Maia lived here! How had he forgotten this? Was he really this stupid? Oh yeah, this was a great place to hang out and sulk about the end of his relationship, right where the person he'd cheated with lived. Jordan could have kicked himself.

"I'm sorry," Jordan said into the silence. "I should go."

"No," Maia replied at once. "It's okay. You just surprised me." She was smiling at him, kindly, no anger or pain in her eyes. It was all together rather strange. Jordan had expected a lot of emotions from Maia, but kindness wasn't one of them.

"You sure?" Jordan asked, stunned. Maia nodded.

"Well, didn't this just get awkward," Jace stated matter of factly.

"I'm sorry," Simon began standing up. "I should have suggested we meet up at your place."

"Probably would have been best," Jace whispered, just loud enough for them to hear. "Bachelor pad and all."

"It's really okay," Maia repeated. "I know you guys are friends." She gestured to Simon and Jordan. "There's no reason he shouldn't be here."

"Did you hear about-" Jordan began, wondering if she knew of the break up.

Maia nodded. "Alec told me."

"I see," Jordan said slowly.

"Are you okay?" Maia asked him.

"Not sure," Jordan laughed. "But I do know that I don't deserve your kindness. Aren't you mad at me?"

"What's there to be mad about?" Maia shrugged.

"In that case, maybe we should all watch a movie," Simon chirped in with great enthusiasm.

"I don't care what we do so long as it involves sitting," Maia sighed before walking over and collapsing on the couch. "My feet still hurt from my long morning shift, and to top it off - rather than sit and lecture today - my stupid prof decided we needed to move around and learn by doing. Urg! I bet he wasn't making up deli trays at six this morning."

"How's Alec doing in the sore feet department?" Jace asked.

Maia giggled a little before answering. "He's having scalding hot baths every night to ease his muscles," she grinned. "I know it shouldn't be funny but-"

"It totally is," Jace sniggered. "Don't get me wrong, I love Alec. Best friend a guy could have, but he can be such a spoiled rich kid sometimes."

"And what does that make me?" Izzy huffed.

"You wear heels," Jace reminded her. "I am sure walking in those for an hour is worse than 8 hours in proper runners." He paused, glancing once more at the look Izzy was still giving him. "Anyway, on that note, adios Amigos." He made a speedy exit after that, saying he'd see Jordan back home later.

"Well at least he's been paying attention in Spanish class," Maia laughed.

"I really don't think one has to pay any attention in Spanish class to know the phrase 'adios Amigos'," Izzy scoffed.

"What happened to he's like a brother to my brother," Simon asked Izzy. Jordan felt sure he was missing a joke of some kind.

"Estranged adopted brother," Izzy replied curtly.

"If you say so," Simon chuckled.

"I thought we were watching a movie," Maia whined. She was still sitting on the couch looking tired.

As Izzy and Maia began to scroll through Netflix looking for one, Jordan stood a ways away, unsure if he should just go or sit around for the movie. He couldn't get a read on Maia at all. Either she actually wasn't mad, or she hated his guts and had decided to play it cool. He couldn't help being on edge not knowing which it was.

"Come join us," Maia said, again smiling at him. It seemed they've chosen a movie. Turning his head, Jordan saw that even Simon and Izzy seemed to want him to join them. With a sigh Jordan gave in, walking over to sit on Simon's other side. His mind a jumbled mess, Jordan didn't pay the images on the scream a single moments attention. When it finally ended he hadn't a clue what movie they'd even seen.

Everyone was talking about the actors and events of the film as the end credits rolled. People asked him and he gave answers, but his mind was elsewhere. What was Maia thinking? She should be mad at him... shouldn't she? Did she want to be friends? Was that it? Or was that tiny voice finally on to something?

Less than an hour later, Jordan found himself walking into his apartment with a box of cookies in hand to find Jace sitting on the couch, surrounded by notes. Jordan waved and had intended to just walk past Jace into his bedroom, and plant himself face first into bed when Jace spoke.

"No newly dumped friend of mine is allowed to wallow in their room all night," Jace stated firmly. "Come. Sit." Then he added with interest, "Are those cookies?"

Jordan handed the box over, and Jace began devouring Izzy's cookies at once while Jordan sat on the couch.

