Chapter 2
October 9th, 5:15 PM NZST:
“I’m telling you Reyes; I sounded like a total idiot!” Lexa opened her locker, tossing her gloves inside. “I was trying to say that the runners had gotten stuck, but all I could manage was ‘I got the runs.’”
Lexa slammed the locker door shut in frustration, slapping her palm against its face. “Ugh! I’ve never been so embarrassed! G-d, and then the thing with the shower!” Lexa banged her forehead against the locker door several times, groaning as the shower debacle replayed in her head.
Raven removed a piece of candy from the bag she was holding. She tossed it up, catching it in her mouth, before setting the bag aside and engrossing herself in the copy of Popular Mechanics strewn on her lap. “Did you know that they’re working on prosthetics that response to electro-neural signals from your brain’s motion processing center?”
Lexa frowned, turning back to Raven and narrowing her eyes at her jumpsuit-clad, grease covered friend. “Are you even listening to me?”
Raven flipped to a new section in the magazine, peering at Lexa over the top of the pages. “Of course I am BooBoo, but you told me this story already. Twice. I get it. She’ was hot, you were a stuttering mess. What more is there to talk about?”
“And the shower thing?”
“So she walked in on you and some girl fooling around. So what? It’s not the first time somebody on this base has caught you with your pants down.”
Lexa sighed as she began removing her outer layers, shucking her heavy parka and kicking off the thick, rubber boots that she wore when she was out on the trails. She slipped her feet into a warm pair of Sorels and grabbed the cargo rope that lay in a tangled heap at her feet, winding it into loose coils. “Raven, what if she makes good on the invitation Lincoln extended to her? What the fuck am I going to say to this girl if she shows up here?”
“Hello?”
Almost as if on queue, a familiar voice echoed down the hallway that connected the front office to the tack room, making Lexa freeze, and turning her face white as a sheet.
Raven grinned like a Cheshire cat, realizing who had just walked in. “Speak of the devil!” She threw down her magazine and grabbed her crutches. Hoisting herself up on her good leg, she made her way towards the door. “Good luck BooBoo,” she winked as she crutched past Lexa, making her way to the door and opening it just in time to come face to face with Clarke.
Clarke stared at her for a moment, startled. “Hi, um… Is Lincoln here?”
The mechanic looked up and down“You must be the hot doctor.” Raven nodded her head backward, gesturing over her shoulder. “He’s not around, but Lexa can probably help you out.” With that, Raven was off, disappearing through the door before Lexa had time to protest.
“The hot doctor, eh?” Clarke took a tentative step through the door, half embarrassed, half annoyed by Ravens comment.
Lexa stared at the rope in her hands, as she continued to coil it, trying her best not to turn bright red. “Oh, yeah. Lincoln’s words, not mine. Guy talk. Sorry.”
Clarke nodded. “So…” She looked around the room curiously, eyes wide. “Listen, Lincoln was going to give me a tour today but, if he’s not here, then I can come back another time. You seem busy and…”
“No!” Lexa blurted out, startling Clarke without meaning to. “I’m not. Busy, I mean. I can show you around if you like.”
Clarke hesitated, Lexa’s awkwardness around her making her feel a bit uncomfortable. She paused, taking a moment to consider the girls offer, before nodding. “That’d be great. Thank you.”
Lexa cast aside the cargo rope, furiously wiping her hands on the legs her tan, canvas overalls. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. “I should probably thank you.”
“For what?
Lexa finally looked Clarke in the eyes. “For not saying anything to Director Kane about the other morning. I mean, fraternizing isn’t prohibited, but it’s frowned upon by Director Kane. I’m a bit of a prior offender.”
Clarke nodded, trying her best not to look judgmental. “Yeah, I think I’ve heard a few about that.” Clarke’s demeanor finally softened, one corner of her mouth turning up in a hint of a smile. “People seem to think that you’re a real ladies man.” Clarke stopped, immediately correcting the statement. “Ladies lady, I mean. Anyway, don’t worry about it. “ She winked. "Your secret is safe with me.”
Lexa breathed a sigh of relief, as the awkward tension finally broke between the two of them. She smiled at Clarke, thankful that she seemed to have a sense of humor, and an open mind. “Thanks. So, you want to meet the dogs?”
