Note: A big thank you to Sally for beta reading this for me even though she was busy getting ready for SDCC. If you all are not following fangirlshirts you should be. They along with WynonnaFans did a great job covering the con with photos and videos.
This is a shorter chapter (in comparison to the last two at least) but actually gets back to my target length for a chapter so that's good. It is mostly for fun, and to set up 19 which I am very proud of. On that note, I will not be posting again until the week of August 15th as I am on vaca on the island, in a little cabin overlooking the ocean and we don't even have a bathroom (outhouse for two weeks - boo) let along wifi, so you will all have to wait for my fav chapter so far. Hope you are all enjoying your summer! See you in a couple weeks!
The next day, Clarke spent an inordinate amount of time getting ready, stressing over what to wear to meet everyone (Lexa).
Griff: Rae! What do I wear? What are u wearing?
Rae: Just wear what you would wear if Lexa weren't coming
Griff: What?
Rae: U r only stressing about this because the Commander will be there - just be yourself
Griff: Are you telling me you are not worried about what to wear?
Rae: Why would I?
Griff: bc Anya is going to be there? General Hotstuff? Cheekbones?
Rae: Whatever. I am so not worried about that
O: don't let her fool u Clarke, I have been here for an hour, and she still hasn't decided what to wear ;)
Griff: Ha! I knew it, not so cool after all Reyes
Rae: I have no idea what you are talking about...
Rae: also, I hate you both
O: I'm currently hiding because she just threatened to kill me...save me, Clarke!
Rae: I will find you O. This apartment is not that big
O: already gone Reyes. Good luck with your outfit ;)
Griff: If she doesn't appreciate you, O. Come help me!
O: On my way Clarkey
O: See you in a bit Rae
Rae: again, I repeat - I hate you both
Octavia arrived ten minutes later and entered at Clarke's holler and headed upstairs to the blonde's room. When she stepped into the room, her mouth dropped open as she stared at the mess of clothes strewn around.
"Oh my God, Clarke! Are you alive in here, or have you been buried under this mountain of clothes?" Octavia exclaimed after a moment of staring.
Clarke emerged from her closet at the sound of Octavia's voice and glanced sheepishly around the room and shrugged her shoulders. She held up two different tops out to Octavia, "I've narrowed it down to these two. What do you think?"
"They're both nice. You will look great in either of them," Octavia said.
"Not helpful," Clarke said, rolling her eyes.
"What pants are you wearing?" Octavia asked.
Clarke walked over to the bed and dug under a pile of discarded clothes to grab a new pair of snug-fitting jeans and held them up, pulling off the tags as she did so.
"I thought I'd wear these. I got them for Christmas."
"They're nice. In that case, go with the sky-blue top. It'll bring out your eyes, and it's got a neckline that will show off your cleavage without looking like you're trying too hard," Octavia smirked.
Clarke glared at her, "I am not trying to display my breasts in any way."
"Sure. Whatever you say, Clark. But if you didn't want to show off your 'assets', you wouldn't be so worried about what to wear," Octavia responded, looking pointedly at Clarke.
"I just...I want to look good for her, O," Clarke said wistfully.
"I'm pretty sure you could show up in a sack, and she'd still think you looked beautiful, Clarke," Octavia offered. "The way she was looking at you last night..."
"What?" Clarke asked, focusing on her friend. "How was she looking at me?"
"Like she was trying to solve a puzzle, most of the time," Octavia said with a shrug. "A mysterious, complicated problem, but then she would get this look every so often that would transform her face. Like she was on the verge of uncovering the best treasure ever. It was a look of anticipation and longing. It didn't last long, but I caught it a couple of times."
"Really?" Clarke asked in awe. "What do you think that means?"
"I don't know her well enough to say for sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say she was into you. Which is a good thing, because you have got it bad, my friend," Octavia stated with a smile.
Clarke blushed and nodded, not bothering to deny her friend's observation. She quickly got dressed, pulling her hair back into a quick bun, and applied minimal makeup to complete her look.
"It's kind of gross, how little you have to do to look beautiful," Octavia grouched at Clarke as she exited the bathroom.
"I love you too," Clarke responded with a smile and soft swat to the brunette's shoulder. "Let's go. I don't want to be late. Want to ride with me?"
"Sure. Then maybe, I can convince Lincoln to give me a ride back here later," Octavia said with a far-away look in her eye.
"Ha! And you think I've got it bad. Your heart eyes for that man take up your whole face!" Clarke laughed. "Though his are almost as big when he looks at you. You two are sickeningly cute together."
