Clary was watching the faces of every female within four meters of her boyfriend, because half of them were checking him out. There was a group of girls who looked to be on a sports team of some kind in the corner who all had their eyes on Jace, unless of course, they were looking at Simon, but somehow Clary doubted it. She didn't have that kind of luck. Clary watched as a few of them whispered, pointing in Jace's direction, acting like they were trying to decide who should get up to talk to him first.
Clary had to resist the urge to get up and attached herself to Jace's arm like a parasite. Being super possessive wasn't attractive. Instead, Clary took a few deep breaths and reminded herself that at least today Jace wasn't looking at the girls checking him out because he was talking to Simon. She was thankful Jace returned to her before any of the girls actually went over and talked to him. Clary greeted Jace with a quick kiss as he sat at their table across from her.
"Did you find out what Izzy was up to?" Clary asked.
"Yeah," Jace replied with a strange look on his face that Clary couldn't quite place. "She's interested in Simon."
"That's great!" Clary exclaimed. She wanted nothing more than to see her oldest friend happy with someone else, not just for him, but for herself as well. Seeing Simon happy would eases her guilt.
"Not so much," Jace disagreed. "You know how I was before I met you?" Clary nodded, thinking to herself about every time Jace had been hit on or checked out by a woman, or even a few guys. She could imagine only too easily him flirting back and taking them home. "Well Izzy is kinda like that. I tried to warn Simon that she will probably stomp all over his heart in high heels, but Simon very wisely reminded me that I was being a hypocrite." Jace smiled at her, but all Clary could think about was his being a hypocrite. What did that mean?
"Are you done with lunch?" Jace asked. "I thought we could go bowling or something?" Bowling might be a safe bet, though Clary suspected even there, she'd encounter at least one person Jace had slept with. The only thing that calmed her down was thinking about her halloween costume. Clary had felt so close to Jace when she'd arrived at his house in nothing but a coat and lingerie at the start of the school year. She'd felt somehow more secure when she'd seen him take in her skimpy outfit. She wanted to feel like that again.
"Or we could just go to your place," Clary suggested. Jace gave her a strange look, and the anxiety in Clary's stomach tightened.
"Are you sure?" Jace asked.
"I'm sure," Clary said firmly.
"Because you know I'm happy to go out in public with you right?" Jace continued, looking a little confused. Clary laughed lightly and kissed him on the cheek before she once again assured him she wanted to go to his place. Clary had a little something stashed away in her purse and was eager to show it to Jace, even if it wasn't as amazing as her halloween costume. Her boyfriend gave in, and walking hand in hand, they headed back to Jace's place. Soon after they arrived, Clary went into the bathroom and put the silky lace on under her clothes. Then Clary suggested they watch a movie so she could snuggle in close beside him on the couch. About halfway through the movie, she started trailing her hand along Jace's chest, then down into his lap.
"Clary even through my jeans that is very distracting," Jace muttered, but he was grinning.
"Maybe that's the point," Clary replied grinning.
"What is with you recently?" Jace asked. Clary's heart sank. A million things ran through her mind. Was Jace bored of her? Did he want the other girls instead? Jace leaned forward and kissed her gently before adding. "You are just always in the mood lately."
"I'm on the pill now," Clary explained. She was indeed taking birth control every day, which was making seducing her boyfriend all the easier. "So why not right?"
"I suppose," Jace smiled at her. Seizing her chance, Clary maneuvered her fingers until they were in under the waistband of his jeans. She loved the gasp of surprise that escaped him as she held in her hand the evidence that he was attracted to her. Clary loved it when it was like this. She loved feeling like it was her that made him this way. Only her, though she knew that to be irrational and wrong. But in moments like this, it felt that way, which was what mattered. Clary straddled his lap, kissing him as she felt his hands at her waist. Even through his jeans she could feel him press against her inner thigh. Even before she'd developed feelings for Jace, Clary had been attracted to him. It eased her anxiety when she felt like he wanted her too.
As they struggled to remove each other's clothes, Jace discovered the pink silk slip she was wearing. It was skin tight, crotchless, and strategically see through in other places. The sleeves were short, and the fabric so thin she could feel his warm touch through the sheer material. Jace's shirt lay on the floor, his pants around his ankle. Clary was down to just her lingerie when his fingers found their way under the lace through the opening in the back. She had him there on the couch, straddling him first, before he flipped them over with a smile on his face. She felt his fingers trace over her skin as she whispered his name. Why couldn't she feel like this all the time? Why was it that Jace only felt like he was hers when he was inside her? Clary cried out as they finished together, still on the couch.
"Oh Clary," Jace smiled at her as he stroked the side of her face. Clary had seen that look on his face before, but she had no idea what it meant. It lasted only a few moments. Then as they were getting dressed Jace laughed, talking about how Alec probably hadn't intended this use for their shared couch.
