Hey guys! Here's another chapter! It's a bit shorter than usual, but I'm trying to churn some chapters out a bit more quickly while I have the free time. I hope you enjoy!
"So Jace," Jocelyn began with a wide smile, "is the idea of picking fresh eggs from a chicken coop in the morning at all appealing to you?"
Clary laughed, "She's trying to ask you if you want to visit the farm house," she explained, lightly pulling on Jace's arm to bring him closer, "Don't feel pressured to indulge her."
It was the weekend, and Clary was making well on her promise to bring Jace back to the pawn shop. They passed the spot where the musicians had been playing as Clary and Jace danced and Clary quietly smiled in remembrance. Jace's gaze caught her eye and they shared a knowing smile, both relishing in the memory.
Jocelyn, unbeknownst to their indulgence, continued with her ploy to invite Jace to the farmhouse. Caught up in their shared moment, as Jace flashed her a charming smile, Clary secretly entertained the idea of visiting the farmhouse with Jace.
As if Jace could read her thoughts, he sent her a playful wink. "I would be honored to come stay at your Farmhouse," he said graciously.
Clary looked away in a feeble attempt to hide the blush she felt swelling up her cheeks.
The three of them were now stood outside the pawn shop, which had already cleared out much of its stock. The "for sale" sign once displayed in the window had been covered by a "SOLD" sign written in bold red letters, a new development since Clary had last been there. The walls were bare now, the shelves that had once been propped against them disassembled. Clary thought she could see the faint outline of where a painting had once been, a square of wall a slightly lighter color then the rest.
Jace let out a low whistle. The last time he and Clary had been there it had been full of random junk items, a stark contrast to what they were looking at now. "They really are trying to clear the place out," he glanced at the two red headed women beside them, "but I'm sure now that it's emptier, it's easier to remember what your gallery had looked like."
Jocelyn's eyes were shining and Clary glanced at her curiously, in awe. She didn't know why her mom had never talked about it. It may not have worked out the way Jocelyn planned, but Clary would be so proud to own an art gallery, even just for a little while. Her heart even swelled with pride just knowing Jocelyn had owned one, however briefly.
"It was fun for a time," Jocelyn said with a fond smile as she stared at the space, "but I'm not a very well known artist, and I didn't get very good business. In the end I just couldn't justify the costs. It was short lived, but I got to live my dream. And then I met Luke and lived a new dream," Clary observed her mom instinctively reach for her wedding ring, twirling it around her finger. A habit that Clary had taken to in the short time she wore Jace's face ring. She felt a surprising pang at the thought, and her hand suddenly felt strangely bare.
Jace smiled warmly, his eyes overtly flickering over to Clary, "It sounds like you and Luke have something really special." A sharp feeling of longing exploded in Clary's chest. She felt almost weighted down by the sensation and had to take a moment to regain her breath. She'd always been so focused on her art dream, she'd never really considered how she might want something akin to the special bond Luke and her mom shared. But now she was staring into tender molten gold, her heart thrumming so heavy she could feel it in her throat, and she started to understand why Jocelyn had traded her big city art gallery for a farmhouse.
Jocelyn glanced curiously between the two and gave a light, knowing laugh. Jace and Clary hastily broke their eye contact. "Right then," the elder redhead said through a smile, "Should we head to lunch?"
Clary grinned, "What are you in the mood for? I was wanting to show you either the Jade Wolf or Takis."
Jace smiled at the mention of their favorite restaurant, but before he could chime in his preference, his phone started ringing. Clary watched him curiously as he pulled it out to check who it was. She watched as surprise and recognition flashed across his face and he looked up at the pair sheepishly. "I have to take this. You two go on ahead, I'll meet up with you at the restaurant."
"I'll text you where we decide," Clary said absently, curiously musing who might be on the other side of the call.
Jace lay awake, later that night. Thinking back over the day spent with Jocelyn and Clary. He thought of how bright Clary looked in her mother's company, almost weightless. Since the night where she had shared her past, she had seemed lighter, and Jace was glad. However, the opposite could be said for Jace. He felt darker, heavier, as if every lie he'd ever told had been laid on his chest and grew heavier each time they crossed his mind. He felt like he couldn't breath under the weight. Desperately, he turned over to study the redhead sleeping peacefully beside him. When had his life become such a tangled web of lies? Even today, in the company of Jocelyn, they were lying. Lying about how they had come to live together, lying about the nature of their relationship.
Clary shifted in her sleep, rolling onto her side so she faced him. Jace held his breath, unsure if she was awake or not. He felt overcome with guilt and he stared at her gentle, relaxed face. She had come to New York to escape, to have a fresh start and feel in control again. And instead she ended up here, tricked by her brother out of a favor to Jace, and convinced to live in his house and pretend to be his fiance. To lie and live a fake life instead of pursuing the dream she had actually set out to New York for. He'd put her right back into a situation she couldn't control. Jace took a strangled breath. No wonder she couldn't return his affections.
