Work Text:
“Flower delivery!”
One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three--
Bellamy grinned at Clarke’s surprised face when she opened the door, holding out the bouquet of azaleas in his hand. She was still in the same shorts and hoodie she always wore to bed, despite it being Saturday afternoon. Her hair was yanked back into a sloppy bun, her toenails winking a glittery blue under the hallway lights.
Quizzically, she looked between him and the flowers. “What is this?”
“I told you, flower delivery.”
A smile tugged at her mouth even as she reached out to accept the bouquet. “What’s the occasion?”
He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I was coming back from the grocery store and passed the stand at the market like always. Saw those and thought of you. They’re your favorite, right?”
As if he didn’t know the answer already, seeing as he’d brought her tulips the week before - her second-favorite - and an extra case of Thin Mints the week before that. So what if he wanted to court her a little without her actually knowing about it?
Clarke’s smile became wider, shy as it was. She nodded, bringing the flowers to her nose and taking a deep breath. “They are. Thanks, Bell, these are lovely.”
“Sure.” Bellamy lingered a second longer, gratified by the sight of her cheeks becoming as pink as the petals. That was a win in his book. “So I got a bunch of stuff for eggplant parmesan, if you want to come by for dinner? There’ll probably be enough to feed the building.”
She laughed. “You know I can’t say no to your cooking. Is Nate around as well?”
“Actually yeah, Monty’s visiting too. Figured you might want to come say hi.”
“Perfect. I’ll be there. Oh! I found this thing online for Jello shooters, I thought maybe we could try them for the holiday, want to see?” She wiggled her eyebrows invitingly, bouncing on her toes. “Here, come in, let me find a jar for these. The recipe’s on my computer.”
She strode to her cupboards, motioning to the Mac sitting open on the counter. Bellamy chuckled at the picture of the red white and blue jello shots.
“You would find patriotic Jello.”
“What? It’s the 4th of July, what’s wrong with that?”
What’s wrong is that you’re adorable and I want to kiss you and love you-- “Nothing,” he answered. “Sounds awesome. Miller will be thrilled. Although I’d go easier on the vodka this time. Just a little.”
She paused to stick out her tongue before returning to her task, filling a tall jar with water and gently crowding the stems inside. Setting the flowers on the table, she beamed at him.
“Beautiful.”
Just like you. He swallowed the thought and smiled back. He loved surprising her like this, just little things now and then to brighten her day or let her know someone was thinking of her. She deserved to be thought of all the time.
And especially after her dad’s visit, when the man had practically called him out for being googly-eyed over his daughter, Bellamy figured maybe it was okay to be a bit more obvious about it. This was Clarke, after all. She was one of the smartest people he knew-- but surprisingly oblivious when it came to her heart. Not to mention protective. He knew both of those things all too well. He also knew that he wanted to be the one she let in. For good.
Realizing he’d been staring a bit too long, he averted his eyes to her computer screen, only to see a message pop up in the corner. The little plink notification got Clarke’s attention as well, and she came over. Before he could move out of the way, she’d set her chin on his shoulder, her breath warming his ear as she reached around him to tap the keyboard. Bellamy closed his eyes for a moment, his senses overwhelmed by her proximity.
Then Clarke made a little “hmm”, and he turned his head to see her pretty mouth turned downwards in a frown, the crease in her forehead making a reappearance.
“What’s wrong?”
She pursed her lips, blue eyes narrowed. “My cousin’s getting married next weekend and my mom was supposed to go for the rehearsal dinner and the ceremony, but something came up at work… last-minute surgery, as usual. Dad’s on a trip out of town for one of his showcases. So she wants me to go instead.”
“Is that a bad thing?” He ventured.
“It’s not my cousin that I mind. It’s his family that I’m not ready for. Especially seeing as I’d have no date, so everyone will probably jump to ask me why I haven’t found a nice boy yet, blah blah blah.” She rolled her eyes and was about to trash the message when he covered her hand with his without thinking.
“I could be your date,” he blurted out. Clarke stared, wide-eyed, her mouth open. Wow, Blake. Just… wow. “If you want,” he added hastily. Because that makes it better.
There was a flash of something too quick for him to understand, and then she shook her head. “No, it’s fine, I couldn’t ask you to-”
“You’re not asking. I’m volunteering.”
Now her gaze turned shrewd, and she folded her arms across her chest. “Why? What could you possibly get out of being poked and prodded by my extended family?”
She had a point. He had two options here - confess that he was kind of desperate to spend more time alone with her and also already basically in love and had her father’s blessing-- or, be a chickenshit. And maybe use the trip to at least make her feel special however he could. If that meant being shown off to her cousins, so be it.
Bellamy cleared his throat and turned around all the way to face her. “Look, the way I see it we can kill two birds with one stone here." Keep it practical, man. "Your cousins will nag you if you go alone, right? And your mom’s going to nag you for sure if you don’t go. Besides she still thinks we’re dating, doesn’t she?”