Octavia sighed dreamily, "I know. He's so amazing, Clarke. I will forever be in your debt."
Clarke looked at her in surprise. "Why?"
"Because, if you hadn't invited the Grounders out to pizza after our last game, then he wouldn't have come and I wouldn't have met him," Octavia said seriously.
"You don't think that you would have met him some other way?" Clarke asked thoughtfully. "That if the two of you are meant to be together, you wouldn't have wound up in the same place, at the same time, at some point?"
"Are you talking about destiny? Or fate?" Octavia asked curiously. "I've never given it much thought, but I guess it's possible. I'm still grateful to you, though."
Clarke smiled at her. "Glad I could help, O. I hope you're blissfully happy and make beautiful babies together," she teased.
"Me too," Octavia replied wistfully to a surprised Clarke, who had expected more of a biting comeback.
She smiled at Octavia again and offered her hand to help pull her off the bed. "Let's go."
The group of friends met up at the local coffee shop, The Drop Ship, for a late lunch. Octavia and Clarke were the first to arrive, so they went in and grabbed the group's favorite table; a comfy horseshoe shaped booth with a ledge above to hold their extraneous items and a coat hangers hanging off to the side. Clarke looked around and sighed as the familiar comfort of the cozy shop soaked into her bones, the soft refrains of local indie music drifting across the space accentuating the atmosphere without being distracting. Octavia glanced up at a new painting on the wall beside their booth and indicated it with her chin.
"That one's new. It's nice, but I still think your art is better," she said casually to Clarke. "You should see if you can get some of your pieces displayed here."
Clarke looked up at the painting and took in the mountainous landscape against a sky streaked with gauze-like clouds. She admired the texture and brush-stokes, silently comparing the technique to her own.
"Hmmm. Someday, maybe," Clarke offered non-committedly.
Raven got there shortly after and threw both of her friends a mock glare before dropping down into a seat next to Octavia.
"Wow," Octavia observed, "you clean up nice, Rae. You know this is only coffee, right? Not high tea with the Queen?" she teased.
Raven was in tight-fitting black jeans and a red top that hugged in all the right places to show off her curves. She had her hair in her signature ponytail but had spent more time on her makeup than she normally would.
Clarke chuckled as Raven scowled and responded with a curt, "Shut up, O. You too, Griffin, you aren't exactly in your Sunday sweats either."
Clarke gave her a one-sided shrug and a lopsided smile as she grabbed Raven's gloves and scarf from her and placed them on the ledge behind the booth with hers and Octavia's.
"Kane has called a practice for tomorrow at 7am," Octavia informed Clarke.
"It's a god-awful time to practice, if you ask me," Raven piped in.
"I heard," Clarke said. "He called this morning to let me know. He didn't think I'd be able to participate, but he wanted to let me know about it regardless. I'm going to talk to my mom about it tonight."
"Really? You think you're ready to come back?" Raven asked hopefully.
"I feel ready, but I'm guessing that my mom isn't going to let me. I'm three weeks into a minimum month-long recovery, so I don't know how receptive she'll be. I'm going to argue that I've been symptom-free for a week, though, so we'll see how it goes," Clarke finished.
"If you can't practice, you'd better do something as soon as you can, or your fitness is going to suffer. O and I have been running every other day - but it's not as much fun without you," Raven admitted.
"I know," Clarke said. "Not much I can do about it, though, so I'll just have to work harder to catch up to you jokers."
Raven was about to retort when the door to the cafe swung open, and the rest of their friends scooted in ahead of a blast of icy wind. Octavia jumped up and waved, and the three newcomers made their way through the maze of tables to the booth in the far corner, unwrapping scarves and pulling off gloves as they came.
They approached the table, and the three women stood to greet them, exchanging quick hugs and greetings before settling in around the horseshoe shaped booth. Lincoln had, of course, squeezed in next to Octavia, not so subtly pushing Raven over and closer to Anya. Clarke had shifted as she sat and looked up at Lexa, a clear invitation to sit next to her in her eyes.
Lexa was wearing black skinny jeans with a rip across one knee and had on a matching black, long sleeve t-shirt that wrapped snugly around her toned arms and torso. Her hair was down, and loose, with a few small braids plaited in to keep it off her face. She also had gone with minimal makeup.
Clarke thought she was gorgeous.
