Homecoming
Page 31
“What’s wrong?”
“Besides the fact that I have to drag Bellamy and his open wound through the woods to get away from that maniac Rhodes?”
“Yeah, besides that.”
She filled him in on what Dr. Lahiri had looked like when she’d asked him about her parents, but how she hadn’t had a chance to finish the conversation.
Wells put his hand on her shoulder. “Clarke, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For everything. For being naïve. For not getting how sick Rhodes is. I really thought they would do what was right. It sounds so stupid now.”
Clarke wanted to take Wells in her arms and hug him—out of gratitude, out of appreciation, out of empathy. But that wasn’t her place anymore.
“Don’t ever apologize for seeing the best in people, Wells. That’s an amazing quality.”
He looked away from her and cleared his throat. “Bellamy’s my brother. I’ll do anything to help.” He settled his gaze back on Clarke, his eyes glinting with a spark she’d never seen there before. “And if it happens to undermine Rhodes’s authority in the process, well, that’s just a two-for-one deal.”
An hour later, after Clarke had rinsed off in the stream, then changed into slightly less filthy clothes, she set off on her mission. It’s just for show, she repeated to herself, trying to slow her pounding heart. Nothing’s actually going to happen. The repetition soothed her, and soon the words blended into a melody in her head.
She stopped in her tracks. There he was, leaning against the supply shed, his thumbs hooked in his belt, a smug smile squirming across his face. He was talking to an Arcadian girl about Clarke’s age, with the same color hair and general build as Clarke too. Well, at least he has a type, she thought. Gross.
Clarke took a slow breath, braced herself, and reviewed her plan, hoping for the millionth time it would work, that she wasn’t just about to re-create one of her own nightmares.
“Hi, Scott,” Clarke said as she headed for the supply cabin door. Instead of avoiding eye contact and walking past him as quickly as possible, like she’d normally do, she forced herself to let her gaze linger on his face, and she flashed him what she hoped was a beaming smile, though it could’ve well been a grimace.
“Hello, Doc,” he drawled, giving her a quick look up and down. The girl Scott was talking to turned to glare at Clarke and, when it was clear Scott’s attention was now fixed elsewhere, stormed away.
He’s all yours, honey, Clarke thought. Just as soon as I get what I need.
Adrenaline pumped through her body as she stopped in the cabin entryway, just a few inches from Scott. His intense expression made her nervous—he looked suspicious. Was she coming on too strong? Flirting was not her specialty. She’d always been much more comfortable using scalpels and microscopes than smiles and sauntering strides.
Scott’s mouth slithered higher at the corners, and his eyebrows shot up, as if asking her a silent question. “To what do I owe the honor?” he asked, reaching out to hold the door for her.
“I was just looking for something in here,” Clarke said. “Do you mind helping me?”
“Sure, no problem.” He followed her inside and pulled the door shut behind him with a thud that made Clarke’s stomach churn, but she had to keep going.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to face him. “Listen, I wanted to apologize.”
He looked momentarily startled, but then smirked and said, “What could you have to apologize for, sweetheart?”
His voice made Clarke’s skin crawl, but she continued. “For not always giving you proper medical attention. I…” This was it, she couldn’t screw it up now. She lowered her voice and tried to make it as breathy as possible. “I still get a little nervous, around certain patients.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, what kind of patients?”
She forced herself to place her hand on his arm. “The ones who make me feel more like a schoolgirl with a crush than a real doctor.”
Scott’s eyes popped in a way that gave Clarke a whole new sense of the expression his eyes lit up. If they hadn’t been Scott’s eyes, she would have been flattered to have a guy look at her like that. A flash of guilt cut through her as she realized Bellamy did look at her that way.
“Really?” His voice was tinged with a note of disbelief, but that didn’t stop him from putting his hand on her waist.
Clarke nodded, ignoring the pressure of his touch, though it was like letting a spider crawl across her arm.
“Do you forgive me? I promise to be more… professional going forward.”
Scott placed his other hand on her hip, then let both hands slide around until they were on her butt. It took a considerable amount of willpower for Clarke not to pull away. “Professional might be overrated.”
Steeling herself, she leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Well, in that case, want to go on a little walk with me? There’s a part of the woods I’ve been dying to explore.”
He tightened his grip for a moment before letting her go and shooting her an oily smile. “Absolutely.”
They stepped back outside, and Clarke hoped Scott didn’t notice how she shuddered as he placed his hand on the small of her back. “Lead the way, Doctor.”
Clarke turned toward the woods just in time to see Octavia cross over the tree line, leading two small children by the hand. To Clarke’s horror, Bellamy’s sister was staring straight at her, a look of pure loathing burning on her face. Octavia didn’t know about Clarke’s plan to use Scott. She probably thought this scene was exactly what it looked like: Clarke cheating on Bellamy with a guard.
