Chapter 26

A tranquil silence wavered between me and Jace. I tried to keep my gaze on anything and everything that wasn't him. My heart was beating unruly against my chest, thudding with every second that passed. Within such a short time span, Jace was already infiltrating my emotions yet again.

I did not know how much time passed before Jace finally said something, but it felt like forever. "So, how have you been?" he asked, breaking the silence.

I jumped at the suddenness of his voice, but I quickly recovered once I realized that he was looking at me. Clearing my throat, I gathered up everything that has happened these past few months in my mind and mustered a small smile. "I've been alright." I started, crossing my legs as I turned to Jace. "My dad finally called me in February and has been keeping in contact every week since then. As stupid as this sounds, every Sunday night at nine, I wait by the phone."

"That's not stupid," Jace smirked, "it's cute."

I stared down at my lap, smiling as I felt my cheeks get warm. "Well, he apologized for keeping out of contact and promised to visit in the summer." I paused, testing the limits with my next statement. "I really want to bring him to that diner you took me to a while ago. The one with the cookies and cream milkshakes you got for us."

Fearing for the worst, Jace surprised me when he smiled. "You remember that?"

"Of course I do." I assured. "Best milkshake, ever."

"Are you sure it wasn't memorable because of the company you had?" he teased.

Nodding, I said, "Well now that I think about it, the waitress was really nice."

Jace chuckled, and the sweet symphony of his laughter reminded me that this was all in the past. Whatever relationship Jace and I once had only existed at this very moment, and the second we stepped back into reality, it would be ripped from us. The thought of us becoming strangers again sent an aching pain to my chest, and judging by the glint of sadness in Jace's eyes, he felt the same way I did.

Standing up, I smoothed out my dress as I avoided eye contact with Jace. I knew that the second I stared into his orbs, I would be trapped. It took everything inside of me to resist him.

I just couldn't deal with the heartache and pain- not again.

"Well, I think our dates are waiting for us." I said quietly. "We should go back now."

Facing away from Jace, I took no more than three steps before I was stopped.

The heat from Jace's hand burned against my wrist as he held onto my arm tightly, like his life depended on it. For what seemed like the longest time, we did not speak, nor did we move. I let Jace hold onto my arm, filling my body with warmth as a chilly breeze swept past us.

Then suddenly, in just a split second, Jace pulled me toward him. His chest hugged my back as my eyes widened at the sudden movement. Placing his chin on my bare shoulder, Jace wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Princess," he whispered, the feeling of his breath on my skin sending shivers down my spine, "did you not hear me when I said I missed you earlier?"

I hesitated, gulping before I nodded slowly. "I-I heard you."

"Then why are you leaving?"

Tears welled up in my eyes as I rapidly blinked them away. I couldn't shake away the feeling of total completeness as Jace tightened his hold on me. All this time spent away from him made me realize just how much I needed him, and the thought of needing someone this badly scared the shit out of me. It was as if months of ignoring these feelings had finally caught up to me.

"We can't be together, Jace." My voice strained as I inhaled a sharp intake of air. "You need to let me go."

Spinning me around, Jace gripped onto my waist as he leaned closer. His eyes hinted frustration and confusion. "Why the fuck not?" he asked. "Don't you see, Everly? I want to be with you."

Closing my eyes, a dreadful tear finally escaped as it rolled slowly down my cheek. Wiping it away quickly, I attempted to hide my shame. "Too much has happened between us and I just don't think it's a good idea that we-,"

"No." Jace cut me off. "That's not a valid reason."

I stared up at Jace, examining every beautiful feature of his face. I smiled sadly, feeling a familiar rush of love in my system. "I'm just scared to get hurt again, Jace." I whisper. "I know that is a selfish reason, but there's also the fact that I can't come in between your family business with Christiana's family."

Jace brushed his thumb against my cheek softly, shaking his head. "Fuck the family business deal." He cursed, making my heart race. "I promise I won't hurt you again, Everly. All I want is you."

Jace takes a hold of my hand, bringing my knuckles to his lips. He gently kisses my hand before lacing his fingers through the spaces of mine. "I'm in love with you, Everly."

I let out an inaudible gasp as my heart skips a beat. I stand frozen in my place as Jace stares at me with passion burning in his orbs. He's never looked at me this way before- he's never looked at me with so much love glistening in his eyes.

These past few months have been hell and back for me without Jace, but hearing him say those words almost makes up for the lost time.

I feel myself holding my breath, opening my mouth to tell him that I was still in love with him. But instead of doing so, a voice interferes. "Ev, what's going on?"

Immediately, Jace and I spring apart from one another. I take a step back, feeling cold and empty without Jace's hold. Looking up, my eyes meet Cooper's as he stares back at me with confusion.

"Nothing," I lied, "what are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." Cooper snapped, slightly angry as he runs his hand through his hair. "I was looking for you."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I shifted my gaze to the ground, well aware that Jace was staring intensely between me and Cooper. "I told you that I needed some air." I attempted to make an excuse.

