Chapter Text
December 31st (present day)
‘Are you a fucking moron?’
The pounding in his head, Bellamy soon discovered, was a mixture of the whiskey he’d finished off the night before and his little sister at his front door. He thought the throbbing was just after effect, lulling him out of sleep and punishing him for over-indulging the night before, and probably the four days before that. It had been six days since he’d left the Griffins; he hadn’t been checking his phone, except once or twice when Octavia’s ringtone rang, and he hadn’t really left his apartment. He was moping, if he was honest, and apparently Octavia wasn’t happy about it.
‘Language, O,’ he admonished after pulling the door open.
He narrowed his eyes at the light streaming in from the window opposite his door, and Octavia sent a pointed head tilt his way. She was waiting for him to move aside, but patience had never been her strong suit. She pushed past him into the apartment and clipped him on the shoulder for good measure as she went. Bellamy rubbed the back of his neck and closed the door behind them. Octavia was already rooting through his kitchen cupboards by the time he joined her in the kitchen.
‘You really let this place go to hell after I left.’
Bellamy raised an eyebrow. ‘This place? It’s an apartment, not a bar.’
‘Judging by the look of these,’ she said, eyeing a half-eaten bag of peanuts. ‘I’m not so sure.’
Bellamy rolled his eyes. His sister was anything but subtle. He folded his arms. ‘Is there a reason you interrupted my morning? Or did you just want to piss me off.’
Octavia stared at him. ‘It’s one in the afternoon.’
‘What?’
Bellamy looked at his wrist. As he suspected, his watch still read nine thirty. It had stopped the day before, but Bellamy had been a little too happy to care. Well, as happy as he could be after downing a bottle of whiskey, eating nothing all day, and moping about how he was completely in love with a girl, with whom a relationship was just out of the question. He’d seen to that the moment he’d untangled his arms from around her and slipped quietly out of her bed. God, and then he’d left the note. Bellamy pinched the bridge of his nose.
‘Back to the point,’ Octavia said, her expression softening somewhat upon seeing him so conflicted. ‘What is going on with you?’
He led her into the living room, which pretty much comprised the entire apartment. After his mother had passed away, Bellamy used most of the left over money to start Octavia up in school and pay for his own graduation. After the essentials, he needed a new apartment. He couldn’t stay in their old one; waking up in the middle of the night, when all he could see was his mother’s lifeless body on the floor. It got too much so he packed his – and what Octavia had left – all up and moved further North and closer to Octavia’s school. The apartment he lived in was moderate, to say the least, but it was more than what a lot of people had. One bedroom, separate bathroom, lots of storage and a large kitchen come living area. It was comfortable, and he was happy there. He’d be a lot happier somewhere else, with someone specific, but alas, he’d been as ass.
‘Bell?’
He sat down on the couch and covered his face in his hands. He let out a deep breath, and then decided it was time to say the words out loud. It might hurt less if someone else knew.
‘I love her, O.’
He heard Octavia scoff.
‘I know. So get the fuck on with it because she loves you too.’
Bellamy looked up. ‘What?’
Octavia was smiling smugly at him, and tapping her foot. She’d probably spoken to Clarke between now and returning from Washington, though why it had taken her two days to come by his place, he didn’t know. Maybe something was up, perhaps Octavia had conspired with Clarke about something, and Octavia had been sent as a messenger. Bellamy felt his spirit climb suddenly, like it had been asleep for the longest time and the thought of Clarke, seeing her face, was enough to make his heart start beating again. He cussed himself out.
‘Where’s Clarke now?’
Octavia’s smile faltered and she crossed the room to sit beside him. ‘Bell.’
‘What is it?’
Octavia looked around the room. She reached up with her left hand to push her hair back behind her ear, and that’s when Bellamy finally set eyes on the square cut diamond on her ring finger. He reached out and took her hand, and though she tried to pull away, he kept a tight hold on it and inspected the ring in the light. Octavia was watching him, gaging his reaction, but Bellamy didn’t feel much of anything except… wait, was that joy pooling in his stomach? He withdrew his hands and placed them in his lap.
‘I know you and Lincoln don’t really get along…’ she began precariously. ‘But,’ she turned to face him fully. ‘I’m in love with him, and I’m going to marry him.’
Bellamy didn’t offer a reply right away. He was thinking on her words: I’m in love with him, and I’m going to marry him. Bellamy took a deep breath and sat back on the couch and, then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he spoke.
