Jace says goodbye to a lot of people when we reach the bottom of the stairs. I'm waiting patiently while he does so, feeling somewhat relieved that none of those people bother or even really notice me. I'm tired, and for some reason I can't wait to be alone in the car with Jace again.
It feels like an eternity until we walk through the front door, and the fresh air fills my lungs. We walk down the road and both take our seats in his Audi.
"So, home it is?" Jace asks me.
I don't know why, but it almost seems as if I'm trying to think of ways I can spend more time with him. I notice my stomach rumbling at the same time, and something comes to my mind right away. I don't know if Jace wants to hang out with me longer than he already has, but I don't want to return to the probably empty dorm room. So I just go for it.
"You know, I have one rule" I say and Jace looks at me intrigued.
"I only ever get to eat McDonalds when I've been drinking. Do you want to grab some food?" I say with a childish grin.
Jace laughs. "Sure, let's go" he says, and I feel instant relief that he says yes.
The drive only takes about five minutes, which we spend in silence. The only thing that can be heard is soft music playing on the radio. I quietly sing along, not caring that Jace can hear me.
"Welcome to McDonalds, what can I get you today?" a friendly woman says through the speaker when it's our turn to order.
I signal Jace that I want fries and he orders a burger and a milkshake for himself. He pays before I can protest and we quickly get our meals, since it's late at night and we're the only ones here.
"All you want is fries, are you sure?" Jace says and raises an eyebrow.
I grin at him. "Yeah, that's enough. Also, I'm a vegetarian" I admit to him.
Jace lets out a playful sigh. "I feared the worst" he says all serious, before giving me a smirk. I chuckle back at him, and we decide to stay in Jace's car to eat.
"So, why don't you normally get McDonalds?" he asks me.
"I'm just trying to stay away from fast food as best as I can. Which is why I made up the rule" I answer, starting to eat my fries.
Jace chuckles once again. "Do you also eat salads when you go out to eat?" he teases me.
"Actually, I do enjoy a good salad very much" I answer smiling, making Jace laugh even more.
We finish our meals quickly, and I have to let out a huge sigh.
"I'm so tired" I say, looking out of the window.
"You know, my apartment is just around the corner. You could just crash at mine, if you don't want to drive back now. I'd know you're safe and not alone. Win win" he offers.
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.
"Jace?" I ask after thinking it through.
"Yeah?" he answers looking up to me, while spreading out his blanket.
"What if I want you to stay with me?" I say, the wine still speaking through me. "I mean... I really wouldn't mind sharing. It's your bed, the couch is probably uncomfortable, and..." I quickly add, trying not to sound too needy.
That just results in me rambling at this point. Honestly, I really don't care if he sleeps in bed with me. I've always been one to love human contact and last night made me feel pretty lonely away from home. I'm going to take what I can get. If that means letting the hottest guy of CSU sleep in his bed with me, so be it.
Without giving me an answer, Jace grabs his pillow and blanket and puts them back on the bed. He puts the covers over himself halfway and looks at me expectantly. I'm glad he doesn't point out my embarrassment this time.
"Are you coming?" he smirks, while patting down on the space next to him.
I chuckle back at him, get under his big blanket with him and lay my head on the pillow beside him. I can't help but wonder if another girl has lied in these exact sheets before. I definitely don't hope so, but I just brush the thought right back out of my head.
Jace and I are both laying on our sides, facing each other. We're close, but not too close. I can feel the heat of his body radiating onto mine, as I scan over the tattoos that cover his arm. I look back at his face and see that his eyes are closed, as he's probably trying to sleep.
"I thought you were tired" he startles me by opening one eye, smirking as always.
Of course he knows I've been staring, but I just can't help myself. Laying here with him is so distracting, and I can't close my eyes to sleep.
"Sorry... I" I can't even finish, because Jace knows exactly how I'm feeling.
"No girl has ever spent the night here, you know? You're the first one I'm sharing my bed with" he admits to me in a quiet tone.
I don't know why he's telling me, he doesn't have to explain himself to me. Yet, his words are making me feel extremely special and I appreciate him saying them. I guess the new toothbrush was a coincidence after all.
I can't help but lift my hand to softly stroke his cheek in response, as a thank you for sharing. My hand returns to its position under the covers right after.
Jace's eyes are soft after my action and I feel that none of us are ready to close our eyes again. The tension between us is definitely there. A good tension.
"So, tell me about your past relationships" he says, propping himself up on one elbow to support his head with his hand. His blanket falls down his torso, revealing more of his chest. As far as I can tell, Jace only has tattoos on his left arm, both hands and fingers. Surprisingly, his chest isn't covered.
"What do you want to know?" I answer, mimicking him.
"You've only been with one guy in your entire life?" he says picking up the conversation we had at the party, with a surprised look on his face.
"Uhm, yeah. I mean I've slept with one guy. He was my boyfriend when I was seventeen" I answer, feeling my cheeks heat up as I'm a little uncomfortable to talk about this topic.
"Why do you emphasize it like that? You've only slept with one guy?" he wants to know.
I knew he would pick up on that. I try to find the right words to say.
"I mean there have been a few other guys that I've... seen, but not slept with. Just a few" I say as my cheeks get redder and redder.
"So, you mean you gave them a handjob?" Jace says and I choke up a little at what he just said.
I punch him on the shoulder slightly and bury my face in the pillow.
"Stop it Jace, you're doing this on purpose" I say.
"Am I wrong though?" he asks, putting his hand on my chin to pull my face towards his.
"Why do you even care?" I answer raising one eyebrow looking at him teasingly.
"I have to know what you've done before, so I can show you the rest. If that's what you want" he says seriously.
From his facial expression I can tell that he means every word he just said, he isn't joking at all. My heart starts racing and I don't know what to say. My cheeks are still burning.
"Don't be embarrassed" he says sincerely, stroking my chin with his thumb. "You'll get used to talking about sex with me" he adds.
I feel lost, completely under his spell, once again. My mouth is dry and my head is spinning when I think about all the things he could do. I wonder how a human can be this perfect and always say the right things. I don't understand.
"I.." I try to start, but can't bring any words out.
"Come here" he says and saves me from embarrassing myself. He lays his hand on my waist and pulls me closer to him.
"Go to sleep, we'll talk more tomorrow" he says, and I gladly obey.
I close my eyes and inhale his comforting scent. This is probably the fastest I've ever fallen asleep, in a while.
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