Hello, beautiful people!
Here goes nothing...
"Hello?" She tapped on the microphone a few times gaining few attentions around the room. It was a quiet Thursday night, the bar only has a few people in it. Some chatted by the the booths while others occupy the seats near the stage. She shifted uncomfortably on the stool and looked behind her to the man who gave her a nod of encouragement. He smiled softly at her, then she turned back to the audience and smiled shyly. "Alright, sorry folks. Haven't done this in a while so sorry if I'm a little rusty. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for that old man sitting behind the piano."
"Oh, hush!" He shouted with a smile. "Come on, kid, for old time's sake."
"Alright, alright." She sighed as she adjusted the guitar on her other lap. Then, she started with a few familiar strums. Followed by the humming.
The chatters in front of her seemed to quiet down as they turned toward the girl on the stage, intrigued. She faltered a chord that made her stumble and restart, "Sorry," She mumbled on the mic, but the audience who were now focused on her cheered her and clapped for support.
She began again from the top. As smoothly as she could and successfully got through it.
"When the night has come," she started singing. "and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see…" Her audience started clapping along when they recognized the song. And when she reached the chorus, some of them even stood and sang along. It made her smile confidently as she saw people swaying and having a good time. Indeed, she has missed the place.
Then as a habit she has formed over the past years, she looked to the same spot she would always look over when she's on stage. Nostalgia immediately hit her. Not again. She closed her eyes as her mind played tricks on her at the thought of seeing her familiar face. She was nothing but a distant memory after all.
"It's open mic tonight… you know what that means." The brunette teased after expertly downing a shot.
"Oh bloody, no, not again." She groaned as she rolled her eyes over the inevitable. "Don't you even dare –"
"Hey, Marcus!" She called on the man who was behind the bar, engaged in a conversation with the bartender.
He slightly turned his attention toward them and motioned that he'd be there in a few.
"Lexa! What are you doing?" Clarke hissed as he tried to glare at the girl seated in front of her.
"What? You can't possibly just hide that talent behind closed doors, Clarke." Lexa stared at her. "Come on, I've heard you hundreds of times – "
"Well, yeah, because every damn time you and Raven would come by you'd pester me to play!" She defended but the brunette didn't even cower.
Remaining unfazed, she turned her attention to Marcus who was now near them. He stopped by their table and hugged Clarke, then Lexa. "Girls, I didn't know you'd be here tonight. Haven't seen both of you in a while."
"College." Both girls groaned which earned a chuckle from the older man.
"Sucks that much, huh?" He snickered again. "Well, drinks on me tonight."
"That's not necessary, pops." Clarke said. Ever since she moved to New York, Marcus has been the one looking after Clarke. When Clarke's father died, Marcus was the next father figure she could have. Abby and Marcus had a history, but their relationship did not blossom as much as they'd want to. Being a doctor in LA, the long-distance thing didn't work for Abby and Marcus.
"Actually," Lexa joined in. "we're here for the open mic." Marcus brows scrunched and gave Lexa a questioning look. "Oh, no. Not me." Lexa immediately clarified then pointed at Clarke.
"Oh, really now?" Marcus' smile plastered on his face. "You finally convinced her?" She looked back at Lexa slightly.
"No, she set me up. This is a trap." Clarke honestly thought that they were just there to listen and watch to some people who'd have the courage to sing during the open-mic night. Lexa has been convincing her for months to go and just try it, but unfortunately Clarke didn't feel ready yet. But tonight, Lexa wasn't having any of her complaints anymore. She just have to be there and share her talent to people.
"Oh, come now. I thought you said you want to have fun?" Lexa pouted.
Clarke shook her head for she knew she could never say no to that pout. "This is so not my idea of fun."
"I'll have the guitar ready, this is going to be interesting." Marcus didn't even wait for Clarke to confirm. Seeing how excited he got, Clarke finally convinced herself to get it done and over with. She would feel guilty later on if she left Marcus disappointed.
"Just so you know, payback's a bitch, commander!" Clarke said as she took a sip of her drink for courage. Lexa smiled knowingly at her.
"Definitely." Lexa said as she pushed the girl to the stage. Halfway to the stage, Raven arrived and greeted them.
"Really? You couldn't not invite her?" She looked at Lexa incredulously.
"What? And miss the only chance of embarrassing you -" Lexa elbowed Raven and gave her a warning look. "I mean, the only chance of seeing you really man up on stage? Not gonna happen, babe." Raven smirked which frustrated Clarke even more.
"You two," she shot them a glare. "you'll never gonna get away with this."
Both Lexa and Raven just looked at each other and shrugged. Raven then went to take a seat on the spot that Clarke was seated a few minutes back. When Lexa and Clarke was by the stage, Lexa squeezed Clarke's hand to get her attention.
