A/N: I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to get this chapter out. I just couldn't seem to make anything I wrote fit the flow of the story. But I finally found what I feel fits where I'm going. Hope you like it!
Octavia Blake loved her older brother, no one could deny that fact, and it hurt her heart every single time she thought about what he had given up to care and provide a stable home for her, so after she saw the chemistry between her brother and the girl he introduced as Clarke Griffin, she thanked every lucky star in the sky that the blonde conveniently ran out of gas in their stretch of the woods. Even better, Clarke would be staying, with them, for what Octavia hoped would be the remainder of summer. Bell deserved a little slice of happiness, and after getting to know the girl better during their shopping trip, Octavia decided Clarke would be a perfect match for her brother; an opinion that was shared by the rest of their friends.
Raven had been the first person Octavia went to confide in, and the two scheming headstrong females would be more apt to succeed in their freshly devised plan. Bellamy was long overdue for romance, and well, if everything goes according to plan, Clarke will fall in love with Arcadia too.
Clarke enjoyed the minimal responsibility that came with rest and relaxation, more so now that she didn't have to concern herself with timelines, destinations, and gas mileage. Her first week living with the Blakes went smoothly, helping to keep the house situated, fixing dinner if both siblings were at work, keeping Gus preoccupied, fed and well worn out by the time Bellamy arrived home.
The only problem with the peace and solitude- she needed more stimulation, and became restless to the point where it felt like she was just waiting around watching the grass brown from heat. The solution came from Maya just the night before, when the whole group had met up for dinner and a movie at the Blake's, exactly one week from the day Clarke decided she'd stay for the rest of summer.
"Why don't you come speak with Nyko? I'm sure he'd appreciate the extra help. Plus, it would look good on any resume, and you'd have another reference when applying for work following med school."
Arcadia was starting to look like her own private slice of paradise- new friends, good fun, and whatever it is that's beginning between her and Bellamy. Best of all, her mother is nowhere around to plot her life, push her towards this group or that, and for the first time in a long time, she felt well and truly happy. No feeling like Atlas, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, the future successes that are expected merely because she was the daughter of Dr. Abigail Griffin.
Clarke sat on the counter in the darkened kitchen, sipping her mug of tea, as she was apt to do most nights, reveling in the solitude and the sound of the wind as it rustled the leaves, when Bellamy finally arrived home from work.
"Long day?" She called out, having observed the obvious signs of exhaustion, the way he allowed his duffel to drop to the floor in the vestibule, the exaggerated rise and fall of his shoulders in time with his weary exhalation, the sigh not quite audible at her distance.
"Like you wouldn't believe."
"I might have an inkling. Helping in the e.r. back home, the cops never really seemed to catch a break." Clarke slid down from the counter, trying to keep her sleep shorts from rising while not jostling her drink, reaching towards the cabinet to pull down another mug. A cup of tea should help him relax.
Bellamy nodded his head in thanks as he watched Clarke prepare for him a mug of hot tea, not quite what he had in mind for himself upon walking through the door, desperately needing to forget the things he saw tonight. It was such a touching gesture, having someone other than O, or a familial figure, genuinely attempt to provide comfort and care for him. It seemed that, having cohabitated for the better part of the week, she'd picked up that he liked his coffee sweet and assumed that he'd like his tea that way, and was pleasantly surprised to find the brew quite flavorful, but following the first taste, feeling the warmth flow down his body, felt the beginnings of the tension he carried eep away. So this is why O's drinking this sometimes before bed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Clarke offered, knowing that her mother never liked to speak about bad days at the hospital, whether it be losing a patient, or having to giving a parent the horrible news that their child was… those were definitely aspects of her career path that were bound to break you.
"It's just wear and tear, you know? My old age catching up to me, as O so often says." He cracks a bit of a smile, and she returns the look in earnest, his face truly lights up with his joy, he's an attractive man, as he well knew, but when he smiled, you'd have to be blind not to notice.
"Please, you're only five years older than I!" She chuckles and makes her way to the living room, curling up on the sofa, tucking one leg beneath her, delighted to see him follow her, only pausing a moment before sitting on the opposite end, one arm flung carelessly across the crest, the tips of his fingers almost close enough to tease her hair. Drinking in the sight of him, still in uniform, shirt untucked and the first few buttons undone, white tee almost glowing in the ambient moonlight streaming in from the windows.
They sat in silence, empty mugs now abandoned to the coffee table, the palpable tension rising, until she found herself yawning, exhausted after what was her first day of work since her trip began. She told Bellamy about how Nyko was pleased to see that, not only did she have excellent references, but was a wonderful addition to the hospital, many of her new patients pleased to make her acquaintance, and eager to ask how long she'd been in town.
Bellamy chuckled, as he had a few townsfolk ask him if the mystery truck in his drive belonged to the new nurse at the hospital, he kept mum about that, having no desire to confirm what everyone surely knew to be true, choosing instead to let Clarke share where she was currently residing if she saw fit. They turned the conversation to lighter fare, and soon, Clarke was flush against Bellamy, asleep. He couldn't bring himself to disturb her just yet, and moved the throw that rested below his arm to cover her legs. He wrapped his arm around the girl, tilting his head back to rest his eyes for a moment, before succumbing to sleep himself.
A/N: Let me know what you think! Reviews help with inspiration!
