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Lexa’s nose crinkles as she smirked over the top of her glass at girl sitting beside her. The rum pleasantly burning as she sipped it. This was nice. Dare she say it, this was being a normal, functioning, young adult. A functioning young adult who didn’t pine after her roommate. Her roommate who had decided they should just be friends before they were roommates, and then somehow ended up becoming one of her roommates. But she wasn’t thinking about that, or that one fateful conversation with Anya before all of this, asking her best friend if it was a terrible idea to let the blonde take the open room in the house. Or Anya’s response of “Fuck it, we’re young. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Kraken, huh?” Lexa teased reading the label off the liquor bottle in her hand. “Does this mean you’re a Greyjoy?”
“Whatever you say Hufflepuff,” The girl next to her quipped, pulling Lexa out of her thoughts and causing her to choke on her rum. It was a thing they used to do, purposely miscast each other in different shows and books they had a shared interest in, solely to try and get a rise out of the other. She had missed this.
“First of all, wrong fandom. Secondly, I am not a Hufflepuff,” she scoffed, placing the bottle of liquor back down on the coffee table. Squaring herself to face the blonde hair and brown eyes she’d been entertaining the last hour. Everything about this girl made Lexa feel warm, from her brown skin, to her honey eyes, to her dyed blonde hair. She puffed out her chest, posture becoming impossibly straighter, “I’m a Gryffindor.”
Costia squinted her eyes at the brunette, feigning contemplation. “Eh, maybe a Ravenclaw.”
Lexa rolled her eyes in an exaggerated sort of way that takes years of practice and a certain penchant for stubbornness as a child. Secretly, she quite liked the idea of being pegged as a Ravenclaw, but it was the principle of the matter.
They had had a thing last winter, but it fell apart before it could really get started when Costia agreed to be exclusive with someone else when they were still too new. The sex she had missed, the sex and banter; not so much the singing. What right do you have to tell someone you think their rubbish when you wouldn’t be surprised if you were tone deaf yourself? Add being painfully polite and well, it leads to events like the guitar incident of Aardvark Ave that her and Raven never spoke of. But again, that was a different story. Lexa may have hidden her guitar in her closet before Costia came over tonight, for safe keeping.
Tonight was a warm July night and Lexa had never been more glad she answered Costia’s out of the blue text after months of not talking. That one text led to coffee, to learning they were both currently single, to more texts, and now to rum and a house somehow empty of all other inhabitants.
There was the distinct sound of keys jingling and the turn of a lock before the front door to their right swung open. “Thanks for the ride!” A loud husky voice broke the sanctuary the two girls had somehow found themselves in all evening, in a house of five roommates. How up until this moment Lexa had, like Moses, parted the sea of roommates to have the house alone, was a mystery to her.
“Hey Lex,” The blonde said as she closed the door, her back falling against it. “You would not believe the night I had!” she began, while Lexa unable to stop herself, eyed her roommate’s appearance. Lexa assumed it was work function based on the dress and the heels unceremoniously clunked to the ground next to the door. Lexa loved that dress. Lexa loved a lot of Clarke’s dresses. She also loved how much Clarke loved dresses, her closet seemingly overflowing with them. This dress in particular though was a deep democrat blue that accentuated Clarke’s eyes, among other assets. Lexa blinked, realizing she’d been staring the whole time Clarke talked. “OH! Sorry, Lex! I didn’t realize you had company over,” she added acknowledging Costia, seated directly next to Lexa on the couch, for the first time.
“Hmm,” Lexa cleared her throat, covering her mouth with a closed fist, “Clarke, this is Costia. Costia, Clarke,” talking with her hands as much as her words.
“Pleasure,” Clarke said, blue eyes darting between the two. Lexa could tell Clarke was buzzed from her faster than usual speech and glassy, mischievously eyes.
“Hi,” Costia replied with a small smile and a wave, assessing the girl standing in front her, directing her attention toward Lexa.
