Chapter 15 - How Was Last Night?

Author's notes: I own nothing save for the storyline, the mistakes, Dahlia, and a new character I'm about to introduce.

I inhaled quietly, hearing the door to the dorm open and close quietly and the crinkling of a paper bag...followed by a chuckle and the distinct sound of a camera snapping a photo. Or, more accurately, a camera phone owned by my roommate snapping a photo. I opened my eyes instantly, turning my head just as quickly to take in Dahlia standing in the doorway, her shoulders shaking from trying not to bust out laughing.

"What the hell is so funny?" I whispered to her, which only caused her to snort in amusement and point over my shoulder.

"Look behind you."

I did just as she asked, and I swear that my face turned as red as my hair. Simon had me curled into his taller body, arms around my waist, and his posture looked like I was almost like his teddy bear in a sense. Curled around me to almost protect me from any danger, like a child with their favorite stuffed toy. And, instead of being annoyed or finding it cloying, I just snorted myself and began to giggle, following my roommate's example.

"Now you understand why I took a picture?" I heard Dahlia ask me, finally managing to calm down, as she picked up the paper bag at her feet, as well as a coffee tray I wasn't aware of. She just snorted once more when I didn't answer, my eyes focused on the caffeine I needed. "Clary. Clarissa!"

"She hates that name, remember?"

Simon's groggy voice made us both look over my shoulder, though I managed to catch Dahlia showing slight relief at the fact I wasn't going to get out of bed and outright tackle her to the floor for the comment and my coffee. His eyes were still heavy with sleep, and his voice was scratchy since he just woke up, but he was smiling, and it was a welcome sight for me to see.

"Yeah, well, she was staring at the coffee and nothing else." My roommate replied pertly, rolling her eyes as she walked over, grabbing one of the cups and handing it to me.

"That's not true!" I protested, before taking sip of the hot beverage and tasting vanilla and cinnamon, just like I liked it. "I was also wondering what you had in the bag!" I heard Simon snort behind me as Dahlia rolled her eyes once again, handing my best friend his own beverage.

"I don't know you as well as Clary yet, so I just went with cream and sugar." She told him, acting as if I hadn't spoken. "I hope that's alright."

"That's fine." Simon assured her, and I knew it was with him. That thing could be full of sugar from the top falling off and he still wouldn't complain about it.

"You could've spit in it and he'd still say it was fine." I cracked to my roommate, before hearing rustling behind me. "DON'T TICKLE ME!"

Reminiscent of last night, Dahlia nearly spit her coffee at the both of us, thankfully managing to restrain herself from doing so. "Oh, that's what you two were doing last night? Or is that just a euphemism?"

I heard Simon choke behind me, and it made me start laughing. So hard that I couldn't actually answer and my best friend had to answer for me. "We didn't...she and I didn't do..."

His answer only made me laugh harder, and even Dahlia looked ready to crack up. "Dude. I was just messing around with you, I know you guys weren't do that."

His head landed on my shoulder, and I just reached back, running a hand through his dark curls, because he was embarrassed, so I had to take his mind off the subject. "Hey, speaking of last night..."

Dahlia just 'pfft'ed me around a mouthful of coffee, waving a hand. "Turns out, he wasn't interested in me. He was interested in someone else." Off of our confused looks, she just snorted again, and turned her attention mainly to me. "We're meeting up for breakfast later. You'll love him, trust me."

"'We' as in...?" I asked her, because I needed clarification on this.

Dahlia shrugged, sipping on her own coffee. "Us. All of us. If you guys want."

"I have nothing else to do. I'm game." I told her honestly, before turning my attention to Simon, head still perched on my shoulder.

"I'm trying to avoid Amanda, and I doubt she'll come around all of us at once since she wants to get me alone, so what the hey? I'll go, too." He replied honestly. "Where are we going?"

"IHOP." Dahlia replied with a shrug.

Simon snorted, and I could feel his attention turn to me, and I knew I had a giant grin on my face. "She likes IHOP, can you tell?" Simon said to Dahlia, not even prepared for my hand connecting with his stomach, making him groan and Dahlia snort.

It didn't take long for us to agree on a time to head out and meet up for the big IHOP breakfast, Dahlia texting Bryce, the guy we thought she hooked up last night but wasn't interested. We were set to leave at 10:30, and it was 9:13 now...which would give Simon enough time to head back to his dorm to shower and change, since he slept in the clothes he wore yesterday, and giving me and Dahlia seconds to spare, since she told me that she was picking an outfit for me.