"I know you won't need this but good luck. I know you'll kill it!" Lexa prided, elated that she would be able to witness Clarke conquer her stage fright.
"We'll see," Clarke sighed as she cleared her throat.
"Here," Lexa stepped closer and cupped Clarke's face. She leaned in, surprising the blonde. She kissed her softly, it immediately warmed Clarke's insides. "no matter what happens, I'm already proud of you." She whispered against Clarke's lips. When they pulled apart, Clarke gave her a grateful smile.
"Thank you, that really calmed me down."
"Happy that I can be of service, Clarke." Just as Lexa was about to go back to their seat, Clarke pulled her back and kissed her one last time.
"Just for good measure." Clarke winked and went up the stage to where Marcus was waiting.
"Good evening, everyone!" Marcus said over the microphone. "As you all know, tonight is Open-Mic Thursday..." Marcus smiled and gave a few reminders to those who already listed for the night's set of performances. There were a few of them in line, one of them is a band while others are simply going solo. "So, without any more fuss, let's welcome our first performer... she's my kid from another mister by the way." The people clapped for the girl as she stepped forward on the stage.
"Do you really have to say that?" Clarke frowned in embarrassment. Marcus just laughed at her antics and told her a quick 'good luck'.
She let out a nervous breath as she looked at the crowd. "Hi." She said timidly. "I, um... this is my first time so... bear with me a little." Marcus then started strumming the guitar after Clarke told her what song she wanted to sing before she went on stage. It was overwhelming and nerve-racking to stand in front of other people. Sure, she's used to singing but not for strangers such as that. She just wished that her voice won't fail her.
After a few more seconds, she opened her lips to start singing. Surprisingly, she didn't forget a lyric or missed hitting a chord.
When it's nearing the last part of the song, she felt her nerves calming just a tiny bit. Then, she scanned the room until it landed on the beautiful pair of eyes that served as her anchor whenever she felt drifting away. It was that same eyes that kept her grounded and attuned, but not of everything around her instead of what their gaze meant.
"Darling, darling, stand by me, oh stand by me..." Their eyes locked on each other as Clarke finished off the song. Lexa couldn't help a large grin that appeared on her face. It was natural. Even Raven's teasing didn't even bother her. All she cared about was how proud she was of Clarke and what the song meant for the both of them.
"Jeez, both of you are so whipped. Just get married already." Raven rolled her eyes as she sighed exasperatingly. Clarke returned to their seat after thanking the audience for their warm applause.
"You did it!" Lexa leaped off and enveloped Clarke on a tender hug. "You're so good."
"T-Thanks." Clarke smiled coyly.
"Ugh, reserve the eye-sex later, ayt?" Raven pulled them apart and dragged Clarke to sit beside her. "That was awesome by the way." Raven smirked as Clarke grew redder and even more embarrassed.
"I'm never going to do it again!" She said and drank a large sip of her drink.
The night went in a blur as all of them enjoyed the next performances. They laughed and sang along to the nice songs they've heard. It was already midnight when they decided to leave.
"Shit, I've got an early class tomorrow!" Raven looked at her watch, unconscious of how time passed.
"Good luck." Clarke smirked at the anxious looking girl.
"You don't have class?"
"We do." Lexa answered for the both of them. "Mine starts at 11 and Clarke's class starts at 1."
"Fuck, that's so unfair." Raven frowned at them. "Well, see you when I see you. Night!" She called as she went on her way back to her dorm.
"Well, that was unexpectedly fun." Clarke beamed.
"Told you, you just got to let loose." Lexa said as she placed securely a helmet on Clarke. "God, you're adorable." Lexa sighed and kissed the tip of Clarke's nose.
Clarke laughed at her though her cheeks already turned a shade of red. "Come on, I'll crash at your place tonight."
"Now we're talking." Lexa smirked and got on her motorcycle, helping Clarke get comfortable behind her.
...
"Hmm... I could get used to this." Lexa snuck behind Clarke as she wrapped her arms around the blonde. She planted a sweet kiss on the base of Clarke's neck before nuzzling her nose on her shoulder.
"Ever so sneaky." Clarke turned around slightly to kiss her on the cheek. "Good morning."
"Morning." Lexa mumbled and reluctantly pulled away from her to seat on the counter and watch Clarke.
"How's the head?"
"Thank you for the aspirins. I can't really remember how I drove us home safely actually." Clarke shook her head and laughed as she focused back on preparing their breakfast. Lexa's gaze never left Clarke as she worked around the small kitchen and plated everything for her. Clarke was radiant, her eyes shone even more in broad daylight. The faint freckles on her face made her more beautiful in Lexa's eyes. "Move in already." Lexa said as she followed Clarke to the table and sat across from her, grabbing Clarke's hand when she placed the plate on the table in front of Lexa. She did it to get Clarke's attention; her voice held sincerity.
