"We Don't Talk Anymore" by Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez

We don't talk anymore
Like we used to do
We don't love anymore
What was all of it for
Oh, we don't talk anymore, like we used to do

Don't wanna know
Kind of dress you're wearing tonight
If he's holdin' onto you so tight
The way I did before

Jace

Winter formal was coming, and Jace was definitely not looking forward to it.

Alec had been on his case for the past few weeks, giving Jace lists and lists of potential dates and endlessly nagging him to hurry up and just ask someone. When Jace staunchly refused, continuously ticking names off the list – "Maia? I'm not into brunettes. And don't even get me started on Seelie's pretentious attitude"—Alec just gave him a knowing look.

Jace hated the look. He knew what Alec's sympathetic smirk and raised eyebrows meant. But Alec was wrong. Jace was over Clary Fray, 100% over her. It didn't matter that he compared every new girl to Clary (and realized, in disappointment, that these college girls just didn't stack up) or that winter formal was on the date of his anniversary with Clary. He was over her.

As the day of his first winter formal as a college freshman drew closer, Jace couldn't help but remember the last few days of the summer before college. He and Clary had the most delightful summer, having dated all throughout senior year of high school. They had gone on a road trip together, swam in the lake, and made s'mores over a mini bonfire. They had explored their childhood town and danced under the stars, even on cloudy days when the moon wasn't visible. Yet, their days had been numbered. A gifted artist, Clary was attending the Rhode Island School of Design while Jace was going to Stanford University – a solid 3,125 miles apart. They had decided to breakup on good terms, rather than risk heartbreak through a failed long distance relationship.

Every day, Jace regretted the decision. Sure, he and Clary had tried to stay friends at first, but the time zone difference and their busy schedules just hadn't allowed it to happen. Now, he relied on Snapchat to keep tabs on what she was up to: what her new art piece looked like, when she got a haircut, and where she went over Thanksgiving break.

When Alec handed him two tickets, insisting that he take Maia to the dance, because "she's a damn nice girl, even if she isn't your type," Jace just sighed in exasperation and acquiesced. Alec and Magnus were giddy with excitement and planned out his outfit, a black suit with a gold tie to match Maia's glittery dress. They weren't wrong about Maia: she was a very nice girl with a sense of humor and a kind smile, but she just wasn't what Jace wanted. Jace was polite throughout the night, paying for her pasta dinner and leading her onto the dance floor when the moment called for it. In fact, he was even starting to enjoy himself.

All of that went out the window the minute he caught a glance of bright red hair. The shade of red that he remembered vividly from the summer before college.

"Excuse me a minute," he mumbled in Maia's ear, before slipping into the crowd to find her. He maneuvered his way through couples grinding and girls sashaying before he saw her. Clary Fray, in the flesh, at Stanford University. His heart thudded in his chest and he froze.

Her beautiful red hair cascaded down her back, her signature look in formal settings. She had always complained about her frizzy hair and was adamant against trying to tame it into a topknot. She was wearing a pale green dress that went to her knees but hugged her curves tightly. When she laughed, a carefree giggle, her emerald green eyes sparkled like a gem. Jace's breathing became shallow as all of his happy shared memories with her flooded back to him.

The minute he followed Clary's gaze, his happiness faded. Clary threw her head back in response to a guy's joke. Sebastian Verlac. Jace had always hated him and his slicked-back hair. Sebastian was as fake as could be and never went anywhere without two girls hanging from his arms, but it seemed like he now had his eyes set on Clary. Sebastian reached for Clary's arm and pulled her into a hug. Clary's eyes registered surprise before she leaned into his embrace, saying something that made Sebastian chuckle.

That was it. Before he knew what he was doing, Jace had stormed up to them and snatched Clary from Sebastian's hug. Clary turned rigid when she saw him and Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"Wayland, I would introduce you to this nice East Coast girl I just met, but it seems you two are already acquainted."

"Stay away from her," Jace snapped.

Clary

It sounds dumb, but she swore her heart skipped a beat when he came up from behind her and put a possessive hand on her waist, tugging her away from Sebastian.

Blond hair in his eyes, Jace's eyes were flashing a dangerous shade of gold.

It wasn't like she wasn't expecting to run into him. When she realized that her school's winter break started a week earlier than Stanford's did, she texted Isabelle and Isabelle had booked her a ticket straight to California. Stanford was a beautiful school and home to Clary's best friend. But it was also home to Jace, her ex-boyfriend, the one she still wasn't quite over.

Clary had expected to run into Jace at some point during her visit, and she would have been lying if she denied that she had looked for him when she first walked into the winter formal ballroom, but Isabelle had introduced her to a few friends and she began to enjoy herself. Sebastian had come up to her. Charming and handsome, he seemed like a nice guy and Clary had hit it off with him.

Whatever attraction she had been feeling toward Sebastian, however, was quickly overshadowed by the memories of her romance with Jace. He was glaring at Sebastian. "Did you hear me, Verlac?"

Sebastian didn't back down, dark eyes sparkling. He reached for my hand. "Clary and I were actually heading to the dance floor." He gave Jace a fake apologetic look and Clary stared at her toes as she followed Sebastian. Sebastian was easy to dance with and soon enough, she was tossing her hair to the beat.

Just as the next song was coming on, Jace returned, hissing at Sebastian. "Alright, you've had your fun, Verlac. My turn." He grabbed Clary's wrist and hauled her outside. "What are you doing?" he growled at her.

She froze, already feeling her cheeks turning red. She hated that he still had this effect on her, even four months later. "Uh, I'm visiting Stanford because I'm on winter break?" She managed, hating the nervous waver in her voice.

