You and Me

Chapter 26

"Bellamy is fine." Tisha nodded, smiling up at him. "I thought only Clarke was renowned by your Coalition, there haven't been many that can recognize me as easily as her blonde head."

"One must know the face of those she is indebted to. And you have many life debts owed to you, Vanquisher." Bellamy swallowed, uncomfortable with the intense turn the conversation had taken. He had no idea how to reply to such a statement from a stranger.

"Bellamy."

Bellamy leapt away from Tisha, turning to find Clarke standing crossed armed with Ryder in the clearing. Bellamy strode towards her, not bothering to say goodbye to the TriKru girl.

"Hey," said Bellamy.

Clarke kept her arms crossed, still looking at him with confusion between her furrowed brows. He wanted to know what she was thinking. The words left unsaid between them had only been growing since Polis.

"Who was that?"

"Tisha."

"What were you two talking about?"

"Tongues," replied Bellamy, apparently having lost his senses.

"What?" snapped Clarke, stepping back.

"It's nothing," Bellamy assured her, but she was obviously unconvinced. He tried to move on from the awkward experience. "Everything okay?"

Clarke nodded, moving her probing gaze off him and nodding to Ryder next to her, who'd been silently standing and watching the interaction. Bellamy could never understand why the men raised on Earth insisted on being so damn silent all the time.

"This is Ryder, he was a part of the guard Lexa gave me during the war with Mount Weather. He's a good friend. Ryder, my co-leader, Bellamy Blake."

"Mountain Vanquisher," greeted Ryder, offering a firm handshake.

"Thank you for protecting Clarke while I was away."

Ryder shrugged. "She did not make the task easy. But she is entertaining." Clarke chuckled and Ryder looked at her with a fond smile.

Bellamy summoned a smile. "Well, it is a good thing the war is over, and you were able to return safely to Manassas."

"Actually, Bellamy, I was thinking about inviting Ryder back to Arkadia. He helped the guard train for the war, and I think Sgt. Miller would appreciate the help while he keeps looking for an official trainer."

Bellamy thought that wondering aloud in front of Ryder wasn't exactly asking her co-leader what he thought but making the decision for everyone. And, by Ryder's expectant look he was giving Bellamy, it'd been discussed before she'd called him over.

He swallowed the thought down and nodded.

"Great. Ryder, I'll come find you later to talk about it, okay?"

The warrior nodded and returned to his trainees eagerly watching the interaction. The two co-leaders walked in stilted silence, stopping on the opposite end of the clearing from where Tisha had been. Clarke crossed her arms while Bellamy gripped his hands behind his back. A tension he wasn't familiar with was settling between them because neither of them were asking the questions they wanted to.

The distance he'd fought tooth and nail for meant nothing if every word left unsaid continued to create a canyon instead of a bridge. Bellamy let her run, push him away, anything, even when he knew what she wanted. But not this time.

"Clarke."

Likely sensing the direction he wanted the conversation to go, Clarke took a notable step back. Her words were rushed as she came up with an excuse to flee. "I'm gonna go find Indra, I'll see you at-"