"Please, please, please let me come with you," Jace begged.
Clary shook her head. "I can't, Jace. My family is going through enough. Bringing you wouldn't exactly help."
Before Clary could step away towards the car, Jace reached out and grabbed her, pulling her flush against him. She squealed as he concealed her, holding her tightly against him.
"Jace," she whined without much conviction in her voice. "I really do have to go."
He chuckled and kissed her neck. "I'm sure you do. And I'll," he kissed her cheek, "go with you," he kissed her lips softly and pulled back with a smirk. "Right?"
She sighed and couldn't stop the smile that broke through when he kissed her again. It wasn't rushed or heated. It wasn't a goodbye. It wasn't a need. It was just because he felt like, and more than likely was trying to trick her, but she welcomed it and twined her arms around his neck in the parking lot.
With her responding, he slowly moved her closer to the SUV, gently pressing her against the driver's door and tilting her head to deepen the kiss.
It was moments like this that Clary realized just how much she liked this kind of relationship. Yes, they were making out in a parking lot on campus. Yes, it was afternoon and people were walking around, staring at them. No, she didn't give a shit. If it was anyone other than Jace, she would've told him that it was inappropriate or childish. But she just wanted more and more everything he touched her or kissed her, and this time was no exception.
"Please don't leave me for the whole weekend," he begged as he pulled back. His hands touched her face softly, his thumbs rubbing over her reddened cheeks. "Don't make me go through that. Just let me go with you. I can't handle this place if you leave."
"You'll be fine."
"You don't know that," he breathed. "I finally let myself deal with the fact that I like you, Clary. Don't make me deal with it alone."
She shook her head at him in disbelief. "You'll have Isabelle."
He gave her a stupid look. "Really? Like Isabelle is any help. She just teases me about us like it amuses her. Just let me go with you. I don't want to let you go at this by yourself." He gave her the best puppy dog impression he could. The golden irises melted and he stuck his lip out. "Pretty please?"
This was a bad situation, but such a good one. An internal battle fought inside Clary's head as she thought about it.
First, of course she wanted Jace to go. She wanted Jace to be with her every second of every day. That much was obvious every time they had to part. She missed him as soon as he left, even if he was just going to class or practice. Those times that he was gone wasn't unbearable, but things were instantly easier when he was around. This weekend would be easier if he was there, and she knew that deep down. Even if Jonathan and her mother were angry about it, Clary would be so much better off.
But that could cause a wedge that she doesn't need to instigate. Her brother hated Sebastian and it caused problems between them. They used to be close, but it seems that when a girl gets a boyfriend the brother doesn't like, said brother gets a little angry.
They'd just have to deal with it.
Clary broke under Jace's intensity, breaking out into a smile. "Fine, you can co–"
"Yes!" He swept her up and off her feet, hugging her tight around the waist. "It's about time you came to your senses."
"Just go get your stuff," she teased, shoving him back towards the campus. "You have five minutes before I leave you."
He smirked. "You wouldn't dare."
"Don't test me."
Jace took four and a half, running back to her with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and smirked when she looked him up and down, admiring his gym shorts and long sleeve dry fit. "You like?"
"You need to wear that shirt more often," she inquired, staring at the spot where the shirt showed his abs.
He smiled and shook head, opening the driver's door for her after shoving his stuff in the back. "Noted. Now hop in the car, babe. We have to get going."
She reached her hand out when he actually started to slide in behind the wheel. Her hand slammed against the side of the care, blogging his back. She put on the sternest expression she could muster up. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked with authority.
He frowned and looked at her with confusion. "Um, driving?"
"You get to go that way," she said and pointed to the passenger seat. "Only good boys get to drive."
"I rented the damn car for you," he said incredulously.
"And you'll watch me drive it. Besides, I have the keys."
He looked down at where the keys stuck out in the pocket of her jeans. "I can easily take them."