Clarke smiled, biting her lower lip in a way that made Lexa’s heart skip a beat. “Would that be ok?”
Lexa nodded enthusiastically, waving for Clarke to follow her as she dawned her jacket once more. “Just a warning though, it smells like wet dog in there.”
They made their way out of the tack room and into a large, cold, building with a packed snow floor. From wall to wall, the whole place was lined with wire enclosures, each one with a tiny log hut at the back, and a name tacked above it.
Lexa pointed down the rows. “This is where they hang out when they are off duty. Usually, sled dogs are kenneled outdoors, but one of the stipulations of us bringing back the program was that we needed to have greater oversight regarding cross-species exposure and waste management.”
She waved her hand around the building indiscriminately. “We built this place so that we could isolate the dogs without getting them too used to being indoors.” She grinned, “hence the snow floor and lack of heat.” Lexa smirked as she watched Clarke shiver and rub her hands together.
Lexa led Clarke to the first enclosure on the left and pointed inside. A medium sized white and reddish tan husky slept on top of its hut. The dog opened one almond shaped eye, peering at Lexa. It raising its head, yawning dramatically and resettling itself before going back to sleep.
Lexa smiled and motioned for Clarke to come closer. “That’s Tootega. Tega, for short.”
“Where did the name Tootega come from?”
“She’s a deity in Inuit mythology. She appears as an old woman and walks on water. It seemed like an appropriate namesake for a lead sled dog, considering the occupation.”
Clarke smiled and turned her head to the side a bit, looking at the sleeping canine curiously. “You have a female lead dog?”
Lexa nodded, leaning in closer to the pen, and attempting to call the dog to her. “Absolutely. Technically, you can use either, but most mushers will tell you that females make better leads.”
“Why is that?”
Lexa grinned as she looked at Clarke, winking confidently as though she was about to reveal sage wisdom. “Same as humans. Females are just plain smarter than males, and more intuitive; better instincts.”
Clarke smiled back at Lexa, the dimples on her cheeks becoming more prominent. “I like that.”
Tootega, finally acknowledging Lexa, jumped down from her hut, and making her way over towards the women. She eyed Clarke suspiciously as she approached, stopping a few feet away and sniffed indignantly in her direct, before turned around, retreating inside her hut.
Lexa chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. She’s a bit of a diva.”
They made their way to the next kennel, and Lexa pointed at the tuft of brown and gray fur sticking out from the door of the hut. “This guy is my speed demon. He doesn’t quite have the instincts to lead, but he’s crazy fast, and incredibly consistent. That’s how he got his name, Iginla.”
“Another Inuit deity?”
“No, no no,” Lexa said, shaking her head vigorously. “He’s named after Jarome Iginla.”
Clarke could only manage a look of confusion, as raised her hands and shrugged.
Lexa looked back at her skeptically. “Jarome Iginla. The hockey player?”
Clarke just shrugged again. “I’ve never actually watched hockey.”
Lexa took a step back, placing her hand on her chest in mock horror. “Doc! What have you been doing with your life?”
They made their way to the next enclosure, where a set of ears were just visible where they poked out from a mound of snow. Lexa whistled, and the black and white husky buried beneath sprang to his feet looking around intently. His bright blue eyes fixed on Lexa. “This is Frost. Frosty is the ladies man of the bunch. The women around the base love him.”
Lexa smirked, feeling just bold enough to push her luck with the lovely doctor. “I mean… Who wouldn’t fall for eyes like those?” Lexa peered over at Clarke, waiting for the line to sink in, hoping that she hadn’t crossed a line. Thankfully, Clarke didn’t seem offended so much as bashfully, pursing her lips as she blushed and looked away.
The next pen held an all white female named Juneau, the one after that, a black and tan husky mix named Kodiak, the next two, white and brown Canadian Eskimo Dogs named Romulus and Remus. At the final enclosure, Lexa put a finger over her mouth, waving to Clarke, who crept forward on quietly, trying not to chuckle when she saw the sight inside. There, fast asleep on his back, all four legs in the air, was a giant, grey-brown Malamute. The dog grunted, snorting loudly as he slept. Lexa chuckled, shaking her head and leaning to whisper in Clarke’s ear. “That’s is Big Gus. He’s the grandad of the bunch.”
