I watched as Jace "The Angel" Herondale kicked, punched and choked his way to victory. In the end, his arm was raised and the championship belt was placed around his waist.

As I was gathering my belongings and mapping out a plan to get home, my phone rang with a text message from Isabelle.

We're going to a party. You're going so don't even try to say you're not. Meet us outside.

I decided it was best just to give in and go meet Isabelle. Maybe I could convince her that I was exhausted and needed to go home or maybe I had suddenly come down with the flu. I met Isabelle in front of the arena and she pulled me into a hug.

"Clary, I want you to meet Simon," she said as she pulled away and pointed to the man with shaggy brown hair and a black eye.

"It's nice to meet you, Simon," I said shaking his hand politely.

"Sorry you had to watch me get my ass kicked," he said with a shy smile. "I was a little off tonight."

"Oh, it was no problem. I actually enjoyed coming tonight." I turned to Isabelle. "Listen, Iz."

"No, don't even think about it," she said putting her hand up to silence me. "When was the last time you went out and had fun?" I shrugged. "Exactly, so get your little ass in that car and prepare to have some fun.

"You're awful."

"But you love me."

Twenty minutes later, we were entering a club and being escorted to a private room where more fighters were hanging out. I looked around the room and immediately felt out of place. Most of the women looked like they should be on a stage dancing or well, like Isabelle. Izzy didn't look out of place at all as she sauntered into the room on Simon's arm.

I chose to sit down on one of the plush couches that lined the wall and order a drink. I sat with my fruity drink in hand as I observed my surroundings. It vaguely reminded me of a high school party except for the fact that most of these people could kill me with one punch or pay off all my student loans without thinking twice. I was just about to get up to find Isabelle and tell her I was going to leave when a voice snapped me back to reality.

"Hey, Red," the voice said and I looked up to see the angel, himself. "What are you doing here all alone?"

"Umm," I said unintelligibly as I searched the room for Isabelle. "My friend dragged me here with her boyfriend."

"Huh, well, I'm Jace. Do you mind if I sit?" He pointed to the empty spot on the couch beside me and I shrugged. "Did you watch the fights?"

"Yeah, actually, I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did."

"I get that reaction a lot. Most people think it's such a violent sport before they actually sit down and watch it. It's so much more than two people wanting to rip each other's heads off. We have to train for years to be able to do the things we do and there's a lot of respect to be earned and given."

"You sound like you really love it. I mean, you wouldn't be the undisputed champion if you weren't."

"I do love it. I take it you know who I am?" He turned slightly so he was facing me more head on.

"I didn't until I saw you fight tonight. It was a really great fight, by the way."

"Thanks." He faced away from me for a second and I decided to take my leave and finally find Isabelle.

"Well, I better get going. It's getting late." I stood up from the couch, but Jace grabbed my arm to stop me. I turned to face him and he stood from the couch towering over me.

"Wait, you didn't tell me your name."

"Oh, it's Clary. Clary Fray."

"Well, Clary Fray, it was nice meeting you and talking to you. Maybe I'll see you around some time?"

"I doubt it. It was nice meeting you, too Jace."

With that, I freed myself from his grasp, but couldn't ignore the heat that spread throughout my body at his touch. I would probably never see him again and that was going to have to be okay with me. Finally, I found Isabelle on the dance floor and pulled her to the side.

"I'm going to go, Iz," I yelled over the music.

"Wait, didn't I just see you talking to Jace," she asked.

"It doesn't matter. I'm tired and I'm going home. Will I see you later?"

"I don't know. I'll text you if I won't be home tonight."

"Okay, have fun." I hugged her goodbye and went outside to wait for a cab.

I was standing on the sidewalk outside the club when a sleek black SUV pulled up in front of me and lowered the window.

"Get in, Red," Jace said with a smile and a wave of his hand. "I'll give you a ride home."

"Oh, no," I refused. "I'll be fine. I'll just wait for a cab. Thank you, though."

"Come on. A cab could take hours, especially on a night like this. I promise I'm not a serial killer or anything."

I hesitated a second longer before opening the passenger door and stepping into his car.

"Thank you, I don't live that far."

"It's not a problem. I needed to get out of there anyway. It's not really my scene. I just go to make my best friend happy."

"Who's your best friend?"

"Simon Lewis."

"No way. That's my best friend's boyfriend. He's the one who got us tickets tonight."

He glanced at me with a smirk. "I always knew being friends with that guy would get me somewhere." I tried my best to keep my eyes on the road, but I kept looking his way. I tried to stop myself from studying him and trying to memorize every small detail. "Here we are."

