****These characters are not mine. They belong to lovely miss Cassandra Clare. Only this crazy, twisted plot is my demon spawn. Mwahahahahaha. Thanks for reading!******

~Remember…this shit is rated M for a reason~

A/N: Alright y'all, this is my new story. I got so many comments and PMs about what you wanted me to post first that I just couldn't decide so I chose this one. This is the first of three short stories that all go together. Each one will probably be 3-5 chapters and they will be significantly shorter than what most of you are used to from me. Once again, those who've read my writing before will be familiar with my angsty style but I'm also a sucker for a happy ending so hang with me. Of course, more stories to come later but this is what's going on simultaneously with CIAP for now. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review

Story Song:

*Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover)*

Chapter Songs:

*Hailee Steinfield, Grey, Zedd - Starving*

*Ruth B - Lost Boy*

Jace could hear a pounding on his door and through the haze that was the leftover hangover from the alcohol, he dreaded the conversation that was about to happen when the person behind it entered. He'd done a lot of stupid shit in his life and just hoped this wasn't one of them. He had enough regrets to deal with and he didn't need another eating away at him. He knew the interaction was inevitable so he got up to unlock the door and then went back to his bed as the Fireball that entered closed it behind her. Before he could ever say anything, she began talking, in a much calmer voice than he would have expected.

"KK just told me she saw you in your room with some girl riding you last night. Some girl that has been apparently hitting on you all semester that you didn't bother to tell me about."

"I didn't see how it was important. I was with you and told you that you were the only one I'd ever want."

"Well, obviously everything you've ever said to me was complete bullshit. I thought we were on the same page. I thought we were it for each other. But then I had to find out from my best friend that you fucked a random girl at a party that I couldn't go to because I was doing the last 8 hours of my internship? You didn't have to pretend with me Jace, I've already been sleeping with you for the past two years. If you wanted to stay fuck buddies, I was fine with that. You were the one who wanted more. I even gave you an out."

Jace felt like he should say something. He knew she was right. But he didn't know how to tell her he wasn't pretending, that everything he told her wasn't a lie. He just wasn't ready for this right now. He felt like he should feel guilty. He did feel guilty but he couldn't show it because this was getting him exactly what he wanted, which was out. What Sebastian said rung too true. He was too young to be thinking about spending the rest of his life tied down to the same girl. Maybe in 10 or so years but certainly not at 21 years old. He shouldn't be thinking about rings and houses and kids. He should be thinking about parties and girls and his friends. Plus by cheating now, he was protecting her from the hundreds of times he would be a disappointment to her later, just like his Dad was to his Mom. Jace pushed the guilt down and pulled his eyes from the floor. He looked at her, really looked at her. She didn't look broken like he thought she would and he wasn't sure if that made him happy or devastated. Jace thought back on everything he had shared with Clary in the time he'd known her…

Flashback

They'd met at the beginning of their Junior year of college in Advanced Chem when they were assigned to be lab partners. At first, Jace didn't think much of her. She was dressed in clothes that hid her body, her hair was up in a messy bun and she was wearing protective goggles. He did notice her piercing green eyes and the incredibly rich red color of her hair. A few days of working together and Jace realized how easy it was to talk to and laugh with her and they began hanging out outside class. They got coffee every morning, ate lunch together, Clary even went to Jace's soccer games. It was after one of their games that a party was held in Jace's frat house. He invited Clary to come and instead of showing up in a baggy hoodie, jeans and dirty chucks, like he was used to seeing her in everyday, she showed up wearing a tight, black, mid-thigh length leather skirt and a green corset tank top with knee high black boots. Her eyes were outlined in kohl and her lips were painted a crimson color. Jace couldn't keep his eyes off of her and she repeatedly asked him what he was staring at. As the alcohol continued to flow, it got increasingly harder for him to make stuff up to tell her so he just told her the truth, that he was staring at her because she looked incredibly sexy. She blushed at that and changed the subject. The drinking continued and Jace got a little more bold with his hands as the night went on. By the time the party was coming to an end, Clary and Jace had fallen into bed together.

The next morning, or rather afternoon, Jace woke up in his bed alone, the mind-blowing sex he had the night before slowly coming back to him. Jace wasn't the kind of guy to have sex with the same girl twice, he usually slept with a girl, kicked them out immediately after and then forgot about them but something in him wanted more from Clary. Now he wasn't ready to settle down and become a one woman man all of the sudden, he'd seen his Mom hurt way too many times by his Dad to get mixed up in all that nonsense but something in him was still disturbed to find his bed empty. He knew he had to have more of Clary, enough so that he had a proposition for her and if she wouldn't agree to Jace's proposition, he would do whatever he had to in order to convince her. Jace took a shower and got dressed with lightning speed and made his way to the dining hall. Clary was sitting at a table, back to her black hoodie and chucks, with a tall man with spiky black and blue hair and a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes who was beautiful but definitely not who he was there to see. He briefly wondered if the guy could be Clary's boyfriend but then decided he didn't care either way and walked over to her.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said just before kissing her on the cheek. Clary blushed and looked at the tall man beside her as if she needed help.

"Good morning, Jace."

"I thought maybe you might want to grab some coffee with me?"

"Uhhhh..." Clary said looking back and forth between Kaelie and Magnus quickly.

"Go Biscuit, KK and I can spare Golden boy here a half hour with you."

