My Little Quarantine

by myshipsaresunk

Clarke Griffin is expecting to enjoy her senior year spring break with her best friends on a European cruise. She isn't expecting a worldwide pandemic to explode. She isn't expecting to be quarantined on a ship for two weeks. And she certainly isn't expecting to fall for her friend's mysterious older brother.

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Jason Rothenberg, Kass Morgan, and all the men and women that created The 100. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.

Rating: Teen and Up for minor language and implied adult themes

Author's Note: I busted this bad boy out in four days, so I apologize for any mistakes. I just really wanted to write Bellarke falling in love through quarantine. For those of you who like build-up, I hope you enjoy the entire fic. For those of you who want to skip to the action, March 12 is gonna be your friend. The title is inspired by lyrics from the new twenty one pilots song, "Level Of Concern"

---

My Little Quarantine

Wondering would you be

My little quarantine?

March 9, 2020

"I still can't believe we're doing this."

Clarke Griffin looks back along the line of her friends to see Monty Green grinning widely and bouncing on the balls of his feet. His girlfriend, Harper, rolls her eyes but smiles. Clarke's gaze drifts down the line: Jasper Jordan is standing just behind them, next to his girlfriend, Maya; then Finn Collins and Raven Reyes (she quickly moves on from them); and finally, bringing up the rear, Octavia Blake and her brother, Bellamy.

Wells Jaha, standing in front of her, suddenly moves up, wheeling his suitcase up the ramp and checking in with the cruise director. Clarke readjusts the backpack straps on her shoulders and reaches down to grasp the handle of her suitcase. She turns her gaze forward to the cruise ship bobbing in the harbor. It stands several decks tall, the polished white sides gleaming in the sunlight. She wishes she had her sunglasses on as she squints.

"Clarke Griffin," the man says, making a mark next to her name. "You'll be on deck three in room twelve." A female attendant reaches over and hangs a lanyard around her neck. Clarke looks down to see a plastic room key encased in a plastic cover. "Don't lose your key or else you have to pay twenty five dollars."

Clarke nods and catches up to Wells, who's waiting for her just inside the ship. Many people have already boarded and dropped their luggage off and are taking advantage of the huge pool on the top deck. A few more are seated at the bar enjoying fruity drinks with paper umbrellas.

"I've never been on a cruise before," Clarke says, glancing around. "Actually, I've never been on a ship before."

"Really?" Wells politely maneuvers through the crowds as he leads the way to the stairs. "I've been on one before. My dad and I went to Jamaica my freshman year."

"I still can't believe my mom let me come. You know how protective she's been since Dad died."

Wells nods. He understands in a way only someone who has lost a parent can understand. "Abby knows you can take care of yourself. Besides, it's our senior year spring break. We're all adults now."

"Not all of us," she says, looking back at Octavia, who hadn't waited to drop her items off in her room before pulling off her t-shirt and shorts and jumping into the pool. Jasper is staring at her while Maya tugs him away.

"Most of us," Wells corrects. His gaze moves to the dark, quiet figure standing watch over Octavia's belongings. "I'm still not sure how I feel about him coming along."

Clarke also stares at Bellamy Blake. None of them know him; in fact, Clarke barely knows Octavia. But Jasper and Monty had insisted that Octavia had to come, and not being eighteen yet, Octavia insisted that she wouldn't be allowed to come unless her older brother came.

"He's just here to watch out for Octavia," Clarke says, turning back to the stairwell. Her back is starting to sweat where her backpack presses against her shirt. "I'm sure we'll barely even see him."

They drag their things down the stairs until they reach the third deck. Wells' room is right across from Clarke's, so they separate long enough to drop off their backpacks and suitcases. Clarke takes the opportunity to change into a tank top. It's warmer here than she thought it would be; google had said that the weather in Barcelona this time of the year would be around sixty degrees, although with global warming it's closer to seventy.

The door bursts open right after Clarke has wriggled into her shirt, and Octavia Blake enters, dripping water everywhere, her shirt and shorts a ball in her arms. Bellamy steps in long enough to drop off her luggage. He glances up and makes eye contact with her for a second before he steps out.

Octavia grabs one of the plush white towels folded up on the edge of the queen bed and proceeds to dry herself off.

Unsure of what else to say, Clarke asks, "The water warm?"

"Not really." Octavia shrugs. "I just wanted to try it out before anyone else."

Clarke isn't sure exactly how she ended up becoming roommates with Octavia. When they first planned this trip back in the fall, Clarke and Finn were going to be in a room together. Obviously that isn't the case anymore, as he's now with Raven. Somewhere between then and now Octavia had been assigned to her room.

Octavia pulls out a swimsuit cover up from her bag and wraps it around herself. She looks over at Clarke and lifts her chin. "You coming up top with me?"

"Sure."

Clarke knows she should relax and have fun, but the mom friend part of her wants to make sure everyone checked in and found their rooms alright. She forces herself to push those thoughts aside as she follows Octavia back up the steps.

They claim a few of the plastic chairs and soak in the last few rays of sunshine. The sun won't set until later in the evening, but a few clouds are moving in to cover it up. Clarke feels her phone vibrating at her side so she pushes her sunglasses up onto her head and checks her messages.

"Looks like we're meeting for dinner in thirty minutes," she says. When she doesn't get an answer, she looks over to see Octavia staring intently ahead. Clarke follows her gaze to see her staring at a man with deeply tanned skin standing at the bow of the ship. He looks about five years older than them, and Clarke feels her heart sink in her chest.

She knows exactly what that look in Octavia's eyes are, and she doesn't like where it's leading. She almost says something, but then she reasons that the man is probably here with his wife or family and won't be looking for a spring break fling with a teenage girl. There's probably nothing to worry about.

So she forces herself to lower her sunglasses and lean back in the chair and soak in the sunlight.

---

The dining hall is situated at the bottom deck and has a large ceiling in the very center that rises up to the next deck above. Dozens of tables are crowded around in the space and waiters and waitresses in white bring plates of steaming tilapia and rice. Their group of ten sits in a back corner, away from some of the noise.

Harper holds up a flute of sparkling juice. "To our senior year spring break," she says. "And to all the adventures to come."

They all raise their glasses and clink them lightly together. Bellamy, sitting at the end, raises up his glass of wine slightly but doesn't join in any further. While the others talk about the things they're looking forward to or retell high school stories, he sits quietly. Clarke finds herself glancing his way often.

She can't help but be suspicious. Of course she doesn't think he's a bad person or anything, but he's been so quiet and mysterious the whole time. Even on the plane ride to Barcelona he sat by the window, plugged in his headphones, and didn't say a word for the entire ten-hour flight. Even though he's the oldest person on the trip, he hasn't stepped forward to take charge of anything.

"Dude, check this out," Jasper says, claiming her attention. He holds up his phone. "You know that minor virus outbreak that started in China and then spread to Italy and Iran? The Coronavirus?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Finn asks.

"It's starting to spread more in the U.S.," he says.

"Then it's a good thing we're here," Monty replies.

"It's spreading here, too."

"It'll be fine," Maya says. "Isn't it only deadly for older people, anyway?"

"For the most part." Jasper skims the article again. "It's just crazy how fast this is blowing up. I don't remember the swine flu being this big of a deal."

"Remember the ebola outbreak?" Octavia asks. "People were seriously freaking out about that, and almost no one got it. This'll blow through in no time."

"It explains why our plane was half empty," Raven says. "People are pretty scared about it."

Wells shakes his head. "I still can't believe everyone went out and bought up all the toilet paper. Like, seriously? You think you're about to die, and all you stock up on is toilet paper? Not water or spam or twinkies, at least?"

"Hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap is also pretty scarce," Maya says. "And I just got a email from my hospital internship saying that if we have any masks at home we need to bring them for ourselves."

"Does anyone else remember a few years ago when twinkies announced they were going out of business?" Monty cuts in. "People bought them out like crazy, and some people were selling them on Ebay for seventy dollars a box."

"It's crazy what people freak out about," Raven says. "Toilet paper, twinkies, diseases…"

"Twinkies aren't even that good," Harper says. "It's just sugar cream covered in sugar bread."

Monty, Jasper, and Finn all gasp and gape at her. "Not that good?"

The conversation explodes into an argument over whether twinkies are good or not. Clarke sits back and watches them fight, but she doesn't join in. Her mind is running a thousand what-if scenarios in her head. What if the cruise ship sinks? What if there's a terrorist attack on one of the major cities they make port in? What if this coronavirus turns out to be serious after all? What if one of them is late getting back on the ship and they get left behind?

Clarke feels as though she's being watched. She looks around but all her friends are still engaged in a lively conversation. Then she makes eye contact with Bellamy Blake. He's staring at her with dark, unreadable eyes. He doesn't look away when she catches him, and she's the one who ends up averting her eyes.

She feels a hand on her arm and turns to see Wells looking at her. "What?"

"You okay?" he asks. "You seem a little spaced-out."

She shrugs. "I'm just tired from travelling." She scooches back her chair and stands. "I'm going to go out on deck and get some fresh air."

"But they haven't even served dessert yet," Jasper points out.

Clarke smiles weakly. "You can have mine."

She threads her way out of the dining room and up the stairs to the mostly abandoned deck. Most of the guests are still eating. She leans her elbows against the railing and stares out at the sun sliding it's way westward.

About ten minutes later she hears footsteps approaching. She doesn't turn, even when she catches a glimpse of someone standing a couple feet away out of the corner of her eye. For about another minute they stand in silence; then Clarke turns. She's surprised to see Bellamy Blake of all people.

"I thought you were some random guy eager to have a spring break fling," she says dryly.

His eyes are as serious as ever. "My sister left right after you did."

"And you felt you had to follow her?"

"She was following a guy."

Clarke feels her heart sink again. "Tan skin? A few years older than us?"

Bellamy nods silently. Clarke sighs.

"She's trying to hit on him at the bar." Bellamy jerks his chin in that direction.

"She saw him earlier when we were on deck together. I thought she was just looking, though. Didn't think she'd actually go for it."

"Octavia can be...impulsive, at times."

"That's why you're here? To keep an eye on her?"

"My sister, my responsibility."

Clarke presses her lips together and looks back out over the water. "That's nice. Having someone to watch your back."

"So why are you here?"

Bellamy's question catches her off guard. She opens her mouth, but she doesn't know what to say. It takes her a moment to scramble together an answer.

"I'm, uh, having fun with my friends during our last year of high school."

"You didn't seem to be having too much fun at dinner."

She finds it slightly irritating that he's so intuitive, and even more so that he's unashamed to bring it up. She's never even spoken to this guy before, and yet she feels like he's calling her out. This is her vacation, not his. These are her friends, not his.

Before she can make an excuse, he speaks.

"You're too worried. I noticed it at the airport and on the flight and on the way to the ship. You can't feel responsible for everyone here and expect to have a good time."

She knows he's right, but that doesn't make it any easier to shake off her worries and concerns.

"Thanks," she finally says, pushing off the railing and taking a few steps back. "I'm going to find the others."

He nods but stays at the rail. She heads back down, trying not to look too obviously as she stares at Octavia and the man when she passes the bar. Even though all her instincts tell her to step in, she decides to take Bellamy's advice and just let it go. It's not her problem. Besides, Octavia has Bellamy looking out for her. She doesn't need Clarke breathing down her neck as well.

Clarke finds the others at the arcade center on the second deck. Wells smiles when she walks in and ropes her into playing a mini basketball throwing game with him. They face off against Harper and Monty, the others crowding around and cheering or booing them.

They spend the rest of that first evening together having a fun time. Clarke isn't even bothered when Finn and Raven kiss right in front of her. She's just glad to be surrounded by her best friends in one of the best places.

Jetlag hits her hard that evening and though she initially intends to stay up and wait for Octavia, she finds herself passing out as soon as she crawls under the covers.

March 10, 2020

Octavia is passed out cold when Clarke wakes up the next morning to a knock on their cabin door. She stumbles out of the bed, her hair askew and her pajamas rumpled, and opens the door a couple inches.