‘Okay.’
Octavia raised her eyebrows and moved her head from side to side, like she was trying to see through him.
‘Okay?’
He nodded. ‘Okay.’
‘But you don’t like Lincoln, and it’s just okay?’
Bellamy smiled at her, and then sat straight again and took her hand. ‘Apparently there are a couple of people in my life I thought I didn’t like.’
‘But it turns out you loved them?’ Octavia finished for him. She snorted. ‘God, you are such a hallmark card. Just don’t fall in love with Lincoln like you did with Clarke, alright?’
Octavia pushed herself off the couch and headed over to the coat rack. She threw his jacket at him.
‘Now, hurry the hell up.’
‘What for?’ he asked, eyes narrowed. He double checked he was dressed before pulling on his jacket. ‘Is Clarke in the city somewhere?’
Octavia shook her head. ‘Do you have your credit card?’
He nodded. ‘What’s going on?’
Octavia pulled the door open and motioned for him to follow. ‘Come on, we don’t have much time.’
Bellamy stopped opposite her in the doorway. ‘O, what is going on?’
‘Clarke’s not in the city today, or the next couple of days. She’s heading to the airport.’
Bellamy’s heart began to race.
‘She’s meeting her mother’s friend, Marcus, as a favour.’ She paused. ‘Bellamy, he’s on the board of admissions at Harvard.’
Bellamy frowned. ‘But it’s New Year’s Eve. Why would he see her on New Year’s Eve-’
‘Are you fucking kidding me right now?’
Octavia hustled him out of the door and threw her car keys at him.
‘Now hurry your ass up and go get her.’
‘It’s not like she’s leaving for good-’
Octavia hit him on the arm. Bellamy took off down the hall, heading for the stairwell, before she called to him and he looked back at her
‘Where does Wick live?’
December 27th
Clarke was starting to regret her decision to hit the roads so late at night. She knew her parents had been worried, but she’d called them as soon as she’d reached Chicago. It had been almost six in the evening by the time she got to the apartment, and so far it was proving to be for nothing. Bellamy wasn’t answering his cell phone; she’d left an embarrassing number of voicemails and, honestly, it was really starting to piss her off. He was the one who left her right after sex.
She’d been pacing for a good five minutes when the door to the apartment opened, and Clarke’s stomach leapt suddenly at the idea that it could be him.
She was greeted by Lincoln, who was carrying more than a few suitcases and Clarke surmised they were mostly Octavia’s. She moved to the doorway and greeted him, then helped him carry his things through to Octavia’s bedroom. She wasn’t far behind him, and leapt onto Clarke the moment she set foot through the door.
‘Clarke!’ she squealed, and Clarke chuckled.
‘I missed you,’ Clarke said as they pulled apart. Octavia gave her a knowing look.
‘What are you talking about, you had Bellamy there,’ she said, smirking. ‘He’s almost as good as me.’
Clarke tried to smile, she really tried hard. She knew Octavia would see right through her, and while part of her wanted that; part of her wanted her best friend to comfort her, Clarke knew Octavia well enough to know that, when it came down to it, the most important person in her life – aside from Lincoln, now – was Bellamy. Octavia would go to bat for him before anyone else, and Clarke realized, looking at Octavia now, that she was about to find out just how loyal Octavia Blake was.
‘About that,’ Clarke said, looking at the floor.
Octavia put her hands on her hips. ‘What did you do?’
‘It was more of a mutual thing,’ Clarke began wrapping her arms around herself. ‘He found out about Harvard, which I may have omitted…’ She dragged her gaze back up to Octavia, who didn’t look one bit impressed. ‘And then he left me in the middle of the night.’
Octavia closed her eyes and sighed loudly. ‘You two are such idiots. Lincoln, where’s my phone?’
‘Back pocket,’ he said without looking up from their bags.
Octavia pulled it out and put it to her ear with her left hand. Clarke gawped at the ring on her finger.
‘Oh, right,’ Octavia said, waving her hand. ‘I’m engaged.’
Clarke nodded, somewhat bewildered, and turned away. She pulled out her own phone and quickly found a missed call and a waiting message. Her breath caught and she shakily held the phone to her ear after pressing dial.
Her stomach fell as the message played back.
