James

I set my phone down when I heard my bedroom door open. It was after midnight, so I knew it had to be Will wanting to tell me about his date with Tessa. No one was happier for my brother and best friend than me, but I had other things to worry about at the moment, things that no one knew about.

Will dropped into the beanbag chair in the middle of my floor and I sat up in my bed turning my lamp on. I knew he wouldn't leave until he told me about his date, so I asked.

"Hey, bro," I began in our usual greeting. "How was the date?"

"Well, it got off to a rocky start," he said and I raised my eyebrows in question, encouraging him to continue. "She hated the restaurant."

"Did I not tell you she was going to hate it?" He nodded and rolled his eyes not willing to admit that I was right. "So, what did you do?"

"We had barely sat down when she said something, so we left and got some burgers and went to the drive-in. It was perfect." The smile on his face told me everything I needed to know, but I couldn't pass up the chance to bug him.

"So you took her to the drive-in to make out with her? Classy."

"Don't be an ass." He threw a pillow at my head that I easily deflected. "It was a perfect date for us and she loved it."

"Loved your tongue in her mouth or loved the movie?" I knew I was getting to him, but I couldn't miss the opportunity to knock Will down a few pegs. I knew better than anyone that Will inherited his ego from our dad. I definitely had an ego and I admit it, but Will was Jace Herondale reincarnate.

"Why do I even talk to you?" He rested his head in his hands and I stifled my laughter.

"Because you're a loser and I'm your only friend." I said matter-of-factly. He knew I was just messing with him because it was always a joke between the three of us that we needed to find new friends, but in the end, we didn't need anyone else. We were just fine with our little group. Will shook his head and stood up from the beanbag chair.

"Since you are obviously not taking this seriously, I'm going to bed." He turned to leave and opened the door to my room.

"Will," I stopped him. "I really am happy for you guys. I know I give you a hard time, but just know that I am team Wessa all the way."

"Thanks," Will mumbled before leaving my room and closing the door quietly.

My brother and I had a unique relationship. We were so close in age that we really were best friends. I was just a year younger than Will and Tessa in school. We loved to mess with each other, but in the end, we knew that we would do anything for the other. Will and I definitely gravitated to separate parents when we were younger, but that didn't mess with our bond. Our dad likes to say that the family split up into teams a long time ago, which is true sometimes, but we really were a family unit. I love my relationship with my parents and I wouldn't trade my brother for the world.

Even though Will and I were close, there was one thing even he didn't know about me and she was standing on my balcony waiting for me to let her in. When I was little, my mom used to take me to the studio with her all the time. Aunt Isabelle became a partner in the studio before I was even born, but Isabelle's cousin Gideon had a wife named Sophie, who worked for Mom before Simon and Isabelle even got married. Gideon and Sophie got married shortly after my parents did and had a daughter a few months after I was born named Barbara. Barbara Lightwood.

Barbara fit in with our group when we were little because Gideon and Sophie had become a part of the parents' group of friends. I'm not going to say that my love for her was undying since we were toddlers like Will and Tessa, but I had always noticed her and noticed when she left. Barbara was an extremely talented ballet dancer and was offered a spot in a performing arts school a few hours away when we were eight and the whole family moved so she could pursue her dreams of becoming a dancer.

When she left, I remembered thinking that I would see her again someday. The school was only a few hours away and her dad was Isabelle's cousin. That had to count for something, right? Well, I didn't see Barbara for six years.

A year ago, I was selected by Barbara's school to shoot their annual showcase. The name of the school didn't even register when I got the offer, but I went to the showcase and was surprised when Barbara walked out onto the stage. The pictures I took of her are still some of my favorites. She looked so graceful and beautiful on the stage and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. After the showcase, I went backstage and talked to her. Not only was she a beautiful young woman and a beautiful dancer, but she had the biggest heart I had ever experienced. We rekindled our friendship and exchanged phone numbers.

I went home that night more excited than I had ever been about a girl. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone that I had seen Barbara that night. A few weeks later, Barbara was hurt during a rehearsal and blew out her knee, along with a bunch of torn ligaments in her ankle. She was told she would never have a professional dance career and I had been the only one able to talk her through her tough time. We talked on the phone every night and discussed her dreams and how she felt about not being able to reach them. She made new dreams and began healing with my help.

