It had just turned midday and Jace was still asleep, but I didn't really mind. I gently dislodged myself from the heavy tangle of his arms and legs and rolled on to my side as quietly as I could, resting my head against the crook of my arm so I could get a better look at him. Did watching someone sleep always feel this weird? It was like I was butting in on an incredibly private moment, but the chance to see him vulnerable, sans his almost constant mischievous grin, was just too good to pass up.

It'd become painfully obvious very quickly that he was a restless sleeper and, since I could easily be woken up by a pin dropping on a pillow in Australia, I'd slept for what felt like a grand total of three whole minutes. He'd tossed and turned most of the morning, his jaw tense and eyebrows knotted into a frown. At some point early on, I couldn't say what time, he'd started mumbling under his breath as his legs thrashed under the sheets. He'd only relaxed when I'd curled myself up against his tense body and enveloped him in my arms. The feel of his sleepy, relieved sigh against my neck as his dreams settled and he finally laid still had been enough to lull me in to a short, but comfortable nap.

I pulled the sheets around my chest and hugged the thin material to my naked body, watching the slow rise and fall as he breathed deeply. My fingers hovered just above his warm skin and traced the inky black geometric tattoos that stretched across his chest without actually touching him. As I outlined the shapes on his shoulder blade, my fingers grazed his skin, and I snatched my hand away as if I'd been electrocuted. Jace stirred quietly, but he didn't wake up. Still, I didn't want to be caught acting like the sleep creep I was shaping up to be.

But I wish I'd had my sketch pad.

Which, I appreciated, was no less creepy.

A bright beam of light sliced through a gap in the curtains and dazzled my eyes when I finally mustered the energy to sit up, still clutching the sheets tightly against my body. It was stupid really to try and hide myself at this point – he'd seen everything already – but the unforgiving light of day made me self-conscious. As an artist, I'd grown to fully appreciate the importance of good lighting and the knowledge of how it could change the shape of its subject was a blessing and a curse. I threw a quick glance over my shoulder and noted that his eyes were still closed. My death grip against the soft cotton relaxed a little.

I swung my legs off the bed as gently as I could manage and winced against the bright light. I spotted his shirt crumpled beneath my feet so I scooped it up quickly, blushing as I stuffed my arms through the sleeves. My fingers fumbled with the buttons clumsily as I remembered back to how it had been tossed somewhat haphazardly to the side – it didn't escape my notice that there were a couple of buttons actually missing.

Well.

I scanned the room next to look for the shorts I'd worn the night before, but they were nowhere to be seen. What I did see, however, were my underwear – abandoned in a small heap at the edge of his side of the bed. I padded silently across the room as my mind wandered lewdly, remembering a scene from just hours earlier that I was sure would haunt my dreams in the best possible way for the rest of my life. I bit my lip and stumbled into them without much grace, a stark difference in how they'd been taken off; slowly, with purpose, inch by inch… Jace turned in his sleep with a ghost of a smile as if he'd heard exactly what I'd been thinking. With a small, mildly embarrassed smile of my own, I walked out of the room.

Once I was safely out of earshot I let out a long breath and ran a hand through my tangled hair while I admired the skyline, now fully bathed in early afternoon sun. My thoughts quickly drifted again though and my eyes were no longer seeing the familiar sights of Brooklyn but slow-motion memories of his hands, his body, his mouth – god, his mouth… that thing could easily topple an empire. My body heated up more than a few degrees just from thinking about it.

The sound of his phone vibrating angrily against the glass coffee table pulled me reluctantly out of my fantasies. I glanced at it hesitantly but didn't quite make out the name flashing on the screen before I looked away. I wondered briefly if I should take it to him but, not wanting to pry, I made a beeline for my abandoned purse by the sofa and fished out my own phone instead.

I scrolled through notifications as his phone continued to buzz. I quickly fired off a response to my mom first to let her know I was alive and not in need of Jon's legal services, then tapped into the group chat where more than one hundred missed messages waited for me.

