Always by your side | Clexa

Chapter 9

"Come on Clarke! It's time to go" Octavia shouted from the car. "Just one more minute" I replied, my voice filled with sobs. "I'm going to miss you so much" I pulled Madi closer. "Me too" she whispered, tears escaping her eyes. "Am I going to see you again?" She asked. "You will" I smiled.

"Promise me you will take care of her" I pleaded Lexa. "I will don't worry. In return, take care of my dad and yourself" she answered. "How long are you going to stay?" Tears started forming in my eyes again. "I don't know exactly. Maybe a month or two" she shrugged. "Clarke!" Raven called out. "Time for you to go" Lexa smiled. After one last hug, I made my way to the car. Waving goodbye at them was the most heartbreaking thing to do.

My last week here went by so fast. Considering the fact that Lexa was staying, she took a lot of time off. Sometimes she would come visit me during an examination with flowers. She would sit there and talk with the kids. Everyone in the village loves her. I'm no exception. Nothing intimate happened between us since the kiss in the kitchen. Kisses on the side of the head, hugs and cuddles were part of our routines. She stood by what she told me. I had to figure out what I want.

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It's been a year since I left Ecuador. Lexa hasn't come back yet. Murphy didn't either. After a couple of months, Echo and Bellamy flew back here to work. During the first weeks, they radioed us multiple times. Occasionally the kids would be there and talk to us. I missed Madi so much.

Now it's rare that we get any news from them. I wished I could've stayed there with her but the hospital needed me. Fortunately, it's the holiday season and I have two weeks off along with the others. We easily decided what we wanted to do.

I felt nervous but excited at ths same time as the landscape changed in front of my eyes. But the moment I put a feet on the ground at the village, the only emotions I felt were happiness and nostalgia.

Talking about the village, it changed a lot. It was almost unrecognizable. All the structures were different, renovated, better. Murphy and Lexa didn't took a break apparently.

After putting our things in the place we were staying in, we decided to go and search for the kids. When we unsuccessfully found then, some villagers pointed us the forest so that's where we went.

Ten minutes of walking later, we saw them. Feet in the water, fishing rods on the ground, they were all here. Murphy was playing soccer with Craig. Farther, I could see Lexa training with Aden. Gosh I missed her. "Madi!" I yelled as I ran toward the girl. Her head shot up and her eyes widened. It felt so good to have her back in my arms. The others imitated my gesture and hugged their kids. The minute after, we were all crying in the others' arms. "Look at you. You look so gorgeous and grown up" I observed her.

"What about me" a voice rang from behind me. "Lexa!" I jumped in her arms. "I missed you so much" I sobbed. "Shh it's okay. I missed you too but I'm back now" she sat up with me still in her arms. "Why didn't you radioed?" I pulled back. "I tried but the radio broke. We didn't know how to fix it. I'm sorry" she apologized. "Come on. We have a lot to catch up on" she stood up and held her hand out.

We walked around and talked. I learned that she thought about coming back home tons of time, but at the same time, she felt home here, with the kids. I couldn't hold that against her. She always had a facility to bond with people and connect with them. It's exactly what happened here. The villagers treated her like one of their people and same thing the other way around.

"How are you doing?" She asked me. "I'm doing fine. Work had been rough, though. Just like you apparently. Your dad misses you a lot" I told her.

"I miss him too. I missed all of you" she squeezed my hand. "What about you and Finn?" She stopped walking and faced me. "We're still together" I looked down at my feet. "Congratulations. It's been over a year" she resumed her walking but without holding my hand this time. "What about you? Did you find someone here?" I said the only thing that came through my mind. "Nope" she popped the p. "Lexa I'm-" I started. "It's time to go eat" she walked toward the entry of the village. "How did you know what time it was?" I was curious. "The position of the sun" she replied like it wasn't a big deal. "Since when you can do that?" I was clearly amazed. "I learned a lot of things here in a year" she shrugged. Well. One year apart and our dialogue is back to being cold and distant.