Thank you everyone for all the follows! I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far. I'm about to go on vacation tomorrow so I'm going to post another chapter tonight. I would really love some feedback though so if I can get a few comments I'll try and get a couple chapters posted to hold you over until I return from my trip! Your comments empower me to be better so thank you for anything you have to say!
Also, a side note - I took a little liberty with Jake Griffin's likes/dislikes! I wanted Bellamy and Clarke to have something in common that she and her dad used to do together.
Bellamy stood in Clarke's kitchen with his arms held slightly away from his sides in shock. He hadn't expected that, but he'd definitely enjoyed it. There was definitely something spooking this woman. Maybe with time he'd be able to get her to trust him enough to let him help her.
Clarke found him about half an hour later in front of her bookcase in the living room. She'd taken the extra time to dry her hair after the shower just so she could calm her racing heart. When Bellamy had wrapped his arms around her she hadn't wanted to let go although she knew she had to. She'd put on a pair of jeans and grabbed her favorite top that showed a little cleavage without being too much.
"Found something interesting?" Clarke asked startling him.
Bellamy glanced over his shoulder and almost did a double take. She was beautiful in shorts and a t-shirt, but even more gorgeous now. The emerald green short sleeved shirt she wore clung to her curves and gave him just a peak at her cleavage. She wore a simple gold necklace and her hair was down around her back in waves.
"Uh yea," He cleared his throat and tried his best to make it seem like he hadn't been staring at her. "You've got an impressive history collection here."
"Yea my dad was a bit of a history buff," Clarke leaned against the doorjamb and smiled. "We used to watch old historical movies or documentaries all the time."
"Really?" Bellamy's eyes danced with appreciation. "I used to try and get Octavia to watch them with me, but she wouldn't. Told me I was boring instead."
"You're not boring," Clarke approached the bookcase and playfully bumped her hip with his. "I think it's awesome. We'll have to watch some together sometime."
"Absolutely," Bellamy replied enthusiastically. "You ready to go?"
Clarke climbed into Bellamy's car and tried not to show how nervous she was. She was slightly disappointed in herself for how quickly she'd abandoned her pact not to get close to anyone. She couldn't hurt anyone if they didn't know any specific details about her right? If she didn't tell them what happened then they were safe from her.
Bellamy pulled into the police station parking lot on the edge of the center of town. The town square was littered with booths that held everything from crafts like jewelry making to iron work, businesses trying to get new customers and as Bellamy had mentioned food. There were also a few rides as well with a fairly decent sized Ferris Wheel among them. There was a stage in the middle along with a huge dance floor and a group of teens were playing what sounded to her like an awful version of a Journey song.
"Don't worry," Bellamy chuckled at the horrified look on her face. "The better bands start when it gets dark."
They walked the half block to the festival and turned when they both heard their names being called. Octavia was sitting at a picnic table by the stage and dance floor waving them over. She was sitting next to a tall black man and Raven was across from her with a blonde man. Jasper was there as well along with an Asian man. Jasper looked nervous when he noticed her and Clarke smiled, trying to ease his embarrassment.
"You weren't kidding about Jasper," She whispered to Bellamy who chuckled in response.
"I think that night was a wake-up call," Bellamy's amusement disappeared as they slowly approached the table. "We've been telling him since it happened to get help and he kept saying he was fine, but not knowing what happened the night before and waking up to stitches scared the shit out of him."
"Hey Clarke," Octavia interrupted them before Clarke could respond. "Bummed a ride off the Sheriff huh?"
"Better than having her circle the square a thousand times looking for parking," Bellamy replied. He pointed to the asian man and introduced him as Monty and the blonde man next to Raven as her boyfriend Wick. Finally he introduced the black man as Octavia's boyfriend, and the local up and coming artist he'd previously mentioned, Lincoln. "And you already know Jasper."
"Right," She smiled at Jasper hoping to ease the obvious tension he was exhibiting. "How's your head?"
"Much better," He nodded awkwardly.
"I'm going to go grab a beer. You want anything Princess?" Bellamy asked causing Octavia and Raven's eyebrows to shoot up in surprise.
"A beer sounds great," Clarke replied with a smile. Bellamy rubbed her back before heading towards one of the booths that was acting as the bar. She turned to find both women at the table staring at her. "What?"
