interaction they had.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Clarke said, stepping out of the doorframe to shut it behind her. Upbeat pop music thumped through the walls, vibrating the floor. "My friend, her boyfriend just told her he loves her for the first time, so she's a little excited."
"She can't be excited without making everyone else suffer?" Lexa asked, ghost of a smile sneaking into the corners of her mouth. "Some people have work to do."
"Come on, it's not even quiet hours. I checked." Clarke said proudly.
"I'm surprised you've even logged into your email." Lexa said. She cocked a knowing eyebrow at Clarke.
"I couldn't figure out my password for a while." Clarke muttered quietly, avoiding Lexa's eyes.
"It's your student ID number and birthdate." Lexa chuckled. It made Clarke's breath catch. Never did she imagine that a laugh so small could sound so pleasant.
"Well, I know that now." Clarke looked up at her quickly, to see her expression before staring back down at the carpet. She was unsure of how to continue the conversation, but desperately wanting to.
"Tell your friend she has ten minutes before I lower the music myself." Lexa said. The transition from pleasant to serious was jarring. Clarke looked up at her again, catching a mysterious gaze before Lexa turned and retreated to the room across the hall. Clarke sighed, disappointed that this wasn't the time their interaction lasted a little longer. She entered her own room to Octavia lying back on her bed, grinning up at the ceiling. She looked over at Clarke, waiting for the verdict.
"Lexa says turn it down or she will." Clarke relayed to her friend. She turned down the volume as she passed the speakers and hoisted herself up to sit on her bed.
"So does she love you yet, or what?" Octavia asked, quickly sitting up on her bed.
"O, come on. You did not set us up." Clarke laughed, rolling her eyes.
"Well, eventually you'll have to have an actual conversation with her considering how much time she spends in our doorway." Octavia raised an implying eyebrow at her.
"Yeah," Clarke started, lifting herself onto her bed. "Probably a conversation about the future disciplinary action she'll take against us."
"Why don't you just go over there and talk to her?" Octavia prodded, now turning so her legs dangled over the side of the bed. It made Clarke nervous, like Octavia knew something she didn't.
"Why do you assume I want to talk to her?" Clarke asked. She crossed her arms defiantly.
Octavia gave her a look. "Come on."
"I'm serious." Clarke said, shaking her head for emphasis.
"So am I." Octavia laughed and rolled her eyes at Clarke. "You act like we're not best friends. I know you. I see the way you look after you talk to her, and I know you always slam the door when you leave in the morning hoping she'll come out and yell at you."
"I do not!" Clarke defended. "Just because you know I like girls does not mean that I like every girl."
"I didn't say you liked every girl." Octavia said plainly. "Just Lexa." Clarke groaned in response. "Seriously, Clarke, when was the last time you got any? Coffee shop girl?" Clarke was silent. It had been a long time since she had received any type of romantic attention, not including Finn's constant calls and online harassment. But he and her summer fling were both miles away now. She had convinced herself that she was too busy, looking away when she caught someone's eye in class, not making the extra effort to continue a conversation with a friendly stranger. "Seriously, why don't you just go talk to her?" Octavia pleaded.
"She's probably straight. Lincoln said I had no chance." Clarke huffed.
"That's not necessarily what that means." Octavia said quietly. She and Clarke exchanged a knowing look.
"Lincoln told you about her, didn't he?" Clarke asked, trying to feign disinterest.
"Barely!" She threw her arms up in frustration. "I pretty much had to torture it out of him. And what I did find out wasn't much, he's so into secrets." Octavia huffed.
"Well what did you find out?" Clarke asked, inching more towards the edge of her bed.
Octavia frowned. "Can't say. I promised."
"Seriously?" Clarke groaned.
"Seriously. I can't just go around telling Lincoln's secrets about other people. Totally uncool."
"So then why did you even bring it up?" Clarke laughed out of frustration.
"I didn't! You asked." She shrugged. "Just- go talk to her already."
"What am I even supposed to say? It's not like I know anything about her." Clarke sighed.