I adjusted myself so I was sat cross-legged on the sofa and huffed out a laugh almost immediately as I began to read, covering my mouth tightly with my hand to stifle the giggles. I scrolled through pages of what was almost exclusively the eggplant emoji, my shoulders shaking with silent laughter. The onslaught of emojis was only interrupted by the occasional voice clip from Izzy and Maia. I pressed play on one of them but stopped it again with a snort after only a couple of seconds; it had been sent at 5am that morning, and the song they had no doubt composed themselves should come with an R rating if the first line was anything to go by. I bit my lip and hit send on a single tired face.

The fresh assault of eggplants was almost immediate.

I set my phone back down with a chuckle and stood up again, crossing the short distance from the sofa to the piano as I stretched my arms above my head. I pushed up the lid and softly pressed in a key as I ran a hand over the sheet music lying on top of it. The stacks of paper were handwritten, and the melodies looked complicated. Had he composed these?

I'd always wanted to learn how to play piano when I was a kid. I'd bugged my mom for years to let me go to classes with Sebastian. She'd finally given in when I was ten, and I'd kept it up for exactly three weeks before I'd 'graciously' quit. My official reason for quitting had been that I'd decided my hands were too small to reach the scales (and I'd had a full blown temper tantrum to back that up), but really it had been because Mr Hodge, the instructor, had a pair of birds called Hugin and Munin that stared me out while I was in lessons, and his house had smelled a lot like old boiled cabbage.

Still, I'd picked up some tunes over the years. Seb had kept playing and sometimes taught me a few easy songs. I pushed up the cuffs of Jace's shirt and took a seat on the bench, clunking on keys until I found a combination that sounded familiar. I tinkered for a while, humming melodies in tune with the chords. It wasn't good by any standard, but it was fun.

I'd been playing for some time when I heard a door close behind me. I smiled.

"Good morning princess." I teased as I finished the chord sequence I'd been fiddling with.

"I'm afraid only my wife gets to call me princess. Insists on it sometimes, in fact." Someone, decidedly not Jace, said smoothly behind me. A chorus of child like giggles rang through the living room.

I turned quickly on the piano bench, my eyes wide in shock and mild terror, and caught a glimpse of an older man and two kids standing in front of Jace's front door. I swore loudly by reflex as I tried to stand but failed miserably. My foot caught on the leg of the bench and I stacked it on to my ass.

For a long moment, the room was silent as we all stared at each other.

And then I started yelling – screaming, really – for Jace. Loudly. Like a banshee.

I couldn't help it. The only coherent thought going through my brain was who the hell brings kids to a break in?

"Oh dear." The man said lightly; he had the audacity to look amused. The young boy that stood at his side cackled, his face bright and openly amused, and he pointed a finger at me as I scrambled to stand. I pulled Jace's shirt as far down my legs as possible in a desperate attempt to keep at least some small sliver of what was left of my modesty and backed away.

"Avert your eyes from the potty-mouthed lady, children." The man said cheerfully with a lilting English accent. He placed a hand over each of their eyes just as Jace skidded around the corner into the living room. His eyes were wide and confused and his hair stuck up at random angles. Thankfully, he'd pulled on a pair of sweatpants before he'd left the room.

"Clary? Are you okay?" he asked, his voice a few octaves higher than normal. Clearly he hadn't fully registered the fact that there were three home invaders standing in his doorway. I shook my head no and nodded towards them.

His bleary eyes looked between me, backed up against the piano like a cornered animal, and the people blocking my exit, before he blinked long and hard, clearly still foggy from sleep. He rubbed his eyes hard with the heels of his palms as he spoke – his voice surprisingly calm.

"Will, what the f-" he paused, taking stock of the giggling kids clutching the man's legs, clearly rethinking his choice of words. He cleared his throat and folded his arms across his bare chest, eyebrow arched familiarly then started again.

