There was only so much rococo-style art Clary could take. Analysing Goya's entire career, a range of his artwork spread out on the bed in front of her, she felt exhausted just looking at it all. The deep and rich imagery was intense at the best of times, but after three hours of straight studying she felt completely overwhelmed by it all. Running solely on caffeine and the desire to do well on the test, scarily entitled 'The Influence of Goya in Modern Horror and Fantasy Depictions', she didn't want to stop until she felt completely satisfied in her knowledge on the topic. However, her mind couldn't take anymore information, and finally set her pen down.

Picking up her phone, she browsed aimlessly through social media before deciding to text Simon, curious to know if he had any plans. Reliable as ever, her best friend texted back immediately, telling her about his and Izzy's plans to binge watch the new teen werewolf show on Netflix at Alec's apartment. Though she wasn't all that interested in the show - it looked too moody and mindless for her - she said yes to going anyway. Any excuse to stop studying was good enough.

Shaking her fiery red hair down from it's messy bun, she switched her stained and wrinkled sweater for a less wrinkled plain grey t-shirt, though chose to leave on her sweatpants. Throwing her canvas bag over her shoulder, she left her dorm room. It had just hit seven o'clock, and she could hear the sound of a party raging down the hall. Peeking her head in, she spotted her good friend Maia Roberts in the throng of the crowd. Giving her a wave, Clary smiled. It was clear that Maia had had a couple of drinks, as she stumbled over to her.

"Girl, you should come in!" she slurred, tugging on Clary's shirt sleeve. "Come on!"

Shaking her head, the redhead sighed. "I already said I'd meet Simon and the others," she replied, shrugging. "Sorry. I'll make it to the next one, though!" Escaping Maia's clutches, Clary continued on down the corridor, laughing. The likelihood of her making it to the next party was slim, as she didn't really know any of Maia's friends and would rather hang out with her own.

Feeling her stomach rumble, Clary decided to get some snacks. She craved something salty, like pretzels, but also something sweet, like Swedish Fish. Turning into the nearest convenience store, she browsed the aisles, deciding what food the others would like as well. Simon, she knew, would want something garlicy, despite the protests he would get from everyone else. Izzy would prefer something cheesy, like cheese puffs. Alec was more difficult as he was often experimenting with veganism, and she never knew when these phases were. Deciding to play it safe, she chose Sour Patch Kids - which were gelation-free.

Her arms were full to the brim with snacks, she was trying to balance everything carefully. Clary was focusing so intently she didn't notice the boy as she turned a corner. The pair collided, dropping everything in their hands. Their food mingled together on the floor as they knelt down to pick it all up, both of them apologising. Looking up, she felt her jaw drop as her eyes met his. One eye was a bright baby blue, the other the slightest hint of blue swirling with the deepest chocolate colour. His jawline looked as though it had been sculpted by a Greek statue-maker, and his hair was the most angelic shade of gold she had ever seen, the sides shaved leaving the top long. He was hot, to put it bluntly. Probably the hottest guy she had ever met.

At a loss for words, she tried to think of something to say, but all that came out was another apology. He grinned, and she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat. "It's alright, I wasn't looking either," he told her. She could feel her cheeks tinge pink as he smiled at her, as she stood up. He handed her one of the bag of chips, and she awkwardly thanked him.

They continued to stand there and look at each other, not saying anything, clutching their food, until the bell on the door rang as another customer walked in. Blushing once more, Clary left first to pay at the till. She turned around whilst the cashier was counting out the chance, and saw that the boy was still looking at her. Biting her lip, she took her money and snacks, and left.

The second she stepped outside she regretted not getting his number, or at least asking him for his name. Sighing, she began walking towards Alec's apartment, feeling stupid. She was never good at dating, and was hopeless at making any sort of move on a guy she liked. Her only boyfriend had been Simon, and that had only lasted a couple of months until they realised they were better off remaining friends. Of course there had been brief crushes, for example a cute boy in glasses on the subway, or the waiter in a fancy restaurant. That's all they ever were; brief crushes. And the blonde boy with the mesmerising eyes was only another one to add to the list.