When Clarke nodded hesitantly, he smiled. “So she’ll likely have told everyone that you have a date. In that case you may as well drag me along. Maybe this’ll shut them all up for a while.”
She still looked unsure, so he bumped her shoulder lightly. “Come on, princess. I’m a pretty good fake boyfriend, in case you’ve forgotten that time with your dad, or the high school dance where I saved you from all the single parents, or the bonfire--”
Her hand clapped over his mouth even as her own lips twitched at the corners. Okay, yeah, maybe he’d taken advantage of the chance to be her other half one too many times… but she hadn’t seemed to mind, either, and frankly the way she kissed was nothing short of spectacular so really who could blame him?
Clarke assessed him for another long minute. “You’ll need a suit,” she finally said.
Bellamy’s heart leapt and he kissed her palm without thinking. Her features twisted in surprise again. Okay, okay, no big deal. You did it for practice. Duh. “I can get one.”
“And some nice clothes for the dinner.”
“Done.”
Clarke chewed her lip. “I’ll drive us there. It’s three hours, a bit more with traffic. They’re paying for the overnight stay at the hotel. I know, I know, they’re loaded and proud of it.” Her nose wrinkled. “Yet another reason I don’t often see them. Anyways, so the wedding is Saturday afternoon… oh, but the dinner’s Friday, can you get off work on such short notice?”
“Lucky my roommate happens to be a sub, huh?” Bellamy grinned freely, and even Clarke couldn’t hide her relieved laugh.
“Okay.” She released a long breath. “Okay. We’re doing this, then.”
“Yes we are.”
Unexpectedly, she flung her arms around him for a long minute, hugging him fiercely. "I'll make it up to you."
Bellamy hid his smile in her shoulder. "Don't you worry. I'm more than happy to collect payment the same way as last time." He broke into laughter as Clarke shoved away from him, her cheeks aflame as she sent both middle fingers in his direction.
~~~~~~~~~~
Miller couldn’t hide his glee a single bit when Clarke mentioned the plan at dinner that night. Bellamy shot him a warning glance just in case the alcohol chose this particular moment to loosen his friend’s tongue. He was a great guy, one of the best in fact - but he also knew how hopelessly head over heels Bellamy was for Clarke, and that was not something that needed to come out right now.
Thankfully, Monty was very distracting, with an endless array of questions not just about the wedding, but Clarke in general, so Bellamy was free to occasionally kick Miller under the table while they all ate. Clarke had taken one bite of the food and dropped her head to his shoulder, mumbling incoherent praise before diving back in with gusto. So yeah, his ego was about a mile wide at the moment.
The bottle of wine got passed around quite a bit as he learned that Clarke’s cousin was named Tyler and he was actually one of the cousins she liked more, aside from his family’s desire to show their wealth at every opportunity. The woman he was marrying was Marcy, his college sweetheart.
“She’s a good person,” Clarke said firmly, and Bellamy hid his smile behind another sip of wine. He loved how certain she was about things like that. Once someone had Clarke’s loyalty, they would have it for life - as long as they didn’t do something idiotic to fuck it up.
“So you guys have your stories all ready?” Monty asked afterwards, gesturing between the two of them. Bellamy finished loading the dishwasher and grinned over at Clarke.
“Not our first rodeo.”
Predictably, she flushed and shoved his shoulder, though she was smiling too.
“Oh yeah? Do tell.” Monty sat on the couch with a contented sigh. “By the way, that dinner was delicious, Bellamy. Thanks for cooking.”
“Yeah, thanks roomie.” Miller stretched out on the length of the couch, his feet in Monty’s lap. That left only the armchair for Clarke and Bellamy. He glared at his roommate, who winked none too discreetly.
Bellamy rubbed his neck and hoped Clarke hadn’t been watching. “Go ahead,” he mumbled to her. “I’ll take the floor.”
“Don’t be silly.” Before he could protest, she’d placed her hands on his back, propelling him forward with more strength than expected. Pushing him down onto the single comfy cushion, she picked up both their wine glasses, handing one to him before curling up in his lap, quite like a cat.
He didn’t know if she was purposely avoiding his stunned glance or not, but the redness that spread down her neck made him wonder.
“I expect some good selfies coming out of this weekend,” Monty said expectantly.
“Pictures or it didn’t happen!” Miller echoed.
Bellamy rolled his eyes. “Did you forget who you’re talking to? This one is like the queen of Instagram.” He poked Clarke’s side, grinning at her cute little squeak.
“It’s not my fault I’m excited to have a phone camera that’s not complete shit,” she retorted.
“Not just you. Pretty sure your dad is thrilled too, after all those blurry pictures we took last time in Logan Square.”
“You’ve met her dad?” Monty interjected curiously.