‘Clarke, it’s Marcus Kane! It’s been a long time, but I was talking to your mother before the holidays and thought I should give you a call. I’d like you to come down to Boston so we can chat about your future. Abby told me you were considering Harvard, and I think it’s a great fit. Call me back and we’ll figure out a date, but looking at my calendar now it seems I’m free for dinner New Year’s Eve. You probably have plans, but like I said, call me back and we’ll figure something out. I look forward to hearing from you!’
Clarke listened as the automated voice gave her options; delete, save, call sender. She looked to Octavia, who pulled her phone away from her ear and shrugged.
‘Bell’s not answering.’
Clarke drew her lips into a thin line and, resolved – ignoring the sound of her own heart breaking in her chest – she pressed three. He picked up after two rings.
‘Marcus, hi!’ she said brightly, willing away tears. ‘It’s Clarke. Sorry I missed your call.’
‘That’s no problem, Clarke,’ he said, and Clarke pictured the man she’d met when she was just seven. It had been a long time. ‘What are you thinking?’
Clarke looked at Octavia, and there was so much Bellamy in the girl’s face that Clarke took a moment to reconsider. But then she remembered that she wasn’t the one that left first. She turned away from Octavia and smiled into the handset.
‘Turns out I’m free for dinner New Year’s Eve, so should I book a flight?’
December 28th
‘Can I come in?’
Clarke looked up at the surprising sound. The door to her bedroom was ajar, and so it shouldn’t have come as a shock when someone asked for entry. What was shocking, however, was that it was Lincoln standing before her with his hands shoved into his pockets. They’d never been alone before, and while it wasn’t weird, it certainly wasn’t comfortable. They got on really well; he was over at the apartment a lot, especially the last few months, and he always made breakfast if he’d stayed the night. Clarke liked the guy. He treated Octavia perfectly, and he was a good listener. But the silence between them seemed charged with some unspoken words.
Clarke nodded at him, smiling. She closed her textbook and sat up, cross-legged, at the head of her bed. Lincoln seemed unsure at first, and cautiously made his way into the room. Clarke motioned for him to sit down and he did, at the end of her bed. He rubbed his hands together a little awkwardly, and Clarke couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t been collected. She gathered that he wanted to say something, but probably didn’t think it was his place. It was no secret that Clarke’s ‘relationship’ with Bellamy had gone down in ruins, but the last person she’d expected to find coming to talk to her about it was Lincoln.
‘What’s up?’ she asked, when she couldn’t take the silence any more.
‘Look,’ Lincoln said, seemingly equally as relieved at the sound. ‘Bellamy’s not my favourite person, but Octavia is… and she’s upset because he’s upset because he upset you and you upset him.’
‘I think upset is a little bit of an understatement. He left me…’ she replied, not bothering to go into detail. The look on Lincoln’s face suggested he already understood what she meant.
‘Clarke… I know this isn’t my place, but I just wanted to say that I get it.’
She furrowed her brow. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Before Octavia there was a girl,’ he began, looking up at her. ‘And it didn’t work out. It kind of broke me for a while there, and so when Octavia and I first met I wasn’t ready. I was terrified. But now I wouldn’t give her up for the world. I love her. So… I get that you’re probably scared after everything that happened with Finn, and I just wanted you to know that…’ he trailed off, chuckling. ‘I can’t believe I’m in here defending Bellamy Blake.’
Clarke laughed, and so did he.
‘Thank you,’ she said, sincerely, but it didn’t really sway her. ‘But it’s like you said. After everything that happened with Finn… and now Bellamy’s just another guy that walked away. I mean, Finn didn’t so much walk away as much I kicked him out,’ she said, offering a sad smile. ‘But Bellamy’s still the guy that didn’t seem to think I was worth waiting around for.’
She stood up, and Lincoln followed.
‘Thank you for saying that, really,’ she continued. ‘I’m okay. I mean… it kinda sucks because I think for a second there I really did love him. But whatever, right?’ She rocked back and forth on her toes. ‘Boston awaits.’
Lincoln looked her over. ‘For what it’s worth,’ he said. ‘I think you’re wrong.’
Clarke shrugged. ‘It is what it is.’
Lincoln was half way out of the door when he turned back one last time. ‘Clarke, he looks at you like you hung the damn moon. It’s not over until it’s over, right?’ She furrowed her brows. ‘What?’
Clarke sat back down and opened her textbook once more. ‘Just never thought I’d be talking to you about this.’
Lincoln smiled gently, and then he was gone.
December 29th
‘You might want to slow down.’