"Good morning!" Wells is standing in the entrances, dressed and ready to go. "We've made port in Ibiza!"

Clarke rubs her eyes. "How early is it?"

"It's actually eleven," Wells says. "Europe is six hours ahead of our usual time zone."

Clarke groans. Jetlag must have affected her more than she thought.

"The others are getting ready to head out onto the island," he continues. "They were planning to leave in fifteen minutes, but we can always catch up to them if you need more time to get ready."

Clarke glances back at Octavia, who's spread out on the bed and sleeping soundly. "Why don't you go with the others?" she suggests. "Octavia and I will catch up."

Wells frowns. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I don't want you to waste time because of me." She shoves his shoulder lightly. "Go on."

He reluctantly walks off, shooting looks over his shoulder. Clarke shuts the door and leans against it, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Then she pushes off and uses the sink in the bathroom to splash water on her face before shaking Octavia awake.

Octavia is not a morning person - not even when morning is nearly afternoon. But Clarke eventually gets her up and going.

"So how did it go with the guy last night?" she asks as she rummages through her suitcase for sunscreen. "I saw you guys talking at the bar."

Octavia shrugs on a t-shirt. "He doesn't speak much English," she admits.

Clarke instantly feels relieved. She suppresses a smile. "That's too bad."

"But we still had fun," Octavia continues. "We just pointed to things and said them in our language. He has a nice smile."

Clarke sighs. She finishes packing her day bag and waits for Octavia to finish dressing. Then they head up to the deck of the ship, where they find Bellamy waiting for them. Somehow Clarke isn't surprised.

"I saw you stalking me last night," Octavia says to him without prelude. "You know you don't actually have to keep an eye on me every second."

Bellamy doesn't say anything. He silently follows as she strides off the ship and onto the island.

Clarke checks her phone. "The others stopped for lunch at a cafe by the church," she says. She looks up and shades her eyes. "I'm assuming they mean the church with the spire."

They find the others a few minutes later. Wells and Monty pull up extra chairs for them and they wait for their large order of seafood paella.

After lunch, they all walk along the beach. The island is oddly quiet, especially for how nice the weather is. Most of the people present are from the cruise. Although Clarke absently notes the strangeness, she doesn't dwell on it. They all strip off their overclothes and dive into the bright blue waters in their swimsuits.

Finn had packed a ball, and they stand in a large circle in waist-deep water and play a variety of games. Clarke feels herself truly relaxing. She can't remember the last time she laughed so hard.

Out of the corner of her eye she notices Bellamy still sitting on the beach. She wades back in and stands in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You told me to enjoy my time here and not worry so much," she says. "Why don't you take your own advice? Octavia is right here with the rest of us. Nothing is going to happen."

Bellamy thinks it over for a few seconds and then stands. Clarke runs back to the circle, Bellamy following at a slower pace. Despite her earlier irritation at him, Octavia grins when he joins them and gives him a side hug.

They spend a few hours in the sun and water, until most of them are starting to turn red despite having put on sunscreen. They towel themselves off and get dressed before heading into town again. They stop for ice cream at a cute pastel-painted place.

"This place is almost as beautiful as the caribbean," Wells tells Clarke. She rolls her eyes.

"Whatever."

Ice cream in hand, they walk along the walls of Old Town, the old sandstone fortress build into the hill. Clarke can't help but imagine what it would have been like hundreds of years ago. She imagines wearing a long dress with sweeping sleeves and carrying a torch through the warm night while pirate ships blast canons into the walls.

Wells gives her a funny look. "Why are you smiling like that?"

She shrugs. "History is cool."

In the afternoon they stop for coffee at the Ibiza Town Marina and watch all the boats in the harbor. They split into smaller groups to do some shopping. Clarke buys a postcard for her mom and a small keychain, which she attaches to her room key lanyard.

Before long, it's time to head back to the cruise ship. They're all pretty tired from their day in the sun and remaining jetlag, so they head back to their rooms after dinner. Octavia takes a shower and then heads out again, but Clarke doesn't have the energy to chase her. She writes a note on the postcard for her mom telling her about the day and then tucks it in an envelope.

Before bed, she takes a quick shower. There's a knock on the door right as she's stepping out, and she assumes it's Octavia so she wraps a towel around herself and opens it.

She's surprised to see Bellamy on the other side. She subconsciously tugs up the towel a little higher up her chest.

"Octavia's not in here, if you're looking for her," she says. "She went out about a half hour ago."

Bellamy nods, staring at the floor. "Uh, thanks."

Clarke nods and shuts the door. She doesn't know why it was so awkward; she'd been around the others earlier today in just a bikini, which shows even less skin than a towel.

She pulls on a tank top and a pair of cotton shorts and collapses into bed. She's not quite as exhausted as she was last night, so hopefully she's getting used to the time change. She clicks the bedside lamp off and drifts off, stirring only when Octavia slips in later that night.

March 11, 2020

Clarke wakes up in time for breakfast the next morning. Even Octavia is dragging herself out of bed as Clarke heads out. She's wearing a thin strap dress and leather sandals today. She's pretty excited about their destination for today: Palma de Mallorca.

A few of the others are also at breakfast: Wells, Monty, Harper, Maya, and Bellamy. Jasper joins them halfway through and proceeds to hype them all up with pop songs about Mallorca that he blasts from his phone.

"Why are half of these songs in German?" Harper asks.

"Apparently Mallorca is a hugely popular destination for Germans," Monty answers. "I read somewhere that a lot of the staff has to speak German in addition to Spanish and English to accomodate all of their tourists."

"Huh. The more you know."

Clarke has heard of Mallorca. In fact, Mallorca being on the itinerary is one reason they decided on this cruise. Mallorca is a beautiful, postcard worthy, party island.

Maya has been silent all breakfast, scrolling through her phone with a serious look on her face. Finally she looks up.

"Have you guys been following the news at all?"

Clarke exchanges looks with the others and they all shake their heads.

"This Coronavirus is starting to infect more and more people. Some states are starting to consider travel restrictions, and many health officials are recommending that people social distance."

"Social distance? What's that even mean?"

"It means standing six feet apart from people so there's less of a chance of the germs spreading."

"It's a good thing none of us have it," Wells says, putting an arm around Clarke and Harper, who sit at his sides. "We don't have to worry about that."

"Let's enjoy the rest of our vacation," Monty suggests. "We can worry about the virus when we get back home."

Maia doesn't look as convinced, but the others agree with him. Clarke decides that she'll check the news twice a day. She knows her friends enough to know that they won't take something seriously unless it directly affects them - and right now, a virus that mainly targets older people isn't serious enough to distract them from their spring break cruise.

After breakfast they all head back to their rooms to pack for the day in Mallorca. Clarke makes sure she has sunscreen, a water bottle, and her sunglasses, along with her swimsuit and towel. She also slips on her sneakers, knowing that they're going to be doing quite a bit of walking around the island.

She and Octavia meet the others on the dock, and they set out to explore the capital city. Their first stop: Catedral de Mallorca.

The glorious sandstone cathedral rises up among buildings modern and old. Clarke shields her eyes as she traces the gothic arches high into the sky. One of her favorite parts about Europe, she's finding, is all the old churches and fortresses. Many of them are well preserved, or at least well renovated.

They step out of the sun and inside the church. It's instantly cooler, and a strange quiet falls over them. Someone is playing the organ in the balcony, and eerily beautiful tones echo throughout the building. Clarke stares up at the arches stretching high above her head and the carefully crafted stained glass windows filtering light down below.

They all linger for a while inside, some of them walking around and looking at all the artwork and some sitting down in the wooden pews and listening to the music.

A sense of awe follows them as they exit the church and take a bus to the next place on their list: Castillo de Bellver. The fortress lies just outside the city, towering formidably over the countryside.

As they wait in line for tickets, Clarke reads over a brochure. On the second page is a bird's eye picture with red markings identifying the different attractions. She traces her finger over the unique circular design.

"This is really impressive," Wells says, staring up at the sandstone walls.

"It was built in the early 1300s for King Jaime the II of Mallorca," Clarke reads aloud. "Since then, it's also been used as a prison for political prisoners."

"I wouldn't mind being imprisoned in a castle," Jasper says.

"You wouldn't mind being imprisoned at all," Monty shoots back.

Jasper shrugs. "What can I say? Free food and rent."

They purchase their tickets and follow a tour guide through the fortress. Only Clarke, Wells Harper and Bellamy listen intently; the others mess around and take ridiculous pictures.

After the tour, they have some time in the museum. Most of the others breeze through and then congregate in the gift shop, but Clarke lingers longer. She's standing by a display case of old artifacts when she feels someone standing behind her. She turns to see Bellamy reading the description on the case.

Clarke hadn't thought too much about Bellamy Blake, but she definitely hadn't thought about him as a history person. She'd thought he'd be more like his sister, but so far that appears to be the opposite of the truth.

They spend the afternoon on the beach. A volleyball net is set up, and Finn brings out his ball again. Some of them play while some of them suntan. Clarke pulls out her notepad and pencil and sketches the castle and church from memory and the pictures she'd taken. Every once in a while she does a head count of her friends to make sure everyone's still here.

The beach begins to fill up as tourists staying on the island and other families from the cruise take advantage of the sun. A few strangers join the volleyball game, including Octavia's new friend.

She gets caught up in the game, letting herself be impressed by some of her friends' skills. Monty and Jasper are as talented as she would have guessed (that being not very), but Harper has a good set and Octavia a killer serve. Octavia makes sure to stand very close to her new friend, and Clarke gets the impression that she's showing off a bit.

Though Clarke also has to admit that he's pretty good. He takes off his shirt a few minutes into the game, and it would be a lie to say she didn't stare. She can't blame Octavia for the interest.

Bellamy also catches her eye. He's actually really athletic, taking advantage of all Harper's sets and sending them spiking over to the other side. He's quick and strong and confident. He also sheds his shirt after a few minutes, and Clarke resists the urge to sketch out his abs.

She returns to her drawings of the church and the castle. About half an hour later, when she's finished with the church and putting the finishing touches on the castle, she senses someone approaching and taking a seat next to her.

"What are you drawing?"

She turns to see Bellamy Blake watching her, his shirt back on and his dark, curly hair dripping water off the ends. She likes the way his bangs fall over his forehead and stop just above his eyes.

She angles her sketchbook his way without a word. He gives her a look asking for permission before taking it and examining her drawings.

"These are really good," he says. He begins flipping through the book. Clarke finds that she doesn't mind.

"Your mom?" he asks, looking at one. Clarke nods. He stares at it for a moment and then at her, as if searching for the resemblance. Then he continues, glancing at still lifes and portraits of her friends and buildings that caught her interest.

He stops at one, and Clarke's heart stops as she realizes which one it is. He stares at it for a moment before flipping all the pages back to the castle and handing the notebook back without a word. Clarke's thankful he doesn't ask why she has such an intimate and personal drawing of Finn Collins in her book. Truth be told, she'd completely forgotten about that sketch. She'd made it months ago, when they were still together.

"You're a good artist," Bellamy says as she flips to a new page and starts sketching the uneven lines of the beach where it meets the sea.

"You're a really good volleyball player."

She can feel his gaze on her. "I didn't know you were watching."

"I like to make sure Jasper and Monty aren't sneaking off to go make trouble somewhere. The last thing we need is to get arrested in Europe."

"The only people they're at risk of hurting while playing volleyball are themselves."

Clarke snorts at that. He's absolutely right; she's surprised neither of them sprained an ankle while tripping over the sand.

She continues to work on her beach sketch, focusing on a sandcastle that two young children are building a few feet ahead of her. Bellamy sits back on his elbows and stares out at the water. They sit quietly for a while, the sound of the crashing waves and the squealing children and the screeching seagulls enough to fill the space.

Maya and Harper move out of the sun and bring their towels into the shade next to Clarke. Maya has tanned deeply in the past few days, but Harper's only gotten red. She spreads an extra layer of suncream on her arms and shoulders, a small grimace on her face.

