Clexa AU °Safe Haven° [#Wattys2016]

Chapter 11: I'm not a perfect person

Clarke's POV

It's a sun shining through the open tent that wakes me up. I can feel its touch on my eyelids, making my vision brighter and forcing me to slowly open my eyes. Ouch. I shouldn't have drunk so much. Again.

I slowly climb up to my elbows, my stomach craving for some food and head itching from the amount of light. When I look around first, I don't recognize the person that's sleeping next to me. I'm not used to someone to be this close to me, almost touching; I wonder why I'm okay with this today. Lexa is quietly asleep, her chest rising up and down calmly. The view is the most calming thing I've seen in the past week, if not longer. She looks so different when she's asleep. It's like she has a small battle inside of her brain, thoughts flashing through her mind even more intensely than when she's awake.

I notice the mud on her hands and it brings back last night. The mixture of feelings that flew between us; joy, sadness, understanding, fear, everything. I've never felt more alive.
Light smile crosses my face, admiring the sleeping girl next to me when I remember my hair is covered in mud.

Very carefully, I get up to walk out of the tent, quietly moaning with discomfort. Before I open the entrance more widely, I dig in my backpack to find my sunglasses. I take them out and put them on my nose, tying my hair to a ponytail. I hope no one notices.

The sunlight hits me even more when zipping up the tent behind me, leaving Lexa sleep out the hangover. My mouth is dry and the taste in it is disgusting. I rub the back of my neck, heading to the next tent to ask someone for water. It seems like people are awake inside so I don't feel so guilty disturbing.

"Hello?" I call with my hoarse voice. I really didn't expect it that damaged. "Can I go in?"
I can hear someone shifting inside, quiet sounds of giggling tearing my ears apart. Awesome. I'm that lucky to catch Octavia with Lincoln.

"Yeah," Octavia calls back, still giggling, "just wait a minute!"
I can't help but roll my eyes underneath the sunglasses, folding my arms and wait until the tent opens up to me. Octavia's head with dark messy hair suddenly shows up through the small gap. "Maybe another minute? It's small here and Linc has to dress up."

I just nod with annoyance in my face, trying hard to not roll my eyes again. "I just need some water, do you have some?"
She notices my cracked voice and frowns. "Why are your clothes all muddy?" She asks with her low voice, looking at my folded arms. Shit, how could I forgot about clothes?

"I needed to pee at night and fell down," I lie, pointing at the woods with my right hand, "do you have the water?"
She keeps her stare at my dirty clothes, probably thinking about the possibilities of falling while peeing in the woods.

Her head disappears inside her tent once again. "Wait a second," she whispers, "I'm gonna have to talk with Clarkey privately."
She digs out and stands tall in front of me, the entrance zipping up behind her from the inside.

I try to move the subject elsewhere, looking to Octavia's feet. "I told you not to call me Clarkey."
"Why are you lying to me, Griffin?" She pretends like she didn't hear my note, eager to pull the truth out of me. Why am I even hiding it?
Oh, well. She hates Lexa.

"I told you," I look her straight in the eyes, although she can't see it because of my sunglasses, "I was peeing. Fell down. The end."
"Yeah," she sighs skeptically, "sure."
There's an awkward silence for another few seconds; they feel like hours though. I hate lying, I'm a good actress when it comes to lies but that doesn't mean I like them.

"Why are you lying, Clarke?" She turns her head a little, saying my name like she's a principal who caught me doing something illegal.
"I'm not," I say with my harsh voice, trying to sound calm even though it's almost impossible with this hoarse tone, "but I need the water. So maybe if you were that kind and offered it to me?"
"Why do you change your opinion so quickly?" She suddenly bursts out, almost shouting. I solemnly see her angry like that.