Chapter 30
A few days had passed since she moved in with Clarke, and she was clearly enjoying the time. Like every day, she had made breakfast for Clarke and herself and when she had to go to the hospital for her shift, she had said goodbye with a heavy heart. This was always the moment in the day that was hardest for her and when she came back, the joy was huge. She watched her favorite doctor disappear from her sight and heard the engine start.
Now that Lexa was home alone, she turned on the TV to pass the time. She zapped through the channels until she suddenly heard her name.
"Since her appearance on Let`s Talk about with Monty Green, it has been quiet around the otherwise busy Lexa Woods. The rumors don`t stop despite the interview and everyone is wondering what`s really behind it. No one can imagine that this was it. Don't get me wrong, of course it's bad to get shot, yet there's something strange about it and hadn't she once mentioned to Charles she was in a relationship? Except she hadn't been seen with anyone else since doctor Clarke Griffin was by her side, so what's true? Is she in a relationship? And if so, with whom? What about the doctor? Are they friends or more? And what happens should Lexa Woods actually be a lesbian? How much will it hurt her reputation, her image, and most importantly, how much will it hurt her career should the rumors be true? Will she lose everything she's built over the past few years? We'll continue to stay tuned."
Lexa turned the TV off again after the segment. She didn't know what to think about it, that segment just now had unsettled her. She wanted to be with Clarke, that was out of the question, but how should they present themselves to the outside world? Maybe Titus had been right in the end with his concern about a career ending. More and more new thoughts came up and she couldn't relax anymore, she had to talk to Clarke about the whole thing as soon as she was home. After what felt like an eternity, she stepped through the front door and into Lexa's living room.
"Clarke? Can we talk?"
She loved the way Lexa pronounced her name; no one did it the same way.
"What's going on?"
The actress told her about her morning, what the presenter had said and the anxiety that came with it.
"I didn't think it would turn into such a huge thing."
"What are you going to do now? Move out? Or have you changed your mind about us?" You could hear the sadness and apprehension of what would come next. The brunette took her hand in hers and held it tightly as she stroked it gently.
"None of that. Clarke, I want this relationship, I want us..."
"Yet you don't want to make things public."
"I'm not ready for that. It's not just about the movie and my career, but if I go public about it, my whole life changes. The press will cover it and Charles will run his mouth about it. He's a rotten, slimy guy, but he's got a big following and I don't want anything to happen to you either. Costia wanted to kill you because she knew how much you meant to me and maybe there are more weirdos like that out there, I couldn't take losing you."
"Lexa, I understand and we don't have to do anything you're not ready for. Then our lives will be played out in the shadows for now, I can live with that, as long as we're together."
Lexa's heart was lifted, she had been afraid of her friend's reaction, but instead she understood her and her situation and they simply enjoyed their time together, their daily routine and their little rituals. The actress had gotten into the habit of preparing breakfast and the doctor cooked lunch or dinner whenever she could, often doing it together. They tried to avoid social media as much as possible and spent their time in the house playing, talking, fooling around or just going outside separately. Lexa's wound healed quickly and complications were absent, she just noticed that she could no longer perform all movements without pain. Which meant she probably couldn't do any stunts by herself and was more limited in sports, but if those were the only limitations, she could live with it.
A few weeks later
Finally the day of the probably last check had come and Lexa was visibly nervous. She had followed all the instructions and was feeling much better, but she was still worried about what would come out of it. At breakfast she hardly ate anything and even Clarke's words of encouragement could not dispel the feeling. Lexa would have liked to have her friend with her at the appointment, but they had decided it was better if Lexa went alone. The risk of a reporter seeing them together was too great. So that morning, she set out alone to see the doctor. He tested everything necessary and finally gave her his okay. She knew what that would mean. She was allowed to shoot again, but she would also have to leave. She had gotten used to her normal life. To a life with Clarke and to the home she provided. For what seemed like an eternity, she finally had one again and it meant everything to her. She didn't want to leave, but she knew she was contractually bound to it and had to report. After all, they had postponed the shoot specifically because of her. Clarke noticed her distress as soon as she walked in the front door and went to hug her.
"What's the matter? Didn't the doctor have any good news?"
"Yes he had, actually. I'm allowed to shoot again."
"But that's good, isn't it? You wanted this so bad, didn't you?"
"I know I wanted to, but these last few weeks with you...I don't want to leave."
Gently, the blonde kissed Lexa and leaned her forehead against hers.
"I don't want you to leave either, but we still have a few days, and before that there's the premiere of the last movie."
"That's true," she admitted with a smile.
A few days later, Lexa was in her room getting dressed for the big movie premiere when Clarke entered it. She walked over to her friend and helped her lace up her dress.
"You look stunning," she whispered in the brunette's ear.
Lexa turned to look at her. Clarke would not be accompanying her today either, and that made her sad. Sad at the narrow-mindedness of the world and that she was bowing to pressure. Clarke understood her pain and gave her a hug. Lexa gave her friend a long kiss goodbye, which was meant to communicate her regrets and at the same time all the love she felt for her. At some point they detached from each other and the brunette went outside, where a limousine was already waiting to take her to the premiere.
The actress elegantly glided down the red carpet, on both sides of the barriers she heard her name, fans shouting it at the top of their lungs. She walked up to them and diligently signed autographs, posed for joint photos and smiled her professional smile. As much as she enjoyed all this fan love, it would never come close to that for Clarke and with that thought she lifted her head and there she saw her, the most beautiful woman in the world. She looked stunning, it didn't matter what she was wearing and immediately a smile appeared on the faces of the two women. A real one that only their friend got to see.
"Clarke, you're here." Everything about her radiated pure joy that could never have been put into words.
"I noticed how hard it was for you to leave today and that's when I wanted to surprise you so you wouldn't have to go through this alone."
The actress walked as close to the barrier as it would allow. Only a few inches separated them and all eyes were on the two women.
"I'm glad you're here. You can't imagine how much."
The latter nodded.
"Me too."
They just looked into each other's eyes and forgot about the world for a few moments, no one said anything. Lexa saw in the ocean blue their future together, every moment spent, endless love and that's when Lexa realized something important. She clasped Clarke's cheeks and kissed her. At first too caught off guard to react, she kissed her back after a few seconds.
After they broke away from each other, the brunette beckoned one of the security men to push the barrier away.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, and even if I'm not, it's too late now" she replied with a wry smile.
A little unsteadily Clarke went through the barrier. Lexa helped her and squeezed her hand encouragingly as she did so. Hand in hand, they strolled through the crowd, the blonde feeling very unsure and uncomfortable at first. She didn't like being the center of attention, but Lexa continued to squeeze her hand. She held it tightly in hers and wouldn't let it go anytime soon. As soon as the photographers saw them, they went berserk and a flurry of flashbulbs descended on the two before they were able to escape into the building, which reminded one more of a tower, but was very fitting for the film.
The next few days the media were divided. Some tore the young couple apart, others celebrated them for their courage.
Charles Pike in particular gave them a hard time whenever he could.