Lexa gave her a soft smile and slid in next to Clarke, and then reached up behind her to place her outerwear on the ledge with everyone else's, which caused her shirt to ride up slightly and expose her midriff. Clarke thought she was going to expire right then and there as toned abs and smooth olive skin were in her direct line of sight. She coughed and forced herself to look away and then beamed at the group as Lexa settled beside her before emphatically stating, "Okay, what do we all want?"
"Oh, there are no choices here, Clarke. Anya's having cold-brewed coffee, and I'll be gloating when she admits how right I am!" Raven announced.
Anya just rolled her eyes and waved in an off-hand manner. "Whatever. We shall see, grease-monkey, we shall see."
Raven poked Anya in the shoulder, "Yes, you will. You look good, by the way," Raven said with a smirk as Anya blushed.
"Anyone else want in?" Raven asked the rest of the group.
"I'll try it," Lincoln answered quickly.
"Sure, why not. I'll try anything once," Octavia said with a grin.
"Lexa?" Raven asked, getting up.
"No, thank you," Lexa responded.
"Your loss," Raven said with a shrug. "Clarke, get your girl a drink!" she added with a smirk as she headed to the counter to place the order.
Clarke blushed and shot Raven a glare before looking at Lexa apologetically.
"Sorry about that," Clarke said, looking at a slightly uncomfortable Lexa. "Raven can be a bit much. Can I get you a tea?"
Lexa looked as though she was about to protest, so Clarke quickly added, "Consider it a thank-you for spending your New Year's Eve with me, and an apology for a disastrous party invitation."
Lexa regarded Clarke carefully and then nodded her head briefly, "all right, thank you."
Clarke smiled at her. "Do you trust me?"
Lexa's eyes widened slightly, and she took a quick breath before her mind caught up, as she realized Clarke was still talking about tea. She let out her held breath and nodded at the blonde. Clarke's smile became impossibly bigger, and she got up to get drinks for the two of them.
The friends made small talk while they waited for Clarke and Raven to come back. The conversation inevitably turned to hockey, and they were discussing the upcoming World Jr. game between Canada and Finland later that day.
"Canada will win," Octavia said with confidence.
"The Fins can be unpredictable," Lexa countered. "Canada is going to have to bring their A-game. They totally trashed Denmark after Christmas, but this is going to be tougher."
"Hmm," Octavia agreed, nodding. "I still think they'll win, though."
Clarke and Raven arrived moments later, Clarke with a steaming tea in each hand, and Raven with a serving tray sporting four heated, cold-brewed coffees. Clarke passed Lexa her tea and then slid in beside her, as Raven handed out the rest of the group's drinks.
"I thought this was supposed to be cold," Anya commented as she took the steaming cup from Raven.
"It's cold-brewed; brewed with cold water over twelve or more hours. You can drink it cold - it's good, especially in the summer. But it's freezing outside, so I thought hot would be better," Raven explained, sitting down.
Raven dumped some sugar packets and a small container of cream on the table, for which Anya immediately reached.
"Whoa, slow down there, General," Raven admonished. "This isn't like regular brewed coffee. Try it first before you spoil it with additives."
"I'm not a fan of black coffee, Raven," Anya shot back.
"Just try it. The reason most people put cream and sugar in their coffee is to mask the bitter taste caused by the fatty acids and oils that leach out in the brewing process. When you brew it with cold water; that same chemical process doesn't happen, and you end up with less acidic coffee. So, not as much bite - so give it a try before you wreck it," Raven explained patiently.
Lincoln and Octavia watched with amusement, as Anya lifted her coffee to her lips and took a careful sip. Her eyes widened, and she quickly ducked her head to try to hide her reaction. Raven was already smirking when Anya grudgingly said, "It's all right."
Lincoln and Octavia both took quick sips as well and nodded at the smooth, deep caramel and chocolaty flavour.
"Ha! You like it!" Raven preened. "Let's hear it; I was right. Come on, give it up," she said, head lowered, eyes closed and holding out her hand closest to Anya and performing a beckoning motion with all four fingers.
Anya sighed. "Fine. You were right; cold-brewed coffee is better than regular coffee," she finished rolling her eyes.
"Yaaaassss! You all heard it - I'm right. Again!" Raven exalted, giving a little fist pump in the air.
"Oh my God," Octavia lamented. "She is going to be insufferable for the rest of the day."
Clarke and Lexa had been watching the drama unfold in silence, with no small sense of amusement. Clarke picked up her tea, wrapped both hands around it and brought it to her nose, and inhaled deeply. She blew across the top of the liquid and took a small sip. She let out a little moan of pleasure as she put the cup down on the table and glanced over at Lexa, who was watching her with her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide.