" What are you doing here Will?" he sounded tired, but not shocked.

The man's lips twitched into a smile. I stared at him for a long moment, disarmed by how attractive he was and how recognizable that grin felt. There was something awfully familiar about his face, although I couldn't quite place it. His hair was glossy black, framing a pair of piercing blue eyes and high cheekbones. The young boy was an almost perfect clone of him, but his eyes were tawny gold, just like Jace's, and his face a little softer. I looked between the three of them, my eyebrows knitting together as my brain struggled to process the scene. The girl stared at me curiously with her own pair of icy eyes. Her hair was lighter than the boys, brown with golden accents when the light hit the right spot, but their facial structures were strikingly similar.

"The beasts," the man – Will – gestured pleasantly at the children, "insisted on coming to see you. In our defence, we did try to get in touch. If I'd known you had company..."

I should have taken him the damn phone.

I tuned out for a minute as they bickered amongst each other. Will... his uncle! My brain slowly put two and two together as I realised that, obviously, this was the man from the photographs and the two young children were his cousins. I felt stupid for not recognising them and blushed even harder. Of course they were his family. He may not look exactly like them, but the resemblance was enough for me to roll my eyes at myself. My blush turned even deeper at the realisation that I was semi naked, not just in front of random strangers, but his family.

I wished for a swift death. A freak lightening bolt would have done nicely.

I yanked again at the shirt, desperately trying to shield myself. I could feel my dignity slipping further and further away. Jace must have noticed my futile attempts; he tossed me a blanket from the shelf beside him. I couldn't look him in the eye as I wrapped it tightly around my shoulders, but I could feel his gaze lingering. I nodded my thanks instead, looking firmly at my feet.

"Daddy, why is the lady not wearing any pants?" the little girl asked quizzically, peering at my bare legs with wide eyes and innocent interest. I died a little more inside with every passing second.

"She's doing laundry, Lucie." Jace cut in matter-of-factly as he walked to my side. Lucie scrunched her nose, peering at Jace's bare chest with the same curiosity.

"Is she doing your laundry as well, Jace?"

Will snorted with all the subtlety of a ton of bricks. I looked up at him, my face twisted in despair. Jace didn't miss a beat.

"Yep, it's Sunday. We've been doing lots of laundry."

"I'm sure you have." Will grinned; he looked so strikingly similar to his nephew in that moment that it almost knocked the wind out of me. I stared at him, pleading for him to stop with my eyes, but he just shrugged, and his grin spread further across his face. Lucie looked between Jace and I, then took her dad's hand.

"Do I have to do laundry too, Daddy? It's Sunday." she asked, her head cocked inquisitively. She glanced down at the shorts and smock shirt she was wearing and tugged at the hem with her free hand. Will shook his head, his grin softening.

"No, Luce. Not until you're much, much older. And even then, you don't have to do laundry if you don't want to do it. In fact, dad will be happy if you never, ever do laundry."

Jace's lips quivered at that and he rubbed the corner of his mouth. I glanced up at him just as he turned his half smile on me, eyes lit up with amusement.

Will cleared his throat.

"Do you two need a minute?" he said pleasantly, eyebrows raised. He was already gathering up the kids, scooting them towards the door much to their loud protests.

"Yes, please." I said, my throat dry.

"Could you grab some breakfast?" Jace asked. He picked up his wallet from the coffee table and handed Will a twenty before opening the door for them, his arm extended politely and his smile wan. Will laughed and nodded.

"Come along beasts, let's let Jace finish his laundry. We'll be back in half an hour."

Jace closed the door firmly behind them and turned to me warily.

"What was it you said about living alone? Something about not having people butt in at inopportune moments?" I asked sarcastically, flopping on to the piano stool with a grimace. I threw the blanket over my head and groaned as I stamped my feet on the floor.

Was I acting like a five-year-old? Yes.

Was it warranted? I certainly thought so.