"You know that she's the RA." Octavia shrugged. "Just go over there and pretend you're having roommate problems. Or like, that someone is bullying you." She laughed, apparently imagining how that conversation would go. "Wait, no! You should invite her to Raven's party tonight!" She decided, excitedly.
"You think she would come?" Clarke asked, hating how hopeful her own voice sounded.
"I don't know. Lincoln will be there. You can use that if you need it." Octavia said.
Within minutes, Clarke stood mere feet from her own door, facing room 615. The printed RA sign still hung, along with a timetable for open hours. Friday at four pm was on the list, but Clarke already knew that. She had practically memorized the sheet over the last three weeks, constantly trying to pick a time and commit to starting a conversation with the mysterious girl. Clarke ran a hand through her hair to smooth it down and pulled down down on the sides of her shirt before tapping twice lightly on the door.
"It's open." Lexa called, a disembodied voice from the other side. Clarke took a deep breath and entered. Lexa was sitting cross legged on her bed, laptop open in her lap. Clarke was surprised to find that instead of the two sets of everything like she had in her room, there was only one. Her bed was on the left, lower to the ground than Clarke's because it didn't need to accommodate a dresser underneath. There were piles of books and papers neatly stacked on her desk, with solid dark green sheets. The window was the same size as Clarke's, but it felt bigger, catching more of the afternoon sunlight. The only thing mildly decorative in the room was an assortment of candles across the desk and the dresser. Clarke fought back the urge to mention that you weren't supposed to have candles in the dorms.
Lexa looked up at Clarke, expectantly. "Let me guess, locked yourself out of your email again?" She asked. It took a few seconds for Clarke to realize she was teasing her.
"That was one time." Clarke laughed, light pink blush on her cheeks.
"Apparently for three weeks." Lexa smirked at her. Clarke panicked. She really hadn't planned what she was going to say, and even if she had chances are she would've forgotten it anyway. She was not expecting such friendly version of Lexa. "What can I do for you, Clarke?" Lexa asked, momentarily looking down at the computer in her lap before closing it and setting it aside. Clarke opened and closed her mouth, unsure of how to answer and genuinely shocked to hear Lexa using her name so casually. She had only told it to her once, when they first met at the meeting. Quickly she cycled through all of the possibilities. Maybe Lexa was just as interested in her, maybe Lincoln talked about her. Clarke's mind reeled until it dawned on her that she was on Lexa's email list for the floor. Of course she knew her name. "Clarke." Lexa said again, causing her to snap out of it.
"I uh, sorry." Clarke said, looking down at her. "I'm here because I was wondering if you wanted to come to a party tonight." Clarke said quickly, almost closing her eyes.
"Please tell me you're not planning on throwing a party in your room." Lexa said. She brought a hand to the bridge of her nose, looking up at Clarke.
"No! Trust me, if I was, I wouldn't be dumb enough to invite you." Clarke laughed, but cut herself short, rethinking her choice of words. "I mean- That sounded bad." She shook her head as if it were an etch-a-sketch, trying to undo.
"I don't take it personally." Lexa said. To Clarke, it sounded like she did.
"It's at my friend Raven's place, she has an apartment off campus." Clarke added, reassuring. She looked at Lexa, whose expression was unreadable. "Uh, Lincoln will be there. You guys are friends, right?" Clarke asked.
"Did he say that?" Lexa asked, eyes suddenly going dark.
"Uh, no. He said you guys knew each other. I just figured-"
"What is this?" Lexa asked, cutting her off.
"What do you mean?" Clarke asked, brow furrowed.
"I mean, what is this? What are you trying to do here?" Lexa stood from her bed, Clarke instinctively took a step back.
"It's just a- party." Clarke stuttered out, suddenly unsure.
"Why are you inviting me?" Lexa asked, taking a step closer to Clarke. Her eyes were threatening, as if she was waiting for Clarke to say the wrong thing. To make the wrong move. Clarke felt her words sticking in her throat, trying to formulate an answer.
"I just want to get to know you." Clarke said, finding her voice. Lexa's expression changed, softening, almost like she might laugh.