Miller filled him on the details a little too cheerily for Bellamy’s liking, though he was distracted for a good portion of the time by Clarke’s soft expression, the almost fond look in her eyes. That, and the feeling of her body pressed up against his, her head occasionally drooping to his shoulder, the way she snuggled further into him when he put an arm around her waist (to steady her, of course).
“Oh yeah! And you remember the time she made soup for Bellamy when he was sick, homemade noodles and everything--”
Bellamy’s head snapped up. “Wait, what?” He looked between Miller and an increasingly shifty Clarke. “You told me you bought that from the deli.”
She was staring daggers at Miller, who suddenly found the ceiling very interesting. Eventually she sagged a little and shrugged, playing with a thread on her shirt. “It was like 70 degrees out. The only soup I could find was canned. You already felt like shit, so I figured at least I could get you some proper food.”
Bellamy had to smile at her thoughtfulness. She’d been around a lot when he was ill, usually scolding him for being so careless even as she forced tea down his throat and watched one documentary after another by his side, but this new tidbit made his heart take flight. She was clearly embarrassed by it now, though, so he let it go with just a whispered “thanks, princess” and a swift peck to her shoulder.
Then he blatantly switched the subject. “So Monty, tell me, when are you planning on meeting the parents?”
As both boys turned stricken eyes his way, Clarke giggled.
~~~~~~~~~~
The week passed rather quickly, with work filling the days and Clarke’s endless questions and preparation passing the nights, and soon it was Friday morning and he was zipping up his duffel bag when there came a knock at the door.
Clarke stood outside with her own bag, dressed in denim shorts and a loose shirt that kept slipping off one shoulder. Her hair streamed loosely, free of any bindings aside from the dark sunglasses perched atop her head. She offered a nervous smile, fiddling with her car keys.
“Ready to go?”
“Almost.” Bellamy grabbed his bag and then the two travel mugs that he’d filled to the brim with coffee. He handed one to Clarke, smiling when she took a huge sniff out of the open lid. “Just cream, no sugar,” he promised.
“You’re the best,” she said gratefully.
“Can I get that in writing?”
“You wish.”
He snorted at her back, following her down the stairs and to the beat-up old Jeep in the parking lot of their building. “Thank god you traded in your other car. My legs thank you. Profusely.”
“Would you have still agreed to come if I had the Camry?”
“Maybe. Might have needed some more convincing.”
Clarke propped a hand on her hip, leaning against the door as he tossed his bag in the backseat. “Oh yeah, like what?”
Bellamy pretended to think. “Well…” he crowded her against the car, smiling at the small hitch in her breathing. “For starters,” he tucked some wayward hair behind her ear and leaned down slowly, “this would help.” As expected, her hand rose-- except it didn’t push him away. Instead her fingers curled into the collar of his shirt, drawing him close, and so he was grinning rather stupidly as their lips met.
Clarke pulled away first, her cheeks mottled a pretty pink as she rounded the car and hopped into the driver’s seat. Bellamy climbed into the passenger side with a happy sigh.
This was going to be fun.
~~~~~~~~~~
The drive was easy enough for the first couple hours. They settled into their usual conversations, trading stories about their students and commiserating about the parent-teacher conferences that were coming next month. He regaled her with Miller and Monty’s latest adventure involving the water park and Miller’s niece, which in turn made her eagerly relate the latest anecdotes from her childhood friend Wells, whose little girl was now five and had everyone thoroughly wrapped around her finger.
Now and then Bellamy was content to simply sit in silence too - it was never uncomfortable with Clarke. Just nice, to not have to force anything. Plus, maybe he liked the sound of her singing along to the radio when she thought he’d fallen asleep.
But as they reached the outskirts of the suburban New York county where the wedding was going to take place, he could feel the quiet shift into something heavier. Clarke began to grip the wheel more tightly, her spine too stiff for his liking. The GPS felt harsh and intrusive suddenly, each new instruction making both of them jump. Clarke’s face became more drawn and closed off as their destination neared. When Bellamy couldn’t take it any longer, he grasped her elbow.
“Pull over,” he said.
“What? No, we’re nearly--”
“Clarke,” he said softly. “Pull over. Please.”
She swallowed. After a moment, the car drifted into the shoulder, and she flipped on the hazard lights. As soon as they stopped, Bellamy jumped out and opened her door, waiting until she stepped onto the gravel before enfolding her in his arms. She tensed only a second before sinking into his embrace with a tired sigh, her arms tightly linked around his back. He rested his chin atop her head, pressing a light kiss to her curls.
Finally Clarke drew back and leaned against the car. “I haven’t seen most of these people in years. Tyler’s the only one I remotely keep in touch with. Maybe Caroline, but she won’t be arriving until tomorrow.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “ I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I shouldn’t care what they think. And I don’t, not really. I just… I don’t like how fake everything is when I’m around them. I don’t feel like me, you know?”