"It's not fair," she says. "Everyone else is tanning nicely and I'm going to show up back at school with peeling skin."

"Don't worry, you won't," Maya assures her.

"What do you mean?"

Maya holds up her phone. "The school superintendent just sent out an email. Due to the virus, our school is closed until May."

Harper's face cycles through several different emotions at once. "So...how will that affect our graduation?" she finally asks.

Maya shrugs. "Doesn't say. But I'm sure we'll be hearing from our teachers soon. They'll probably send us plenty of reading and worksheet PDFs."

"I hope they don't try to do online classes," Clarke adds, glancing their way. "Most of them can't even use the overhead projectors without help."

"Remember when Mr. Kane wrote on the smartboard with a sharpie? That was priceless."

Finn and Raven join them next, Raven squeezing water out of her hair and Finn wiping off his face with a towel. Clarke avoids their eyes and continues sketching. Maya shares the news of school closing with them.

"Maybe I can come hang out with you at the shop now," Finn says, smiling at Raven. She shakes her head.

"You'd just be a distraction. I'm already going to have so much to catch up on once I get back."

The rest of the boys join them a few minutes later, carrying little styrofoam ice cream cups which they pass around. Clarke sets down her notebook and pencil long enough to eat hers.

"What a memorable senior year this is turning out to be," Jasper says with a wide grin. "A worldwide virus, a spring break cruise in Europe, and school being shut down."

"What if they cancel prom?" Maya asks. "It's the first weekend in May."

"Then it's a good thing we're having that dance aboard the cruise ship tomorrow night. School prom is lame, anyways."

The cruise ship isn't leaving until late that evening, so they stay out on the beach until sunset. Octavia and her new friend, who she introduces as Lincoln, join them for dinner. Clarke sketches the scene over several pages of her notepad: the sunset over the beach; her friends eating and laughing; even herself recording it all.

Sitting there on the beach, surrounded by the people she's spent the past twelve years with (and a few newer faces), the sun shining down on them, Clarke feels as though this is the moment she was looking for. This is why she and her friends planned this trip. If they all had to go home tomorrow, she would look back at this memory and say that it was all worth it for this one moment.

She can't even be sad that evening as they head back to the cruise ship in the fading twilight.

March 12, 2020

Everyone sleeps in late the next day. The ship will be at sea the entire day, so there's no rush to go anywhere. Harpers plans a girls' trip to the ship salon, where they sit in a sauna and get back massages.

"What are you guys wearing to the ball tonight?" Harper asks.

"I brought my prom dress," Maya admits. "It seemed a waste to spend so much money on a dress I'll only wear once."

"I just brought a little black dress," Octavia says. "I wasn't sure how formal it was going to be."

Clarke thinks of the navy blue dress hanging in the tiny closet in her cabin. It has a deep v-neck plunge and the skirt flows out from the waist a little. Her mother had helped her pick it out. She never wears fancy clothes like that, prefering to wear more hardy clothes, like leather jackets and jeans or cargo pants, but she's pretty excited for one night of difference.

"I don't think the guys brought anything formal," Harper assures her. "Monty has a button up shirt and jeans."

"I don't think Jasper even brought a button up shirt," Maya says, rolling her eyes. "He couldn't care less about the dance."

"Finn brought dress up clothes," Raven says. "I made him, of course."

Clarke closes her eyes and only half-listens as they continue to talk about the dance and their boyfriends. It's not that she doesn't want to be a part of the conversation, but she doesn't feel like she has anything to add. She's the only single person (well, Octavia is technically single, but she talks about Lincoln as though they're in a relationship), and her last relationship was with Raven's boyfriend, so it would be extremely awkward if she talked about that.

After a morning spent in the spa, they find the boys in the rec room playing card games. Monty waves them over and Jasper and Finn borrow unused chairs and push a few tables together to create one long one.

"What are we playing?" Raven asks, climbing over the top of a chair.

"Egyptian Rat Screw." Wells shuffles the cards expertly. "You know it?"

"Never heard of it."

"It's a fast moving game." He deals the cards out, one to each person until there's none left. The jokers he sets aside. "You move clockwise, each person laying out one card face-up on the pile. If the card is a face card, there are additional rules. If an ace is laid, the next person has four tries to lay a face card. A king gives three, a queen two, and a jack one. If a face card is laid, the game continues. If not, the person who laid the face card gets all the cards."

"The goal is to have the whole deck by the end," Monty adds.

"But in case you have crappy cards, or lose all your face cards, you still have a chance. If the same card is laid twice in a row, you can slap it and get all the cards underneath. If there's a sandwich - the same card separated by only one other card in the middle - you can also slap that and get all the cards underneath."

"I think I get it," Maya says. "And you can't look at your own cards, right?"

"Right," Wells agrees. "And even if you're all out of cards, you can slap in and get back in the game. And like I said, it's a fast moving game."

They begin, slower at first and then increasingly faster. Maya is the first one out, followed by Wells (even though he's the one with the most experience) then Monty, Harper, and Jasper. Finn, Raven, Clarke, Bellamy, and Octavian are the only ones left.

Clarke isn't surprised. They're the most competitive of the group. And somehow it feels personal as she slams her hand down on the stack of cards, stealing away a decent sized deck with at least one jack in it from Finn.

Finn runs out of cards within a few rounds and sits back. The others have mostly given up on slapping in, more interested in watching the intensity as the last four play.

Raven is the next one out. She slaps a second too late on a pile containing her last card. She breathes out a sigh of resignation and pushes her chair back.

Just Clarke, Bellamy, and Octavia now. Octavia has the largest deck by far. She's aggressive on her slaps and fast to lay cards down, but Bellamy tends to react quicker to sandwiches and doubles. Clarke has been watching the cards, though, and she's been starting to learn the patterns. So when Bellamy lays down a king and Octavia sets down a ten on top of it, Clarke is already reaching her hand out to slap as Octavia sets down the second king.

A few rounds later and Octavia's cards are spent. She sits on the edge of her chair and manages to slap in for a few more rounds, but the second time her cards are spent she drops out.

Just Clarke and Bellamy now. The game is hardest when there's only two players left. They give and take equally for a few rounds. The others lean in close. Clarke's heart races as she sets down a card and waits for Bellamy's next one. It should be a slap…

Her hand lands on the pile, but there's nothing for her to slap for. There must have been a slight reshuffle when he picked up the cards. Clarke curses under her breath and slips a penalty card under the pile before they continue on with the round.

The pile grows bigger. A few slaps are missed as they put the cards down as fast as they can. Clarke feels the deck in her hand dwindling, but she can see Bellamy's is as well. Whoever wins this pile is most likely doing to win the game…

She sets down a queen. Bellamy sets down a three of hearts, and then another queen. Clarke's hand darts out, just a millisecond faster than his. He slams his hand on top of hers, but she's already got the pile.

Their eyes meet and Clarke leans back in her chair, sliding the pile into her hand. Bellamy also leans back, knowing he's defeated. His remaining ten cards disappear in the next two rounds, leaving Clarke with the entire deck.

After that game they switch it up and play some different ones. Octavia disappears after an hour, and Maya and Harper head to their cabin to start getting ready for the evening dance. They plan on doing hair and make-up and everything. Clarke was just planning on putting on her dress and some mascara, so she doesn't bother joining them. Raven and Finn head to the hot tub on the top deck, and Monty and Jasper pull out their Nintendo Switches and play Animal Crossing.

Clarke and Wells decide to explore the entirety of the ship, starting at the bottom. Some of the doors are blocked off with Employee Only signs, but one of the kitchen staff offers to give them a quick tour in the back. When they reach the top deck, Clarke notices Bellamy sitting on one of the chairs, an old book in his lap. That's another thing she didn't expect: for him to be a reader.

It's nearly dinnertime, so Clarke and Wells head down to their cabins to change into their formal attire. The kitchen staff had given them a sneak peak of the menu: traditional Spanish tapas along with a side of seafood Paella, Spanish style vegetables, and flan as dessert. Clarke's stomach is rumbling as she slides into her dress. Octavia comes back to the room just in time to help her zip up the back.

"I invited Lincoln to sit with us for dinner," Octavia tells her.

"Is he not here with anyone?"

Octavia shakes her head and smiles. "He came on this cruise alone. Luckily for me."

"What language does he speak, anyway?"

"Arabic. But he's trying to learn English. I think he's already improved since we've been talking."

"He seems nice." Clarke isn't sure what else to say, and she cringes at how weak it sounds. But Octavia doesn't seem to mind.

Clarke takes off her room key lanyard as she attempts to twirl in the tiny space between their beds and the wall mirror. She hasn't felt this attractive and comfortable in a dress in a long time. She wonders if she'll meet any cute boy or girl at the dance this evening. Maybe she should follow Octavia's lead and get a spring break fling.

"You look good," Octavia says, staring at her. Then she returns to the mirror, where she's braiding the top of her hair back. Clarke takes a pin and simply pins the front of one side of her hair back. Her blonde hair isn't long enough to do much with, anyway, as it just brushes the top of her shoulder.

"Black suits you," Clarke says, returning the compliment. Octavia is wearing a sleeveless black leather dress that ends mid-thigh. It's not a look just anyone could pull off, but she does.

They head down to the dining room, where the others are waiting for them already. Octavia takes a seat by Lincoln and Clarke slides into the empty space by Wells. She reaches over and straightens his tie. Out of all the boys, only he and Finn are dressed up.

The waiters undercover steaming plates that smell delicious. One even brings over a bottle of red wine and proceeds to pour them all a glass, no IDs needed. Clarke supposes there is some benefit to travelling in a country where the drinking age is significantly lower than in the U.S.

Jasper is the first to try the wine, taking an although too-big sip. His face scrunches up and he barely swallows it back.

"Ugh! That's so bitter!"

The others laugh. Clarke sips at hers slowly. It is pretty bitter, but she likes the warm feeling of the alcohol as it settles in her stomach.

"You're supposed to start with sweeter wines and work your way to the dry, bitter ones," Raven says, taking a long sip and seeming unbothered. "But you guys don't seem like wine people to me."

"It's still better than the beer Monty distills in his backyard," Maya points out, and the others laugh and agree.

After dessert, they follow the flow of the other tourists up to the top deck, where a live band covers popular songs. They begin to pair off and get lost in the dancing crowds. Clarke is just about to ask Wells if he wants to dance when a girl who'd been sitting at a table near theirs beats her to it. Wells glances over at her, and Clarke waves him off. They start dancing together, looking like they're having a lot of fun. Clarke is glad that at least someone is enjoying the party.

She doesn't think they do it on purpose, but Finn and Raven happen to dance near where she's standing. She tries not to stare, but she can't help but glower into their backs. Feelings she thought she'd long since locked away rear up, and it's all she can do to push them back down.

"You look in need of a partner."

Clarke looks up to see Bellamy approaching. He's wearing a black shirt and nice jeans. She absently wonders if black is the Blake family color.

"It would be preferential to standing here staring, I suppose," she says, taking his outstretched hand.

They weave into the midst of the dancing crowds, away from Finn and Raven and the others. A good party song blasts from the speakers, and Clarke finds herself having a lot of fun dancing with Bellamy. She doesn't know him well enough for it to be awkward, but he isn't enough of a stranger to make it feel uncomfortable.

She isn't super comfortable dancing at first, simply lifting her skirt off the floor and swaying a bit. But Bellamy's a decent dancer (another surprise) and he leads her until she feels more confident. Soon everyone else fades out except for them and the throbbing music and disco lights.

The live band stops after an hour, and a mediocre DJ replaces them. Clarke is breathing hard, so she and Bellamy head for the bar. She opens her mouth to order water, but Bellamy beats her by ordering two of something else. Since he's paying she doesn't complain.

The bartender slides two orangy-red glasses with fruit on the rim over and Bellamy takes them before leading her to a table a little out of the way. She climbs up on the stool and he slides one of the drinks over.

"What is this?" she asks, turning the glass around.

"Sangria. It's good, try it."

Clarke hesitantly lifts it to her lips. It's sweet, unlike the red wine, and fruity, and it still has that warm alcohol feeling.

