AN: I had a lot of fun with this chapter. Lots of smiles, tension, frustration. I hope you guys enjoy it! Sorry for any mistakes.


Moving out of Lexa's place had been more difficult than Clarke expected. She had stayed long enough to form an affinity for the coziness and companionship she found there.

It was a sad fact that the familiar fragrance of old hardcovers would no longer lull her to sleep at night. One that took Clarke weeks to overcome once she was back in her own apartment.

It had come as a shock to Lexa when the blonde mentioned her plans to move out. The brunette apologized relentlessly because she felt perhaps she had over-stepped her bounds with Clarke. But the girl assured her it was time to challenge herself by moving back to her apartment, and that it was not due to Lexa's lack of hospitality.

Still Lexa struggled to feel appeased, even barely. After all, she was sad to see the artist leave.

Together it took them half a day to move Clarke back into her small apartment miles across the city, but they had made the best of it. Both girls could sense a change in their friendship, a blossoming comfort that made both of them smile every so often without excuses or reasons.

And when they were all done, they agreed to have dinner at the usual spot, sat across from each other in their booth. Everything was comfortable and they ended up driving to Clarke's to talk all night before Lexa headed home, albeit reluctantly.

It took Clarke a considerable amount of time to fall asleep knowing Lexa wasn't only just a few feet away.


Before everyone knew it, the night of their grand re-opening was upon them, sending bodies scrambling with nervous anticipation as they made last minute preparations.

Lexa paced backstage fretfully as she gripped the master script in her fisted hands. Lincoln had attempted to pacify her anxious energy a few times as he peeked in through the curtain and smiled at her. She made an effort to smile back, but repeatedly found herself faking it and nodding back more for his sake than hers.

"Hey Linc. Good luck out there." Octavia caught him as his face peeked between the ripples of curtains when she made her way to Lexa.

He nodded with a wide smile. "You too, Octavia." Lincoln nodded one last time at Lexa before he disappeared.

The younger brunette look amusingly at the writer as she fidgeted with the papers in hand. "Everything's going to be cool, Lex. Relax. We've all rehearsed for countless hours, and some of us are hot enough to distract from our less than mediocre singing squeals." She smiled in jest.

A small chuckle escaped Lexa as she looked gratefully at her friend for the moment of levity. "I'm more worried about Clarke running the bar without me than you guys." She smirked

Octavia gasped with a mock shocked expression. "I'm going to tell her you said that."

"You do that and I'm taking away your parts." She glared mockingly at the girl.

"Fine." The dancer pouted and shrugged. "Good luck, Lexa."

"You too. Knock 'em dead." She gave her a thumbs up.

When she became overrun with a wave of anxiety once again, she peered out at the growing audience and back towards Clarke. The blonde looked confident as she sported her usual smile and made drinks for the waiters. It hadn't been easy at first, Lexa had struggled for a week or more getting Clarke familiar with the recipes for popular drinks, and some less-commonly ordered ones. In the end though, the girl memorized a nice list of cocktails and assured the brunette everything would go smoothly with her at the helm.

Lexa had smiled proudly at her and draped an arm around her shoulders nonchalantly. She could still feel how Clarke relaxed into the embrace with her own smile in place.

As if on cue, Lexa found herself staring at Clarke, her smile aimed at her from afar and a thumbs up signaling everything was alright. The brunette nodded with a smile, and her heart raced when Clarke mouthed "good luck" before she returned to making a drink.

A few minutes later, the voices from the crowd died down as the lights dimmed and the band began with the introductory song that Raven would sing along to.

When her number was over, generous clapping echoed in the Tassels building as Raven danced sultrily out of the spotlight and towards the back of the stage.

The brunette smiled and winked at Lexa as she stayed out of the audience's sight to ready herself for the next number. Lexa couldn't help but grin proudly at the interaction between the girl and her spectators.

