Chapter Text
With bruised wrists and sore limbs Clarke walks into the small dinner. It was late that night so she wasn't surprised that only two other people were in there and they were both employees. The woman behind the counter looks up from wiping it down to send a smile her way. It becomes forced.
She can see Clarke's face, she can see the bruises.
She's judging.
Clarke puts her two duffel bags down on the seat of a booth in the back and then goes to the bathroom. She washes her face and winces at the bruise around her eye. Clarke takes out her makeup kit and covers up her injury.
It works for the most part. The worse someone will think is that she’s just tired.
Well that assumption wouldn’t be wrong.
Lexa walks into the dinner. It's familiar and was the perfect place for the alone time she needed. She needed time to think. About Costia. About how the girl cheated on her. About how she promised her family she'd bring her girlfriend with her when she visited this Christmas.
This is embarrassing.
She walks to the back of the restaurant and plops down at a booth, not paying much attention to anything around her.
She buries her head in her hands.
Clarke walks out of the bathroom, mind set on getting some coffee. She hopes that'll make her feel a little better as she thinks her options through. She furrows her eyebrows when she sees a brunette with long, wavy hair sitting in her booth.
"Hey, I was sitting there. Can't you see?" Clarke says angrily as she gets closer to the girl. She lifts one of her bags to show the brunette that she had already claimed the spot.
Deep down Clarke knew that she was taking her frustrations out on the stranger but that wasn’t exactly the point right now. Right now someone had violated her space, someone had wronged her, someone had hurt her… This stranger isn’t someone.
Lexa lifts her head from her hands and looks at Clarke confused.
She is beautiful though.
Clarke's anger subsides. The thought of misplaced anger and frustration finally reaches her. She can tell this girl is having a rough night as well.
"Sorry, I didn't see your things." The brunette says, eyes finally seeing the bags and slides out of the booth.
Clarke lets out a sigh and puts out a hand, stopping the girl from moving further. "I'm sorry, you can sit. I'm just not having a good night." She admits.
The brunette nods and sits back down. “Same.”
Clarke joins her on the other side. "Clarke." The blonde offers a hand.
Lexa takes it. "Lexa."
"So, Lexa, what brings you here this late at night?" Clarke asks.
"I just needed some time alone I guess. Things aren't really going the way I want them to at the moment. What about you Clarke?"
I'm moving back in with my mom and annoying step father because I ran away from my abusive (ex) boyfriend in the middle of the night .
The truth wasn't appealing in the least bit.
"Just going home to visit my mom." Clarke looks to the bus station across the street. "I have a connecting bus but it's a 30-20 now, minute wait." She explains.
Lexa nods. “Well I hope I can provide decent company until then.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Clarke says with a smile. She takes a moment to study the girl. She looks safe enough. Her eyes wander over the mixture of hard and soft features. With a jawline like that how can anything go wrong? Clarke clears her throat. Stop it. “I can grab us some coffees?” She’s already out of her seat before a protest can even be thought of.
“Black.” Lexa just says and Clarke is off. The brunette sits there in silence for a moment before she feels her phone vibrate.
10:43 pm
Lincoln: How long until you’re here? You were supposed to get here at 8.
Lexa sighed at the text from her cousin. Leave it to him to remind her.
10:43 pm
Lincoln: Our parents together are driving me nuts. They won’t stop and they might scare Octavia off. There’s only so much I can do and Anya is not helping.
10:46 pm
Lincoln: PLEASE LEX. ANSWER ME.
Lexa closed her eyes and let out another sigh, slower this time accompanied with a hand through her locks. How am I supposed to tell him I’m late because I was dealing with Costia. Memories of only a few hours ago filled Lexa’s mind and she tried to push them away. Costia kissing Ontari. Lexa watching from her car. She was supposed to be picking the girl up and that’s what she saw. Ontari isn’t even that attractive. Lexa’s teeth grit together. Of course she is.
Lexa had simply took a picture of the two sharing goodbye kisses from the girl’s apartment building’s exit and sent it to her with the simple “We’re done.” under it.
Lexa ignored the texts and calls as she hazardly drove home. Tears clouded her eyes as she threw open the door to her own apartment and then went straight to her bedroom. The only thing on the brunette’s mind is getting rid of anything that reminded her of Costia.
The clothes that she leftover found their way into a pile in the hallway. Next was the girl’s extra toothbrush she had in the bathroom.
Lexa’s usually neat apartment was a mess and that only fumed her anger. She jumps when she hears knocking from her front door and growls when she hears the voice of just the person she didn’t want to hear or see.
“Lex. Let me in. Let me explain.” Costia calls from the other side of the wooden door and then another series of knocks come.
She must’ve left her key. Or she’s just choosing not to use it which would be a good choice on her part.
