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As they pulled into the driveway and Clarke cut the engine, Lexa was craning her neck to survey the outside of the home. It was two stories tall, much more modest than Lexa would have liked; the brick and large yard, though, made up for the extravagance that the house lacked. Lexa was already swooning over the yard that stretched out in front of the home. “I think this is the one,” she cooed, practically jumping out of the car to get a better look.
Clarke rolled her eyes and stepped outside, reaching for her wife’s hand. “Lexa, if I remember correctly, you said that about the last seven houses,” she reminded her.
“Yeah, but I mean it this time!” she retorted. Clarke also distinctly recalled hearing that at the last six houses, but she decided to let it go. The truth was, she enjoyed looking at all of these houses, no matter how much she made it seem like she just wanted the house hunting to be over with. Every time she watched Lexa gush over entryway or some other minute detail of the home, Clarke fell in love with her all over again.
They walked hand-in-hand up to the front door, where Lexa excitedly rang the doorbell. Their real estate agent appeared moments later, waving at them to enter. Lexa pulled Clarke inside by the hand and instantly started rambling about hardwood floors. “Oh, Clarke, they’re just so beautiful! Aren’t they gorgeous?”
Mandy, their agent, hadn’t even gotten a word in yet. She stood in the entryway and laughed, presumably at the expression on Clarke’s face. Though looking at houses was fun, Clarke wasn’t quite as particular about all of the details of the home, unlike Lexa. With each house, the brunette had found something that she didn’t like and, as they were curled up in their bed in the tiny apartment they had shared for three years, Lexa would beg Clarke to ask the real estate agent if they could see just one more house. Clarke gave in every time, knowing that they would eventually find the one that they both loved. Clarke and Mandy had to laugh every time Lexa loved a house because they both knew full well that there was a chance Lexa would end up wanting to see another one.
Lexa kept complimenting the flooring until Clarke finally agreed with her. “They are quite beautiful,” she conceded with a laugh.
The brunette shot her wife a look, knowing she only agreed to make her happy. She was just about to say something snarky when Mandy spoke up. “So, this one has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a finished basement, and plenty of room to run in the backyard. It’s also well within your budget,” the woman said, adding the last bit to please Clarke.
The couple decided to roam the house on their own, just as they had with the last few that they had looked at. Clarke waved at Mandy as Lexa pulled her deeper into the home. The hallway leading in from the entryway was long, with the kitchen to the left, living room to the right, and a staircase at the end of the hallway. They started with the kitchen, where Lexa released her grip on Clarke’s hand to run her palms over the surface of the counters. “These are beautiful,” Lexa murmured, in awe. Normally Clarke didn’t have an opinion on the look of the kitchen, but she actually agreed with Lexa on that one.
“I love the way the counters and cabinets complement each other,” the brunette said. She checked all of the appliances to make sure they were up to her standards and Clarke had to sigh in relief when her wife approved. “All of this space will be perfect for my baking.”
Clarke opened her mouth, only for Lexa to interject: “Shut up.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Clarke lied, feigning innocence. They had been going back and forth since they saw the very first house; Lexa swore she was going to get back into baking, while Clarke repeatedly pointed out that the brunette had next to no free time to do anything other than winning cases in the courtroom. “On second thought, maybe you can try offering baked goods to judges so they’ll rule in your favor.”
At first, Lexa glared at her wife, though she knew she was joking. Then, she raised her eyebrows and thought about it again. “You know, that’s actually not a bad idea,” she decided.
The blonde laughed at then reclaimed Lexa’s hand in her own, guiding her toward the dining room. She momentarily stopped and planted a kiss on Lexa’s cheek. “You don’t need to bribe them, my love. I think you do just fine on your own.”
As they entered the dining room, hand-in-hand, Clarke snuck a peek at Lexa from the corner of her eye and swore she saw a hint of a blush spread across Lexa’s cheeks.
**********
After surveying the rest of the main floor and the basement, the two made their way to the second floor of the home. So far, they hadn’t found anything wrong with the house – Clarke even found herself falling in love with the home, despite her indifference toward any of the previous houses. With every excited squeeze of her hand, Lexa’s feeling that they would both agree on this one grew stronger and stronger.
The final room they had left to look at was directly across from the master bedroom. Like the other rooms, this one was decorated and furnished. Unlike the others, it had a small wooden crib tucked in the corner with a mobile hanging above it. The walls were a light purple, with a few small framed paintings placed on the walls. This was something that none of the other homes possessed: a nursery.
Clarke’s jaw was nearly on the floor and Lexa had tears in her eyes. When Clarke finally looked over at her wife, a tear was rolling down her cheek. Clarke released her hand to wipe away the tear. “It’s so perfect,” Lexa whispered, barely audible.
“I would have to agree.”
Lexa walked over to the crib and ran her palm over the railing, sighing to herself. Clarke was too awestruck to move or say anything. The brunette was first to break the silence. “Clarke, this is perfect – don’t you think? – for when the adoption goes through. We have to take it, Clarke,” she practically begged.
Words weren’t possible quite yet, so Clarke just closed the space between them, placed her hands on either side of Lexa’s face, and kissed her. It was a soft kiss, sharing all of the emotions that she didn’t have the words for. When they finally pulled away, Lexa said, “Is that a yes?”
Clarke nodded, now the one with tears in her eyes. “It’s a yes.”
Lexa kissed her this time, pulling her closer than before. Even after they both tasted salt, it took several seconds to realize that they were both crying. Clarke pulled away to wipe her own cheeks with the back of her jacket sleeve and then Lexa copied her. They both wandered around the room, looking at the toys on top of the small dresser and testing out the mobile. Finally, Lexa sighed and went back over to Clarke, wordlessly wrapping her arms around her wife. She buried her face in Clarke’s hair and inhaled the smell of her flowery shampoo – Lexa’s favorite scent. Clarke snaked her arms around the brunette’s waist and pulled her impossibly close.
“Lexa?” she whispered from where she had nuzzled her face into the crook of Lexa’s neck.
“Yeah?”
“I love your hugs.”
She smiled, suppressing a laugh, and kissed the top of Clarke’s head. “Oh, Clarke, I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” she said, pulling back enough to kiss Lexa. “What do you say? Should we go make an offer on the house?”
Lexa’s eyes lit up and this time it was Clarke who had to hold in a laugh. She looked as if she was about to jump out of her skin from excitement. “Let’s go!”
The two walked back downstairs, where they found Mandy waiting for them with a hopeful expression written across her face. Lexa looked at Clarke for the okay, and then squealed that they wanted the house. Mandy went into the details of making an offer, but Clarke was too busy staring at Lexa, who was listening to the real estate agent intently. As she watched, Clarke realized why she only felt indifference toward the other houses: a home doesn’t necessarily have to consist of four walls and a roof.
Sometimes, if you’re lucky enough, you find your home in another person.