Author: Frosy
Beta: burning(.)x(.)impossibly(.)x(.)bright

The Choice

Chapter 5

Dancing in the Rain

When I was little, I liked going out in the rain. I didn't care if I would get wet and cold. I just wanted to feel the drops slide down my face as I stood under the heavy clouds.

My parents would always ground me after that. They were very strict as far as my behaviour was concerned. My dad was the sheriff of the small town where I grew up before I moved to New York. They controlled everything in my life. I didn't have other siblings. My parents had tried many years for a child until they got me. I remember the last time I was with them in Central Park. It was last year; one day before the accident.

Looking around me, I realised that Jace hadn't told me the exact spot I was going to find him at. One of his texts said it would be obvious, but the park was huge and it would take me a long time to walk through it all. I walked a few minutes with the wind blowing my hair when I heard shouts. This time of year there weren't many people visiting the park. The cold weather was one limitation. I turned my head to the voices and followed them. When I saw the scene in front of me, I understood what Jace had said about seeing him in action. There was a shooting going on.

The shooting stage was placed in front of some bare trees and the models were in swimsuits. I shivered. Just watching them dressed like that in this weather made me have cold shivers down my spine.

"There you are," Jace said as he approached me. He was wearing a thick black coat and gloves. His golden hair was perfectly in place, despite the wind.

"Wow, I never thought that's what you meant when you said I'd see you in action."

"Well, I have other action scenes as well if you're interested." He winked at me. "I'm going to take the pictures now before the models freeze and they sue me for an unhealthy workplace; which would be a first in that area."

"Have you been sued before?" He smiled playfully and went away.

I worked myself towards the tent where a few women were fiddling with clothes and make up. There were models getting last minutes touch ups before they were called in front of the camera. I noticed that there was a familiar face among them.

Isabelle's neighbour Maia was fixing a woman's hair. I didn't know her in person, but I had seen her once when I was over at Isabelle's when she came to complain about the music Aline had turned way up. Other than that, I had no idea why Isabelle hated her.

"Maia can you get me that blue box?" An older woman said to her. She looked up and her eyes searched the box sitting next to me.

"Sure," she said setting down her brush. She came and took the blue box looking at me funny as she delivered the box.

"You're new here." She stated taking the brush and went back to working with the model's hair. "I haven't seen you here before."

"Em... well I'm not working here. I came to see a friend." She raised her eyebrow.

"You're Clary right?" She said and I was afraid she recognized me from Isabelle's apartment. "Jace told me you were coming."

At the sound of his name, many hostile faces turned to me, eyeing me suspiciously. I hadn't noticed before, but the people working behind the camera were all men, except for Maia and the elderly woman. The rest, that in this case were staring me, were models. I felt uncomfortable.

The model's turn came up and she left, leaving me with Maia, who gestured for me to take a seat.

"Thanks. Jace didn't mention..."

"Didn't mention me?" she laughed. "Well, girlfriends don't take it well when they find out that their boyfriend's best friend is a girl."

I smiled at her mostly trying to cover my blush. Jace had been talking about me. "I'm not his girlfriend."

"Just don't sue him too. He's gotten enough so far from the models, although they are the ones that are all over him. But you don't work here right?" she smacked her forehead, "Then, forget about it. So how'd you two meet?" I raised my eyebrow questioning her.

"I thought Jace talked to you about me."

"Yeah, but he's a man. Men never appreciate details." I laughed softly at that. Alec was the exception then. He always liked details. He always spotted small details in whatever aspect of his life. Cleaning the apartment was a nightmare under his eyes.

She looked alarmed as she got up and started storing some of the hair products in a bag.

"Look don't tell him I spoke to you, he'll kill me!" she said half whispering.

"I don't think that will be..."

"Sorry for being late. I just finished with those stupid bimbos and..." he hesitated looking between me and Maia, "Everything ok here?" He asked me and glanced towards Maia, who was now was talking to a guy with purple highlights. I nodded.

"I want you to help me with something. Come on." He said pointing the way, but not before grabbing some hot coffee. "Maia, I need you too."

He guided us through the crowd without speaking further more to Maia, just a few orders that had to do with the photo shooting. I glanced between them and I could see Maia was tensed and Jace relaxed, but the way he kept his hands close to his body gave me the impression that he was nervous. I caught Maia's eyes and asked her a silent question. What's going on? She shrugged.

We reached the trailer and got inside. Eyes followed us all the way there.

"Don't worry," Maia told me, "you'll get used to it." I unwilling smiled at her.

Jace reached the table and opened something that looked like it was full of drawings, bad attempts of them actually.

"I don't draw well, but I hoped that you could help me with that." He smiled at me.

The next two hours I helped him with drawings of what it seemed like tattoos; strange marks of black ink that he wanted on the models. So, Maia grabbed the eye pencils and let me draw them on the models.

"I didn't know that you were planning for this. I could have brought more black pencils." Maia said to him as she gave Jace and me a new pair of black pencils. He and Maia were also painting them onto the models with my help.

"Well the idea just came up this morning." He smiled at me. "But then, I already had the general idea of what I wanted. Perfect opportunity today, since we have Clary and it's cloudy. Excellent scenery."