"I like it," she says, taking another sip.

Bellamy stares at her. "You've really never had it before?"

"Drinking's illegal under twenty one in the U.S.," she protests.

He rolls his eyes. "And you've never broken that rule."

"Once," she admits. "I tried Monty's homemade beer. It was so bad I never wanted to try alcohol again."

Bellamy smirks, and Clarke finds herself smiling as well. Looking back, it is pretty amusing.

"Let's play a game," he suggests. "Since we don't really know each other. We take turns asking each other questions, and if you don't want to answer the question, you drink."

"Alright. I'll start." Clarke presses her lips together and stares at him. She has a bunch of questions she wants to ask about him, but she's not sure where to start. "How old are you?"

Bellamy takes a drink. Clarke laughs. "Really? You don't want me to know how old you are?"

He sets down his drink, the edges of his lips curled up. "I'm older than you, and we'll just leave it at that. What's your favorite movie?"

"That's a much too general question," she protests.

He nods at her glass. "Drink."

"Fine! I'll say...The Princess Bride."

He lifts an eyebrow. "Interesting. But good choice."

"What do you do? Like, what is your job?"

Bellamy drinks again. Clarke stares at him with an open mouth.

"That's not fair!" she complains. "You have to answer some of my questions!"

"And I will. Just not that one."

She sits back with a huff. "Fine. Your turn."

"Tell me about your family."

It's not a question, but Clarke isn't going to argue the fine points with him. "It's just me and my mom," she says. "You saw the sketch of her yesterday. My dad died a few years ago, and I have no siblings." She taps her finger against her glass as she thinks for a question that he'll actually answer. "Why did you come on this cruise?"

"I already told you. To watch out for my sister."

"Yeah, but why? Octavia's almost eighteen, and the rest of us are adults."

"Octavia can be...she likes to rebel. It's not just a phase for her, it's part of who she is. My mom always kept a tight hold on her, and the first time she snuck out she got in a lot of trouble and spent some time in juvie. Our mom...well, she died while Octavia was in juvie, and before she passed away she made me promise to take care of her. So I'm doing my best."

Clarke had no idea it was so personal. She thought Bellamy had just been finding an excuse to travel or was an overprotective older brother. Now she understands him and Octavia's relationship better - and understands why he's letting her spend so much time with Lincoln. He can't stop her from rebelling, but he can be there to help her if things go wrong.

"How did you dad die?"

Clarke has answered this question so many times before that it doesn't even hurt. "Mining accident. He was fixing some of the tech in a mine and there was an earthquake, which caused a cave-in." She lightens up the mood with her next question. "What was the book you were reading earlier today?"

"The Iliad." A small smile grows on his face. "My mother used to read Octavia and I Greek myths every night." He presses his lips together as he thinks. "How long have you known Wells? You guys seem pretty close."

"We've been best friends since we were children. Our parents worked together for some time, and we've always lived close. What's your dream travel destination?"

"Greece. I'd love to follow the adventures of the myths." His smile fades slightly. "But I'm not sure if it would feel right without my mom." He takes a long drink, even though he had answered the question. He looks at her, and Clarke has a gut feeling that he's about to ask a personal question. "So what's with you and Finn? You don't ever talk to him and you looked like you wanted to strangle him earlier."

Clarke sighs. Deep down, she knew he was going to ask. Especially since he saw that drawing in her notepad.

She drains her drink. Bellamy raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything. But instead of asking him a question, she goes ahead and answers.

"Finn and I dated last summer. He was with Raven the year before, but she left to go to college and he moved on. Or at least he acted like it. I thought we were happy together. I really liked him. He was my first. Then Raven returned in the fall because she had dropped out of college and secured a job in a mechanic's shop in our city. And according to her, they had never really broken up. Finn had to choose, and he chose her."

Bellamy takes a long drink himself. "That's rough," he says. Then he stands, motioning for her to slide over his glass. "I'll be back."

Clarke stares out over the crowds of elegantly dressed people dancing and talking and laughing and drinking. The dark, vast sea stretches out beyond them. It's easy to feel lost here. Easy to get caught up in old sorrows.

Bellamy returns with new drinks. Clarke cradles hers between her hands but doesn't drink out of it yet.

"So what about you?" she asks. "Any bad relationships?"

"I dated a girl named Gina a few years ago. We were only together for about three months before she died in a car accident."

Clarke's mouth drops open. "That's horrible!"

"I don't know what was worse: that she died, or that it didn't really affect me. Of course I was sad, but...we'd only been together for a short while. We hadn't really gotten the chance to know each other." He takes a drink. "She was the one who gave me that book. She knew my mom always read it to us. She was really thoughtful and kind."

Clarke knows exactly what it's like to lose someone suddenly. One day her dad was there, the next day she was staring at a closed coffin - an empty one.

She tilts her glass towards Bellamy. "To those we've lost," she says.

He clinks the rim of his glass to hers. "To those we've lost."

They drink long and hard to it. Clarke's head is starting to feel a bit woozy, thought it's not terribly late at night. Only about ten. She wonders if it's from the alcohol. She normally never drinks, and she's already on her third one tonight.

"What's the craziest thing you've ever done?" Bellamy asks.

Clarke takes a sip. Bellamy grins.

"Is it that bad?"

She shakes her head. "I haven't done anything crazy. I'm the kind of person who follows rules. I'm really responsible."

"I still can't believe you've never done anything crazy. Everyone's done something."

She shakes her head again. "Not me."

"This is your chance, you know," Bellamy points out. "You're on a cruise ship with a thousand people you'll never see again."

He has a point. Clarke has never done something crazy because she's always worried about the consequences, but there's probably nothing she can do here that hasn't been done before. And it's not like she'll get kicked off the ship when they're in the middle of the ocean. And everyone is drunk and there's so much going on that something that's crazy by her standards will hardly stick out.

An idea forms in her mind. Her heart starts pounding just thinking about it. She came on this trip to make memories...so shouldn't she make some memories?

"Come on," she says, standing up and grabbing Bellamy's hand.

"Where are we going? Clarke, what are we doing?"

"Just come."

She can't fight off the stupid smile on her face. She knows she's probably going to regret doing this. If she waits, she won't do it all. But she doesn't want to be known as the boring do-good that never broke any rules.

Clarke leads Bellamy to the middle of the top deck. He sees it instantly and shakes his head.

"No way. I said it was your chance to do something, not that you have to do something. Clarke, wait - "

She ignores him and peels off her heels, shoving them into his arms. He reaches out to grab her arm, but she's already crossing the three feet to the edge of the pool and jumping in, dress and all.

When she emerges at the surface, all the guests in the surrounding area are staring at her in shock. Bellamy is leaning over, his hands on his knees. When he makes eye contact with her he bursts out laughing. Clarke can't help the triumphant smile on her face as she treads in place.

An attendant in a white uniform rushes over. "Ma'am, the swimming pool is not open at this time. Please exit immediately."

Clarke swims over to the edge and Bellamy steps up to help pull her out. The attendant glares at them and continues spouting rules and guidelines, but Clarke ignores him as she tugs on Bellamy's arm, pulling him away.

"I can't believe you just did that," he says, still trying to catch his breath.

"Now I have a story to tell," Clarke replies. "I'm not boring."

"You were never boring," he assures her. Then he glances down at her soaking dress. "Come on. You must be cold."

Clarke hadn't noticed, the thrill of her little rebellious act pumping her body full of adrenaline, but now she feels a chill run up her body. The pool's heaters had been turned off, and the warmth from the sun had disappeared with the night air. Her arms sprout goosebumps.

Bellamy escorts her down to deck three. She leaves a trail of water wherever she walks. When they get to her room, Clarke remembers that she left her room key on her bed.

"I don't have it," she tells him. "I can't get in."

"Here," he says, pressing his into her hand. "My room is three doors down on the left. I'll try and find Octavia and see if we can borrow hers."

Clarke disappears into his room before the puddle underneath her grows too large. She steals one of his mid-sized towels and dries off her skin and hair, though her dress is a lost cause for the moment. She stands awkwardly by the wall, not wanting to drop water all over his bed.

He returns about twenty minutes later, knocking on the door. She lets him in, and he shakes his head.

"I couldn't find her. The ship is huge, and there are still a lot of people out. She could be anywhere." He pushes a towel her direction. "I was able to get an extra towel for you, though."

"Thanks." She stands there for a moment longer, still clutching it. "So, um...what should I do?"

Bellamy stands across from her, a frown on his face as he thinks. "Send Octavia a text letting her know what's up. You can stay here until she answers. And, uh…" He turns and riffles through his bag before handing her a black t-shirt. "You probably want to change out of that dress."

Clarke heads into the bathroom to change. About a minute later she opens the door, a sheepish expression on her face.

"Would you mind helping me?" she asks, trying to ignore how warm her face is becoming. "I can't unzip my dress."

"Uh, yeah."

She turns, facing the bathroom door while Bellamy struggles to get ahold of the tiny zipper. She's glad her hair falls in front of her face to cover it up. Finally he gets it and drags it down. Clarke catches the sleeves before they slip down her shoulders.

"Thanks."

She ducks back into the bathroom. She pulls off the dress and debates for a moment before slipping off her bra as well. She steps into the shower long enough to wash off the scent of chlorine and then pulls on his oversized shirt. It reaches a couple inches below her butt, but not far enough that she doesn't feel awkward about it.

Clarke tries to act normal as she steps out. Bellamy is sitting against the headboard of the bed, reading. He shuts it when she comes out.

"Here, let's hang that dress up," he says, taking it from her and hanging it in his closet, where it proceeds to drip water onto the floor. He lays the mid-size towel down to catch the water.

Clarke sends a text to Octavia, though she has no idea if the girl will even see it. Octavia hasn't used her phone that much this trip, not even on the airplane.

"How are you feeling?" Bellamy asks. Clarke presses a hand to her forehead. She doesn't think she's drunk, just a bit tipsy. But more than that, she just feels exhausted.

"I'm pretty tired," she admits. "It was a big evening for me."

Bellamy smirks. "Yes, it was. Here, give me your phone."

"Why?" She hands it over anyway.

He nods at the bed. "Go ahead and sleep, if you want. I'll wake you up when Octavia texts back."

"Oh. Thanks."

Clarke has learned a lot about Bellamy tonight, but mostly she's learned that he's a really good guy. Better than most guys she's ever known. Octavia's lucky to have such a good older brother.

She pulls back the covers and slides under the top sheets. Bellamy turns off all the lights except the lamp on his side, which he uses as he opens his book again. It doesn't even bother her, though; she's so tired that her mind begins drifting off about a minute after she lays her head down.

She slips into a deep, dreamless sleep.

March 13, 2020

Clarke wakes up to a dim, but not dark, room. Something feels off, and she realizes that she's on the wrong side of the bed. Octavia has always slept on the left side of the bed. So why is she…

Clarke turns her head and sees that it's not Octavia on the other side, but Bellamy. The events of last night come back to her, and she remembers not having her room key and staying over at Bellamy's.

Waking up with a near stranger in the bed beside you is normally a startling experience, especially for a girl, but Clarke finds she doesn't mind. She trusts Bellamy. That might be a weird thing to be so confident about after knowing a person all of four days, but her gut tells her it's right. And after all she learned about him last night, she's not worried about his character.

Clarke stares at him as he sleeps. He's so close that she can almost count the freckles splashed across his face, hidden well by his tan skin. He has thick black eyelashes that any girl would envy, and Clarke's fingers itch to draw the way his curly black hair settles on his face.

Clarke never thought she'd call a boy pretty, but damn if Bellamy Blake wasn't pretty.

Then she remembers his abs and biceps from the volleyball game and decides that he is both pretty and extremely hot.

She can't help herself from reaching over and touching one of his stray curls. Clarke has always had such great self-control, but now it's out the window. Like last night, when she jumped in the pool. Looking back, it's incredibly embarrassing, and Clarke can't believe she did it, but she also doesn't regret it. If she hadn't done it, she wouldn't be here now.

