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It started out of laziness. Procrastination hadn’t helped matters either. The deadline for their thesis was due the next day and Clarke was all but dumbfounded as to what hers should be. That is what lead to Raven insisting on them all doing shots while they brainstormed ideas for these senior demonstration presentations. For every bad idea they take a shot. Needless to say, Octavia — the only junior in the circle, but participating nonetheless for “solidarity” purposes — is seven shots in before Raven practically shouts, “Netflix and Chill: the newest way to fuck.”
Octavia giggles, slumps over in her chair as she points toward the tequila bottle. “Looks like Raven’s up for number right.”
“No!” Clarke shoots straight up in her chair, grabbing the bottle as if to protect it from yet another pour. “That’s fucking brilliant. We have six months to work on this project, right? My project can be on the social ramifications of the idea of ‘Netflix and Chill’ and how it has effected the dating pool.”
“Fuck me.” Raven grumbles, rubbing her hands over her face. “She’s seven shots deep and she can still blurt out a perfectly rounded thesis while I’m over here trying to figure out who the fuck made the room start spinning.”
“You need to start with Bellamy.” Octavia pipes in, leaning forward to jerk the bottle out of Clarke’s hand.
“What?” Clarke’s eyes go wide as her insides burn flames that had nothing to do with the tequila.
“What?” Octavia mimics, swallowing the liquor with trained ease before standing up and gesturing wildly, to make a point she’s yet to state aloud. “Don’t play dumb. You and Bellamy have needed an excuse to Netflix and Chill for awhile now — here’s the perfect opportunity. You can actually Netflix and Chill.”
“I’m drunk enough that that all just made perfect sense.” Raven agrees.
Octavia grins, “It’s because I’m a fucking genius.”
Video Log: Week Two
“And somehow miraculously Professor Indra thought it would be an ‘excellent exploration into today’s social standards and limitations’ — so here we are. Two weeks later, in my apartment — Netflix subscription paid. And —“ Clarke turns her head swiftly towards the knock at her door before glancing back to her computer with a smile. “Debrief later.”
Quickly shutting her laptop, she swings open her door to see one of her favorite sights. And it’s not only because Bellamy Blake is sinfully attractive, but also because of the fact that over the last several years he’s grown to be one of her best friends. Sure, he’s a complete pain the ass with his know-it-all, combative ways. But past all that, he’s one of the most loyal and intriguing people she knows. And again, it doesn’t hurt that he’s absolutely mouthwatering.
They’d hooked up a couple of times — always casual. The first time had been after they’d had far too much to drink at Lincoln’s birthday party. And then once more soon after to see if it was actually as good has they’d imagined, or if the alcohol had just made it better. You know, basically in the name of science. And then one time after her on-again, off-again relationship had gone off for the final time with Lexa. The next time had been when he’d seen Echo out with her new boyfriend. Of course, then there was that one Tuesday night after poker night. Or New Year’s Eve last year.
Always casual. And what were they hurting? They were good together. And they’d had the “emotions” talk long ago. And so what if every once in awhile Clarke thought maybe she might feel a small bit of something? It would be a shame to give up something they were obviously both so good at together. You don’t ask LeBron James to quit playing basketball just because he might get a little emotional from time to time.
Okay, bad analogy.
“Hey.” Clarke smiles, leaning in toward the door to allow Bellamy to walk past her.
She barely gets the door shut before she feels him pressed up against her. Her heart races and she instinctively freezes. The blood in her veins burns like fire when she feels his fingertips glide up her bare arm. He’s not pulling her against him, like she wishes he would. He’s giving her an out. Silently telling her if she actually wants to watch a movie they can.
“Would you prefer it if I acted like I was actually interested in watching some cut-rate vegan documentary?” He whispers against her ear and she shallows.
She doesn’t hesitate as she moves the chain across the door and turns in his waiting arms. She’s on her tiptoes and her lips are nearly pressed against his before she mumbles, “Oh hell no.”
Video Log: Week Five
“Do you know using the actual terms ‘Netflix and chill’ is basically ruined for all humanity — okay, humanity under the age of forty? You can’t say it with a straight face to your friends; they all know what you’ve been doing. You can’t say it to anyone you could possibly be attracted to because they know what you’re wanting — or they think they know. And to be honest, it just sets you up for this whole awkward inbetween situation where —“ Clarke’s phone vibrates with a text message she intends to ignore until she sees who it’s from and the next message to follow.
