We'll always have Paris (CLEXA AU)

Chapter 1: Cumpleaños Feliz

May 9th, 2019

It was a sunny Thursday morning in Marbella, a popular city for tourists in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. The perfect weather made Clarke eager to take the motorcycle to work, feeling the breeze on her neck as she was getting through Avenida Ricardo Soriano on her black BMW R nine T Pure towards the highway A-7 on her way to the Hospital Costa del Sol.

As soon as she arrived, she parked the motorcycle in the parking area reserved for the hospital staff and went on to the changing room in order to leave her belongings in the locker and put on her white coat.

Clarke's schedule for the day was to do medical check-ups in the external consultation area of Orthopaedic surgery and Traumatology, which was not her favourite activity as she enjoyed more working in the surgical area, performing emergency procedures under the supervision of her mentor Dr. Carlos Álvarez Moreno.

Starting her 4th year of the 5-year program, specializing in Orthopaedic surgery and Traumatology, Clarke didn't need a lot of supervision, which was quickly perceived by her mentor whom she admired greatly, not only because he was an amazing teacher with an enviable amount of knowledge, but also because he had always treated her with respect, as a colleague and as an equal, regardless of the professional hierarchy that was implied.

The first appointment wasn't until 9 am, so she had about 45 minutes to have breakfast in the cafeteria on the top floor of the hospital.

In the elevator on the way up she felt her phone vibrate and smiled as soon as she saw the name on the screen.

Text message

From: Raven
"Clarkie!!! I can't believe I fell asleep this morning and now I'm not gonna be the first to wish you a happy birthday 😔 Fair warning, though: you're sooo gonna wet your pants when you get home... Dude... you'll never guess the surprise I have prepared for you! Can't wait! Love you and see you later! HBD ❤️"

Clarke's smile was becoming bigger and bigger as she was reading Raven's text message; her roommate had that effect on her ever since they met back in 2016 when Clarke was starting her 1st year of the medical residency.

They had met on one of those websites where people were looking for roommates and even though Clarke's inicial idea was to share an apartment with Spanish speaking people so she could improve her knowledge of the language to perfection, in the end Raven's sense of humour won that battle and she became not only her roommate, but also her best friend.

Raven was a graphic designer and illustrator, born and raised in a very wealthy family in New York where she completed her studies and then went on to get her Master degree in Europe. She did exactly that in Málaga,where she lived for two years until she finished the program.

After that Raven obtained an amazing job in one of the best Construction and Real estate companies in Andalusia, so she had to move to Marbella and that's when she met the blonde Australian doctor by the name of Clarke Griffin.

They were quite the opposites - starting by their appearance, Raven was a dark-haired Latin beauty, with dark brown eyes and voluminous lips, athletic body that she was not reluctant to show off by wearing revealing, yet tasteful outfits, but at the same time preserving some type of a casual look with her long hair in a ponytail almost 90% of the time.

On the other hand, Clarke was a gorgeous blue-eyed blonde, with light complexion and a voluptuous body, which she did not feel comfortable flaunting, so she avoided close-fitting clothes.

She had more of a sporty elegant style, often combining jeans with an elegant blazer and a classic t-shirt underneath.

Clarke owned one pair of high heels, which she wore on rare occasions, otherwise she preferred low top shoes, her favourite brands being Converse, Vans and Adidas.