"Hey," he said, suddenly very close. He tugged at the blanket, "Come out?" I could hear the smile in his voice. I opened the blanket so it was wrapped around my head with a circle of my face peeking out.

"That was mortifying. They must think I'm either an exhibitionist or insane." I whined and he chuckled, tugging the blanket all the way off so it dropped to the floor in a heap. I stared at my bare knees, my cheeks flush. He lifted my chin gently with one hand and I chewed my lip for a moment before meeting his eyes.

"I'm sorry, they don't usually just show up like that. You okay?"

"Aside from feeling a deep need to dissolve so they can never see me again, I'm just peachy." I announced dramatically. Jace laughed openly and wrenched me off the stool.

"I think I'd be very upset of you dissolved." he pulled me against his chest with his arms wrapped around my shoulders, and I leaned my cheek against his skin, enjoying the warmth. There was something about being so close to him, with his hands creeping closer towards the hem of the shirt and the soft vibration of his voice as he spoke, that was fogging my brain to the point where I couldn't quite remember what I'd been upset about.

"That shirt looks good on you," He purred as his hands slid beneath it. His fingers danced over the skin of my back and I shivered, "It would be a shame to take it off."

I laughed and even though every cell in my body was screaming for me to let him do just that, I stepped away and raised an eyebrow.

"They'll be back soon. I'd like to look semi decent this time, or at least be wearing clothes." I reminded him as I grabbed my purse and wandered back towards his bedroom. He followed behind me; I could feel his eyes on my back, "That is, if you want me to stick around?" I shot over my shoulder.

My stomach twisted as I watched the idea of me leaving really turn over in his mind. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his hair thoughtfully, his face giving away the thought process he was no doubt working through. If I stayed, what did that mean? If I left, what impression would that give? He opened his mouth and closed it again, watching me carefully. My kneejerk reaction was to run before I was pushed out the door.

"I'll go." My voice wobbled ever so slightly, betraying the sinking feeling of disappointment I felt. I gave him a quick smile and scooped my dress up off the floor before turning towards the bathroom. I didn't make it far. He grabbed on to the back of the shirt and twisted me towards him, drawing me on to his lap.

"You should stay." He said seriously, searching my face with dark eyes, "If you want to?" he added quickly.

Of course I wanted to, but instead I said, "Isn't this all a bit much? Meeting the family?"

He shrugged as if the thought hadn't even really crossed his mind, "It's not when or how I'd have liked anyone to meet them, but that ship's sailed at this point, right? We didn't exactly have a choice. May as well see what happens. Besides, I'm not quite ready to let you go."

I considered that for a second and nodded slowly, happy that he seemed to really want me to stick around. "I guess you're right."

"I usually am." He grinned. I rolled my eyes, but a coy smile crept it's way on to my face. Feeling a little brave, and more than a little giddy at the thought of spending more time with him, I pressed my lips to his with a lingering kiss. As he returned the kiss I was struck by the overwhelming desire to be closer to him, as I had the night before. I really couldn't get enough of him. Seemingly sensing my train of thought, Jace shifted backwards and I fell against his chest with a gasp. He hitched my leg quickly over his hips and deepened the kiss, his hands sliding beneath the thin cotton of his shirt. I quickly grabbed his wrists before he could get too carried away and pinned his arms above his head on top of the bedsheets.

His laugh was treacle in my ear, "I really could just deadbolt the door." He whispered. My breath hitched in my throat.

It was tempting, but...

I sighed and let go of his wrists, surprised by how quickly I'd forgotten about the impending return visit. He groaned as I dragged myself away from him and clambered off the bed to my feet.

"I'm going to have a quick shower, that okay?" I asked him as I scooped up my purse and wandered towards the bathroom. He nodded, watching me intently.

"Sure, need a hand?"

I flashed him a grin, leaning against the doorframe, "Down, boy. What can I wear?"

He flopped back against the bed with a sigh and covered his face with a pillow.

