Bellamy rejoined the party shortly after Clarke had left his room. He was pleased to see that Kyle had left. Octavia was smiling, standing in a corner alone with Lincoln. His mother was laughing with Abby and Monty's mother, Hannah. His friends were laughing and joking around. Bellamy felt content knowing the people he loved most were happy. He spotted Clarke across the crowd of people, talking to Roan, Murphy and Raven. She had a beer in her hand and she actually seemed to be enjoying herself.
Bellamy made his way over to them, grabbing his own beer as he did.
"Hey, you feeling better?" Clarke asked as he approached them.
"Yeah, thanks." Bellamy smiled.
"I was preparing to break up a fight, I won't lie to you." Roan smirked.
"Nah, no fights today bro." Bellamy laughed.
The day went off without anymore surprises or hiccups, much to Bellamy's relief. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm orangey pink glow across the sky. The weather was still warm enough for everyone to remain outside without a jacket. Some were more tipsy than others as they gathered around a small fire Bellamy had lit in an old metal barrel. Conversation flowed easily around the friends that remained at the party.
Bellamy stared into the flickering flames, vaguely listening to the conversations going on around him. He felt someone sit beside him.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Clarke smiled as she got herself comfy in a lawn chair beside him.
"Just having a moment of peace. Didn't think it'd last long with you around." Bellamy smirked.
"What can I say? I like to keep things interesting." Clarke grinned.
"Don't I know it." Bellamy mumbled.
They continued talking quietly between themselves until Lincoln stood up, silencing everyone.
"Hi guys, I err, I'm not great at speeches or anything so I'm just gonna get to it." Lincoln nodded, he pulled Octavia to her feet. Clarke's jaw dropped as Lincoln dropped down on one knee, pulling a small black box out of his pocket. Bellamy gripped his chair tighter.
"I love you more than you could ever possibly imagine Octavia. You've turned my whole life upside down in the best way possible. I haven't known you my whole life, but I know I want to spend the rest of it with you." Lincoln said. He opened the box to reveal a shining ring with a large diamond in the centre. Octavia's hands flew to her mouth. "Octavia Marie Blake, will you marry me?"
"YES!" Octavia squealed through tears. She flung her arms around Lincoln's neck as he stood, pulling her up with him.
Their friends burst into cheers and applause for the young couple. Clarke turned to Bellamy to see him with a small smile on his face. She could tell it was difficult for him, he'd been protecting Octavia his whole life.
"You have to let her grow up." Clarke whispered.
"I know. I'm happy for her. It's just hard to watch her grow up and not need me anymore." Bellamy shrugged.
"Bellamy, I have an older brother, I know for a fact that Octavia will always need you. Just like I will always need Roan." Clarke smiled.
As the night wore on, the alcohol began to overrule people, sending them into a giggling mess. Clarke had gone to celebrate with Octavia, Raven and Harper. The four of them had spent most of the night squealing and laughing in excitement over Octavia's new ring. Bellamy had often caught himself watching Clarke from across the yard. What he hadn't seen was Roan watching him.
Bellamy, Roan, Lincoln, Murphy, Monty and Jasper sat in a circle of chairs on the patio. They'd left the girls to do their own thing, deciding that there was far too many high pitched noises coming from them for the guys.
"So how much did that rock set you back?" Murphy asked.
"It was nothing, she deserves it." Lincoln shrugged.
"It's a big rock Linc, I'll give you that." Roan smirked.
"Like I said, she deserves it." Lincoln smiled. "And I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first Bellamy. I asked your mom for permission and then I just couldn't find you."
"Don't worry about it. As long as you got my Mom's blessing. You know I trust you to take care of her." Bellamy smiled. The two men clinked their beer bottles together.
"It's times like this I'm pleased Clarke is single. I don't think I'd be so easy going." Roan shook his head.
"Unless it was Bellamy." Jasper teased.
"Here we go again." Bellamy rolled his eyes. Although the thought of sliding an engagement ring on Clarke's finger sent an unusually warm feeling through him.
Thankfully Roan didn't respond. He simply laughed at Jasper and drank his beer.
An hour later, Raven and Harper dragged Murphy, Monty and Jasper away. Monty had offered to drive Jasper home since he'd drank too much alcohol to drive himself. Not long after that, Octavia and Lincoln retired to Octavia's old bedroom. Clarke helped Abby and Aurora tidy the garden and throw out the rubbish that had been left. Bellamy and Roan stayed seated on the patio, talking.
"You know she's lucky to have you." Roan said, catching Bellamy looking at Clarke again.
"What do you mean?" Bellamy said, looking at him quickly.
"You're good for her. She's herself when she's around you. You keep her safe and look out for her when I can't. You're her rock, her safety. Not only that but she respects you. You keep her centred." Roan smiled.
"You got it backwards man." Bellamy shook his head.
"I beg to differ. Don't let her stubbornness fool you Bell. If anyone can break her, it's you." Roan nodded his head towards him. Without giving Bellamy a chance to respond, Roan stood from his chair and walked away. He said goodnight to Abby, Aurora and Clarke, giving them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving and returning next door where he was staying for the night.
Bellamy thought about what Roan had said. It left him confused that much was obvious. How exactly was Roan expecting Bellamy to 'break' Clarke? Clarke had built walls for a reason. It wasn't Bellamy's place to break them down. Then again, Bellamy had a way of being able to get Clarke at her most vulnerable. He never took advantage of her vulnerability, he simply gave her the chance to get things off her chest. Clarke trusted Bellamy, just as Bellamy trusted Clarke.
That final thought seemed to give Bellamy a new burst of confidence. Clarke trusted him. It was time to find out just how much. He abruptly stood from his chair and marched towards Clarke. She was throwing paper plates into a trash bag when Bellamy took the bag from her, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the house and up to his room. He'd barely shut the door when Clarke started questioning him.
"Bellamy? What's going on? Are you alright?" Clarke asked, catching her breath.
"Do you trust me?" Bellamy asked, ignoring her questions.
"What?"
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you. I trust you with my life Bellamy." Clarke answered. She was still confused, that much was clear.
"You told me you didn't want a relationship because you didn't want to ruin our friendship." Bellamy said, looking into her eyes.
"Bellamy? What's this about?" Clarke asked.
"What if I told you to trust me? If I told you to trust me that our friendship wouldn't be affected, would you trust me?" Bellamy asked.
"Bell, you can't say that. You don't know that it wouldn't be affected. If anything happened between us, I don't think I could just go back to being friends." Clarke said as a tear slid down her face.
"Do you love me?"
"What?" Clarke gasped.
"Do. You. Love. Me?" Bellamy repeated.
Clarke looked deep into his eyes. Bellamy's heart raced. He prepared himself for the rejection. He knew that Clarke had feelings for him, just like he had for her. If Bellamy had to admit them, so could she.
"Yes." Clarke whispered. "Yes I love you. But..."
"No. No buts. Cross the line Clarke. We'll never know if we don't try." Bellamy looked at her intensely.
"You want seriously want to do this? Because if we do cross the line, there's no going back this time Bellamy. Years of friendship could be ruined, just like that." Clarke warned.
"Then let's ruin the friendship." Bellamy shrugged before he pulled her forward and crashed his lips onto hers. The kiss was desperate and searching. Neither one pulled away until air became a necessity.
"Let's ruin the friendship." Clarke repeated with a smile. Bellamy grinned down at her before pushing his lips to hers once more.