"Yeah, you sure looked like you were getting a lot of air being pressed up against Jace like that." Cooper said sarcastically. "Are you forgetting that you're my date?"

I gulped, preparing myself to apologize for ditching Cooper. But before I could, Jace spoke. "Hey asshole, you have no right to speak to her like that."

Cooper takes a dangerous step forward, tightening his fists. "She's my date, Wasson." He hissed. "Fuck off."

"Well she didn't run off from you for no reason." Jace remarked.

I knew I had to step in before the two ended up killing each other. "Stop it." I snapped, pushing the two apart. "You guys are arguing for no reason."

Jace glares at Cooper before his gaze turns back to me, eyes softening. "He doesn't deserve you, Everly." He whispered.

I close my eyes. "Jace," I breathed, "can we talk later?"

He leans closer to me, pressing his lips against my forehead. Jace allows for his lips to linger there for a few seconds before pulling away, offering me a small smile. "I'll save you a dance, princess."

I watched as the back of Jace's figure got smaller and smaller until he took a right, disappearing back to prom.

"What the hell was that, Everly?" Cooper says with exasperation, the sound of his voice reminding me that he was still there.

"Jace and I have a complicated history." I tried to explain myself. "When I came here for some air, he followed me. We just talked, that's it."

Cooper places his hands on both sides of my waist, staring down at me. "He's in love with you." He says lowly. "But, I think you can do better than him. You should be with me."

Avoiding his eyes, I stare down at his shoes. "Cooper, we just met a few weeks ago." I mumbled. "And you only asked me to prom to forget about your ex-girlfriend."

Pulling me closer, Cooper engulfed me into an embrace. "I know, but I really like you." He says. "Just give me a chance, Everly."

*

Returning back to the party scene, the dance floor was completely packed with prom-goers. My eyes scanned the sea of different colored dresses and ties before spotting my target- Jace. He was sitting under the pergola, arguing with Christiana. Observing from the distance, I noticed that Jace looked fed up while Christiana looked angry. I debated to myself as to whether or not it would be a good idea to approach them, but my feet decided to move on its own.

Christiana seemed to notice me first. "Everly," she snapped, "we had an agreement."

"Whatever agreement you had with her is off." Jace spoke for me. "I'm done pretending to dating you, Christiana. I don't give a fuck what happens to our families' businesses."

I felt bad for Christiana, fully aware that she still had feelings for Jace. She bit her lip, shaking her head. "You don't mean that."

"I'm sorry, Christiana. I stopped loving you the second you cheated on me. I made a mistake agreeing to pretend to be your boyfriend." Jace mumbles, grabbing my hand as he leads us to the dance floor.

Turning around, I see Christiana staring at us with disbelief. "Jace!" she shouts before her voice is drowned by the music.

Jace takes us to the center of the dance floor silently, holding my waist firmly as I loop my arms around his neck. He pulls me close to his body as we sway slowly to a soft tune by Ed Sheeran. A minute into the song, I decide to ask, "Are you okay?"

Jace stares at me, nodding as he smiles down at me. "I'm great, princess." He whispers. "Are you?"

Staring up at the twinkling stars that replace the generic disco ball, I couldn't help but notice that the shine is identical to the glisten that is in Jace's eyes as he looks at me. Surrounding us are couples, moving in the same, steady sway as we are. However, with all of these people and all of these things surrounding us, I only see Jace.

I can only see Jace and his bright eyes, and the way he's looking at me.

"Yeah," I nod, "I feel amazing."

Jace grins. "I have a confession to make, princess." he says quietly.

"Do you do your eyebrows?" I guessed, reaching up to run my fingers over his brows.

"What?" he smirked. "No Everly, I am all natural."

"Damn, why do guys have naturally nice eyebrows?" I questioned to myself before turning back to the original topic. "What's your confession then, Wasson?"

Jace takes me by surprise as he snakes his arms around my waist, pushing my back towards him as he hugs me. Resting his chin on the top of my head, he holds me securely. "I've wanted to dance with you at prom since the first time we met."

I pulled back from his embrace, studying his features to see if he was bluffing. Once I realized how serious Jace was actually being, I burst into a misfit of laughter. "Really, Jace?" I chuckled. "How cheesy can you get?"

Knowing that I was caught off guard, Jace gently grabs my chin. Before I knew what had happened, my lips were on his. He kisses me for a split second, sending waves of electricity throughout my entire system, before pulling away all too fast.

Staring down at my wide eyed expression, Jace grins. The song had ended by now, being replaced by a quick-paced one, and he leans down so that his eyes are staring directly into mine. "I can be very cheesy."

~

Hi everyone!! Guess who finished all of their college essays and sent in all of their applications? I am really happy that I those over with because I can now focus more on writing. :)) Hope everyone enjoyed Christmas, and Happy New Years! Love you all.