At last

Chapter Thirty Seven

Bellamy's point of view

After greeting and hugging everyone else I know, and also meeting new people, we all finally settled down into a quieter group. Everyone kind of went their own way after the sun began to fall. The former clans had all separated into their respective groups across the clearing, and only a few people ended up staying where I am. Clarke did (of course), along with Abby, Madi, Marcus, Octavia, and another young boy Madi's age named Trayon, who wanted to hang out with her.

"He seems nice," Clarke smiles, sitting down next to me and nodding towards Trayon.
I look over to see Trayon and Madi both having a conversation filled with laughs, sitting on the log across from us.
"Yeah," I smile, nodding.
"Hey... when I was with my mom, something was... off about her," she frowns, placing a hand on my arm.
"Really? Did you say anything about it?"
"Yes... well, I asked her if she was alright."
"And?" I question, looking down into her bright blue eyes.
"She said she was fine." She sighed, poking the fire with a stick.
"Then she's fine, Clarke."
"But Bell... something doesn't seem right. She's really pale, skinnier than before, plus she looked very tired," Clarke explains worriedly.
I sigh and place my hand in hers. "I'll watch out for her, okay?"
"Thanks," she sighs reassuringly. "...Grandpa."
"Hey!" I yell, jumping up, but when I jump up, Clarke is already running away. "That's it," I smile.
Then I take off after Clarke, a smile plastered on my face. Finally I get close enough to grab her, but she drops to her knees, letting out a quiet playful yelp. I skid to a quick stop, making me trip and fall. As I stand, searching for Clarke, I notice her hiding behind her mother, with a smile on her face. Letting out a chuckle, I run towards her and chase her around her mom in circles, careful not to push her too hard because of her wound.
"What on Earth are you doing?" Abby laughs.
I finally grasp my arms around Clarke's waist and pull her up into my arms, Clarke letting out a screech as I pull her close. "Got you now Grandma!" I tell, laughing.
Then Abby turns to face me with Clarke tangled in my arms and places a hand on her hip. "Carful with my daughter now Blake," she says sternly but I can tell she's joking.
"I'll try," I smirk, carrying Clarke away from everyone else, headed back to the fire but instead in turn the opposite direction, towards the rover. After opening the door I place Clarke inside and get inside myself, starting the engine. Then, looking over at Clarke with a smile, I begin to drive us into the woods.
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Clarke's point of view

I raise an eyebrow, looking at him quizzically. "Bellamy, where are you taking us?"
"We've been going all day, Clarke. Besides, we finally managed to dig out the bunker. We deserve a celebratory break," he glanced over at he, a small smile on his face.
I narrowed my eyes at him and he gave in, looking ahead again and sighing, "Fine. It's just that we've been in this barren landscape around a bunch of rubble all day, and I need a change of scenery for a while. I've always felt more at home in the woods."
I studied his face, "And?"
His voice grew quiet, "And, it's that I've spent the last six years around a small group of people in a quiet environment. Then, being in that swarm of people and all of that noise so suddenly just made me feel... claustrophobic. I just needed a break."
I was silent as I listened to the tiredness in his voice, thinking about how much I could relate to the way he felt.
He took my silence as a form of judgement, however, and he began to ramble, "I know it's bad, Clarke. I should be happy to be around them, I should be happy to be able to see them again, I know. And I do," he paused to murmur, "I really do," his voice raised a little again, "but it's just overwhelming to be around that many people so suddenly and I could barely stand it."
I noticed that his right arm had fallen from the steering wheel and onto the side of his seat, his finger tapping the seat impulsively as his eyes remained trained on the forest ahead of us.
I reached for his hand, stilling his tapping finger and lacing my smaller fingers with his, rubbing my thumb along the side of his hand. He immediately gave my hand a little squeeze, tightening his grip.
"It's natural to feel that way, Bellamy, no matter who you're around. Honestly, Madi and I felt that way as well when you all first came down. We got used to it, though, and being around you guys started to feel natural. Now, we just have to get used to it again. The feeling will pass, I promise."
He gave me a small smile, his eyes holding a tenderness that I only saw whenever he looked at his sister. My heart swelled, a blush beginning to creep up my neck when I caught his gaze wandering down to my lips. His eyes snapped back to the path ahead of us to navigate us through the trees, but neither of us let go of the other's hand.
We were headed for our old campsite.
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