The coffee shop that Jace picked was a rustic little sit-down place. White coffee mugs lined the shelves behind the counter, and on display behind a glass case were rows of gelato, coffee cakes, and muffins. The aroma of coffee was soothing to me, and I only hoped it helped soothe whatever troubles Jace seemed to be faced with tonight.

A dorky, skinny guy with a blue and white striped shirt was behind the register, and I couldn't help but notice that he reminded me of Simon. His wide framed glasses covered big brown eyes, and his curly brown hair was a mess. He greeted both Jace and I when we entered, and asked if he could make us anything.

"I'll take a cup of coffee, black, please." Jace said before turning to me. I ordered the same, and grabbed five or six packets of sugar before we made our way to a small wooden table in the corner, near a huge window. Outside, we had the view of three or four outdoor tables that were lit up by white Christmas lights, although no one was sitting in them.

Jace was staring out the window, and if I hadn't known any better, I would have thought he was avoiding eye contact, avoiding having this conversation at all. I cleared my throat and straightened my shoulders as I played with the packets so sugar nervously. I had never been alone with Jace before, and the effect of his presence was starting to work on me.

At the sound of my throat clearing, he looked at me. He truly was beautiful, taunt golden eyes fringed with dark gold eyelashes that even I was jealous of. He swallowed thickly, his throat bobbing as he did. His eye travelled all over my face before he bit his bottom lip. I followed the motion with my eyes, a light blush coloring my face. "I've never seen you with your hair straight," Jace said.

I smiled, "Yeah, it's kinda crazy most days." I looked back down at the sugar packets I was fumbling with, afraid to show my embarrassment. Although, I really didn't know why I felt embarrassed at all.

"It's beautiful on all days."

Before I could respond – if I could even speak at all – the Simon look-alike set two cups of coffee down in front of us. I took the mug that was placed in front of me and began dumping the sugar contents in it. I could feel Jace watching my movements, but I couldn't look up. Something about him really unnerved me, made my heart flutter.

I realized I hadn't said anything to his compliment, so I muttered a "thanks" quietly.

"You don't believe me." It wasn't a question.

I looked up finally. "Nope, but thanks anyway." I replied. Jace chuckled softly and took a sip of his drink. I stirred my own coffee with one of the little black straws I snatched from the container on our table. "So, what's bothering you?"

I hadn't really known how to start this conversation, I mean, I barely knew Jace. For all I knew, I could've been treading on personal territory. Jace just shrugged though, and said, "My uh, my mother died on this day a year ago, and it still gets to me."

I almost choked on my coffee. I set my cup back down and looked up at him through my lashes. I would've said that I was sorry, empathized with him, told him I was sad that he felt this way. Because I did empathize, I was sorry, and I was sad that he felt that way.

But I knew that other people's sorrows didn't really mean anything or do anything for me when my own mother died. I didn't know what to do with everyone else's grief, didn't even know what to do with my own. So instead, I reached across the table and grabbed his hand. I had never been this bold before with anyone, let alone someone as handsome as Jace. He looked a bit taken aback by my lack to response. I smiled sadly at him, "I lost my mom to breast cancer when I was fifteen," I said, tears pricking around the rim of my eyes. "It's still hard for me too, but it gets better. Every day, I get a little stronger."

A breath escaped Jace's lips, like he hadn't expected me to also have this grief. He grinned a sad grin, chuckled a bit, then said, "It fucking blows, honestly."

I laughed outright through the tears that were slowly dissipating. "Yeah, it does," I said. "I miss my mom every day. I used to be able to draw her, to sketch her out perfectly when she was alive. Now I can't remember all the details of her face. She's disappearing from my memory," I bit my lip. "She was my best friend."

"My mom was my everything too," Jace smirked down at his cup of coffee. "She kept me grounded. Guess we're both missing pieces of ourselves."

Jace looked so miserable for a second, so sad that I wanted to reach out and smooth his forehead. I wanted to touch his cheek and pull him close, hug him until his sadness seeped from him and into me.

"I bet she was beautiful," I said instead. I gripped my coffee cup when he flashed a 1000-watt smile at me, showing off beautiful white teeth. I noticed a small chip in his incisor, which made him all the more endearing, more human.

"She was," Jace said. "As was yours, I'm sure. I mean, assuming you look like her."

I blushed furiously. I knew my face must have been the same color as my auburn hair. It only made him smile wider at me. "God, you really don't know, do you?" he whispered, more to himself than to me.

I was truly breathless, like I just finished running a 5k. "Know what?"

Jace straightened his shoulders and really looked at me, his eyes raking over my entire face. I knew what he was seeing. A pale face with a smattering of freckles just a shade darker than my skin, too-big green eyes, lips that were too pouty, and red hair that only contrasted her completion. I wasn't breathtaking like the girls that flocked to Jace, I wasn't special. I was only a skinny red-head, always in paint-splattered t-shirts and cut off jean shorts, always too short to reach the middle shelf in my apartment, always second-best.

But the way Jace was looking at me, I had never felt so significant in my life. "That you're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on."

I didn't say anything, I just looked at him. I watched as his chest rose and fell with every breath he took, the thin black shirt doing nothing to hide the muscle that was underneath. I watched the muscles twitch in his tan arms, taunt as they rested on the table in front of him. I watched his eyes as they watched mine.

This was probably the most intimate position I had ever been in with another man. Granted, I was nineteen, and of course I'd been on dates before, had relationships. But never in my life have I ever felt so exposed, so raw in front of another.

I don't know how long we stayed just like that, gazing at each other, studying one another. Finally, Jace leaned closer to me, which made my breath catch when I caught a whiff of his scent. Warm sunshine, sandalwood, and something I couldn't place, but could only be described as Jace. "Do you want to visit my mother with me?"

I knew that meant going to the cemetery. I knew that this was uncommon, for Jace to ask someone to go with him. But I found myself nodding. Jace sat back and reached into his pocket for his wallet. After throwing a ten on the table, he stood and reached his hand out to me. I looked at it before meeting his eyes.

He looked less miserable than he did at the club, but I knew he was having a hard time, and I didn't know if I should intrude on this trip. But I found myself taking his warm hand and following him out.

I knew that I would always follow him, wherever he wanted to go. As long as he would have me, I would be there.

What was I getting myself into?