"Honestly, the best part about a German Chocolate cake is that you don't have to frost the sides," Clarke said, dolloping a spatculaful of frosting atop the cake.
"That's something. It looks sort of… rustic. I think that's the word they used," Bellamy said. He was standing beside Clarke at the counter. He had sensed her mood change after Raven's phone call and had stuck close to her side, as if right there on the counter wasn't near enough. Clarke didn't mind though. His presence was reassuring.
"Rustic? Where'd you hear that?" Clarke asked, amused.
She watched Bellamy shrug. "My mom used to like to watch those baking shows. It was one of the channels you got without paying for cable."
"Oh," Clarke replied, glancing back down at her cake. That was sort of a loaded statement and she wasn't sure what to reply.
Bellamy chuckled darkly. "Yeah. Those were the days,"
"Do you miss you mom?" Clarke asked, focusing intently on scraping the last of the frosting from the bowl.
Bellamy took a moment to respond. Clarke listened to his shorts rustle as he shifted his weight to his other foot.
"Of course. She's my mother."
"But…?" Clarke asked, as Bellamy's tone had left the statement unfinished.
"But, she really wasn't a mom for us. I mean, in the literal sense, sure, she birthed us, but she was never really there for us. Alcohol and strange men are more alluring than a couple of crying kids."
"I'm sorry," Clarke said. Bellamy's voice was terribly resigned, and his feeble attempt at humor made his words all the more disheartening. This was a truth he had long since accepted.
"S'not your fault."
"I know, but it makes me feel guilty." Clarke put down the bowl and turned to face Bellamy, leaning against the edge of the counter.
"How?" His face was questioning.
"Like, I know my mom loves me, and she was always there for me, even though I was closer with my dad. And I… I don't even talk to her. I've called her once since I moved out here." Clarke felt her throat start to close up and she couldn't maintain eye contact with Bellamy any longer.
"Oh, Clarke. You can't feel guilty about that." She didn't look up. "Hey, Princess. You've got a lot on your plate right now," Bellamy said, ducking his head down to coax Clarke. Her gaze flickered up and Bellamy was smiling sweetly. He was too good to her… And all she was doing was baking him a lousy cake.
"Fine."
Bellamy chuckled.
"Thank you for everything." Clarke turned and picked up the completed cake, holding it out to him.
"Aww, all for me? Thank you!" Bellamy placed a hand to his chest in feign surprise.
"Of course! Just take out a piece for Raven and Harper and one for Octavia, too. And you can't have it until after I take it upstairs and also give it to them."
"Hmm, this sounds rigged somehow."
"It's not. Just don't think about it too hard."
"Whatever you say!"
"Oh, whatever I say, huh?" Clarke flashed Bellamy a look and he visibly swallowed. Clarke pretended she didn't notice and continued on with their playful conversation.
"What if I said, 'Bellamy, would you be a dear and wash up all these dishes?'?"
"If you said that, I'd have to say, 'Of course, since you have so generously baked a whole cake just for me, the least I could do is wash up a few pans.'" Bellamy was grinning as he moved to the sink and started running the water.
"Thanks," Clarke said, dropping the funny tone she had been talking in and came to Bellamy's side to help.
"You'll wear out that word if you keep saying it so much, Clarke," he scolded, turning a frown on her.
"Sorry, -"
"That one too!"
"I- Bellamy!" He started laughing at her open-mouthed expression.
"Brat," Clarke smacked him on the shoulder and pushed dishes into the sudsy basin.
"Just making a point," Bellamy's brown eyes twinkled mischievously, clearly he was enjoying chastising Clarke.
"Well, I hear you, loud and clear."
"Good!" he chirped.
"But Bellamy," Clarke started seriously. "I can't say thank you enough. I honestly don't- I don't know where I'd be without you. Literally. You got me out of there and I- Well, you saved my life. How can I say thank you too many times?"
Clarke's words quickly sobered Bellamy.
"I don't want you to feel like you're in my debt. You're not. At all. I did the right thing, the same thing that anyone, hopefully, would have done. And I got your friendship out of it, so that is more than thanks enough."
Bellamy gazed at Clarke and she felt her throat close up again. She looked back into his sincere face and couldn't speak. She was overflowing with emotion and gratitude. The only thing she could do was wrap her arms around Bellamy, hoping she could convey herself without talking, as she feared she would be unable to without tearing up.
