So I'm updating Professor Herondale in the upcoming week or two, I only have maybe 1500 words left to write for the next chapter and I'll update it but I just need to find time to write it. However! I had a new story come to mind and I had to write it down, it kept badgering me! So here the first chapter. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update, but it's just an intro chapter as usual so you shouldn't be left with much of a hang up ;) It's a bit different but I hope you'll like it. I seem to have a forbidden theme with all my stories, for some reason I love forbidden romances LOL! I know some of you guys might not like this plot, but I hope most of you will :) and if you don't let me know! Maybe there's something I could do to make you more comfortable. But if not it's okay. Not everyone likes this! Love you guys xox
"Age, age, age. What is age? Does it really mean anything? Isn't it just a number? Does it define us? Okay, stop it Clary. You're just trying to find ways to convince yourself that it's okay to crush really hard on a guy who is five years younger than you, and who is also your best friends little brother. That's not cool Clary. Not cool at all." Rated M for language and smut to come.
Clary
When I was younger I always thought when I'd fall in love with someone they'd be the same age as me. It didn't come to mind that people could be very different ages and date each other. I always thought they were the same age; otherwise it was just too weird. I was a kid myself though. I didn't realize age was a factor in finding my prince.
It wasn't until Jace Lightwood turned sixteen that I started to see him as something other than a kid, a child. It was the first time I thought to myself, wow, he is actually hot. But then the next second I thought whoa where did that come from? I was twenty one. He was my best friend's little brother, five years younger than me and completely forbidden to me. Why? I have five reasons. One for each year he was younger than me.
It felt way too wrong. He'd been like my younger brother for so long.
He's Isabelle's little brother, she wouldn't like it.
He's a total slut.
People would have a lot to talk about if we ever got together.
Did I mention it felt way too wrong? I shouldn't have been able to be turned on by a sixteen year old at twenty one.
I didn't want to look at my best friend's brother like that. It didn't help that he was a total flirt and flirted with me whenever I was around, especially in front of Isabelle. I knew he did it to annoy her, but all it did to me was making me crush harder on him. It'd gotten worse over the years. When he was a child and he tried to do it playfully, acting like a ladies man, it was funny, but as soon as I became attracted to him it had me blushing and my panties wet. Though I would never admit to that. But now, he was nineteen and I was twenty four. I'd been keeping my crush a secret for three years and no, in no way was that a factor of why I'd been single for the past three years. Nope. Nada.
I've known him since he was three years old. Isabelle and I became friends at the age of eight when her family moved into the house across the street one summer. My mom had forced me to go across the street with her to give them some cookies as a welcome to the neighborhood gift. When her mom opened the door she was very sweet to us and invited us in for a drink. Their house was covered in unopened boxes, as they weren't settled in yet but there were some drinks and snacks out.
Jace had been rolling around on the floor the first time I saw him. I remember my first thought of him was that he was an adorable baby, with curly blonde hair and tiny toes with a chubby face and cheeks I could squeeze to death. Back then however I had no idea that those cheeks would turn into angular cheekbones that could cut me with their sharpness and bring me to an oh so glorious death.
Isabelle was a confident child whereas I was shy and preferred to hide behind my mother's legs, but when Isabelle introduced herself to me wearing her mother's makeup, which was messily applied, I knew we would be good friends and we were. The best of friends. As soon as the Lightwoods were settled in Isabelle and I spent every day of that summer together. I also got to meet the other Lightwood, Alec. He was only three years younger than me and Isabelle so he was five. There dad wasn't around much but that wasn't a question to be asked or answered by an eight year old, but, when Isabelle turned twelve her mother announced she was pregnant and then baby Max Lightwood was born.
Over the next thirteen years we were inseparable. We went to the same middle school, high school and college. We went through first boyfriends and first heartbreaks together. We went there for each other when we wanted to talk about the first time we had sex and lost our virginity and then eventually dumped that loser. We were there for each other through all the easy times and all the hard times. Our friendship was a bond you didn't find often and one that was hard to break. It had definitely been put to the test in the past but we survived it all. Through all the family issues, personal issues, boys and mean girls we made it.