Clarke looked over the sleeping animal thoughtfully. “Gus? Why such a normal name?
Lexa stared at the dog reverently. “He’s named after my dad. My mother died giving birth to me, and my older brother was already in college by the time I was born, so it was just him and me when I was growing up. He was my idol. Incredible musher too, by the way. He ran the Iditarod when he was younger, taught me most of what I know.”
Clarke waited for her to continue, sensing there was more to the story. “Anyway, I got Big Gus right after dad passed away. I guess his personality just reminded me of him, goofy, sweet. He looks intimidating, but he’s a big teddy bear.”
Clarke shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to say. “Lexa… I’m sorry to hear about you father. Do you mind if I ask how he passed?”
Lexa nodded. “It’s fine. He had a stroke when I was sixteen. We lived in a pretty isolated town, Homer, Alaska. I was at school when it happened, and he was out on the sled trails with his team. He managed to get himself home, but by the time the medics got there, it was too late. He died a couple of days later in the hospital.
Clarke remained silent, knowing that it was best to let Lexa pick the conversation up when she felt ready.
“Anyway, I moved to Juneau to live with my brother and his wife after that. That’s where Lincoln and I met. He was the junior sled racing champion there.
Clarke cocked an eyebrow at the final detail of the story. “Really? Lincoln grew up racing dog sleds?”
Lexa smirked. “Does that surprise you?”
Clarke fidgeted nervously, a little afraid of answering honestly. “I mean, I never imaged that there were many…”
“Many big black guys in dog sledding?”
Clarke immediately turned red, as Lincoln’s voice filled the room. She palmed her forehead and looked at his sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Lincoln! Am I awful for thinking that?”
Lexa’s chuckled at Clarke’s earnestness, shaking her head at the frazzled doctor. Lincoln narrowed his eyes for a moment, feigning anger, before breaking character and laughing hysterically, unable to hold the act.
“Presumptuous maybe, but not awful, and actually, you aren’t wrong. There aren’t many on the professional circuit. I think Barry MacAlpine and his son Norman were the only big names until this Jamaican guy, Normal Marshall, started running the Iditarod in 2010. He came in 43rd out of something like 70 people a few years ago.” Lincoln turned away from the enclosure and motioned for Clarke and Lexa to follow him back to the tack room. Once inside, he made his way to the lockers that were positioned against the back wall, opening one and pulling out a small picture frame. He handed it to Clarke.
The picture was of him and Lexa as teenagers. They stood, bundled in thick parkas and wooly hats, next to an old, bearded man wearing a sweatshirt with the words Native Pride across the front. Lincoln crossed is arms, grinned as he peered down at the old photograph. “My father was one of the first African-American helicopter pilots in the Coast Guard. That’s how he met my mother, who is half French, and half Native Alaskan. He got stationed at the base in Juneau after mom finishing her Master’s at the University of Alaska Southeast. That’s my mom’s dad on the right.”
He pointed to the old man in the picture. “That’s my Pawpaw. He’s full blooded Yup’ik. He’s the one who got me into dog sledding.”
Lexa leaned over, smiling at the old photograph. “PawPaw is pretty awesome. 89 years old and still raising hell.” She nudged Lincoln in his shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows. “Tell Clarke how he met your grandmother.”
“Storming Normandy.” Lincoln got a glimmer in his eye as he continued telling the story. “PawPaw was with the 1st Infantry Division when they landed at Omaha Beach. He met my grandmother a few days later when they rolled into some tiny French town. She was from a Sephardic Jewish family. When the German soldiers came to round up the Jews in her village, she was on her way home from work. A neighbor grabbed her and hid her in his cellar, but her whole family got taken and sent to a camp. Afterward, she joined the French resistance as a combatant.”
Clarke gazed at Lincoln wide-eyed. “Wow.”
“I know.”
“I mean… Wow.”
He laughed. “I know.”
Clarke though over what he had said for a moment, nodding as she processed the information. “So, let me see if I have this straight. You’re an Africa-American, Alaskan Native, Sephardic-Jew, with French roots and war hero grandparents.”