Arriving at Alec's modest apartment, her mind still on the boy in the convenience store, Clary knocked on the door. Izzy swung the door open, and gave her a wide, genuine smile. "Clary!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the redhead. "I'm so glad you're here, I hate being the only girl sometimes."

"What do you mean? It's just Alec and Simon."

"We invited Jace too," she explained, eyeing the snacks in Clary's arms. "You got cheese puffs! Wait till you see what I bought you." Running into the kitchen, Izzy returned with a bag of sweet and salty popcorn, a smug expression on her face. As usual, she got it just right. "A few months in and we can already read each other's minds! I don't know what Simon was worried about."

Chuckling, Clary wrapped an arm around Izzy's shoulder, squeezing her. "He was probably afraid we'd enjoy each other's company more than his."

"Impossible," blurted a voice from behind them. Simon appeared, wearing an worn t-shirt with some obscure rock band printed on the front, grinning from ear-to-ear. Ever since he had began dating Izzy, Clary rarely ever saw her without that smile. "You'd miss my winning personality too much."

He hugged Clary, and quickly swiped the garlic-flavoured chips from her arms. Izzy caught sight of the chips, and groaned. "Don't expect me to kiss you with garlic breath."

"I'd kindly remind my little sister that she isn't going to be kissing anyone in my apartment, regardless of what their breath smells like," piped up Alec, as he appeared in the living room. He was holding the TV remote, setting up the werewolf show. He grinned at Clary, and spied the vegan sweets in her hand. "You're the best," he called out to her, winking.

As Simon and Izzy perched themselves in front of the television, Alec wandered over to her. He eyed her suspiciously, and instantly Clary could tell that he could see something had happened. "What's wrong?" he inquired, softly so that the other two couldn't hear - it didn't matter anyway, they were too busy trying on each other's glasses. It was adorable, admittedly.

"Nothing, really," Clary sighed. "I just bumped into this really good-looking guy at the store, and I wish I'd been brave enough to do something about it."

"How good-looking are we talking? If he wasn't at least an eight, then you shouldn't be so hard on yourself." He always knew exactly what to say. Easing up slightly, she held up her fingers so that they amounted to ten. Alec's eyes widened, and he whistled. "A ten? That sounds too good to be true."

"He was!" she replied, her tone rather regretful.

Alec put a comforting hand on her shoulder, surprisingly gentle despite his impressive stature. "If it's meant to be, you'll see him again. If not, I promise there's a whole bunch of tens out there, just waiting for you, Morgenstern."

Another knock on the door broke them apart, as Alec walked over to the door to let in their final guest. Clary had yet to meet Jace, though had heard plenty about him. He was practically the Lightwood's fourth child, the amount of time he had spent with them whilst his parents were away on work trips. She suspected that Alec had perhaps had a little crush on him at one point, though it had now faded. By all accounts Jace was a bit of a womaniser, from the tales Izzy had shared. Curious, she watched the doorway, waiting to catch a glimpse of the infamous Jace Herondale.

The second he stepped though the door, she felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. It was the boy from the convenience store. For a split second, she worried he had followed her all the way there, and felt her throat constrict. Then she saw the others greet him warmly, and knew that he had to be Jace. Alec's words rang in her mind 'if it's meant to be, you'll see him again'.

Their eyes met for the second time that night, and Clary thought they might as well have been the only two people in the room. His surprise was clear, and she didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. Suddenly very conscious of her lazy outfit choice, and her lack of make-up, she tried her best to smile. He grinned back, and she was convinced her legs were going to give way.

"Jace, this is Clary," Alec introduced them, watching the pair of them with complete scrutiny. "Remember, we told you about her."

"Right, Simon's best friend," Jace nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. "Nice to meet you, again."

An absolute sucker for drama, Alec leaned in. "Again? Oh, pray tell."