SWEET LITTLE LIES // BELLAMY BLAKE // THE 1OO

THIRTY-ONE

"Can I talk to Katherine for a minute?" Bellamy asked, though it sounded more like a statement. She watched his brown eyes switch from her form to Murphy's, but not before she and Murphy shared a look after which she shrugged. When Murphy didn't show any intention of leaving them, Bellamy let out a loud and impatient sigh. "Alone?"

"Ooooh," Murphy said as if he'd only just gotten the hint. "See ya then."

With an interested gaze, Katherine watched Murphy stalk off. She wouldn't have minded if he would have stayed, because it probably couldn't get any more awkward than her and Bellamy alone. She wasn't even able to look him straight in the eye, instead opting for the trees surrounding his head like a green halo, though there was nothing angle-like about him.

"Since when are you and Murphy budy-budy?" Bellamy asked, obviously not sounding very amused. He even had the audacity to try to pass it off for unbothered small talk, though it was very obvious that he was very bothered.

"Since exactly when do you care?" she shot back, rolling her eyes in an unamused way. This time, she did make the mistake of looking him in the face, but for a miracle, she wasn't immediately lost. Instead, she noticed the way the muscles in his face formed like he was about to form a response and took the moment to steer the conversation into a more safe direction. The last thing she wanted was to bicker like they were back at square one. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

"About last night," Bellamy started. As if he was afraid somebody would listen in, he scanned the area around them. After spotting a couple of younger kids seated on the logs near them, he gently grabbed her arm and steered her in a more isolated area. She did her best to ignore the tingling feeling that traveled over her skin, at the same time observing the way the man in front of her seemed at lost for words. He opened his mouth, closed it again, thought about something and then opened his mouth again. "Nothing happened between me and Raven."

Katherine smiled a sugary sweet smile, trying her best to hide her hurt feelings. She had thought he wanted to talk about the Clarke situation, not the Raven situation. All of a sudden she wished she was with Murphy, or even alone in her isolation cell. "Good for you, or not. I don't think I care very much for what you do in your free time."

"Oh, don't be like that, Kat, I saw the look on your face," Bellamy said, rolling his eyes. His hand was still resting on her upper arm and he gave it a soft squeeze. It was such a little gesture, but still, her heart leapt on the premise of false hope.

She felt annoyed, more at herself and her feelings than at him. After all, it was his choice to do whatever he wanted to do, but she was the one who wasn't able to keep her emotions in one hand at this point in time, out of all the possibilities. She crossed her arms, her mouth twisted in an ugly grimace. "And what look was that then, Bellamy? If I'd know one, I would advise you to go to an optician. Maybe the Grounders have a treatment or two."

"Darn, Katherine, you're bantering like you did months ago," he replied, sounding slightly hopeless. He looked over his right shoulder and then his left and when he was satisfied with the result, he grabbed her other arm with his free hand, pulling her a little closer, gently and knowing he was treading on thin ice. "I just wanted to let you know that nothing happened. I didn't want you to feel like, you're... I don't know..."

"Another name on your list?" she suggested sassily, her eyebrows raised high. She was in conflict with herself, not knowing whether she wanted to keep up the unbothered act or just spill out how much she actually cared for him. Both seemed equally bad, like the Kraken or the sacrifice.

"Can you just stop with the sass already?" he said, really sounding hopeless now. His brown eyes met her blue ones and she knew her act was through, in the reflection of his eyes she saw the hurt in her own eyes. She guessed it was option two from here on.