Clexa AU °Safe Haven° [#Wattys2016]

Chapter 17: Make my messes matter

Lexa's POV

Raven said goodbye and we separated our paths. It's still too early now to go home though, sun is shining and I want to breathe a little more of the fresh air in. Clarke is walking silently next to me, her wavy blonde hair reflecting the bright sun.

"Do you wanna go home?" I ask, turning my head faintly to see her better.
"Not really," her eyes flatter as she makes a sour face, little too excessive. "I would love a pizza, actually."
"Yeah!" I nod eagerly. "Me too, I haven't had a pizza for like three hundred years."
Clarke smirks. "Let me invite you then."
"Woah, no way," I react immediately. "You won't be paying for my food. I can pay for myself."
"You can, but you don't have to now. C'mon, don't act like it's something bad to ask you on a date."

Date? What the hell? I nervously look down on my walking feet, pressing my sweaty hand to my thigh. When I think about it, we might be more than just friends. We are. But a date?
My cheeks pulse with the blood pressure that is underneath them. "I don't know."
Clarke's smirk doesn't disappear but there's something in her face that turns off its power. I think she meant it.

"Alright," I say after a while, looking at her hurt face. I mean what can go wrong? "But let me pay for myself."
That makes her face shine again. "Right. We'll see."
I smirk. "Hey, I really mean it."
"Sure."
I ignore her this time. "I wanna order and eat outside."
"Okay, Woods. Any idea of where to go?" Clarke asks, smirking confidently.

I think about a place we could eat. Now my brain feels like a machine, all the weird circles that fall into each other working hard on any idea it can produce. I realize that Clarke showed me so much about her life, yet she knows nothing about me. And where else can I bring her to uncover another of my layers?

"I have one," I whisper, taking her hand and adding on our speed. "It's gonna be a surprise."

. . .

I keep dragging her behind me, pretending not to hear any of her complains. I need to hurry because I'm worried that the thought will fly away or that I will change my mind. I definitely could, it seems too risky to do.

My feet remember the way correctly. I keep on speeding up even though Clarke's gasping for air and I'm getting more exhausted by every step. Finally, the street that I'm looking for is right in front of me. So I slow down to catch my breath.

Loud gasps willingly escape from both of our lips, starving for oxygen. "WHAT the hell, Lexa?"
I lean to my knees before letting out a weak giggle. "At least you call me my own name for once."

It takes another twenty minutes to now calmly walk to my final destination. My throat is dry and my legs kinda hurt from that fast paced sprint but I'm glad I could hold the decision and not change my mind.

"This is my old house," I faintly mutter, gesturing with my arms. "Let's hope I won't break down from the sudden memories and you won't have to drag me to the hospital.
Clarke's eyes carry concern. When she looks at me, even blind could see that she cares if I will end up in the hospital or at her house.
"Are you sure?" She asks worriedly.
I only nod, never more sure about this than now. The house looks empty, sign 'FOR SALE' still hanging on it.

"I don't think we can get inside," I mumble more to myself than Clarke. "It should be locked. But we can climb to the garden and sit there."
Clarke smiles sadly. "Yeah, let's do that."
I think my note about me braking down touched her. She's not acting like she was before I said it.