Bellamy slid an arm around her shoulders. “I know. But this time you’ve got backup.” He nudged her hip with his, wanting to see even a hint of her old smile. “Trust me, I’ll be there to remind you exactly who you are. A broke grad student turned broke teacher with paint stains all over her her clothes no matter how much laundry she claims to do. Whose apartment will forever smell like Indian food.”
The corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly and she hugged him close, surprising them both by touching her lips to his cheek for what was at least three-and-a-half Mississippi’s.
“Thanks, Bellamy,” she whispered into his neck.
“Anytime.”
~~~~~~~~~~
The resort was about as swanky a place as he’d expected, a grand building overlooking a large strip of private beach that even made him do a double take. But Clarke took most of his focus, and as soon as they stepped out of the car and handed the keys to the valet, Bellamy was in prime boyfriend mode.
His arm hooked around her back by second nature as they walked inside. He barely had time to register the lush wall-to-wall carpeting and fancy decorations before someone shouted Clarke’s name. Clarke took a deep breath, gathering herself. She plastered a smile onto her face as they turned to greet a leggy brunette who had her arms open wide. Clarke didn’t let go of Bellamy’s hand even as she leaned in for a quick hug, not bothering to exchange the fake kisses that followed.
She’d briefly tried explaining the family tree to him on the way, but he figured he’d just wing the rest of it after seeing how it dampened her mood. A decision he was totally okay with at the moment.
“It’s so good to see you Clarke!” The girl chimed.
“You too Diane. You look great,” Clarke replied politely.
“Oh thanks! I just found this new hair stylist in the city, she does an amazing blowout, honestly. But look at you! It’s been forever since you’ve made it to one of these things.” The girl turned to Bellamy and then looked back at Clarke, mouthing wow with absolutely zero finesse. He bit his cheek trying not to laugh at Clarke’s stormy gaze.
“Diane, this is my boyfriend Bellamy." He had to admit, that introduction sounded pretty damn great. "Bell, this is my cousin Diane.”
“Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand briefly before tightening his grip on Clarke. “Hope you don’t mind but I’m gonna steal Clarke for a bit longer. The drive wore me out more than I expected.” He kissed Clarke’s cheek, nuzzling a little. “You want to find our room and drop this stuff off?”
“Yeah,” she nodded quickly, “that sounds good. We’ll see you later Diane.”
“Of course! Bye!”
As they walked away, Clarke muttered, “The entire resort is going to know about you in 3… 2… 1…”
He chuckled and kissed her again, partly because he couldn’t help it and partly because he liked seeing her frazzled. “As long as they know I’m with you, I don’t care about the rest.”
They got their room key - one room, how had he forgotten that detail? - and headed upstairs, thankfully avoiding any more relative sightings. As soon as they were inside, Clarke collapsed on the bed with a small groan.
“Let’s just stay here the whole time,” she pleaded. “We can raid the mini bar.”
“Nice try, princess, but it’s not gonna happen. I expect to be wined and dined in style.”
She pouted and shoved her face back into the pillows. Laughing softly, Bellamy stretched out next to her, soothing a hand down her back. “Come on, it’ll be okay. We’ll stuff our faces and drink all their expensive liquor. I bet you we can even sneak a full bottle for ourselves. Go down to the beach at night, have some fun of our own?” He waggled his eyebrows when she lifted her head. “I know you want to,” he sang, and she finally grinned.
“This is why I brought you,” she murmured, grasping his hand.
“I aim to please.”
“Can we at least stay here ten more minutes?”
He smiled. “Sure, Clarke.”
They ended up staying in the room for more than ten minutes - because they both fell asleep. It wasn't his fault that the bed was insanely comfy. Or that the girl beside him looked so tranquil for once that he thought it might not be so bad to hole up in here for a bit longer. He had been intending to move after a few minutes of shut eye, only to have her snuggle closer, sandwiching one of his hands between both of hers as she slept. So he allowed himself to just watch her, drifting off before he even knew it.
When Bellamy woke, he found himself on his side, facing the windows. Groggy, he tried to move, and instead felt Clarke burrow further into his back, her arm tightening where it was slung over his waist. He stopped moving. A foolish smile crossed his face as he laid there, utterly content to be the little spoon for the rest of his life.
I have to tell her.
It was a terrifying thought, but also sort of a relief. Because honestly he wasn’t sure how long he could keep up the facade, especially if the rest of her family stressed her out as much as she expected. He wanted to comfort her, but more than that he longed to hold her when they weren’t pretending, wanted to kiss her for no reason other than he felt like it. He wanted to not constantly be wondering if she really wanted him too.
His eyes flitted to the clock. Oh shit. He had to wake her up if they didn’t want to be late.
This time, he twisted with a little more force, unable to help his affectionate smile at her sleepy protest. “Clarke,” he whispered.
