Chapter 4 is now up and ready to read! :) As promised, I will respond to each person who reviewed chapter 3! Here goes:

Guest: I'll keep the Wessa, but there may be a little bit of Jessa in here… whether it was in the past or present or near future, well, you'll have to wait and find out. :O

bow down to me peasants: I'm so glad it brightened up your day! I hope the rest of my chapters will continue to do the same! :)

Guest: Yes, the Jem-Tessa mystery… Man, do I have some things in store for that part of the story! Stay posted to find out! ;P

ShelbyHerondale: Confident Tessa will definitely be prominent in this story! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story as well! Also, several songs sparked this chapter. I was actually sitting in Psychology and decided to write the whole chapter in 55 minutes. I'm surprised it came out as well as it did! But I'm so glad that you all enjoy it! I was watching "Brain Games". My playlist consisted of: 'I Want It That Way' by Backstreet Boys (this song I listened to several times on repeat—the whole party concept fit well with my theme), 'Thinking About You' by Frank Ocean (I'm not sure why, but something about the song helped me write the scenes between Will and Tessa), and 'Hold On Tight' by Justin Bieber (I know, I know, I know… but this a really good song, and the library scene evolved from this song). So there you go! They aren't really relevant, but the next chapters will definitely be more relevant to the songs I listen to!

M. MarvinN. Nancy: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! You're positive reviews motivate me to write more!

Morning and Eve: Yes… I know the email came very soon! I think you motivated me the most to power out this chapter! So thank you! :P Yes, Wessa will continue to get cuter! As for the Sophie-Tessa-Jem thing…. I have a really tragic event that has happened to Sophie and Tessa (I haven't decided whether or not Jem should be included, but he might have to be, since it was kind of inferred—what do you think?). Of course, Will has a pretty screwed up past as well. The two events will be posted at the same time. And feel free to take that idea from me! :)

Thalia (Guest): I'm glad! Stay posted!

Willitbe: Here's more for you to read!

Malika DaughterOfWisdom: They're amazing books! Finish it soon!

MarijaV: You're in for the long haul! Wessa is dominant in this book! And... Maybe, possibly, a very small portion of Jessa.

Okay! Whew. Feel free to respond to those ^^ and to this chapter in your next review! :)

I'll give you guys my playlist at the end of the chapter!

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER (I think I forgot this in previous chapters): I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS! Only the plot! :)

Chapter 4~I Want To Be With You

WILL'S POV

It was a miracle we won our game last night with me as distracted as I was. Coach noticed I wasn't in my game mode. He tried to get me to talk about, but I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be talking about.

Was it that I was confused as to why Jem was so angry with me? Was it that I didn't understand the dirty glares he was shooting me all throughout the game?

Or was it because of my conflicted thoughts about Tessa? Yes, Tessa. Beautiful, troubled Tessa. Was it because we had such a great night together, and then I woke up and she was gone? Was I angry about it like I said I was? Or was I disappointed?

Or maybe it was how she swooped in and saved me from Aline? Was that what it was? Maybe I was unsure of why she felt like I needed to be "saved" from anything. I'm William Herondale. I didn't need to be "saved" from anything.

But I did like the way she kissed me.

And I liked that I could still feel the tingling sensation I got from her lips.

Wait, no I don't.

I shouldn't enjoy that.

And then when she took off my jersey the way she did...

No. I shook my head vigorously and rolled over in my bed so I was lying on my side.

That was a mistake. I could still smell her in my sheets. I smelled her perfume on my jersey last night. And I couldn't get that out of my head.

Damn it. What was going on with me?

I sat up and dragged my hands down my face. I glanced at the clock. 4:39 am. I sighed.

"Jem!" I called, crawling out my bed. I walked to my door in the dark, throwing it open and going down the hallway toward Jem's room.

"James Carstairs," I said, knocking rapidly on his door before barging in, only to find him standing up, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"William, what in the hell are you waking me up at-" he looked at the clock on his nightstand, "—4:40 in the morning for?"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "I want to know why you're so angry with me," I demanded.

Jem ran his hand through his hair before sitting down at the edge of his bed. "Will, it's a long story. And I'm not exactly angry with you. I'm just... disappointed."

I threw my hands up in the air. "How was I supposed to know anything happened to her before I did anything? She complied willingly, James."

He flinched. "I don't want to hear about your adventures under the sheets with her, Will! She's a very good friend of mine. Both her and Sophie are, and they've been through a lot, Will."

I shoved my hands through my hair. "She did mention she got a nightmare, and how she constantly thought about... whatever happened, and how her life has gone downhill since. What happened, Jem?"

