Clarke looked up from her sketchbook as a familiar voice broke her trance.
"An artist, huh?" Lexa asked with a smirk. Clarke quickly shut the book, stuffing it in her purse. She smiled up at the other girl sheepishly. Lexa raised one eyebrow in response.
"What, are your drawings a secret or something?" she asked with a laugh. Clarke chuckled nervously, glancing about the room before meeting Lexa's gaze again. No, but the fact that I was drawing you is.
"No, I uh-" Clarke stumbled, "It's not finished yet, that's all." Lexa pulled out the chair across from Clarke and sat down with a shrug.
"Whatever you say, Goldilocks" she joked, scanning over the menu absentmindedly. Clarke pretended to cough, covering up the smile that Lexa's nickname provoked. Though Lexa definitely saw the corners of Clarke's mouth twitch upwards behind her hand.
"So," Lexa began, "Do you want to get lunch?" Clarke looked at the girl for a moment, studying her expression. "What?" Lexa asked. Clarke laughed, reaching across the table and plucking the menu from Lexa's small hands. "Nothing, I just had a better idea, if you're up for an adventure" she said with a mischievous grin.
Lexa leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. Her eyes bore into Clarke's, causing the blonde to shift uncomfortably. Lexa let out a sigh. "Okay, try me."
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Clarke pulled her car to a screeching stop along the side of the road and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Lexa stared out the window at the thick forest lining both sides of the street. The boughs of the trees loomed overhead, casting dark shadows along the dirt road. She glanced over at Clarke with a slightly bewildered expression on her face.
"Um, Clarke?" She asked, causing Clarke to look up from the purse she was rummaging through. Lexa took another look at the ominous forest, "Where are we, exactly?" Clarke laughed, her chest tightening at the brunette's adorably nervous expression. She looked back down at her purse to hide her smile before meeting Lexa's gaze again.
"Follow me, and you'll find out" Clarke said, placing a reassuring hand atop Lexa's. As she reached with her other hand to push open her door, Lexa tightened her grip on Clarke's hand, stopping her. "Clarke, are you sure we should be here. I mean isn't this private property, or something?" She asked nervously. Clarke shook her head, leaning back over to Lexa and squeezing the girl's hand.
"You're safe, Lexa, trust me" Clarke replied softly. Lexa's gaze flickered from blue eyes to pink lips so quickly Clarke almost didn't notice. Almost. She refocused her eyes with Clarke's, swallowing roughly.
"I do trust you, Clarke" her voice was almost a whisper, but the blonde definitely heard her. Clarke's small smile broke into a grin as she gave Lexa's hand one last pat.
"Good. Then let's go."
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"Can I open my eyes yet?" Lexa asked as she walked blindly through the woods, her hand covering her eyes. The pair had been walking for nearly five minutes, and Lexa was growing anxious. Not only did she barely know where she was, she barely knew Clarke. Though I'd love to change that.
Lexa could hear the leaves crunch under her sneakers as they walked. She could feel the slight breeze blowing through the forest. She could smell the dirt, foliage, and an intoxicating hint of flowers, which she figured, hoped even, was Clarke's perfume. She could even feel the branches that occasionally smacked her face. She just couldn't see.
"Almost..." Clarke replied, squeezing the hand she was holding as she guided Lexa through the woods. Lexa felt the confining presence of the trees disappear, and the air seemed lighter, more open, as she took another step. She heard the slight trickling of water and was now very eager to open her eyes.
"Okay, now you can look" Clarke's melodic voice whispered, her lips almost touching Lexa's ear. Lexa froze, completely forgetting about moving her hand from her face. Her body shivered, though it wasn't the slightest bit cold.
"Lexa? I said you could look" Clarke said again, this time allowing the other girl some personal space. She giggled as Lexa lowered her hand, revealing bright eyes and even brighter cheeks.
"Woah" Lexa commented stupidly as she took in her new surroundings. The grass below her was now longer, greener. The land sloped down to meet a wide river, flowing at a calm pace. The sun shone down beautifully against the rippling water, casting a glow upon the surrounding land. Colorful flowers littered the grass and, as Lexa examined them all, her eyes landed on a large, flat rock overhanging the river. It had a red blanket laid across the top, with all of Clarke's belongings resting on it. Lexa turned to Clarke with wide eyes.
"Woah" she repeated. Clarke laughed again, a sound that Lexa never wanted to forget. "Clarke this is beautiful" she said sincerely. Clarke beamed at her, reaching for her hand again. She led Lexa down the sloping hill, to the rock where all her stuff lay.