"I thought you were on team Paige?" Jordan asked.

"Hey, I'm neutral," Jace protested between great bites of cookie.

"Sure you are," Jordan laughed sarcastically, indicating where Jace had so recently slapped him.

"Hey, if Clary had been here herself to slap you, I would have stayed out of it," Jace stated firmly.

"Alright," Jordan gave in with a laugh. "Shouldn't you be doing homework?" He indicated all the notes and textbooks stron about them.

"Screw homework!" Jace dismissed the idea as he finished the cookies and set the box down. "What happened after I left?"

"Nothing," Jordan shrugged. "Maia was weirdly okay with me being there, and I sat through a movie without taking in a second of it."

"Hmm," Jace said thoughtfully. "That makes me wonder how Maia really feels about you."

"You and me both," Jordan chuckled. "I couldn't get a read on her at all."

"But wasn't that always true?" Jace asked. "I thought she was like impossible to read normally."

"You're not wrong," Jordan replied with a sigh.

"I could ask Alec if you'd like," Jace offered. "It seems he and Maia have become good friends through work."

"That must be awkward for them with Paige staying there," Jordan offered.

"That, I wouldn't know," Jace replied. Then he sighed, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "You guys sure did mess everything up didn't you?"

"Please don't remind me," Jordan whined.

"Still, do you think this will end with you and Maia together again?" Jace asked. "I mean it certainly looks that way."

"It isn't as simple as that," Jordan tried to explain both to Jace and to himself. "Maia and I haven't actually been a couple for years, and when we were, we weren't any good at it. I think that's why she didn't take me back when I first got here. And finally, I know how she felt all those years ago, but we tainted that by hurting Paige, and I just don't know how to get through all that baggage."

"Sucks," Jace said.

"Yeah," Jordan sighed.

"So what now?" Jace asked.

"Well you should do your homework," Jordan reminded his roommate. "And I have a date with my pillow that you are making me late for."

"Eww," Jace groaned. "TMI, man. Too much information."

"Oh whatever!" Jordan scoffed. "You know what I meant."

Nevertheless, Jace continued to tease him. Jordan covered his face with a couch pillow to demonstrate his point.

"Paige bought this pillow," Jordan whined. "Urg, I'm going to bed."

"But I don't wanna study," Jace pleaded after him. "Come back and distract me."

"Good night," Jordan called out as he closed his bedroom door behind him.

As planned, Jordan buried his face in his pillow. What was life if not a space of time used up, and one less moment between now and the next thing. And he could do that. One step at a time, and the world kept turning. There was a going through the motions feel to his actions after that, but it was to be expected. Each day began, and Jordan did everything in the order he was supposed to. Wake up. Dress. Classes. Homework. Jace trying to cheer him up. Sleep. Wake. Eight hours of work while Simon tried to cheer him up. Then night class and dinner. Sleep. Repeat.

He'd only been going through the motions for few days when Jordan returned home to find Paige there. She was very obviously packing up what she hadn't already taken. The colourful throw pillow that had once been on the sofa was now sitting atop a pile of boxes.

"Sorry," Jordan said at once. "I didn't mean to barge in. I can go if you want-"

"This is your place," Paige smiled. "You have every right to be here, and I'm almost done."

It was a relief to hear her speak without anger. Since the day she'd left, Jordan had had a hard time getting that angry look on her face out of his head. She'd never been so much as slightly mad before that day, which had made the shock of her anger all the worse.

"Can I help?" Jordan asked. Paige nodded, and he spent the next half hour packing things into boxes for her as she instructed. They didn't talk about anything other than the task at hand. Though Jordan did ask her if she liked staying with Magnus, and was relieved to find she did. He carried the boxes down to her truck for her. He wasn't gone long, but when he got back, she was looking at him with the strangest expression.

"I won't pretend we are going to be great friends," Paige said softly. "But I don't want to leave it on a bad note either. We can at least be on good terms, rather than at odds."

"That would be nice," Jordan replied. "I hate fighting with you."

"Thanks for helping me pack," Paige smiled before she got in her truck and drove off.