He felt so tired. He hadn't been able to sleep very much the last several nights. He felt like a string instrument pulled too taut, only moments away from snapping.
"I'm going to fix this, Clary," he whispered, "I'll make this right, I promise."
"Make what right?" came a voice, saturated in sleep. Jace turned over in surprise to see the redhead blinking her eyes awake.
"Everything," he whispered, "I'll make everything right."
Clary, still only half awake, paid no mind to this. "Why are you awake," she mumbled, shuffling closer to him until her body was flush against his. She threw her leg over him, snuggling her face into his neck. She was effectively using him as a body pillow. "Let's go back to sleep," she mumbled against his skin, sending goosebumps down his arms.
Jace shut his eyes and leaned into her touch, basking in the warm that emanated from her body. The smell of strawberries briefly quelled the emotional storm that had been racking his soul. For a brief moment, he felt calm, and he found that sleep took him much more readily.
Clarly awoke early Monday morning to the smell of bacon and coffee, floating in from the kitchen. Jace was already dressed in his suit, leaning against the counter with coffee in his hand. He looked up as she approached and offered her a lazy smile.
"Good morning," he purred, gesturing to the bacon, coffee, and pancakes already on the table, "I made you breakfast."
Clary grinned and took a seat, reaching greedily for the coffee. "Thanks Jace," she said pleasantly. It wasn't unusual for him to make coffee for her, and maybe some toast or something quick. She felt very spoiled to have been made a full breakfast, especially since she didn't have work to go to. "What's brought this on?"
He looked a bit sheepish. "I couldn't sleep," he said. And once he'd said it, Clary noticed dark circles under his eyes. He looked really tired, she realized, after studying him a bit more closely. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes sunken and unfocused. Even his hair and suit, usually impeccable, seemed unkempt.
"Is everything okay?" Clary asked, concerned. She recalled the last time he looked so disheveled, when she had decided to return home to Florida. An untidy Jace was a distressed one, she had noticed.
He offered her a reassuring smile, though unconvincing, "Just a bit of insomnia."
"Does this have anything to do with that mysterious call the other day?" Clary thought back to it with a frown. Jace could be rather secretive, and a mysterious call definitely put alarm bells in her head. She had been trying not to pry but the curiosity had been eating away at her.
"Oh, that?" he gave a soft laugh, "That was just the executor to my father's will. I was getting in touch with him about the Wayland estate. The home videos had piqued my interest about what had happened to it."
"Oh," Clary had expected something a bit more dramatic, perhaps. She returned her attention back to the lovely breakfast Jace had made her, "Did you find anything interesting about it?"
He took a sip of his coffee and shook his head, "Just that it belongs to some family now. It's better suited to a family than some lonely orphan," he shrugged, "I'm not sure what I was expecting to hear anyway."
Clary was unsure how to respond. She couldn't begin to understand what he must be feeling. "Maybe one day we can go visit Connecticut," she offered comfortingly, then blushed as she realized that implied they would be staying together for the longer term.
Jace didn't seem to pick up on that. Or if he did, he didn't comment. Instead he smiled at her warmly, "I would love that," he said. He checked his watch and sighed. "I do have to go, though."
Clary checked the time in shock. Jace usually didn't leave for another hour or so. "Isn't it a bit early?" she asked, looking at him inquisitively, "Are you not going to have any breakfast?"
"I have an early meeting with the principal before school starts," he said with a wave of his hand, "Plus I've been up for hours, I already ate."
"The principal?" Clary repeated in surprise, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Jace offered her an easy going grin, "Just some student who plagiarized their essay. We have a zero tolerance policy, so we have to chat with her parents."
"Okay…Well, have a good day at work!" And Jace was out the door almost before she could finish her sentence.
Twice, Jace chided himself. In his brief morning with Clary he had already managed to lie to her, twice. He was practically drowning in lies, at this point. He promised her the other night that he would make this better, and even still he was piling on the lies. At what point would he no longer be able to keep his head above the water?
By the time he got to school, he was already 5 minutes late for their meeting. He sighed. This meeting was already going to be difficult, the last thing he needed was to set himself off on a bad foot. As he headed into the office, he felt anxiety clawing up his chest. He grimly wondered if it was too late to turn around. He could do this on another day. Start off right and show up on time. He started to turn around and head towards his classroom instead, when Clary's bright green eyes flashed through his mind. He stopped and took a shaky breath, trying to collect himself.
He had to do this for Clary.
He nervously ran his hands through his hair, psyching himself up for a moment before he turned back around and walked towards the principal's office. The principal looked up at his approach and smiled warmly.
"Mr. Wayland, come in. What was it you wanted to talk about?"
Jace swallowed thickly, pushing down his nerves. "Mr. Herondale," he greeted, shutting the door and taking a seat. "A few things, actually."
Thanks for reading guys! I haven't ended on a cliff hanger in a while, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Stayed tuned for more, they should be coming out more frequently! :)