Throughout all those years Jace was just a child. A younger brother to us. There for amusement, being cute and kind of gross. With him being five years younger than us, it seemed like he was a whole lifetime away from us. A few generations. He wouldn't understand us and we wouldn't understand him. He was starting high school when we were leaving for college. He was hitting puberty and becoming a broody teenager while we were counting down the days till we hit our twenties. Even though there was a significant age gap between us he was very close with Isabelle, as was Alec. But where Alec was quiet and more mature, Jace was a naughty and messy child. He loved playing pranks on me and Isabelle and annoying us to death, where we would end up screaming at him to get lost.
Because I was over at Isabelle's house a lot, we had to deal with annoying Jace. That's all Jace was to me over the thirteen years I'd known him. Isabelle's annoying but adorable brother. But sometimes he had his mature moments. I'd considered him the brother I never had since my mom had never been able to have any more children because she'd had complications while giving birth to me which had further effects. They told me the doctor said I was lucky to be even be born considering the circumstances. Huh. So I considered Alec, Max, Jace and Isabelle as my siblings and I'm pretty sure they saw me as a sister. Looking back at my childhood all I have is memories of hanging out and joking around with them. Some of my best memories were with them, but so were some of my tough memories.
One of the memories that always stuck out for me was when I was fifteen and Jace was ten. I had just dealt with my first heartbreak and surprisingly, Jace was the one who cheered me up.
...
I can't believe that asshole. Sebastian Morgenstern just broke up with me. But he was the one. He was the one I wanted to spend my whole life with him. God damn it, I had planned it all out! I can't believe he was cheating on me with Kaelie. That slut! I can't believe of all people he chose the girl who bullied me throughout middle school. How cliché. I rang Isabelle so I could cry to her but she wasn't answering her phone so I headed towards her house. Even though her house was only across the street, the pouring stream of rain had enough time to soak me to the bone. Just my luck.
The front door wasn't locked, so I walked in like I usually would. The familiarity of the Lightwood home made me feel better instantly. It was just so homey. I powerwalked towards their refrigerator, determined to get some Ben & Jerry's to cheer myself up. I grabbed a spoon and slumped on a stool at their kitchen counter. I ate disgustingly through the tub of ice-cream while tears streamed down my face.
"Urgh! I hate him!" I yelled through a mouthful of ice-cream to no one in particular.
"Uh, Re-Re, you okay?" A hesitant Jace Lightwood said, his curly head of blonde hair peeking through the kitchen door.
When he was a kid he couldn't say my name properly, so instead of Clary, he'd call me Re-Re. Let's just say the childhood nickname stuck, but he was the only person who called me that. But no worries, he could say Clary now, he just chose Re-Re sometimes.
"Nope! Boys are buttheads!" I faced him and yelled. He looked even more uncertain to come into the kitchen. Poor kid. I couldn't imagine how frightening I looked with my mouth full of ice-cream while I swallowed like I'd been starved, with tears streaming down my face and possible snot issues.
"I'll just come back later." He laughed nervously.
"Wait! Where's your sister?" I begged.
"She's not home. She went with mom, Maxie and Alec to the shops, I couldn't be bothered to go with them though. It's just me here." He answered.
"Great. I'm stuck with you. Well? What are you waiting for? Sit!" I commanded, pointing at the stool opposite me.
He sighed reluctantly but sat across from me anyway. I guess on his agenda he hadn't planned on spending time with a hormonal brokenhearted fifteen year old. Well this ten year old was going to have to deal with it. He was all I had.
"So…why are boys buttheads?" Jace asked probingly. I would have used a much ruder word to describe Sebastian but I had to remember Jace was only ten years old.
"Because! They're mean." I sniffed.
"Did a boy say something to you?" Jace's back straightened. "Who was he?! I'll fight him."
I laughed in my head not wanting to insult him but the idea of tiny Jace, fighting Sebastian who regularly hit the gym, was amusing to me.
"Don't worry about it Jace. He wouldn't be able to beat you anyway." I winked at him.
