Thin and crisp air ruffled her curly red hair as she walked down the gravel path . The pinkish orange sky was casting a golden glow on water and the trees were covered with leaves of various hues of yellow to mute orange to faded red. She glanced at the oak tree ; a single tear escaped from her green eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Her mind wandered back to the day when he had promised to love her forever , the way he had tugged harshly on his golden curls claiming that he couldn't keep his emotions in check anymore and that he needed to confess it immediately or he would combust. She had felt so confused at that time . She allowed herself to reminisence about the time when simple yet caring gestures had completed her life. She had always been invisible to other people, buried under her art and books . She never had many friends there were only Simon and Isabelle the two people whom she fully trusted besides her family. Then one day she met him. He was the typical high school bad boy. He had it all looks, grades and a reputation to go with it. He was like a celebrity of the school. He noticed her helping out at the school library ; he followed her around while she ignored him; he asked her out but she refused everytime; After 6 months of the same routine she finally agreed; It had still felt too surreal to her. She had never been a believer of cliches and she hadn't been able to accept the fact that he loved her till a year had gone by and he hadn't left her side. They were deeply in love , there relationship was going strong, they had been together for 7 years . Then one day he left. He left just like that without even a proper good bye.
He left her for a high-payed job. He traded off her love for money and status. Here once colourful life became dull, a sad mixture of gray with streaks of blue. But she refused to retreat into her shell again. She decided to make her own life and move on. She never cried for him and never talked about him. It pained her too much to even say his name. It had been 2 years since that unfateful evening and she still had his picture in her wallet, she still followed their unspoken tradition of meeting under the oak tree at central park every friday where she had first agreed to go out with him. Since past two years she sat alone under the oak tree and immersed herself in art . she knew that he had moved on and probably had another pair of eyes to hold his gaze. she thought that she had moved on from him too until Isabelle pointed out her love life or lack of it . " I can't take this anymore " Isabelle had said stomping her foot in front of her as she was watching tv. She had looked up , confused about what Isabelle was talking about " what is it now Izzy ? don't tell me Simon and you had another fight 'cause if that's the case i am being a neutral party . Last time when i had supported you Simon had not talked to me for a week after both of you had made up " Isabelle had scowled and said " i didn't have a fight with Simon dumbo. i am tired of seeing you at home every saturday night. you haven't dated anyone since a long time. you need to get over him you know . " " I am very content with my life Izzy and you know I am over him. " she had said. " are you really ? then tell me the last time you had gone out with somebody " Isabelle had questioned her. she thought for a while and then said " i had gone out with some Seb.. Sebs.. whatever his name was last month ". " His name was Sebastian and that was 5 months ago and sugar going out for lunch for buisness meeting doesn't constitutes as a date " Isabelle had said . She scowled and said " whatever , i don't want to go out . I get to see enough drama with simon and you I don't need some more " With that she had picked up her bag and left.
There was sound of chirping of birds and she was momentarily distracted from her reminisence. Infact she was so distracted that she walked right into the person in front of her. Strong arms wrapped around her and steadied her. Her cheeks flushed with embarassment as she took a step back adjusting her specs on her nose. " I am sorry , I didn't see you" she said never looking up . " Clary " said a voice that had once held the power to make her melt. "This can't be happening , this can't be happening " she muttered under her breath as her green eyes met his golden ones. " Jace " she said in partial haze as she closed her eyes and wished that it was all a dream. " oh , Clary " he said his velvet voice caressing her name , his face was like a canvas with too many emotions painted over it but relief prominent among them. He was wearing a dark gray suit. The vibes of a carefree boy long gone and replaced by those of a mature person. She tore her gaze away from him and turned away without saying a word. She started walking away from him and soon her walking turned into full force running. She heard him call her name but she didn't bother , she couldn't bother. Not after two years. Coming face to face with him was as bad as reliving the pain once again.
