NINE| the secret nerd
I rehearsed a speech in my head for Wells one million times, but when I knocked on his door and was greeted by his sweet smile, all of my confidence faded. Instead of breaking up with him like I intended to do that night, I ended up having dinner with him and hanging out for hours. The whole time I was with him, guilt raked my conscience. All I saw was a nice boy with the best intentions who was being lied to every day by a girl he thought loved him as much as he loved her.
Maybe if Wells was meaner or less likable breaking up with him would be easy, but Wells was the nicest guy I knew with the purest motives. He was selfless and kind and reassuring and I couldn't break his heart.
I knew eventually I would have to, and I dreaded that day more than anything.
In fact, I was so struck with my guilt that I debating skipping my lesson with Bellamy. Seeing him would only remind me of what I horrible person I was being, and I wasn't really in the mood to feel more terrible about the situation. However, there was a longing inside of me to see Bellamy and his lack of respect for personal space.
So, I dragged myself out of my comfortable room and left for the training center. I was later when usual, and when I arrived Bellamy's eyes were full of impatience. He clearly didn't like my lack of punctuality. However, he wasn't in his guard's uniform like he usually was. Bellamy was in a casual blue t-shirt and jeans.
"You're late."
I put my hands on my hips, while his were crossed over his broad chest, "Well, unlike you I actually have more important things to do during the day besides just being an annoyance."
His hard expression didn't fade. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, "That's cute." I flashed a grin, clearly not succeeding in getting him to ease up. "But, I doubt you'll be calling me an annoyance after today."
"And why's that? Did you bring me candy or something as a reward for beating Murphy?"
Bellamy smirked, "Something like that. Come on."
Bellamy began walking out of the training center, and I hurried after him, "Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
I wasn't a fan of surprises. Especially surprises from Bellamy and we were heading away from Alpha Station towards Mecha, and I knew there were no good surprises there.
"Bellamy, would you slow down for a damn minute. Where the hell are you taking me?"
The halls became more dim-lit as we entered Mecha Station. There were more guards and more people filing passed us, "Patience, Princess."
I let out an unhappy sigh as Bellamy led the way. I hardly ever left Alpha Station. The only time I left was to go to the Loft, but there was no way that was where Bellamy was leading me. So, I hardly ever saw the poorer parts of the Ark; the parts I used to live in before my dad got on the Council.
I saw a few familiar faces and offered them kind smiles. They just nodded and went about their business. Memories of the hard times my dad and I went through flashed through my mind as Bellamy and I strolled down the halls, taking a random turn every now and then.
I started to get concerned when we arrived at a nearly abandoned part of Mecha Station. The majority of the hall lights were shot, and the floors were dirty. It became more and more chilly as Bellamy led me through a maze of different doors.
Finally, he stopped, but I was beyond confused. We were standing at a wall; a plain old wall; a dead end. Did we really walk all that way just to stare at a wall? I was ready to open my mouth and express my dislike of the situation, but before I could Bellamy started randomly knocking on the wall.
I raised my eyebrows, "What the hell are you doing?" He shot a quick glance at me, and I was about to go on a complete rant about how crazy he was, but then the strangest thing happened. A small portion of the wall opened like a door, and a man with ginger hair and a drunk smile appeared behind it. I heard music and cheering coming from inside the wall.
"Bellamy! Man, it is good to see you."
Bellamy shook the man's hand, "You too, Reed."
The man, Reed, stepped out of the way of the door, "Well, come on in. You know a party never really starts till you show up."
A party? Bellamy had brought me to a...Party? A guard, someone who stopped parties, brought me to a party. That was the most unexpected thing that had ever happened to me.
"Well, don't just stand there, Princess," Bellamy offered me his hand. "Let's go have some real fun."
I glanced at his outstretched hand, and then past him where I could see shadows of people dancing, and I could hear the low beat of the music. This was so wrong; wrong on so many different levels.
But, then my eyes met Bellamy's chestnut brown gaze. He gave me his famous smirk; that stupid little smirk that made it impossible to say no. I knew I was going to regret my decision, but I reached for his hand anyway.
He pulled me inside the wall, and as soon as I was inside he let go of my hand and the little spark his touch caused faded.
"Am I going to regret this?" I asked as the door closed behind me.
Bellamy grinned, "You're about to have the night of your life Princess."
The fast dance music got louder and louder as we walked down the dark hallway behind Reed. I could hear the loud enthusiastic yelling that usually meant a girl had taken her shirt off.