She closed the distance between them and looped her arms around Bellamy's chest. She pressed the side of her face into his t-shirt and relaxed into Bellamy as he enveloped her in his strong arms. It was the safest, most comfortable Clarke had been in a week. She took a deep breath and her nose filled with the warm ethereal scent of Bellamy. As Clarke exhaled, Bellamy tightened his hug in the space vacated.
"And Princess?"
"Yeah?"
"You're welcome."
Clarke smiled and pulled back. Bellamy was still looking at her, and Clarke could feel her cheeks start to flush. She turned away so he wouldn't see, embarrassed.
"Maybe if we hurry we can catch Raven before she leaves," Clarke suggested and started fishing around in the sink for the washrag.
Bellamy agreed. "Yeah," Clarke washed up the bowl and handed it to Bellamy to dry. They cleaned up the kitchenette without speaking. Clarke's thoughts were swirling around in her head like a blizzard, so it suited her just fine. She couldn't deny the way she felt when Bellamy held her, but it was not what she needed right now. Just because Bellamy was being nice to her, helping her out, did not mean she had to go and develop a crush on him. She could feel her face flush again…
"Woah, watch that hot water!" Bellamy warned, swinging the faucet away from Clarke's arm, saving her the discomfort of heat in her fresh burn.
"Oh!" Clarke pulled her arm back. She hadn't been paying attention to what she was doing. Again. "Tha-"
"Uh! Nope!" Bellamy interrupted her thanks. Clarke turned indignantly towards him.
"Bellamy! How can I-"
"Just don't say it." He stuck his nose in the air with a smug expression.
Clarke flicked the water from her hands at him. It freckled his grey t-shirt as he pretended to be appalled.
"How dare you!" He said in a low tone, turning a glare on Clarke. "I wash dishes for you, and this is the thanks I get?"
"You wouldn't let me say it out loud, so yes," Clarke smarted.
Bellamy gave pause and his face relaxed. "Fair enough."
"Let's get going upstairs, what time is it anyway?" Clarke picked up the cake which was stacked on a paper plate for lack of actual dishes.
"Uh, like eight o'clock I think," Bellamy said as he led the way down the hall.
"Eight? When did it get so late?" Clarke was surprised. They had been down in the basement for nearly four hours! She knew the cake took a long time to bake and cool and frost, but it hardly felt like any time had passed.
"Time flies when you're having fun, I guess," Bellamy said easily, turning over his shoulder as they reached the end of the hallway. "Want to take the elevator? Or we can go stairs, up to you."
Clarke smiled at his consideration. "Better do the elevator. I don't want to drop the cake,"
"Gotcha." He punched the up key with a finger.
"It's okay when you're with me," Clarke said before she thought about it. Bellamy turned to her.
"Really? That makes me feel good," he said.
"Y-yeah. Or anyone, I mean, I can do it, do the elevator, if I'm with someone. Like Raven or Harper...or..."
Bellamy gave a half chuckle at Clarke's rushed clarification. The doors opened to an empty elevator and they got inside. Clarke was slightly embarrassed about what she said but was trying not to let it show. She didn't say anything until they were standing in front of her dorm door.
"I hope Raven is still here."
"Me too. And she'd better be here if she wants any of this cake or I'll eat it all," Bellamy said.
"You haven't even tried it yet! What if you hate it?" Clarke exclaimed, nodding for him to open the door.
"Impossible," he said. "You made it." He grinned cheekily and swung open the door. Clarke rolled her eyes.
"Who is that?" Raven's voice came from around the corner. "Oh, Bellamy! Is Clarke with you?" She asked, sounding somewhat skeptical.
"Yeah, she's uh, just coming up the stairs," Bellamy pretended to look down the hallway, winking at Clarke. "Where's my sister and Harper?"
"In their dorm…?"
"Good," Bellamy let himself into the bathroom and knocked on the door to the adjoining dorm. "Octavia?"
"Bellamy? What are you doing here?" Clarke couldn't see Raven, but could picture her; drawn brows and a slight frown, one hand on her hip. Clarke remained in the hall, trying to keep her surprise a surprise until all three girls were in the room.