She shook her head and gently moved him out of the way. "I'm driving, Jackass. You can either ride or stay here."
After a bit of arguing and teasing, Jace finally slid in beside her as she started the car and drove off, heading back to her home outside of Atlanta.
They didn't talk much to begin with, and Clary was okay with that. Instead, Jace got a hold of her iPod, flipping through songs and somehow knowing exactly what mood she was in. The songs fit perfectly. She sang and danced in her seat, occasionally catching the approving eye of Jace as he smiled at her.
And after the fifth song, he kept looking. She glanced over, his intense gaze causing her to blush and smile.
"What's your favorite song?" he asked, scrolling through.
"On my iPod or of all time?"
"All time."
She bit her lip and paused. "That's hard. You realize how many songs there are? That's like asking Isabelle to pick her favorite pair of heels."
"Humor me," he laughed.
"Ummm… What's yours?"
"No, no, no." He shook his finger at her. "You first."
"Fine." She smirked when an idea hit her. "Gorilla."
"Go – Gorilla?" Jace gaped at her in shock. "Are you–" he paused when she saw the smirk on her face. "You evil vixen. I'm going to make you pay for that."
"I look forward to it."
"Back to the topic. What is it though? Really? Come on."
Clary sighed. "I don't really have one. Since I was little, my favorite song always changed based on my mood. No one song could be my favorite. I've always been like that."
Jace nodded. "I mean, yeah, that makes sense."
"Do you have one? That one song that you've loved since it came out and never got over?"
"Kind of. It's more of a type."
"What is it?"
Jace leaned back and she saw him twiddling his thumbs in his lap out of her peripheral vision. "It's kind of… complicated."
She frowned. "Okay?"
"It's just that even though I've been against real relationships my whole life, I've kind of been waiting for something that would mean more to me than just a momentary thing. I always wanted to influence someone just as much as she would influence me because we care that much, you know? And so whatever song has that kind of meaning, it's what touches me the most. Hoobastank's The Reason is the one that always got to me. The effect never really faded off of me since the first time I heard it."
Clary took in what he was saying, and was surprised at how deep he was considering this. "What made you think that kind of way?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I've always been like that," he said, mirroring her earlier words.
There was a soft silence that fell over the two of them, but it wasn't awkward or weird. Clary just focused on the road and Jace's words, smiling at what he was really saying. It wasn't something that most guys would think in college. That kind of thing came from twenty-eight year old men that wanted a family and to settle down. Not… not someone like Jace.
Her thumbs started drumming on the wheel when Jace's hand suddenly touched her thigh from across the console. When she looked down and then looked at him, she saw he was smirking with his eyes on the iPod.
"What are you doing?" she asked playfully.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Jace!" She reached down when he started inching it up her leg. Her tiny hand wrapped around his wrist tightly. "Stop. I'm driving."
He chuckled and squeezed once before letting go, going back to the iPod and playing sexual songs on her playlist just to get under her skin.
It was going to be a long weekend if he was going to be like this.
Clary pulled into her driveway slowly, staring at the house through the front windshield. She wasn't ready for this. Being here without her father around was going to be impossible.
Jace reached over and grabbed her hand when she put the SUV in park. "What do you want me to do?"
She sighed, staring at the house. It was a brick ranch, longer than most houses because her dad was a show off. Everyone in the neighborhood only had so much land, but her father doubled that, hired people to make it pretty, and wanted everyone to know that the Morgenstern's lived there and only there. Yeah, he was arrogant, but she still loved him for it.
"Clary?"
Her eyes darted back to Jace. "Sorry, I was just… thinking."
He nodded. "Come on. It's not going to get any easier if you sit here and wait. Just rip off the Band-Aid."
"Yeah. Okay. Here we go."
With their bags in hand, Jace and Clary made their way to the front door. She knocked and waited, and was immediately greeted by her mother.
"Baby," she cried, pulling Clary into a hug that caused her bag to the floor. It was at an awkward angle, but Clary hugged her back and pulled away. "I'm glad you made it."