Still, that doesn't explain why she can't keep her hands off of Bellamy Blake.

He stirs, and Clarke freezes. His lips part slightly, and his eyes blink open. Clarke slowly retracts her hand, resting it on the mattress in the space between them.

"Clarke?" he asks, his voice scratchy with sleep.

"Yes?" she whispers, her heart pounding in her chest. She feels as though she's been caught red-handed.

He shifts, his eyes opening wider and staring at her. She wonders if her face is as red as it feels.

"Your mascara's smudged," he says.

In any other circumstance, with any other person, Clarke would respond with, That's what happens when you sleep with your make-up on. But she doesn't. Her brain seems to have disappeared in her head. Instead she manages an intelligent, "Huh."

Bellamy pushes himself up on his elbows. Clarke vaguely notices that he changed into a gray t-shirt. How many t-shirts did he bring on this cruise? Her heart pounds so hard that she's sure he must hear it as he reaches forward.

"Here," he says, and uses his thumb to wipe off a small spot next to her eye. His knuckles brush her face and it tingles where he touches her.

She feels frozen, afraid to move and disrupt the moment but also terrified that her heart will break out of her chest if they stay like this. She can't remember the last time she felt so immobilized. Certainly not in any of her past relationships. She'd always felt like the one in control, or at least confident enough to make moves of her own. Now, though, she feels like everything depends on Bellamy.

They stare at each, for how long Clarke isn't sure. Every second feels like an eternity. Her heart races harder and harder with every passing second.

Clarke suddenly gets the feeling that he's just as scared as her. Which is completely ridiculous - why should he be intimidated? He's older and stronger and more confident and secure in himself. He isn't the one who made a fool out of himself by jumping into a pool with his clothes on just to prove that he's not lame.

His hand, hovering in the air by her face, slowly moves up to brush her hair out of her eyes. Clarke releases a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

"Clarke?" he says, his voice just above a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Octavia never texted you back last night."

Clarke can't help it; she bursts out laughing. Bellamy's brow furrows and he leans back a few inches.

"What's so funny?"

How can Clarke explain that she thought he was about to say something really profound, and she was so prepared? How can she explain that with all the tension in the air, there was only one way she thought it was going to end? How can she explain that that was the last thing in the world she would've expected to come out of his mouth?

Part of her is relieved that the tense moment is over. Her heart is finally catching a break. But a much larger part of her is disappointed that it didn't end the way she thought it was going to.

"Sorry," she says as her laughter fades. "I just wasn't expecting you to say that."

"What did you think I was going to say?"

Her brain has returned, and with it, her dry humor and her confidence. "I'm not sure, Bellamy. Was that the only thought going through your head?"

The corner of one of his lips pulls back in a half-smile. "No," he admits. "I also wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"I never told you how beautiful you looked last night."

"Before or after the pool?"

Bellamy lets out a short laugh and glances to the side. Clarke likes the way the corners of his eyes crinkle up and his lips part just enough for her to see his teeth. He looks back at her, and she can't help but smile.

"Does it matter?" he asks. "You always look beautiful."

They stare at each other for another moment and then Bellamy leans down until his mouth is on hers. It's just a light kiss, but Clarke threads her fingers through the hair on the back of his head and pulls him back down.

He plants his hands on either side of her face to hold himself up as he deepens the kiss. The mattress sinks under their combined weight, but Clarke pays it no mind. Her mind is switching between getting lost in his lips and wondering how the hell his hair is so thick and silky.

A loud knock on the door freezes them both in place. Wells' muffled voice comes through.

"We're getting ready to head over to breakfast! You coming?"

"Uh, yeah!" Bellamy calls back. "Give u - me a few minutes and I'll meet you there!"

Clarke doesn't breath again until the footsteps fade. Bellamy rolls back over to his side of the bed and lays back, a hand over his eyes.

"What are we going to tell the others?" Clarke asks, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you want to tell them anything?"

Clarke turns the thought over in her mind. If she tells them, then there's going to be endless questions and jokes and smirks. The whole trip will become about them.

She rolls over onto her side and stares at him. "Is there something to tell?"

He looks back at her with the same seriousness. "Do you want there to be?"

"Maybe. I at least want there to be something."

Bellamy closes his eyes. "I think we can keep it a secret. Octavia's the only one who would have noticed your absence last night, and she was preoccupied with her own new relationship. The hardest part is going to be getting you back into your room." He pushes the covers off and stands.

Clarke rubs her eyes and rolls off the bed. "Alright. I'm going to knock and see if Octavia answers. I'll wing it from there."

"Okay. Let me check the hall to make sure it's clear for you first." Bellamy nods at her; she's still wearing just his oversized t-shirt. He opens the door a crack and peeks out, looking both ways, before stepping back in. "It's all clear. If Octavia doesn't answer, come back in and we'll figure it out."

Clarke takes a step towards the door. When she passes Bellamy, his hands slip down her arms and he holds her in place. She tilts her chin to look up and he kisses her one last time. She feels warmth spread through her entire body as she slips into the hall, down three doors, and knocks.

She hears a loud groan, and then a few seconds later Octavia opens the door, her eyes half-closed.

"Clarke?" she mumbles, reaching her hands to wipe her eyes.

"You can go back to bed," Clarke says, gently steering her in that direction. "I'm about to head down to breakfast."

"'Kay." Octavia collapses face-first onto her side of the bed. Clarke grabs the first outfit she can find in her suitcase and changes quickly, thankful that Octavia seems to be too out of it to notice anything strange.

Clarke runs a brush through her hair, washes her face, and then heads down to the dining room, where her friends are sitting in a diverse array of wakefulness. Jasper is holding his head while Maya has her arm around her shoulders. Monty has bags around his eyes, and Harper's hair is messier than normal. Even Finn and Raven look tired. Only Wells looks his usual self. Clarke is glad that she won't stand out.

"Hey, guys," she says as she pulls out a chair. "How's it going?"

"I've never been so hungover in my life," Jasper groans. Maya pats the side of his sympathetically.

"I had a great time last night," Wells says. "Tanya was super cool. It's too bad she lives across the country from us, otherwise I might have tried to stay in touch with her."

"We didn't see you," Harper says. "Where did you go last night?"

Clarke shrugs. "I drank too much and went to bed pretty early. Though I didn't drink as much as some of you guys, obviously."

Jasper groans again. The others laugh.

Bellamy walks in and takes a seat beside Monty. Clarke glances at him, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. She can hardly crush the smile threatening to spread across her face.

"And what about you?" Raven asks, looking over at Bellamy. "I didn't see you at all."

Bellamy shrugs and spreads jam generously across his piece of toast. He's much better at acting than Clarke is. "I found a nice girl, danced with her for a few songs, drank for a few more, and called it a good night."

Now Clarke really ducks her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face as she picks at the food on her plate. She doesn't trust herself to not react.

"Are we going to meet this girl?" Maya asks. "Octavia's already introduced her new boyfriend to the group."

Bellamy shakes his head. "It was just a one night thing."

The voice of the captain booms over the intercom, letting the passengers know that they've successfully docked in Casablanca, Morocco. Jasper ducks his head lower and groans.

Everyone finishes up their food and make plans to meet on the dock in half an hour. Last to arrive in the dining hall, Clarke and Bellamy are also the last ones there. As soon as the others are out of sight, their eyes find each other across the table.

"A 'nice girl', huh?" Clarke asks, taking a sip of her orange juice. Her lips dance around a smirk.

"If I had said anything else, they would have asked questions." He pops the last piece of toast in his mouth and swallows. "Best to stay as vague and close to the truth as possible."

"I get the feeling this isn't the first time you've hidden something from others."

"You have no idea how much I've had to cover for Octavia." He drains his water and pushes back his chair.

They head back together, not worrying too much about what the others will think of them walking together. When Clarke enters her room, she's surprised to see Octavia standing in the middle of their cabin, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What's up?" Clarke asks, pausing just inside the room.

Octavia stares at her for a long moment. Then she lets her arms drop to her sides. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me, Clarke?"

Clarke's heart begins to pound. "I don't know what you're talking about," she says, feigning ignorance.

Octavia's lips stretch in a humorless smile. "You almost pulled it off. I was pretty out of it this morning, and I didn't even think twice at first. Then I found this."

Octavia holds up the t-shirt that Bellamy had loaned Clarke. Clarke keeps her expression unchanged.

"So you found a t-shirt."

"You left the room last night in a blue dress. A little before midnight, I got a text from you asking about borrowing my room key because you had left yours. I never answered the text, because I didn't see it until this morning - this morning, when you knocked on the door to be let in the room. You spent the night somewhere else."

Clarke throws her hands up in the air. "Alright, you caught me. I met a guy and we hit off. That's his t-shirt, he let me borrow it to sleep in because I couldn't get back in here."

Octavia's face still has that trademark Blake smirk smeared across it. "A guy. My brother, you mean. This is his shirt."

Clarke raises an eyebrow. "You can tell that from a plain black t-shirt? Do you know how many guys have one? I bet every single teenage guy on this cruise ship has one onboard."

"Oh, I thought that too, at first. But this smells like the cologne he uses. And I know that's enough evidence, so I went through his cabin and found something interesting. Two things, actually." Octavia holds up a cell phone that Clarke recognizes as her own. "I found your phone on his bed. I know it's yours because I texted you back and I can see it on the lock screen. I also found your dress hanging up in his closet."

Clarke catches the phone as Octavia tosses it to her. She doesn't know how to respond.

"Don't worry," Octavia says. "I won't tell anyone. I'm just glad that he's having some fun on this trip. Maybe it'll keep him from breathing down my neck."

They pack their backpacks for the day and head out to meet the others on the docks. Octavia had invited Lincoln to come, and the two of them walk at the forefront of the group. Clarke walks at the back of the group next to Wells, who talks nonstop about his evening with Tanya, and Clarke tries to listen but it's hard when Bellamy, who walks at a respectful distance on her other side, keeps "accidentally" brushing his hand against hers.

Casablanca is a lot cleaner of a city than Clarke expected. She knows she had some unsubstantial stereotypes in mind, and the polished white buildings and clean air banish them far away. Her fingers itch to draw all the different forms of architecture, and she finds herself snapping pictures for later reference.

Lincoln turns out to be a life-saver for them: whenever they get lost or try to order food or buy something from one of the bustling markets, he steps forward and translates the Arabic. His native tongue is a different dialect than the one spoken here, but it's significantly better than anything the rest of them can come up with. And many of the residents they interact with appreciate Arabic in any form over English, though a few of them speak it quite well.

Clarke's favorite part of the city is the Hassan II Mosque. She loves walking out of the sunlight and under the arched walkway, the cool marble stifling the heat and echoes and shadows working together in harmony. She pulls out her sketchbook from her bag and makes some quick strokes while the others fumble with the map as they decide where to go to next.

Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus (a distant, creeping menace which hasn't affected any of their lives yet), most of the restaurants have gone to take-out only. Clarke doesn't mind too much as they cart boxes of food to the beach. She takes the time to pull out her skeleton of a sketch and finish it, referring to her pictures for guidance on the detailed ceiling and column designs.

Bellamy doesn't sit next to her when they eat, but as they drift off from their circle to lay in the sun or walk along the water, he moves his towel and watches over her shoulder as she sketches. She pretends to not notice, but the entire time she fights back a smile and finds it hard to concentrate on her art.

Back on the ship in time for dinner, the boys retell the stories of Lincoln bartering his way around stingy market vendors with way too much enthusiasm. It appears Lincoln has finally been accepted into the group. He has a small smile on his face, and Octavia rests her head against his shoulder.

After dinner, they all head into the lounge area. Bellamy excuses himself from the group, but not before slipping a folded up note into Clarke's hand as he passes. Clarke doesn't get a chance to read it until Jasper pulls out Cards Against Humanity and starts dealing the cards out.

Top deck, 30 min.

That's all it says. No signature or initials, in case anyone finds it. Clarke stuffs it in her pocket and joins the game for a few rounds, trying to ignore the excitement thrumming in her chest. At exactly 32 minutes after she got the note, she scooches back her chair and sets down her cards.