She paused, “and you dog sled.”
Lincoln laughed. “You forgot to add that I’m unbearably handsome, but yes.” He winked at her, placing the photograph back in his locker. “You just wait until I win the Iditarod. The papers are gonna go nuts over me!”
Clarke rolled her eyes and watched Lexa punch her friend in the arm. “Please, excuse my friend. He’s still learning modesty.”
October 12, 12:30 PM NZST:
“Hey, Doc.”
Clarke and Wells looked up to see Lexa and Lincoln hovering over them, both holding overfull cafeteria trays.
“Are these seats taken?”
Clarke smiled at the wild looking girl. Her hair was a mess, her face red and wind-whipped, snow lingering on her pants.
“Not at all.”
They sat, making hasty introductions to Wells before tucking into the heaps of food piled on their trays. Wells chuckled as the two began devoured their lunch like ravenous animals, hunched over their bounty as though they hadn’t had a decent meal in years. “Hungry?”
Lincoln answered him between bites of kielbasa with mustard. “Mushumg uz hawd wurk,” he mumbling as he chewed. He swallowed, repeating himself. “Mushing is hard work. It works up an appetite. Right, Lex?” Lexa nodded as she shoveled a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, struggling to swallow it.
Clarke nudged the other girl under the table, giggling at as Lexa grimaced at the strain of the too large mouthful. “Slow down woman! You’ll choke eating like that.”
Lexa swallowed another enormous mouthful of potato, washing it down with a sip of coffee before she finally took a breath. “Sorry, I’m starving. I missed breakfast this morning.”
Lincoln punched her in the arm, grinning wickedly. “You mean you skipped it so you could fool around with that Swiss girl before the run.”
Lexa curse Lincoln silently, hoping that his omission hadn’t left Clarke thinking the worst of her. An awkward silence settled over the group for a moment before Clarke finally spoke.
“Lexa, thanks again for showing me around the kennel the other day. It was fun.”
Lexa nodded, as she took another gulp of coffee. “No problem. You should come down and hang out again some time.”
“Really?”
Lexa paused, not having realized that Clarke would take the comment seriously. “Yeah.”
“I’d like that.”
For the rest of lunch, Lexa focused all her energy on the tray of food in front of her, doing her best to make small talk with the group. Internally, however, she was all raw nerve, the possibility of being alone with Clarke played out in her mind.
October 14, 5:30 PM NZST:
The dog groaned as Clarke scratched behind the dog’s ears. He groaned, closing his eyes and settling his head on the blonde’s lap as Lincoln worked to bandage his paw. “Poor Gus,” Clarke patted his head. “Will he be ok?”
Lexa nodded, smoothing her hand down Gus’ back to keep him calm. “Oh, yeah. It’s just a minor cut. He’ll be okay in a few days.”
Wells let out a yelp behind them. They turned to see him topple onto the floor as Tega jumped on him, licking his face madly.
“Tega, you flirt!” Lexa shook her head, dragging the dog off of him. “She seems to like you.”
Wells struck his tongue out, grimacing as he wiped the slobber from his face. “I think that’s the most interest a woman has shown me in months.”
Lincoln cocked an eyebrow at the young man, laughing at his candor. “Clarke, you punishing this poor guy for something?”
“Excuse me?”
Lincoln looked over at the blonde, realizing that she seemed offended by his question. “Oh, sorry! I just thought that you two were…”
“Together?”
Lincoln nodded.
Clarke rolled her eyes at him, huffing a little, and turning her attention back Gus. “We’re just friends, but you’re not the first person to think that. People always assumed that we’re a couple, even back at our hospital. G-d forbid a woman and a man just hang out together.”
Lincoln shot Clarke an apologetic look, shrugging. “Sorry.” He grinned sheepishly, as he finished bandaging Gus’ paw, stepping back to admired his handiwork. “I’m sure people would think that about Lexa and me too if she weren’t warming the beds of half the women on this station.”
It was Lexa’s turn to be offended now. She turned bright red, punching Lincoln in the thigh and screwed up her face. “Hey! It’s hardly half the women on the base!”