"Nothing." He said, his voice muffled.

"Ha-ha, funny guy." I drawled, "Seriously Jace, I can't wear my clothes from last night. Bit risqué for a Sunday afternoon with the family, don't you think?"

He tossed aside the pillow and sat up.

"I have a box of my mom's old clothes somewhere. There should be something that fits in there. Is that okay? They're clean. Haven't been worn in years, and it's better than wearing my old sweats." He said, his voice slightly tight. If I'd felt inclined to argue about wearing his moms clothes, his tone would have stopped me in my tracks. Instead I smiled with a nod.

"Sounds great, thanks. I'll grab something before I shower."

He rolled off the bed without a word and opened the closet door. He rummaged in the back for a while, and eventually emerged with a sealed cardboard box labelled mom in black marker. He placed it carefully on the bed and removed the duct tape before stepping back hastily, like the box had scorched him. I sat on the bed and opened it up, carefully picking my way through the contents. I alternated between looking through the clothes and shooting him careful glances. He eyed every item of clothing with a strange, measured look.

Eventually I found a pale blue and white sundress that looked like it would fit and set it aside. I carefully re-folded the rest of the clothes and packed the box back up. I stole another glance; he'd rearranged his face into something I was sure was meant to pass as casual nonchalance, but I wasn't stupid. I just hoped he would tell me the deal with his family when he was ready.

"I won't be long," I said and gave him a swift, chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth. He drew a breath again, like he was going to say something, then thought twice and closed his mouth in a tight-lipped smile. I went back to the bathroom and closed the door, but I didn't miss the moment his hand lingered on top of the box of his mothers clothes or the heartache on his face before it shut completely.

Fifteen minutes later I was showered, brushed, touched up and clothed and looking a hell of a lot more presentable than I had done beforehand. My hair was still damp, the bruise on my chin was an ugly shade of purple, but my face was clean, and the dress fit almost perfectly. Jace was pulling on a plain white t shirt when I emerged from the mist.

"Keep it off," I joked as I fished my lip-gloss from my purse. He smiled, properly this time.

"You only need to ask, ma'am." He grinned, fastening the belt buckle on his black jeans, "That suits you." He nodded towards the dress.

"Thanks, your mom has good taste." I hedged brightly. He laughed under his breath and nodded.

"She loved clothes. She was actually a designer, I think she might have even made that one. The house was always full of fabric and patterns. Between that, my sheet music and dads… well, between all that stuff I was always surprised to see any clear space." He offered. I smiled again- this was probably the most information he'd given me about his mom, ever.

"I saw the music in the living room, I did think you might have written it yourself. It looks complicated."

"Ah, yeah. I've been trying to finish that song for years." He rubbed his hair again.

"I'd like to hear it when it's finished." I smiled as his eyes met mine.

" If it ever gets finished, you'll be the first to know." He promised. He stuffed his hands in to his pockets and rolled back on his heels before he continued, "I made you some coffee by the way… I remembered how you took it last weekend. I hope it's okay. It's just in the living room. Black, two sugars right?"

I knew it was ridiculous, but the fact he remembered how I took my coffee made my heart beat a little faster. I nodded, smiling wide.

"Perfect, thanks."

"I'm just going to freshen up… I'll be out in a few minutes." He pointed towards the bathroom. I nodded and left him to it.

I made a beeline for the cup of coffee and stretched myself out on the sofa. He'd turned the on TV, so I sipped happily while watching a daytime talk show re-run in content silence. When he finally emerged five minutes later I was sitting cross legged on the edge of the sofa, mug in hand, muttering loudly at the TV.

"Oh c'mon, she's playing you!" I all but yelled at the screen. He chuckled as he sat down beside me, grabbing his own coffee. He smelled nice, like aftershave and toothpaste. I filled him in quickly on what had been happening.

