There was one reason, and one reason only, that Maia was enjoying the blissful view through her apartment window in June. Her parents hadn't insisted she return home this summer. Instead, they'd informed her that they were going on a cruise. Maia knew the cruise included a trip to see her brother during his summer abroad, but she didn't care. It was so much better to be excluded than included when it came to her mom and dad. On some level, Maia knew they didn't mean to hurt her the way that they did. It was more likely that they were simply oblivious to the effects of their actions, unaware of their very obvious bias, and how it affected her. Even so, sometimes Maia couldn't help but wonder if maybe she wasn't as worthy of love as her brother. How could she not think that way, given the way her parents treated them both? It was usually just one thing that really kept her from truly believing it: Jordan. If she was so unworthy of affection, then why had he cared so much? In the end, she'd made a mockery of his love, but that couldn't destroy it's meaning.

To get through the summer, Maia had decided to get a job. It was her last summer before graduation, and it was well past time she waded into the realm of employment, no matter what her mother said. After hours working on resumes, and even more time spent handing them out, Maia had managed to get a job at a local grocery store. It was a little ways off campus, but too far of commute. She'd considered applying to Tim Horton's like Simon, but that would have meant working with Jordan too. Izzy, of course, didn't know what the meaning of work was, and had spent most of her summer lazing about or making out with her boyfriend. There were many annoying things about spending all your time around an obnoxiously happy couple, the worse of which was the singing.

"I love my boyfriend and my boyfriend loves me," Izzy sang as she puttered about.

"I'm Isabelle and my life's perfect," Maia mocked, her patience wearing thin.

"It is, isn't it," Izzy giggled. Maia just rolled her eyes. And Izzy started singing again. "Only three more hours. Three more hours. Simon's off work in just three more hours."

"I wish I was at work," Maia grumbled.

"Oh hush," Izzy scoffed. "Bat's been around here plenty."

"Not nearly so often," Maia replied. "And we aren't nearly so nauseating."

Izzy didn't have a reply to that, but rather decided to continue singing her happy song to herself, a little louder than before as she went about doing laundry.

"Have you heard from Alec lately?" Maia asked as a way of trying to get her roommate to stop singing.

"I got a half assed text reply this morning," Izzy sulked. "I asked for pictures and lots of details, and he just sent back 'busy winky face' Brat." Maia laughed out loud at Izzy's grumpy tone. "The only real replies I've gotten have been about the cats."

"Ah yes, how are the little felines fairing without their daddy and papa?" Maia chuckled, recalling the cat topper on their wedding cake.

"Needy," Izzy said. "To tell from Alec's texts, it sounds like those cats are giving Jace and Clary a run for their money."

"Oh come on," Maia scoffed. "How much work can two cats be anyway?"

"Catsby is on meds," Izzy reminded her. "And it seems Alec has taught them bad habits."

"Like?"

"Like sleeping on faces and kneading heads to get breakfast an hour sooner," Izzy replied.

"Another reason why I'm a dog person," Maia answered.

"Personally, I just don't really like pets," Izzy explained. "More work than their worth."

"Oh yeah?" Maia inquired. "And what does Simon think of pets?"

"Well if Simon wanted a pet," Izzy gave in at once. "Then maybe, but he'd have to look after it." This got a great burst of laughter from Maia.

"Do you want to watch this next episode with me or not?" Maia asked. Izzy pretended to think for a moment, then ditched her laundry to settle down on the couch with her roommate and watch Poldark. Maia had started it up over the summer for something to do, but she was still much further behind than everyone else. They easily killed the three hours before Simon's shift ended watching the show, and before long, Maia heard the door open.

"You know, you could like go home sometimes," Maia called to her friend as she heard him taking off his shoes.

"There's no one to kiss me hello at home," Simon explained with a smile. Maia pretended to gag while Izzy jumped up and did just that.

"Speaking of," Izzy added once she'd unlocked her lips from Simon's face, all the while keeping an arm around his waist. "We have something we'd like to tell you."

"Your sappiness is now so sickly sweet you've become diabetic," Maia suggested. Izzy ignored her.

"Simon suggested and I agreed," Izzy began. "That he should just officially move in here before school starts."

Maia turned to Simon with a sigh. "Haven't I been telling you to go home. If only you'd listened."