It was as if their one quiet afternoon spent packing together had rewritten the horrible screaming match that came before. When Jordan thought of her now he'd remember the smile on her face as she drove away, and it was a far better memory to cling to. He kept it close as he returned to going through the motions of life.

Time passes rather strangely when you can see only up to the next task you are supposed to accomplish. It is a very 'in the moment' way to live, and yet living like this makes time fly by on gilded wings. Days turned to weeks, and November ended.

December brought Christmas cheer, but Jordan found he couldn't bring himself to be all that cheerful. The hall speakers were playing Christmas songs, and every student was talking about how wonderful their lives would be after exams. Still, Jordan couldn't bring himself to be that enthusiastic about the holidays. He hadn't realized how much of a constant in his life Paige had become. Going to sleep every night in an empty bed made him feel so lonely.

"I miss Clary," Jace whined, not for the first time today. "I wonder what she's doing this very minute."

"You could always text her and ask," Jordan suggested.

"And spend the next few hours anxiously checking my phone for a reply," Jace replied. "No thanks."

"You never know," Jordan smiled. "Maybe she isn't busy right now."

"Let's see," Jace began, counting on his fingers. "Paris is 6 hours ahead of us so… it's like what, 1am there?"

"In that case, you have the answer to your question," Jordan chuckled. When Jace looked confused he added, "Right this minute Clary is sleeping."

"Or she's at some wild party full of hot guys with amazing accents," Jace sighed.

"I doubt she has time for that," Jordan added. "Aren't her exams coming up just like ours."

"Yep," Jace sighed. "Which means I've heard even less from her than normal." He paused for a moment, then added sadly, "I still sometimes catch myself hoping that she's secretly coming to surprise me for Christmas."

"I thought you were going home for Christmas?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Jace dismissed reality. "Don't remind me."

"Just stay here then," Jordan shrugged.

"Mom won't hear of it," Jace chuckled. "I went to Clary's family last Christmas, and even though she went to the Fairchild's last Christmas, mom's determined to have me home this year."

"My Christmas plans are basically work," Jordan summed it up. "Everyone wants Tim Hortons at Christmas it seems, and so I am there to provide."

"Why don't you go home?"

"Had a falling out with my parents," Jordan shrugged.

"Oh right," Jace replied in a small voice. Then added with more animation, "But wasn't that about Maia? Can't you just make up with them?"

"I suppose I could try," Jordan sighed. "But I really don't want to."

"Why not?" Jace replied confused. "I mean it was about Maia, right? And as you said, you two haven't been a couple for years."

"If a parent acts against your happiness once because they think they know what's best for you better than you do," Jordan began. "They will do it again." He paused thinking. "If people aren't capable of, or willing to change, they won't change. Expecting more from those people than they are capable of giving will only lead to disappointment."

"Urg," Jace sighed. "You're more jaded than I am."

Jordan shrugged. "Sometimes life has hard lessons to teach."

"Don't I know it," Jace replied.

Though he'd never put it into words, there was one other reason why he didn't want to make up with his parents. A very small voice inside that was probably the reason why he'd screwed up so many times before. Had it been too long? Was the idea of Maia what had stopped him from letting her leave that day? Or had it been the woman herself that had given him pause? Was the little voice right, or would it forever prevent him from truly moving on?

In the end, it all came down to knowing the difference. What was the difference between being in love with an idea, and being in love with a person?

Hey guys... not really sure what to put here... life s a little in flux at the moment. Not sure when I'll update again. As I'm sure Jordan will agree break ups suck. Since I don't know how long it will be, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of more importance than usual, rather than tease you with a out of context clip. :)

Sneak Peek Chapter 139

"So what are you going to do about John?" Alec asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be studying?" Magnus inquired, turning to raise an eyebrow at his husband.

"You can't just ignore this Magnus," Alec protested.

"I could if I hadn't told you about it," Magnus replied easily.

"He said he's your dad!" Alec exclaimed. "The least you can do is give the guy a chance."

"Said being the operative word," Magnus replied.

"Why would he lie about a thing like that?" Alec asked.

"Shouldn't you be studying for econ?" Magnus tried to change the topic.

"Shouldn't you be calling your father," Alec throw it back at him.

"I don't want to call the strange stalker man who seemed to think he might be my father with no evidence to back it up," Magnus sighed.