One more assessment and I'm done with study the semester! Consider this a lead up to the next chapter (BIT OF CLACE HINT HINT); regardless it was a filler in the masterplan for timing and context reasons. Or just because of reasons. Yeah.

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"The usual I presume?"

I glanced up at Kaelie, the waitress at Café Alicante, one of the smaller cafés around the campus at NYU. I looked over at Simon who sat across the table from me and gave him a questioning look.

"Throw in a slice of cheesecake too please Kaelie," he said. She nodded, scribbling down the order on a small notepad and scuttled off behind the counter. Simon adjusted his glasses and sighed. It was Monday which meant that I was now 13 hours into my last 6 weeks of classes of second semester.

"I take it your first class didn't go so well?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. Simon was always predictable. If he was eating anything that wasn't savoury, something was bothering him; sugar was like his type of alcohol he was using to drown his sorrows.

"Assessment for 3475LIT this morning didn't go as planned. I practically stuffed up my oral by not only going over the time limit but boring everyone to tears in the process," he said, leaning his head on his hands. I gave him a sympathetic smile. He'd had a rough year; we all had really. Izzy was going through her final nursing prac at the Beth Israel hospital so she would be a ball of stress for the next 5 weeks until study week and then her final exams for her degree. Sure, she had already decided to continue her study and get her midwifery qualifications, but the worry was still there to pass her nursing degree.

I put my hand on Simon's arm. "Hey, we all have difficult days, Si. I have complete faith in you, regardless of whether you flunked this assessment or not." He looked up at me over his glasses which were making their way down his nose as per usual. Simon was like a brother to me. I was the one who stood beside him at his grand-father's funeral a year ago, our hands clasped tightly as he threw a handful dirt over the coffin. I was the one who he asks for girl advice from even though he knows my dating experience is a limited one and I was the one who comforted him when he was feeling like crap.

He pulled his left hand out from underneath his chin and placed it over mine, smiling. It was at that moment Kaelie made her way over to our table, her tray bearing two coffees and a slice of plain cheesecake. She eyed our hands but said nothing. I thanked her and took inhaled the aroma of my black coffee. Ah, bliss on a Monday! Simon was practically inhaling his cheesecake and as he took to his coffee, I stole a forkful of the desert and practically moaned out loud.

"Good cheesecake, as per usual cheer-me-up standards," Simon said around his coffee cup. I nodded enthusiastically, stealing another bite before Simon stole the fork back and shovelled down the rest.

"What I wouldn't give to have a woman to make me cake every time I had a shit day," he murmured turning back to enjoying his coffee. I looked out the window at the scattered students of all ages hurrying off to various places or sitting on the green in their study groups enjoying the sunshine.

"Clary, I'm putting you in charge of finding me a cake wench," he continued. I glance over at him and pulled a face.

"You know, it would actually help if you talked to the people of the female gender, Si." He scowled at me and then chuckled.

"I guess you're right. But females are just so icky. They're only good for bringing me cake."

I raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell that to Kaelie and you'll walk out the door either scolded by coffee or said cake smashed in your face."

He chuckled. "Noted! But really, I should start looking for a girl. Mum never fails to tell me at least once a week how my sister met her husband at 21 and that I should be on the way to getting hitched. Plus have you seen Helen at work fawning over that blue haired guy who comes into Java most weekends?"

I scrunched up my face. "I thought she was a lesbian, but yes I have seen them. The way they look at each other you can just tell-"

"That they're banging? Yeah, I got that vibe too," Simon finished.

I nodded. "I was going to say you can tell that they're both infatuated with each other. At least she's in a better mood after her lunch breaks now." I add with a wink at Simon. He just rolled his eyes and placed his empty cup down on the table.

"Maybe she's bi-sexual because she's still pretty 'clean-that-coffee-machine-perfection-or-die' attitude towards me. Some of us can't help that we're red-headed bombshells," he muttered.

It was my turn to roll my eyes. My afro of red hair didn't make me a bombshell. In fact there was nothing bombshell or even pretty about me. Jace had commented yesterday on the two features that I hated most about myself: my cleavage and my nose. If only they could swap sizes so I didn't have a huge nose and A-Cup bras galore. Hence why the jerk earned also earned the soda to his face. Sure he didn't really know I was self-conscious about those things, but seriously he was a dick nugget and I couldn't care less.