Clarke laughed, as Lincoln as he yelped. He picked up his Charlie horsed leg and hopped around. The doctor looked at Lexa, still fuming and red faced. “So you’re saying you’re not a player?”
“Ugh! I hate being described that way,” Lexa groaned, returning her attention to Gus, who had sprawled himself on the floor, rolling over on his back to offer her his expansive stomach.
Wells, took a seat next to her, finally having rid himself of the dog slobber. “Why is that?”
Lexa sighed, rubbing Gus’ belly with one hand and brushing her wild hair out of her eyes with the other. “Because I feel like there’s a certain amount of implied dishonesty that comes with that label, and that’s not me.”
She scowled. “You can accuse me a lot of things, but being sleazy and lying to women isn’t one of them. I mean, sure, I do fool around with a few girl, but so what? It’s not like I’m predatory. Most of those women pursue me, not the other way around.”
Lexa sighed, standing up and leading Gus back to his enclosure. “Maybe you haven’t been here long enough to see it yet Wells, but being at this station is kind of a mind fuck after awhile. It’s long hours, high stress, tons of work, but when there’s downtime, there is a lot of it. People get bored. They get lonely, and they trying to kill time or relive stress any way they can.”
Lexa waited for Gus to limp into his pen before closing the gate behind him and latching it. She made her way back over to the group, sitting beside Lincoln, who was still rubbing his thigh.
“Most of those women are using me as a means to an end, and that’s fine. I get it. It’s a lot easier for them to fool around with me than to risk their reputations hook up with one of their coworkers. If that mean I get laid, great.”
Clarke smirked at her, “You don’t exactly seem like you’re beating them off with a stick though.”
Lexa shrugged. “I won’t say I don’t enjoy the attention, but that doesn’t mean that I want people to think that I’m trying to get into the pants of every woman on this station.”
Wells rolled his eyes at her. “Well, I wish I had your problems. The last time a girl asked me out was the in fourth grade. The girls I meet all want bad boys,” he said with a hint of bitterness, narrowing his eyes at the thought. “Women don’t exactly consider being a pharmacist a sexy career field. It doesn’t help that the only sport I ever played was chess.”
Lincoln and Lexa both burst out laughing as Wells removed a wrinkled photograph from his wallet, handing it to them. The picture showed a young Wells, braces and coke bottle glasses, clutching a black knight in his fingers. A skinny girl with a long blonde braid sat across from him in the photo.
Lexa pointed to the figure in the picture. “Is that you Clarke?”
Clarke nodded, leaning over to look at the photo and smiling at the memory. “Yup! I think we must have been seven or eight there.”
Wells nodded, folding the photograph and putting it back in his wallet. “As you can tell I was an awkward kid.”
Clarke pushed him playfully, “Don’t say that, Wells. You were cute!”
“I was a geek!” Clarke was just about my only friend until we got to high school. Once the braces came off, and I got contacts, girls started to notice me, but they always lost interest quickly. Still, do actually.
Clarke chuckled at her friend. “Poor Wells has nice guy syndrome. He’s always falling for girls that are into…”
“Jerks,” Wells finished her sentence grimacing. “They’re into lying, cheating, jerks. I’ve been trying to meet someone nice, but I’ve been single now for over a year. That’s part of why I decided to come up here. I figured it might make me a little more impressive to women.”
Clarke placed her arm around Wells’ shoulders, squeezing him and leaning her forehead against his. “You’re plenty impressive Wells. You should let me try to set you up with someone when we get back.”
Wells rolled this eyes. “You just worry about yourself lady.” He pointed at her. “You know this one has been single for almost seven years now.”
“What?!” Lexa’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. It was hard for her to imagine that Clarke was single, let along chronically so. She would have thought that Clarke had men and women lining up to ask her out. “How is that even possible?”
Clarke shrugged. “I’ve had other priorities.”
Wells patting her leg. “Clarke’s been pretty busy the last few year what with school and work, and the b….”
“Ehem!”
Clarke cleared her throat loudly, and Wells froze mid-sentence, noticing that his friend was glaring daggers at him. He shook his head quickly, realizing his almost slip. “The boards! Studying for her boards has taken up a lot of her time.”