"I'm going to go up and get some fresh air," she says.

"Was that last card too offensive?" Monty asks, his eyes widening. "I didn't mean to -"

Clarke waves him off. "No, it was actually really funny. I just want to make the most of our last few nights."

She notices that Octavia smirks into her hand of cards, but luckily no one thinks twice. Clarke forces herself to walk a casual pace out of the room and up the stairs to the top deck, even though her racing heart is screaming at her to run.

She finds Bellamy standing at the bow of the ship, the cool night breeze tousling back his black curls. She approaches slowly, her excitement to be with him clashing with the uncertainty of their brand new relationship.

Relationship - is that what this is? Or is it just a spring break fling? Friends with benefits? Clarke has no idea, and while she isn't eager to label it, she's also afraid to build up expectations in her mind.

"Hey." Bellamy turns and gives her a small smile that only barely shows his teeth.

Clarke sets her hands on the metal railing. "Hey."

"Octavia told me she knows about us. I'm not surprised. She's actually really smart."

"Did you know she has the second key card to your room?" Clarke turns and presses her back against the railing to face him.

He digs in his jacket pocket. "Not anymore." He holds up the key between his fingers, a grin on his face. "Here."

"Is this an open invitation?" Clarke tucks it in her pocket and takes a step closer. Bellamy wraps an arm around her back and pulls her across the remaining space.

"I'd say so."

He leans down and kisses her. Clarke's heart jumps in her chest. Something about this is different than her other relationships. Clarke usually never moves this fast, and yet she doesn't feel as if she's rushing things. The spark between flares brighter than it ever did between her and Finn, or her and Lexa, or her and anyone else she ever been with.

She's not sure if it's the excitement of having a secret romance, or maybe the allure of the setting - a spring break fling in Europe is definitely ten times exciting as one in Florida or South Carolina. Whatever it is, it's exactly what she needs to get her mind off Finn and all her mom-friend instincts and actually enjoy this vacation.

"I brought you something." Bellamy reaches into his jacket pocket (seriously, how unfair is it that guys' clothes have such massive pockets?) and pulls out a small, thin, rectangular tin. He holds it out for her.

Clarke's eyes widens as she realizes what it is. "Where did you get these?" she asks, prying the tin open and running her fingers along the vibrantly colored pencils.

Bellamy shrugs, as if it isn't a super thoughtful gift for someone he's only known for five days. "It was at one of the vendors in the market. I'm pretty sure he charged me way more than it's worth, but Lincoln wasn't around to help."

"I love them." Clarke wraps her arms around his middle and rests her cheek against his chest. "Thank you."

"There's just one condition," he says, and Clarke angles her chin to look up at him. "You have to give me that drawing of the Mallorcan church."

"Done."

They walk along the top deck for a while, enjoying the cool night air. When Clarke shivers, Bellamy shrugs off his jacket and she pulls the oversized garment around her own shoulders. It smells like him, and she tucks her lower face into the collar.

When it starts getting late, Bellamy walks her back to her cabin. No one is in the hallway, so he leans down and gives her a light kiss.

Clarke waits to enter her room until he's already disappeared into his own three doors down. Octavia is sitting cross-legged on her bed, her fingers flying over her phone keyboard. She looks up and smirks.

"At this rate you'll have all his clothes by the end of the cruise," she remarks. Clarke shoves her hands into the jacket's deep pockets.

"Does Bellamy...does he do this often?" she asks.

"Do what?" Octavia looks up.

"Go out with a lot of girls?"

"He's not a playboy, if that's what you're asking. Not anymore, at least. He hasn't had a relationship since Gi -" She suddenly cuts off, as if she's said too much.

"Since Gina?" Clarke prompts.

Octavia's face scrunches. "He told you about her?"

Clarke nods. "He said they'd only been together for three months before the car accident."

"Yeah. They weren't that serious, but I think it really scared him. He and I - well, we've lost a lot of people we care about. I think he's been afraid to try again. But I'm happy for him. A spring break fling is a step in the right direction."

The idea of this being a spring break fling settles wrong in her mind. Of course that's what she thought it was - until he started giving her gifts and asking for her sketches. That isn't something that a person who only expects to see you for four more days does...or is it?

Clarke has never had a fling before. Her relationships have always formed out of friendships, or people she's spent a lot of time with. Is she way overthinking this? Should she just be enjoying the time they spend together and then forget about it as soon as they get home?

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should have talked with Bellamy more, set some guidelines or expectations. She doesn't want to end up ruining this trip with drama.

She shrugs out of the jacket and slips on her pajamas. Whatever's going on isn't going to be resolved tonight. She'll talk to Bellamy tomorrow. They still have four days to enjoy. Today has been a great day, and she doesn't want to taint it with her own thoughts.

Clarke sets the colored pencils next to her sketchbook on the desk, climbs into bed, and flicks off her lamp.

March 14, 2020

"Where are we going today?" Harper asks at breakfast. For once, everyone is present. There are only three days left of the cruise including today, and everyone's jet lag has disappeared. Now there's only the excitement of making the most of their last few days.

"There are buses going to Seville, or we can stay here and explore Cádiz." Monty scrolls through pictures of each city on his phone. "Cádiz looks really cool, but Seville is super famous."

"But if we stay here in Cádiz we have more time than if we go to Seville." Maya takes a huge chunk off her orange. "Besides, do you really want to be stuck on a bus for an hour? We're already stuck on this cruise ship every evening."

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the captain's voice booms over the intercom. They all fall silent. The captain has hardly addressed the passengers this entire trip. "We are, unfortunately, not able to allow anyone off the ship when we make port at Cádiz."

A gasp goes through the dining room, followed by hushed, angry whispers and murmurs. The intercom cuts through them all.

"Early this morning it was discovered that one of the crew members had the Coronavirus. In an effort to contain the spread of the virus further, local health officials have advised that everything self-isolate until we can determine the risk of continuing our voyage. I ask that after you are finished with breakfast, you return to your cabin and wait until our medical team comes by to evaluate your health and clears you. On behalf of everyone at Silver Streams, I apologize profusely for the inconvenience."

The intercom ends, and the dining room explodes with activity. Clarke simply stares at her friends in shock.

"We're not the first ship to be quarantined," Maya finally says, breaking the silence at their table. "There was one off the coast of Japan. They're in quarantine now."

"Do you think they'll quarantine us?" Finn asks. "I mean, at least we won't be missing any school, but I know my parents will probably be worried."

"It depends who the crew member was. If it was someone who doesn't have a lot of contact with anyone else and everyone passes the health checks then they probably won't keep us here," Wells reasons.

"But I read that sometimes it takes two weeks for symptoms to show," Monty says. "What if they've already spread it and we won't know for two weeks?"

No one has an answer for that. They all finish eating breakfast in a tense silence.

"I had no idea it was so bad," Octavia says when she and Clarke are back in their room, waiting for the health inspectors to come by.

Clarke scrolls through news articles. "We've been so busy that we weren't even paying attention. It's much more contagious than I initially thought."

"I just thought it was a slightly different strain of the flu and that people were overreacting because that's what people do." Octavia shrugs. "Weird."

The medical team doesn't stop by their cabin until the afternoon. Clarke spends her time trying out her new colored pencils and Octavia texts Lincoln ("Communicating over text is much easier for him, because he can look up any words he doesn't know," Octavia explains. "Although not everything he says makes sense.")

Clarke debates asking Octavia for Bellamy's number, but she's not sure how much Octavia wants to get involved in their relationship, especially seeing as though she thinks it's just a fling.

The medical team checks their temperatures and does a quick examination. They also ask some questions, such as if they've been coughing or had a sore throat in the last few weeks. They also ask about where the two have been on the ship. They keep notes on a clipboard and when they leave, the two of them are cleared.

The captain makes another announcement right before dinnertime explaining that those who were cleared may leave their cabins and walk around the ship again, but that everyone should follow "social distancing" guidelines. For those not cleared, meals and medication will be sent directly to their rooms. For the time being, the ship will remain docked at Cádiz and no passengers are allowed on or off.

Clarke and Octavia meet the others in the dining hall. The tables have been spread apart as far as possible, and all the servers now wear clothes and are especially careful to keep the plates covered. The room isn't silent, but it is much quieter than before, as if people are afraid to speak up.

The ship is nearly empty in the evening, everyone retreating to the safety of their rooms. They all meet in the lounge and play some games together. One of the staff members kick them out at ten, stating that there's a new curfew.

Clarke catches Bellamy's eyes, but there's nothing they can do. They've barely interacted all day, but with this new curfew there's no way for them to sneak off on their own. Clarke wonders if he's going to drop her now that their chance at a spring fling is over.

When she gets back to her room, she showers and prepares for bed. It's early to go to bed on vacation, but what else is there to do? Everything is shut down. She and Octavia have occasional chats, but they're not best friends.

Wells had created a groupchat on Snapchat, and they all bitch about the situation for a while. Clarke is reading through a text thread between Monty and Jasper when a mysterious number sends her a text.

I still want my sketch

She knows exactly who it is, but just in case she sends a vague text.

How did you get my number?

The typing dots appear, and they run for far too long in her opinion. Then they disappear and a second later the response:

I asked Octavia.

Clarke suppresses a smile. I almost did that myself, but I didnt want to bother her.

She feels so much relief that Bellamy didn't just drop her. She knows it would have been a normal, natural thing to happen in this kind of situation, but the part of her that really enjoys his company is glad that it's not coming to an end yet. And if he has her number, then maybe they'll keep in touch even after the cruise...

Why would it bother her?

Bc i'm her friend and you're her brother

As soon as Clarke sends it, she remembers her conversation with Octavia earlier this morning. Octavia was happy for them - as a fling. How would she feel if they remained together indefinitely?

Doesn't matter, Clarke decides. Because she doesn't even know if they're going to stay together after the cruise. As much as she hyped herself up last night to speak with Bellamy about it, she finds she lacks the guts. She doesn't want to ruin what they have, especially if they only have it for the next three days.

And how much do you think it would bother her if you spent another night in my room?

Clarke shakes her head as she types back a reply. Not tonight. I dont want to get arrested by the cruise police for breaking curfew in my PJs

There's about five minutes where the three dots indicating typing flash, occasionally disappearing and reappearing. When she gets the reply, she's disappointed to only see two words:

Goodnight, Clarke

Goodnight, Bellamy

Clarke shuts off her phone, plugs it into the charger, and clicks off her lamp.

March 15, 2020

Clarke and Octavia are woken up the next morning by the sound of the intercom. Clarke rubs her eyes and checks her phone: 6:49AM.

"What the hell?" Octavia grumbles, her hair sticking out in every direction.

"This is the captain speaking. Sorry for the early interruption. Overnight, we had two crew members test positive for Coronavirus, and the local health officials have declared us officially in lockdown. We will remain berthed in Cádiz for the next two weeks. All passengers must remain in their cabins at all times. Once a day, those who are in interior cabins with no windows or balconies will be released by a crew member and may spend one hour on the top deck. I repeat, please stay in your rooms at all times unless otherwise instructed by a crew member. Meals will be delivered to your door, as well as anything else you require."

Clarke and Octavia exchange looks, both of them suddenly awake.

"This is a nightmare," Octavia says slowly.

Clarke glances around at their tiny cabin. It's only slightly bigger than a parking space. A queen bed, a shallow desk built into the wall, about two feet of floor at the end of the bed, and a bathroom. This is their quarantine cell for the next two weeks.

Clarke's phone explodes with notifications. She opens up the groupchat and scrolls through all the snaps and texts, though more keep coming. Everyone is freaking out.

What are we going to do?

My parents are going to be so worried!

Will we get a refund?

I love Jasper but I might kill him if we have to spend two weeks in a tiny room together!

Clarke doesn't respond to any of the texts. The first thing she does is call her mom. Abby is of course concerned, but Clarke reassures her that she and the others are healthy and the whole situation is more of an inconvenience.

