midnight | j.w.

1 3 . g e r b e r a

"Is there something going on between you and my parabatai?" Jace asked suddenly, a frown on his face.

Dahlia was taken aback at the question. "Excuse me?" she said, wondering if she'd heard him correctly.

"You and Alec," he said, turning to face her, "I saw you guys earlier—is there something going on?"

She wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation. Jace thought Alec had feelings for her when, in reality, it was Jace that the boy had feelings for.

"No," she declined, "Trust me when I say that Alec isn't interested in me, at all."

He gave her a skeptical look, playing with the blade in his hand. "Really?"

She gave him a curious look. "Really," she confirmed, "But either way—why would it matter?"

"No reason," he replied too quickly, spinning around so his back was facing her. He placed the blade on the table almost roughly, the sound of metal against wood echoing through the room.

"Jace." she took a few slow steps in his direction, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Why does it bother you?"

Still, Jace didn't turn to face her. "It doesn't," he said stiffly, jaw clenching.

"Okay," she said slowly, nodding and taking a step back, "So, if it doesn't bother you, then how would you react if I said that there really was something going on between us?" she questioned, tilting her head slightly.

"I'd be annoyed," he answered immediately but then flinched. "Because he didn't tell me—I'd be annoyed because he'd kept something like this from me."

"Something like what?" asked Dahlia, pushing him further.

"I don't know," he snapped, spinning around so his gold, anger filled eyes, faced her violet ones, "I don't know, Dahlia, okay? It just irritates me."

"That's not sensible," she countered, shaking her head, "There must be a reason you're getting so worked up about this." she gave him an odd look. "What is it, Jace—what's got you so angry?"

"Nothing," he replied weakly.

She stopped for a minute, trying to figure out what was going on. She studied his body language and his words and thought back to everything she'd learned about him over her three week long stay at the Institute with him and all the sleepless nights she'd spent with him. She wracked her brain for a reasonable explanation to his behavior.

Then, moments later, it clicked.

"Oh," she murmured in realisation, blinking up at him, "I get it," she announced, pressing her lips together.

"What?" he frowned slightly, his eyes flashing with nervousness.

"You're jealous," she said, her teeth clamping down on her bottom lip, "I don't know why you would be but..." she trailed off, her eyes drifting from the floor to his eyes. The intensity of his gaze made her squirm slightly and her stomach flutter.

"Is there something going on between you and Alec?" he asked again, taking a small step forward so his body was only centimeters from hers.

"No," she declined, looking him straight in the eyes and trying to ignore the proximity between them.

"Good," he finally said, nodding slightly.

"Good?" she repeated, the single word only confirming her speculation. Dahlia knew there was a slight possibility that Jace had a crush on her and while the thought scared her in many ways, she was also flattered. She knew that there was also a chance that he didn't like her.

"Yes," he mumbled, taking a barely noticeable step closer, "Good."

"Why?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Why're you jealous, Jace?"

"See, there's this girl," he said quietly, "I haven't known her for very long, barely even a month, but I'm afraid she's got me under a spell of some sort—perhaps the warlock she lives with taught it to her. She's driving me insane."

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows. "She sounds scary."

"On the contrary." He chuckled. "She's actually quite graceful and beautiful—although, I think, if you get on her bad side then she could be rather scary."

"And a spell, you say?" mumbled Dahlia, "What does it feel like?"

"Every time she walks into a room," he said, his breath quickening and his pulse going erratic, "I lose my breath—she makes me unable to think or even speak properly when she's close. Not to mention, my heartbeat goes wild—I don't think it's natural."

"You really have a way with words." She smiled. "Don't you?"

He shrugged. "I guess...I'm just telling the truth, that's all."

"So this girl," she said quickly, "What would you say if she said that she felt the exact same way about you?"

His face stretched into a wide smile, his eyes lighting up noticeably. "I'd say that she's insane for liking me."

"Jace," she said, reaching forward and brushing his hair away from his face and leaving her hand to rest on his cheek, "You're amazing, extraordinary, and I really like you."

"And, if I haven't made it clearly already," he mumbled back shyly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I really like you, too."

They fell into a comfortable silence, standing unexplainably close to one another. Jace wanted to be closer, he wanted to kiss her and feel her body against his.

"Dahlia?" he whispered and she hummed quietly in reply, "Can I—may I kiss you?"

She looked up at him through her lashes and slowly nodded. He leaned forward, his hand placed lightly at the back of her neck, and pressed his lips to hers gently.

Both of them were inexperienced but they somehow knew what to do. Dahlia wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as she moved her lips against his.

She smiled into the kiss before they separated briefly for air. Jace moved his hands from her neck down so they rested on her waist. Dahlia stood on her tiptoed and kissed him deeply.

"Wow," whispered Jace once they'd pulled away from one another.

"Wow," Dahlia agreed.

"Jace!" Isabelle opened the door and stepped in but quickly stopped when she saw the two of them. She winked knowingly and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Jace blushed brightly and Dahlia threw her head back laughing and for the first time he noticed the difference between her real smile and the one she wore everyday.

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A/N another short chapter, I'm sorry. Hope y'all liked it though!

Q: which continent do you live on (in?)?