"If you'd prefer," Simon began, with a grin. "We could swap, because of course, I know you want to live with Paige and Jordan as they spend the year trying to console Jace."

"I hate you all," Maia glared at them.

"Oh come on," Izzy whined. "He's here all the time anyway, and it's not like I'm asking you to give up your room or anything."

"Hey, I pay rent," Maia said firmly. "Not a lot of rent I'll grant you, but rent." With a sigh she gave in. "Fine," she said. "Living with my two best friends who only have eyes for each other. What could go wrong?"

"Yay!" Izzy cheered, leaping forward to hug Maia who totally failed to avoid the embrace.

"Get off," Maia grumbled, to which Izzy's only reply was to giggle and jump up and down while hugging Maia. She was saved by Simon, who at this time pulled his girlfriend into his arms and thankfully away from Maia.

Leaving the love birds alone, Maia escaped to her room. In a moment of weakness, she got out her phone and texted Bat.

'Sizzy's being super annoying again,' Maia texted. 'How's your day going?'

His reply came back quickly. 'I still think it's strange that you mush their names together, like them together is a different entity then them apart.'

'An obnoxiously happy entity,' Maia repiled.

'Oh come on,' Bat texted. 'Aren't you at least a little happy for your friends.'

'Maybe,' Maia admitted, adding a gumply emoji for effect. She got a laughing one in return.

"What's your boyfriend saying to put that dorky grin on your face?" Izzy voice interrupted her thoughts. Maia looked up to see her roommate standing in her bedroom doorway.

"I think you are confusing me with someone else," Maia answered easily. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"You so do," Izzy scoffed. "Bartholomew."

"Bat," Maia corrected. "He'd kill you if you called him Bartholomew." Izzy raised an eyebrow at Maia as if to make her point. "He isn't my boyfriend. We're just hanging out."

"He likes you," Izzy said. "I bet he'd agree to exclusivity if you asked."

"Maybe I don't want that," Maia shrugged.

"Oh yeah?" Izzy replied. "And who's lining up to take you on, apart from him?"

"Shut up," Maia grumbled. "You are way more high maintenance than I am."

"Am not! Just ask Simon."

"Simon is too smart to disagree with you," Maia told her.

"Simon, tell Maia I'm low maintenance," Izzy turned to call to her boyfriend.

"There isn't anyone I'd rather maintain," Simon's voice called in reply.

"See!" Izzy huffed as if this had made her point.

"That isn't even what he said!" Maia exclaimed.

"Oh whatever," Izzy said with a sharp turn of her head. "Enjoy texting your non-boyfriend then."

"I will!" Maia called to Izzy's retreating back. She turned to her phone to find he'd asked after her day. Maia filled him in on her boring shift at work making chicken pot pies, then explained how she and Izzy had spent the evening watching Poldark.

Maia wasn't sure what to call her relationship with Bat, but it certainly wasn't as serious him being her boyfriend. At the moment, she was enjoying his company, more than that of her two closest friends who had recently become too freaking adorable to spend any time with. Bat had great sympathy for her in this department, as he too knew what it felt like to be friends separately with two people who then become a couple.

"When Gregg was dating Jean," Bat explained over coffee a few weeks later. "He was like that. All gushy. It was hard to watch."

"Try living with it," Maia whined.

"I can see why you wanted to hang out today," Bat chuckled.

"You caught me," Maia said, pretending to hold her hands up in the air as if being arrested. "I am using you to maintain my sanity in the face of extreme cheesiness."

"They can't be that bad," Bat laughed.

"Oh, but they are," Maia chuckled, taking the last sip of her coffee. They made their way to the theater after that. Intending to catch an afternoon showing of the current action movie playing.

"See, that's what I like about you," Bat said. "You have yet to try and make me sit through a chick flick."

"I'm living and breathing a chick flick at home," Maia whined. "Even if you wanted to watch one, I'd veto it." That had Bat laughing as they walked inside. He always bought the tickets and food when they were out. A part of Maia wanted to object to this, but the few times she'd tried, she hadn't gotten very far.

"That isn't how this works," Bat would tell her.

"Can't we split it up?" Maia would asked. "I pay half the time, and you the other half?"

"Not even if you changed those numbers to 20/80," was always Bat's reply.