"You want to get to know me?" She repeated, incredulously.
"Yeah." Clarke said. She couldn't believe how badly this was going. She couldn't believe that she went out of her way to invite someone who was mocking her. "But honestly, you could just say no instead of being a dick about it." Clarke huffed angrily. "This was a bad idea. Sorry for bothering you." She said. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she turned to exit.
"Clarke, wait." Lexa said, reaching to catch her by the arm. Clarke spun around, heart pounding again from hearing her own name and feeling Lexa's cool hands on her wrist. They locked eyes, and Clarke decided that they were green-blue. There was something in her gaze, or maybe her frown that made Clarke want to kiss her. "I'm sorry." Lexa said, suddenly unable to meet Clarke's eyes. She let go of her arm, and Clarke almost wished she didn't. "I'll come to the party."
"Really?" Clarke grinned in total disbelief.
"Yes." She nodded, beginning of a smile forming. "But I have three conditions." Lexa said.
"Three? That's so many!" Clarke whined.
"You haven't even heard them yet." Lexa said.
"I don't need to hear them to know three is too many. How about one?" Clarke offered.
"My three conditions will be met or I'm not going anywhere." Her tone was less than a growl, more of an order. If it was anyone else, Clarke probably would've told them to fuck off, but another look at Lexa and she complied.
"Fine." Clarke groaned.
"Good. Number one, I am not getting in a stranger's car."
"Raven lives within walking distance, so we're good on that." Clarke smiled involuntarily, counting one on her finger. Lexa didn't acknowledge her response.
"Number two, I need your guarantee that this is not some sort of trap to get me to talk to Lincoln."
"Why?" Clarke asked curiously. "What's wrong with talking to Lincoln?"
"Do I have a guarantee, or not?" Lexa asked sternly.
"Yeah, fine, no one is going to force you to talk to Lincoln." Clarke said, brow furrowed.
"Number three, if you and your friends are disorderly when we return, I was never with you. I don't even know you. You're just the girl that lives across the hall." Lexa said, looking very serious. Clarke's breath caught. Is that not what Lexa already thought of her? Was she more than just the girl from across the hall? "Clarke." Lexa called.
Clarke wished Lexa would stop saying her name. She wasn't sure she could handle the shock. "Got it. We don't know each other." She nodded, unable to hide her grin.
A few hours and an excessive amount of outfit changes later, Clarke was outside of Lexa's door again, knocking. She took a deep breath, thinking longingly of the flask tucked into the waistband of her jeans. It was cold and uncomfortable, but Clarke had stopped carrying a purse to parties a long time ago, after her fourth one went mysteriously missing. She tried to keep her hands still as she heard sounds of Lexa rummaging from the other side of the door. It door swung open and it was too late for Clarke to realize how close she had been standing to it. Lexa came out and stepped directly into her. "Shit. Sorry." Lexa said, grabbing Clarke by the arms to still her. Clarke wasn't sure which part of the interaction had dazed her the most, the full body contact, the arm touching, or the way Lexa said 'shit'. She looked up, Lexa was frowning at her.
"You okay?" Lexa asked. It wasn't particularly soft or sweet, but Clarke's heart still started in a quick, dull thud. Lexa's eyes were blue green pools.
"I'm fine. Sorry. I shouldn't have been standing in the doorway like that." Clarke shook her head, offering a friendly smile. Lexa straightened up, without meaning to, Clarke looked her over, light jeans over long legs and exposed collarbones above the arcing neckline of a tank top. She wore a flannel like a jacket, open, with the sleeves rolled up. Clarke tried not to put much thought into that, because all kinds of people wear flannels. As far as she could tell, she liked casual Lexa.
"Where are all your friends?" Lexa asked. There was something insinuating in her tone.
"Well, we could've walked over with Octavia, but I didn't want you to accuse me of forcing you to interact with Lincoln, so we're just going to meet them there." Clarke said.
Lexa examined her once again, and Clarke wondered if she was just going to have to get used to her constant intensity. Something new crossed her expression. "Thank you." Lexa said softly, corners of her mouth lifting. She tried not to notice how amazing Lexa looked with a smile. Suddenly, Clarke wasn't so sure she would survive the night.