He shook his head. "That isn't for me to tell. If you want to know, you have to gain her trust so she can tell you."

I looked at Jem more carefully, and saw faint lines of sorrow etched in his face.

Whatever this was, it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

I sat outside the girl's dormitory in my car, contemplating where to go from there. It was 5:30 in the morning on a Sunday.

I couldn't imagine anyone who would willingly be up at this hour.

But then I saw the doors open, and a tall, slender girl stumbled out. Light from the porch lights poured over her. Long, dark brown hair was plastered to her face, her collarbone, and was tousled around her head.

Light reflected off her pale skin, revealing a sheen sheet of sweat coating her face, her collarbone. Her hair fell in strings, like it was wet.

She doubled over, gasping for air. That much was obvious from where I was sitting. I sat up straight, examining her more closely.

Tessa. It was Tessa.

She collapsed on the front steps, pulling her knees to her chest, and leaned her head against one of the columns in the front.

I pushed open the car door and walked toward her. I had to talk to her. I had to comfort her.

"Tessa?" I asked gently, stopping a few feet in front of her.

Her head snapped up. Her grey eyes were wide and frantic, eyelashes wet with tears rolling down her face.

She quickly wiped them away and stood up.

"Will? What are you doing here?" She asked.

I gulped. Why was I here? "I, uh, I wanted to talk to you," I mumbled, looking down at my shoes.

She laughed softly. "What, at 5:30 in the morning?"

I shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you're doing okay," I admitted, my voice hushed.

A few tears slipped down Tessa's cheeks and she looked away from me, wiping them away in aggravation.

"I'm fine, Will. You shouldn't be so concerned for me," she replied.

"Jem told me something happened to you and Sophie a few months ago, but he won't tell me what it is. I thought maybe you would."

She shook her head. "All I want to do is forget about it. I don't want to talk about it. Ever."

I stared at her. She looked tired. Dark circles stood out profoundly against her skin under her eyes. Her eyes looked darker when she was crying, and her body was tense.

"How do you make yourself forget about it, Tess? Maybe it would be healthy to talk about it with someone. It might take a load off you," I suggested.

Tessa's eyes darkened. "How do you think I forget about it, Will? Why do you think I slept with you? Why do you think I was drinking? What did you think after I told you I had a nightmare?"

I winced. I didn't know she was using me to forget her problems. It stung.

"I don't know Tessa! That's why I'm asking! I'm trying to understand you."

"Well, stop trying! You don't know me. I hardly think you'd want to," she snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

"I do want to. That's why I'm trying to understand you," I whispered, stepping closer to her. I set my hands on both sides of her face. I pushed the hair off her cheeks and tucked it behind her ears.

She shook her head, more tears falling when she closed her eyes. "Will—,"

"Shh," I whispered, placing my lips on hers gently.

Tessa didn't fight me or try to push me away. Instead she gently opened her mouth, prodding my lips with her tongue. I opened my mouth and our tongues met.

It wasn't enough for her. Her hands tangled through my hair, pulling me closer, closer, until there wasn't any space left between us, until we were breathing each other's air. Her kiss was urgent, her touch leaving trails of white-hot fire as she moved them down my neck, my shoulders, my chest, and finally settling on the skin under my shirt, on my ribs.

I gasped. She had no idea what she was doing to me.

I placed one hand on the back of her neck, the other on the small of her back, and forced her even closer to my body, hoping she could feel every inch of me the way I could feel every inch of her.

A little voice in the back of my mind told me to stop, told me it wasn't a good idea to be doing this. I realized it was Jem's voice.

And as much as I wanted Tessa, I knew Jem was right. This girl was broken—very much like I was—and this wasn't the way to deal with things. I was the one who knew that best.

I gently pulled my lips away from her, leaving just enough room to speak.

"Tessa—," I started.

"Will, can you come up to my room with me?" Tessa asked, breathless.

I opened my eyes so I could see her. I examined her face. She was flushed, her cheeks now dry.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Is this how you want to deal with things?" I wondered, speaking softly.

Her eyes searched mine, pleading. She bit her lip and nodded. "Yes, this is what I want to do. It'll help—it'll help distract me. Plus I—," she stopped, frowning. Her hands started to slide out from under my shirt.

But I didn't want her to push me away. I didn't want her to break contact with me.

So I grabbed her wrists and held them firmly in place. "You what, Tessa? Talk to me, please," I said.

Her grey eyes met mine again. "I'm being honest with you when I tell you I want you up there with me. You make me feel… safe. I don't know who you are, really, or why I feel this way around you, but I do. So… will you?"