She calls Wells and they chat for a while, but even they run out of topics. Clarke then sketches for a bit, reads an e-book, watches Netflix on her phone for a couple hours, and then just lays on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

This is going to be an incredibly boring two weeks.

Octavia is going stir-crazy. Clarke is about ready to lock her in the bathroom when there's a knock on their door and an attendant is telling them that they have an hour to spend on the deck. Octavia shoots out of the room, Clarke following at a more reasonable pace.

Everyone with a cabin on their deck is allowed out right now, so Clarke meets up with her friends. Octavia is upset because Lincoln's cabin is on a different deck, and she sits on the edge of the pool, dangling her feet in the water.

Everyone just repeats what they were saying on the groupchat earlier, so Clarke wanders off. She walks around the entire deck, pausing at the other end of the ship and staring out at the beautiful city of Cádiz, which she'll never get to walk through personally thanks to this stupid virus.

She feels hands wrap about her waist and a chin settle on her shoulder. She leans back into Bellamy's chest.

"I thought we were supposed to be social distancing," she murmurs.

"If either of us has the virus, then we're both already exposed." Bellamys stands up straight and relaxes his grip on her so she can turn and face him. "I don't see the point in trying to stay away."

"You haven't said a word on the groupchat. How are you holding up?"

"I'd be doing better if I wasn't alone." Bellamy grins, and Clarke rolls her eyes.

"Your sister is driving me crazy," she tells him. "Maybe I'll send her over to you."

"If you did that, one of us would not emerge alive at the end of this quarantine."

Clarke reaches into her bag. "Here. I brought you your sketch."

Bellamy takes the folder from her and opens it, staring at the church for a few long minutes. "It's almost like I'm still there. This is exactly how I remember it."

"I'll try to do the next one in color, now that I have the supplies." Clarke leans up and kisses him. "Thank you, again. It gives me at least one thing to do."

"I'm glad. Had I known we would be quarantined, I would have bought you more." Bellamy pushes back a strand of her hair off her face. Clarke can still feel the trail of his fingers even after his hand is gone.

Familiar voices round the curve, and Bellamy and Clarke step a respectful distance away from each other as their friends approach them.

"Hey!" Wells says, coming to stand next to her. "We wondered where you went."

Clarke motions vaguely with her hand. "Just wanted to walk for a bit. And this spot has a great view of the city."

The intercom sounds, and attendants usher everyone back to the staircase and elevators and escort them back to their rooms. Clarke catches Bellamy's eyes one last time before her door is pulled shut.

And so begins life in quarantine.

March 16, 2020

Maya sends a link to an article in the groupchat titled "European Union will close its borders to all non-essential travel to fight Coronavirus". Clarke reads the article and is dismayed to find that all travel is canceled for thirty days.

Even when the quarantine on the ship is over, there's no guarantee as to when they can get back home to the States.

March 17, 2020 - March 20, 2020

Clarke's teachers send emails with PDF worksheets and articles and project syllabuses. Some send a Zoom link for mandatory classes. The only brightside to this is that all of Clarke's friends also have to download Zoom, and they use it to interact a couple times a day. Somehow, seeing her friends on a screen and knowing they're just down the hall is somehow even more depressing. During their one hour on deck, they stick so close together that Clarke is unable to sneak off with Bellamy. They text back and forth a little, but not much.

There just isn't much to do or say.

March 21, 2020

Clark waits until Octavia is in the shower before dumping out her backpack and packing it carefully with all the things she'll need. Several pairs of clothes, her pajamas, socks and underwear, her toothbrush, her shampoo and conditioner - damn it, that's still in the bathroom, oh well, she'll have to do without - sketchbook, pencils, phone charger…

She tries her best not to stuff her backpack; it can't look too suspicious. She doesn't even know if this plan is going to work, but she has to try. She can't stand another day in this stupid cabin with only Octavia to keep her company (no offense, Octavia).

When the attendant lets them out for their daily walk, Clarke acts as natural as she can with her backpack. Octavia gives her a strange look but doesn't say anything. The rest of her friends are too busy trying to use their limited time together to be bothered about her strange backpack. Only Bellamy reacts, lifting an eyebrow at her in a silent question. Clarke gives him a silent grin in response.

When they're escorted back down to their deck, Clarke makes sure she's at the back. All the others enter their rooms, and Clarke is the last in the hallway. The attendant gives her a strange look as she pauses at the end of the hall to fumble around in her backpack, buying herself a few extra seconds while the last of the doors shut. Then she pulls out her room key card.

"Found it!" She gives the attendant a breathless smile. "Sorry about that, I guess I buried it deeper than I thought."

"Don't bring a backpack next time," he says, looking irritated.

"Right." Clarke nods. She stands in front of her door and swipes the card. "Thank you for bringing me back here. Have a good day!"

She enters the room and closes the door quickly behind her. Then she turns to face a shocked Bellamy.

"Did you…"

"Switch rooms?" Clarke drops her backpack on the floor and flashes the room key in front of him. "You said it was an open invitation."

He half-laughs at that. "I did."

Clarke unpacks her notebook and sets it on the desk along with her pencils. She unrolls her clothes and folds them in neat piles along the wall. She plugs her phone charger into the outlet. Lastly, she moves her toiletries into the bathroom.

"I wasn't able to get my shampoo or conditioner, so I'm going to have to borrow yours," she calls back into the room.

When she enters back into the room, Bellamy is sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her with an amused expression.

"All moved in?" he asks.

Clarke walks straight up to him and sets her hands on his shoulders. He tilts his head up to look her in the eyes.

"Yes," she says, and leans down to kiss him. He wraps his arms around her waist, tugging her closer. She pushes him back until he's lying on the bed.

"I can think of a few ways to kill some time."

March 22, 2020

"Day Eight of Quarantine," Clarke says into the front-facing camera of her phone. "I've officially made the move from Room Twelve to Room Seventeen and have taken up residence for a full day. I have not yet heard from my former roommate, and quite honestly I'm a little nervous to."

"Why are you making these vlogs?" Bellamy groans, leaning back against the pillows on the opposite side of the bed. Clarke ignores him.

"I don't know why, exactly, I keep making these," she says. "Maybe to keep sane? Whatever it is, I hope you find some benefit from watching. Maybe you'll learn something about the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic or decide not to go on a senior year spring break cruise in Europe."

"The odds of getting quarantined on a cruise ship are pretty low, actually," Bellamy calls out from the background.

"We've been doing whatever we can to pass the time. You may think that wasting twenty four hours a day for fourteen days is easy, but when you live in a cabin roughly the size of a parking spot...yeah, it's actually awful. It's been better since I switched roommates -" Clarke shoots a smile back at Bellamy - "but there's still too much time in the day. I've been working on my art, sketching a lot. I'm starting to run low on paper, though. Maybe the attendants will bring me some more if I ask. They're trying to keep us as happy as possible. Bellamy and I are binge watching Brooklyn 99 right now. Definitely a good quarantine watch. We're also catching up on all the Disney movies one or both of us didn't see as kids."

"Talk about your new art project," Bellamy says.

"Right!" Clarke leans down and shuffles through her sketchpad before maneuvering the paper in front of her camera. "Bellamy's been reading his favorite book, The Iliad, out loud for me, and I've been doing some rough sketches of my favorite scenes. Hopefully when I get more paper I can do the art properly."

She flips a page. "This is the scene where Diomedes spears Ares, god of war. Ooh, and this is the scene where Athena, goddess of wisdom, literally yanks Achilles back before he stabs his commanding officer, Agammenon."

"That's her favorite scene," Bellamys says, scooching up so he's right behind Clarke. He takes the camera from her so she can more easily flip through her book.

"I like it because it demonstrates that heroes can't just be strong and passionate - it shows that they have to use their heads, too. Achilles wasn't using his head and he almost made a huge mistake. Athena reminded him that he has to be smart and reasonable as well."

"Clarke hates when people make dumb mistakes because they're too involved emotionally," Bellamy adds.

"Don't even get me started on the Trojan war," Clarke grumbles. "Troy has got to be the most stupid boy ever. Why would he not pick military success? Why would he pick a beautiful girl over actual, useful stuff that probably would have gotten him his choice of girls anyway?"

Bellamy smiles down at her. "Just wait until we watch the movie with Brad Pritt and Orlando Bloom."

Clarke looks back at the camera. "Bellamy likes the parts where the heroes are passionate. Like when Hector says goodbye to his wife on the city walls, knowing that he'll never see her again. If he knew he was going to die fighting Achilles, then why did he do it?"

"Because it was the honorable thing to do."

"What's honor against certain death?"

Now Bellamy is the one looking right into the camera. "I'm going to make her draw that scene."

"You can't make me draw anything."

"You want to test that theory?" Bellamy drops his mouth to her ear and whispers, "I bet I can make you do a lot of things if I ask nicely."

March 23, 2020

"They're doing a Zoom call, Clarke. What are we going to do?"

"I'll text Wells and tell him I'm in the shower."

"You can't avoid it every day."

"Watch me."

March 24, 2020

"You have to hold still." Clarke sits cross legged on the bed, Bellamy relaxing against the bed frame. She has her sketchpad in her lap and a charcoal pencil in her hand. She's biting the inside of her cheek slightly as she concentrates.

"I've been sitting here for an hour," Bellamy complains. "I'm sure it's amazing."

"It is. It just isn't finished yet." Clarke pushes herself up and forward, narrowing her eyes as she stares at Bellamy's face. Then she looks back down at her own version: Black, unruly, curly hair that's why too silky for the crappy shampoo he uses; thick black brows; dark brown, almond-shaped eyes that sparkle with humor; deeply tanned skin with a slight splatter of freckles that are nearly invisible unless you're super close; long black eyelashes that Clarke has envied more than once; full, peach-colored lips that Clarke could kiss all day…

"I think I have your nose slightly off," she says, sitting back down. "What do you think?"

Bellamy leans forward and rotates her sketchpad so it's facing him. His eyes widen and he picks it up to get a better look.

"This is…" he trails off, his eyes moving from the picture to her. "This is...I don't even know the right word. It looks just like me - if I was photoshopped for a magazine."

Clarke takes the drawing back. "Well, I see your face for sixteen hours a day, I would hope I could draw it accurately."

Bellamy reaches out and strokes her hair. "I spend the same amount of time with you and I couldn't draw you accurately. I wish I could." A strange emotion passes over his face. "I guess I'll just have to capture it in my mind so I never forget how you look in this moment."

"Probably not that good," Clarke says, trying to keep her tone light and playful. Inside, her heart's pounding and there's a strange feeling in her stomach. She didn't think a look in someone's eye could make her body react so strongly. It's as if her subconscious knows what that look means even though her brain doesn't.

A slow smile spreads across Bellamy's face. "You're the most beautiful girl in the room," he says.

Clarke's mouth opens in indignation and she throws herself at him. He falls back on the bed, she on top of him, only inches separating them, and their eyes meet.

"You'll always be the most beautiful girl in the room," he says, and that's enough for Clarke to lean down and kiss him as though he's the only person who's ever called her beautiful.

March 25, 2020

"Did you have an imaginary friend growing up?"

Bellamy drinks, and Clarke laughs.

"No way! I can't see you having an imaginary friend."

Bellamy shrugs. "I did. For a few years. Ask Octavia."

"I might have to." Clarke grins and reads the next question off the list. "Have you ever had a major wardrobe malfunction while out in public? Oh gosh." She takes a long swig.

"What happened?" Bellamy asks, leaning back.

"First time wearing a strapless bra. It didn't fit right and fell down all the way to my waist. I kept trying to subtly tug it up, but…" Clarke shrugs. "I don't even try anymore."

Bellamy reads the next item off the list.

"Have you ever peed in a pool full of people?"

Both of them drink. None of them comment.

"Do you ever pee in the shower?"

Bellamy takes a drink. Clarke covers her face with a hand.

"No! That is not something I wanted to know about you!"

"What, like you don't?"

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm attracted to guys." Clarke shakes her head. "Girlfriends are much more sanitary in every way possible."