Clary nodded and looked back at Jace who, in the momentary lack of attention, grabbed Clary's bag and slung it over his extra shoulder.
"Mom, you remember Jace?"
Jocelyn looked him up and down with a disapproving tint her eyes. But then she looked too excited to act on it and just nodded. "Yes, I'm guessing you're staying the weekend. She couldn't have warned us?"
Clary shrugged and rushed inside. "It was a last minute thing."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Morgenstern," Jace added and closed the door behind him. "I just–"
"What the hell is he doing here?" Jonathan suddenly yelled form the living room. He stood from the couch, glaring at Jace with daggers in his eyes. "Get the hell out."
"Shut up, Jonathan," Clary directed at her brother.
"He's not welcome here."
"He is too. It's not that big of deal."
"Okay, everyone just calm down," Jocelyn announced, shutting her two children up instantly. "I know that this wasn't planned but Jace is already here. We can't just send him home."
"He doesn't need somewhere to go for us to kick him out," Jonathan said. "I'm not sleeping under the same roof as some guy who will make out with my sister just to prove a point that she's attracted to him. He's a dick!"
Jocelyn sighed in frustration, touching her forehead. Clary could tell how visibly troubled her mother was just then. Jonathan wasn't helping either. It was like her mother got more wrinkles, darker eyes, and lost weight in the one day that he'd been gone. Her shirt looked baggy and like it hadn't been washed too, and the sweatpants were not flattering.
She turned and grabbed Jace's hand. "I'm going to my room for a minute. Come on, Jace."
Jonathan stepped forward, blocking her path to the hall. "No you're not."
"Get out of the way."
"I'm not going to ravish her in the bed, you moron," Jace growled. "Stop thinking that shit. She's just wanting to put her stuff down."
"That's why they all say."
Jace reached forward, grabbed his shirt and yanked, dragging Jonathan out of the way. The heat between them could get bad really quick. Jace shoved him away, glaring at him. "Stay."
Then he grabbed Clary's hand and walked off. She caught the look of pure hatred in Jonathan's eye, but ignored it as she pulled him into her room, closing the door.
"What the hell was that!" she yelled at Jace as soon as the door shut.
He frowned and dropped the bags, looking at her like she was crazy. "What? Your brother started it."
Clary sighed and touched her temples. "Jace," she breathed. "My father died. He's dead. Do you get that?"
"Ye – yeah."
"So why are you egging on the drama? You're supposed to be here to help, Jace, not make things worse!"
"That was your brother! He's the one being judgmental and shit and you of all people know how I hate that!"
She froze and leaned back against the door at his outburst. That was true. When she judged him as an asshole it got to him a lot. Isabelle told her so. He looked mad, but she could see it wasn't at her. He was burning a hole through the wall in the direction of the living room.
"He's going to be like that the whole weekend," she explained. "Jonathan will try his best to direct his anger at you, but you have to be able to handle it."
Jace sighed and walked to the bed, sitting on it and leaning over his knees. "I know."
"You can't fight him back because it's your first instinct. I have enough to deal with because my mom looks like shit. She's obviously not taking it every well. I can't focus on you and my brother when my mom is dealing with losing someone like my dad."
"Yeah. I got it," he mumbled, dropping his head to his hands. "It's not exactly easy though. Taking a bunch of crap you don't deserve isn't the simplest thing in life. My father didn't raise me to just take something like a little bitch. Ever since my mom–" he paused, moving his hands to his hair and gripping it tightly. "He just told me never to be a pushover."
She wanted to ask about it, but she knew she couldn't. Jace would tell her when he was ready, so she just simple said, "I'm not asking you to be a pushover."
"That's what it sounds like. And doing what you want me to do isn't going to be easy. It goes against my nature and I'm not going to… I'm going to struggle with it."