I gulped. I knew I shouldn't. I knew it, but she was begging me, and she had already gotten me into a mood. So I nodded, and she sighed in relief. I let her pull me inside the building, where she turned and placed a finger to her lips, and quietly snuck me upstairs.

We climbed the staircases, and exited onto the fifth floor. She led me toward the end of the hallway, stopping at the last door on the left, and pushed the door open. When she closed the door behind her, she turned slowly to face me.

I looked around her room, smiling to myself. There were two full beds on either side of the room with small white nightstands next to each one. At the foot of both beds, up against the wall, were white dressers. Two closets stood on either side of the door.

For a dorm, it was spacious. And fairly nice.

When I looked at Tessa, her face was red and she looked embarrassed.

"I know, I know, it's nothing like your cabin—," she started.

But I didn't let her finish. I crushed my lips against hers in a bruising kiss, pushing her against the door and tugging at her clothing.

She wanted me here for one reason, and I was going to give it to her. If she needed me for any reason, I was going to be there, no matter what. Like right now.

She wanted me in that way. And I wasn't going to let her down.

I could imagine her beneath me, moaning my name in the sexy way she did at the party. I wanted to make her feel good. But most of all, I wanted to help her forget what happened, even if it meant doing something I shouldn't. I wanted to help her. I wanted to be there for her.

I wanted to be her strength.

I wanted to be her anchor.

I wanted to earn her trust.

And I had no idea why.

TESSA'S POV

I awoke to an utterance of surprise and the splashing of liquid against the floor. I felt a warm body next to mine stir.

My eyes flashed open and I sat up, clutching my blankets to my chest. Will was sitting up next to me, rubbing his eyes. His chest was bare, revealing a few dark tattoos and beautiful sculpted abs—

Wait.

Will.

He'd fallen asleep here.

I looked at the door.

Sophie.

We'd been caught.

She was staring at us with a mixture of shock and horror. The door was partially open behind her, and coffee cups spilled their contents across the dark wood floors of our dorm room.

"Tessa! What were you thinking, letting him stay the night?" Sophie whisper-yelled.

My mind was still foggy with sleep. "I, uh—what?"

"Sophie? Tessa? Is everything alright in there?" Agatha, our dorm director, called from the hallway.

Oh no.

She couldn't find Will in here.

"Everything's fine, Agatha!" Sophia replied. "I just saw a spider—but don't worry, Tessa killed it!"

"Will, get up," I snapped, reaching forward and yanking my robe off my bed post and quickly wrapping it around my body. I crawled over him and out of my bed. "Now."

His dark blue eyes gleamed wickedly at me and he flashed me a dazzling smile that made my insides churn, but he gripped my sheets around his waist and stood up. I threw open my closet door and shoved him inside.

"Don't come out until I say so."

Agatha's plump figure pushed open the door with the palm of her hand, revealing her plump figure and grey hair pulled tightly into a bun. Her eyebrows were raised and she was smirking. I grabbed a few towels from mine and Sophie's dirty laundry pile and began mopping up the coffee spill.

"A spider, huh?" she asked, her voice deep and raspy. "I remember this one time there was a giant spider in my tent in Afghanistan—you ladies know where that is, right?"

Sophia and I looked at each other and refrained from rolling our eyes. We knew it was going to be a while. But we couldn't really blame her. She was lonely.

"Well, they have huge spiders there. They're called camel spiders and are larger than your head. Now imagine the speed they run at. Well, anyway," she continued, "there was one outside my tent one morning. I chased it down, shooting wildly at it with my army-issued gun."

I laughed. "If I ever ran into one of those, I'd be frozen in pure terror! You must be very brave," I complimented her with a sweet smile, hoping it would make her leave.

"Oh, I am. I've seen a lot of scary things, ladies, and a silly little spider was not one of them. Anyway, I gotta go check on the other girls. I'll see you two later," she said, turning and closing the door behind her.

Sophie spun toward me. "Tessa, what the hell—,"

"It wasn't her fault," Will piped up from the doorway of my closet. He was leaning against the door frame looking marvelous in the morning light.

Why did I leave that morning when this sight could've awaited me?

Sophie gaped at him. "Tessa, I'm going to let you deal with this one on your own," she said before leaving the room.

Will looked at me and raised his eyebrows. "What, no 'good morning, Will, it's nice to see you stayed'?"

I rolled my eyes and grinned. I stepped toward him and pressed my lips to his. He groaned.

"Tess, you're going to get me—," he started, putting his hands on my waist and squeezing gently.

"Up there? Yeah, that was the point," I responded. I tilted my head back to look at him.

He was tall. Even at my five foot eight inches, he towered over me.

He smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

"So how are you going to break me out of here?" he wondered.