She felt her nervousness ebb as Harper, Octavia, and Echo made their way out onto the stage, their arms and legs already moving fluidly along to the band's beat before they began to sing their dialogue. A sense of satisfaction enveloped her as the crowd cheered and hollered at the suggestive jokes and hand movements the girls played out on stage. It was clear that everyone was entertained and devoted to watching the story unfold before their eyes, and the writer couldn't be happier.

Men and women clapped excitedly when Raven appeared on stage again. And when a few of the band members abandoned their instruments for the stage to surround the dancer, people cheered and laughed along to the dialogue that flowed from the girl's mouth. Her voice hit some high notes that had people's jaws on the floor and salivating. It was a sight to see and Lexa enjoyed every minute of it.

It was especially amusing when Octavia reappeared to compete for the limelight and the band's attention as part of the play.

The girls had called Lexa out on it when they first read the script, knowing full well why she had chosen to add that particular scene in. They had laughed about it, reflecting on how silly and immature they had been the time they almost fought over a guy, but made Lexa promise not to add any hair pulling for them to reenact.

By the time their handcrafted original play had ended, and the audience rewarded the characters with catcalls and resounding claps, an hour and a half had flown by.

At Indra's insistence, all of the Tassels crew flooded the stage to thank their viewers with a courteous bow and wide smiles.

Lexa smiled from behind the curtains and fist pumped in victory at the turnout and warm reception. She knew they could pull it off, and now that their first show was out there, she hoped and expected the customers to spread the news and increase their numbers.

People continued to applaud as they watched the performers walk off stage when the lights came on to signal the end of the first showing. Some stayed seated to finish off their drinks, and others thanked the host and Indra's assistant Titus on their way out of the establishment, satisfied smiles on their faces.

They had two shows back to back before the crew gathered around the main room to hold multiple excited discussions.

Indra smiled at her employees and nodded proudly at them. When she said nothing Raven was the first to break the silence. "We did great right?" She yelped and held her arms open wide in dramatic fashion. "Admit it, you love us." The dancer grinned.

The older woman laughed and nodded. "I do love you all. And you guys did so great." She smiled gratefully at each person in the room.

"I propose a celebration party!" Jasper shouted from near the back of the group, and his friends immediately nodded and chattered in agreement.

The owner contemplated the proposal and pretended to mull over her decision for a while longer.

"Alright." She gave in and nodded. "Tomorrow, after the last performance we'll stay open for the celebration."

"Just for us?" Bellamy asked with a grin.

"No." Lexa responded. "The people should stay and see how grateful we are for their support. It'll be as much for them as for us." The brunette suggested and looked around for any objections. When she got none, she nodded and smiled at the blonde beside her.

Before the night ended the group agreed on small details and Monty had agreed to design a simple flyer for posting around the city and on social media platforms. The more people showed, the more money they could generate.


Lexa laughed softly with Elona as their glasses clinked in celebration.

Clarke caught the exchange from the back of the room as she made her way down the stairs. She had used Raven's mirror to complete her look and light make-up, and was surprised to see most of the crew was already drinking and mingling.

She walked carefully in her heels and smiled wide when she locked glances with the writer who she had been eyeing just seconds prior.

Lexa made sure to examine the blonde as she approached, appreciating both her figure and her sincere smile. Their eyes locked one again when Clarke stopped in front of the pair, but only for a second as Lexa allowed a lopsided grin to convey her approval of the outfit the blonde wore, before cautioning one last glance downward to her legs.

It couldn't have been more obvious what either one was doing, but neither girl found it in them to stop walking down the path they were headed.

A clearing of a throat forced them both back from the visions that clouded their minds. "Lexa?" Elona asked with a teasing tone.

Lexa shook her head softly and grinned before looking back at Clarke's blues. "Uh, Elona this is Clarke. Clarke this is Elona. We met at Chapman in a creative writing course." The brunette finally spoke and smiled back at the blonde.

"Nice to meet you Elona." Clarke extended her hand and smiled at the way the girl nodded in response. It amused her because it was something Lexa would do. Maybe it was a writer's way of communicating without having to waste precious words. "You look nice, Lexa." Clarke moved her eyes back to the bartender and smiled almost sinfully. The girl could rock the hell out of a button down with slacks and it was quickly becoming her obsession, Clarke admitted.