Bellamy didn't respond to Raven, or to Octavia when she burst through the door, starting to get angry at Bellamy's presence. Harper trailed Octavia into the room, and Clarke stepped around the corner, extending the cake to her friends.
"Surprise!" Clarke yelled at the same time as Bellamy.
"What?" Harper started to laugh, while Raven looked confused and Octavia continued to glare at her brother.
"Here," Clarke set the cake down on her desk. "I baked you guys a cake, to say thank you for taking care of me when I was sick. It's German Chocolate." Clarke stepped back and smiled at her friends.
"Oh, Clarke! It looks fabulous! But you didn't have to do that!" Harper cooed.
"Yeah, you did. You vomited in my hairbrush," Octavia said sarcastically.
"I have something for you, Octavia." Clarke said, riffling through the last Target bag of things and producing the new brush.
"Oh yes," Octavia readily accepted the gift. "All is forgiven now." She started running the bristles through her night-dark hair, then added critically, "But why is Bellamy here?"
"He helped too," Clarke said, glancing back at Bellamy, who was leaning casually against the wall.
"Oh yeah. He did something useful for once," Octavia said curtly. Clarke wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or not, but decided not to dwell on it. If only Octavia knew everything Bellamy had done for her this past week…
"I'm glad you're still here, Raven. I wanted to catch you before you left." Clarke moved on.
"Yeah, change of plans," she scratched her brow. "I'm staying in tonight. I should've texted you," Raven said dully.
"Oh," Clarke said, hiding her pleased feeling at this news. "It's alright. We both know I'm no good at telling you where I am most of the time."
Bellamy scoffed from behind them, attracting a suspicious glare from Octavia.
"What?"
"Nothin'," Bellamy said easily, taking the bag from Clarke and setting paper plates on the desk beside the cake.
"O-kay," Clarke said, in what she hoped wasn't too obvious an attempt to move on from Octavia's sharp words towards her brother. "Do you have the knife, Bellamy?"
"Sure thing, Pr-Clarke." Bellamy fumbled over her name. Oh no. Clarke took the knife from Bellamy without turning around, feeling her heartbeat quicken. He had almost called her Princess in front of everyone. Clarke couldn't put a finger on why exactly that would be a terrible thing, but with Raven already harboring her suspicions about Bellamy and Clarke's 'friendship'...
Clarke served up five slices of cake in silence, aware of eyes on her back.
"Here you go, Rav." Clarke smiled at her friend and handed her a plate, bowing in the middle under the weight of the dense cake.
"Thank you," Raven drawled, her eyes sparkling as she shot a glance at Bellamy. "Now, did he help make the cake, too?"
"Uh, yeah," Bellamy cleared his throat and said. "I ran into Clarke and-"
"No, you were letting me hide the ingredients in your room, because you ran into me yesterday, in the elevator, remember? And you helped me carry my bags?" Clarke looked intently at Bellamy and he nodded along to her story.
"Yes, yes. Yesterday. Then you had to come get the stuff, and I just had nothing better to do, so I came downstairs with you, and now we're here."
"Exactly!" Clarke said, turning away from Bellamy to hand out the rest of the cake. She realized that neither she nor Bellamy had looked away from each other during the whole of their explanation. Looking at Harper's expression as she handed her a plate, Clarke was sure the only thing they had done was make their story seem even more fabricated.
"Oh my God, we did a good job, I'd say," Bellamy interrupted the tense quiet. He'd snuck the cake from the desk without Clarke noticing and shovelled a large bite into his mouth.
"Yeah. This is delicious," Raven agreed. "You two make a pretty good team, I'd say."
"Yeah, we do," Bellamy said brightly, whether trying to divert attention away from Raven's insinuations or simply agree with her, Clarke was unsure. The only thing she did know was that this situation had turned far more awkward than she'd ever expected. And that Octavia was incredibly displeased.
"I've got a lot of work to do. Thanks for the brush, Clarke," She turned and walked back to her dorm through the bathroom.
"You didn't take your cake!" Harper called after her, trailing off as the door shut firmly. Clarke felt her stomach twist.
"I'm sorry. She's temperamental," Bellamy said. "Always has been."
Clarke wasn't sure who Bellamy was talking to, but no one replied.
"No matter," Harper said. "I'll just bring her one when I go back over."
