Jace could have kicked himself the second he let the girl with the most incredible fiery red hair walk out of the shop. She was heart-stoppingly stunning, and he got the impression she was sweet too. He'd spotted her slight blush and she had apologised more times than he could have counted, when most people in New York would have kicked up a hell of a fuss.

He'd been unable to do anything to appease his racing heart, instead remaining frozen on the spot, simply watching her. He wasn't even sure he'd picked everything up, and frankly he didn't care. All he wanted was to chase after her and ask her for her number. When he'd finally got his legs to work, he approached the till and paid for his items. Stepping outside, he looked side-to-side for her, but was disappointed to find her nowhere. She'd disappeared, as though she hadn't existed in the first place.

Sulking all the way to Alec's, Jace cursed himself for being so awkward. He wasn't usually like that; bad with girls, but there was just something about her and her unbelievably pretty smile that had rendered him tongue-tied. He wondered if he'd ever get lucky enough to see her again, and vowed to do a better job of doing something about his attraction to her.

When he reached Alec's apartment, he almost decided on turning back around and walking home. Watching some crappy werewolf 'drama' made for thirteen year old girls was not his idea of fun. Alec would be glued to the screen, preventing anyone from making a sound. Izzy and Simon would be canoodling in the corner, giving each other eskimo kisses or whatever it is inseparable couples do. Simon's friend Clary would be there too, and Jace really couldn't be bothered with making small talk.

From what he'd heard, Clary was very sweet and very nice - which was usually code for boring. On a different day, in a different situation, he wouldn't have minded meeting her. In fact, whoever the others had talked about her, he'd actually been looking forward to getting to know this girl they all knew. However, he simply wasn't in the mood.

Then he considered that perhaps going in would serve as a good distraction. He could eat his snacks, tune out watching the show, and just enjoy spending time with his friends. It could help to take his mind off of the girl from the convenience store.

Sighing, he knocked on the door. Alec opened the door, and grinned. He widened the door to let Jace in. Simon and Izzy, as predicted, were practically sat on each other's laps. They waved at him briefly before returning back to switching their glasses. Alec placed a hand on his shoulder and muttered; "Simon's friend is here; be nice." His tone was firm, and warned Jace that if he didn't behave accordingly, he would have Alec to answer to.

His eyes landed on the girl stood in the kitchen, a bounty of snacks in her arms, wearing an old t-shirt and sweatpants. Immediately he had to refrain from gasping. It was the redhead he had bumped into earlier; she even had the same stunned expression on her face that she had earlier when they had collided. Despite her surprise, she was still stunningly beautiful. Her hair was something out of this world - literally, it reminded him of Mars. It was long too, and naturally wavy. Her eyes were a piercing, earthy green colour, her cheeks flushed slightly with pink, and her lips a soft peach. She was this wonderful combination of colours that it didn't matter about her grey attire. She stood out more than anyone he'd ever met.

Jace realised he had to say something. His heart was hammering away inside his chest, and his palms were getting sweaty. "Right, Simon's best friend," he muttered as he walked over to her, desperately trying to keep his voice steady. "Nice to meet you, again." Even though he was getting nervous just being near her again, he wanted her to know that he was glad she was there. That's why he couldn't resist adding the 'again', with the slightest ghost of a smirk on his face.

Alec leant in, mouth agape. "Again? Oh, pray tell."

"We just met," Jace answered, quickly. He didn't want Alec to get the wrong idea, thinking something sordid had gone on between them. "In the convenience store. She knocked me off my feet - literally."

He was certain he heard Alec gasp, and saw the girl, Clary, shoot him a cautionary look. Jace wondered what that was for. "What a small world?" Alec merely said, as he grinned, looking a lot like the cat that got the cream.

As predicted, the show was terrible. Jace couldn't bear to watch a single second of the poorly-written and even more poorly-acted episodes, instead scrolling aimlessly through his Instagram and tucking into his chips. Far too tempted, he found Clary's profile and was relieved to see it wasn't private. Sat on the opposite side of the couch to her, he began to go through her account for some harmless investigating. She had a humble amount of followers, and her posts were cute; a mixture of candids of her with friends - predominantly Simon, latte art, the occasional selfie, and a few very impressive drawings. Whilst her photos were very artfully shot and she looked pretty in every single post, Jace was more glad about the apparent lack of a boyfriend. There was the odd flirty emoji commented under a few of her selfies, however she didn't reply to a single one. Clary, by all accounts, was single.

He glanced over at her to see her struggling to stay awake. Her eyes were fluttering shut and her head was beginning to droop. Clearly she was as much of a fan of the show as he was. He couldn't help but laugh a little, subtly, though not managing to evade the attention of Alec. He smirked, and shook his head. "You're going to fall sohardfor her," he whispered, that all-knowing glint in his eye as though he could see into the future.

Jace wanted to tell him that it was nothing, that he was merely looking at her, but he couldn't. He had to admit that bumping into her in the convenience store, watching as she slipped through his fingers, then seeing her again couldn't have been an accident. He wasn't a huge believer in fate, but he couldn't deny that he felt destined to meet her.

As though she could sense him thinking about her, Clary got up, muttering something about coffee. Alec turned to Jace, and widened his eyes. "Go after her, you moron," he hissed.

Doing as he was told, Jace got up and followed Clary into the kitchen. It was small and cramped, and there wasn't much room to manoeuvre around. It would be too awkward to just hover. He almost turned around, slipping out unnoticed, but she had already spotted him. Giving him a small smile, she held out the pot to him. "Want some?" He merely shook his head, to entranced by her. Her flaming red hair was falling about her face as she leaned over the counter, pouring the coffee into a mug. "If I have to sit through any more of that show, I'm going to need this coffee."