"You look very nice yourself." Lexa replied with a sly smirk. "Whiskey?" Lexa asked and moved to face the bartender when she got a slow nod from the blonde.

The girls talked for a few minutes about how they had come up with the idea for the play and about Lexa possibly heading back to school before Elona excused herself to mingle around the room.

Clarke and Lexa stood with their backs against the bar counter as they surveyed the room. Bodies intermingled everywhere and smiles were not sparse on their faces. "You did such a good job with that play, Lexa. People are going to talk about it and more people will come."

Lexa looked around and nodded before taking a sip of her drink. "We're all a pretty good team. Everyone was committed and that's all it took to make this happen." Clarke smiled at the girl's modesty. "Besides, it could have been those alluring posters out front that did the trick." She flashed the blonde a smile.

It was anything but awkward as they stood cocooned in their private moment despite the crowd and noise level. They were silent for a while as they smiled at each other.

It wasn't until a tall body came to stand before them that they acknowledge they were not the only two people in the room. "I heard I should congratulate you two for such a great show." Anthony flashed the girls a wide smile, but Lexa wanted nothing more than to feed him to the sharks for his intrusion.

She spared a side glance at the blonde beside her before feigning a smile to keep up appearances.

"Thanks, Anthony. I'm glad you could join us." Clarke replied before hugging him.

Another reason why Lexa wanted him to walk the plank.

Lexa nodded despite her annoyed state, and her admittedly immature thoughts. She behaved as best as she could, and hid the fact that she was terribly irritated by the man before her.

When the man looked over to her unsure about whether he should hug her or not, the brunette quickly extended her hand to fist bump him instead. The move caught him by surprise, and Clarke glared menacingly at Lexa, but before either one could comment on it she excused herself.

"Enjoy yourself, Anthony. Thanks for coming. I'll catch you later, Clarke." Lexa walked away casually towards the band members that were visibly having too much fun with their drinks, leaving a very stunned Clarke behind to gape after her.

It was some time later that Lexa found herself sitting at a bar stool looking out at the make-shift dance floor with droopy eyes. She smiled at the sight before her.

Lincoln and Octavia danced together with excited body language and smiling eyes. The brunette nodded to herself, pleased for the couple that was hopefully taking a step in the right direction.

"Is this seat taken?" Lexa had a split second to battle the million responses that formulated in her hazy mind. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to fight her alcohol-driven emotions as she rolled her eyes with a frustrated sigh.

Immediately she regretted her action, but silently thanked the man beside her for not pointing it out or responding in kind. "Nope." Lexa shook her head and promptly closed her eyes against the dizziness that swept over her.

There was a moment of silence as Anthony situated himself with his own drink in hand. To say they were engulfed with tension and awkwardness was an understatement as they both fiddled with their drinks.

Anthony was the first to speak when he cleared his throat, but kept his eyes glued to the dancing patrons. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I got the feeling I might have interrupted something."

Well damn, he could have saved everyone the wasted eye rolls and waves of hot jealousy (yes, she described it in those words…because she was a writer and could get away with it) had he walked away after having felt that. Lexa thought it, but held her words as she shrugged in response instead.

They were quiet again for a few minutes before Lexa felt the rush of courage that flowed through her veins. She thanked the alcohol for such a response. "Listen Anthony I don't really know you, but I think we both know the reputation you hold." She tore her eyes from her friends to watch him carefully, suddenly more sober than she had been minutes prior. "What is it that you really want with Clarke? Really? You've been hanging around her for a while now, but I doubt it's just because of the art factor." Her brown eyes studied him intensely as she waited for his response.

Lexa couldn't decide if Anthony was baffled by her honesty or by the fact that she had just called him out on his 'reputation' and possible ulterior motives. Regardless, she could tell by the way his eyebrows wrinkled in thought that he was working towards an honest answer.

"I like Clarke." Anthony responded hesitantly as he looked up from his drink. He cleared his throat. "I really like her."