Bellamy: Just found this awful movie on Netflix.
Bellamy: Miller went over to Monty’s for the night.
Clarke grins, biting down on her bottom lip before looking back at the camera.
“More on this discovery later. Once I’ve done more research.”
With a quick click of a button she’s on her way out the door and responding to his messages.
Thought you’d never ask.
Video Log: Week Six
“Lets tell the audience just how often you’ve been ‘Netflix and chill’-ing.” Raven grins, glancing behind her where Clarke is perched on her bed, unaware that her roommate has hijacked her laptop and senior project.
The blonde barely looks up from her phone long enough to glare in the brunette’s direction as Octavia walks into the room and plops down next to Clarke, “I don’t think I want to know that answer. Especially since I know the majority of this cinema experiences have been with my brother.”
“Try all exper—“
“Will both of you shut up. And turn off my camera, Raven. My laptop is going to die. And this is not part of my log.”
“Oh why not?” Octavia laughs, before looking at the camera like it’s someone she’s trying to flirt with. “Maybe a peep show will raise your grade a little bit? What do you say? Topless pillow fight?”
“Ugh!” Clarke groans, shoving a pillow in Octavia’s face.
“No seriously, lets make this a little subject interview.” Raven continues, turning the laptop more towards Clarke. “How’s your little experiment going?”
“Better yet, does your lab partner even know about this experiment?” Octavia counters.
The bleak look on Clarke’s face is the last thing Raven records before the battery died.
Video Log: Week Nine
“I don’t think this needs to be stated — mostly because it’s so obvious — but sex is a slippery slope. And sex for the sake of research? Well, that’s a fucking ninety degree angle.” Clarke sighs into her camera. “Especially when only one person is in the know of said research. But in my defense how the hell was I supposed to know emotions where involved?”
Because they were always involved.
She tangles her fingers through her hair as she rests her head in her hands. “Fuck me. I need to change my thesis.”
Clarke is dialing Bellamy’s number before she even leaves her room, forgetting all about her video log.
Video Log: Week Twelve
“Alright, so I’ve decided to enlist some help for this project.”
“What it’s a project now? Not an experiment?” Bellamy asks from beside her with a smirk.
“Enlist some help from my boyfriend to —“
“Woah, woah, woah. Boyfriend? I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of commitment. Don’t you think we’re moving from lab rat to boyfriend a little too quickly?”
Clarke glares into the camera all the while she can see Bellamy’s silent laughter shaking his shoulders through the playback screen.
“To get some male perspective on the whole ‘Netflix and chill’ phenomenon.” Clarke ignores his continual hakes before straightening up in her seat and glancing in his direction. “Please, your insight, Mr. Blake.”
And this is where Clarke loses it. Well, not outwardly. Outwardly she looks like the diligent partner listening to Bellamy charismatically guide their “students” through the social constraints and pressures things like Netflix and other social media outlets have placed on them. But inwardly she’s lost. She’s zoned out on just how fucking amazing this man is beside her and just how stupid she must have been for it to have taken her this long to figure it out.
Looking back she’ll try to figure out if it was something he’d said or how he looked. But it isn’t. Sure, it’s probably an inner combination of all of those things, but nothing is sticking out to her. It’s just him. And he’s fucking hers.
“God, I love you.” She says before she even realizes it.
And Bellamy stops mid-sentence and just looks at her with this goofy grin he gets when he’s seemingly just won something. Without hesitation, his lips are pressed to hers and she’s tugging him against her. But before it can get too carried away, Bellamy pulls back just enough to grin at the camera before shutting it with a few closing words.
“Sorry folks, this ain’t that kind of assignment.”
Video Log: Week Twenty-One
“It’s official.” Clarke says, leaning in real close to her computer as if she’s telling a secret. “We’ve reached literal Netflix and Chill level.”
“Babe!” Bellamy leans in from the doorway, “Will you please hurry up or I’m starting the next episode of Making A Murderer without you.”
“Alright, alright. Let me finish my last entry and I’ll be right here.” Clarke laughs, looking back at her computer. “And I fucking love it.”