Chapter 22

New York – One Month Later

Clarke sat smiling at the restaurant table as she finished eating her meal. "I am not a princess thank you, it was just a nick name, and as far as where I'm from is concerned, it's not what people think." A look for her dinner partner. "It's not, not everyone from Laguna is rich and stuck up."

"Sure, if you say so." They both laughed as Clarke shook her head and asked the waiter for the bill.

"Just because you're a fancy surgeon doesn't mean I can't pay for the bill." Clarke shook her head as she conceded and let the other person take hold of the bill.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure. Shall we?" The person stood up before moving around to help pull Clarke's chair out. "I'm really sorry that we didn't have time for dessert."

"It's okay, I understand having to go to work when it's busy."

The person shook their head. "No but tonight was supposed to be about you, and you having time a night off."

Clarke laughed and held on to the other persons arm. "It's really okay, I don't like dessert that much."

"It's your favourite part of the meal!"

"We can always have dessert later." She winked as they tried to walk through the crowded restaurant. As Clarke was looking behind her she didn't hear the person she was with try and tell her to watch out as she crashed into the person in front of her as they both tried to exit through the small doorway.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. Are you okay?"

Clarke rubbed her where she had bumped heads with the stranger in front of her. "It's alright, it was partially my fault for not looking where I was going." She looked up and was shocked. "Lexa!"

"Clarke." The blonde noticed the look on Lexa's face.

"What's with the look."

Without thinking Lexa reached her hand up and gently rubbed Clarke's head. "It's a little red." They heard huffs of other people trying to leave and enter the restaurant so they slowly made their way outside.

"You're back."

"I figured I needed to step up my stalking game." Clarke laughed as she noticed Lexa look down at the fact that Clarke was holding someone's hand.

"Oh gosh, sorry. Lexa this is my boyfriend Finn, Finn this is Lexa." She smiled as he reached his head out to shake Lexa's.

At the mention of boyfriend Lexa wasn't sure what she felt but something didn't feel right. It wasn't jealous, but it was something she couldn't quite place, he also looked oddly familiar. "Nice to meet you Lexa."

"Likewise." Lexa grinned as she shook his hand back. "The bartender!" She clued in once she finally placed why he looked familiar.

He laughed as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair as he nodded. "That would be me."

"Sorry I knew you looked familiar but I couldn't remember."

"It's okay."

"I'll let you two get back to your night, it was nice to meet you Finn and it was a pleasure running into you Clarke, as always." She said politely as Finn wrapped his arm around Clarke's waist.

Finn started to shake his head. "Actually I have to get to work so this is the end of our night but you two should totally go for dessert."

"I don't need dessert." Lexa couldn't help the look she gave the blonde. "Do you all think I'm fat or something?"

Lexa and Finn both laughed. "No, but if you could you would eat your weight in ice cream."

"You're one to talk." Lexa put up both her hands in defense with a 'who me?' expression.

"I mean if you aren't busy that is. I feel bad leaving this one when she finally has a night off work."

Clarke was about to interject when she heard Lexa start to speak. "It would be my honour, if you want to that is. I was just going to go back to my hotel room."

XOXO

"How long have you two been together?" Lexa asked as they sat down in the crowded patisserie.

"About a month. He asked me out two days after the last time I saw you but how are you doing with everything?"

Lexa took the opportunity to open the menu that was sitting in front of her. "I'm okay, thanks for asking. Tell me more about Finn."

Clarke shook her head. "Nope, not until you tell me about you and Costia. You went from engaged to broken up in a flash. Dating anyone new?"

"There isn't much to tell, I'm enjoying the single life." Clarke couldn't help the snort that snuck out. "What?"

"You and single don't exactly fit in the same sentence. You aren't capable of being single."

"I'll have you know I have been entirely single since Costia and I broke up."

"Really?" Clarke narrowed her eyes.

Lexa huffed as she put down her menu. "Yes really! It's really no wonder you and Anya are such good friends."

"Mhmm, if you say so."

"I do. I was in a really serious relationship for seven years, then another serious relationship for three years. I need to be single, do me… when I have time anyways."

"Seven years is a long time, what happened there?" Clarke asked with a devilish smirk.

Lexa looked up and held Clarke's eyes. "I royally fucked up, like titantic, ice berg kind of fuck up."

"Way to be. So are you going to tell me what suddenly led to your latest breakup. I mean you'll never get more of my attention then when I'm eating my cheesecake."

"I fear that that is a very long conversation, one neither of us have time for. Plus dessert is supposed to be fun."

"No, no I see how it is, you never want to tell me anything." Lexa rolled her eyes as the waiter took their order. Clarke of course went for the cheesecake and Lexa went for the banana split.

XOXO

Los Angeles – 4 Months Ago

"Hi Sarah is Lexa available?" Costia asked as she reached her fiancés receptionist.

"I believe she is, you know you don't have to ask me to see her. She's in her office."

