It's a Kiss

Chapter 15

Clary

Max and I left early for the restaurant so that Jace would not know we were going to spy on him. We sat at a secluded table but near the door so that we can see Jace. He arrived after a while with a beautiful blonde, his fianceé. She is more beautiful than me, so Jace is lucky. I watched them sit together and talk. Jace did not make any kind of moves on her and that made me feel some relief. This is selfish of me because I have to let him go. After lunch, they walked out of the restaurant, and Max and I left a little later, giving Jace a chance to drive home. We went home and I went straight to my room avoiding Jace, but dinner was a family thing, and I would have to see him.

"Clary why are you avoiding me?", he asked after dinner. "Every time I come into a room; you go into another."

"No, I am not avoiding you, Jace, just staying out of your way."

"I know that we can never be, but I do not want to lose you are a friend too."

"Sorry, Jace, but we can never be friends. It would be too hard on me. If you excuse, I am going to bed."

I went up to my room and heard my phone beep with a message. When I looked at it, it was Simon. He wanted to take me to a movie tomorrow. I text him back that I would love to. This is my one opportunity to really let Jace go, and I have known Simon for years. He does love me and is a great guy.

Jace

"Sorry, Jace, but we can never be friends. It would be too hard on me. If you excuse, I am going to bed."

She broke my heart when she said that she will not be my friend. I hate to admit it, but she is right. I really need to let her go. This marriage is very important for my father's company. I made my way up to my room and looked at Clary's door which was closed. Sleep did not come, and I laid in bed staring at the ceiling the only thing that I could see was Clary and our kisses. I have to get her out of my mind and concentrate on Diane and our engagement. Morning came and I had time to kill before taking Diane on our date. I spent the day in my dad's office going over his paperwork to see how bad the finances are. The evening arrived and I got ready for the date. I picked up Diane at the address she gave me and we went to the symphony. Diane was beautiful and wore a nice dress, but all I saw was Clary. After the symphony, we decided to take a walk by the riverfront and as I looked up, Clary is walking with Simon toward us.

Clary

I did my best to avoid Jace. When evening came, I made sure that Simon picked me up while Jace was in the shower. I did not want to see him. He took me to eat dinner and then to the movie. We decided to take a walk by the riverfront, and as we were walking, I saw Jace and his date walking toward us. Simon became possessive when he saw Jace and put his arm around me, holding me tight. We reached each other and stood there for a minute before Jace spoke.

"Hi, Clary. This is Diane Robinson, and this is my friend, Clary, and her friend Simon."

"Nice to meet you, Diane. It is a beautiful night for a walk."

"Yes, it is. It is nice to meet you too, Diane."

"Well, Simon and I need to go. See you later, Jace. Diane, it was really nice to meet you."

I put my arm around Simon's waist as he put his arm around my shoulders, and we continued our walk. I did not notice that tears were trailing down my cheeks, but Diane did notice as I went past her. It is hard for me to let Jace go, but I must. I put my arm around Simon's waist as he put his arm around my shoulders, and we continued our walk. I did not notice that tears were trailing down my cheeks, but Diane did notice as I went past her. It is hard for me to let Jace go, but I must. Simon and I walked to the bridge and stood there looking over the water. He cleared his throat as he was ready to say something.

"Clary, when I asked you to marry me at school, I was really serious. Look, I bought you a ring and all."

"Oh, I need some time to think about it. It is impossible to give you an answer tonight. Will you give me the time, Simon?"

"Of course. I do not want to rush, but only if you give me some kind of an answer."

"I will, I promise."

He walked me home and Jace was waiting up for me. I did not want to talk to him right now but I did not have a choice.

"You went on a date with Simon. What does it mean?"

"Simon asked me on a date and I decided to go out with him. He has been in love with me since we started middle school and has been faithfully following me around. He is good and kind to me, so I thought that just maybe, I can give him a chance. He did ask me to marry him again tonight. This time, he has an engagement ring."

"Did you give him an answer?"

"No, I told him I needed some time to think about it."

"Are you going to marry him, Clary?"

"I do not know. My heart is in turmoil and saying no, but I have to think of my future and right now it is looking very bleak."

"Clary, I..."

"Good night, Jace, there is nothing you need to say."

I walked up the stairs and headed to my room and closed the door behind me. Once I reached my bed, I threw myself on and started to cry.