Bellamy raised his eyebrow at Wick from across the bar and scoffed. In a true act of defiance, Bellamy took another swig of his whiskey bottle and stared at his friend. Wick stared back, arms folded across his chest as he watched Bellamy’s slow descent into misery.
‘It’s kinda sad,’ Wick said.
Bellamy took another swig.
‘Cry me a river,’ said Wick, rolling his eyes.
Another sip. Wick threw his dish towel at his friend. Bellamy’s impaired hand-eye coordination made it impossible for him to catch it before it hit him in the face. Wick turned away.
‘If you’re so damn bent on being heartbroken, why not go the whole nine yards?’ he said, searching the top shelf. ‘At least drink the good stuff.’
‘Blake!’
Both Bellamy and Wick turned at the sound of Raven Reyes, loud and annoyed, in the doorway of the Ark. She stormed over to where Bellamy was sitting, and while Wick found himself immediately distracted by her, even he shrank back a little in her presence.
‘You wanna tell me what the hell you think you’re doing with Clarke?’
She stopped just beside Bellamy, but he merely looked away and stuck the bottle of whiskey back to his lips. He shrugged, and his voice was distorted when he spoke.
‘She’s leaving.’
Raven slapped him on the arm. ‘In like nine months! How much time do you need to figure things out? Ten?’
Bellamy didn’t reply. He grabbed the bottle and stood up, before heading in the direction of an empty, closed off booth in the corner of the bar. Raven watched him go, mouth slightly agape, before turning back to Wick. He leaned forward on the bar, hoping just a little that she’d lean in too and kiss him real good. She didn’t, so he settled for just looking her in the eye. She nodded in the direction of a bottle hanging up, and he poured her a shot of vodka. She drank it quickly.
‘Have you ever seen anything so stupid?’ she asked Wick.
‘He’s even more pathetic than usual today. Octavia hasn’t been around either, apparently.’
‘He won’t answer his damn cell phone is why, and she can’t find her key. She’s too excited about being engaged to find it, and Lincoln isn’t being very helpful. As for Clarke…’ Raven trailed off, like there was something on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t say it, whatever it was, and Wick didn’t push her to. He leaned against the back wall and threw his rag over his shoulder.
‘You coming over tonight?’ he asked, biting his lip.
Raven rolled her eyes at him, but she couldn’t hide the smile brewing on her face. She cleared her throat loudly and turned on her heel. ‘Leave the door unlocked and maybe I’ll surprise you.’
Wick grinned. Whatever she was doing to his heart, he liked it. He liked it a lot. Bellamy was scowling at him from the corner. Wick flipped him the bird with a shit-eating grin and then, feeling a little badly about it, he took a bag of peanuts over to his friend. He even opened them for him too.
December 31st (present day)
‘Wrench monkey,’ Wick drawled from where he was lying in bed. ‘What are you doing all the way over there?’
Raven chuckled from where she stood by the window. It was so cliché; sunlight streaming in from the window, bathing her skin in a warm glow, Wick covered up to the waist in white bed sheets – she was surprised his bed sheets were white but then she hadn’t much time the night before to care. She didn’t really care now, it was just such a magazine-worthy shot. Raven was wrapped up in a red blanket, holding it under her arms. She looked at him from over her shoulder, and he was giving her that lazy smirk; the same lazy smirk that sent her blood rushing and had been known to leave her feeling dizzy.
‘Come back to bed, please,’ he said quietly, motioning for her to join him.
She shook her head. ‘Wick… we need to talk.’
He pouted. ‘Uh oh.’
She drew closer and slowly started peeling away the blanket in exchange for her bra. She didn’t much care that he was watching her; she’d already given him everything the night before, and while the sex had been mind-blowing and he made her laugh and gave her butterflies, that was exactly the problem.
‘This is just sex,’ she said simply.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, holding the clasps of her bra up behind her back for him to put together. He obliged, and then ran his hands along the length of her spine. He brought his mouth to the back of her neck and left it there, grazing his lips across her skin and drawing a low moan from her. Raven closed her eyes; she was completely at his mercy. His hands on her skin, leaving a trail of sparks… she was losing her train of thought, and so turned abruptly to him and pinned his arms behind his head.
‘I mean it, Wick,’ she said, hovering over him so their faces were just a couple of inches apart.