"Obviously. Look at these muscles." He flexed his arm, showing me his non-existent muscles.
I widened my eyes in shock anyway. One thing I've learnt is not to knock down a child's confidence no matter what. It will just affect them badly in the future. I'd seen their dad do it enough times to piss me off.
"Nice." I complimented.
"But what did he do to you really? Who was it? Was it your boyfriend?" Oh the joy of children and their many, many questions.
"Yes it was my boyfriend." I sighed.
"Aww. Did he dump you?" Jace said, reaching over to pat my arm sympathetically. Oh Jesus. Even I could see how sad this situation was.
"Yes." I gritted through my teeth. "He wants some other girl."
"Well he's stupid." Jace said, grabbing a spoon and taking a bite of my Ben & Jerry's. I put it in the middle of the table so it would be easier for us to reach it.
"What makes you say that?" I asked.
"I dunno." He shrugged. Oh the wisdom of children.
"I wish I could be your age." I complained.
"I wish I could be yours. I just want to grow up already and do whatever I want." He counteracted.
"Trust me; it's not as fun as it looks." I snorted. Woops did I get some ice-cream up there? I quickly wiped my nose in case I had.
"It can't be that bad. Once it gets to the worst, it can only get better right? It'll get better." Jace said, licking his spoon. Damn maybe he had some wisdom after all.
"I guess you're right." I smiled at him.
He cheeks turned slightly red.
"Anyway he's stupid because you're pretty and you have cool hair and your eyes are shiny and sparkle all the time. I'm sure that other girl is really ugly and looks like a troll. Don't worry about it." He shrugged at me.
And that's when I burst out in a full-bellied laugh and realized I wasn't even crying anymore.
...
I'm not even sure if Jace remembers that. After that conversation we grabbed a big packet of Doritos, headed towards the couch and played video games. At some point Isabelle and the rest of the Lightwoods came home and joined us in the living room. We all played Mario Kart and laughed a lot that night. I was distracted and had laughed so much I had forgotten to tell Isabelle Sebastian and I even broke up. That memory just reminds me of how sisterly-brotherly our relationship was. It was just a brother making his sister feel better. It's a good memory. Jace was always a good kid. He made things fun and easy when life got hard. That's why I liked being around him so much. He was just so easygoing and when you were around him...you just felt peaceful. I think it's why he's so popular, even as a child.
So Isabelle and I left for college at eighteen when Jace was in seventh grade. We visited during breaks, sometimes anyway. We had relationships in college, so we also had heartbreak. We made new friends and we lost some friends in college. Some friends are still very close to our hearts right now. But when we came back for good at twenty one, Jace was a sixteen year old sophomore. And I forgot about every other guy I'd dated because Jace? He was hot. And full of hormones. And so hot. I still remember the first day we got home and I saw Jace for the first time in months. I was staying at the Lightwood's because my parents had decided to go on their first holiday in a long time.
...
"IZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZY!" Jace yelled, running up to the house. He had been out jogging and just got back in time for our cab to drop us off. He was sweaty. Shirtless. Abs. Hipbones. It seemed like the sight of him made it unable for me to form coherent thoughts. I was speechless. What. The. Hell. Sixteen year olds do NOT look like this. No sixteen year old was this hot back in high school.
"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!" Isabelle screamed as she dropped her bags on my foot and ran to hug him. I watched as the two siblings hugged tightly. He lifted her off her feet and spun her around. He was taller than her. No way. I swear the last time we were here he was shorter than her. He was more muscular too. His shoulders were wider. His face sharper. Hair wet with sweat. A gorgeous smile on his face but the same sparkly gold eyes.
"Ew. You're sweaty." Isabelle groaned and pushed him away. "Get off. Go say hi to Clary."
He laughed at her as she made a face, and wiped at himself to get rid of the sweat. Ay, I was feeling jealous of his hands. Don't think like that Clary! He's little Jace! The annoying kid who once chased you around with a booger. Suddenly, his twinkling eyes landed on me for the first time and it felt like all the air had been sucked out of my body.