"So Becky has apparently been seeing David's best friend behind his back while he's been buying everything for her. He pays her rent, bills, buys her food, medical expenses, the whole lot. He proposed to her and she said yes, but then this other dude – Nick – has come out and said the whole thing is a joke, and she's only using David for his money and she doesn't really love him."

Jace laughed as he tried to keep up, and I was shocked by how normal, how natural, this felt. Sitting together on his sofa on a Sunday afternoon with a good cup of coffee and each other for company felt like it could soon become my new favourite thing. We were just about to find out the results of the polygraph test when his doorbell rang. He set down his cup with a click of his tongue and glanced at me.

"Whatever happens, keep your eyes on the TV. I need to know what those results say."

I saluted with a laugh as he walked away to open the door. The host dragged out the build up to the results, recapping the whole sordid tale, so I kept one ear on the TV and another on the commotion at the front door.

"Dad said we had to ring the doorbell this time in case you were still doing laundry." The young boy said as he barrelled his way into the apartment. I chuckled under my breath, and Jace laughed out loud.

"Nah, we're all finished for today kid."

"Are you indeed?" Will said pensively, casting me a quick glance – he looked almost surprised to see I was still there. Jace nudged him playfully with his elbow and the older man laughed heartily before he closed the door. Jace bent down to grab the young girl by the waist; he picked her up and all but launched her into the air before catching her and swinging her back up for another go. She giggled manically, demanding he do it ' again, again!'

I hadn't much thought about having kids, but as I watched him with his cousins I couldn't help but think I maybe wouldn't mind them with someone like him. The thought came so quickly that it made me choke on my coffee. I set it down just as the talk show host announced the results.

"She was lying!" I spluttered triumphantly. Jace set the girl down and hurried over to watch the aftermath, leaving his family puzzled. He quickly explained the story to Will who quirked his eyebrow at the pair of us, that amused smile back on his face. He walked slowly over to the sofa and sat down, setting a takeaway bag on the coffee table.

Jace didn't hang around; he lunged for the bag and opened it as quickly as he could, releasing the smell of baked goods into the apartment. I sniffed the air, my mouth watering. I hadn't realised how hungry I was until my stomach growled. He shot me a smirk, clearly remembering a similar scene in the diner the night before and handed over a cinnamon roll. I took it gratefully; it hardly lasted a minute.

"So," Jace said eventually with a mouthful of cheese bagel, "I should probably do some introductions?"

The kids, who were running rampage around the living room at that point looking for the controller for the games console Jace had produced for them to play with, stopped in their tracks and sat on the floor, looking between the pair of us eagerly. The little girl gave me a shy smile which I returned as gracefully as I could whilst wiping crumbs away from my mouth.

"Clary, this is my Uncle Will and his kids – James and Lucie." He explained, "Will is my dad's younger brother. His wife Tessa is out of town otherwise I'm sure she'd be here terrorising us too." He sounded exasperated, but his face said otherwise, "Everyone, this is Clarissa Fray – Clary."

Will leaned across his nephew with his hand extended and a warm smile that crinkled slightly at the corner of his eyes.

They really were a seriously good-looking family.

"Great to meet you, Clary." He said smoothly. I quickly wiped my hands on a napkin and shook his, returning his smile.

"Good to meet you to. Sorry – for earlier. You took me a little off-guard." I blushed. Will laughed it off elegantly.

"Our fault, we shouldn't have come barging in like that. But in my defence, I did try to call in advance." Will raised his eyebrows at Jace who shrugged.

"Still, you could and should at least knock. I'll have to change the locks." he chastised half-heartedly. Will's smile lit up his whole face. I wondered briefly how old he was, and how many hearts he'd broken before he found his Tessa.

"Point taken."

James had quickly become bored by the adult conversation and went back to his treasure hunt, but Lucie sat listening intently, her eyes wide. She sat up on her knees and leaned towards me.

"Are you Jace's wife?" the little girl asked, her voice hushed and serious. I couldn't help but laugh.

"No, I'm not his wife." I chuckled. She tilted her head and looked between us with squinted eyes.