Sitting down cross legged on the rock, Clarke patted the blanket next to her, looking up at Lexa through her dark eyelashes. Lexa laughed before sitting next to Clarke. The blanket was surprisingly soft, and it smelled like the the same flowery scent she'd smelled earlier. It smelled like Clarke.
Clarke stared at Lexa with a smile before reaching into her bag. She pulled out her phone and a small portable speaker. Placing the speaker on the grass behind her, she began scrolling through her music library with great concentration. Lexa watched her with a smirk. "I thought you weren't one for music?" she asked playfully.
Clarke didn't look up from her phone, but smiled at the screen. "I'm not. You are though." She didn't dare look up, pretending to be very concentrated on her song choice so she wouldn't melt at the unabashed grin she could see plastered on Lexa's face out of the corner of her eye.
Clarke, having finally decided on a song, leaned back, holding herself up by her hands. The two girls sat together in serene silence, enjoying the scenery. Lexa let the smooth notes of the song relax her mind as she examined the river and the field of flowers beyond it. Because Clarke had seen this place many times before, she found herself a bit more interested in the girl next to her.
Lexa could feel Clarke's eyes on her, but she didn't say anything about it. She waited patiently for Clarke to say something, busying her eyes with the rushing water in front of her. Finally, Clarke leaned forward and turned to Lexa.
"Are you hungry?" Clarke asked, reaching into the bag of pastries they'd bought at the cafe earlier. Lexa nodded and smiled as Clarke offered her the bag after taking a cookie for herself. Lexa pulled bits off a croissant and ate it slowly, still staring out at the water.
"You've been here before, I take it?" She asked, turning to Clarke. Clarke's eyes flickered out across the river longingly, as if it held all her memories. She met Lexa's gaze again, nodding. "Not for a while, actually. I used to come here every Sunday with my dad when I was a kid. We would sit right here and fish together. It was kind of our thing" Clarke said, her eyes glazing over from the memory. Lexa titled her head as she listened, noticing how lovingly Clarke spoke of her father.
"You don't still come?" Lexa asked after a second of silence. Clarke looked up at her and smiled, though it wasn't genuine. It was sad. She shook her head slowly. "No, I can't bring myself to come here alone. He passed away when I was 16. My mom begged him not to go when they stationed him overseas, but he had to do what he thought was right for his country. So he left." Clarke spoke slowly, her eyes stinging as she remembered her father.
Lexa exhaled slightly, her own tears threatening to spill. She shuffled her hand the few inches left between hers and Clarke's, gently placing it atop the other girl's hand. "I'm sorry, Clarke" she whispered into the open air. Lexa turned her head to her, smiling slightly. "I lost my dad too. Like I've said, I didn't know him much. I was younger, about 5. While your father fought a battle against people, mine fought against an illness. Though, unfortunately, it's easier to kill a person than cancer." Lexa explained with a slight laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
Clarke looked at Lexa, who stared blankly ahead, picking at the grass with her free hand. "And your mom?" She asked, unsure of what else to say. Lexa chuckled again, though it was not light, it was heavy, broken. "She tried to take care of me for a while, but she couldn't. After my dad died, she wasn't able to cope. She decided it would be easier to down a couple cases of beer than to come to terms with what happened. They practically had to tear me from her drunken arms, but eventually I was put into the foster system. When I was 13 I tried to look for her, only to find out she'd driven, drunk, into the wrong lane coming home from the bar one night, and died on impact."
Clarke really didn't know what to say now. "Oh my god Lexa, I'm so sorry" she whispered. Lexa looked at her and, despite her sad expression, he eyes still managed to shine brighter than any Clarke had ever seen. Behind their brightness was a color Clarke still couldn't place, and it drove her crazy.
"Yeah, but she made her own decisions and payed the consequences for them. As much as she tried, which was little, she was never a great mom, anyway. She....hurt me, in more than one way, so it's easier for me to learn from her mistakes rather than dwell on them, you know?" Lexa asked, glancing up at Clarke, who nodded. She gave Lexa's small hand a squeeze. "Yeah, I do."
Clarke leaned her head down to rest it on Lexa's shoulder. Lexa stared out over the water, a small smile playing on her lips. After a moment, she leaned her head down to look at Clarke. "Are you ever going to tell me what you were drawing earlier?" She asked with a coy smile.
Clarke rolled her eyes, sliding off Lexa's shoulder. "When I finish it, I promise to show you, okay?" Lexa sighed, giving Clarke a sideways glance. "Fine" Lexa gave in as Clarke flopped he head back down on her shoulder. Lexa stretched her other arm around Clarke, resting it on the blonde's shoulders. Clarke smiled more than intended as she felt Lexa's arm press against her body, relaxing into the touch.
