There weren't a lot of things that made Clarke nervous. She could get up and present in a class without any problems. She had no problem approaching anyone she was interested in, obviously. But when it came to having to accept the invitation to go to Octavia's for dinner that night she felt butterflies in her stomach that whole day. It felt like cement had taken residence in her stomach. So when the time came to actually head to the Blake house she was still sitting in her car in the parking lot.

Normally she would take Octavia home, but she gave the excuse that she had to run home to do something for her mother just to give her a little more time to get herself together. She hadn't been in the same room with the both of them in the exception of school and the party, but neither were direct and isolated access to the both of them together. She hoped and prayed to whatever higher power there may be to make sure this stupid dinner went smoothly.

So here she was still in her car in the school parking lot with her music up as high as she could handle with her hands gripping the steering wheel. She starts giving herself a pep talk "It's one dinner. You're being ridiculous. You see him all the time and it would be normal to run into him. Get your shit together Griffin. Come on!" She yells the last part. Finally the surge of assurance reaches her and she puts the car in drive and heads to the Blake house. The whole drive she continues to blast the music. She doesn't know why it calms her but it does and currently she's belting out I'll Make a Man out of You from Mulan and in that moment it's her jam and she's putting everything she has into it.

By the time she gets to the Octavia's house she's on her seventh repeat of the song, but she feels better and that's what matters. She has more confidence in herself and she feels like she has General Li Shang to thank for that. Clarke makes it to the door and walks in as she always does. Who needs to knock when you have a key?

"Hello?" She calls out. She instantly gets comfortable and takes her shoes off and walks to the kitchen seeing Bellamy leaning over the stove and bobbing his head. She sees he has ear buds in and has no idea she's there. Just as she was about to start forward to let him know she was there he starts rocking his hips and she decides, as any woman would, to sit back and enjoy the show. She watches him dance for what feels like a solid minute before he does a spin move and stops dead when his eyes land on her.

"I wasn't aware Magic Mike 3 auditions had started so soon." She tried to hide her smirk and seem disinterested but was failing miserably.

Bellamy pulled the earbuds out of his ears, "What's Magic Mike?" he asked in confusion.

Clarke waited for the 'gotcha' but it never came, "Oh my god. You're actually serious." She pushed off the door frame that she had been leaning on, "The story about Channing Tatum as a stripper, I mean it was loosely based, but still. Male strippers, amazing dancing, and did I mentioned the amazing abs?" Clarke closed her eyes and sighed pulling the image to her mind for dramatic effect.

"Well it's a good thing you like my abs then." Bellamy turned to set a lid on top of a pot before turning around.

"What makes you think that?" She crossed her arms and looked at him.

"Because you told me multiple times in the bar bathroom. I believe you even wanted to get food involved, something about chocolate and whipped cream. When I told you I was down for that you went absolutely—" Clarke had closed the space between them and placed her had against his mouth. It didn't stop him from completing his thought but at least it was all mumbled and she didn't have to deal with the memory that was trying to surface from that hazy night. It seemed she only remembered the important parts and not all the good parts.

It was like the air thickened and the whole mood of the room changed. She was suddenly hyperaware of their proximity to each other and she felt a wave of heat roll over her body. She screamed at herself not to do it but her eyes flicked up and their eyes met. The color of brown in his eyes was darker than she thought but she could see the wisps of gold. Something he and Octavia apparently shared. The light freckles that spattered his nose and cheeks was something so imperfect it made it perfect. His tan skin and dark hair that was falling into his eyes as his eyes were cast down at here and it was in that moment where it was like in the movies when suddenly everything goes in slow motion and the background just fades away and it's just the two main characters. The characters that were so obviously in love and too stupid to realize what was there. She hated movies like that, and that thought broke her out of the haze and she quickly dropped her hand and took two steps back.

"I'm not in love with you." She sputtered out with a terrified look on her face.

The look on Bellamy's face was so full of confusion and a clear 'what the fuck' written across his face. "I never said you were?"

"I know" she stuttered, embarrassment flaming all over her face, "Sorry." Clarke turned around mentally cursing herself for freaking out, it wasn't a big deal that they touched. Or that her hand felt tingly after it being against his mouth.

She felt a light hand on her shoulder and she froze, "Clarke I know you're nervous about this dinner, but I promise to be on my best behavior. I meant it when I said we need to learn how to be in the same room together. We can't avoid each other forever."

"I know," She said softly. "It's just sometimes I get so riddled with guilt over everything."

Bellamy walked around her and stood in front of her, "Stop feeling guilty. It's in the past and it can't be changed. So we work with the hand we've been dealt. Plus I'm just as much to blame as you are if not more, if you're determined to look at it that way."

"Bellamy, I'm her best friend—"

"And I'm her brother, which is even worse."

Clarke was shaking her head, "You don't understand." Her voice was shaky. God, she hated getting emotional.

She felt the warmth of his fingers on her chin before it was slowly pulled up to look him in the eyes, "You're right, I don't fully understand. But what I do know is that no matter what O loves you. You're family to her and I know that O would never hate you. I'm the one at fault over all of this. I pursued you , remember? So if she's going to hate anyone, it's going to be me." He slid his hand to cup her cheek. "So please stop torturing yourself. I promise that I won't put you in any position that would put your friendship with O at risk." His thumb stroked her cheek while his eyes never left hers.

Clarke hated the way her body responded to him, like she was the tinder and he was the spark. His touch leaving a trail of warmth as if her body was on fire. She put her hand over his where it rested on her cheek, "I believe you. O comes first." She pulled his hand from her cheek and dropped it. She already missed the warmth.

