In The Deep

Chapter 10

The last bits of sunlight were showing only a little behind the horizon, the burning red color illuminating the sea and the sky. Clary and Jace were sitting on a rock, close to the waterline. They had been sitting there for a pretty long time and their clothes were pretty much dry now. They had also been talking for a pretty long time, but now they were both just staring ahead in silence.

"Look at those colors..." Clary mumbled quietly, wondering if she could ever be able to mix the colors so perfectly that she could paint something like that.

"It's beautiful." Jace said and only then Clary realized that she had been talking out loud. She turned to look at him without saying anything, looking at his glowing eyes that were staring at the distance ahead of them and the golden hair that was curling on his temples and falling on his forehead, still a little damp from the water.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked then and Jace turned to her, raising his brows.

"Huh?" He asked, looking like he had been snapped out of his thoughts and Clary couldn't help smiling at his bit puzzled expression.

"What are you thinking about?" She repeated and Jace shrugged, returning his gaze back on the glowing horizon.

"I don't know, my mind tends to wander around a lot." He just said and Clary just studied his profile carefully for a while. His clear jawline, his high cheekbones and his long eyelashes that seemed even longer when he blinked. He was biting down on his lower lip as he stared forward, looking like he was completely outside of this world. Clary looked away quickly, feeling her cheeks heating as she realized how she had been staring and cleared her throat awkwardly.

"I know, mine too." She said quietly.

"Huh?" Jace asked again, turning to her quickly and she laughed.

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head and Jace seemed amused too.

"Sorry, like I said; my mind tends to wander a lot." He said and Clary just smiled at him for a while.

"When it's quiet and peaceful, you seem to get completely lost in your own head, but usually you seem so one with the moment and always know exactly what to say, making everything sound so easy." She said then and realized how much attention she had payed on him and how studying his character seemed much more interesting than anyone she had ever met.

Jace just stared at her for a while, looking like he didn't quite know what to say. "I do?" He asked then, sounding genuinely surprised. Then he returned his gaze back on the sunset in front of them, although it was pretty much gone now. "Never thought I would hear someone say that about me since I feel like I've always thought everything is so hard and complicated. I always seem to be surprised when something happens really easily." He said and Clary raised her brows.

"You? You think everything is hard and complicated? But you were the one who said I was taking things too seriously. You were the one who ran out of the library and jumpped into the water with your clothes on." She said and Jace laughed.

"Would you want me to do it naked?" He asked, smirking at her and Clary shoved him lightly.

"Shut up! You always pick up the wrong things from my rants!" She said, but couldn't hide her laugh.

"Fine, sorry." Jace said, trying to sound more serious. "Yes, that was me, but maybe that's exactly what I do. I do stuff like that and don't take anything seriously and that way no one seems to realize that I actually overthink everything."

Clary was quiet for a while, returning her gaze in front of her again and pulled her knees to her chest. "I overthink everything too. I wouldn't want to, but it just happens. I guess that's just human nature. We always expect the worst and do everything in the hard way." She said finally and saw that Jace was looking at her from the corner of her eye. She turned to him and he turned back to the horizon. The sun was completely gone now and the sky was dark above them. There was no one else anywhere near them and in that moment it felt like there wasn't anything else surrounding them.

"You're right, maybe everyone does that. Human nature." Jace said, shrugging casually and Clary leaned her jaw on her knees, also looking at the sea in front of them. It seemed so dark, much darker than it had seemed like earlier. There was a long silence again and they just sat there, soft wind blowing from the sea. Clary had always hated the silence. With other people silence meant that no one knew what to say and it was awkward and ridiculous at the same time. When you were alone, silence only reminded you that there was no one there and you were completely alone. That wasn't the case now. It wasn't awkward and she definitely didn't feel alone.