Clarke let her eyes shut briefly, enjoying the peaceful moment. Lexa took the opportunity to slowly reach her hand into Clarke's bag, pulling out the small sketchbook. She almost had it when Clarke's eyes shot open as she shrugged Lexa's arm off of her.
"You bitch, give that back!" She grabbed at the book, but Lexa was quicker. She dodged Clarke's swings, laughing as she struggled to flip through the pages. She held her free hand in front of her, blocking Clarke's flailing arms as Lexa found the latest drawing, stopping dead when she turned the page.
Clarke was an amazing artist, Lexa had to admit. She had begun the drawing of a woman, no, a girl. The frame of her face was outlined expertly, capturing the curve of her nose and cheekbones. The girl's round lips were placed perfectly, and tendrils of curly hair flowed down her shoulders. Lexa stared at the drawing in disbelief, looking between it and Clarke. Then, Lexa realized, this was a portrait, but not of Clarke. It was of her.
Clarke glared at Lexa as the girl looked between the drawing at her. She gave up trying to fight Lexa for the sketchbook, and now sat across from her, staring shyly at her. She could feel how red her cheeks were.
"I told you it wasn't finished" Clarke said, finally looking up to meet Lexa's questioning eyes. A small smile played at Lexa's lips, though she tried to hide it to not further embarrass the blonde. "Oh shut up" Clarke said, rolling her eyes, smiling despite herself.
Lexa's smile broke free, growing into a full grin. "Clarke, this is amazing" Lexa whispered genuinely. Clarke could feel Lexa staring at her, and she mustered up the courage to look her in the eyes, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I had a good muse" Clarke replied, her voice soft and playful.
Lexa locked her eyes onto Clarke's, mapping out the constellations in her irises. She was conflicted between the oceans of Clarke's eyes and the pinkness of the lips Clarke was worrying with her teeth. She opted for both, her gaze flickering up and down across Clarke's face.
Clarke hadn't realized it, but in her attempts to get her sketchbook back, she had gotten impossibly closer to the other girl. Their sides touched as they rested on the rock, and if Clarke moved any closer she'd end up pushing Lexa into the river. Lexa held her weight on one arm, resting it on the very edge of the overhang.
"Sorry" Clarke mumbled scooting away from her awkwardly. Lexa stared at her for a brief second before sitting upright, moving closer to the middle of the rock. She sat with her back to the river, facing Clarke. "Don't be," Lexa whispered, grabbing Clarke's hands in hers, "Don't be sorry."
Clarke was so intently watching how hypnotically Lexa's lips moved when she spoke, she almost missed what the girl said. She almost didn't hear her words, or the undertone they held. There was something in her tone, something that told Clarke those three words meant so much more.
Clarke glanced at Lexa's hands and how they enveloped her own so perfectly. She noticed how their folded legs fit against each other like two pieces of a puzzle, and how, when their eyes met, there seemed to be nothing else to look at in the world.
Lexa looked back and forth between Clarke's eyes and spoke, her voice as faint as the rippling waves beneath them, "Clarke, I-" She couldn't bring herself to explain. To tell Clarke what she was thinking right now, in this moment, would ruin everything. She could barely even think straight with those goddamn lips just inches from hers.
"Screw it"
As Lexa leaned forward, pressing her lips to Clarke's, she forgot everything. She forgot her mom, her dad, and all the other shit that made no sense. Because, in that moment, with Clarke's hand in her hair, and her lips against her own, she was the only thing that made sense.
Clarke reacted to the kiss immediately, doing things without realizing. She lifted her hand to the nape of Lexa's neck, tugging at the soft curls. Lexa caught Clarke's bottom lip between her own, gently pulling at it. Lexa cautiously raised a hand to the small of Clarke's back, pulling her a bit closer. Their lips moved together in a slow, gentle dance that left them both gasping for air, wanting more.
Clarke's tongue prodded against Lexa's lips, teasing her. It took everything in Lexa not to lose control, not go too far. With that small bit of warmth radiating from Clarke's mouth, though, she wasn't sure she'd last much longer before she did something she'd regret.
Clarke teased at Lexa's bottom lip, pulling it and pushing against it at a painstaking pace. With one final light kiss, Clarke pulled away slightly, causing Lexa to sigh at the loss of contact.
She rested her forehead against Lexa's with a smile. Clarke opened her eyes to see Lexa's still closed shut. She could hear her faint, yet rapid breaths falling from her slightly swollen lips. Clarke laughed quietly, still playing with the curls at the nape of Lexa's neck. The sound of it was enough to bring Lexa back to reality, shaking her out of her blissful haze. As Lexa's eyes flickered open, Clarke sucked in a breath.
Green. Her eyes are green.
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