That's Why I Love You

Chapter 14

Clarke

Lexa disappeared again the next day, saying she had to talk with her generals. I snuck into her tent when she was gone, careful to avoid any of her guards.

Her bed was messy and unmade. Candles sat by her bedside. Papers were spread out on the large table across from her bed. I walked over, rooting through them. I knew I probably shouldn't have, but I wanted to know as much as I could about her. I already knew who she was. I already knew what kind of person she was. But I had no clue as to who her family was, or when she started her training to be Commander.

As I was looking through, a familiar medium caught my eye. I pulled out the piece of parchment and stared down at it. It was the picture I had drawn of her in Polis, the one where she was sleeping. I smiled down at it. She had kept it.

Suddenly I heard a thud and looked behind me, startled. Lexa was there, trying to compose herself and pretend like she hadn't just tripped. Lexa looked at me with a guilty expression, knowing she had been caught watching.

She smiled and walked closer. I tried to tuck the drawing away, but she had already seen it. Her face paled and her smile faded.

"I...I was going to give it to you." She said quickly. It was obvious that that was not why she had kept it.

"Yeah?"

Lexa nodded vigorously, trying to convince me.

"To finish?"

Lexa's cheeks turned bright red and I smiled at the sight.

"If-if you would like to. You don't have to, I just thought--" Lexa stumbled.

"Lexa." I said, stopping her nervous rant. She looked up at me with hesitant eyes. "I would love to finish it."

"Okay." She murmured.

"And then you can keep it. Because I know you didn't have it just to give back to me." I said with a laugh.

She stared down at her feet. I mentally hit myself for mentioning it. I tried to think of something to lessen her embarrassment. And then I thought about what I had done before I left Polis. I felt a little guilty, knowing Lexa might miss it.

"I took a candle." I blurted. She looked up at me.

"What?"

"Before I left Polis." I said with a sigh. "I took a candle from your room and put it in my bag. I didn't know if I'd ever be back, and the Ark doesn't really use candles anyways so I took one. And then I lit it the first night I was there."

I met Lexa's eyes. She was smiling from ear to ear.
"You took a candle?"

"Yes."

"Why? You could've taken anything else. I would've let you take your bed with you if you wanted." She said with a laugh.

"Well first, I didn't know that at the time. And second, candles just remind me of the tower. You have so many around that candles are the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the tower." I said. I didn't mean the tower. I meant Lexa.

She nodded. "Well you can have as many candles as you'd like. You can have anything."

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you."