Clarke stood at one of the tables that were neatly lined up at the front of the reception canopy, her face scrunched up slightly in a mixture of concern and concentration as she peered into the punch bowl. Shit... She grabbed the ladle resting on the side of the glass bowl and gently pushed pieces of citrus and berry around, hoping that she would spot her prize. A small irritated growl slipped from her lips as she continued her fruitless fishing. The blonde jumped slightly as she heard someone gently clear their throat behind her. Desparate to keep her massive blunder to herself, she twisted around, making sure to keep her body directly in the path of the punchbowl. Clarke's eyes widened as they locked with a sparkling pair of emerald eyes. She recognized the beautiful girl from a few hours before. Their eyes had met as she was making her way down the aisle. Clarke had felt the exact same fluttering feeling in her stomach then as she was feeling now. She stood there for a moment, strangely lost for words until she heard the other woman clear her throat yet again.
"We haven't been introduced yet. I'm Lexa." the brunette said as she extended her hand towards Clarke. "I did the flowers for your wedding."
"Oh right." Clarke said with a smile as she gently gripped Lexa's hand in a small shake, momentarily forgetting her predicament. "Everything was so beautiful. Thank you." The brunette rewarded her words with a smile that had left Clarke momentarily dazed.
"I'm just going to..." the brunette trailed off, gesturing towards the punch behind Clarke as she sidestepped to get around the blonde. A moment of panic struck the newlywed as she realized the other woman's intention of getting herself a drink. She shifted until she was once again standing inbetween the beautiful woman and the punch bowl. She shifted awkwardly as the brunette shot her a look that was somewhere between amused and affronted.
"I don't think you want to do that." the blonde said sheepishly. Clarke watched as the other woman's gaze flickered over to the punch and back to her, bemusement written all over her face.
"Is there something wrong?" the woman asked with a barely contained smirk. "If there is, I'm here to help."
Clarke let out a resigned sigh. She was getting nowhere fast on her own... she needed some help. Besides, something about Lexa seemed so genuine that Clarke couldn't help but trust her. She glanced over her shoulder at the punch in question, then turned her attention back to her rescuer. The blonde surveyed the area surrounding them, making sure nobody was in earshot before she began to explain the situation. "I dropped my ring in the punch." Clarke muttered, looking anywhere but into the brunette's eyes. When she finally brought her gaze up to meet the other woman's, she could see a smile forming on the girl's face. She could feel a blush creeping up her own face. The blonde watched the other woman as she seemed to be sizing up the situation.
"You've tried the ladle?" she asked, still studying the punch bowl. Clarke nodded. "And dumping it out won't work." she said, seemingly more to herself than anyone else. She shrugged her shoulders and sighed a little. "Well, I suppose there's only one thing left to do. Cover me."
Clarke felt completely lost. "What?"
"Use your dress to hide me... I'm going in." The brunette playfully grabbed Clarke around her waist, illiciting a giggle from the blonde, and switched their positions, immediately plunging her hand down into the dark red liquid.
Clarke watched dutifully, ready to run interference if anyone approached them. As fate would have it, it wasn't long until interference became neccessary. Fate, much to the bride's annoyance, took the form of Cage Wallace. There were very few people in the world that Clarke simply could not tolerate, and Cage was one of them. He strutted over to where the two women stood and looked down at Clarke, his face dripping with condescension. "A white dress is and interesting choice." he said as he raked his eyes down the blonde's figure. "If I know my boy Finn, the only thing virgin at this wedding is the olive oil."
"Always so clever, Cage" the blonde responded, the expression on her face and the tone of her voice belying her words. Clarke thought she might vomit right there in front of the entire reception party if she were forced to continue to talk to the skeezeball in front of her for any longer. A wave of relief washed over her, though, as she felt Lexa shift behind her and pull her flush against the brunette's front as she discreetly slipped a wet ring back onto her finger. She tried to ignore the way her skin tingled in the places where Lexa's skin made contact with her own. The brunette took a few setps forward and moved to stand by her side, clearly put off by the man in front of them.
"Well, hello there. I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting this lovely creature. I'm Cage Wallace, but you may call me anything you like. Who might you be?" Cage asked extending his hand and sizing Lexa up in the same manner a wolf would its prey. Clarke couldn't stop the feelings of jealousy and protectiveness that overwhelmed her as she watched the slimeball look at the florist like a piece of meat.