“Bellamy.” Her voice was breathy and high, unlike he’d ever heard it. It stopped him in his tracks, his hand hovering by her cheek. Clarke opened drowsy eyes and smiled up at him sweetly. “Hey you,” she mumbled. Her fingers traced his lower lip with a reverence that made his heart pound frantically. Then she cupped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down for a kiss, and he was agreeing before he could even think about it.
They kissed softly, almost dreamily, each touch a caress. Bellamy sank his fingers into her tresses, reveling in the way her mouth opened on a moan, her own hands splaying on the broad of his back to urge his weight fully atop her. He nearly drowned in it, the fit of her body under his, the helpless sighs that escaped her lips, the way she completely surrendered to the moment.
He tore his lips away to breathe and simultaneously drag his mouth along her neck, laying kisses along her skin as one of her hands twisted into his hair. She sank further into the pillows, her head tipping back in invitation. He wasn’t even thinking when he trapped her earlobe between his teeth and gave a tug.
Clarke moaned his name into the room, ragged and wistful.
Then she froze.
Fuck. Bellamy braced himself on his elbows, meeting her shocked gaze head on, not bothering to hide his own shaky breaths one bit. He waited, watched as the shock gave way to fear, then anxiety, then sheer nerves. Through it all, the yearning remained below the surface, and that was what gave him hope.
When it had been five full minutes without either of them speaking, he lowered his face to hers. He didn’t try to kiss her again, didn’t do anything, just laid his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. Eleven torturous Mississippi’s later, Clarke’s fingers ghosted over his cheek.
“What just happened?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
He opened his eyes again. “I…” His throat was impossibly dry. “I was trying to wake you up, and then… you kissed me.” There was no hiding his awe.
A loud knock at the door startled them both. Their heads swiveled to the door and back to each other twice more. Another set of knocks made them both sit up.
“Clarke! Dear, it’s Aunt Stacey, your mom told me you’d be coming and I ran into Diane downstairs and she told me you’ve brought a friend--” The voice chattered on with seemingly no intention of stopping.
Clarke put her head in her hands as Bellamy’s eyebrows lifted. He tapped her shoulder. “I can take care of this, if you want a bit more time?”
She nodded, chewing her lip. Gently, he pushed her to lie back on the pillows, unable to help kissing her nose. He pulled the covers half over her and rose.
“Just a sec,” he called loudly. Striding to the door, he glanced over his shoulder, smiling at the sight of Clarke in bed. “Don’t kill me for this,” he said with a grin. Without waiting for answer, he yanked off his shirt, tossing it out of sight. Clarke’s gasp got muffled right as he opened the door, poking his head out.
“Hi ma’am,” he said as nicely as he could.
“Oh. My. Hello.” The woman was short and redheaded with an open face, and hands he could just tell were ready to pull at unsuspecting cheeks.
“Hi. I’m Bellamy. Sorry to meet like this, but Clarke’s actually asleep right now. She wasn’t feeling too great earlier, so I wanted to let her rest a bit longer. I know she’s really looking forward to seeing everyone at dinner tonight.”
“Oh, of course! Silly me, I’m so sorry. I’ll let the others know. We were just so excited that she’s here, got a little carried away,” she clucked.
Bellamy hoped his smile was sincere. “Totally understand. We’ll see you tonight for sure,” he said, inching the door shut. She waved and backed away, getting the message. He put his ear to the door, not moving until he heard footsteps echo back down the hall.
When he turned around, Clarke burst into laughter.
“I can’t believe you just did that! You know she didn’t buy it one bit, right?”
“Of course. She wasn’t supposed to.” He cocked an eyebrow and sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s the polite thing to say when one is caught midst-canoodling.”
Clarke’s giggles turned into chortling as she curled onto her side. ”Canoodling? God, who are you and what have you done with Bellamy?”
“You definitely knew it was me a few minutes ago,” he smirked. Clarke turned red down to the tips of her toes, then tossed the covers over her head, mortified. It was his turn to laugh as he hauled her closer, blankets and all, ignoring her surprised squeaks. He flipped the covers off, unable to hide his affection at the sight of her unruly bedhead.
“Clarke.” He lifted her chin until their gazes met. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. It took two people to kiss.”
“I know, but… I don’t know what it means. One minute I was lying next to you, dreading the dinner, and then I was just… at peace, and then I heard you say my name, and it was like… like I didn’t even have to think about it. I just acted.”
Bellamy’s heart went into overdrive, pure joy flowing through his veins, but he forced himself to stay calm for her sake. She was just starting to have the realization he’d already had months ago, and he knew how difficult it could be to work through - especially with a brain like hers, working a mile a minute.
He squeezed her arm reassuringly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to know what it all means right away. The fact that you know it means something is enough for me.”
“Of course it means something!” Clarke nearly knocked their heads together as she leaned in. “I wouldn’t just ignore it!”