Mid-September hung dark over the small town. It was crisper than it had been in a long time, finally free from the clutches of humidity. Clarke was silently thankful, she hated drinking when it was warm out because it made her face flush. Friday night was in the air, it was evident from the time they stepped outside. Crowds of students stood by the ashtray, talking loudly about plans at clubs and parties. It was more lively than she remembered her last school being, and it gave her some hope.
Clarke and Lexa walked closely together. Not too close, Clarke was sure, but close enough. They made it about fifteen feet from the front doors of their dorm before Clarke slipped her flask from her waistband and unscrewed the cap. She took a swig of the whiskey inside, relishing in the way it warmed her throat and chest. Lexa eyed her suspiciously.
"You like whiskey?" Clarke asked, offering the flask to her.
"Are you even old enough to drink?" Lexa asked. The question caught Clarke off-guard, she opened and shut her mouth a few times, trying to decide on whether or not to tell the truth. "You know what, I don't want to know." Lexa decided, taking the flask from her hands.
Clarke was surprised that she had given up that easily, and even more so that she actually took the flask. "Are you old enough to drink?" Clarke teased.
"I am." Lexa said, very dignified as she took a sip from the metal canister.
"Seriously?" Clarke asked. It wasn't unbelievable though. To Clarke, Lexa seemed significantly older than she was, more confident. More together. Lexa nodded, with a slight smirk. "How old are you?"
"Twenty one." She said, drinking from the flask again.
"I didn't actually think you would take any." Clarke laughed, watching her.
"Why'd you offer if you didn't plan on sharing?" Lexa asked, smirking as she took an exaggerated gulp to mock her.
"I'm more than willing to share." Clarke said. "It's just, unexpected."
"Do I strike you as a nun?" Lexa laughed, passing the flask back to Clarke discretely as a cluster of other students passed.
"No. Just a little uptight." She laughed. Lexa chuckled lightly.
"And for some reason you still invited me to come with you." Lexa shrugged.
"Yep." Clarke said with a little extra pop on the p. She swirled the flask around, trying to gauge how much liquid was still inside. Lexa apparently had quite a bit.
"Why?"
"I told you," Clarke said without hesitation "I want to get to know you." Lexa hummed in response, and Clarke couldn't tell if the sound was accepting or skeptical. There was a moment of silence as they continued down the block. "Anyway, in the spirit of getting to know you, I have a few questions." Clarke said, after willing herself into swallowing some more courage.
"Okay." Lexa nodded, looking over at her. It was too dark to see clearly, but Clarke could tell her eyebrows were raised expectantly.
"Okay, uh-" Clarke realized now that she probably should've thought of some questions. "What's your major?" She asked as it came to her. She silently cursed herself for not thinking of anything cooler.
"Political science." Lexa said, proudly.
"Don't people have to like you for you to be a politician?" Clarke asked, words coming out a lot ruder than she meant.
Instead of the the glare she was expecting, Lexa smirked in response. "No." She shook her head. "Succeeding in politics relies on strategy, intelligence, the ability to make hard choices. Not just how well liked you are."
The smirk emboldened Clarke, wanting to make it appear again. "But it can't hurt, right?" She laughed.
"It doesn't hurt, no. I'm not interested in being a politician, though." Lexa said.
"You're not?"
"I'd rather be a strategist. It's the people behind the scenes that really make politicians work."
"You don't belong behind the scenes." Clarke laughed.
"Why not?" Lexa asked, looking concerned.
"Have you seen yourself?" Clarke said loudly, eyes widening as she heard it. She didn't have time to regret what she said, Lexa's cheeks twinged with pink as she bit down on her own lip. It made Clarke want to keep complimenting her, but she couldn't think of anything else to say that wouldn't sound creepy. "My mom and her boyfriend are both on city council back home." Clarke said. She wanted to relate, to show Lexa what she knew about politics, but she immediately regretted bringing it up. She didn't want to talk about her mom. Luckily, before Lexa could ask any follow-up questions, they reached their destination.