"Lexa," Clarke sighed and looked apologetic. She kissed Lexa's hand before moving and taking a seat. "I'd love to but I don't want your parents getting the wrong idea of me or of us. Especially your mom."
Lexa wanted to roll her eyes but decided not to. "My parents already knew about us and they wouldn't even care."
"Well, mom would." Clarke responded as quickly.
"Abby knows too! And I can talk to her. I can definitely convince her plus it's more practical this way. Rent in New York isn't particularly that cheap."
"As much as I'd love to, you can't and you won't. Let's just wait until we graduate."
"Which will take forever." Lexa said already defeated.
"Quit exaggerating, will you." Clarke rolled her eyes playfully. "Look, this may seem so enticing and the idea of waking up next to you every damn time is amazing but you know how hectic our schedules can be and my dorm is the one closest to my building and this apartment is closer to your school. God knows how every second of sleep counts for the both of us. We're just starting, Lexa. We couldn't afford messing this up. I couldn't afford losing this opportunity with mom. You know how serious it gets with her."
"Alright, alright!" Lexa threw both her hands up to signal surrender. "But think about it, okay?"
"I will." Clarke promised. "But how about, I make it up to you in the meantime?" Clarke cleared her throat and raised a brow.
Lexa looked at her intently and smirked. "And how do you plan to do it?"
"Well," Clarke stood up and walked towards Lexa. She surprised the girl by sitting boldly on her lap. "I've got a few things in mind." She whispered draggingly.
"I think I'd like those..." Lexa's voice faded when Clarke started planting hot wet kisses on her neck. Gently sucking on her pulse point but not enough to leave a mark. Lexa's hand found a spot on Clarke's lower back to hold her in place while her other hand reached for Clarke's neck. She shivered when Clarke's kisses moved up to her jaw and later she sucked on her lobe. "Clarke - "
Clarke finally stopped teasing her and kissed Lexa on the lips. It was slow at first until Lexa's need grew to hungry-frantic kisses. A loud moan escaped, but from whom no longer mattered. Lexa stood up, carrying Clarke effortlessly. Clarke crossed her arms and legs over Lexa's body, not breaking from the kiss. Sure, they've done it several times ever since they started dating, but the connection and desire they've felt for each other never changed.
Lexa reached the bedroom expertly without making a stumbling mess. Once inside, she slowly laid Clarke's body down on the bed as she crawled on top of the blonde. She broke away from the kiss, this time, it was her turn to plant soft kisses on Clarke's cheek down to her jaw dropping gently on her neck. She wanted Clarke to know how she loved every curve, every freckle that she has. Lexa absolutely adored her in ways that she herself couldn't explain. "We still have tiime." Lexa whispered in between her kisses. Clarke's hip involuntarily bucked up at how good Lexa's kisses felt. It was as if her lips were caressing her skin in an adoring way that only Lexa could do.
She tangled her hand at Lexa's hair pulling her impossibly closer. The feeling of Lexa's warmth has always been the feeling of home for her. Lexa then placed her knee in between Clarke's thigh and she heard the blonde gasp. She felt Clarke's center through her underwear - she felt warm and ready. "L-Lexa," Clarke hissed as Lexa pressed on her more. She continued trailing hot kisses down Clarke's body and teased her further.
Lexa's kisses now trailed over Clarke's shirt and her hand was already tugging the shirt up. Once finally off, Clarke took Lexa off guard and switched so that Clarke was the one in control. Panting, Clarke smirked on top of Lexa as she found the brunette's chest already heaving as well. "You are so beautiful, Clarke Griffin." Lexa muttered under her breath. Their gazes were fixed on each other, as if silently communicating the affection they held. It was promising. It was overwhelming.
"You are too, my love." Clarke said as she bent down and kissed Lexa. The intensity of their kiss felt surreal, tongue battled for dominance and in minutes, Clarke's hand roamed all over Lexa's body unapologetically. Lexa gasped into Clarke's mouth as she reached inside Lexa's underwear. Her fingers brushed over her center slowly at first, it was already soaking, inviting Clarke's fingers even more. She continued teasing, going painstakingly slow until Lexa grunted incoherently. She slid her fingers through her wet folds with ease as the brunette squirmed beneath her.
"Clarke -"
"Ssshhh..." Clarke whispered and kissed her again, and at the same time diving into her core. Both of them stilled at first, enjoying the closeness and warmth of their bodies pressed together. Then, slowly, Clarke pushed it further in then out. Lexa's head fell back as Clarke's kisses trailed down again kissing her chest down to the valley between her breasts. Clarke looked at Lexa and she saw that her eyes were shut tightly, feeling the sensation of Clarke's fingers inside her.