"I know," she agreed. "I gave you enough shit and now my family is trying the same thing. We're all just judgmental, but if you're going to be with me–"
"I have to win them over," he finished, lifting his head to look at her for a moment before dropping it back to his hands.
"Jace, they're my family. I can't just leave them. You have to learn to get along with them. They're a part of me."
He sighed. "I know that," he whispered with defeat.
Clary couldn't stand the distance between them anymore and made her way over to him. She slipped onto the bed until she was behind him, wrapped her legs around him and pressed her cheek to his back, feeling his muscle flex under her touches. Her hands slipped around his waist and she tightened her grip, feeling his stomach muscles flex under her touch.
They didn't talk for a few minutes. He let her hold him and rub her hands up and down his shoulders after a while too, sighing contently as she massaged some knots out.
"I'm supposed to be taking care of you," he said. "Not the other way around."
"We're together, Jace. We're supposed to take care of each other."
He was quiet for a moment before he sighed contently when she reached a spot in his middle back. "No one has ever done this with me before."
"What do you mean?" She rubbed out the spot in his back, watching as his head lulled to the side. "You've never had a massage?"
"I never let anyone get close enough to see me like this," he answered. "It was a hit it and quit it situation."
The bluntness of his statement shocked her and she paused for a second before continuing with a slight scowl on her face. "Good to know."
He turned and looked at her. "You know I'm not like that with you. I'm not going to do that to you."
"I know."
"Clary, look at me."
She did, looking up into his burning golden eyes. "Jace, you don't have to say anything. I know this kind of thing is hard for you. I've talk to Isabelle and you've told me yourself. And one day, if you ever want to talk about why, we can. But can't we just try to have fun and relax and attempt to get through this weekend in one piece."
He stared at her a while, a look in his eyes that she couldn't decipher. It seemed like it lasted and eternity before he leaned back and kissed her softly and slowly, showing his affection without words but with actions instead.
He pulled back after a while, smiling at her and winking before turning back. "So about that massage?"
Clary laughed. "Typical of you to ruin a moment with orders," she smiled, going back to rubbing out his shoulders and his back.
"I have to keep some kind of reputation."
"Please don't try that around my brother," she begged. "He's going to give you enough shit this weekend without you keeping your reputation."
"My shit from your brother is nothing compared to what you have to face," he said. His hand came up and touched hers that rested on his shoulder. He pulled it towards his mouth and kissed the inside of her wrist. "I'll try to be less of dick from now on."
"You're not being a dick."
"I just snapped early, actually. He pisses me off."
She nodded in understanding. "He's never liked anyone that tried to get close to my family. He hated my Mom's friend Luke. He hated Simon and Isabelle to start. He hated everyone, but he warmed up eventually."
"That's different," Jace said as he skimmed his lips over her sensitive skin. "They weren't…"
"Weren't what?"
He didn't answer for a while and her heart started racing. What was he going to say? What was he trying to say? The possibilities could've been endless.
He smiled brokenly and shook his head, started to kiss up her wrist instead. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to be here for you, because I care about you. Okay?"
"Okay."
Saturday, the next day, was not starting as one of the good ones. Jonathan and Jace were bickering every second they could the day before until one would catch Clary's green eyes glaring at them. They'd shut up for the sake of her, but she knew they would still go at it as soon as she left the room. They were both testosterone fueled men that felt the need to mark their territory. Typical.
And by Saturday morning, they still hadn't learned.
"That was my fucking doughnut," Jonathan yelled, pointing to the empty box.
Jace smirked as he finished the last bite, licking his fingers. "It was delicious."
"You're an asshole."
Clary dropped her head to the kitchen table, covering it with her hands. "Boys, it is eight-thirty in the morning. Shut. The. Hell. Up."
"Keep your golden retriever on a shorter leash, then," Jonathan growled. "I'm sick of him walking around like he owns the damn place."
Jace opened his mouth to retort but caught Clary's eye next to him. If looks could kill... He shut it immediately, rolling his eyes and sipping his coffee quietly like an obedient, yet rebellious little puppy.