I absentmindedly twirled my fingers through his hair. It felt normal, casual even. I could get used to this.

Wait, what was I thinking?

I hardly knew the guy.

"Well…" I glanced at the clock. It was ten in the morning. "Agatha usually goes down for breakfast at 10:30."

"And until then…" he muttered, bending down to kiss my neck.

"I think you know."

I giggled, turning the two of us around and playfully pushing him toward my bed.

I laid next to Will in the midst of our lovemaking, still catching our breaths and letting the sweat dry. My eyes flicked to the clock on my nightstand again. It was now 10:54.

Damn.

That was impressive.

His phone started vibrating on my nightstand.

Will moaned and hugged me tighter to his chest. "Don't make me answer it. I'm too tired."

I laughed and wriggled out of his grip. "I'll get it."

I picked up the iPhone and answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"This is Will's phone, how can I help you?" I asked, locking eyes with Will.

The dark blue bore into my grey and my breath hitched in my throat. I grinned at him, and he returned the smile.

"Tessa?" Jem's voice came through the other end.

I froze. "Um… no. This is not Tessa," I said instinctively.

"Theresa Gray, I know that this is you. I would know your voice from anywhere," he snapped. "Where the hell is Will?"

I placed my hand over the speaker so I could talk to Will without Jem overhearing. "It's Jem. He wants to talk to you."

Will's face slackened, and he appeared to be contemplating something. A moment later, he spoke.

"Tell him I'm busy and that I'll call him later," Will said.

I smiled and leaned down to kiss his cheek before removing my hand from the speaker.

"Jem, Will isn't available right now. Can I take a message?" I asked.

There was silence for a moment.

"Tessa, I know you're sleeping with Will. Do you really think this is the right way to handle things after what happened?" he said finally.

All playfulness in my demeanor dissipated instantly. I felt my whole body slump against the wall my bed is pushed up to.

But then I realized something.

Will had said practically those exact words to me earlier that morning. Which meant that Jem had to have spoken to Will—Will had, in fact, mentioned that Jem told him I'd been through a traumatic event.

So Will was taking such serious precautions because Jem practically told him I was fragile and shouldn't handle my problems by using people to distract me from it.

I was not fragile.

And I was learning to cope with the repercussions in my own way.

This discovery made me sit upright. I gritted my teeth.

"James, I know what you've been saying to Will about me. And quite frankly I don't appreciate it at all. You think I'm delicate and that I'm going to break at any minute, but in reality, I'm handling my problems just fine," I snapped.

"Tessa, I'm only trying to look—,"

"Yeah. I know. You're only trying to look out for me. But you know what? I'm figuring this out my own way, Jem. I don't need you parenting me and belittling me so you can continue to tell me over and over what is the right thing to do and what is the wrong thing to do." I hung up the phone and set it back on my nightstand, reaching over Will to do so.

"Hey," he murmured, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me down to him. "Are you okay?"

I curled into his chest and nodded. "I'm fine. He just treats me like I'm a child after everything that happened. But I don't need him to parent me, I need him to be my friend and support me."

Will cleared his throat. I looked up at him. "Jem is like that with me, too. That's just how he is. He's a very protective person, you know. When I mentioned you yesterday in the locker room, he got really angry with me and told me what a mistake it was and that I don't even realize what I did."

He squeezed me. "And I tried asking him what it is that I did wrong, but he won't tell me. How am I supposed to understand what I did if no one tells me? I mean, I guess he was referring to me sleeping with you, but I don't quite… I'm not entirely sure… I just don't know why it was wrong. I really would like to know why, Tess."

I gulped. Tess. I liked that nickname.

"I told you I'd tell you when you proved to me that you were trustworthy," I replied.

Will ran his hand up and down my arm. "What do I have to do to prove that to you?"

I raised a shoulder—the one he was stroking. "I don't know. But I'll know when I trust you, and I'll tell you then."

Sooooo how was it?! I know this chapter was kind of redundant, but I wanted them to have some privacy so that they could kind of build on their relationship before you guys know about what happened to Tessa!

Please R&R! :) All comments accepted and appreciated!

Songs that inspired this chapter:

Give Me Love—Ed Sheeran (not sure why—just everything about this song I am in love with. I have listened to this song on repeat a majority of the time I wrote this chapter.)

Collide—Howie Day (just because they slept together—and I know this song will inspire other scenes and other chapters where they wake up together.)

I'll Be—Edwin McCain (because Will is so sweet in this chapter…)

Fix You—Coldplay (this song will for sure spark other chapter, but the part where they sing about tears helped with Tessa crying.)

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully I'll have the next one up and ready to read soon! Remember to review please!

Xoxo!

~Caitlyn