He scoffed and continued glaring her. "Not that, Clary. I mean, what are you doing dancing with Sebastian Verlac?"

Her nerves vanished and she pulled away from his grip, crossing her arms. "I was meeting new people and enjoying his company," she responded sharply.

"He's a bad guy, Clary, and he's a lying player," Jace retorted, suddenly exasperated. He let go of her wrist and ran a distraught hand through his hair. Some of the gelled strands fell down and Jace once again looked like the playful boy she knew.

She swallowed hard, hating her observations, and looked away. "Jace, you have no right to control what I do. We aren't even friends."

She bit her lip furiously, the frustration from the past four months rushing back into her. She had missed him so much and stalked his Instagram to see what he was up to, only to see him constantly surrounded by hot girls. She had decided to stop talking to him to get over him, but to be quite honest, it wasn't very effective.

When she turned to look at him again, she was surprised to see a touch of anguish in his intense gaze.

"To be honest, I wish we tried harder to stay friends," he said after a moment's pause.

She hesitated. "Me too, but I think it's better this way." It hurt her to lie, but she definitely needed to move on. "We don't talk anymore, but at least you've managed to replace me quickly, huh?" She didn't mean to voice the last sentence, but at least she had managed to hide the bitterness she was feeling.

Jace's eyes widened in confusion, before hiding everything in a hooded expression. "There hasn't been a girl in my life since we broke up, Clary."

She rolled her eyes at him, wiping her sweaty hands on her green dress. "You don't have to lie. I'm happy for you and your girlfriend."

His eyebrows knitted together again before he crossed his arms, his suit jacket scrunching around his muscles. "If you're talking about the girl in my recent Instagram pictures, that's Maia and we only take pictures together because we're partners in a consulting club." At the mention of Maia, he frowned again.

Clary didn't want to guess at whatever internal conflict Jace was having, but she couldn't help but question, "Clearly you have some feelings for her."

"She's my date to winter formal, and I just realized I've left her alone for a while," Jace mused quietly. "But I had to come find you the minute I saw you walk in, Clary."

She startled at his confession and met his gaze again.

He swallowed. "You can't just walk in, looking beautiful and rocking that dress, and expect me not to notice."

"I didn't think you would be here," she replied, trying to ignore his honesty. "But, um, you look good too." And he really did. His black suit fit him perfectly and the gold tie brought out the color in his eyes.

He smirked at her. "Four months later and you're still not immune to my charms," he teased.

"I've always been immune."

Jace's eyes seemed to burn as he pulled her closer and bent his head down. Nose to nose with him, Clary's breath hitched. He pulled her closer into a tight embrace. "Still immune?" he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her earlobe.

She gulped and forced herself to nod. He let out a disbelieving laugh and suddenly, she was pushed against the wall. He met her gaze for a few seconds, holding her in place, before his lips crashed into hers hungrily.

Clary melted into the kiss, responding with equal passion. She wrapped her arms around the back of his head and pulled him closer.

Jace

It was embarrassing, but he couldn't help but groan when her teeth nipped at his lower lip. She pressed her body against his and he couldn't feel anything but fiery passion.

So when Sebastian burst outside looking for Jace's girl, he broke Clary's kiss to snarl, "Get out, Verlac," before meeting her lips once more. He heard a disgusted noise and the slam of the door but he didn't care.

Apparently, Clary did. She pulled away from him, red hair tousled and lips swollen. "Jace, what are we doing?"

"For the past four months, I've wished that we never broke up," he responded quietly. "I haven't been able to date anyone because I can't forget you."

Her green eyes clouded and she bit her lip again, clearly distraught. "We broke up because we didn't think this could work."

"We never tried."

She frowned. "I need to move on, Jace."

His heart pounded as he tried to calm his emotions. That was the last thing he wanted to hear. "Clary—"

She surprised him by pulling him into another kiss. "Maybe we can try though," she mumbled against his lips.

He realized there were a lot of logistics involved with deciding to try long-distance, but he ignored them. He could think about them later, but for now, he wanted to enjoy his time with Clary.

Jace could have stayed there with her forever, but when people started pouring out of the ballroom, he knew the dance was over. "I need to apologize to Maia," he said to Clary, worried about her reaction, but she merely nodded. He grabbed her hand and led her back into the ballroom, where he found Maia chatting animatedly with Simon.

He moved to talk to Maia, but she caught his eye and gave him a look that told him to stay away while she hung out with Simon. He shrugged and, guilt-free, left the dance with Clary.

Clary

It wasn't fair how early she had to leave, but a few short days later, she was at the airport with Jace. Her flight was boarding in ten minutes and she was excited to visit her aunt and uncle in Las Vegas.

Jace helped her with her luggage and hugged her again. "So, just to reiterate, we're doing this long-distance thing, right?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "For the hundredth time, yes. We're doing this."

"You're going to call me every night, right? Don't leave me with radio silence like last time?"

Clary almost giggled at the panic in his eyes. "We'll talk every day. And I'll Facetime you when I'm busy. You can watch me work on my art portfolio or something."

He kissed her again and pulled her into a hug.

"When am I going to see you again, Jace?" she asked, suddenly worried. If she had to wait until the end of the semester in May before she could see him again, she was going to go crazy.

He smirked, pulling out a plane ticket from his pocket. "I bought this yesterday. See you in a month, babe. I have a week off at the end of January."

"That's still too long," she complained, but she flashed him a contented grin.

"See you in a month, babe."

Hey guys! I've been so busy with life that I just realized it's been over a year since I've updated this story. I'm thinking of returning to update this story regularly, so let me know if you guys are still interested! As always, still taking recommendations for which song I should base the next chapter on. Happy December!

~BubblyFanatic