After that, Clary settled for putting her head in Jace's lap while they finished the movie. When Alec returned home he did indeed have something to say about the couch, though only because Jace made a joke about it. As Clary had always suspected, she and Alec were getting along better every day. Though she supposed they really didn't have much of a choice, as they were each dating the other's roommate and best friend.
Clary had an evening class tonight, which meant she had to say goodbye and leave before dinner. As she sat through three hours of lecture on the great artists of the renaissance, Clary tried and failed to stop her mind from wondering. She had never been so excited for Halloween before. It wasn't for a few weeks yet, but she already had her outfit all picked out, though she'd gone through quite a few before deciding. She could have been a scantily clad cat, or a naughty nurse, or even a playboy bunny. However in the end Clary had chosen to dress as a beer wench because of a movie she and Jace had watched together. Jace had commented on the outfit saying sometimes it was sexy to see less skin on a girl if the clothes were done right. So Clary now had in her possession a brown leather corset and a cream coloured peasant style top with capped sleeves. Her skirt was hunter green colour with brown detailing around the edges. She had a pair of brown leather knee high boots to finish off the look as they matched the detailing on her skirt. Clary was counting the days till Halloween, excited to see the look on Jace's face when he saw her.
Her life at the moment consisted mostly of class, homework, Jace and Magnus. Living with her best friend meant that it was far easier to find time to hang out with him. They were far more often than not to be found in their pjs watching rom-coms on the couch. Clary loved being out of dorms, but it was living with Magnus she loved most. There was something different about living with someone than just spending all your time with them. It was subtle, but it made all the difference in the world.
Alec often slept over at Clary and Magnus's place, though since Alec usually had class early in the morning, he didn't often stick around past eight am. Clary therefore, was surprised to see Alec cooking in her kitchen on Halloween morning close to nine o'clock, and so it seemed was Magnus.
"Are you skipping for me, Alexander?" Magnus mused as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend from behind. Alec was standing in front of the stove, but Clary could still see them from where she sat at the dining room table.
"Class was cancelled," Alec explained, then added in a teasing voice. "Just because I love you doesn't mean I'd skip class for you."
"Is that so," Magnus teased back. "Well then maybe I should find someone else to love." The tone of their voice was so affectionate as to make their words comical. "Someone who would skip class for me." Alec laughed, then turned in his boyfriend's arms and planted a possessive kiss on Magnus's mouth. Sometimes when Clary watched Magnus and Alec together, she wondered what it would be like to love someone who didn't have such as promiscuous a past as Jace. Sure, Magnus had more experience dating than Alec, but it wasn't like he'd gotten lucky with a different girl every weekend for years. Also when Clary heard them say they loved each other, she couldn't help but wonder if Jace loved her.
She turned back to her homework as she listened to them continued to be super adorable. Even if all her insecurities and worries were valid, it wasn't like thinking about those worries and insecurities all day would help anything. Oh how she wished she could think of something else. Her thoughts were still being uncooperative when the happy love birds joined her at the table then, bringing Alec's homemade breakfast with them.
"Speaking of break ups, I'm really glad you didn't dump Jace," Alec commented as he placed a plate of french toast beside her. "And not just for his sake but for mine. I dread to think of the miserable mess I'd be living with if you'd dumped him."
"Umm," Clary began not sure how to respond since the comment made absolutely no sense to her. Alec had been facing away as he'd spoke, but now he turned to her and studied her expression. Clary felt like an open book under his intent gaze.
"You never even came close to dumping him did you?" Alec stated more than asked. Clary shook her head.
"Jace thought I was going to dump him?" Clary asked dumbfounded. It was just occurring to her how serious Jace had been when he'd asked her if she blamed him for her running into Sebastian again over the summer.
"Yep," Alec replied. Magnus was sitting on Alec's other side, happily eating his french toast and no doubt listening into their conversation.
"I had no idea," Clary whispered. "Why the hell would I dump him? If anyone was going to do the dumping, it would surely be the other way around." To Clary's great surprise, Alec started laughing so hard he couldn't breath. Clinging to Magnus for support with one hand, and holding the knot in his stomach with the other, Alec tried and failed to catch his breath. He was very soon in danger of falling head first into his breakfast.
"If someone held Jace over a cliff and said they'd only let him live if he dumped you, I am 100% certain Jace would die," Alec managed to say through his laughter. "Hell, if someone told him you were his sister I doubt it would mean much to him."
"Gross," Clary said pulling a face at the thought of dating her brother. "Alec, I have a brother and that made my head go to a disturbing place. Please don't ever say that again." All this did was make Alec laugh even more. He was barely breathing at this point and would have probably been on the floor if Magnus wasn't supporting him.