“Besides the fact that I have to drag Bellamy and his open wound through the woods to get away from that maniac Rhodes?”
“Yeah, besides that.”
She filled him in on what Dr. Lahiri had looked like when she’d asked him about her parents, but how she hadn’t had a chance to finish the conversation.
Wells put his hand on her shoulder. “Clarke, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For everything. For being naïve. For not getting how sick Rhodes is. I really thought they would do what was right. It sounds so stupid now.”
Clarke wanted to take Wells in her arms and hug him—out of gratitude, out of appreciation, out of empathy. But that wasn’t her place anymore.
“Don’t ever apologize for seeing the best in people, Wells. That’s an amazing quality.”
He looked away from her and cleared his throat. “Bellamy’s my brother. I’ll do anything to help.” He settled his gaze back on Clarke, his eyes glinting with a spark she’d never seen there before. “And if it happens to undermine Rhodes’s authority in the process, well, that’s just a two-for-one deal.”
An hour later, after Clarke had rinsed off in the stream, then changed into slightly less filthy clothes, she set off on her mission. It’s just for show, she repeated to herself, trying to slow her pounding heart. Nothing’s actually going to happen. The repetition soothed her, and soon the words blended into a melody in her head.
She stopped in her tracks. There he was, leaning against the supply shed, his thumbs hooked in his belt, a smug smile squirming across his face. He was talking to an Arcadian girl about Clarke’s age, with the same color hair and general build as Clarke too. Well, at least he has a type, she thought. Gross.
Clarke took a slow breath, braced herself, and reviewed her plan, hoping for the millionth time it would work, that she wasn’t just about to re-create one of her own nightmares.
“Hi, Scott,” Clarke said as she headed for the supply cabin door. Instead of avoiding eye contact and walking past him as quickly as possible, like she’d normally do, she forced herself to let her gaze linger on his face, and she flashed him what she hoped was a beaming smile, though it could’ve well been a grimace.
“Hello, Doc,” he drawled, giving her a quick look up and down. The girl Scott was talking to turned to glare at Clarke and, when it was clear Scott’s attention was now fixed elsewhere, stormed away.
He’s all yours, honey, Clarke thought. Just as soon as I get what I need.
Adrenaline pumped through her body as she stopped in the cabin entryway, just a few inches from Scott. His intense expression made her nervous—he looked suspicious. Was she coming on too strong? Flirting was not her specialty. She’d always been much more comfortable using scalpels and microscopes than smiles and sauntering strides.
Scott’s mouth slithered higher at the corners, and his eyebrows shot up, as if asking her a silent question. “To what do I owe the honor?” he asked, reaching out to hold the door for her.
“I was just looking for something in here,” Clarke said. “Do you mind helping me?”
“Sure, no problem.” He followed her inside and pulled the door shut behind him with a thud that made Clarke’s stomach churn, but she had to keep going.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to face him. “Listen, I wanted to apologize.”
He looked momentarily startled, but then smirked and said, “What could you have to apologize for, sweetheart?”
His voice made Clarke’s skin crawl, but she continued. “For not always giving you proper medical attention. I…” This was it, she couldn’t screw it up now. She lowered her voice and tried to make it as breathy as possible. “I still get a little nervous, around certain patients.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, what kind of patients?”
She forced herself to place her hand on his arm. “The ones who make me feel more like a schoolgirl with a crush than a real doctor.”
Scott’s eyes popped in a way that gave Clarke a whole new sense of the expression his eyes lit up. If they hadn’t been Scott’s eyes, she would have been flattered to have a guy look at her like that. A flash of guilt cut through her as she realized Bellamy did look at her that way.
“Really?” His voice was tinged with a note of disbelief, but that didn’t stop him from putting his hand on her waist.
Clarke nodded, ignoring the pressure of his touch, though it was like letting a spider crawl across her arm.
“Do you forgive me? I promise to be more… professional going forward.”
Scott placed his other hand on her hip, then let both hands slide around until they were on her butt. It took a considerable amount of willpower for Clarke not to pull away. “Professional might be overrated.”
Steeling herself, she leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Well, in that case, want to go on a little walk with me? There’s a part of the woods I’ve been dying to explore.”
He tightened his grip for a moment before letting her go and shooting her an oily smile. “Absolutely.”
They stepped back outside, and Clarke hoped Scott didn’t notice how she shuddered as he placed his hand on the small of her back. “Lead the way, Doctor.”
Clarke turned toward the woods just in time to see Octavia cross over the tree line, leading two small children by the hand. To Clarke’s horror, Bellamy’s sister was staring straight at her, a look of pure loathing burning on her face. Octavia didn’t know about Clarke’s plan to use Scott. She probably thought this scene was exactly what it looked like: Clarke cheating on Bellamy with a guard.