Of course, since we planned it out like this, something had to go wrong. And it wasn't so much something as someone...seeing Simon walking out of my dorm room, with me and Dahlia behind him.

"Well, well. Fray and you finally did the deed, Lewis?"

The excitement over those plans was replaced by instantaneous dread at hearing his accented voice, coming out of his own room at the end of the hallway, just out of bed himself if his mussed hair and hastily thrown on tanktop had anything to do with it.

"And that's your business how?" Dahlia asked him snarkily right back in return.

"I don't believe I was talking to you." Jace replied just as quickly.

My roommate simply rolled her eyes with an exasperated expression. "Anyone who talks to one of them with me standing right next to them, don't think I'm gonna stay out of the conversation, especially when your slimy ass is around."

Jace chuckled at the insult. "My dear, my ass is anything but slimy."

Dahlia shuddered, looking visibly sick. "Oh, retch. Can you be more full of yourself?"

My worst enemy didn't eve dignify that with a response, instead turning back to my best friend. "Well, come on, Lewis. Fess up. I heard the screams coming from her dorm last night. So, tell me. How is our little firecracker at the nightly activities?"

I swallowed thickly, feeling my stomach rolling at the implications of last night...as well as the interest in his voice. Of course he would think that and not let it go. We could show him video footage of last night and he'd still think we ended up doing more than we did. He just wouldn't quit...

"Why does it interest you so much, Jace?" Simon asked him in return, staring at the blond's smug smirk. "What, do you need pointers on what to do or something? Because I can't help you there." Jace's smugness melted away instantly, as Dahlia nearly doubled over laughing. That one took all of us by surprise, and it was hard to tell who was the most shocked out of all of us.

It even took Jace a few seconds to actually respond to that, after opening and closing his mouth twice. "What makes you think I need pointers from someone lie YOU?"

"Well, you said it yourself..." Simon told him in return, trying to not burst out laughing at Dahlia practically on the floor. "I had her screaming last night. Clearly, I'm doing something that you're not. Funny, since I'm a virgin and you've been parading girls since you were 16..." A dull thud alerted us to Dahlia actually on the floor, nearly doubled over in a fetal position.

Though, this was anything but funny, because Jace looked positively murderous. "Simon..."

But, my best friend was too caught up in actually one-upping Jace to actually heed my words. "...so really. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Me needing pointers from you, not you needing them from me?"

My worst enemy actually seethed, before stepping toward my best friend with a look of pure fury on his face...which made Simon's smugness melt away immediately. "What's the matter, Lewis? Provoke me to the point of violence, but can't follow through on it?" He accented his point with a right hook, which missed, thanks to a quick dodge from Simon.

Dahlia stood up, all traces of amusement gone, and she looked like she was about to kick him between the legs herself. "Get off him, you piece of shit!" She never got the chance.

Since Jace's next punch was grabbed by a tan hand...connected to a guy equally as dark and more muscular than Jace. "We have a problem here, gentlemen?"

If Jace looked murderous, then this guy was the devil himself. He might've been shorter than Jace, but he definitely looked stronger and he looked ready to throw Jace through a wall, And given the muscles he had on him, it looked like he could do it, too. I took note Jace actually gulped and then shook his head, not saying one word. His hand was released by said new guy, who simply sent him on his way with a curt nod.

To my surprise, Jace actually followed it, scurrying back to his room with a dog with its tail between its legs.

"You guys alright?"

As one, we turned to the new guy, though Dahlia walked right over to him and threw her arms around him without any more preamble than that. It was clear they knew each other. Wait...

"Are you the guy from last night? Bryce?" Simon beat me to the question.

"That's right, I am." He nodded simply, giving us all a smile, and holding out a hand, which we both shook. "And you must be Clary? Dahlia's roommate? And Simon, her...boyfriend?"

Immediately, the both of us shook our heads and began to protest, talking over one another. "Oh, no, we're not..."

Dahlia snorted, holding up a hand to cut us off. "Yeah, yeah, you're not dating, don't see each other like that, yadda yadda yadda, we've heard it all before." She grinned up at Bryce. "Thanks for the help, darling."

"Anything for a hot nerd and the sidekicks." Bryce just grinned down at her, and then turned his attention to me and Simon. "So, you're single, then?"

I just gave him a grin, wondering where this was coming from. "Well, yeah...but I'm not-"

"Honey, I wasn't talking to you, though you're adorable in your own right." Bryce told me with a grin, before turning fully to Simon. Oh god, the question was meant for him!

Seeing my gobsmacked, but completely amused expression...as well as Simon's deer in the headlights look, Dahlia just laughed loudly. "Didn't I tell you that you'd love him?"