"Clare-ree!" he yelled, breaking my name and extending it into two syllables "Damn girl. Looking fine. I missed ya baby." Jace walked up to me, looking me up and down while licking his lips. Uh, what? Was this the same Jace who told me "Girls are so gross. You all cry and moan and it's scary. And you're all weird looking."?
"Urgh Jace, don't. Mom rang me up and told me all about how you've become a flirt manwhore of a slutty player but don't work it on Clary. She's like our non-blood related sister." Isabelle warned.
What? Jace became a manwhore? This was so unexpected. He wasn't all that into girls when I was still around, suddenly I leave and he's all grown up and interested. Too interested for my liking. Wait. I can't afford to be thinking like that.
"Fine, fine! What a shame, seems like your off limits." Jace wagged his eyebrows at me as he walked into the house, grabbing my bags in one arm and Isabelle's in the other.
I gawked at him for a second before finally coming to my senses.
"I'm too old for you Lightwood!" I yelled after him. It was just odd moment, me finding him attractive. Just this one off. I'd forget about this attractiveness as soon as I spent ten minutes in his annoying company. Then these feelings of attractiveness will go back to feelings of sisterly feels. "I was there when you peed your bed!"
I watched the muscles in his back flex as he laughed, shaking his head. Sweat dripped into the dip of his back and slipped into his shorts. I may have moaned. So hot. Yeah, these feelings were going to go away. It's just the shock of seeing him after ages. Sure.
...
That was the beginning of something I thought would go away after a day or two, after I became familiar again and then he would become family again. But I soon realized my thoughts were not becoming family-like and I was crushing on him bad. His flirting didn't help either. Everyone knew he was doing it jokingly and so did I but it didn't change the fact that I felt these feelings whenever he did. I knew not to make myself feel happy or special over it though, he was in high school then for God's sake. He flirted with every girl and probably slept with them too. Not that I would know. I didn't want to. I refused to get that close to him.
I wanted to get over it, but he was hot at sixteen, but damn, at seventeen, at eighteen, he just seemed to get hotter and manlier than ever before. He was taller than all of us. When I spent more time with him it was so hard. It wasn't just his looks. He wasn't a child anymore so he wasn't immature. He was young and silly but in that attractive teenager way. He wasn't gross anymore. Definitely not. He was nicer, more mature. We had deep conversations and very funny ones too. Plus now we could say as many dirty jokes as we wanted and I could swear around him. He was arrogant but confident. Teasing but protective. I really really liked him. I didn't know what to do about it.
Now he was nineteen and in his first year of college so I don't see him, only if he comes home for break. He probably flirts and sleeps around with all the girls at his college too. Big fat flirty fucker. I hate him for making me feel this way. Urgh, how did this happen. It's summer break now for college students and he's coming home tomorrow. He'll be around for three months. Just great. I'm going to have to deal with his flirting. Luckily I have a job that will keep me busy and will be a good enough reason to stay away from that Lightwood boy. I couldn't pursue him. He was going back to college and I'd be staying here. He's Isabelle's younger brother. He was like a younger brother to me. The age gap is weird, maybe in the future it wouldn't be such a big deal but right now the age gap was significant. And the fact that he was a total fucking slut. Oh yes.
I said earlier that mine and Isabelle's friendship has been tested a few times and made it through each time. I realize now that whatever feelings I have for Jace, if they don't go away soon, it's going to be another test Isabelle and I are put through. I just hope we survive it.
Oh God, I'm such a cougar.
I'm so glad I got this down. Its 7 am. I stayed up all night alternating between writing this chapter, writing some of Professor Herondale and watching One Tree Hill. Oh well. That's what Christmas Break is for :) I hope you guys enjoyed this and liked it! :) Like usual this is the intro chapter. This story is gonna be mixed with flashbacks of their childhood (Jace at ages 4-13, Clary at ages 9-18) and the years between 16-19 where the change starts (feelings happening and flirting) and the main story which is the present (Jace at 19, Clary at 24). Let me know if you liked it and what you liked about it! Do you want more?!
Review and fav/follow pleaaase! Xoxo
& HAPPY HOLIDAYS! *hearts*