They didn't see each other every day, or sometimes every week, but even so, they texted often between meetups. A few weeks after their movie, Maia found herself visiting Bat at his place, where she meet Gregg and Steve again, who were Bat's roommates. Just like at the bar, she found his friends to be quite a lot of fun. It was a welcome break from Sizzy. The weather improved with each passing day, and before Maia knew it, July was upon them with classes looming on the September horizon.

"See, that's why I'm so done with school," Bat explained. "Looming classes are the worse."

"No, exams are way worse," Maia replied.

"Yes, those suck too," Bat agreed. They were walking side by side around the edge of campus, the sun shining in their eyes.

"All this time, and I don't even think I've asked you this," Maia realized suddenly. "Did you go to university?"

"No," Bat replied. "Started working right out of high school. The mill pays really well, so why bother with the school first, right?"

"I guess," Maia replied. "I suppose I could have done that too, look for a job rather than prolong my financial attachment to my parents."

"Nah, you said you wanted to be a manager, right?" Bat replied. "So few of them get the education, it will really make you stand out."

"When did I tell you I wanted to be a manager?" Maia asked. She couldn't recall the specific date she'd said this, or even the event itself.

"What? Did you think I spent all this time talking to you, just to tune you out?" Bat chuckled. "I do listen you know. You've mentioned it at least twice."

"Oh yeah, right," Maia mumbled, embarrassed. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and turned to face her.

"You do realize that we've known each other five months, right?" Bat added.

"Yeah," Maia mumbled.

"I just thought you know it was kinda time to figure out what this is," Bat continued awkwardly.

"Are you initiating the talk with me?" Maia asked, trying to contain her grin.

"I've never had to be on this end before!" Bat suddenly exclaimed. "The girl always brings it up first."

"Does that make you the girl in this situation?" Maia smirked.

"Are you being the guy and avoiding the question?" Bat replied.

"Maybe," Maia said slowly as she started walking again. Bat jogged a little to keep up, having stood there for a solid four seconds just staring at her once she'd began to move away.

"Oh, come on!" Bat whined. "That's just cruel."

"Feeling sorry for us girl-folk yet?" Maia inquired.

"Yes," Bat called, but then Maia felt his hand gently hold her arm, encouraging her to stay.

"I like you, Maia," Bat said earnestly. "But you are driving me crazy."

"I'm sorry," Maia admitted. "I just- I don't know if I'm ready for the talk yet. I'm still just that sad drunk girl you met at the bar."

He was looking down at her now, his eyes so intense it was like he was trying to see through her. As he moved forward, Maia closed her eyes, knowing what he intended to do. She felt his lips touch hers ever so gently, before adding more pressure, deepening the kiss.

"Alright," Bat whispered when they broke apart. "But I want you to know that I'm not seeing anyone else, nor do I intend to."

"Technically, I'm not seeing anyone else either," Maia replied, trying to do right by him.

"I'll take it," he whispered.

Guest Review:
I still love this story and wait for every new chapter. I really hope you continue it.

My Reply:
Awws. That's so sweet. Thanks.

As much as I really appreciated all the requests not to end this story, I think many of you misunderstood my author's note in the last chapter. After 123 chapters I worry that the story has gotten boring for readers. I was having some serious 'why am I still writing this' moments, so I thought that if you guys were getting as bored of it as me then maybe it was time to wrap things up. I thought I'd test the waters in an author's note. BUT then after reading one of my old Malec stories to my mom I was able to get back in the head space again and thus changed my author's note to past tense.
As of right now, I plan to finish all the plots I have planned then start to wrap things up. The thing is I still have quite a lot planned so… There is one story line in particular that I've had planned since almost day one that still haven't made it into the story.

Sneak Peek Chapter 124

When one of the little felines wasn't making his legs numb from their body weight they were rubbing up against him or walking across his laptop keyboard. Then there were the time when the cats wanted literally nothing to do with them and if petted would hiss and lash out as if attached. Jace just couldn't wrap his head around why someone would want to live with such creatures.

Apart from the feline squatters, house sitting for Malec had been a great escape. Jace loved living with only Clary. When it was just the two of them, no one cared when he walked shirtless into the kitchen or Clary got out of the shower then spent the afternoon in nothing but a towel. Jace was very fond of the days Clary did this as he could usually get her out of the towel with a deep kiss and soft caress.