Costia nodded politely as she walked towards the correct room. She softly knocked on the door before opening it. She saw Lexa on the phone but smiled when the other woman waved her in. Instead of sitting down right away she took looked at the newest painting on Lexa's wall. The office was a nice size and was very sterile for lack of a better term, with the exception of the few paintings that were on the walls.

"This is amazing and it kind of looks like you. Did you have someone do this specially?" She took a minute and noticed how it seemed to match the other paintings. There was one of the Callaway family sailboat at sunset, one of New York, now one of Lexa standing by her surfboard at sunrise. "I thought you said you didn't have contact with the artist anymore."

Lexa mentally cursed herself, she didn't think Costia was perceptive enough to notice that the artist was the same because had she not known better she never would have even thought about it. "I wasn't for a while."

It took a minute but the pieces finally came together. "Clarke did all these?"

Lexa nodded. "She did."

"How can you not see that she's still in love with you? Look at this picture Lexa."

Lexa took a deep breath, not wanting to fight at the office. "I really don't want to argue about this again, she is not still in love with me. How could she be when I smashed her heart into a million tiny pieces, there's no fixing that. She can't even look me in the eyes. Regardless of any of that, I am with you and we're getting married. She didn't even know it was me when she drew this originally. It was early in the morning, I didn't see her, she didn't really see me, hence why you can't see my face. She decided to give it to me when left as a sign of mending bridges, it's nothing more than that."

Costia stood coldly without saying a word, which told Lexa she was in for it later that night. "We'll talk when you get home, have a good rest of your day." She placed a light kiss on Lexa's cheek before walking out the door.

xoxo

Los Angeles – Later That Night

It was ten p. the time Lexa had finally managed to get back to her condo in the city. She had tried to leave work early but one thing after another kept popping up. The company was set to expand in New York and it was taking a lot more work than anyone had anticipated.

With a yawn she closed her front door and slipped her high heels off. Her stomach grumbled as she headed towards her bedroom to change right into her pajama's. This day called for macaroni and cheese for dinner and a really really large glass of wine.

After changing she headed into the kitchen and put the pot of water on the stove before pouring herself a glass of wine and moving into the living room. It was then that she noticed Costia sitting in front of the TV looking through old videos, tears streaking down her face. "Holy shit, I am so sorry I totally forgot about our talk. I am the worst fiancé ever!" Lexa quickly sat down and wrapped her arms around the women, not paying attention to what was playing on the television.

"It's not that. It's everything else. Every time I try and plan something for this wedding Clarke pops up. Seriously every time Lexa and I've been blaming you, I've been blaming her because I didn't want to face the truth."

"Hun, what on earth are you talking about, I'm sorry I'm not following."

Costia looked up as she tried to get the tears to stop falling and pointed to the t.v. "You let her sit on the counter, there's a video of you sound asleep on the couch with your head in her lap. I've never seen you sleep like that and then it hit me. You used to fly to New York for a few hours so that you could sleep. You used to talk about how Clarke was your soul mate, that she was the one for you and you felt it with every fiber of your being. I also thought you were crazy, that that kind of love didn't exist. Then you both broke up and I took it as a sign. When we finally got together I hoped that it wasn't just a rebound and now years later I have a beautiful ring on my hand but I can't marry you Lexa." Lexa let her arms fall away from her fiancé.

"What?" She shook her head still confused. "What are you saying Cos?"

"You and I do not have that kind of love. The way you two look at each other, you see the world in each other, I can't be the one to get in the way of that."

"You're not, I told you, Clarke and I are over, that ship has sailed."

Costia shook her head no. "Our relationship partially started because you thought we slept together in Greece, sure we've had our fair share of fun and we had a good run but Lexa look." She pointed at the television again to see her mother, her and Clarke singing happy birthday to her father. "I never meant to keep you apart, I was just so attracted to you that I didn't want to see what was really in front of me. I'm partially to blame for your breakup. I should supported you because you were my friend but I saw you unhappy and I didn't like it. After really meeting Clarke, and seeing her, that connection is still there whether you want it to be or not. I want you to have that once in a lifetime love, I love you enough to let you go because you were never really mine."

"You're breaking up with me?" Lexa asked as she sat back confused, the sound of Clarke laughing coming through the television.

Costia nodded, not able to get the words out. "You always told me that no matter how hard you tried you and Clarke's paths always crossed. You both tried to avoid it for so long but fate always wins, love always wins. I never meant to be the bad guy, I never intended for you two to break up but I seized the opportunity when it presented itself."

"You were being my friend."

"I was, but I was also very much in love with you."

Lexa finally looked at the other woman. "And now?"

"I'll always love you Lexa but after seeing that painting on your wall, I knew. I'm not the one for you, our friend groups don't mesh, our parents are entirely different. We come from two entirely different worlds. That painting is amazing because of how much love is in it, the way she captured you, you can feel the emotion, even without seeing your face. I believe you when you said she didn't know it was you but something always pulls you back together. It's time I let it, or at least gave it a try. I won't do that to you, and now with the business taking a biggest leap in New York, it's perfect."