He grinned, relieved, and dropped his head to her shoulder. “Thank god.”
Her quiet laugh tinkled in his ear, and his heart nearly burst when she lifted his head to press a featherlight kiss to his lips once more. “We should start getting ready.”
Bellamy stood with a reluctant sigh. But he suddenly felt awfully cheeky with everything that had just happened. So a second later he fell forward onto the bed, pinning Clarke under him. She squealed as he tickled her mercilessly, squirming in vain, unable to escape his wandering fingers.
“Bellamy!” Her laughter bounced off the walls. “Please, stop, come on--” She was breathless with glee, and he was pretty sure it was the best sight in the entire world.
“Hmm, I dunno princess,” he teased. “I’ve got a reputation to keep. Can’t let your family think we’re already done here,” he said with a wink.
Clarke’s jaw dropped, and she began shoving at his chest with a renewed vigor as her cheeks bloomed a vicious red. He chuckled and finally rolled to his side, clasping his hands behind his head as she clambered off the bed in a hurry. When she looked over her shoulder a minute later, he was still watching her, albeit adoringly, and making no secret of it. She failed to hide her bright smile, instead tossing a pillow at him.
“Get dressed,” she ordered.
“Like bossing me around, do you?”
“I hate you.”
She shuffled to the bathroom, wagging a finger at him before she shut the door. Bellamy was pretty sure he wouldn’t stop grinning the whole damn night. He’d just managed to button his crisp white shirt when Clarke emerged. All thoughts flew out of his head.
She wore a strapless teal dress that hugged her figure like a glove before flaring at her hips. It swished at her knees when she moved. Bellamy had never in his life wanted to dance, but he damn well was going to slow dance with her at least once now. She’d applied some light makeup to her face, but other than that she was barefoot and gorgeous and still his Clarke, and he wanted to hold her and never let go.
“Wow,” he breathed.
She smiled shyly. “Yeah? I wasn’t sure if it was too much for the dinner, but this place is nicer than I thought.”
“It’s not too much,” he managed.
“Good.” She stepped closer, putting aside her things, and took the tie from his limp hands. “Here, I’ll help with this.”
She flipped his collar upwards, and he regained his senses in time to duck so she could loop the tie around his neck. He couldn’t stop gazing at her, the alluring sweep of her neck that he’d been kissing barely a half hour ago, the shiny dash of pink on her lips that made them even more enticing. Her eyes were determinedly fixed on the dark fabric at his throat, hands knotting it efficiently before smoothing his collar back down and patting his shoulders.
“There,” she said, satisfied.
“You’re really good at that.”
“I used to do it for my dad all the time. He let me practice on him because I wanted to learn. Not that I ever got to wear one myself, but…” she shrugged. Stepping back, she swept her eyes over him appraisingly. “You look… good. Really good. Very handsome.”
Yeah, his chest puffed out a bit, so what? It was nice to hear it from her mouth.
She paused, then added, “I still prefer the jeans.”
“I still prefer your PJs,” he answered, and she laughed.
~~~~~~~~~~
She’d been right about the splendor. The dinner was super formal, everyone decked out as if the wedding was going to happen on the spot. Their hands found each other while they stood in the elevator, heading up to the top floor.
As soon as the doors opened, they found themselves in the biggest dining room Bellamy had ever seen. A huge table of chestnut wood stretched from one end to another, many of the seats already filled, an array of dishes already laid out. An ornate chandelier hung from the ceiling, the artificial light mixing with the natural sunlight that flowed in through two large bay windows across the room.
By instinct, they both moved towards that end, as if being near the sun’s rays would feel somewhat more normal than the extravagance around the rest of the room. Clarke had his hand in a death grip, her face frozen in a courteous mask as they passed by the others, who alternately reached out or waved. When they got to their seats, Bellamy pulled her chair out first, waiting til she sat before rubbing her shoulders briefly, trying to relieve some of the tension. Then he pulled his own chair closer than necessary, draping an arm over the back of her seat once he was settled. Clarke threw him a small smile, touching his knee in thanks.
It was akin to being an animal at the zoo. A few people - Aunt Stacey being the first - approached almost within seconds, the questions falling from her mouth almost comically fast. Others kept their distance at first, then realized he wasn't biting, so they ventured closer. He met first cousins, second cousins, wives and husbands, friends of friends - too many to keep track.
The rift between her and her mom wasn’t public knowledge, though that clearly didn’t stop her relatives from speculating. Clarke didn’t say a single thing to fuel the conversation either way; both private and respectful. But her wine glass was practically attached to her hand. After the third such person who mentioned how “brave” Clarke had been to choose teaching over following in her mother’s footsteps, Bellamy had had enough.
“You know Clarke spends every other weekend volunteering at the children’s hospital, right?” He butted in abruptly. Several pairs of eyes turned to him, including Clarke’s. He plastered a cheery smile onto his face, as if he was telling just another anecdote. “Yeah,” he squeezed her shoulder, “she holds arts and craft sessions for the kids who are stuck there pretty permanently. Puts a smile on their face every time. The way I see it, she didn’t choose one over the other at all.”