Clarke led the way up the wooden stairs on the side of an unassuming red brick building. They could hear the music before they made it to the second floor. Clarke wondered how long it would be before the police showed up. She didn't need to knock once they got to the top of the landing, the door was open, and she could see through the screen door inside. Octavia caught her eye before Clark could move for the handle and her high pitched screams rang out above the music. Clarke opened the door and immediately Octavia's arms were around her neck. She could hear Lexa laugh from behind her.
"Clarke! I'm so glad you're here! We're having the besssssst time!" Octavia shouted practically into her friend's ear.
"Isn't that your roommate?" Lexa asked. Clarke could hear the laugh in her voice. She didn't get the chance to explain that Octavia is an overly affectionate drunk before she was screaming again.
"Lexa! Hi!" Octavia said, releasing Clarke in favor of her RA. "I can't believe you came! Ahh! You don't know me. Well, you probably do because you're always yelling at us-" Octavia stopped to laugh hard at that thought. "I'm Octavia." She said, holding out her hand. Before Lexa could move to shake it, though, Octavia wrapped her arms around her. Clarke felt obligated to pull her off once she noticed Lexa's body stiffen uncomfortably. "What? I'm just hugging our new friend!" Octavia yelled at Clarke.
"I think Lincoln is looking for you." Clarke said, pointing inside.
"Lincoln?! I love him! Did you know that?" Octavia shouted.
"I did." Clarke laughed. "Come on, let's go inside." She opened the door and held it, making sure Octavia went in ahead of them. "Sorry about that." Clarke muttered to Lexa. She was worried Lexa would want to leave now, that her friends were too much and they hadn't even made it to the party yet.
"If I wasn't prepared to handle drunk people I wouldn't have came to a party." Lexa smirked, and Clarke couldn't help but smirk back. She entered, now confident enough to lead Lexa inside.
It wasn't Clarke's first time in Raven's apartment, but the place looked drastically different than usual. It was more crowded than she would've imagined, every seat filled and every wall lined with people around her age holding red cups. The couch and coffee table were pushed out of the way, freeing up floor space for a folding table set with red cups. Bellamy, Octavia's brother was there, on one end of the table shooting a ball to the other side. He was one of the roommates in the apartment and Clarke liked him well enough. That is, when he wasn't picking fights with her or being possessive over his sister.
"Look who finally bothered to join us." Bellamy shouted at her over the music.
"Yeah, yeah." Clarke rolled her eyes. "Where's Raven? And the booze?" She asked him, shouting back. He looked away from his game long enough to point towards the kitchen.
"Come on." Clarke said to Lexa. She nearly reached down to grab her hand, but stopped just short as she lead the way to the kitchen. It wasn't a far walk because it wasn't a particularly large apartment, but it took quite a bit of shifting and squeezing to get through the crowd. As they crossed through the arch into the kitchen, a boy Clarke had never seen before barrelled into Lexa, nearly tipping his drink down her shirt. Lexa scowled at him and Clarke heard a rushed apology before he disappeared. "You okay?" Clarke asked, looking over at her.
"I need a drink." Lexa said. Her honesty made Clarke laugh. She grabbed Lexa by the wrist, deciding that it wasn't too intimate and continued to lead.
"Hey! Look who's here!" Raven called as they entered the kitchen. She was sitting up on the counter, red cup in one hand, nozzle for the keg in the other.
"I've heard it already." Clarke laughed as they approached. "What's up?" She asked.
"Not much." Raven said. "Stuck here on guard duty because some assholes my neighbor invited kept trying to do keg stands. Like, this isn't some trashy high school party in the woods, go get your own tap to put your gross mouth on." Raven huffed.
"Is that who all these people are?" Clarke asked.
"Yeah. All the neighbors take turns throwing parties, we all chip in for booze and shit and invite whoever. It keeps one apartment from getting too fucked up, and nobody calls the cops. Pretty much a win win."
"Except for the assholes." Clarke added.
