Fallen Arise

Only If For a Night

The doors slam was almost immediately followed by footsteps, Jace's familiar ones, the scuffing of his boots of the cream carpet of the stairs only stopping until they reached my door. I held my breath as he waited for what felt like an hour before he knocked, loud and clear.

I watched from my bed as the door cracked a centimetre, poking his face into the crack, his tropical blue eyes evident against the summer tan of his skin, a hint of stubble made him look older than eighteen. My eyebrows raised, not saying a word, my mouth twitching in question. He knew me enough to know I was annoyed with him.

"First things first: keep your your morals away from me," He grinned. Eyes flashing with amusement. 

"Hey," I sighed, looking him right in the eyes, my mouth hitching up in the corner to show him I meant no harm.

"You wanted to tell me something," I asked him, closing the book in my hand and laying it down on my boobs, hugging it comfortingly. 

He came and sat next to me, crossing the room in four long legged strides, the mattress sinking his way. 

"No, no, it doesn't matter now," He said, twisting his hands in his lap, a frown creasing his features. 

My heart sunk. 

It did but I didn't want to say anything. Sitting up, I swung my legs over the bed, every move I made made me feel self conscious for reasons I didn't know. I didn't need to be. 

The food I had just eaten sat heavy in my stomach as I stared at Jace, he looked at the floor.

"What did you do?" I ask, curling my hands in the sheets, trying to joke but an underlying fear muted the cheer. 

"I only went for a walk, you act like I murdered someone,"

He smelled like sand and mint gum like he always did, the sand caught in his chestnut hair around the roots, I leant forward to brush it out with my fingers, it felt like the most natural thing I could ever do. He didn't even jump. 

"Thanks," He smiled, the outside of his lips flicking up. 

"Did Eve talk to you today?" He asked, turning to face me with concern in his eyes. I hated talking about what happened with Eve, my ex friend, just the thought made my blood run cold. I averted my eyes warming my frozen hands between my thighs. 

"No, she doesn't even come near me anymore," I tell him, laying back into the pillows, wishing I could ignore everything again. 

"I don't get girls," 

I barked a laugh, "You don't say," 

He feigned shock one hand on his chest, mirroring a laugh, filling the room with infectious comforting noise.

"You'd tell me if they said anything though, right?" He insisted, it wasn't actually a question. 

I nodded.

I watched him as he pushed my book onto the floor without care and lay next to me on my tiny bed. His body pressed up against mine, shoulder to shoulder. We used to do this all the time when we were kids and he didn't want to be on his own, the last time we did this we must have been ten. Until Jace had a growth spurt and couldn't fit anymore. 

"When was the last time you flew?" He chatted, "My wings are killing me,"

We weren't allowed to fly unless Dad was there, he didn't trust us when we were together, but there was only a few situations in which I understood what he meant. Flying with Dad was all about technicality, although I'd seen him and my mom fly a million times, dancing to the backdrop of the moon. I used to imagine me and Jace like that only if it did happen Dad would be there. 

"Months at least, unless you count the time I fell down the stairs last week," I grimaced, remembering the pain, I'd tripped half way down the steep wooden stairs that went down to the beach outside school everyone saw when my food twisted and I fell smack into the cold sand. I can still feel it now. 

"Can't you feel it though?" He reached behind him to rub his back, with his arm pit in my face he continued to rub at the space between his shoulders.

"Move your arm!" I laughed, moving quicker than a cheetah out of the way before the smell came out. Ew.  

"It's man smell," He argues, 

"It's a bloody stinky man smell," I tell him, sitting up to get away. 

"All natural baby," He smiles, sitting up on his elbows. 

His eyes soften, the smile never leaving them, in my head I've leaned in and we're kissing rolling around on the bed the way couples do. But we aren't a couple, we're friends. I'd like to think he feels it too.

Before either of us can make anything close to a move, the door to my bedroom is held open. My Mom on the other side of it, she's thrown on one of my Dad's cardigans -and yes my Dad actually wears cardigans- over the top of her white summer dress. It's getting dark now, she looks pale too, standing in the warm yellow light of the landing, her hazel eyes smiling. 

"Hey," I say, moving to the other end of my bed. 

"Are you coming down, everyones here,"  

My heart jumped with happiness. I loved it when everyone came over, Arriane, Cam, Roland, Annabelle and sometime even Miles and Shelby but they'd just had a baby so they were a little harder count on. This is didn't happen very often, times like this meant I got to hear the stories all over again, some old and some new. I think they liked to meet like in this as a sort of remembrance to everything that happened. I was more of a silent witness through the stories, Jace too, I didn't mind though, they were different every time. Or I just sat with Cam, who liked to pretend he was too cool for a family get together but really I think he loved it

Family is family, only if for a night.