Thank you all for the comments! I'm so glad to know you're all excited about this story. As a 'thank you' I'll give you two more chapters :) ! Enjoy!
Bellamy pulled up to Clarke's house a few days after the festival. He'd given her space afterwards especially after Octavia told him she'd practically sprinted out of the festival when she and Raven questioned her about what they'd seen. There was something from her past haunting her and he wanted her to know he was here for her. It was a crazy thought considering he'd met her only a little over a week ago, but they'd all agreed it was like they'd known her all their lives. Jasper wouldn't stop asking about her and both Raven and O considered her part of the group already. And Bellamy? He couldn't stop thinking about her. No matter how hard he tried.
He walked up to her front door and knocked, smiling when she pulled open the door. "Hey."
"Hey," She looked ashamed when she saw him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to head into the station, but wanted to swing by and check on you," Bellamy stuffed his hands in his pockets in an effort not to reach for her. She looked beautiful as usual in a pair of jeans and purple tank top. "O said you left in a hurry the other night."
"I'm sorry about that," Clarke felt like a jerk. These people had been nothing but nice to her and she'd fled. That was beginning to become her MO. "Do you want to come in first? I just finished making some coffee."
"Yea that sounds great," He followed her inside and into the kitchen where she grabbed an extra mug from the cabinet. She offered him sugar and milk both of which he declined. He took the opportunity to look her over. She had bags under her eyes and she looked exhausted. "Are you ok?"
"Yes," She smiled up at him, but it lacked the brightness he'd become accustomed to. "Why?"
"You just seem..." Bellamy tried to search for the right word that didn't make him sound like an ass. "Exhausted."
"I haven't been sleeping all that well," Clarke took a sip of the mug of coffee in her hand. She put it down and met his curious gaze. More than anything else he looked concerned, not mad or upset as she'd envisioned. She owed him a small explanation. If she couldn't give away the full truth, then a small part at least. She put the mug aside and reached out for him. He set his mug aside as well and allowed her to take his hands. "Look you guys have been nothing but nice to me. I don't mean to act distant it's just things happened to me back home and to the people I cared about and I had to leave otherwise I was just going to make it worse."
"If anyone understands that feeling it's me. Octavia, Raven, and Jasper too," Bellamy released her hands and pulled her into a hug. "You don't have to tell me what happened. It doesn't matter to me. Just know that we, me especially, are here for you."
"That's what I'm afraid of," She whispered against his chest. "People who get close get hurt."
"Clarke, that's crazy," He cupped her face in his hands and met her terrified eyes. "We're pretty resilient around here. We don't go down easily. Besides it's not like someone is after you right?"
Clarke shook her head. "No, not exactly."
"Then what's there to worry about? You've made quite an impression on everyone around here. We want you to stick around," He stroked his thumbs across her jaw.
"You guys are too nice to me," Clarke wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head back against his chest. Bellamy threaded his fingers through her hair with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her back. "Thanks for being so understanding Bellamy."
"I'm your friend Clarke," Bellamy replied although in his heart he wanted more than that. He had since the first moment when she'd challenged him rather than giving into his charm like most women did. "That's what friends are for."
Clarke pulled back and smiled. She wiped the tears that had spilled out from her cheeks and reached for her mug of coffee. After draining that cup and putting it in the dishwasher she filled a travel mug with the remainder of the pot.
"I'll follow you out," She took the empty mug he handed back to her and also placed that in the dishwasher. "I was getting ready to head to the clinic myself."
Clarke followed him to the front door with her purse slung over her shoulder. She pulled the door shut and locked it. Bellamy was watching her closely and didn't seem to care that he'd been caught.
"Will you be ok?"
"Yea I'll be fine," Clarke placed her hand on his chest and smiled. "Thanks for checking on me."
"Ok. Call me if you need anything," Bellamy pressed a quick kiss to her temple before heading towards his car. He rolled down his window after he'd climbed in. "Hey Princess. Octavia's having a BBQ at her place on Friday. You up for it?"
Clarke considered the offer. She knew she should refuse and come up with an excuse. She was getting attached to these people and that wasn't good. But how was she supposed to move on if she didn't let people in? She'd end up completely alone and she didn't want that.
"That sounds great Bellamy," She smiled when he beamed back at her, knowing she'd made the right choice. "Just text me her address and the time. I'll be there."
Her heart started to beat faster as the anxiety started to rear its' ugly head. She took a deep breath when he drove off in an effort to calm down. She couldn't bury herself in home improvement projects forever. Maybe it was time to move on from what had happened and start living her life again rather than running away.