When the hallway ended, it was like I had entered a completely different world. The first thing I noticed was the constant flash of candy-colored lights. It was hot and sticky and dark and everything a good party needed to be.
There was a bar at the front of the room where some were seated while they talked and laughed. Others were dancing on the opposite end of the room. Some just swaying to the thumping music, while others were grinding against each other. Mostly everyone was drunk or tipsy. The occasional couple was sitting on a couch making out
I glanced over at Bellamy with surprise. I never knew he was into parties. I mean, I knew he slept around, but wasn't he supposed to be stopping stuff like that?
"So, this is my reward? A party?" I asked loudly over the music as Bellamy led me over to the bar.
When we arrived, Bellamy leaned against the cool metal, "It's not just an average party. This is actually a dance."
I let out an unbelieving laugh, "A dance? Like the stupid ones my class has on Alpha Station?"
"No, not like that. Once a year Mecha Station has a dance to celebrate the graduating students. It's basically an initiation into adulthood."
I glanced at the people grinding against each other, "Yeah, they look like they're really proud of the students."
Bellamy laughed, "Don't worry. They play some slow songs eventually and the grinding stops for a little while."
The bartender stepped over to us, and Bellamy just ordered two of his regular. Whatever that was. I studied his expression as the bartender handed us two tall metal cups full of clear liquid. Bellamy looked genuinely happy; a new look on him that I could place with the many I had already learned.
"Why did you bring me here?"
He shrugged as he took a sip of his drink, "You just seemed really stressed out. I thought you could use a break."
I nodded as I brought the cup to my mouth, "Well, you sure as hell are right about that."
The drink was bitter and tasted like battery acid and it burned on the way down. I coughed and forced myself to swallow, earning a humorous laugh from Bellamy. I just hoped the taste was worth it.
"You alright there, Princess?" His voice was full of amusement.
I gave him a playful glare, "Contrary to your beliefs, I can actually hold my liquor pretty well."
"We'll see," He answered with a glint in his eyes that made excitement arise in my stomach.
I stepped closer to him, but only because the music was so loud and it would be easier to talk, "Aren't you supposed to be stopping things like secret parties?"
Bellamy shrugged, "I'm off duty, so I can do whatever the hell I want. Besides, you'd be surprised what some guards do when they aren't wearing the uniform."
I took another sip of my drink, and forced myself not to cringe at the horrible taste, "So this is what you do on your off time? Bring a pretty girl to a party and leave with another?"
Bellamy's eyes met mine, "Contrary to your beliefs Harley, I'm actually not that low."
"Well, then why do people say you are?" I asked.
"Because people love to spread rumors about things they don't understand," Bellamy answered.
That statement was beyond true. If people even hinted something dirty about you, they spread it like wildfire. So, as I looked into Bellamy's deep eyes; eyes that didn't say 'I'm a man-slut' like people thought, I realized that I didn't know Bellamy Blake at all. Everything thing I thought I knew about him was only vague rumors.
And, I suddenly had a strong urge to get to know him. I wanted to know how he got the small scar right above his lip. I wanted to know why he trained to be a guard. I wanted to know the story behind the vast amount of pain he tried to hide.
"Then tell me something true."
He quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
I shrugged as the song changed. This one was a tad bit slower and less loud, "I've heard so many rumors about you, so tell me something about yourself that's actually true and not just something that people assume."
Bellamy let out a small sigh as he leaned back and made a thinking face, "Well, I've always really enjoyed studying history and Greek mythology. I used to try and memorize as many god and goddess names and facts as I could."
Bellamy Blake was a history buff? Who knew? "So basically, you're a secret nerd?"
He shook his head and acted as if I had just insulted his mother, "I'm not a nerd."
I let out a giggle, an actual giggle. "You totally are!" Bellamy seemed annoyed as my laughing continued. "Well, since you are all-knowing about Greek mythology, which goddess am I?"
"The goddess of pain in the ass personalities," He answered jokingly causing me to slap his shoulder lightly.
"I'm being serious."
Bellamy rolled his eyes, but a second later the joking attitude seemed to fade from them, and he was looking at me with that intense stare again, "You'd be Demeter, the goddess of harvest and grain."
I gave him a weird look, "Why?"