Costia took her ring off and placed it into Lexa's palm as she kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say, I'm at a loss."

"That's because this is what's right. Fall in love with her all over again. You may not be her knight in shining armour right now but she's yours." Lexa shook her heads, words still unable to come out. "I know you don't want to believe but you know it's true, the one person whose opinion means more to you than anything outside of your parents is Anya. What does she say about it?" Lexa went to speak but Costia stopped her. "You don't have to tell me, just think about it. Watching you in these videos has only proved to me that we aren't on the same page, hell we aren't even in the same book. We were more like the bookends, holding each other up without ever being right next to each other."

Costia stood up and grabbed her coat and for the first time since Lexa had some home, she saw the suitcase sitting by the door.

"Wait." She called out as she finally got her feet to move. "Keep this, it belongs to you." She handed her back the ring in her hand. "For the good times."

Costia sniffled as she nodded and wrapped her arms around Lexa. "Take care of yourself Lexa, and I really hope you get the girl, I'll be rooting for you."

"What if we never get back together?"

"Give me a call in ten years and let me know how it's going." Costa winked as playfully as she could through the tears.

XOXO

"…and that's how it happened. She was right it was the right thing to do." Lexa continued to tell Clarke what had happened, specifically leaving out the details about her and Lexa supposedly being soulmates. Clarke sat transfixed on the story as she ate the rest of Lexa's cookie, and the ice cream on top of it.

"Are you sure you're doing okay? That's a lot."

Lexa shook her head. "It's weird if nothing else, I have to start all over again." She said in an exasperated tone that made Clarke laugh. "I mean I can't be too upset over it, she wanted our wedding song to be that Bruno Mars song."

"Uptown funk?" Clarke asked, nearly chocking on a piece of cookie.

"No," Lexa laughed, "the other one." Clarke shook her head. "Just the way you are, what kind of wedding song is that?"

"It's romantic…enough." The waiter dropped their bill off at their table and they both reached for it at the same moment. "Rock, papers, scissors." Clarke nodded affirmatively as if that was their best option.

"You cheated!" Lexa pouted as Clarke smiled triumphantly taking the bill and paying for it.

"Not my fault you suck."

Both women stood up from their seats and headed out the front door. "At least the music in there was good."

"You're company was awesome too and by you're I mean you having me at dessert, not me having you at dessert."

Lexa shook her head, slightly confused. "It's too late for you to be hurting my head. But yeah that was pretty much it, Wasn't meant to be, but that song choice should have been the ultimate red flag, I mean obviously you have to go with…"

"… My girl…" They both said in unison before they both busted out laughing. "Not Ain't no mountain high enough?"

"No, if I recall correctly that was our song."

"Not that you ever got the words right."

"Well lyric police why don't you just shoot me, sorry we're not all crazy good singers."

Clarke nodded as went to hail a cab. "Again, not my fault you suck. This one is for you, I'll get the next one."

"Actually I'm just going to go for a walk, enjoy New York at night."

Clarke studied Lexa for a moment. "Mind if I join you? I think I'm getting a sugar rush."

"Then I definitely mind, you're like a child when you're hyped up on sugar." Clarke slapped her across the arm playfully as she waved the cabbie off.

"Shut up and start walking. I want to know more about how everyone found out and how I'm always the last to know."

"Not this, time my friends. Octavia still doesn't know, at least I haven't told her and I'm guessing she doesn't because if she knew you would have known."

Clarke thought for a minute. "You're right, this time and only this one time!"

xoxo

An hour later Lexa and Clarke were standing outside Lexa's hotel room. "I feel like I should be the one walking you home, because if you get mugged Finn is going to come after me and I'll have to be forced to throw down Cali style."

"You really think it's Finn you need to worry about when my best friend is a police officer with several guns and more friends with guns."

Lexa gulped. "No thanks, I'll continue to pretend to worry about Finn, that's again for dessert and the walk home."

"Thank you for telling me what happened and I really am sorry. I really do just want you to be happy with all that life has to offer you."

"The same goes for you, who knows maybe Finn is 'the one'. The Nathan to your Haley."

"No, he's not hot enough to be Nathan but seriously thank you, that means a lot coming from you."

"Just know that if her breaks your heart, I do have ways of making people disappear."

"Duly noted. Get some sleep Miss. Callaway."

"Text me when you get home please?"

"I will." They went to shake hands but Clarke tentatively wrapped her arms around Lexa and gave her a little squeeze. "You'll find someone absolutely breathtaking and mesmerizing one of these days."

"I hope your right."

"I'm always right." Clarke winked before turned around to hail a cab, leaving Lexa standing on the sidewalk in front of her hotel.

TBC…