“Lexa let me in. I know you’re here. I saw your car in your spot.”
Lexa rolls her eyes and picks up the pile of Costa's things. With one hand she opens the door and quickly shoves the girl her possessions. “There’s nothing to talk about. I saw. It’s over.”
The door is closed once again before the girl can get out another word and Lexa slumps against the door.
This is just too much.
It takes an hour for Costia to leave.
Finally.
Lexa grabs her jacket and leaves her apartment and starts her drive home to her family's.
10:54 pm
Lexa: I’m here. I’m a little behind. I’ll be there in like an hour.
10:59 pm
Lincoln: Thank God. I thought you were gonna cancel on me for a sec. Let me guess, you are your mystery girl got a little… distracted ;)
Lexa rolls her eyes and ignores her cousin’s text.
Clarke comes back at that second and notices the mood change in Lexa. “Wanna talk about it?” She asks as she takes a sip from her cup.
She schools her features to not let the pain of drinking too hot coffee be shown.
Embarrassing.
Painful.
Lexa takes one herself and then sets the cup down. She slouches back in her seat and lets her finger trace the lip of her cup.
They’re silent for a moment as Lexa decides what she wants to say. If she should lie or tell the truth.
“My girlfriend cheated on me and now I’m gonna look like an idiot showing up to my family’s without her.”
Lexa lets out a huge sigh as she reveals her newest and now most embarrassing secret.
Clarke’s face gives away her shock.
Wow. That was unexpected.
“My parents don’t exactly approve of me liking girls and when they hear about this it’ll just validate them.” She explains and then takes another sip of her coffee.
Clarke is silent. Not sure exactly sure of what to say. Except that her ex is an idiot for cheating on her. The sudden motion across the table brings her out of her thoughts.
Lexa places her coffee on the table and quickly sits up. “Oh no. I didn’t mean to- You’re totally against gays right? That’s why-”
Clarke cuts her off with the shake of her head. “No- no. I’m bi. I just- I don’t know how to respond really. Like I’m good with the listing but I just didn’t expect someone to have cheated on you. Sorry.”
Lexa relaxes. “It’s.. Okay.” It would suck if she were homophobic.
11:05 pm
Anya: Can you like,,, Get her faster????? I’m bored and in the mood to tease my little cousin and her girlfriend.
Lexa can’t help but smile at Anya’s text, even if it was another reminder of Costia. Enough of her. Screw her and screw whatever mom and dad will think when I tell them.
Lexa looks at the time again. “Wait, what time is your bus?” She looks up at Clarke whose blue eyes go wide.
“Now, shit!” she says as she quickly gathers her bags.
“Here, let me.” Lexa grabs one of the blonde’s heavier bags.
Must be a pretty long visit.
They run out the door of the diner and Lexa has to grab Clarke before she runs out into oncoming traffic.
They make it across the street in time for the doors to close and to watch the bus pull off.
“Fuck!” Clarke drops her bags as both of her palms meet her face. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
Lexa drops the bag she’s holding and steps in front of Clarke. “Hey, calm down. Maybe we can get your ticket exchanged.” The brunette reasons and points to the woman behind a desk.
Clarke takes a deep breath. “Okay.”
The two walk to the woman and explain their situation. “The next bus leaves at 10:45 in the morning but our morning busses cost more than the ticket you bought and since it’s last minute there’s an extra fee tacked on to that.”
Clarke lets out a frustrated sigh and Lexa wraps her arm around her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay.”
Lexa turns back to the woman. “How much extra?”
“150” Clarke lets out another sigh.
“I can’t afford that. I can barely afford the one I just got.”
Lexa gives the blonde’s shoulder a squeeze. “I can pay it.”
Clarke shakes her head.“No, I couldn’t ask you to do that. I can just… Get a refund right?” The woman nods but Lexa stops the woman with just the motion of her hand.
“You don’t have to ask. I’m offering.” But Clarke shakes her head again.
“I don’t have to go. If I’m completely honest I didn’t want to go home anyway.” I can ask Octavia if I can stay with her for a bit. I know it’s been a while but she- shit she’s off with that guy. Lincoln. Maybe Bell or if worst comes I know Jasper and Monty will let me crash there until I get my shit together.
“Then why are you going?” Lexa asks. Could ask myself the same question.
Clarke feels her face heat up. Being cheated on is surprising coming from her but to tell her I was in an abusive relationship for 6 years is just downright embarrassing. And to be going to move back in with my mom? That’s mortifying.
“My mom just wanted me to come visit but the last thing I want to do is be there with her and my stepfather.” Clarke half lies.
Lexa’s arm drops and her hands find her jacket pockets. She could always come home with me. No. That’s a bad idea and she probably wouldn’t even be okay with that…
Lexa lets out a sigh.
“Okay, I have a crazy idea.”