He kissed her cheek a bit noisily, pleased when the others finally found a new topic to discuss. Clarke tucked her head against his shoulder with a quiet sigh, an arm sliding under his jacket.
Thankfully, the happy couple soon entered the room, and that was enough to distract everyone for a bit. They were swarmed by hugs and congratulations, and Clarke and Bellamy rose to offer their own greetings. When the groom - Tyler - caught sight of Clarke, his eyes widened with honest affection, and it made Bellamy like him instantly. Tyler pushed through the others to sweep Clarke up in a giant hug, and this time the smile on her face was entirely genuine.
As soon as he set her down, she reached backwards to clasp Bellamy’s hand. “Tyler, this is my boyfriend, Bellamy Blake. Bellamy, this is the man of the hour, Tyler Gilcrest.”
Bellamy shook the other man’s hand, feeling the slight test of pressure and answering with his own. “Good to meet you. Clarke’s told me a lot about you already.”
“I wish I could say the same.” Okay, ouch, that stung a little. But then Tyler continued, “Everything I’ve heard has come from Jake. The man wouldn’t shut up about you. I nearly asked him if he was dating you.”
Bellamy couldn’t quite help his smug grin, only made larger by the way Clarke flushed again. “Yeah, dad met Bell a couple months ago when he visited,” she said meekly.
“I did my best to win him over,” he added a little too happily.
“Clearly it worked.” A redhead appeared next to him, and he smiled, introducing his fiancee. They all talked for a few minutes more before the couple excused themselves to meet the remaining guests.
Clarke looked at him thoughtfully as they sat down again. “How is it that you’ve managed to win over my family already?”
“I mean, I am pretty charming.”
She rolled her eyes, reaching for more cheese and fruit. Bellamy decided to take a shot in the dark, and leaned over until his lips were at her ear. “They’re not the ones I’m trying to win over, though,” he murmured.
Clarke’s lips parted in a silent o as she stared at her plate. Finally she turned to look at him, searching for any hint of mockery and finding none. A tender smile curled her lips. Her hand slid up to hold onto his tie as she kissed him, chaste yet loving all the same.
Bellamy paid attention to very little that happened after that, unable to keep his eyes off Clarke for more than a few minutes at a time. He hoped it wasn’t his imagination, but she seemed to relax too, her replies coming less forced, her touches to his side, his cheek, his leg more and more casual.
~~~~~~~~~~
They were all mingling after dinner, him and Clarke inching closer and closer to the door and their escape, when a few family members - including Tyler and Marcy - cornered them, insisting on getting some intel on their relationship. Feeling Clarke stiffen, Bellamy wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her against his chest and resting his chin on her shoulder.
“Ask away,” he said with a grin. After a moment, she smiled, her hand rising to cover his.
They answered the requisite questions easily enough. How did you meet? Was it love at first sight? (Ha, as if.) How long have you been together? And so on.
It was Marcy who said, “So tell us about your first date!”
Clarke stammered, thrown off guard. “Well… I- we, uh--”
“It was a surprise, actually,” Bellamy interrupted, pressing a kiss to her temple. “You see, I refused to tell her what we were doing at first. Trying to be romantic and all, you know.” He gave what he hoped was a sheepish smile. “I planned for us to do this private tour at a planetarium, because I am a huge nerd, as she loves to point out, but also because she’d been wanting to go forever. One of my friends from grad school works there, so he set us up to do a walk-through one night.”
Clarke had gone entirely still in his arms. He continued, “So we did some star-gazing and got to take a peek through the huge telescope and a lot more nerdy stuff I won’t bore you with, and then I took her to dinner by the river. She’d been eyeing this one spot ever since it opened up… it reminded her of a restaurant in her hometown.”
A few small aawws escaped their audience, though he was more focused on Clarke and how silent she’d become.
One of the other girls piped up, “Clarke, you lucky girl!”
Clarke offered a brief smile. “Can’t argue there.” Shifting to look at him, she said, “Did you still want to check out the beach and speak to the staff about your sister’s thing?”
What? Oh, right. This was their way out. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
He waited patiently as Clarke said her goodbyes, lingering with Tyler and Marcy for a minute longer before returning to his side. Something was very off about her mood suddenly, and it was worrying him to no end. She didn’t say anything as they headed downstairs, so he kept his mouth shut too, figuring it’d be best to wait until they were far from wandering eyes and ears.
They headed outside and down the small ramp that lead to the beach. Clarke held her heels in one hand as her toes dug into the sand, the waves lapping almost lazily at the shore. Slight goosebumps tickled her arms, so Bellamy removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders without a word. She tossed her shoes aside and they stood there watching the water for a few minutes.