She could feel his breath on her mouth and smirked. If he wanted to tease her, and touch her in just the right spot on her neck, she was pretty sure she could wind him up just the same way. One of her hands wandered down his chest, stroking it and drawing circles. She watched his face and his eyes flickered closed. She liked having the power; it turned her on a little. He bit his lip and she moved her hand further down, passed his stomach and under the bed sheet. Wick gasped then and flipped them over. Raven wriggled, laughing, but he was stronger and kept her in place. She settled for wrapping her legs around his waist; he’d enjoyed it enough last night.
He kissed her jaw.
‘Wick,’ she said, breathlessly, turning her head a little to help him find that spot on her neck. She placed her hands either side of his face and pulled him back up to look at her. ‘Just sex.’
He smirked at her. ‘That’s fine with me,’ he said, though she suspected a little that he might be lying for her benefit. ‘Just one thing.’
‘What’s that?’ she said, stroking his cheek.
‘Don’t fall in love with me, Reyes.’
Raven laughed and shrieked then as he started kissing her jaw and neck and chest and –
‘I don’t have time to knock!’ Octavia’s shrill voice came from the hallway, and Raven and Wick both turned their heads to look as she pushed the bedroom door open. ‘Raven!’
Raven, still pressed to the mattress with Wick between her legs, glared at her. ‘What the hell could be so important –’
‘Bellamy’s going to the airport,’ Octavia said, looking up at the ceiling as though it was the most interesting thing she’d seen all year. ‘I need you to call Clarke and delay her as long as possible. Just make something up.’
Raven pushed Wick off her and he tumbled to the floor. She landed on top of him, mumbling apologies. She kissed him hard on the mouth and rocked forward, just enough to make him grin against her lips. Then, with promises that she’d be back later, she stood up and got dressed in a hurry. God, Clarke had better be grateful for this in the long run.
‘She’s not answering her phone,’ Raven said, descending the steps outside Wick’s house. ‘Why am I being dragged into this anyway?’
‘I don’t know. I just feel like we might need to be the back-up squad.’
‘Back-up squad for what?’
‘I don’t know!’
Raven rolled her eyes. They came to the sidewalk and set off in the direction of their apartment.
‘Octavia, don’t ever barge in on me having sex again.’
Octavia didn’t seem able to look at her.
‘Won’t be a problem.’
December 31st (present day)
Clarke was feeling brave.
It had been a long, long time since she’d stood in an airport, much less held a ticket for a flight in her hands. She had her passport in hand, too, but man she hated the picture. She was the spitting image of her mother in it, and she was still a little angry with her. She knew the anger was misplaced, of course, but anger wasn’t exactly the most rational of emotions. She tapped her ticket against her other hand, glancing around. She only had an overnight bag; she wasn’t planning on staying more than a few days. Marcus and his wife, Anya, had agreed to let her stay as long as she wanted, but she didn’t want to impose.
She was excited, and she tried to make it obvious by plastering a grin on her face. A group of guys walked by her, looking as though they were heading somewhere exotic on vacation; the Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts sort of gave it away. One of them gave her the once over, then whispered to the rest, and suddenly there were five pairs of eyes glinting in her direction and smirking like idiots. Clarke pointedly rolled her eyes at them all and then turned in the direction of some chairs. There were no empty ones, and Clarke wasn’t surprised. Why on earth she’d agreed to travel on New Year’s Eve, on a plane no less, was beyond her.
She remembered the look on Octavia’s face when Bellamy didn’t pick up the phone, and the sinking feeling that he just didn’t want her any more. She wanted to get far away, and while Boston was still the same country, it was far enough away for now. It’s not like she’d run into him while roaming her new campus. She looked around at the people, and was struck with something that she’d always really known, deep down.
Chicago was home, and it always would be.
The acknowledgement left an ache in her stomach.
Clarke turned back to the departure board. She still had half an hour before her flight would probably start boarding. Half an hour. Clarke looked around. If anybody wanted to turn up and make some grand gesture, they had half an hour to do it in…
If only her life were a romantic comedy.
December 31st (present day)
If only his life was one of those goddamn movies that Clarke and Octavia loved so much.
Bellamy was stuck in traffic, only about ten minutes from the airport, and he was starting to get a little antsy. Octavia had texted and said Clarke’s flight was due to leave in half an hour, and the longer he looked at the clock, the faster time seemed to tick. He slammed his hands against the steering wheel of Octavia’s jeep. Looking around, he spotted a space just off to the side where he could probably leave the car. If he started running right now, he might make it with some time to spare.