"Oh nothing," Raven looked back to Octavia to find the girl smiling as well.
"Princess?" Octavia questioned.
"Yea it's a nickname I guess," Clarke smiled at the endearment. Despite her resolve to not get close to anyone again she was having a hard time with the local sheriff. "I wasn't exactly the nicest person to him when we first met. I think it was originally meant as an insult, but its kind of stuck."
"Here you go," Bellamy suddenly appeared at her side and handed her the beer before either girl could respond.
"So Clarke how do you like Arkadia so far?" Monty asked.
Clarke sat down at the table. "It's nice. Definitely a change of pace."
"Where are you from?" Wick asked.
"New York City," Clarke replied.
Clarke spent the next hour getting to know Bellamy's group of friends. Lincoln was a quiet yet obviously brilliant man. He also adored Octavia which Clarke found envious yet incredibly sweet. Wick was just as bold and blunt as Raven which made them the perfect pair. He was also hilarious and after just the short amount of time she'd spent with them had her laughing harder than she had in years. Monty turned out to be one of the sweetest people she'd met here so far. He picked up on her discomfort at talking about her past almost immediately and had steered the conversation elsewhere. Bellamy stood at her back the whole time, laughing along with his friends. It felt comfortable having him so close and she had to fight the urge to lean back against him.
Jasper remained incredibly quiet and avoided looking at her even when she tried making eye contact with him. Before she could reach out two police officers called out to Bellamy and approached the table. One was a tall sandy haired woman who wrapped her arms around Monty's neck from behind when she reached the table. He happily rubbed her arm in reply. The other was a black man who clapped Bellamy on the back.
"Everything's quiet tonight so far boss," He said glancing down at Clarke. "You must be Clarke. I'm Nate Miller. Everyone calls me Miller."
"Nice to meet you," Clarke shook his hand as the woman introduced herself as Harper.
"Just keep doing some rounds and I'll relieve you guys in a couple hours," Bellamy replied. Miller nodded and headed off, Harper kissed Monty before she followed him and split off in the opposite direction.
"You really need cops to patrol this thing?" Clarke asked Bellamy. "It seems pretty tame to me."
"It is mostly," Bellamy shrugged his shoulders.
"There's teenagers that like to hang out behind the booths and smoke weed or drink," Octavia guiltily glanced up at her brother. "Myself included when I was their age. Bellamy likes to patrol just to make sure they don't get hurt mostly."
Clarke smiled up at Bellamy who had the grace to look embarrassed. The more she learned about this man the more her resolve to not get close to anyone flew out the window. It scared the hell out of her which is the only thing that held her back. About a half hour later the band changed which triggered not just the couples at their table, but at neighboring tables to jump up and head to the dance floor. Octavia grabbed Lincoln who happily followed her and Raven did the same with Wick.
"They're a popular band around here," Bellamy explained at her confused look. "They're not exactly good enough to make it big, but they make this festival fun. Want to dance?"
Clarke glanced at Jasper who was still avoiding her gaze. She stood and whispered to Bellamy, "Yes, but give me a minute with Jasper first ok?"
"Sure Princess," Bellamy smiled at her and grabbed Monty, leading him towards the bar in the guise of getting another drink.
Clarke walked around to the other side of the table and straddled the bench facing Jasper. She gently placed her hand on his forearm and squeezed. He looked at her with obvious shame in his eyes along with an immense grief that seemed to pour out of him.
"Jasper it's ok," Clarke said trying to get him to understand. "Grief is expressed in so many different ways. I worked in the ER back in New York and I've seen it all. Anger, despair, confusion. I've even seen joy that their loved one isn't suffering anymore. You're not different or weird. You're just grieving."
"I'm sorry Clarke," Jasper looked at her and she saw relief in his eyes this time. "You caught me at my worst possible moment. I just don't know how to live without her. It was unfair, the way she was taken."
"I know. Bellamy told me," She squeezed his forearm again in silent support. "Grief takes time Jasper. Don't ever be ashamed of it. Just be careful how you express it. I don't want to have to stitch you again."
Jasper chuckled and pulled Clarke unexpectedly into a hug. Clarke smiled and wrapped her arms around him thankful that she'd seemed to make a difference for someone. At least she could help others even though she couldn't seem to help herself.