Jace chuckled. "I'm glad somebody else can see how cringy it is," he sighed, leaning against the sink. He watched as she held the mug in both her hands and blew on the steam. In the dim light she looked even more alluring.

"It is cringy isn't it!" she agreed, grinning. "How many more episodes are left?"

"Five, I think," he replied. He couldn't help the butterflies swarming in his stomach. Due to the tiny size of the kitchen, he was only a few feet away from Clary, and could feel the heat radiating off of her. She was making him nervous.

She groaned. "Oh my God, I don't think I can watch another moment. I'm only here because I physically couldn't study any more."

Cocking an eyebrow, he crossed his arms, trying to appear more at ease. "Oh? What do you study?"

"I'm an art major at the Brooklyn Academy of Art," she told him, without a hint of bragging. "First year."

"The Brooklyn Academy of Art?" Jace said, throughly impressed. It was a notoriously difficult school to get into, with a minuscule acceptance rate. "You must be extremely talented to have gotten in there."

Clary blushed, a pretty rosy colour flushing her cheeks. She looked down into her cup as she shrugged. "I wouldn't say that, but I am proud to have been accepted," she answered, humbly. Setting the mug down, she glanced back at him. He could have sworn she moved an inch closer. "Maybe I could show you some of my artwork sometime?"

Gulping, Jace merely nodded. "That would be . . . great." Her boldness took him aback, and he wasn't sure what to say.

"Do you go to college?" she asked him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

He shook his head. "No, it . . . didn't seem like the right fit for me, you know? I wasn't very academic at school, so couldn't imagine another four years at college. I wanted to start earning, so I opened up a coffee truck business instead." Jace was stunned at how open he was being with her - somebody he had only known for less than two hours. A longtime sufferer of anxiety, he would usually keep his cards close to his chest. Alec and Izzy were the only people he truly felt at ease with. However, despite the heart palpitations Clary's presence was giving him, he found it surprisingly easy to talk to her. Just as long as he didn't focus to long on the soft curve of her lips, or the flecks of almond brown in her eyes, or anything else about her.

"A coffee truck business?" she exclaimed, rather excitedly. "That's so cool. What made you start that up?"

She genuinely seemed interested, and Jace found that encouraging. Most girls would be put off almost immediately, insisting that it wasn't a proper career. "Well, I had a friend who had this old truck. He wanted to make some quick money, and I realised that I wanted to start up this business. What attracted me to it initially was that I get to be my own boss . . . "

They stayed in that kitchen for hours, just chatting about everything and nothing. Two, three, four pots of coffee later, they'd covered everything from their parents, to schooling, to their favourite flavour of ice cream. Nothing too heavy, but it wasn't bland smalltalk either. Jace felt as though he was really connecting to Clary. She was so fascinating, and she intrigued him. There was more to her than just a pretty face.

Suddenly they heard aping!that interrupted their debate about the best pizzeria in Brooklyn. Clary fumbled in her pocket and pulled out her phone. Curious, and a little jealous, Jace wondered who could be possibly texting her late at night. "It's just my roommate, Maureen," she sighed, as though she could hear his thoughts. "Wondering where I am. Oh wow . . . it's half four."

Jace peeked his head into the living room; Alec, shockingly, was still glued to the television, completely enthralled, whilst Simon and Izzy were sound asleep wrapped up in one another's arms. He smiled. "The lovebirds are sleeping, but Alec's still up," he told her. "We can slip away now and say goodbye. Go back to yours?"

Raising an eyebrow, Clary gave him a bemused look. "That's a bit forward, don't you think?"

His jaw dropped, and he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "Oh God, no, that's not what I meant at all," he quickly tried to assure her, shaking his head. His face felt hot and his mouth felt dry. "I just meant I can walk you home - if that's alright with you."

She laughed it off, and placed a hand on his forearm. "Relax," she said. "Of course I don't mind. I'd enjoy the company."

There was something so beautifully eerie about being the only ones walking around Brooklyn at dawn. Something very romantic. They had talked and talked for so long in the apartment that silence between them wasn't awkward, but more comfortable. The sun was just beginning to rise, a beautiful blend of purples and oranges stretching out across the sky. Glancing over at Clary, he saw her admiring the colours, her eyes wide. He could tell she was looking at it with her artist's eye, imagining the brushstrokes. The early morning air was bracing, and he saw her shiver. Shrugging off his beloved leather jacket he slid it around her shoulders, ignoring her protests that she was perfectly content without his clothes.

"Nonsense, your lips are going blue," he had said with a smile. They were only a few inches apart, so much so he could the little hairs on her head moving with his breath.

"So you've been looking at my lips?" she teased, smirking at him. He felt his throat constrict as he chuckled, nervously, the pair of them continuing to walk.

Clary was certainly flirtatious. She had been making comments like that for the last hour, and it was starting to make his head spin. No girl had ever had this kind of an effect on him before, and it was throwing him off balance. He didn't know how to respond, how to flirt back.

When they arrived to Clary's accommodation, an awkwardness hung in the air. They were stood in front of the door, not saying anything. Jace so desperately wanted to kiss her, but didn't know if that would be a step too far, or if it was even the right moment. They were both sleepy and cold, and there was a homeless man across the street on a bench, watching them with intense scrutiny. Instead, he settled for a hug. Wrapping his arms around her, he could smell an intoxicating lavender scent. Pulling away, he gave her a wide grin, despite his burgeoning blush. "I had a great time," he told her, sincerely.

"So did I," she replied, with a sweet smile. She turned to head inside, but not before giving him a small wave. "Bye, Jace."

As the door closed, Jace knew that he had absolutely fallen head over heads for Clary. Irrevocably so.