"Oh, I'm sure I will." Lexa replied stiffly, not even bothering to hide her disgust as she took the proffered hand and shook it firmly. "I'm Lexa Birch." Both girls had to try very hard to hide their amusement as Cage's expression turned sour as he withdrew his now wet and sticky hand and wiped it on his jacket. He excused himself, no doubt in search of somewhere to wash the mystery substance off.
Clarke laughed and turned back to Lexa. "I can't thank you enough for everything." the blonde said with an appreciative look on her face. "I owe you."
Lexa shook her head and smiled. "It was my pleasure. Now, I think that someone may be looking for you." she said with a small smile, gesturing towards the dance floor. Clarke focused her attention to the direction where Lexa was pointing and saw Finn's smiling face.
"Oh, right." the blonde said, embarassed that she had basically ignored her new husband since they had arrived to the reception. She looked back to the florist with a small sigh. "Well, it was wonderful to meet you, Lexa. I hope to see you again sometime very soon." Lexa smiled brightly at her, and Clarke felt her heart skip a beat. The brunette was truly the most beautiful person she had ever met. Especially when she smiled.
"I hope so as well, Clarke. It truly was a pleasure." The two women parted ways, each of them glancing back over their shoulders and smiling as their eyes met once more.
As the evening wore on and the alcohol flowed freely, there was barely a sober soul to be found anywhere. The last time Lexa had spotted Raven, she was chatting up the maid of honor. The florist had no doubt that she would be leaving without her employee later that night. Raven was many things, and womanizer was at the very top of the list. Feeling quite out of place, she sat by herself towards the back of the tent, silently observing the party. She smiled as she spotted a familiar head of golden curls. She couldn't lie to herself... She was completely enamored with Clarke. The brunette released a sad sigh. Way to go Lexa. You go years without feeling anything and then you go and develop a crush. On a straight girl. On a married straight girl, no less. Dumbass... She shook her head in an attempt to shake the uncontrollable thoughts in her head. There was no way in hell she was going down that road. She couldn't help but seek Clarke out again, though. She frowned as she saw the predicament that the blonde found herself in. Somehow, she had gotten stuck dancing with that skeezebag from earlier. Cage, wasn't it? What a stupid name. No wonder he's such a huge asshole. The blonde looked absolutely miserable.Without thinking about what she was doing, Lexa swiftly got up from the table and made her way over to where she had seen them dancing. She took a deep breath and tapped Cage firmly on the shoulder, receiving an irritated glare from him in return.
"May I cut in?" she asked politely, though the expression she was pinning him with left no room for no. He looked as if he was going to refuse for a moment, but he ultimately (and wisely) gave her a curt nod before sulkily stomping away. Lexa watched him go and turned back to Clarke with a small but cheeky smile. The florist bowed slightly before holding out her hand to the blonde. "May I have this dance, my lady?" she said in her most proper tone. She couldn't help but smile when the blonde giggled. Lexa was convinced that it was the most adorable sound she had ever heard.
Clarke took her hand and they began to dance slowly. Lexa nervously let her hands fall to the blonde's waist, and it wasn't long before the blonde followed suit and wrapped her arms around the brunette's necked, pulling them closer together.
"Youre making a habit out of saving me, ma'am." Clarke hummed next to her ear. Lexa felt a shiver run down her spine as she felt warm breath ghost against her skin.
"Well, I wouldn't have to save you if you didn't have a habit of getting into trouble." the brunette replied with a small chuckle.
"Fair enough." Clarke replied, a smile evident in her voice. They continued to dance as Lexa found herself getting lost in the feel of the other woman in her arms.
Much too soon for either woman's liking, the song was over and they once again said their goodbyes. After a short search, Lexa found Raven. Like the florist had suspected, her friend had found someone (that someone being the maid of honor) to go home with that night. Knowing that Raven would need a vehicle to get home that night she decided to walk home. She could use the fresh air, and her apartment wasn't far anyway. As she was ready to walk out of the exit, she gazed over the crowd, once again locking gazes with two now familiar pools of crystal. She smiled and nodded, then walked out into the cool night air. She took a deep breath and thought about everything that had happened. I think I'm in trouble. Way to go, idiot...
A/N: Oh my God , guys... I am sorry it took me so long to update. Started a new job and adulting sort of got in the way. Anyways... I'm going to try to update periodically from here on out. Hopefully every Sunday if everything goes to plan. Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I love to hear from you guys, so feel free to drop me a review, or say hi on Tumblr. .com