Jonathan smirked, opening the fridge and grabbing some orange juice, sipping it from the carton.
"Jonathan! You've got to be kidding me," Jocelyn yelled, walking inside and snatching the carton and slamming it on the counter. "I've told you that a thousand times."
He looked down at his now empty hands and then back to her with a bit of anger in his gaze. "Sorry mom. I just–"
"I have enough to deal with without you pestering me, understand?"
"Yeah, I – I get it," he stuttered. "I didn't mean to, okay? Jesus, don't get your panties in a twist."
Jocelyn sighed and dropped her hands to counter, her hair falling around her head wildly. Everything about her mom seemed out of control, and it was spiraling fast. "I don't have time to deal with this."
She grabbed her keys and purse quickly and practically ran out of the door in her pajamas, slamming it behind her. She was there for a total of thirty seconds before she was already gone. That was a new record.
Jonathan stared for a few seconds, completely bewildered before walking off to his room on the other side of the house, mumbling words that Clary couldn't make out but the tone wasn't exactly nice. The slamming of his door echoed through the house, and Clary swore she felt the shake.
Jace whistled after a few seconds of silence. "So… that was strange."
"Yeah," Clary agreed.
"Are they normally like that? Because that's a lot of love in one room." He tried to look as sincere as possible when he said it, but his sarcasm was breaking though. "I mean, a lot."
She rolled her eyes. "Most of the time, they'd fight it out and let it go. My mom has never been so emotionally injured by my brother drinking out of a carton of all things. She's falling apart."
Jace nodded, sipping his drink again. "Where do you think she went?"
"Luke's house."
Jace frowned. "Your father's best friend, right?"
Clary nodded and smiled at him. "Now you're starting to figure it out. And before you get that idea, it's like how Simon and I are. They're strictly friends."
Jace was quiet for a moment. It wasn't much, but Clary felt a bit of weird coming off of him before he said, "I never thought anything else."
"Good. Without him, I don't know how this weekend would go."
Jace reached over and grabbed her hand, absently playing with her fingers. "What do you mean?"
"My mom isn't exactly in the right mind to plan her husband's funeral. My brother isn't helping. I have no idea what to do about it. So even though Luke is hurting, he's actually the one that is putting all of this together."
"Sounds like he's just trying to get your mom, honestly."
She gave him a stern look. "That's not true."
"Mmm," he smirked. "Give me five minutes with the guy and I can tell you if he does or doesn't have the hots for your mom."
"He doesn't!"
"You know, I refuse to believe that."
Clary rolled her eyes, yanking her hand back and sitting against the back of the chair with her arms crossed. "You think you know everything but you don't. You've never even met Luke."
Jace took a moment to contemplate this before nodding once. "Touché. So tell me about him."
"He's just my dad's nerdy, business partner that happens to be his best friend too. He helped my dad's company grow while working on his own bookstore franchise. And he's known my mom since before I was born. Don't you think that if he had feelings for my mom, they would've done something about it?"
Jace was quiet for a moment. "They would've had to break up your parent's marriage, Clary," he said simply.
She hadn't exactly thought about that. "Oh… Yeah."
"Which is why I'm saying that if your mom and Luke do have those feelings for each other, it'll only help now. She can cope with him and not by herself."
"Really?" she asked incredulously. "My mom will probably feel guilty about something like that. Loving another guy after my father just passed a few days ago? She doesn't bounce back that quickly."
Jace shrugged and simply said, "Love is weird, Clary."
"Not that weird," she shot back. She saw some kind of look in Jace's eyes, something she didn't recognize but didn't get to ask before he stood, grabbed his stuff and walked to the counter.
Obviously, that particular conversation was over.
3:16 P.M. - How are you feeling? Any better?
5:49 P.M. - Clary? Are you that sick that you're lying in bed all day? That can't be good.