Clarke smiled at her, "All right there, Lex?"
Lexa blushed furiously, snapped her mouth shut and swallowed thickly. She quickly looked away from Clarke's amused blue eyes and lightly coughed as she nodded and picked up her cup, bringing it to her lips. She was hit immediately with a spicy, sweet scent as she took an experimental sip. Lexa smiled into her cup and took a larger sip before putting it down and looking again at Clarke.
"This is excellent; what is it?" Lexa asked, still trying to overcome her embarrassing display moments ago.
"It's called Bengal Spice," Clarke responded with a grin, loving the fading pink tinge from Lexa's cheeks. "I'm glad you like it."
"I do, thank you," Lexa softly said. "You will have to let me repay the favour someday."
Clarke looked into Lexa's eyes and held her gaze before whispering just loud enough for Lexa to hear, "I look forward to that day."
Lexa could feel the colour rise in her face again, and she cursed internally at herself for her lack of control around this woman. She managed to hold Clarke's gaze for a few more moments but then had to tear her eyes away as she felt herself falling into those azure depths, much as she had in the hallway of Clarke's home the night before. That whole experience had shaken her to the core, and she wasn't ready to go there again - not yet. She looked back at her cup and picked up the aromatic beverage again in an effort to compose herself.
Clarke regarded Lexa for another few heartbeats and then turned her attention to the conversation going on around them. Raven glanced at her with a quirked brow and Clarke just grinned back at her and buried her face in her mug.
The friends ordered lunch, consisting of grilled Panini's, hearty vegetable soup and assorted pastries to share, and they ate and chatted companionably for over an hour. The three newcomers fit in well and comfortably with the solid trio of Clarke, Raven, and Octavia, and Clarke was more than pleased with how well everyone seemed to get along.
Eventually, the get-together started to wind down, with Lincoln mentioning having to get ready for his volunteer EMT shift later in the evening, and Octavia asking him to drop her off at Clarke's to pick up her car. He agreed, smiling to himself, and a warmth spread through his chest as he realized Octavia wanted to spend more time with him, as she could easily have gone back with Clarke.
He looked to Anya and Lexa. "You two coming?"
Raven looked at Anya and pursed her lips together. "If you're not in a hurry to get back, I can drop you off in a little while. We could go back to my place and chat some more, or watch a movie or something," she added with a shrug.
"Is that okay with you, Lex?" Anya asked her friend.
"Sure, go ahead, An. Have fun. I'll see you at home later."
Lexa started to get up when she felt Clarke's hand on her arm, and she froze, looking down at the point of contact and then up into Clarke's bright eyes.
"Stay? I can drop you off whenever you'd like to go back," Clarke said, hope evident in her eyes.
Lexa looked at Lincoln, who smiled and gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Lexa looked back at Clarke, who hadn't taken her eyes off the brunette and gave her a short nod and sat back down, her heart beating out an irregular rhythm when Clarke didn't remove her hand.
Lincoln and Octavia said goodbye and walked out of the shop hand in hand, Octavia leaning into Lincoln slightly as they went out.
Raven and Anya stayed for a few more minutes, and then they too took their leave, exchanging hugs and good-byes with Clarke and Lexa before they left, walking more closely together than was necessary, even within the tight confines of the shop.
Clarke turned to Lexa. "Would you like to take a walk with me? There's a beautiful park across the street."
Lexa nodded shyly and reached up to the ledge behind the booth and pulled down their scarves and gloves and handed Clarke hers. They both stood and pulled on their outerwear, Clarke dug into a pocket and produced a sky blue knit cap which she pulled over her blonde locks. She looked up at Lexa and smiled, and the brunette couldn't help the answering smile that blossomed across her face. The cap just served to highlight the incredible blueness of Clarke's eyes and Lexa was captivated once again. Then and there, she decided that the blue of Clarke's eyes was her new favourite colour.
Clarke's breath caught when the smile radiated out from Lexa, seeming to brighten the room with its brilliance and making her green eyes brighter. The artist in Clarke itched to draw the perfection she sensed in front of her, and she too decided she had a new favourite colour.
The two women stared openly at each other for the space of several heartbeats before simultaneously breaking eye contact. Clarke cleared her throat and stepped aside to allow Lexa to proceed her out of the shop. When they got outside, they tightened their scarves against the chill and Clarke looped her arm through Lexa's. Lexa stiffened momentarily but then relaxed as Clarke led them across the street to the park.