She stopped when she couldn't run anymore. She was breathing hard and cursing Isabelle for making her wear a frock and high heels. She plopped down on the grass and stared aimlessly at the empty space. She was convinced that Jace had not followed her. He had no reason to do so . She meant nothing to him. Tears started threatning to fall but she was determined not to cry for him. She was determined not to cry for the man who had tossed away her love as if it meant nothing, who didn't even had the decency to tell her that he was leaving her in person and instead had left a note sticking on the heard someone come up behind her and she instinctively turned to see who it was. She came face to face with a panting Jace. He was drenched in sweat his hair was messy and his toned chest was heaving up and down. " What do you want ? " she asked him keeping her voice ice cold. Jace flinched but replied " you. I want you Clary . I want you back in my life. I want to look into your eyes and get sucked into them. I want to see your head crinckel when you concenterate too much. I want to watch your expressions as you read. I want to spend every moment of my life with you Clary " his voice was coloured with passion and love.
Clary had never seen Jace this vulnerable it moved Clary's heart but she stood firm. She did not want to take a chance. She knew that if he broke her heart again she will not be able to mend it. She steeled herself and said " Its too late for that , I am already married ". Jace's face distorted with pain " I know that you aren't married clary , Isabelle would have told me about it. But I am pained that you lied to me . It hurts that you don't trust me anymore " he said. His words were the last straw for clary and then she let her thinly controlled anger flow through her veins " Who gave you the right to be pained , to be hurt ? you were the one who left me. You never considered the my feelings. You just left me to cope up with life without any explaination. You just left me that damned note. Who do you think you are ? and what makes you think that you can come again prancing into my life. I have worked hard to pick up the pieces of my heart and i won't let you break it again " she shouted. Her face was red with anger. She was so angry that she was practically fuming. Jace looked like he had been punched in stomach. He saw her face wet with tears and her green eyes ready to shed more. Her expression ripped his heart to shreds. He ran his hand through his disheveled hair. Then he took her face in his hands and looked straight into her eyes " I never wanted to leave you Clare , but i had to prove myself worthy enough for you. I couldn't bring myself to tell you that i was leaving because I knew that it would break my resolution , so i left you that note. I know I owed you an explaination but I couldn't find the courage to face you. You remember getting those blank calls ? " he asked , Clary nodded and he continued " It was me . I wanted to hear your voice, I wanted to talk to you but everytime you answered I used to blank out. I used to ask every single detail about your life to Alec . And it hurt like hell to know about the wreckage I created. I can't stay away from you anymore . I have a great job now ,I will be able to keep you safe now. I will be able to treat you like the princess you are. Please belive me when I say I Love You Clare. I really do. " His voice was broken yet persuasive. " I can't , I am sorry , if you ever leave me again I won't be able to get through the heart break again. I Love You too Jace, I never stopped loving you but I can't Trust you again " Clary said with tears streaming down her face.
Jace looked at her , he had known that it would be hard to gain her trust again. He felt the small black satin box in his pocket and said in a determined voice " Marry me ". " What ? " Clary asked disbelief colouring her voice. The wind had grown stronger and was blowing her curly hair. Her specs were perched on her nose as she wrapped her hands tightly around herself to keep herself warm. He kneeled down in front of her and her eyes widened in schock " Clarissa Adele Fray , I have loved you since I have met and I will continue to love you for eternity. I know I have messed up a lot of things , I have hurt you many times please forgive me for it. I was afaid that things won't workout , that i won't be able to treat you the way you deserve to be treated but now I know that as long as you are with me I'll always find a way. And I know that I am being utterly selfish and that maybe this is not the most oppurtune time to ask you this but I cannot postpone my request any longer because my life depends on your answer. So will you please agree to marry me and have me as your husband ? " he said while holding his family ring in his hand . Clary searched his golden eyes and found nothing else except sincerity and love so before she could register what she was saying she blurted out "yes" . Jace released the breath he was holding and slipped the ring on her finger. it looked like his grin would split his face in two pieces and for the first time Clary saw the young boy she had fallen in love with again that day. He stood up and she pulled him into a kiss. Her lips molding around his making up for the lost times and saying things that both of them never said. " Isabelle is going to kill me " Clary murmured against Jace's lips . Jace smiled and said " Don't worry I will be your kninght in shining armour and save you Mrs. Herondale "