"Because even though she was one of the first Olympian gods, she took a different path than her fellow Olympians. She refused to be confined within the realms of Mount Olympia and went to live among the people who loved her and depended on her," I didn't even notice, but I had slowly begun to gravitate closer to Bellamy. The air between us seemed to be magnetic as he looked into my eyes. "She was special and didn't let her status decide her destiny."
I couldn't think of anything to say as Bellamy and I seemed to be locked in each other's gaze. My heartbeat sped up again, and all of my logic and reason seemed to have faded away.
All I could think of was, "She seems like a pretty cool chick."
Bellamy nodded, "Yeah, she is." I knew he wasn't talking about Demeter anymore.
I was overwhelmed with so many emotions that I didn't want to feel, but I couldn't stop myself from letting them in. I didn't know what to say or do as Bellamy seemed to slowly be inching closer to me.
"Let's go dance," I blurted out, breaking the spell Bellamy had cast over me.
Bellamy shook his head, "I don't dance."
"I thought you were supposed to be fun," I answered playfully. "Come on, Bellamy," Then one of my favorite songs to dance to started playing. Bellamy seemed to notice by the excited glint in my eyes as I gave him a pouting look. "Please, I love this song so much!"
It wasn't a romantic song. You didn't slow dance to it. In fact, it was one of the songs that probably encouraged all of the grinding, but at every party Archie and I went to, if that song came on, I was up and dancing no matter what.
https://youtu.be/SfkKKVvduUA
Bellamy let out a very long sigh. He glanced at the dance floor and then back at me. Reluctantly, he set down his drink and held out his hand, "Ok Princess, but only for this song."
I let out an excited cheer as I grabbed his hand. My pulse immediately quickened, and not because of the alcohol or the rush of being surrounded by dancing people and loud music.
We stopped in the middle of the dance floor. People were jumping around, singing, and grinding against each other. Some moved gracefully, while others stumbled because of the amount of alcohol they had consumed.
I started swaying to the music. My eyes locked onto Bellamy who was watching me with amusement, "You know, you're actually going to have to do something," I yelled over the music.
He gave me a smirk, suddenly grabbing my waist and pulling me flush against him. I let out a startled yelp as I looked up into his gaze, "You mean something like this?"
Our hips started moving in sync to the beat, and the air around us seemed hotter as our eyes locked. In that moment, I realized whatever I felt for Bellamy went deeper than just a simple schoolgirl crush. I realized that I actually wanted him.
That realization scared the hell out of me, but at the moment that didn't matter. All that mattered was dancing with Bellamy to the beat of one of my favorite songs. So I pushed away all thoughts and reason as I grinned up at him with my heart fluttering in my chest.
"Bellamy Blake, are you flirting with me?"
All of a sudden, he pushed me away just enough to spin me around. Then, he pulled my body back against his. Our faces were just inches apart.
"Well, it's about time you noticed."
I hoped the darkness in the room hid my blush, but by the cocky grin on his face, I could tell he saw the effect his words had on me. I answered by rolling my eyes, and we continued to dance. His hands traveled up my sides, and mine found his chest. I felt the hard muscles underneath his thin t-shirt, and the feeling sparked desire deep inside of me.
His hands were all over me, and mine were all over him. Neither one of us seemed to be thinking clearly. The alcohol had clouded our minds, and suddenly all that mattered was what was in the moment. All I could think about was how Bellamy's touch was addicting like some kind of drug. It made me feel alive, and I never wanted his hands to leave my body. No one had ever made me feel like that before. The foreign feelings confused me and excited me at the same time.
Before I knew it one song had turned into five, and by the time Bellamy and I left the dance floor, we were both sweating and breathing heavily. My body was on fire from his touch, and as I sat down back at the bar, I finally was snapped back into reality.
It was late. It was way past curfew. I had practically just dirty danced with Bellamy Blake. I had a boyfriend who was not Bellamy Blake. My dad was probably worried sick. Oh yeah, and I was still a horrible person.
"Oh my God," I said as I stared at the wall. How could I let myself be so stupid and reckless? "Damn it!"
I felt Bellamy's hand on my back, "What's wrong?"
I stood up, moving away from him, "I have to go."
I turned around, but Bellamy grabbed my arm, "Harley, wait." My eyes flickered back to meet his. "Is it something I did?"
"No," I answered quickly. "No, I just realized that it's past curfew, and I really need to get back home before my dad sends a search party out or something."
Bellamy nodded as he let go of my arm, "Ok. See you Monday?"
"Yeah, Monday," I gave him one last smile before walking away.
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