"Shut up, loser, I'm no bombshell," I said, draining my coffee cup, "And if you're so desperate for a date, ask Izzy out for tea sometime. Tea is her weakness."

Simon's mouthful of coffee must have gone down the wrong pipe, because he started to cough and splutter everywhere at my suggestion. "Wh-what?" he exclaims, still choking.

I purse my lips. "Dude, seriously, grow up. You've known her for two years probably and every time you get on the hard liquor, you don't shut up about how gorgeous she is."

He regained his breath and just stared at me. "This is coming from the girl who whines about her issues with a certain blonde with an attitude."

I frown at him. "That is not up for discussion. Now brush up your women skills and ask someone out for lunch that isn't your friend."

Simon chuckled and put money for our drinks and cake under the table number. We'd been coming here for so long most of the waitresses knew our order and that we left our money at the table with a generous tip. Simon and I loved Café Alicante and the comfort its small, cosy interior it brought making it the perfect place to meet for our weekly lunch date. "Come on," Simon said, pulling out of his chair and putting his satchel strap over his head, "Haven't you got to be somewhere in, like, 5 minutes?"

I checked my watch. Shit. I had a psychology lecture across campus soon just like Simon said. Apparently, because I studied art, I needed to know about the effect art had on the thought process and Synathesia and feelings and all that mumbo jumbo. I practically fell out of my chair and pulled my backpack and blazer out from under the table. I quickly put both of them on and followed Simon out the door.

"You working Wednesday?" I asked as we hurried down the path that connected to all the buildings around campus.

"I am. Afternoon shift so I'll see you there. You on Open Mic night this week?" he asked, fixing up his scarf. I groaned.

"Don't remind me. If I hear the word 'loins' one more time, oh wait, I will!" I said. Simon laughed. Eric's, one of our regulars, poetry was famous for incorporating loins or some other prose-like dirty humour presented every Thursday night. Generally the staff took bets on how many he could drop in one night.

"I'll take that as a yes," Simon laughed, "Anyway this is my stop. I'll catch you at work." He gave me a hug and waved to him as I jogged off to the lecture theatre.

"Hey, Iz, I bought home Thai!"

Once I had finished at uni for the day, it was 6'o clock so I figured I'd just pick up dinner en route. When I had left this morning, Izzy had set herself cleaning the house and unpacking anything left in boxes. I threw my keys in the basket situated on the cute waist-height cube shelves by the door that also held the phone and other bits and bobs. I had ended up picking up some bargains at the 2nd hand furniture for the rest of the house store last Thursday. Finding them hadn't been the problem; getting them home in Izzy's small car had been.

"I'll be down in a second Clare," Izzy yelled from upstairs somewhere. I shrugged and popped the bag of dishes on the coffee table and skipped off to pull out plates and chopsticks. I mulled over a thought before then also pulling out a bottle of white wine of the fridge. I went back outside to, put them all on the table with the food and turned to get some glasses…

And that's when I saw it.

There sitting on the dining room table in clear daylight beside a bag from General Pants Co. and Victoria's Secret.

I couldn't believe it.

"Izzy!" I shouted through the apartment. How dare she buy it?!

"What's up Clary?" She said as she walked down the stairs. I pointed at the pile, pulling a good ol' frowny face at her. Iz raised an eyebrow.

"I don't see what the problem is, you read the stuff too."

"Izzy! Buying 50 Shades of Grey was the worst possible thing you could have done to hurt me! This is what torrents are for; so you don't waste your money on terrible writing and you get smut for free! The internet has provided for the poor single women! You don't need this crappy book!" I shouted.

Izzy just laughed. "Oh leave me and my lady porn alone. Calm your tits and go open the wine- I'll get the glasses."

I covered my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, "Please just remove them from my sight and go back to reading Mills and Boon."

Izzy rolled her eyes and put the books into one of the shopping bags. "There, you can't see them."

"Good! Now where's that wine? Looks like I need it more than I originally thought," I sighed.

"Just wait till the zip ties make an appearance on the table. I'll leave a bottle of vodka beside them for you to cleanse yourself, Clary," she said with a wink and disappeared into the kitchen.

Roommates.

Gotta love' em.

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