Lexa and Lincoln seemed confused by the exchange that had just taken place. The door to the tack room opened before either one could think on it for too long.
“What the heck Lex?! You were supposed to meet me at the chow hall an hour ago!”
Lexa turned to see Raven crutching toward her, grease on her face, the top of her jumpsuit tied around her waist. “Oh, shit! Raven, I’m so sorry! I lost track of time.”
Lexa turned back to the rest of the group. “Clarke, Wells, this is my friend Raven Reyes. She’s the chief engineer over at facilities.”
Raven extended her hand to the two friends. “Hey! Hot Doc, you’re back!”
Clarke rolled her eyes in annoyance, taking the girls hand and shaking it firmly. “I prefer Clarke.”
Raven nodded, turning to Wells. “And you are?”
Wells stared at Raven, wide-eyed and froze to his seat. Finally, he seemed to recover his sense, jumping to his feet.
“Wells! I’m Wells. It’s nice to meet you Raven.”
Lincoln and Lexa watched as the flustered young man awkwardly thrust his hand toward Raven. They smirked, exchanged knowing glances, and trying not to giggle.
October 23rd, 9:45 PM NZST:
Clarke strode through the doors of the empty chow hall, desperate for a cup of coffee after the long day she’d had. At 7 AM she’d arrived at the clinic to find a line of patients that went out the door, and she’d been working steadily since then. A particularly nasty strain of rhinovirus had hit the station, and from the number of patients that had kept her busy long into the night, Clarke could tell it wasn’t taking any prisoners. She sighed as she dropped into a seat, letting her head rest against the cool tabletop. The wood thudded as Wells dropped into the seat next to her, placing two cups of coffee on the table, and resting his head in his hands. “I’m exhausted.”
“Tell me about it.”
“All I want to do is go back to my dorm room and sleep, but I don’t think I have enough energy to move.”
“Dido.”
The two sat there for a moment, neither one moving, neither one speaking, until Wells finally rose, stretching and yawning. “Ok, I’m headed back to the dorms. You coming?”
Clarke picked her head up off the table and let out a long, slow breath. “In a bit. I want to wait until my roommate takes off for the night shift. She snores, and if I go back now, she’ll just keep me up.”
Wells shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He grabbed his coffee and made his way back out of the room.
Clarke put her head back on the table, staring at the cup of coffee that Wells had left for her. She wasn’t sure when she fell asleep exactly, but the next thing the doctor knew, she woke to the sound of a clearing throat.
“Ehem!”
Clarke grunted, peering up through half-lidded eyes at the person leaning over her.”
“Looking good, Doc.”
Clarke wiped the drool from her face as she stood. “Oh, Lexa! Sorry, I guess I nodded off. What time is it?”
“About 10:30 PM.”
Clarke’s eyes bulged at the realization that she’d been asleep for nearly an hour. She groaned, looking at the coffee that had gone cold.
“Thanks for waking me up. I didn’t mean to fall asleep I was just… I was just trying to kill time until my roommate woke up and left for work. She snores. Loudly.”
Lexa sat, dusting the snow off her head and breathing into her hands to warm them. “Long day?”
Clarke nodded. Half the base has the flu, and I haven’t had a chance to sit down all day. My neck and back are killing me.”
Lexa nodded. “I think I can help with that. You game for a shoulder rub?”
Clarke nodded, turning her back toward Lexa, as the girl straddled the bench and settled her friend’s frame between her thighs. Clarke felt the tension drain slowly from her shoulders as Lexa began working the aching muscles of her shoulder with her firm, strong hands.
“Oh my gosh Lexa, you are fantastic at this.”
“How do you think I reel in the ladies?”
Clarke realized the implications of Lexa’s statement and screwed up her face. “Ugh, what a line! And here I was just starting to like you, Woods.”
Lexa laughed at how quickly Clarke dismissed her. “Ok, ok. No smooth talk.” She moved from Clark’s shoulders to her neck, rubbing it in small, slow circles.
“So, when does your roommate head to work?”
Clarke groaned as she looked at her watch. “Ugh… Not for another hour and a half.”
Lexa nodded at her and thought for a moment. “Well, you can come sleep with me if you like.”