"So you'll admit to peeing in a pool but not in the shower?"

Clarke holds up a hand. "We were not saying anything about the pool one. And for the record, I was six."

"Fine, next one. Do you talk in your sleep?"

Clarke points at Bellamy. "Drink."

"What? I don't talk in my sleep!"

"Yes, you do. Drink." She reaches over and grabs the hand holding the beer, moving it up to his mouth.

"Would you trade your sibling/best friend in for a million dollars if there were no other consequences?"

Bellamy raises his glass. Clarke stares at him in shock.

"What? Why?"

Bellamy raises an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? Octavia would kill me if I didn't! I'd take the money then find a way to get her back. Then we'd split the money and be $500,000 dollars richer!"

Clarke shakes her head. "Sibling relationships are so weird. I'll never understand them."

"Have you ever posted anything on social media that you regret?"

Clarke's the one to take a sip this time. "Any and all the romantic posts I made about Finn. Gosh, I was so stupid. See? Love is weakness. It makes you do crazy, irrational things. Like stupid Troy with Helen."

"Have you ever stolen anything?"

Bellamy takes a drink. Clarke opens her mouth, but he shakes his head. "Don't ask."

She doesn't. Instead she looks up a new set of questions while Bellamy breaks open two more beers. They paid way too much for them (to the tune of $7 a bottle), but there's not much else to do on the quarantined cruise ship. Besides, Clarke is still hoping they all get a full refund.

But even if they don't, she still thinks this trip is worth every penny.

March 26, 2020

"Day 12 of quarantine. We're almost at the end." Clarke tucks her messy hair behind her ear. "The cruise ship workers brought me some more paper, so I was able to get my illustrations for The Iliad done. Bellamy and I know way too much about each other now, including exactly how many beers it takes for us to get drunk. Or at least he knows how many for me. I can't remember."

"Five," Bellamy says in the background. "Tipsy after three, fully drunk after five."

Clarke rubs her forehead. "Yeah, still nursing a slight headache. I do not plan on drinking that much ever again. Mom, if you ever watch this, I'm sorry. You were right." She sighs. "Honestly, it's getting pretty boring here on ship. There's only so much you can do. I get to see the sun for one hour a day - and that's only if the sun happens to be out when they let us up on the top deck. I've probably lost half the muscle mass in my body. Bellamy still does push-ups and stuff in the room, but I'm not that motivated.

"The worst part is how tired I am. Even though I'm not really doing anything, I'm still tired. The others are feeling it, too. This whole quarantined on a cruise ship was exciting at first, but now we're all ready to go home - if we are even allowed back home. There are international travel bans for almost every country, and even for those people who are exempted, there are almost no flights.

"We just keep reminding ourselves that anywhere is better than a cruise ship, and we only have two more days on board."

Clarke ends the video and lays back on the bed. She stares up at the ceiling. She just doesn't feel like doing anything anymore.

March 27, 2020

It's the second to last day of quarantine when their secret gets out. Clarke is in the shower when the others start a Zoom call, and when she walks out, hair damp and wearing cotton shorts and a T-shirt, Bellamy is sitting against the bed frame, his laptop open on the end of the bed. He gives her a warning look, but she doesn't care anymore. Keeping their fling a secret was fun in the beginning - it was sneaking around, sharing smiles and slipping notes when the others weren't looking. Now, after spending a week together in a room, Clarke doesn't care if the others know. What she and Bellamy has is much deeper than just a fling, even if neither of them have actually talked about what their relationship is.

Monty's voice comes out from the laptop speakers. He's telling a story about an interaction he and Harper had with their attendant earlier in the day. Clarke climbs on the bed and into Bellamy's lap. He wraps his arms around her.

On the laptop screen, Monty's voice dies. Everyone stares at them in silence.

Finn - of course - is the one who finally breaks the silence. "Clarke...are you and...Bellamy..?"

"Yes." Octavia sighs exasperatedly. "Clarke moved out like halfway through the quarantine."

Harper struggles to string her thoughts together coherently. "So how long...how long has this been going for?"

"Since Mallorca," Bellamy says. Clarke leans back into his chest, content to let him answer the questions. She knows all her friends are going to pull her aside the moment they can and ask a bunch more, anyway.

Jasper's jaw drops. "How did we not notice?"

Octavia answers this one. "Because you all are super ignorant."

"So that's why no one saw you guys the night of the dance," Wells says, putting the pieces together. "And why you kept sneaking away from things early, Clarke."

Finn has an odd expression on his face. "Isn't this...a little fast? And maybe not the most appropriate of timing? I mean, we are in quarantine."

Clarke struggles to keep from reacting. Finn is criticizing her right now? Seriously? He has no room to stick his nose in her relationships, not after the mess he made.

"We're just trying to make the most of a crappy situation," she says. "Just like everyone else."

Maya, thank the Lord, changes the subject. "Did you do the chemistry essay yet? I've been trying to work on it for the last couple days but I'm just not motivated at all."

The Zoom call continues, but Clarke notices that everyone is still thrown off. Whatever. It's not their business.

When it's over, Bellamy reaches around her to hang up on the call.

"That was an interesting way to let your friends know about us," he says.

Clarke shrugs. "Just think of all the drama. It'll give them something to entertain themselves with for the rest of our time here."

"Finn seemed...pretty defensive."

"Yeah, well, next time Finn opens his mouth I'll show him where he can shove it."

Bellamy smiles and shakes his head. Then he opens Netflix up on his laptop. "Alright. Are you sure you want to watch this? It isn't accurate with the story in The Iliad."

"You said it has young Brad Pitt, so yes."

Bellamy hits play on Troy. He tightens his arms around her, and Clarke rests her arms on his.

"You could play Hector if they did a reboot," she says. "You have dark, curly hair, and I bet you'd look good in that armor. Plus you're pretty strong and muscular."

"I would like to play Hector," Bellamy admits. "But I'd rather play Paris because he ends up with the pretty blonde girl."

Clarke smiles at that. "It's too bad Helen is such a snowflake, though. I'd rather be Hector's wife. Or their cousin. At least she gets to hook up with Brad Pitt."

"Don't you think he's kind of a jerk, though? He acts like he's in charge and he's such a playboy. Not to mention what he does to Hector after defeating him."

"But he turns out good in the end. He goes back to try and protect her and he gives back Hector's body and gives them time for their funeral rights."

"Yeah, I guess so." Bellamy rests his chin on her shoulder. "I still prefer Achilles in The Iliad, though."

March 28, 2020

It rains on their last day of quarantine. Bellamy gives Clarke his jacket when they're on deck, and she draws it tightly around herself as they stretch out their legs. Not even bad weather is going to keep them from their once daily freedom.

The others greet them when they reunite, but otherwise they keep their distance. Clarke knows they're still in shock from learning about their relationship and trying to decide how they feel about it. She can feel their eyes on her and Bellamy as they walk from one end of the ship to the other.

Octavia is the only one not weirded out.

"I should have moved in with Lincoln," she complains. "Instead I spend the last two weeks by myself."

Clarke and Bellamy celebrate the last day of quarantine by ordering wine with their dinner. Clarke still doesn't love the taste, but she does like how sophisticated she feels drinking it.

Later that evening, when they're laying in bed, Clarke decides to bring up the topic she's been procrastinating on for the last two weeks. Her heart pounds in her chest as she rehearses the words over and over again in her head, but eventually she just has to power through it.

"What are we, Bellamy?" she asks, staring up at the ceiling. It's easier to talk if she doesn't have to look him in the eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"What is this? Us? Our relationship? Are we just a spring break fling?"

She keeps her gaze on the ceiling, but she can sense Bellamy looking at her.

"Is that what you want this to be?"

"No," she whispers back.

"Me neither."

March 29, 2020

The ship departs from Cádiz in the morning, heading full speed for the original end destination: Lisbon, Portugal. The quarantine is lifted, but social distancing precautions are still in place. Clarke heads back to her original room to pack up the rest of her things. Octavia isn't there, and she has some ideas as to where the girl disappeared to.

All in all, there were only five new cases of COVID-19 that surfaced during the quarantine period. Those people were taken off the ship and to a nearby hospital before leaving Cádiz.

Emails with travel information are sent out to everyone. Clarke feels both tremendous relief and a faraway sense of sadness when she gets an email with plane tickets back to the U.S. The U.S. government is trying to get everyone home who doesn't want to get stuck abroad. Clarke is happy because she'll finally be home, but she's also sad about having to leave Bellamy. She's spent so much time with him lately that she's scared of what will happen between them when they aren't, anymore - especially if they get quarantined away from each other.

She shoves those thoughts away. She and Bellamy had established that their relationship is real, not just some fling. It's going to work - it has to work. She's never felt this strongly about someone before. The connection between them is too strong to deny.

Clarke and her friends spend their last day together on the top deck of the ship. They sit around the (empty) pool and play games, share stories, and truly enjoy their last day of vacation. Clarke sees a lot of upset people on the cruise ship, and she's glad that she and her friends still salvaged a great vacation out of terrible circumstances. They still got to travel to several Spanish cities and islands and spent a day in Africa. They made memories that will last a lifetime and didn't let a little (well, a big) hitch in the plans ruin their trip.

Best of all, they're getting fully reimbursed by the cruise company. Monty and Harper already started looking into other cruises for when the Coronavirus Pandemic passes and life returns to normal - well, as normal as life ever gets.

"How would you guys feel about Hawaii?" Monty turns his phone so everyone can see the ad video playing. "All the pineapple we can eat."

"Did they film Jurassic Park in Oahu?" Jasper asks. "I would go just for that alone."

Finn looks at Raven. "Would you wear a coconut bra?"

"Absolutely not."

Clarke leans her head against Bellamy's shoulder and smiles at her friends. It doesn't matter where they go, as long as they're together.

March 30, 2020

The plane is nearly empty. It's just them and the few other American families that had been on the cruise ship. Clarke likes the arrangement because she can choose her seat. On the original flight back, she had a seat next to Wells. Which she wouldn't have minded, but now she gets to sit next to Bellamy. His shoulder makes a good pillow as they cross the Atlantic.

Everyone has bags under their eyes and messy hair when they finally land, but their legs still move quickly as they drag all their luggage through the empty airport. Clarke intertwines her fingers through Bellamy's as they walk. She wants to savor every last second with him.

When they walk down the last staircase, Clarke can see everyone's parents waiting eagerly in front of the doors. Clarke squeezes Bellamy's fingers tightly before releasing him to greet her mom, who runs straight to her and throws her arms around her.

"I'm so glad you're alright," Abby gushes, stroking Clarke's hair. "I was so worried."

"I'm fine, Mom."

"I missed you so much." Abby takes a step back and her eyes scan Clarke's body as if looking for any injuries or signs of illness.

Clarke smiles. "I told you, Mom. I'm fine."

Abby strokes the side of her face. "Did you at least have fun?"

"It was the best spring break ever," Clarke assures her. "Quarantine and all."

"You look exhausted. Let's get you home so you can get some rest."

Clarke catches her mom's arm. "Wait. There's someone I want you to meet." She turns and motions for Bellamy to join. "Mom, this is Bellamy Blake."

Abby raises an eyebrow at Clarke before shaking Bellamy's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Bellamy."

"You as well, Ms. Griffin."

"Are you one of Clarke's friends?"

Clarke and Bellamy exchange knowing smiles. "You could say that."

Abby motions to the doors. "I'm going to get the car started. I'll let you say goodbye to everyone."

Clarke glances around the room at her friends, but she finds she has nothing to say to them. They'll stay in contact the same way they did on the ship. This isn't goodbye or anything permanent.

The only person she wants to talk to is right in front of her.

"We'll meet up as soon as this passes," Clarke says, trying to fill the space between them. There's still so many unspoken words between them. So many uncertainties and questions.

"We will." Bellamy takes her hands lightly.

Luckily they don't have to say everything now. This isn't goodbye. This isn't the end. They have all the time in the world to find the right words. They have all the time in the world to answer those questions.

This is just the beginning.