"Exactly." Raven said. She looked up and apparently noticed Lexa, because her frustrated expression twisted into a smirk. "I'm sorry, who's your friend, Clarke?" Raven was messing with her. She knew exactly who her friend was.
"I'm Lexa." She said, stepping forward to offer Raven her hand.
"She lives on my floor." Clarke added, trying to reinforce the idea that she had never so much as mentioned Lexa to anyone.
"The RA?" Raven asked. Clarke glared at her, hoping she would understand it to mean shut the fuck up, but she knew Raven wouldn't care either way. Lexa looked over at Clarke curiously, almost smugly.
"You talk about me?" Lexa asked.
For once, Clarke felt prepared. "Well, when you get visits from your RA as often as I do, it's bound to come up once or twice." She laughed. "That's Raven, she lives here. Anyway, Rae, can we get some beer?" Clarke asked, grabbing two red cups off of a nearby counter. "I promise I won't put my mouth on your tap." Raven reached out for the cups.
"What if I want your mouth on tap?" Raven laughed, tilting the cups to fill them.
"Then you'll have to wait until later." Clarke laughed too, taking the now full cups and passing one to Lexa.
"We'll be back." Clarke said, grabbing Lexa by the wrist again.
"Go find the rest of our friends. Jasper and Monty are around here somewhere. Maybe you can convince one of them to watch the keg for me." Raven called after them.
"Is that your girlfriend?" Lexa asked.
Clarke couldn't look over at her for fear that she would notice her embarrassment. The question felt like a trap. If she went for a flat out denial, Lexa might think she was straight. And she said something like 'no, but I do like girls' it might seem like she was hitting on her. Clarke took a gulp of her beer to buy some time to think up a witty response. "If that was my girlfriend, don't you think I'd be hanging out here instead of causing trouble on your floor?"
"Good point." Lexa said. From the corner of her eye, she swore she saw a smirk.
Somehow, in the overcrowded living room, they managed to find an open corner spot. They stood close together to hear over the music, talking and laughing. Clarke was amazed at how easy it all felt. Maybe it was the whiskey they had finished together, or the beers they sipped on, but for once, she didn't feel nervous around Lexa as they talked. It was mostly about school and their plans after graduation, until Clarke awkwardly admitted she was undeclared. It was the second most uncomfortable she had felt all night.
"You said you're a transfer, were you undeclared before, too?" Lexa asked. Her eyes were light, she leaned against the wall slightly to be closer to Clarke's height.
"No. I was in pre-med at Arcadia-" Clarke said, but she was cut short by the sound of Lexa coughing up her drink. "Holy shit, you okay?" Clarke asked, grabbing Lexa by the shoulder to steady her.
"Yeah," Lexa laughed. "I'm fine, I just-" Lexa stared into Clarke's eyes, examining as they so often did. "You left Arcadia to come here?" She laughed again, in disbelief.
"I did." Clarke nodded, trying not to blush at the look of admiration Lexa was giving her. Her hand was still on Lexa's shoulder, but she pretended not to notice.
"That's unbelievable."
"You seem surprised." Clarke laughed, taking a drink.
"Don't get me wrong, Polis is a good school, but Arcadia is great. Especially for medicine." Lexa said, shaking her head. "Why did you leave?"
That, was not a question Clarke was prepared for. "I had some, personal stuff." She muttered quietly.
"Yo Clarke!" A voice called. Her head snapped up, ready for any distraction from her current conversation. It was Bellamy. "Ready to lose?" He called from across the room. He bounced a ping pong ball off the table and into his hand, looking confident.
"He's such a cocky asshole." Clarke rolled her eyes, laughing to Lexa.
"Is he any good?" Lexa asked curiously.
"He's the best out of all of our friends and he knows it." She laughed.
"Come on Clarke, don't be scared." Bellamy laughed, bouncing the ball again.
"I don't have a teammate." Clarke yelled back over the music.
"Don't worry, your new friend can lose too." He grinned, raising the ball to point at Lexa.