Lexa suddenly felt very warm as she pulled at the collar of her flannel. Her eyes pinging between the two blondes in the room as a silent beat stretched out awkwardly between the three girls.
“Can you believe Finn?” Clarke commented on what she had told Lexa when she first walked in. “The dick tried to date me while he had a girlfriend last year, then has the nerve to grab my arm tonight, at a work function, and try and ‘talk’ in private” she added air quotes with the roll of her eyes. “I swear Bellamy almost started a fight in front of the Congresswoman.”
Lexa made a noise of disapproval. She had met Bellamy a few times; she wasn’t a fan. But arrogance and machismo aside, Clarke claimed he was a good friend to her so Lexa tolerated him.
“Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Clarke said with the shake of her head, “I’ll let you two get back to your…” she glanced down at the half drunk bottle of Kraken rum on the coffee table, “night,” she finished, and with a smile that didn’t quite reach her blue eyes Clarke bounded toward the stairs with a tipsy wobble, disappearing to the second floor and presumably her room.
Lexa’s eyes follow Clarke like she was a strong magnet, and Lexa was weak.
She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Lexa wasn’t sure if the flush she felt with from Costia and Clarke in the same room could be blamed on the amount of rum she’d consumed or if it meant she needed to drink more. “Sorry about that,” she took a sip shrugging, trying to sound nonchalant, “roommates.”
Costia made a noise in her throat and laughed before taking a sip from her own glass.
“What?”
“I see someone has a type,” she teased.
Lexa sputtered, “What?”
Costia eyed her, knowingly “That the roommate?”
Lexa nodded with a laugh, “Yes. And I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh no?” Costia leaned further in toward Lexa on the couch, perching her cheek on her hand, “Pretty, curvy, blonde?”
Lexa coughed, rubbing the back of her neck, a tell she had yet to self identify.
“She’s feisty,” Costia shrugged, “I can see it.”
“We’re just friends,” Lexa defended.
Costia smiled in the sort of way that hit Lexa over the head with just how attractive she was, “Good,” she murmured before lifting the bottle of Kraken rum off the coffee table and refilling their tumblers. Lexa grinned.
“So do you think it was the milk man or the husband?” They had settled back into their easy conversation and TV commentary almost seamlessly.
The TV was playing some crime show they’d been betting on in between banter all evening, turning back to it Lexa tilted her head in deliberation.
“Definitely the husband.”
“See, now I was leaning toward milk man.”
Not tell minutes later, Lexa and Costia’s heads turned toward the stairs at the sound of bare feet on hardwood. They watch Clarke descend the stairs and join them in the living room, still clad in her blue dress that hit just above the knee.
“Lexa,” Clarke dragged out the a in a whine, “I can’t get it.” Walking over, past Costia, until she was in front of Lexa on the couch, “Can you unzip me?”
Lexa swallows, hard. She told herself to ignore the husk in Clarke’s voice, that that was her normal tone. Her eyes darted between Clarke who is already turning, shoulders exposed directly in front of her and Costia’s ever higher reaching brow.
“Um,” Lexa coughs into her fist again, “Sure,” she jerks to her feet as Clarke wrangles her blonde waves, sweeping the mass of gold to one shoulder, exposing her delicious pale neck and the brass zipper.
If pressed, Lexa would swear the zipper was ten feet long, and took eons for her hand to unveil her roommates back, and she didn’t even pull it down all the way. She was as efficient as possible, for being a mess. She blamed the kraken. Lexa took a quick step back, releasing the bit of metal as if it burned her, or maybe that was just the blush blazing across her cheekbones.
Still holding her hair out of the way, Clarke turned her head to look over her shoulder at Lexa. “Thanks,” she murmured, throwing Lexa a half smile, hands carding through her hair as she walked back toward the stair, a sway in her hips with each step. Lexa actively scolded herself to not watch the sway of those hips. She plopped back down on the couch, turning back to Costia, willing the situation to not be as awkward as she felt. What the hell was that? How did Clarke always do that? Surprise her, continually keeping her on her toes. It was a fine line between nerves and excitement, and she reminded herself she was no longer accepting false hope.