6:24 P.M. - Wake up! Please! :(
9:25 P.M - Come on, Clary. I just want to talk to you and make sure you're okay. I'm worried. Please answer.
10:15 P.M. - I know you're with Jace... I'm not an idiot. So just tell me you're okay and I'll let it go. I swear.
10:22 P.M - I'm fine! Jesus. Stop texting me and leave me the hell alone.
"Who you talking to?" Jace asked from the bathroom door, brushing his golden locks out with a towel.
Clary looked up, a scowl on her face but it faded as she looked at him. Golden abs on display due to the lack of shirt, the sweatpants that hung low on his hips, the water dripping down his chest… it was enough to get any and every girl's heart racing.
He cocked his eyebrows and smirked, gaining her attention again and she steadied herself. "Oh, uh, Sebastian. He won't stop texting me."
"Sebastian?"
"Yeah."
"I figured this would happen eventually. What does he want?"
10:24 P.M. – Okay, so you're fine. Then why were you so sick? What was that about?
She groaned in frustration, dropping her phone to the sheets and falling back against the pillows of her bed. Her shirt rose up, exposing the pink, lacy panties that she wore to bed. Sadly, she couldn't be bothered to even hide them and pull her shirt back down. She was too annoyed. "He's asking why he saw me throwing up yesterday."
"What?" Jace turned away from the mirror, freezing with his hand running through his wet hair. "You were throwing up?"
She gave him an apologetic shrug. "My dad's stuff hit me pretty hard after I had a meeting with my art teacher. It just kind of… happened. Part of the coping process I guess."
He nodded, crossing his arms and resting against the dresser. Then his face turned to one of disgust and he shuddered.
"What?" She asked.
"I kissed you… We like… Eww. I think I'm going to be sick."
Clary rolled her eyes and tossed a pillow at him. "I brushed my teeth, you idiot. Don't be such a jerk."
He smiled and winked when her phone buzzed again.
10:25 P.M. - And don't try to bullshit me. Isabelle refused to tell me and Simon wouldn't either. I know something is up. Just tell me how to help.
She gave Jace a look after reading it and tossed him the phone. He caught in on his walk over, sitting on the edge of the bed and frowning.
"He sure as hell didn't show this kind of concern when you two were actually on talking terms."
"That's what I don't get. Why now?"
Jace put the phone on the dresser and turned towards her. "He didn't know what had until you finally left," he said. "And now that I have you, he's realized how bad he fucked up."
"I doubt that."
Jace cocked his head to the side slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not as great as you seem to think I am."
He shook his head and closed his eyes. "If only you can see it. I can see how perfect I am, so why can't you see how perfect you are?"
"Wow," she said with sarcasm and awe. "How can you sound so conceited and yet so caring at the same time?"
He smiled. "It's a gift."
Her phone buzzed one more time and Clary felt like throwing it against the wall. She groaned and covered her face with her hands, letting out a few sounds that weren't exactly attractive. She was just that annoyed at this point.
"I can fix this," Jace announced. He reached over and turned the blasted thing off. Relief flooded her as the screen went black and she could stop thinking about it. Jace turned back to her, grabbing her hand and playing with her fingers like he did so often. "Now, what was the meeting with your art teacher about?"
She paused for a moment before she realized that she'd told me about it. "Oh yeah. One of my pieces was good enough that they wanted to send it over to England. I was meeting with her about the details."
Jace's eyes widened. "England?"
"Yeah."
"Damn. What, might I ask, was this fantastic painting of?"
Clary rolled her head and stared at the ceiling. "You should know since you're so egotistical and all."
He was quiet for a moment. "You painted me?" he asked in awe.
She shrugged. "Your idea of the lion and yourself was pretty ingenious."
"It was your idea, actually. I shot down everything else until you finally noticed that I was the obvious choice in the matter. Not Jordan. Not Sebastian. Me and only me."
"You're ridiculous."