"Do you love him? You must love him if you did his laundry." her voice was so innocent, her blue eyes as wide as saucers. It was Jace's turn to choke on his coffee – I patted his back as I struggled to swallow my nigh on manic laughter. Will shook his head and shooed the little girl away with his hand.

"Lulu, don't be so nosey." He chastised, although his grin remained intact. Somewhere in the distance James cheered – his treasure hunt successful – and that was enough for Lucie's attention. They busied themselves with choosing a game from the collection on the shelf beside the TV. Will, however, turned back to us curiously.

"An interesting question, nonetheless." He pondered, a wickedly teasing glint in his eyes, and Jace snorted.

"Jesus Christ, Will. Stop. You're just as bad as the kids."

Will sighed with a morose nod, "Truthfully, I'm worse."

Although I could confidently say I wasn't in love with Jace, it did get me thinking about what exactly this was. The day before I might have said we were friends, in that moment I would have said we were close to something more. But I didn't think we were quite ready to put a name or label to it, at least I wasn't. Not just yet. Jace took a breath and looked at me.

"We're-" he started, but I cut over him before he could finish his sentence.

"To be confirmed?" I finished. He caught my eye again and smiled with a nod. I tried not to read into the relief on his face. He'd probably had the exact same thought process.

"To be confirmed." He agreed. If Will had thought this was a strange answer, he didn't say anything about it. He gave us a smile and picked up one of the spare bagels.

"' I dwell in possibility.'" He quoted airily.

I laughed, recognising the words, "Emily Dickinson."

Will appraised me with something that looked almost like approval. He tilted his head to the side and saluted me with his bagel before he took a bite from it, then set it aside to break up the Mario Kart induced squabble that had broken out between his children.

Jace's hand touched mine lightly on the sofa and his fingers trailed over my skin. He leaned back in his seat, smiling silently at his family. Slowly, he threaded his fingers with mine and gently squeezed my hand. I leaned back with him and he pulled his hand away. For a split second I was disappointed, that was until I found it draped around my shoulder a moment later instead. He pulled me in to his side and dropped a quick kiss on my forehead.

James looked up from the headlock he was being held in by his dad at that precise moment and made a retching sound in the back of his throat. Jace laughed and with one final squeeze of my shoulder, he pulled away and loudly challenged James to a race-off. I watched the four of them mess around with a smile, only pulling my attention away from them when my phone vibrated on the glass table. Sebastian had text.

Happy birthday Clary! Hope you're having an amazing day – see you when I'm home?

I eyeballed the message incredulously. Was he for real? Years of friendship and this is what it boiled down to? I typed back furiously, my heart hammering in my chest. My response was childish, but I didn't care.

Thanks, but my birthday was yesterday.

His replay came quickly and didn't make me feel any better. In fact, he somehow managed to make me hate him a little. He could have at least played dumb and blamed it on a time difference.

No way, since when? 24th right?

I felt sick. How had I let him spin me in this dance over and over again for so long? My friends had been right the entire time, of course. He was never going to be what I wanted but I'd been so jaded by the idea of him that I couldn't see what he was really like beneath the mask. Tears pricked at my eyes and I looked up at the ceiling, frustrated yet again.

Jace caught my eye from his seat on the floor; Lucie had tucked herself up between his legs so he could help her with the controller. He smiled warmly at me and gestured for me to join him. I nodded with a small smile and swallowed the lump in my throat, fully choosing the present over the past.

Quickly, I fired off one last message to Sebastian.

23rd since the day I was born, asshole. Have a nice life.

I didn't wait for him to respond; I blocked his number and switched off my phone. Drunk with power, I sank to the floor beside Jace and picked up the spare controller.

"You ready to get your butt beat at Mario Kart?"

Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait, and thank you to everyone who sent reviews and messages over the last couple of weeks! I'm doing much better. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know your thoughts. As always, stay safe - G