Chapter 9
Raven looked back at Lexa, sitting beside Lincoln, while waiting for another beer at the bar. The woman laughed at something he said. She had begged Clarke to take the night off, but she claimed finding another chief to fill in would be too difficult. Raven suspected there was another reason.
She thanked the bartender and carried her glass to the table. She was buzzed and happy to be surrounded by most of her friends. When Anya arrived ten minutes later, she prepared herself for a fight. The woman seemed pissed about something, but Raven suspected the attitude was her typical self. In fact, her tone when speaking to Lexa suggested she was happy.
“Where’s the little blonde?” Anya asked.
“Working,” Raven said. “She couldn’t get the night off, apparently.”
Anya rolled her eyes. “Right,” she said. “She likes women, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then what’s the problem? Lexa’s hot and she’s annoyingly nice. Your friend needs to get her fucking act together.”
“She’s going through a lot right now. You don’t know anything about her.”
Anya groaned dramatically and rolled her eyes. “Here we go,” she said. “Princess has everyone at her fucking feet.”
“Tell your friend to make a move. What the hell am I supposed to do besides lock them in a candle-lit bedroom and hope for the best?”
“That’s what you would do?” Anya asked, chuckling. “Out of all your choices, that’s what you went with?”
“Clarke’s a romantic at heart. I’m not choosing for myself.”
“Yeah? What would you do? Hypothetically. If it were you.”
Raven shrugged. “Something involving handcuffs, probably,” she said. “I’m very hard to control.”
Anya’s eyes crinkled when she grinned, menacingly. Her tone changed as she leaned forward to whisper in the other woman’s ear, “Good to know.”
Lexa could not stop watching Raven and Anya’s interactions. She was happy for them and not at all surprised. She was not sure what changed because they were still at each other’s throats over every little comment and sarcastic as hell, but they were looking at each other differently. Her first thought was to tell Clarke.
But Clarke had been avoiding her for the last week. They spoke about work and nothing else. She had thought their interaction during surgery was a step forward but ended up being a huge step backward. She had tried the next day to ask if the woman was okay and received a vague reply. Clarke would not even make eye contact. Raven had asked what happened while on a run. Lexa did not have an answer. She could imagine the pain from her dad’s condition was nearly unbearable but shutting everyone out would make Clarke feel worse in the long run.
Lexa had not been in a relationship since medical school and had forgotten what it felt like to have a crush on someone. She could not even say if Clarke returned any of her feelings. There was a moment during surgery when she thought Clarke might feel something, but that disappeared quickly.
“I’m going home,” she said to Anya.
“I’ll walk with you,” she said.
“No, that’s okay. I want you to stay.”
“And why would I do that when my best friend is leaving?”
Lexa nodded toward Raven who was stealing Lincoln’s drink. Anya waved her hand, dismissively. “We already have plans,” she said.
“Oh, really? That’s great.”
They stepped out of the bar together. Lexa shoved her hands in her pockets. Her apartment was only two blocks away, which she was grateful for. The loft was nice. The high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows gave her the perfect view of the city. It had been her one request while working with her realtor.
“Look,” Anya said. “I know you don’t want to talk about it…”
“I really don’t, Anya. I really, really don’t. Not tonight.”
“Okay. We’ll just walk together then. I’m glad it’s warm.”
“Me too. Even if we’re entering the crazy season for emergencies. Spring always goes by too fast.”
“I agree. How are Costia and Becca?”
“They’re good. I’m having dinner with them next weekend.”
Lexa was looking forward to seeing Becca for the first time in a few years. There had been tension between them since her father’s death. Lexa had inherited everything, including the house which she gave to Becca. She chose to downsize a few years after Lexa and Costia moved out, which provided her with more than enough to live comfortably. Even in death, her father’s legacy earned royalties which came directly to Lexa. She sent half to Becca every month.
The room was dark when Lexa entered, but the city was illuminated. She stood in front of the window and stared. The river looked serene. People shouted and laughed down below. The tension in her shoulders eased.
Clarke stood on her tiptoes but was unable to reach the box. She had no idea where the stool was because someone had taken it from the supply room to use elsewhere. She tried again but her hand was inches away. Rather than attempt to grab the top box, she knocked the entire pile over. The crash was dramatically loud.
“Damn,” Raven said, entering the room. “I thought you were in here for fun reasons.”
She laughed as she started stacking the boxes again. “Surely you know me better than that,” she said.
“Unfortunately, I do.”
They cleaned the room and exited. Clarke refilled the glove dispensers with the boxes she retrieved. The floor was calm for the first time in the last six hours, which she was grateful for. They all needed a short break before another case came in.
“Are you feeling okay?” Raven asked.
“I really wish you would stop asking me that,” she said.
“I can’t help it. You’re, like, my sister.”
Clarke stopped walking until Raven noticed. They stared at each other for a long moment.
“You had sex,” Clarke said.
“You’re surprised?” she asked.
“Not about the sex part. You had sex with someone you actually like.”
“Ew. No, I didn’t. But it was fun.”
Clarke glanced back to see who was walking toward them. Lexa was looking down at a patient chart, eyebrows furrowed in an adorable way, until she caught them staring.
“What’s wrong?” Lexa asked.
“Who did Raven hook up with?” Clarke asked.
Lexa raised an eyebrow at Raven. There was a small, mischievous grin on her face. Clarke looked between them, waiting for an answer, but there seemed to be a standoff over who would break first. Finally, Lexa tore her eyes from Raven and met Clarke’s eyes fully.
“Anya,” she said.
“Your friend from Chicago Med?” she asked.
Lexa nodded. “They were talking a lot at the bar the other night,” she said. “Mostly fighting though.”
“Yeah, that didn’t stop,” Raven said.
“Typical,” Clarke said, rolling her eyes.
Raven smiled wide at them before walking away. She turned to Lexa who simply shrugged, also smiling. Her smile was infectious. She was truly gorgeous. Her hair was down today, but Clarke had a feeling it would be pulled back by the end of her shift. She was not sure which way she liked Lexa’s hair best.
“Should be an interesting relationship for us to witness,” Lexa said.
“That’s true,” she said.
For the next half an hour, Clarke completed mundane tasks she had been putting off. She was jealous of Raven’s ability to connect with someone she found attractive. Clarke did not use to struggle as much as she did. She used to know how to flirt and speak to people, but, with more responsibilities and less free time, she found the thought of a relationship even more unappealing.
When she looked up from the paperwork, Lexa’s hair was pulled up.