Finally she turned to him, her eyes unreadable. “So that was some date you described back there.” The edge in her voice was so unexpected he almost stepped back. Frowning, he moved closer instead, until he was looming over her.
“Is there a question in there somewhere?”
She folded her arms defensively. “Who was it?”
“What?”
“Who’d you take on that date?”
“I’ve never taken anyone there before,” he said, puzzled.
Her brow scrunched. “But it was so detailed, I mean Wick’s the one who works there part-time right? And that restaurant that…” She trailed off, her brain catching up. ”Oh.”
Now the source of her discomfort was increasingly apparent, and he couldn’t quite help his ecstatic grin.“Yes, oh,” he teased. Clarke was blushing now, trying and failing to hide her own radiant smile as she stared at her toes. Gently, he lifted her chin.
“Clarke, were you jealous?”
“No!” It came out too fast.
Bellamy chuckled. “Liar.” He caught her around the waist when she tried to stomp away. Leaning down, he brushed his nose against hers.
“I didn’t say I hadn’t thought about taking someone there. I’ve thought about it a hell of a lot. I just haven’t done it yet.”
“Why not?” She whispered.
“She’s very special to me. I was trying not to scare her off.”
“Maybe she doesn’t scare that easy.”
“Maybe not.” He searched her eyes cautiously. “You tell me.”
Clarke’s smile was like a beam of light. Instead of answering, she closed the gap between them, her lips finding his willingly. He sighed, mouth opening on instinct, and this time it was her who pressed closer first, her who licked into his mouth like she was dying for a taste, her who protested and followed when he tried to pull away for air. His jacket dropped onto the sand as she rose to her tiptoes; neither of them noticed.
After several more minutes of furious kissing, he wound his arms around her back, burying his face into her shoulder as he caught his breath. His head was spinning. Clarke’s arms surrounded him with equal force, her happy sigh resounding into his heart.
“Is this really happening?” He asked.
She drew back just enough to see his face, making no attempt to break from the circle of his arms.
“Afraid so,” she joked. When his serious expression didn’t fade, she cradled his cheek. “Hey. Talk to me. What are you thinking?”
He sighed, trying to get his thoughts in order. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m-- I’m all in, 1000 percent, you know I am. I just… I want to make sure you’re not… you just seemed pretty uncertain earlier. In the room…”
Understanding dawned on her face. “You’re right. I was confused, before. It felt like a lot to take in. I guess I just wasn’t expecting it to be so overwhelming.” She paused for long enough that he became concerned.
“Please tell me there’s a but coming.”
Clarke grinned and kissed him again, slow and savoring. “But…” she wiggled her eyebrows until he smiled back, “I was thinking about it during the evening, and I realized, it’s not really that surprising at all.” She tilted her head, smiling. “You think I haven’t noticed everything you’ve done for me? The late night movies when I can’t sleep, letting me drag you to see random local bands, listening to all my shit about work and my mom and stuff... And lately with the flowers, and the silly selfies from work even though I know you hate selfies. That’s not even counting what you did today.”
Now he was starting to feel a bit embarrassed. “Hang on, don’t make me out to be some kind of hero here. You know I’m a grump and an old man who will not eat Thai food ever again, and I will make you watch those documentaries, and argue with you forever about whether Cleo--”
She put a hand over his mouth. “Trust me, I know. I also know that you’re the person I go to first, whether I have good or bad news, big or small. Whatever it is, I get excited to tell you. You’re the one on my mind, Bellamy. That’s been true for a long time now.”
He couldn’t deny how fucking fantastic that was to hear; how the small bubble of joy was beginning to spread through his body with a fury until everything felt warm and tingly.
“So…” His voice shook a little as her fingers stroked over his cheek. “So you’re really okay with this?”
“Much more than okay,” she said.
He kissed her again, pouring every bit of himself into it and nearly combusting when he felt her return it in kind. With a strangled laugh, he picked her up and spun in a slow circle, his heart somehow light and full all at once. Everything about this was so surreal, but he did his best to capture every part of it in his mind, down to the snug grip Clarke had on him and the way she was nuzzling his neck, already eager to make up for lost time.
When he set her down, she used his tie to yank him down for a proper kiss, threading her hands deeply into his hair. Bellamy was more than a little dazed afterwards. Clarke’s smile was dazzling - and yeah, definitely a bit smug - as she looked up at him.
“So what now?” He asked.
She pursed her lips in thought. “Well… you’ve got the stars, an empty beach, and a full minibar at your disposal.”
“Very true. Though you forgot the most important thing.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve got the girl,” he said gleefully.
Clarke rolled her eyes. “Loser.”
“Damn right.” Bellamy nibbled along her jaw, smiling when her fingers dug into his biceps. “You’re stuck with me now.”
Smiling, Clarke pulled his lips back down to hers. “I suppose I can live with that.”