Clarke turned to Lexa. "You don't have to play. I'll find someone else. Maybe Lincoln will want to-"
"I never turn down a challenge, Clarke." Lexa said, suddenly intense. Before Clarke could get out another word, Lexa led the way to the table. Bellamy stood next to Murphy, a greasy looking kid who Clarke was sure she didn't like.
"Good to know." Clarke laughed.
"You guys both know how to play, right?" Bellamy condescended. Clarke liked him better sober.
"Yes, dick." Clarke huffed, outstretching a hand to demand the second ball. She glanced back at Lexa, expression unreadable. Honestly, Clarke had no idea whether Lexa knew how to play or not. Really, she had no idea if Lexa had ever even been to a party before this. She tried to imagine it, Lexa in positions she herself had been in, but it all seemed too bizarre. She couldn't picture Lexa drunkenly slumped over strange guys, or vomiting out of a moving car. Not taking Jell-O shots, body shots, or chugging from a beer bong. Hell, she could hardly imagine Lexa drinking alcohol at all and it was happening right in front of her.
Clarke lined up across from Bellamy, who counted back from 3 before they both tossed the balls toward the opposite side of the table. Clarke's bounced off the back left cup, rolling on to the floor, Bellamy's sunk cleanly into the center.
"Shit." Clarke huffed. She picked up the cup and fished out the ball, chugging the lukewarm beer inside.
"You should've warned me you were bad at this." Lexa said into her ear, catching Clarke off guard. She hadn't realized Lexa was standing so close.
"I am not!" Clarke pouted. Murphy took a shot and landed it in another corner. She frowned, reaching for the cup.
"No, let me." Lexa said, wrapping a hand around Clarke's wrist to stop her. She didn't let go until after she had grabbed the cup with the other hand. Clarke would be lying if she said it didn't turn her on, they way Lexa's eyes fluttered shut as she brought the cup to her mouth. She stared at her throat, fighting the urge to press a kiss against her neck after every gulp. Maybe Clarke was more drunk than she thought.
Bellamy shot again and by some miracle it rolled along the rims of two far cups and off of the table. "No! Shit!" He cursed.
"Ha!" Clarke laughed, pointing to mock him.
Wordlessly, Lexa demanded the ball, holding her hand out to Clarke. She obliged, bracing herself for the worst, but instead it landed soundlessly in a cup across the table before she even saw it leave Lexa's hand. Lexa looked over at her and flashed a smirk as Bellamy scowled.
"Whatever, beginner's luck." Murphy heckled.
Clarke looked back over at Lexa, all confident smirks and lowered eyes. Her expression made Clarke think that she wasn't a beginner. Not at all.
Within fifteen minutes, she knew that to be true. She was certain that if they didn't have to alternate Lexa could've taken Bellamy and Murphy herself, and faster, because Clarke missed more shots than she landed. Lexa handed Clarke the ball, an intensity in her gaze that she couldn't believe. There was one cup left. It was up to Clarke. If she missed, Bellamy would have the ball, and there were only two cups left for the girls. She couldn't lose the game for them. For Lexa, really. She took a deep breath. Her head started to feel heavy, and she knew that all the alcohol was catching up to her. She just needed to make one shot.
"You don't need to throw it hard." Lexa said in her ear. "It's a light ball, but it still has mass. Throw it gently and it's less likely to bounce off the rim." Lexa whispered. Clarke shivered, startled by the closeness, and nodded. Lexa's hands were on her waist. She took a deep breath, trying to ignore how much she liked it. She wound back her arm, and watched as the ball flew through the air, landing in the cup with a satisfying splash. As soon as it landed, Lexa erupted in cheers, nearly lifting Clarke off the ground in a victory hug. Clarke choked on air, Lexa knocked the wind out of her. A split second later, she was released. Lexa's cheeks were tinged pink and Clarke couldn't tell whether or not it was from all of the alcohol.
"Sorry." Lexa choked out, staring at the ground. "I've been told I'm a little
competitive." She smiled softly, looking mostly at the ground.
"That, was fucking awesome." Clarke said, looking up at her. Lexa didn't need to know she wasn't talking about the game.