If he waited any longer, he might miss her.
Bellamy looked at the clock one more time, then back at the traffic ahead.
‘Screw it.’
Bellamy pulled over.
What do you know?
He took off running.
Seems his life was like a movie after all.
Clarke was watching the clock. She checked it against her watch just to be sure it was right. Maybe it was wrong and maybe it was too fast and maybe she actually had more time than she thought. Maybe there was more time to spare, for someone to come and –
Flight E190 direct to Boston will begin boarding in ten minutes at gate 5.
Clarke hesitantly picked up her bag.
‘Whatever ticket is cheapest!’ Bellamy yelled at the desk clerk some time later, panting.
Clarke looked once more back at airport security. Somehow, nothing that had happened mattered anymore. It wasn’t as if she was never coming back, but this flight to Boston somehow felt so final, and there was no sign of anyone to make it feel otherwise. No sign of him.
‘Well, that’s that.’
Bellamy pushed through the thick fog of bystanders. Airport security was right ahead.
Clarke hitched her bag on her arm and made sure she had her ticket. Her stomach was bubbling with nerves, but she just had to get over this first hurdle. Once over that, she’d be fine. She could do it.
So what the hell was that nagging in the back of her head and, more importantly, in her heart all about? She felt the need to look back one more time.
She did.
And that’s when she saw him.
‘Clarke!’
Bellamy burst through a crowd of onlookers, and when he saw her his heart soared.
Bellamy.
Her legs were moving suddenly and she was running, running right to him and he was running to her. They collided somewhere in the middle, his arms going around her waist and her grabbing hold of the lapels of his jacket.
‘What are you doing –’ she began.
‘Octavia told me you were coming –’
‘I’m so sorry, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Harvard –’
‘I’m sorry I left you –’
‘I shouldn’t have lied –’
‘I never should have left you I just – Clarke, stop,’ he said, brushing hair out of her face with one hand. He left his palm on her cheek. She took a deep breath and relaxed under his touch. ‘I should have stayed.’
Flight E190 direct to Boston is now boarding at gate 5.
They both looked up at the departures board, and Clarke felt his grip on her waist tighten. With his other hand, he gently brought her face back around to his own. He was looking down at her with such vulnerability that Clarke felt she might melt in his embrace.
‘Bellamy…’ she whispered. He brought his other hand up to her face too, and she took hold of his wrists.
‘I didn’t want you to leave me,’ he said quietly. ‘You would have left me, eventually, for Boston and for an amazing future that you deserve, and I would just weigh you down. I didn’t want you to leave… so I left you first. But we can figure it out, right? Just please don’t lie to me again.’
‘Bellamy, stop –’
‘Clarke,’ he said, and he pressed their foreheads together. He looked her in the eye, and Clarke was suddenly unaware of anyone else around them.
‘I love you.’
Clarke breathed out. Time had slowed. She backed away, throwing his arms down and away from her. Bellamy followed as she stepped back, but Clarke held up a hand to stop him. They locked eyes, and hers were wide with apprehension because if he loved her, then he wouldn’t have left. But she knew Bellamy, and she knew that’s exactly why he slipped away unnoticed. Bellamy, for all his declarations of love and sincerity now, had still been a colossal idiot the week before.
‘Clarke –’
‘First of all!’ She shoved him hard in the chest and he tripped over his own feet. He tumbled to the floor, and Clarke stood over him. Some onlookers around them turned their heads at the commotion.
‘How dare you leave me in the middle of the night. Who does that?’ She offered him a hand back up, and he took it. ‘Second of all, yes, we’re going to figure this out.’
She shoved him again, but he managed to stay upright this time. He even smiled a little bit.
‘You want to know why?’
‘Why?’ he challenged, brushing himself off.
‘Because I love you too, you dumbass.’
This is the final call for flight E190 to Boston, boarding at gate 5. Final call.
Bellamy looked at her.
‘Moment of truth, Clarke,’ he said. ‘What’s it going to be?’
Clarke didn’t hesitate. She grabbed his jacket and he responded in kind, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her like it was the last time. For all he knew, it was.
But Clarke knew differently.
‘We can make it work,’ he said quietly, in between kisses.
‘Thank God,’ Clarke said, tugging her lips away from him. ‘I really didn’t want to get on that plane!’
They laughed, and then Bellamy kissed her again.
Yeah, Chicago was definitely home, but being home in Bellamy’s arms just made it so much better.