Hold Me Down

chapter 39

I wake up the next morning feeling a lot lighter than I did the night before. Jem is still sleeping. He looks so delicate and undisturbed. My heart ached with appreciation for my friend. I quietly get out of bed and pack my laptop into my bag. I tiptoe out of his home, being careful to close the door silently on my way out.

Because Jem drove me to his flat, I have to walk home. It's a mere five block walk. The sun is still rising. Birds are chirping. Londoners around me are going out on early morning jogs and tea. I marvel at the stillness. In a couple of hours the streets will be clogged with double decker buses and automobiles. I take my time walking, breathing in the unpolluted brisk air.

I walk up the steps to my apartment. The halls are quiet. It feels strange to be up when no one else is. The stillness is both peaceful and unsettling.

I reach underneath my doormat to remove the spare key. I turn the key slowly so as not to wake up Clary. I return the key to it's hiding spot and slip through the door. I look down and see that Jace's shoes are still there.

And sure enough, when I pass by Clary's room I can spot the two of them sleeping through the crack in her door. I gently pull the door fully closed before going to my room. I take my toothbrush out of my bag and go to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

I have half an hour before Will comes to pick me up. I deftly brush my teeth and take a quick shower. I don't worry too much about my appearance; I just make sure I am presentable.

I decide on a casual black dress and flats. It was relatively warm out today, and I wanted to take advantage of the warm weather.

The sun is fully out when I am walking out the door of my building to Will's car.

"Good morning," I greet Will.

"Morning." He doesn't so much as look at me.

"How was your weekend?"

"Great."

"Is something wrong?"

"Tessa, you can't expect me to be energetic this early in the morning."

"Fine." I lean back in my seat and sit the rest of the ride in silence. I wouldn't let Will's mood swings ruin my morning.

We part ways when we reach work. He doesn't even respond when I thank him for the ride, or when I say goodbye before enters his office. He completely ignored Tatiana when we walked in.

I pay him no attention, though I can't say I wasn't slightly hurt that he didn't want to speak to me. I remember Jem's advice, to let things play out, and that motivates me to begin focusing my attention on work.

At lunchtime, Sophie proposes we should get lunch outside because it's so nice out. We go to Sophie's favorite pasta place, the one we went to last time, and sit down.

"It's so nice to finally be able to talk to you after a week," I say after we place our orders.

She laughs. "It has been a busy week."

"I never got the chance to ask you- how was your anniversary with Gideon?"

"Oh it was delightful! We went out for dinner, and when he took me home he had decorated the entire place with roses."

"That's so romantic," I gush.

"And he gave me a promise ring!" She shows me her hand from across the table. It's a glittering diamond inlaid in a silver band.

"It looks beautiful on you," I compliment.

"Thank you," she smiles. "He loved the kitchen knife set, by the way. So thank you for that as well."