Costia’s brow was perched somewhere above her hairline, an almost impressed look on her face as she nodded her head.
“What?” Lexa couldn’t handle the silence.
Costia burst out laughing. It was the kind of laugh that involved the whole body, head thrown back, mouth open wide. When she finally stopped, a knowing smirk resided on her beautiful face.
“I see what she did there,” she commented throwing her gaze to the now empty stairs and back to Lexa, “I can respect it. Marking her territory. That was well played.”
“What?” Her territory? No. She wasn’t Clarke’s, they were just friends. Clarke had decided that months ago, and that was that.
“Oh Lexa,” Costia sighed with a chuckle.
“I’m not her territory,” Lexa brow furrowed, she sat a little straighter.
Costia smiled at her softly, “She came home and saw you all cuddled up on the couch with a pretty girl and a bottle of kraken. She was just trying to let me know what’s up,” she laughed nodding her head again, “You know, and I can’t fault her, you’re hot, and I’d be lying if I said I’d never done anything similar. Though I will say I am a little impressed, that was a bold more.”
“I’m not her territory,” Lexa repeated, Costia’s words slowly seeping in, “I’m not anyone’s. Completely single.” She pointed her thumbs at herself in the dorky kind of way that caused Costia’s eyes to gleam. “Honestly, I don’t know what that was, but we’re just friends.”
Costia placed her hand on Lexa’s thigh, above the knee, rubbing her thumb back and forth over smooth tan skin. “I know.” She scooted a bit closer, “you may want to remind her of that.” Settled into Lexa side, she placed her lips to Lexa’s ear, “or at least tell her to get in line.”
Lexa felt the blush return full force across her cheeks as a grin settled in the corners of her lips and a warmth in her chest.
At some point they switched to water and range of topics. A little while later another roommate, Nyko, came home and with a polite nod walked toward the kitchen and the back stairwell to his room. Lexa wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but two crimes and half a glass of water later the loud thump of pattering feet on hardwood broke their little bubble in the living room.
A sweep of blonde hair appeared first followed by the rest of Clarke coming to a thudding halt halfway down the front stairs, clad in sweats and a t-shirt, book in hand.
“ARYA’S BLIND?!”
Costia gasped. “What?!”
“Clarke!” Lexa’s eyes bugged out. “What the fuck?”
Clarke looked wild, still in the throws of adrenaline from a new discovery, while simultaneously trying to process the scene she created in the living room.
“Costia is only on the third book.”
“Shit,” Clarke looked between the two girls on the couch, one shocked the other angry. “Sorry!”
The three girls stared at each other for a moment, before Clarke mumbled another apology and slunk back up the stairs.
Costia sighed deeply, “I can forgive her for the power play,” she shook her head, “But I don’t think I can look past the Game of Thrones spoiler. Totally uncool.” She rubbed the heels of her hands in her eyes, “I’m never going to be able to forget that.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault she has no book etiquette.”
“I’m still sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Costia sighed, “I feel like I’m going to have this weird association now every time I unzip a dress I’m going to think about the fact that Arya goes blind.”
Lexa laughed. Well, she sure as hell was from now on.
“I think I’m going to head out,” Costia sighed later that night, “Discovery channel territory marking and spoilers aside, I had a good time.”
Lexa walked Costia onto the front porch, leaning against the door jam. One corner of Lexa’s mouth ticked up into a smirk, “Me too.” She rested the side of her head against the doorframe, “You okay to drive?”
“Perfectly fine, thanks” Costia smiled at her sweetly, she leaned up pecking a kiss to Lexa’s cheek. “Thanks for a good time, Hufflepuff.”
Lexa scoffed as the smile on her lips overtook her whole face. “You too, Greyjoy.”
