Roommates & Soulmates

Simon's Reason

Simon knew he'd been an idiot the moment Maia walked into his apartment. He could sense the awkwardness in the air as Maia saw Paige with Jordan. Simon wanted to hit himself over the head. Before he could do anything however, Maia walked over to Jace, who was still sulking in the corner, and sat beside him. For the moment, it looked like this wasn't about to blow up in his face. Oh, when had his social life gotten so complicated that he had to be careful who he invited to what?

Despite the fact that this party was technically about him, it felt to Simon like it was about Izzy. She was all but jumping up and down with happiness, and talking about how she wanted to burn his sling. Simon put a stop to this idea, but her enthusiasm made him smile. Simon admired the energy Izzy attacked life with. He, himself, seemed to passively let life go by, but not her. Maybe that's why they worked so well together.

It wasn't long until Maia left. Frankly, Simon had been surprised she'd come at all. Maybe Simon should have done more to get those two back together, if only for his own convenience. Then again, Simon wasn't sure what had Maia all tied up in knots, since she'd had more than one opportunity to win Jordan back in the last year. It was all rather exhausting, and Simon decided to just be happy his own love life was finally simple. Well, simple in every way, except that he and Izzy still hadn't slept together since becoming an actual couple. Simon could sense that she wasn't going to bring it up, that she was waiting for him to make the first move. It was nice to think without so much pressure, and he was grateful to Izzy for her patience.

If he wasn't testing Izzy, then what was he waiting for?

Simon knew how much he adored her, but he wasn't yet sure if he loved her. For such a small thing, it seemed to make all the difference in the world. Was that it? After so much sex without love, was Simon waiting because he wanted to be with someone he loved, who loved him the same way in return? And if so, was that so unreasonable?

Before the party ended, Simon saw Jace go back into the group to talk to Clary, and couldn't help but be curious. There were downsides to both Clary's options, and Simon didn't like that his friend had to make that decision. Watching out of the corner of his eye, Simon saw Clary pull Jace in for a hug. They stayed like that for a while, then left the party early hand in hand. Simon made a mental note to ask Clary what happened later.

As the evening died down, Simon and Izzy went back to her place since Jordan had the second room, and two people could not sleep on the couch. Recently, Simon had come to feel like he was spending more time with Izzy and Maia, rather than Jordan, Clary, and Jace. But it was worth it. Simon liked sleeping beside Isabelle. There was a comfort in not sleeping alone. Simon remembered how it had felt on the nights Clary wanted to sleep at her own place while they'd been dating. Simon had missed the warmth and tranquility of another person's presence as he relaxed into sleep. Simon was glad that, unlike Clary, Isabelle wanted him to stay at her place every night. Once Izzy fell asleep, she had a habit of moving close to him and putting an arm over him. She rarely did this when she was awake, and it made Simon smile every time. He liked that even unconscious, she wanted to be closer to him.

The next day was a Saturday so no one had class, but Simon had a shift at Tim Horton's this morning. He'd managed to keep his summer job during the school year, though very part time, which was good since it meant he wouldn't have to find another job next summer.

Simon woke Izzy with a gentle kiss, and she sighed contentedly. Rather than get up, Simon stayed to watch her. He knew Izzy was awake, even if she wasn't quite aware yet, lost in that state between actually conscious and half-asleep. She looked so beautiful with her dark hair spread out over the pillow, her eyes closed. Simon smiled, reaching out to stroke her hair.

After a while though, Simon had to get up to get ready for work. Kissing her forehead, Simon went to get out of bed but found his arm held hostage by his very awake girlfriend.