A/N: How does Simon feel about what happened last chapter? ;) Let's find out!

Chapter 34

(Simon POV)

When my eyes fluttered open that morning, I was mildly surprised to see the sleeping form of Evangeline next to me, her black hair streaming everywhere. She was so beautiful and peaceful in sleep. And while wide awake, but still.

I remembered how she got there, slumbering next to me, and I couldn't fight the smile that spread across my face and the flood of pleasant memories. The night before had been amazing, no question. And now I couldn't stop looking at my lovely Evangeline, remembering every perfect moment from last night.

As I watched, she stirred and gradually woke up with a feline stretch. Her eyes opened and saw me through their fatigue, and widened immediately. Then a very adorable blush spread across her cheeks.

"Good morning," I whispered softly to her, still unable to fight my smile.

"Good morning," she yawned back, rolling over to face me. Doing so seemed to make her realize that we were both unclothed, since she suddenly yanked the blanket up to her chin with a look of panic.

I laughed, and reached over to smooth some hair back from her face. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes."

"Are you okay?" Now I was concerned. Did she regret everything we'd done? I certainly hoped not! "Because if you're not, I'm totally sorry, and—"

"Don't worry, Simon, I'm fine," she smiled, and let the blanket relax around her neck. "It's just that waking up like this was a little… different than what I'm used to."

I considered that. "You can add that to your list of achieved milestones," I joked. But then I got to thinking again about how Evangeline had gone way out of her usual comfort zone, with me of all people, and I felt tremendously honored about the whole situation.

She agreed with a sweet and somewhat bashful smile, "It is a milestone."

And we were looking into each other's eyes for a few seconds, and she was so beautiful. Without thinking, I leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." Every time she had told me that before, a delighted shiver had traveled down my spine, and now was no different. "And… thank you."

"I should be thanking you!" I insisted. The gift she had given me was more precious than anything else in the world, as far as I was concerned. I had never been someone's "first" before. I just hoped that I didn't leave too bad of an impression of what sex is like. But according to everyone I had been with, I was alright… Even if Clary had cried afterward, she assured me it wasn't my fault—

Shit, Clary! I thought hysterically, because it made me remember Jace's polyamory idea. How on earth could I bring that up at a time like this? It would probably ruin everything!

And did I even want to pursue it, a polyamorous relationship, even after Evangeline gave me herself entirely and we confessed our mutual love? I thought about it, and came up with an answer.

Yes... God damn it. I am such a horrible person. Selfish, selfish, selfish, selfish—

"Simon? Is something wrong?"

I moaned, "I am a deplorable human being. I'm so damn selfish. I'm worse than Jace." Then I made an embarrassing groaning sound, burying my head in a pillow. "I am so sorry."

"For what? Simon?" She was gently shaking my shoulder, and sounding frantic.

Great! Now I'd worried her! Why do I always have to ruin everything? I rolled over again, and looked up at her through mournful eyes. "I was supposed to tell you about something yesterday, and I forgot because everything was going so well."

She calmed down a little, but still had a hysterical twist to her lips. "That's no reason to panic! You had me worried that you… regretted everything, or that I wasn't up to your usual standards."

"Oh, Evangeline," I sighed, folding my arms around her and drawing her close to me, rubbing her back soothingly. "I don't want you to ever think that. I'm still surprised that you thought I was good enough for you. And I do love you, really. It's just that… I don't know how to put this." By this point, my heart was pounding with nervous anticipation. How would she take it?

Evangeline drew back an inch or two, and studied my face carefully. "Is it that bad?"

"N-no, at least I don't think so. It's an… idea that Jace got. Well, I guess a good way to start is… Are you still, um, interested in Jace and/or Clary? Because I'm totally okay either way, just so you know." I bit my lip, waiting.

She sighed. "It's complicated. Last night was perfect, but… I'm still drawn to them. Is it the same for you? I've noticed that you're attracted to both of them as well."

"Yeah, it's the same for me, too. And, um, Jace thinks that it might be a good idea for the four of us to try being together. Like, all of us, in a four-way relationship." As I said the words, I realized how awful the whole thing sounded. Why couldn't I have been more eloquent, just in general? It seemed like I was always messing things up with my poor word choice.

"A four-way relationship," she echoed breathily. "All of us dating each other."

I couldn't tell what she was thinking, and it made me anxious. But Evangeline wasn't trying to extricate herself from my grasp, so I took that as a good sign. "Yes. We'd probably want to go on a group date or something to try it out. Um… what do you think?"

I watched her take a deep breath. "I think Jace may be onto something."

"Really?" Never in a million years would I have expected her to be so accepting of the idea. Full of surprises, that Evangeline. "So you like the idea?"

"Yes. It's nothing against you, Simon, but I often find myself thinking of them. I've tried not to, but it doesn't really work out. I'm still beyond happy about last night, though," she finished with a shy smile. "I'm glad it was you."

I was glad it was me, too, and squashed the urge to say so because that would have been creepy. "Yeah. I think about them as well." I was smiling elatedly again, because ¾ of the puzzle had worked out. Jace and Evangeline wanted to be with me. And with each other. As for Clary, however… Only time would tell. Either that or a phone call to Jace. "Now. How about breakfast?"

Evangeline giggled lightly and yawned again, looking adorable. I could get used to this, waking up with her. The idea of many mornings like this ahead of me made me feel fantastic. "Breakfast would be great!"

Before letting her go, I kissed her again. "I really do love you. And I hope all this works out."

"Me too, on both counts." Her sapphire eyes were sparkling, just like her elated smile. "Let's fix ourselves some breakfast."

A/N: And they're going for it! :D Will Clary? xoxoxo