A few months ago, Sophie and Gideon decided they wanted to move home, so they moved down the street form our house. For the past two months, Barbara and I had been sneaking into each other's bedrooms at night just to talk. Nothing else happened, we just enjoyed each other's company. Was she my girlfriend? I didn't know yet, but we were definitely more than friends. No one knew about any of this and it felt kind of nice having something that was purely mine that no one in my family stuck their noses in. Don't get me wrong. I love my family, but being close means everyone knows everyone's business.

When I heard the light tapping on my window, I knew it was time to let Barbara in to my room. I unlatched the window and held out my hand to help her through the window. Once her feet landed on the floor, our arms were around each other. It was normal for us to just hold each other for a few minutes before we said anything.

"Hey, B," I whispered into her hair.

"Hi, Jem," she mumbled into my chest. She was much shorter than me and only reached my chest. She was also the only person who called me Jem. It started when we were little and she never stopped, not that I wanted her to. "How did Wessa's date go?" I chuckled at the use of their names combined. We had started calling them this, months ago when I told her of Will's feelings for Tessa.

"Apparently, they went to the drive-in and had a great time." I pulled her over to my bed and got settled. It was the same routine every night. I sat down on the bed, leaning my back against the headboard and she curled into my side with my arm wrapped around her.

"Classic." She flung her arm across my middle and snuggled deeper into my side. I reached over to turn the lamp off knowing we were going to fall asleep soon. "I knew she wasn't going to like that restaurant."

"I tried to tell him, but everything worked out in the end." I kissed the top of her head. "Do you ever think about the whole date thing?"

"What do you mean?" She tried to stifle a yawn and I knew we shouldn't be having this conversation, but it was the only time we could and I didn't want to have it over text or on the phone.

"What are we doing, B?" She pushed herself up and turned to face me. It was dark in the room, but I could still see how beautiful she was. "What are we? Are we dating? Are we just really close friends who happen to kiss on occasion? I need you to tell me where we stand here."

"Where do you want to stand, Jem?" She was turning my questions around on me, but I knew what I wanted and I wanted to know what she wanted.

"That wasn't the question, B." She took a deep breath, sitting up and facing me completely before taking my hands in hers.

"As far as I'm concerned, I like you, a lot. I want to be your girlfriend, but we need to tell people about our relationship. I've agreed to keep our nights a secret because our parents would freak out, but if I'm going to be your girlfriend, I don't want to hide it. Sometimes I feel like you're ashamed of our friendship because no one in your family knows about it and I know how close your family is."

"B, I just didn't want them all up in my business. It has nothing to do with you because I like you so much and I want you to be my girlfriend." I made a bold move and leaned forward to kiss her lips lightly. "No hiding it. I don't want to hide you anymore." Her eyes lit up before she closed the distance between us and pressed her mouth against mine, wrapping her arms around my neck while I wrapped mine around her waist. "Wait." I pulled away slightly. "Barbara Lightwood, will you be my girlfriend and meet my family as such and endure my embarrassing and overbearing parents?"

Instead of answering, she nodded and kissed me hard. We had kissed before, but they were always friendly kisses before we fell asleep. This was completely different. We belonged to each other and we knew it. I was hers and she was mine. When we finally pulled apart, I tucked her into my side and pulled the covers up over us. I listened to her breathing as it evened out and she drifted off to sleep. I kissed the top of her head and inhaled her scent. I couldn't believe what had just happened.

There was no way I was going to fall asleep then. My adrenaline was still pumping and my mind was running rampant. I began thinking about introducing Barbara as my girlfriend to my family. I was different than Will. With Will, they knew he loved Tessa when they were seven. It was inevitable for them to end up together and they loved Tessa. Barbara was essentially an outsider, even though our parents were friends. They had been gone for a long time and my parents hadn't watched her grow up like they had Tessa.

None of this really worried me, though. I knew they would have to be insane to not love Barbara.

Thanks for reading!

Okay, so this chapter was one of those moments that something just clicked and I got so excited about it. I knew I needed to do a James chapter and I was wracking my brain about what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted James to get a girl, but I couldn't think of one until I thought of Sophie and Gideon's kids. So, if you were wondering Barbara Lightwood is actually the daughter of Gideon and Sophie, I checked the family tree.

I now this is a bit unorthodox because everyone associates James with Tessa, but I didn't want to have a love triangle between two brothers. Plus, this is James Herondale, not James Carstairs, which is why only Barbara calls him Jem.

So, please let me know what you think about this idea and leave a review...good idea? Bad idea? Let me know! :)