He smiled genuinely. It was the smile that lit up his face and made his eyes dance with a fire. It made her want to feel whatever he was feeling – that happiness or satisfaction. She wanted it.
Jace's gaze darted across her face and down her body where she lied next to him. Before, she wasn't feeling self-conscious about being in some panties and a big t-shirt. He'd seen her in that attire plenty of times. But the way his eyes moved, the way he bit his lip, the way he leaned towards her made her feel heated and at the same time want to cover up. It was strange mix of emotions – want but fear, confidence but nervous, unsure but steady.
"What are we going to do about tomorrow?" Jace asked, completely changing Clary's thought process to a totally different direction.
"Um," she mumbled in confusion. "I guess just try to get through it?"
His hands came up and played with the hem of her shirt, his fingers touching her skin every once in a while. "I'll help you get through it. Don't… don't push me away when we get there."
"Why would I–"
"It's just nice to know someone needs me as much as I need them," he explained. "It's always been the girl needing me for reasons she couldn't explain. And the one time I needed someone, turns out it wasn't the same feeling. It hurt terribly. So it would be nice to know that you need me there for you. That's all I'm saying. I just want the feeling reciprocated."
She stared at him in confusion. "Jace, I brought you here for a reason. Why would I bring you if I didn't need you?"
"You didn't bring Isabelle or Simon."
"They have bigger things to deal with," she explained. "And they'll be there tomorrow. They couldn't skip the whole weekend, and they're just coming down for the funeral. But," she paused and sat up, moving closer to him. He refused to look at her and stared at where his hand played with her top. "You're here because you helped me see that I can't do this on my own. Lord knows my family hasn't helped lately. Jonathan is coping in his own way. My mom spends all her time at Luke's. And you," she reached up and grabbed his chin, pulling his gaze to hers, "You're the reason that I haven't lost my mind in all of this. Understand?"
It took him a while to speak, the intensity of their gazes keeping them both quiet. But he eventually nodded once and pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry I pushed you away in the beginning."
"Don't be."
"I am," he breathed. "I was an idiot. Isabelle tried to tell me but I wouldn't listen. Now though," he paused, "You're everything to me and I wouldn't want it any other way."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."
He kissed her once, and she felt in his kiss everything he didn't say out loud. Which was surprising because he said plenty. But the kiss was deeper and more meaningful. Clary wanted more of it, more of whatever Jace was feeling, but they couldn't. Not now. Not here.
She pulled back first, looking back at the clock. "We have to get up early for tomorrow. We need to go to sleep."
He nodded, pulling her towards him one more time and kissing her quickly. Then he stood from the bed, prepared to go to the guest room before she grabbed his arm.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.
He pointed to the door. "The guest room? I thought–"
"I said we needed sleep, not just me. Stay with me, Jace," she begged. It was a question but a demand at the same time. "Please?"
That's what probably broke him. The determination to follow the rules cracked easily enough and Jace slipped under the sheets, instantly pulling Clary to his chest and wrapping his arms around her.
And they both drifted off into a dreamless sleep, much better than the nightmares about her father that she had the night before.
"I'll be just inside. Don't hesitate to come get me if you need anything," Jace whispered into Clary's ear.
She nodded and watched him go through the double doors. A feeling of longing instantly hit the moment he left contact with her. Almost instantly, she wanted to call him back.
"This is going to suck ass," Jonathan sighed when he came up next to her.
She nodded and turned, looking out at the amount of people getting out of cars to head inside. Their mother and Luke had instructed them to greet people, like this was some sort of happy event, and so they were stuck at the entry doors to the funeral home. They'd have to smile and nod and tell everyone that they didn't know that it was good to see them. The most pointless and frustrating part of the day.
"I already want to punch most of them in the face."
Clary glanced at her brother in shock. "Okay, I don't want to be here as much as the next person, but seriously? Keep the anger issues under control."
"Well, sorry. I don't have someone to take advantage of to help the grieving process."
