Different

7.

Butterflies erupt in my stomach at his words. I look at him to see if he's giving me his cheeky smile or if he's being serious. No sign of irony visible.

Fifteen minutes is not that long of a drive, but at this point I'm not sure I'd even find my dorm room. Also, I feel like I'm going to pass out any second, since it's already two in the morning. 

We have already established that he's not going to try anything, so I don't see why I should say no. For some reason, he quickly earned my trust, and right now there's nothing I want more than to spend a few more hours with him.

"My roommate Bree arrived today, but she's probably still out. So yeah, I'd like that" I say honestly.

"It's settled then" Jace says, throwing his trash into the paper bag. 

He starts the car, and shortly after we arrive at a beautiful, modern complex. We head up into the second floor to Jace's apartment. 

I don't know what I imagined, but his place is beautiful. It's a one room apartment with an open space to the kitchen and living room, only the bathroom is separate. He, surprisingly, has an amazing taste in furniture and the little decoration he has. Most importantly, everything is super clean.

"Wow, I love this place" I tell him after shortly inspecting everything.

He gives me an half-smile and only answers with "Thanks". 

Jace disappears in the bathroom and comes back shortly after, with a brand new toothbrush in his hand. He also grabs one of his t-shirts for me to sleep in. 

"Here you go, you can use the bathroom first, if you like" Jace offers, as I gratefully accept the things he's handing me. I walk over right after. 

"There are fresh towels under the sink!" he yells after me.

A brand new toothbrush? I wonder how many of these he has laying around, for the girls he brings here. It might just be a coincidence that he had this lying around, and I decide that there's no need to think about that right now. 

I quickly brush my teeth and wash my face the best I can. I change out of my clothes, fold them neatly into a pile and slip into Jace's t-shirt. I know I'm not wearing pants, but Jace has already seen me in my bra, so who really cares. I brush through my hair with my fingers, trying to look at least a little decent, and go back outside.

"Thank you, for everything" I tell him placing the pile of clothes on a chair.

"Don't worry about it" Jace answers, while going over towards the bathroom. 

When he disappears, I take the time to roam his apartment with my eyes. He only has a few pictures standing around. I see one of him with another man, looking really similar to Jace. Probably his dad. Both of them have the nicest of smiles in the picture. His mom is nowhere in sight. 

Before I can continue any further, the bathroom door opens once again and I abruptly turn to Jace, as if I just got caught doing something inappropriate. 

I notice that he's only wearing his boxers and I try not to stare too much. Or drool. Don't judge me, I had too much wine tonight. 

I try not to let him notice that his appearance is making me feel all sorts of things. He's smirking at me, running his fingers through his hair. He knows exactly what he's doing to me, that's for sure.

"You can sleep in my bed, I'll take the couch" he says, grabbing himself a pillow and a blanket.

I walk towards the bed, sit on it and watch Jace make himself comfortable on the couch.