"O comes first." He agreed.

Both jumped apart hearing the front door slam. Bellamy was already halfway back to the stove before Octavia rounded the corner. "Oh good. I was worried I was going to have to help one of you bury a body." Octavia passed Clarke but not before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Clarke watched O as she strolled over to give her brother a quick hug. It was then that Clarke noticed that her shirt was inside out. She felt a smirk form, "Where were you?"

"Oh, I had to meet someone in my science class to iron out the details for a project." Octavia waved dismissing the question.

"What's the project about?" Clarke walked over to their kitchen table and rested her chin in her hand waiting for her next lie.

"Oh you know, science stuff. It's all boring." Octavia shot Clarke a look, "So what's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti." Bellamy said but never glancing at his sister.

"So who's all in your group? Anyone I would know?"

"Nope." Octavia said offhandedly.

"Hey O."

Octavia turned toward Clarke, "Yeah?"

"Your shirt is on inside out." I bit my lip trying to hide my amusement.

The daggers she threw at Clarke with her eyes would have made anyone else recoil but Clarke only got more amusement out of it. She had caught Octavia red handed. Ditching her to have a roll around the sack, leaving her with her brother.

"I hate you" Octavia hissed but there was no malice in her voice at all. It was more of a paraphrasing of 'payback is a bitch'.

"Really Octavia, tell me you're joking!" Clarke jumped a little never hearing Bellamy raise his voice, "You leave me with Clarke, of all people, so you can have some meaningless hookup."

"Hey!" They both exclaimed.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It wasn't meaningless!"

Both girls exclaimed at the same time. Bellamy looked between the two of them his eyes falling on Octavia first, "Just because you're used to flaunting around when mom isn't here doesn't mean you can do it on my watch." He glanced over at Clarke for a split second, "And that's not how I meant it."

The glare that Octavia was giving her brother would have made Clarke wither on the spot, and that's saying something. "O." Clarke said softly not wanting to end up on the receiving end of that glare, "Why don't you go get changed and then we can lounge while your loser brother cooks dinner."

Octavia glanced at Clarke but shot her brother one last glare before stalking off to her bedroom. Clarke spun to look at him incredulously. "Do you not learn?!" She whispered harshly.

"Clarke she's making mistakes. I don't want her ending up like our mother. I want her to go to college and graduate and not end up a single mom with two kids she can barely feed." Clarke could see the mild heartbreak and the love he had for his sister.

"You know the more you try to reign her in the more she's going to act out. She's been living on her own for the last 3 years without anyone here to tell her what to do. I know you feel like you have to step in and fill some void but there isn't one." she turned to walk towards the living room but stopped at the doorway and turned to look at him, "I made sure of that." She gave him a small smile and turned.

"Hey." She stopped in her tracks and looked at him.

"Did you really have to call me a loser?"

Clarke rolled her eyes but didn't reply. Instead she made her way to the couch. It was only a second later that Octavia fell on the couch beside her and stretched across the couch with her head in Clarke's lap. They fell into the routine where Clarke would run her fingers through Octavia's hair while she vented.

"He thinks he can just stroll up in here and take the parental role. He's been gone for 3 years and i barely saw him." Octavia said softly. Clarke knew that Bellamy's absence had always been a sore spot with her, but she understood his need to get away from this house. It was toxic and they all knew that. Their mom, when home, had a string of men that flowed into the house attached to their mom's lips. It was often that Octavia came to stay with her. "And to even insinuate that i'm like her is fucked up."

"I doubt he meant it like that. I'm sorry for pointing it out, i didn't think it through with him being here."

Octavia reached up and patted Clarke's arm, " I know." a smile spread across her face, "But you'll be glad to know that it wasn't Atom. I broke up with him."

Clarke's eyebrows raised in surprise, "You told me this morning you were back together."

"Yeah but I met this guy at the party when Atom disappeared to god knows where. He's great and hella attractive. We're talking a solid ten. And he's older so that's a major plus." Her eyes shined with excitement.

"Well I would suggest keeping it from Bellamy. You don't want a Finn and Wick situation."

Octavia looked up at her, "Have you talked to him?"

Clarke looked away, the guilt poured into her. "No. I know that i need to. I miss him, but i don't need him fighting my battles. I know that's just Wick but i have to deal with Finn at school and i'm worried Finn will be an asshole and press charges. I don't even think he was at school today."

"Well that's not a bad thing."

Bellamy walked into the living room and stopped when he saw them on the couch, "Foods ready."

Bellamy's eyes lingered on her and she felt the warmth in her stomach spread. Damn him and his sultry looks. Okay, it wasn't sultry. He was just staring, but damn him anyways. He turned to talk into the kitchen and butterflies erupted in her stomach. This was it. All three of them together in close quarters and all Clarke could think about is that she could still feel the trail of flames he left from her chin to her cheek. Octavia had already disappeared into the kitchen.

Clarke guessed she'd been sitting there for too long because Bellamy came back into the livingroom. He came over to her and held out his hand. She looked up and he gave her a lopsided grin. "Best behavior, I promise." he whispered.

She took his hand and her stomach flipped as he pulled her up, but she couldn't help but smile. Maybe they could get through this dinner without any issues, but neither of them realized that they had walked into the kitchen their fingers intertwined.


AN: Wow this took a turn. This chapter went so many directions but none felt right. I'm still not 100% happy but I had to cut it short because it was going to be too long. But next chapter we get the dinner and close quarters between Bellamy and Clarke. I'm excited to see what you think and I hope you guys like it. Do you think the dinner will go flawlessly? Or will something slip through the cracks?