"Good idea. Let's sit down then,"
Bellamy flopped down in Clarke's desk chair, and she didn't know whether she felt relieved or disappointed he didn't sit beside her on the bed. She settled on the former as she watched Raven give Bellamy an eye.
Clarke took a bite of her cake and tried not to choke on it when Harper asked;
"So, what's with your change of plans, Raven? Is everything alright with Finn?"
Clarke kept her eyes on her plate and tried to slow her heart as it started to thump in her chest.
"Oh, I don't know. He's been a pain in the ass lately," Raven said dismissively.
"I'm sorry to hear. Finn seemed so nice when I met him on, what day was that? The day we went to the party. Was it Saturday?" Harper mused, unaware of the effect her words were having on Clarke, who could hardly breath.
Saturday.
The party.
Finn.
Her skin felt hot, her throat too small for air for the air to make it to her lungs, much less swallow the mouthful of cake.
"You know what? It's been ever since that party!" Raven exclaimed. "I don't even remember what happened, but something must've. I think I passed out."
"Yeah, you did," Harper giggled at the memory.
"You think maybe I said something? Or did something I didn't mean to? I was so out of it," Raven groaned.
Clarke was frozen. She prayed that neither of the girls looked at her face. She knew she was as white as a sheet, having felt all the blood drain from her face at the start of this conversation.
"I don't know. What could you have even said, like, another boy's name?" Harper suggested.
"Ugh. I haven't talked to another boy like that for years," Raven groaned. "I think he's just being an idiot."
"Yeah, boys'll do that," Bellamy jumped into the conversation with the loud statement. Clarke knew he was trying to help, but he clearly wasn't sure how.
"You know, one time, I was talking to this girl, and then I didn't want to talk to her anymore, so I uh, I just stopped responding when she would text or call me. Just because I could."
"Kind of a dick move, Blake," Raven said, frowning at him.
"Yeah, but I guess it's just the way guys are sometimes," Bellamy added. Clarke heard the chair squeak as he shifted his weight.
Harper cleared her throat and said, "Well, thanks for the cake, Clarke. It was fantastic."
Clarke managed to look up and give her a smile. Her throat still felt too tight for words.
"I'd better get back to work. And I'll bring this to Octavia," Harper retreated, extra slice in hand..
"Thanks Harper. Tell O I'll talk to her later," Bellamy called after her. "Clarke, what should we do with the rest of this cake?"
Clarke looked up to meet his gentle gaze. She still feared her eyes would well over if she tried to talk. Luckily, Bellamy picked up the slack.
"I was thinking, as much as I hate them, we could offer a piece to Jasper and Monty, just so it doesn't go to waste. It is a big cake."
Clarke nodded and stood.
"Mind if I keep another piece? For later?" Raven asked.
"No, go for it." Bellamy said.
"Thanks. Eating always helps you get through boy troubles, doesn't it Clarke?"
"Y-yeah," Clarke managed, only because her back was to her roommate.
"Let's take this downstairs quick." Bellamy scooped up the cake and nodded Clarke towards the door. "Nice seeing you again, Raven," He said over his shoulder.
"You too, Blake. I'm sure I'll see you around here more. And Clarke, let me know if you're going to be held up." Clarke could hear the teasing in Raven's voice and flipped her off over the shoulder as she left. Even if Raven made her wholey uncomfortable every time she spoke of Finn, she was still a good friend, ever eager to tease. And it wasn't as if she was wrenching Clarke apart on purpose.
"Thanks," Clarke breathed as soon as Bellamy had shut them out of the room.
"Of course, Princess," he said breezily.
AN_
Another chapter!
How's is everyone doing today? I have two weeks left of school, then I'm on summer break! (Even though it already sort of feels like summer break because I haven't been to an actual class in almost two months, and I'm actually going to be busier in the summer than I was during the school year, but that's not the point!). Good luck to everyone who is still in school for the rest of the year, I know you'll finish strong.
Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter, they mean the world to me. I've gotten more than a couple of people wishing Clarke would spill the beans to Raven. (looking at you, GinnyWeasley09, lol . your reviews make me smile every time) You will be happy to know I just finished writing that scene. You'll have to wait a few more chapters, but it is coming, I promise. The reviews did help me plan it out better, so I hope it will be everything you've been looking for.
Thanks for reading!
-Birch66724