Clarke's pace turned faster which made Lexa moan. She plunged into her wetness over and over, taking in everything. Lexa gave herself consciously to Clarke. She bit her lip as she felt herself getting closer to the edge. Clarke then kissed her breast, she used her other hand to trace over the hardened nipple of the other girl while she gently sucked on the other. "Oh, fuck!" Lexa cursed over and over as Clarke claimed her possessively. "That feels so good... shit!"
"Come on, love..." Clarke whispered as she kissed her way back up. Lexa's hips were already meeting her thrusts, as her nails dragged on Clarke's back. Lexa was already tightening around Clarke's fingers, the force of her hand pushed Lexa's body back down earning another strangled moan. "Clarke!" Lexa gasped, "Shit... s-so... so close..." Clarke bit on Lexa's shoulder painful enough to combine with the plasure of her fingers.
And after a few deep thrusts, Clarke felt Lexa clenching her fingers making it harder for her to push and pull. Her back arched and for a moment, Lexa stopped breathing. A satisfied moan escaped her lips as she breathed raggedly. Clarke helped the brunette came down from her high and curled her fingers before pulling it out slowly. She then planted one last kiss on Lexa's lips before lying beside her.
Lexa turned her head to look at Clarke and both of them smiled. "You are in so much trouble tonight, lady."
"Is that so, commander?" Clarke tapped on Lexa's nose. "Then I cannot wait." She chuckled as Lexa pulled her closer. She rested her head over Lexa's chest as Lexa's arms protectively wrapped around her. She traced soothing patterns on Lexa's stomach mindlessly.
"I love you, Griffs. So much." Lexa softly kissed the top of her head.
"And I love you too, Alexandria."
...
"For a doctor, don't you think that smoking is bad for one's health?" She would have recognized that voice even on a crowded place.
She wished for her mind to stop playing tricks with her. She hasn't even drank that much yet. She brought the stick back on her lips then slowly let out the smoke as she let its calming effect take over. "Good thing I'm not a doctor then." She whispered with eyes closed. She has imagined this scenario over and over after she left. She's certain that it's one of those moments again. The night's going colder and the air's getting thinner, she might be imagining this thing again.
"What do you mean?" She heard her ask again.
This time, she opened her eyes again and looked beside her. Sure enough, she wasn't imagining it nor was she dreaming. "Lexa?" She asked disbelievingly.
"What do you mean that you're not a doctor?"
"Oh my gosh! You're here?" She still couldn't believe it. She didn't really know how to act or what to think about. All she knew was that, the girl she loved so dearly before was now standing in front of her after eight years.
"Clarke, I'm the one who asked first." Lexa said as her brows furrowed. She stepped closer to Clarke. They were standing outside the bar for quite some time now.
"Uh, long story. B-But, you're here. When did you arrive? Why are you here? A-Are you here for business?" She started firing questions after questions.
"Are you drunk?" Lexa asked once they were standing closer.
"No, not really. I-I guess I am just surprised to see you."
Lexa smiled but it quite didn't reach her eyes. There was a longing feeling but neither acted out on it. Clarke wanted nothing more but to take a step and close the gap between them. She wanted nothing more but to feel her warmth again. But they couldn't. Eight years is a long time and they were already good as strangers on an outside view.
"It's good to see you." Clarke smiled back at her. It was an understatement for there was a misplaced yearning in her chest. Her heart ached for all the could've been that passed them by. Distance proved that they were not each others puzzle pieces after all.
"It's been what? Seven, eight years?"
"Eight." Clarke confirmed in a much quieter voice.
Lexa hummed thoughtfully. "It has been that long, hasn't it?"
"It has." Clarke's smile was sad for a brief moment. She couldn't really help but think of the past, where they left off and where they found themselves on the aftermath. "So, how are- how are you?" She faltered and tried to compose herself. "How's LA? How's... how's Costia?"
"Hmm, LA is the same... busy as always." Lexa vaguely answered. "And Costia is, well, I think she's good. Last time I heard, she's having a baby."
"W-What? You didn't... you didn't? I mean, I thought you two were..." Clarke bit her lip and waited.
"Nah, didn't work. It was all for business anyways and Costia was smart enough to let the ship sail on its own."
"Oh, I didn't know."
"How could you?" Lexa returned Clarke's sad smile. "We kind of drifted off in different oceans too."
"Well, we did what we think was best for the both of us. Long distance never works."
"But what if it did?"
Clarke opened her mouth to respond but found it incredibly impossible to think of an appropriate answer. "I guess... I guess we'll never know."
Lexa looked at her, lost in her own thoughts. The possibility of their future together was just within their grasps before, but now, it seemed odd that they looked like perfect strangers. Yet, the familiarity of it all was what grounded them, like a force that kept pulling them to gravitate around each other again.
"It was nice seeing you again, Lexa."
"It was nice hearing that voice again, Clarke."