The PinUp Coffee Shop

Chapter Thirty: The Petals of Love

"What are you reading?" Jace asked, walking into the bedroom wearing only his pajama bottoms. He fell onto the bed with a soft thud and laid on his stomach, gazing at Clary side long. Her hair was pulled back in a French braid to keep it off of her freshly done tattoo. The same tattoo that she had placed a waterproof bandage on with lotion before getting in the shower. She hadn't taken it off yet as her hair was still slightly wet. "Wuthering Heights? I've always pictured you as a Charles Dickens kind of lady."

Clary chuckled at him with an eye roll. "I do love him too, but this was my mother's copy. It was one of her favorites." She set the book on her nightstand after she marked her place and gazed at her flowers sitting on her dresser before rising and going to the mirror to take off the bandage and to smell her flowers. She gazed at them as she brought her hands to her ear, and slowly pulling the waterproof adhesive bandage off of her skin. She didn't even flinch. She squeezed some lotion into her hand and began rubbing small circles over the fox dancer, and smiled at her flowers and hunching over to smell them.

Jace had given her a bouquet of orange dahlias that morning, stating that he had seen her reaction the first time he gave them to her. It was something he wanted to see all of the time and never got tired of seeing.

"Reading it makes me feel closer to her." Her gaze never left the flowers as she quoted the lovely book.

"'If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn into a mighty stranger.'

"This was both hers and my favorite quote from the book." She looked back over at Jace thoughtfully. "Have I ever told you why I love these flowers?" She gestured at the bouquet beside her as she leaned against the heavy dresser.

"No, I just figured it was because I had told you why they reminded me of you." Jace looked at her curiously. "Was I wrong?"

Clary shook her head with a smile. "Actually, quite the opposite. But there is a bit more to it that that. You see, it also happens to relate on how my parents came to be a couple and part of why I quoted that particular line from the book.

"Valentine Morgenstern was my mother's life when they began their relationship. They had both told me the story of how they came to be; it was incredible and romantic; depending on who you asked. My dad's version was always romantic and slightly fabricated whereas my mom told it as it was, comedic and truthful and sweet.

"A sixteen-year-old boy with fine white hair and dark mysterious eyes only had eyes for the beautiful redhead. All of the girls fawned over his charisma and startling looks, he was like a brilliant light that pulled every moth to him. With the exception of his redheaded young love. He had already known that he loved her. It was your classic love at first sight story. He was a year older and the redhead had just come to the school with her friend for their first year. She had seen him watching her from a far and blushed ferociously and averted her eyes. But she was always aware of his gaze on her. He was always surrounded by crowds of people, boys and girls alike. Girls wanted him and boys wanted to be him, but he never let anyone get that close to him, until he was asked by his math teacher to tutor a boy in a younger class. It was Luke, my mother's best friend. My father jumped to the opportunity, not just as a means to get closer to the attractive redhead, but because he also had a heart of gold and loved to help people. But that was something he hid very well. People always saw him as cold and detached, his father was ill and his health was failing, but no one knew of that either. He grew up fast. When the tutoring turned into a friendship, he began to hang out with the best friends, and they became a trio. But his feelings of love for young Jocelyn never wavered. Luke knew about the truth of his heart, and he told him to go for it. He loved Jocelyn too, but they had tried a relationship once and it had not been successful, but they remained friends. Luke just wanted her to be happy. So, he went for it." Clary turned her head away from Jace with a smile and locked her eyes on the beautiful flowers again.