“Too soon,” Costia feigned, clasping her hands over her heart at the Game of Thrones reference as she walked backward down the walkway and disappeared into her car.
Lexa stretched out in her bed, tucked under her duvet. Her mind was too worked up to sleep, so she cracked open the book on her nightstand hoping to distract her mind or at the very least tire out her eyes. She hears Anya and her girlfriend get home sometime after one, flipping the page to a new chapter. A light knock on her door pulled her out of her book, her brow furrowing. “Come in.”
Clarke’s head pokes through the cracked open door, “I saw your light on…can I come in?”
Lexa nodded, pushing her turtle framed glasses up the crook of her nose, curiosity getting the best of her. She placed her book open against her stomach she sat up against the headboard.
Clarke shut the door quietly, leaning against it, head thudding lightly against the wood. “I’m sorry,” she breathed, hands behind her back wringing the book she held.
“You just…next time check the room for who’s reading a book before spouting out major plot points.” It came out quiet, like the night itself; whether to be courteous to her friends sleeping on the other side of the thin wall or to suit the mood in the room, she wasn’t sure.
“How was I to know she’s reading Game of Thrones?” Clarke crossed her arms over her chest stepping away from the door and toward Lexa.
“Clarke,” Lexa deadpanned, “The entire world is reading or watching Game of Thrones.”
“Well, I’m behind most people, as you like to remind me,” she shot back her eyes blazing blue flames staring earnestly into green. “Sorry I didn’t realize you got all the girls you’ve date to read Game of Thrones.”
Lexa opened and closed her mouth. Did she think her and Costia were dating? I mean, they’d started hanging out again, but nothing had been like a date, date.
“My mistake for thinking Game of Thrones was our thing.”
Lexa looked up at that, blue eyes dancing around the room as soon as they met green. Lexa swallowed hard. “It is our thing.”
“Apparently not.”
“She knew of Game of Thrones before we met.”
“Then how is she behind me?”
“Not everyone is a speed reader.” She shook her head thinking about how fast Clarke could read. “It’s just proper book etiquette to ask if someone is reading it first, before discussing it.”
“Book etiquette?” Clarke said exasperated, “That’s not a thing.”
“It is,” Lexa insisted with a slight chuckle, despite herself.
“How was I supposed to know that?”
“Everyone knows that.”
“Apparently not everyone,” Clarke pointed at herself. “I never know any of this pop culture stuff. Before you, all I read was bill proposals and news. I think this is the first fun thing I’ve read since the congresswoman’s first campaign.”
Lexa melted slightly at the confession, holding Clarke’s gaze. “Well now you know.”
“Now I know,” Clarke repeated.
She gave the blonde a soft lopsided smile.
Clarke squirmed on the spot she stood, “Can you forgive me?” It was the look and the tone, and in a flash Lexa was certain she had the exact image of how Clarke got out of trouble as a kid.
“What do you do next time you want to talk about a new popular book?”
“Book etiquette.”
The breathed in the same quiet moment, and like a contagion the hesitant smile on Clarke’s face grew and spread to Lexa’s.
The blonde squirmed like a puppy trying to wait patiently to be let off it’s leash.
“Can we talk about where I am in the book now?” The question gushed out like one long word, no breath or time wasted on spaces.
Lexa couldn’t help it, the excitement in Clarke’s voice infecting her, “We can.”
Clarke took a step toward the bed before halting herself. “Can I?” Lexa knew what she was asking, she nodded her head and scooched over, making room for her roommate to join her in bed.
Clarke climbed under the covers immediately, burrowing in until she was comfortable. Her book abandoned above the covers she snaked her arm across Lexa’s warm stomach, displacing Lexa’s book to the side in the process, her head finding the crook between Lexa’s neck and the plain of her shoulder. Automatically Lexa’s arm wrapped around Clarke and the blonde let out a contented sigh. “I can’t believe Arya’s blind!”