The Three Truths

Chapter 6

The first time Lexa kissed Clarke was after Christmas their senior year, and it was on a dare.

"What I'm saying is that you dating Bellamy is just as unlikely and weird as Clarke and Lexa getting together," Octavia said, throwing a fry at Raven with a roll of her eyes. "It just isn't happening."

"You think I wouldn't get together with Lexa?" Clarke asked, raising her eyebrows, the movie they'd put on earlier all but forgotten. Raven was grinning shamelessly, winking at Lexa (much later, it would occur to Lexa that that was because Raven knew, Raven knew before even she did) and goading Clarke along.

"Octavia has a point about you and Lexa," she offered, shrugging.

"Why?"

"You two are like...I dunno. I can't even imagine you kissing, let alone dating," Octavia said, and perhaps if Lexa had been less drunk that night, paid more attention to Clarke's friends and less to the movie, she would have noticed the glint in Octavia's eye (much later, it would occur to her that Octavia knew, knew before even Lexa did).

"Like what?" Clarke asked, looking supremely offended. "Lexa, don't you have something to say?"

"Does it really matter?" Lexa asked (it does, it does, it does). "Raven just wants to rile you up."

"Fine, Clarke. You want to prove me wrong? Kiss her."

"What? I'm not doing that just to prove you wrong."

"Come on. I dare you." This, of course, spurred Lexa on. Lexa, who never backed down from a challenge, Lexa, who had had dreams, who was starting to see Clarke a little differently, whose drunken mind thought it would be harmless fun.

Before Clarke could say another word, Lexa pulled her down and kissed her, tasting the beer and fries on her lips, wondering if it was normal to have her head spin as much as it suddenly was. Wondering if it was normal to kiss your best friend and think, I'm home.

(When she released Clarke, there was a dazed expression on the blonde's face. When she released Clarke, Raven and Octavia looked practically gleeful.)

(Many months later, Raven told her that she'd been rooting for Lexa from the start, that Finn was just Clarke's version of denial. It'll pass, she said. Clarke'll see, she assured her. She was wrong.)

//

Octavia and Raven hadn't changed much since college.

Raven had gone on to graduate school, studying something beyond Lexa's capacity to understand, hoping one day to work for NASA. Octavia, on the other hand, had gotten a job straight out of college, working at a newspaper, claiming that the pen was mightier than the sword and that she'd bring about change.

Both still looked at Lexa with that gleam in their eyes. Both still seemed sure that 'Clarke'll see.'

"How's it been?" Raven asked sympathetically, frowning a little. She'd driven out a long way, and though they'd all assured her she didn't need to come, she'd acted offended and claimed she'd never break tradition (the fact that Clarke did just last year, the fact that Clarke had been breaking all their traditions lately, went unsaid). Lexa smiled as best she could, her eyes on Clarke and Octavia, who were chatting with Carol in the kitchen.

"Tough," she admitted.

"I can imagine. Have you guys talked about Finn?"

"Not really. She knows I see the Greenes though."

"You should never have kept that a secret from her in the first place. There was no reason to."

"She wasn't talking to me, how was I supposed to tell her anything?" Raven rolled her eyes.