Not All Fun and Games

Chapter 31

As soon as I'm done briefly explaining to the camp all of today's events, I return to join Bellamy in the tent.
"Didn't feel like coming out?" I tease him.
"No, I'm comfy here. Besides, it takes pretty long to walk around in this thing." He nods towards his leg brace before adding: "Not that I'm complaining. This brace is great."
I sit down next to him, our shoulders touching.
"That was a difficult decision you made," I say, my expression now serious.
"I know. I should have talked to you about it before-"
"No, don't worry about that," I interrupt. "If I had disagreed, we would have figured something out. But I thought you were completely right. Banishing her was the right decision."
Bellamy nods appreciatively.
"I'm proud of you," I tell him, the words slipping out.
He looks up to meet my gaze, his warm brown eyes intense. I almost want to look away, but I don't. Instead, I take his hand.
Feeling the need to break the silence, I open my mouth, only to find my words blocked by Bellamy's lips.
He presses his hand against the back of my neck, pulling me closer into his embrace. His kiss is a mixture of sweet and spicy. For a second, I forget everything that's happening around me, so that I can focus solely on Bellamy Blake, the boy that I never thought I'd want this way.

Finally, I pull away. Bellamy's eyes flutter open after a few seconds.
He looks at me with a look of contemplation on his face, as if he's trying to figure out what I'm thinking.
When I don't say anything, his expression turns to concern.
"Uh, sorry Clarke. I didn't mean to take you by surprise, I just-"
I cut him off. "You did take me by surprise, but it was... It was a good surprise."
He lets out a sigh of relief, chuckling quietly as he looks at me in disbelief.
"God, Clarke. You really had me worried."
I find myself staring at his lips, trying to memorize their form. The taste of them lingers on mine and I wish it would stay forever.
Before I can stop myself, my arms are flung around his neck and our lips are once again collided.
I'm surprised at how desperate I am to have him close to me. Maybe it's because we've never done this, and I've never realized how much I liked him. Have I wanted him like this all along?

Someone steps into the tent and I practically jump backwards. Bellamy and I look up at Kaytee, blushing as we say awkward "hello"s. I hadn't realized that the tent wasn't zipped up.
"Sorry to barge in on you," says Kaytee in a tone that somehow eases the awkward tension. It's light and carefree, as if she hadn't just interrupted something private.
"Uh, that's okay," I say, my cheeks slightly hot.
"Anyway, you should know that Alex is awake. You might want to go check on her.
I stand up and follow her to the drop ship, Bellamy right behind us.

I take Alex's pulse, re-bandage her wounds and, of course, tell her that Clara had done this to her. I explained why, and that we had decided to banish her.
I hold back on the questions, thinking it better to ask them tomorrow.
Alex can speak, but just barely. Her voice is quiet and raspy, and she winces slightly at almost every word.
But she's humble, and she hasn't complained once. She smiles at me every time I come to check on her and thanks me every time I leave.
It makes me realize how right Bellamy was, about every life mattering down here. On Earth, everyone gets a second chance. And it's up to all of us to make sure of that.