The bell rang above the door, the store was busier than normal today. It always picked up on the weekends. He stood getting ready to work the counter when he saw Clarke. He completely forgot she was scheduled today. She glanced at him when she tossed her bag on the chair by his desk before setting her phone down on the corner and going to help the customer at the counter. He sat back down, he had plenty of paperwork to do and she obviously had the store under control. He was guessing she was still mad over the day before by her welcoming greeting, or lack there of.
Her phone buzzed across the desk, Bellamy glanced at it. It illuminated as a message preview popped up.
Clarke, I love you, and I will.. was all that Bellamy could read from the message preview. He flipped the phone over, he didn't want to know, it wasn't his buisness and he felt guilty for even looking at it.
A throat cleared next to him drawing his attention to the door way.
"The register is acting wonky, can you help me?" Clarke asked softly.
"Wonky is your description?" he chuckled. He saw her try to hide the smile as she turned and walked back out.
"The drawer won't open, and I need to make change" she pushed the button to show him.
"Okay, top drawer of my desk is enough to make change" she nodded and headed into the office. She pulled open the drawer fishing change out amongst candy, paper clips, receipts, condoms, and a bottle cap. She appeared next to him handing the customer the change and thanking them for their business.
"The left drawer on the bottom of my desk should have a flat screwdriver, can you grab it?"
She turned grabbing it and returning.
"Did you see anything else that could be of use?" he asked hoping there was something he could use to jimmy the door open. He turned expecting an answer.
"Uh, no" she replied, her face tinted red.
"What's wrong?, what was in there?" he asked hoping she missed something helpful.
"Another screw driver, paper clips, candy, papers, um, your stuff, and that about sums it up."
"My stuff?" he asked, she wouldn't even look at him now. Now he was intrigued. He stood walking into the office, his condoms were the first thing he saw when he opened the drawer.
He held them up.
"These?" he asked,
"Yeah, I was being discreet" she whispered.
"There's no body in here but us." he laughed.
She shot him a look.
"That's all it takes to make you blush, huh?"
She didnt respond just crossed her arms over her chest.
"Your going to tell me you've never used one before? Body like that and 23 years old?" he asked, the blush was creeping down her neck.
"I wouldn't need to, I'm on birth control" she replied.
Bellamy just nodded watching her closely. She shifted nervously from one foot to another.
"Can you hand me the metal ruler over there?" he pointed tossing the condoms on the desk.
She grabbed it and followed him back out to the register. They finally popped it open.
"There you go" he smiled heading back to the office.
"Thank you" she answered quietly.
He chucked seeing she slid "His stuff" back into his drawer.
All of his friends were unfiltered, shameless and loud. She was breath of fresh air, almost alittle too wholesome though, he wished she would relax and lighten up just a bit, let her hair down, figuratively and literally. She always had it pulled back into a fierce ponytail. The brief glimpse's of the messy bun had him hoping she would just wear it down.
"Is Octavia coming in?" she asked from the front.
"No, it's just you and me till 11, I'll wait to walk with you, I want to make sure you can close up fine a few times before we leave you alone."
"Ok" she replied from the far corner of the store. He walked out to find her straigtening everything out.
"You coming over tonight?" he asked.
"No, but thank you for the invite, I appreciate it"
He smiled shaking his head.
"You are overly polite, it's an open invitation"
She came from around the corner, just as the bell rang. Two guys walked in, one she recognized as Dax from last night.
"Hey Adam, Long time no see, hows it going?" Bellamy asked.
"Good man, I was going to stop by tonight if that's okay, bring some girls."
"Yeah, of course"
Clarke rolled her eyes making her way further down the aisle. Dax caught the movement out of the corner of his eye.
"Hollywood, I didn't know you worked here" Dax walked down the aisle towards Clarke.
"Hollywood?" she raised an eyebrow as she turned to face him.
"Yeah, california and all, figured it would work."
"Yeah.." she replied reaching into the back of the shelf to pull stuff forward.
"You going to Bellamy's tonight?"
"No, I'm all good on the party scene" she smiled politely.
"Come on, it will be fun."
"I'm not a big drinker"
"That makes it even better, maybe you need to let loose"
Bellamy agreed but didn't like that he was pressuring her into going, or maybe he just didn't like that it was her.
"Dax stop harassing the help, buy something or beat it" Bellamy motioned to Adam standing by the door.
"Yeah, yeah, Clarke think about it" he smiled walking out of the store.
She didn't need to think about it, Finn was bad enough last night.
"Thank you" she whispered to Bellamy as soon as they were gone.
"He will be back, your new and don't know him well enough to know to avoid him, he will keep trying"
"I don't have to know him better, after five minutes on your porch last night I knew I wasn't interested." She kept busying herself around the store.
Bellamy chuckled to himself heading back to do paperwork.
A few hours passed and she finished closing everything up. She moved her bag and sat in the chair next to Bellamy's desk, picking up her phone and seeing a new message from that same number.
Clarke, I love you, and I will..
She didn't click on it, just closed it out and left it unread. She was sure it was Emerson, but Lincoln was right, the east coast is a huge area. She moved to his message and blocked the number. At least that would stop it for now. After blocking him she opened the message.
Clarke, I love you, and I will find you.
"You alright?" Bellamy asked.
"Uh, yeah, all good" she smiled standing and slipping her phone into her bag. They locked up and walked the few blocks in silence. They were almost to there street and you could hear the music already.
Bellamy slowed.
"About yesterday, I just didn't want you to have to pick up garbage, I didn't even want to do it. It had nothing to do with you." Bellamy looked at her.
"Okay" she nodded, and picked up her pace. He matched her pace and just left it at that.
"See you around" he veered towards his yard.
"Goodnight" she replied walking past his house.
"Hey hollywood! c'mon, I'll be waiting" Dax yelled from the porch.
She just ignored him and made her way to her door. Once inside she slipped her shoes off, changed into shorts and a tank top, shook her hair out of its updo and relaxed. The dogs were better company then they were and she loved every second of her alone time. Lincoln left a note on the table that him and Octavia went out, so she grabbed a book and snuggled up on the couch with her furry friends as she read for the next few hours.
She was really into her book when a large boom rang through there street, shaking the windows, the dogs started freaking out and thats when she saw the flames. She slipped her flip flops on and headed out the front door. There was a metal garbage can in the yard that must have had something in it because it was now on fire, and so was the grass around it. She turned on her garden hose and pulled it as close to Bellamy's yard as she could spraying everything down, just as he came up alongside her with his garden hose. She turned and looked at him, in boxers, barely. The girl next to him in one of his shirts and underwear. Clarke turned back to the fire trying to hide the digust in his many different relationships, Octavia said it worked for him, so good for him.
Bellamy felt her eyes on him and then Roma, he couldn't help but take in her outfit, and for the love of God her hair was down. Siren's couldbe heard in the distance.
Once she was satisfied he could handle the rest she put her hose back.
"Thanks"
"Bellamy if it would have been closer to one of our houses, or someone was near it, it would have been alot worse. Keep your friends under control" Clarke left him standing there feeling like a child. She went back inside just as the flashing lights signalled them that the firetrucks were making their way down the street. She shut her door thankful that the day was over.