Jace pulled Clary up out of her seat quickly and they hurried to the coffee shop. After they both had their drinks, both sharing a love of Americanos, they sat down at a table far away from the other students frequenting the shop and Jace began to lay down his proposal for Clary. At first she didn't want to talk about the night they shared together, calling it a mistake and wanting them to just go back to being friends but Jace explained that now that he'd had her, he knew he wouldn't be able to get enough. She was still skeptical that it would work out, she'd never had this type of friendship before, but Jace assured her that it would be just like before but they would add non-exclusive sex to the mix. It took a few days of spontaneous makeout sessions from Jace and some thinking on Clary's part before she finally agreed to the arrangement.

It took almost a year of Clary and Jace fooling around and them both continuing to do their own thing on the side before he ran into her on a date with Michael, the captain of the basketball team and had a nuclear meltdown that resulted in him essentially calling Clary a slut and Michael leaving with a black eye and a bloody nose. It was then that Jace admitted to himself that he wanted to be more than friends with benefits. After his subsequent beating of her date and his harsh words, Clary avoided Jace for days. She didn't even show up to the class they shared together. He knew he needed to apologize but had no idea how he'd do that if he couldn't find her. He looked for her in all the usual places they met up, even checking with KK and Mags as he came upon them around campus to see if they'd seen her which was strange in itself since they didn't associate with each other's friends as an unspoken rule of their agreement. If the two thought it was odd, they thankfully didn't mention it but it didn't help Jace get any closer to finding her.

Jace eventually found her in the library, a place he rarely visited and swore he would cause a scene unless she came to get coffee and talked to him. Clary agreed to leave the library with him and go get coffee. After they settled at a table, Jace apologized for the hurtful words he said to Clary. In all the time they'd been hooking up, he'd never actually seen her out with another guy and he couldn't handle it. For the first time in his life, he wanted to be exclusive. She responded by telling him that he would have to earn her trust because she didn't think he knew what a real relationship was and he promised he would try harder at it than he'd ever tried at anything in his life.

Over the next year, Jace and Clary became inseparable. Clary was introduced to the soccer team and met Jace's best friend Sebastian. Jace became a part of Clary's group of friends. He introduced Clary to his sister, Izzy and she became one of Clary's best friends along with KK and Mags. Jace's brother Alec even started dating Magnus. Just after 6 months into their actual relationship, Jace told Clary he loved her and they made love for the first time. It was slow and tender and nothing like anything either of them had experienced before. After that, Jace rarely slept at the frat house and when he did, Clary was there with him. He spent less and less time with the soccer team, only seeing Sebastian every once in awhile unless at practice or a game. Jace and Clary had talked about moving in together after they graduated and getting a puppy. For their 1 year anniversary, Jace took Clary to one of the nicest restaurants in LA and they ate dinner, Jace looking nervous the whole time. When the meal was over, they piled in his truck and Jace took her to a hill away from all the lights. He pulled out a telescope from underneath a blanket in the back of his vehicle and set it up so they could look at the stars. When Clary put her eye up to the telescope, Jace got down on one knee and when she looked back over, she gasped. Jace was holding a velvet box and was looking at her with eyes shining.

"When I met you, I had no idea you would change my life. I had a horrible example of what love was like between two people and was convinced that I could only offer the same things. I know the way this relationship started was unconventional but I'm telling you now, just like I hope to tell you for the rest of my life...You're it for me. You burn brighter in my heart than all the stars in the sky. I love you with everything I am and I can't imagine a single day without you. Would you do me the extraordinary honor of marrying me?"

"Of course I'll marry you, Jace. If you're sure this is really what you want."

"I've never wanted anything more in my entire life," he said with conviction.

"Then yes, I'll marry you because I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life as well." Jace slipped the white gold braided princess cut diamond engagement ring on her finger and they made love in the back of Jace's truck under the stars.

Jace's mind flashed to the conversation he had with Sebastian the next day when he went to go tell him he the good news about his engagement.

"You what? Why the fuck would you do that?"

"What do you mean 'why would I do that'. I love her, man."

"Jace, listen to me. You're 22. A little over a year ago, you were fucking everything that had a pair of tits and moved. Now 1 year later, this bitch has you wrapped around her little finger and somehow got you to propose to her?"

"She didn't get me to do anything, Bash. I asked her because I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"No Jace, you think you do. Like I said, you're 22. You have your whole life ahead of you for settling down. What you should be doing right now is hanging with your boys and getting as much pussy as possible. She's got you so whipped, we barely see you anymore. Come to the party tonight and me and the guys will make sure you have a good time."

"I'm not whipped, Bash. And fuck you. You're my best friend, you're supposed to be happy for me," Jace said, trying not to let on that Sebastian's words had gotten to him.

"Whatever man, I'll see you at the party."

End Flashback

And that was the beginning of the end. Jace was jolted back into the present by Clary's next words.

"If you didn't want this, all you had to do was tell me and it would have been done."

"I don't want this."

"That became apparent the moment you couldn't keep your dick in your pants long enough to end it properly." Clary furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms across her chest, almost like she was protecting her heart from falling out. "Thanks for letting me go before I wasted any more time loving someone who obviously never loved me back. Make sure you treat the next one better," she said with one last look before taking off her ring, laying it on the table and turning to walk out the door.