Clary rolled her eyes, not wanting to get into this again. Jonathan had caught her and Jace in her room that morning, but it was more than obvious that they didn't do anything. Jonathan just seemed to get into an even sourer mood sense then though.
He tugged at the tie around his neck, frowning. "And this thing is suffocating me. Funerals are bad enough but they made you dress like you're hanging from your own personal noose. It's a fucked up situation."
Jocelyn appeared behind them suddenly, glaring at Jonathan. "You're not making this any easier acting like that," she said. "Now be civilized for once so we can handle this without a fight."
It looked like Jonathan wanted to retort with something sarcastic, but Clary kicked him in the shin before she let the argument get any worse. Glares and looks were exchanged before Luke pulled Jocelyn back inside without a word.
And then their time for greeting started. Or, in other words, hell started.
The line seemed to grow the more Jonathan and Clary greeted. They would let one person through, only to have two more cars show up. How many people did their father actually know? Sure, he owned his own business and all, but did these people all care about him that much to be here?
And after thirty minutes, they finally got the break they needed when Simon and Isabelle showed up.
"Thank God you're here," Clary said when she embraced Isabelle in a hug.
Jonathan agreed when he pulled Simon in for a manly hug. It was always weird watching them be friends. They weren't the two types of people that would be friends, but after a while they learned that it worked. Granted, they weren't close but she guessed once Jonathan understood nothing would ever happen between her and Simon, it was easier to befriend the nerd.
"Agreed," Jonathan said. "The next person that tells me I look like my father, I might push them down the stairs."
"You will never change, will you?" Isabelle teased. "Your charm knows no bounds."
Jonathan shrugged and smiled.
"Anyway," Isabelle continued, "Where's Jace?"
Clary pointed inside. "Somewhere in there. My mother refused to let him stand here with me. She's being a prude at the moment."
Simon looked at her solemnly. "How bad is it?"
Jonathan was the one that answered. "She's being different. Luke won't leave her side but I figured she's cry or something and be depressed. She's just kind of getting bitchier by the day. I just want to slap her most of the time."
"Oh, good," Simon sarcastically sighed. "Just what I wanted to hear."
"Note to self, avoid Ms. Morgenstern," Isabelle said, grabbing Simon's hand. "Let's go find Jace."
It took another thirty minutes until everyone was finally inside and out of the afternoon sun. The exhaustion was already settling in, and the funeral hadn't even started. Clary linked her arm through Jonathan's offered on, stopping just outside the double doors.
"You ready for this?" he asked.
She sighed. "I hope so."
So let me know what you think! Everyone kept telling me "More Clace! More Clace!" so this entire chapter was Clace this and Clace that. Hope you liked it and let me know if you want something more exciting.
And I'm starting this thing now. For now on, I'll post one snippet of part of the next chapter as like a teaser for you guys. If you don't want to read it before the whole thing gets posted, just skip over it. It'll always be at the end, like this, and italicized. But this way, I can know if you all are excited about the upcoming chapter and what i have in mind, or if you hate it. Feedback always helps!
And here's the first little bit of the upcoming chapter 15:
Snippet 1:
"Clary?"
"Yeah?" she breathed.
"I know that you might not be ready for... you know. You've never done it and all but I don't know if I'll be able to keep my hands off of you all night. Especially dressed like that."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. Their lips hovered over each other, but they didn't touch. "I'm okay with that."
Snippet 2:
Jace tipped the bottle back, downing half of it in one go. Jordan watched him wearily, not speaking but obviously not approving either.
"So what are you going to do?" Jordan asked when Jace stopped drinking like a maniac.
The blond shrugged and slightly smiled. His heart wasn't it, but malice was. "Whatever I want I guess. I'm a free agent."
So tell me what you guys think of the the whole, snippet thing. Yay? Nay? Yes? No? Maybe? I do what you want me to, so voice those beautiful opinions!
And stay tuned :)