"So you just wanted me for this?" I faked being hurt and his smile grew bigger.

"Of course not! I enjoy your company you know." He whispered that last sentence to me.

"I think we're done." Maia said and sent the last models outside.

"Just let me finish this one." Jace said and I went to look at his job.

"Very good, but that line needs to be fixed. Here let me show you." I said and I placed my hand over his to guide him. He tensed under my touch, but I ignored it. "Just keep your hand steady and don't take your eyes from it."

He came closer to me. "Like this?" he asked while staring at me as I lead his hand.

"Well, it would be much better if Clary had done all the work. I mean she draws amazingly well!" Maia said and saved me from saying something really stupid to Jace, who was now smiling and finishing his work.

Time had flown quickly, but I didn't care. I was having a good time, even if I was just hanging around drawing some symbols on almost nude models. It ought to have made me feel bad for my slim body without any curves, but Jace's eyes were on me most of the time, giving me his crooked smile I was so accustomed to by now.

Maia was keeping a low profile because she didn't want to give away that she had already introduced herself, so when Jace saw how well we got along he finally told me that Maia was his best friend. His only best friend.

"So how long have you known each other?" I asked.

"Well let me think." Maia started, "I think since I got into my first fight and that was...in 3rd grade. Yeah, about that time, it's actually a rather funny story."

"Don't tell me. He saved you from a bully acting all heroic?" I giggled.

"Yeah, you could say that." Jace said.

"No," Maia went on, "nothing like that. Rather, it was me saving his butt from the school's bully." I just stared back and forth between them, and they started laughing but I could see that Jace wasn't that much interested in sharing that little detail.

"Wow. That's...a new one." I said smiling at him. "I can't even picture it." I said to him and he just shrugged.

"Ok, why don't you go and finish what you started because I'm not sure the models are going to appreciate the reason why you're stalling." Maia said to him. "And I'm going to sit here with Clary and behave." She also said to him when she saw the look on his face.

"I'll get back at you somehow." Jace muttered as he left.

I looked at the time. I was already late for meeting Simon as I excused myself, said goodbye to Maia, and quickly made my way out. I could see Jace in the distance, shouting and trying to keep the models in line and I thought I shouldn't bother him for a goodbye. There was always next time. I could see Jace another time and I wanted to.

Simon was in his sweats when I got to his place with a dozen rainbow donuts. His favourite. I was feeling bad enough for making him go through this and with me being late, the least I could do was bring him some donuts. I stepped in and a strong familiar perfume filled my lungs.

"Is Isabelle already here?" I asked him.

He ran his hands through his messy hair. "Well, you see... Isabelle won't be able to come."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Are you sure about that? Because her perfume is telling me that she was here and not long ago."

"Em..."

"Simon?" I demanded, tapping my foot on the floor like my mother always did when she caught me doing something I wasn't supposed to.

He sighed. "She just left."

"I knew it! I can't believe she just left! She was supposed to help me finish these stupid invitations. How am I supposed to do that?"

"That's what I'm supposed to do remember?"

I stared at him. "What? Oh, yeah, but I never really wanted help by you. I mean don't get me wrong, but your penmanship is awful."

I looked around me. The apartment smelled like Isabelle, but there was no evidence of her. Everything in here screamed Simon. From the large TV screen on the wall with hundreds of DVDs to follow, to the kitchen painted and decorated mostly in the colour red.

"I brought you some donuts." I said waving the bag as I took a seat. "Sorry for being late. So, what's up?"

He took the bag and sat beside me. "Rainbow donuts. How well you know me." He nudged me with his shoulder and smiled. "The comic book is coming out soon."

"Already?" I asked. Simon was sketching and designing an upcoming comic. While we were in college together, he had managed to do a double major in business as well as graphic design. I on other hand had chosen to take some drawing classes as my electives.

"Yeah, it's almost done." He said shrugging and reached for another donut. He didn't seem as excited as he was when he first started it.

"You don't sound so crazy about it." I stole the last donut.

"It's just...now that it's done I'm worried that people won't like it."

"Of course they will." I gave him mild strokes at his back, comforting him. "You've done an amazing job. You'll see. Everything is going to be fine. Has Isabelle seen your finished work? I'm sure she must be excited."

"Yeah, she has seen it, but that doesn't count. She's my girlfriend. She's supposed to love it anyway." He broke into a smile. "But I'm a little nervous to be honest. It's my first huge deal, and I want it to be perfect."

He got up and went into the kitchen. I followed him. I'd always loved his sense of style and design, from his decorations at home to his artwork. His designs were bold and he was never afraid to express himself. The white tile floor went perfectly with the red appliances over the kitchen area.

Most of all I adored the painting over the sink. There were no windows in here, but the painting gave you the impression that there was more than that. It was a simple sketch of a window and beyond that, you faced blue and white waves as the sun illuminated their features. It could be so much better than a real window reflecting the habitual city. The picture woke up inside me the desire to play the piano. I hadn't played for so long. It surprised me though, because I wasn't seeing this picture for the first time. I wondered what caused this craving.