"Izzy, please! We'll get there late, I can just wear jeans and a hoodie, whatever." Clary insisted as Izzy tried making something fashionable out of her clothes.
From what she could see, Izzy was going for a flannel/shorts/tights combo...Not that Clary minded, but she didn't want to keep Tessa waiting.
"When will you learn to trust me...You'll thank me later." Izzy replied knowingly.
"It's just Tessa. it's not like any guys will be there." Clary teased but Isabelle ignored her.
Finally, she lays out her "masterpiece" on Clary's bed. A dark red and black, faded flannel, with a black tank top and jean shorts. Not bad, Clary thought as she grabbed the clothes off the bed and made her way to the bathroom. Before long, Clary walks out in the Izzy-picked outfit.
"You know, eyeliner would look great with this." Clary thought out loud. Immediately, Izzy sat up and took Clary by the arm.
"No, no eyeliner. No make-up. Like you said, it's not like any guys will be there." Isabelle said rushedly.
"But-"
"Clary, we're late!" She exclaimed.
"What was I saying 15 minutes ago?!" Clary replied exasperatedly but didn't get an answer from her friend.
They rushed out the door, and jumped into the car where Jocelyn has been waiting for a good 20 minutes.
"What took you girls so long?"
"Take a guess." Clary said pointedly.
"Please, I had to make sure you look presentable." Isabelle defended herself.
They spent a few minutes in silence. Each one to their own thoughts. Isabelle seems oddly nervous, Clary thought but immediately brushed it off. She was excited about going to Tessa's flat, spend some time with the girls...It should be a nice day after a busy week at school. New York was full of artistic inspiration in April, flowers, trees…
"Clary?" Isabelle's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Hm?"
"What about that Jace guy? Are you two still talking?" She asked.
"Yeah, yeah..." Clary replied sheepishly.
"Still dating?" Isabelle continued.
"I know you're not a fan of our relationship, but I told you I love him. And he loves me. We'll meet someday."
"Fine, fine. No need to get so defensive." Izzy joked.
"I'm not defensive!" Clary laughed. "What about you guys? You never talk anymore on the group I made with you and Simone."
"Yeah, I don't know. Don't really have much to talk about, do we? Plus time zone differences..."
"Don't even talk to me about time zone differences."
"Hey, you're the one who fell in love with a dude from Australia. Deal with the consequences."
"Shut. Up!" Clary groaned.
The car made its final turn before arriving at Tessa's flat. Brick front, balconies decorated with bright-colored flower pots, the windows open in an inviting manner. It was lovely.
Izzy and Clary got out of the car, each grabbing their bags and a slight breeze blowing their hair on their faces. The girls exchanged a look and bursted out laughing. Then bid farewell to Jocelyn who asked the girls to text her the time to pick them up.
The duo made their way up the stairs, Izzy calling Tessa to tell her they were waiting downstairs.
"Food, movies, her puppy, the girls...Today's going to be nice." Clary sighed and Izzy agreed.
A cheerful Tessa greeted the girls and had a quick catch up on the way up. Tessa and Izzy exchanged a few looks, as if having a silent conversation they were excluding Clary from. She raised an eyebrow at Izzy who just shrugged as if she didn't know what Clary was trying to communicate.
As they entered the cozy apartment. Maia and Simone were on the couch, laughing over something Maia said probably. After a quick scan over the place, she noticed Tessa had the fortune of getting the one with a backyard. Everything about it seemed welcoming.
They left their bags on a chair along with the rest and made their way over to the girls, greeting each other with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Tessa? Where's Romeo?" Izzy asked.
"Oh yeah! Where's the cute little doggy?" Clary joined in excitement.
Suddenly a pair of big, rough hands covered Clary's eyes and pulled her back. That was followed by a pair of giggles from her friends.
"Guess who!" Simone called from where she was sitting.
"Dude...I have a guess but…." Clary said uncertain.
"Just say it. Out loud. Say it!" Simone laughed.
"But it isn't right!"
"Oh my god, just guess!" Simone insisted.
"Fine! Jace?" Clary said shyly. Which was when the person holding Clary bent down and whispered:
"Who else would it be, babe."
Clary was awestruck as she turned around and saw that he was standing right in front of her. Her heart raced like a train.
"Oh my god..Jace." She said in a half-whisper. Before long they were in a tight, emotional embrace. They'd dreamed about this moment for years, almost four to be exact. Four years of not being able to see each other, hold each other, laugh together, kiss...Theirs was a relationship that lasted solely on their love and overflowed in longing for one another.
The girls present were either in a state of utter excitement or stuck in a constant "n'awww". Not that either of them noticed, they were lost in each other's arms.
"How are you even here?"
"Bit of a long story, love. Still jet lagged."
"N'awww sweetie..." Clary said as she wrapped her arm around him, resting her head on his side.
"You know, you guys can go outside if you want, it's fine with me." Tessa interrupted the young lovebirds for a second.
"Oh uh," Clary let out an awkward laugh. "That'd be nice, but..."
Tessa smiled. "Oh the lunch and movies? You guys can join whenever you feel like it. It's okay."
Clary mouthed "thanks" and walked out with Jace. They found a dry and shady spot next to the walls and sat together, Clary's legs across Jace's, her head resting between his shoulder and neck. For a while they just sat there in silence, enjoying each other's presence. Closing in the distance that separated them for so long. Their first kiss together was sweet, loving...Perfect.