The writer felt her stomach tighten with that familiar pang of jealousy before she shook it off. "Have you told her?" Lexa had nothing else she could think of saying.

The man shook his head. "I had thought about doing it tonight." His admission made the panic in the brunette hard to conceal as she shifted in her seat. She looked at everything and everyone except for Anthony. He paused to get her attention, and as expected Lexa did look up at him. "But I wanted to ask you first if perhaps you knew whether Clarke felt the same about me."

There was a pregnant silence as she swallowed her words and her feelings to look for the one person she needed to lock eyes with. When she spotted her, the blonde was in a deep conversation with a group of people Lexa didn't recognize. She sighed at the failed attempt to gather courage from Clarke.

There were so many things Lexa wanted to respond with that would work in her favor, but the damn alcohol had worn off enough to grant her the ability to feel sympathy and compassion for the man beside her. She cursed silently her ability to be considerate and diplomatic. "I'm sorry Anthony." She spoke as she stood. "I cannot answer that. Only Clarke knows the answer to your question."

He nodded in understanding as she tipped her glass towards him in salutations and walked away.

Across the room, Clarke caught sight of Lexa as she walked up the stairs towards the back rooms. She smiled politely and tried her best to keep her attention focused on the men and women that held the discussion around her, but her instincts were to follow the girl to make sure everything was alright.

"If Frankie thinks it's too soon we can wait another session, but I believe you are ready to showcase some of your work." The man commented as he waited for Clarke's response.

She nodded with a small smile; her brain caught only a few key words before she felt they all awaited her response. "I would like to talk to Frankie first, if that's alright." Clarke winged it and exhaled as the group echoed their understanding with nods. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back."

Raven watched amused from the stage as she witnessed Clarke's escape from the herd of artists and towards where Lexa had just escaped to. She frowned as she realized the events would have been much more enjoyable had she been digging into a bucket of popcorn.

The brunette almost groaned audibly as she saw Anthony intercept Clarke halfway across the floor. "Damn it." She shook her head at the man's terrible timing.

"Hey, Anthony." Clarke greeted him politely though the anxious anticipation was clearly detectable in her tone. "Having a good time?"

He smiled down at her. "Um, sure. Yeah. I actually needed to talk to you. Do you have a minute?" He reached down to grab her hand in his.

Clarke could think of how many minutes she actually didn't have right then…or rather didn't want to spare, but she held her composure and nodded anyway.

Raven shook her head in exasperation as she saw the pair exit the building. "Oh my god, are you serious?" She looked up and nothing and sighed.

"What's the matter with you?" Echo asked as she made her way beside her to look for Bellamy from a better vantage point.

"Nothing." Raven replied. "Where's your boy toy?" She asked with a fake smile.

"Around." Echo grinned.

Back outside in the cool night air the pair looked awkwardly at each other. Clarke raised her brows with a lopsided smile at the man that shuffled a nervous hand through his coiffed hair. "What's up?" She pressed.

"I…" He paused to chuckle nervously. "Damn it."

"Is everything ok?" Clarke began to worry.

"Yeah. No. Sorry. Listen I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to have dinner with me tomorrow."

The blonde smiled and nodded. "Of course. Why not. Same spot?"

"No, I was thinking we could go somewhere nicer." Anthony shook his head and Clarke began to see where the conversation was headed.

"Are you asking me out?" Clarke smiled awkwardly up at him and his reddened face.

"Yes." He sighed heavily before taking both her hands in his. "I like you Clarke and I would love for you to go on a date with me." Anthony smiled hopefully at the blonde. "Do you accept?"

Clarke stared at their joined hands and smiled back at him.

TBC…

So Clarke moved out, can you feel how sad they both are? Awww. But hey the play has finally premiered and everyone likes it! The team has done it. Should we talk about Anthony now? Are you guys annoyed? Happy? Sad? Indifferent? Personally I...nah, I won't influence you guys with MY feelings on the matter. 'Till next Thursday peeps, I have a feeling it's going to be a great one coming up! P.S. All of you at Comic Con...I am uber jealous right now.