"Really Alexander," Magnus sighed, shaking his head at his boyfriend who was clinging to his shoulder, so as not to fall off his chair. Then he turned to Clary and added, "Why do you think Jace would want to break up with you Clary?"
"Jace gets hit on a lot," Clary explained. "And when I say a lot, I mean like all the time. It doesn't matter where we are. We went to a nice family restaurant once, and I was so sure it would be fine, but then the waitress made some snarky comment about how the last time she'd seen him, they'd been in handcuffs."
"Wow, that's an image," Magnus replied, with wide eyes.
"Yeah I know," Clary grumbled. "It won't leave my head. That and all the rest, like the girls who were giggling in the library and batting their eyelashes at him just a few days ago. Sometimes they are bold, and literally hit on him while I am standing right there!"
"I get why that would suck," Alec began. He seemed to have sobered up some now, though still looked highly amused. "But Jace loves you Clary. I bet he doesn't even notice those other woman at all."
"I know he sees them," Clary said. "He looks them up and down sometimes like he's checking them out. And he's never told me that Alec."
"Told you what?"
"That he loves me," Clary replied, awkwardly. It was a hard thing to admit out loud.
"Wow really?" Alec looked so surprised, Clary had to admit she felt a little better. Alec was Jace's friend and roommate after all. Surely, he'd know if she was way off base here.
"I don't know if you've realized this," Alec explained with a grin. "But Jace is dense. Sure, he's my friend and all, but he's also a total idiot most of the time. Just ask him point blank if you want him to say it. I bet Jace thinks he's already told you."
"He can't be that dense," Clary disagreed.
"Oh, believe me he can," Alec laughed.
"I will have to agree with Alec on this one," Magnus added.
"When we started dating," Alec began gesturing to him and Magnus. "Jace was worried I'd stop being his friend because we were no longer both miserable. Trust me, he's dense."
Clary thought of asking why Jace had been miserable, but decided against it when the topic shifted with the arrival of the cats. The Great Catsby and Chairmen Meow choose that moment to jump up onto the table and demand attention.
Clary thought about their conversation for the rest of the day, but no matter how sure Alec was, she just couldn't believe it completely. Also the idea of asking Jace point blank if he loved her or not was too terrifying to comprehend. Instead that night, Clary put on the Halloween custume her mother would have sent her into a nunnery for wearing, and seduced her boyfriend.
The problem with draw out interwoven plots is that sometimes you have ideas for chapters so far ahead you haven't even got notes for them yet! This sucks only because you have to somehow find the motivation to write all those chapters to get to the point first. #StrangeWriterProblems lol
Also… one chapter a week is fucky slow as shit! Pardon my french but what does one do with time if one isn't writing 2000 words a day? Before now I never wrote ahead more than was needed for a sneak peek so the fact that the next chapter is not only finished, but also edited and it's been finished and edited for over a week is just insane! Plus I have pieces of the followed 3 chapters started too.
Though I do confess writing ahead is a little liberating. I mean now I can put more time into each chapter, and like my life. Which this last year I seem to have totally forgotten all about. Lol Free time used to automatically equal writing time, but now there is a whole world of possibilities available to me ranging from television and baking to friends and get this: leave the house! OMG what a concept!
Slowly down is also probably a good idea since my hands have finally started rebelling against the constant typing. (I've published an average of 43,000 words a month for the last 15 months... yes I did the math and I see carpel tunnel in my future...) When typing is your job, your hobby and 80% of your social life this kinda thing is bound to happen. I have started doing strength exercises with my hands so they don't get sore. Also had to change the tilt on my keyboard. #TypingTooMuch
Sneak Peek of totally finished and edited chapter that I am being super mean and keeping from you for a whole nother week... aka Chapter 61
"That has to be the most laid back Halloween I've had in years," Magnus commented while they were making breakfast.
"We handed out candy," Alec replied.
"Yes, but without getting drunk," Magnus chuckled. "And we were in bed before midnight."
"We weren't asleep at midnight though," Alec reminded his boyfriend with a smirk.
"Still," Magnus replied calmly. "A rather chill evening."
"Did you want to go out?" Alec asked. "I wouldn't have minded." Magnus hadn't mentioned anything about wanting to do something more for Halloween, however, now Alec was worried he'd missed some kind of subtle hint.
"That isn't what I meant Alexander," Magnus spoke softly, his tone relaxing Alec again, and when Magnus turned to face Alec, he was smiling. Magnus kissed him gently then looked Alec in the eyes as he spoke. "I liked our quiet night in. I was just commenting."
PS
OMG I SO WANT TO GET TO 300 FOLLOWS! THIS IS AWESOME. Please please please follow my story! *Hugs*