Jace pulled up outside my apartment building and ran around the car to open my door. He offered his hand and helped me down from the car. I started walking up the stairs to the second floor to my door and noticed Jace was still right beside me.

"You didn't have to walk me," I said when we reached my door.

"I know, but I wanted to," Jace said as I fumbled with my keys to unlock the door. Once I finally got the door open, I looked back at him with a smile.

"Well, thanks again for giving me a ride." I stepped into the apartment, but Jace stopped me again.

"Wait, Red. Will I see you again?" I didn't want to shut him down again and my mind immediately went to Sebastian. I had been burned, badly and I didn't want that to happen again, but Jace seemed different. He left the party and gave me a ride home. He didn't make me feel uncomfortable, in fact, I had known him for about an hour and I already felt more comfortable with him than I did with most people. Then, I thought back to earlier that night and my decision to put myself out there again. Maybe this was my chance to find someone who enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed theirs.

"Maybe," I replied with a smile as I turned to enter my apartment.

"I'll be training tomorrow at my gym. You should come by. Maybe I could show you a few moves."

"Oh, I bet you would like that."

"I would actually. Can I have your number?" I handed him my phone and he eagerly entered his phone number and called his phone so he had my number. "I'll call you with the address."

I nodded and turned to my apartment one final time and he let me go this time. "Bye, Jace and thank you."

"Bye, Clary."

Less than ten minutes after I finally fell into bed, my phone chimed with a text message.

I really hope you come by tomorrow. I had a really great time tonight. Sweet dreams, Red.

o.O.0.O.o

When I woke up the next morning, I had two messages from Jace. One had the address of his gym and the other simply said "Good Morning." My mind was running a mile a minute and I couldn't think straight. This wasn't supposed to happen. I knew I had decided to put myself out there again, but I hadn't planned on doing it with a professional MMA fighter. I really needed to talk to Isabelle and I could hear the TV in the living room, so I went looking for her. She was sitting on the couch with her cup of morning coffee in her hand.

"Hey," I greeted as I walked into the kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee. "I didn't think you would be home already."

"Yeah, Simon had to be to the gym pretty early this morning," she explained. "He had some meetings with his coaches to watch tape of the fight and map out a game plan for the next fight."

"Did you stay here last night?"

"No, I just got back. What's up, Clary?"

"I really need to talk to you."

"Okay, so talk."

"Okay, so last night I decided to take your advice and just let myself have fun. I was sitting on a couch in the club and Jace Herondale sat down next to me."

"So, I did see you talking to him? That man is one fine specimen. I'm proud of you."

"Will you let me finish?" She nodded and I continued. "I was waiting outside for a cab and he pulled up and offered me a ride. He gave me a ride home and walked me to the door. I gave him my number and he invited me to the gym today."

"Are you kidding me?" I gave her a confused look. "You decide to have fun and Jace Herondale just falls into your lap. Wait, I don't understand. What's the problem?"

"You said it yourself, Iz. He's Jace 'The Angel' Herondale. I don't know if he's the right person to put myself out there with. I don't want to get hurt."

"Look, Clary, Jace is Simon's best friend. I've met him a few times and I can tell you that he's different. Most of the guys in this sport are players, but I've never seen Jace leave a party after midnight and he's always alone. Maybe you need to take a chance. Who knows, he could be the one to break you out of your shell. Go to that gym today and start living your life."

I hugged Isabelle and got up from the couch with a confidence I hadn't had since before college. I showered and changed into leggings and a tank top. I put makeup on and lined my eyes with dark purple eyeliner to enhance my green eyes. My hair fell in its natural curls and I grabbed my purse and phone.

"Have fun," Isabelle yelled after me as I walked out the door.

I punched the address into my phone and followed the directions to the gym while I blasted music in my car. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up outside Jace's gym. I sat and stared at the front door for what felt like years before I took a deep breath and got out of my car. I pushed the front door open to see ten mats thrown down for sparring and punching bags lining the back wall. There was an octagon in the back corner and I saw Simon sitting in a chair watching some of the guys train. I stood in the entryway for a few minutes before I saw him walk out of an office and look up at me. A devilishly handsome smile crept across his face and his golden eyes shone.

"Hey, Red."

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As for updates, I will update as soon as the next chapter is ready, which means it could be tomorrow or a week from now. Although, I tend to get inspired randomly and bust out a few chapter time. Anyways, thanks for reading and let me know what you think! :)