The comment startled Clarke and Lexa immediately backpedaled, realizing too late how it had sounded. “Not a line! Not a line, I swear! I just meant, in my room. I haven’t gotten a new suite mate since the last one went back stateside, and I don’t snore. At least I don’t think I do.”
Clarke thought over the offer for a minute, looking at her watch, and feeling her eyelids get heavier by the second. “You promise, no funny business?”
Lexa laughed, doing her best not to feel wounded by Clarke’s suspicion. “Cross my heart.”
Clarke stood. “Alright, then.”
October 24th: 5:37 AM NZST:
Clarke woke with a start at the thump of a nearby door being closed too hard. She rubbed her eyes, peering down at her watch, groaning when she saw how early it was. She looked over at the empty bed across from her, realizing that she was alone. The bed that Lexa had vacated had been made with pinpoint accuracy; the sheets pulled taught and tucked into hospital corners. Clarke’s bed was never made with that much attention to detail. She was always in too much of a hurry in the mornings, frequently settling for throwing the comforter over the disheveled sheets to hide them, tossing the pillows wherever they landed.
Clarke stretched. She was surprised by how tidy the place was. A little cluttered perhaps, but the room looked overall neat and well ordered. It wasn’t exactly what she had expected from the wild, dog-sledding girl. The door creaked open, and Clarke turned to see Lexa enter, carrying two steaming mugs of coffee.
“Oh, sorry! Did I wake you?”
Clarke shook her head, smiling as Lexa handed her a mug. “No, not at all. I just woke up.” She yawned, pulling the sheets up to her chest. “Thank you, by the way.”
She raised the mug, indicating how much she appreciated the gesture and took a short sip. “Wow! Milk no sugar. How did you know?”
Lexa grinned, as she sat down on the end of her bed. “I ran into Wells, and he filled me in.”
Clarke nodded finishing her coffee and setting the mug down on the bedside table. “Well, I better get going. I have to be at the clinic soon.” She climbed out of the sheets, slipping on her shoes and doing her best to make the bed neatly. As she slid on her coat, she turned back to Lexa, pursing her lips for a moment and considering something. “I should thank you properly for letting me crash. Honestly, that’s probably the best nights sleep I’ve had since I got here.”
Lexa waved her hand. “It’s no big deal. You can crash any time you like.”
Clarke smiled at the generous offer. “Careful lady, I just might take you up on that.”
Lexa looked at her feet, hiding her face so that Clarke couldn’t tell that she was blushing. As far as she was concerned, Clarke could come by every night if she wanted.
Clarke finished zipping up her jacket and began making her way to the door, turning back to Lexa as she opened it. “Look, I just got this big care package from my parents. My mom sent brownies and my dad,” she laughed. “He slipped in a bottle of bourbon.”
Lexa smiled, cocking her eyebrow curiously. “He does know there are like three bars here, doesn’t he?”
Clarke shook her head. “I think he assumes the conditions here are little more austere than that. For all I know, he thinks I’m living in an igloo.”
The two girls laughed, and Clarke leaned against the door frame, shaking her head at the ridiculous notion. “Anyway, my roommate is leaving this afternoon for one of the smaller bases, so I’ve got the place to myself, and I have tomorrow off. I was thinking about cracking open that bourbon and relaxing.
Clarke zipped up her coat, smiling at Lexa as she started pulling on her gloves. “You should come by and have a drink with me, as a thank you for letting me stay here. We could watch a movie, dig into those brownies.”
Clarke tapped her foot nervously when Lexa didn’t answer right away. “Honestly you’d be doing me a favor. Other than Wells you and Lincoln are the only people I know here, and I’d be happy for the company.” Clarke bit her bottom lip nervously, triggering a familiar flutter in Lexa’s stomach.
Lexa felt sweat forming on her skin, as a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Had Clarke just asked her on a date, or was this simply a friendly invitation to hangout? She considered the possibilities, deciding a moment later that she didn’t care. “Sure. That sounds like fun.”
Clarke smiled from ear to ear and she straightened up. “Great! Is 8:30 ok?”
“Yeah, see you then.”
With that, Clarke finished dressing and left, leaving Lexa to marinate in confused anxiety.