She was stunning. Her blue dress hung around her neck and swished at her knees as she walked. Lexa couldn't help but stare as she walked up to the restaurant door with her roommate. Though Clarke had told Lexa she was beautiful in her black and red dress, she felt dim in comparison to the light that was Clarke.
"Clarke... I'm not so sure about this," Zoe said suddenly.
The blonde girl turned around to face Zoe. "It'll be fine," she promised. "Niylah's a good friend of mine. It's not going to be like last time."
Zoe nodded, but Lexa could tell she was anxious. She bit at her lip and wrung her hands together. Lexa fell back to walk next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know how you feel," Lexa said. "But I've met Niylah. She's great."
"Thanks," Zoe replied with a small smile. "Also... are you and Clarke like a thing now? I don't mean to pry, but with the way you two have been acting..."
Lexa smiled as she gazed at the back of the beautiful girl in front of her. "Yeah, we are a thing," she answered.
Clarke pushed the door open, and Niylah was already standing inside, hands in the pockets of her suit and grinning wildly. "Clarke! Lexa! Good to see you again," she greeted before turning her eyes to Zoe. "And you must be Miss Monroe." Zoe blushed and nodded. "It is an honor to finally meet you."
The hostess sat them down at a booth, and as Lexa slid next to Clarke, her heart rate started to pick up. This was her first date with Clarke, and she wanted to make it special. She wanted to make every moment with Clarke special. That way when the other girl inevitably left, Lexa would have her pick of special memories to relive at night.
As if sensing her nerves, Clarke squeezed her hand and gave her a worried look. "Is everything alright?" she asked.
"Of course," Lexa replied with a smile. If there was one thing she had learned at Polis University, it was to not show any sign of weakness; anything that might encourage the predators to pounce. But this wasn't Polis, she reminded herself. Clarke and her friends had opened themselves up to her. She just didn't know how to do the same.
Niylah asked Zoe questions about herself, and Zoe happily answered with a shy smile. As they talked, Niylah nodded and smiled, encouraging the other girl to talk more. Lexa wondered what it was like to not feel so broken; to easily feel like you could reveal anything about herself. What would she be like if she didn't have dead parents, a dead girlfriend, and Ontari Ice to traumatize her and break her core? Maybe then she would be worthy enough for Clarke.
But she couldn't go back and undo her trauma. All she could do now was repress it to hell. But even that wasn't working very well. Clarke already knew about her parents and Ontari. Getting Costia killed was the final secret that she needed to keep.
"The portions here are always way too big for me," Clarke commented, pulling Lexa out of her thoughts. "Would you like to split a meal with me?"
Lexa glanced at the menu, confirming that the meals were indeed large. "That'd be great," Lexa replied.
Clarke smiled brightly back at her. "Great!" she exclaimed. "How do you feel about seafood? I always love getting the lobster here!"
"I've never had lobster before, but I'd love to try it," Lexa admitted. It made her nervous that Clarke had decided to share the most expensive item on the menu with her since Clarke was the one paying. Apparently, the other girl made decent money off of art commissions.
"Lobster it is then," Clarke replied. "You'll love it. Seriously. It's gonna blow your mind."
As Lexa chuckled, Niylah turned her attention to them. "I see my match-making worked well," she observed, smiling at them.
"I think you mean your meddling," Clarke correct with a playful eye roll.
"Wait," Zoe interrupted. "Niylah, you're saying you got Clarke and Lexa together?"
Niylah shrugged. "It wasn't hard," she said. "They were both already head-over-heels for each other. They just needed a little push."
Under the table, Lexa grabbed Clarke's hand, and Clarke gave her's a reassuring squeeze. It was true. Lexa had needed the push that Niylah provided, and she was eternally grateful.
The evening passed on, and a warmth spread through Lexa's body. Clarke had been right about the lobster. It was amazing, but it wasn't the reason she was going to remember this night. She would remember it for Clarke's laughs and smiles, her light-hearted jokes and gentle touched, but most of all, the way her eyes shined with genuine love as she looked at Lexa. No one had looked at her like that since Costia many years ago.
She didn't want to think about that right now, not when she was having the best time from her life. But keeping the ghosts of her past in her head seemed to summon one very real demon. As her eyes searched for a bathroom, they landed on the back of Ontari's head.