Jace's jaw flexed as the echo of Rielle's voice faded into the music behind him.
She hadn't just dismissed him. She had looked at him like he was nothing. No woman has ever done that. Not even Cleo.
The air in the room felt thick, like it was pressing in on his chest. He ran a hand down his face and let out a breath that didn't ease the tension winding through his shoulders.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Rielle?" he murmured, while trying so hard not to grip the glass he held too tight to break.
He shouldn't have let it get to him. But it had. It always did when it came to her, and he hadn't even known her for two complete weeks.
A sharp click of heels on the tile caught his ear. He turned his head just in time to see her storm toward the staircase. Her shoulders were stiff, her back straight, like she was fighting the weight of the entire damn room and losing.
He didn't think. He immediately followed her.
Jace moved like a man possessed. Like the moment she disappeared from his line of sight, he'd stop breathing.
By the time he reached the stairwell, she was gone. The door above clicked faintly. The door led to the rooftop.
He rushed upwards, and took the steps two at a time. When he burst through the rooftop door, the cold night air slammed into him. It sobered him fast.
He stopped the moment he saw her. He drew in a deep breath, and admired her from afar. Especially her red hair.
She stood at the edge, with her arms wrapped around herself. The wind tugged her hair. She looked fragile and fierce, yet completely alone.
He took a step forward, but came to an abrupt stop when he saw someone else was already there.
Xander.
He stood just a few steps from her, his back to Jace. And his fucking jacket was draped over her shoulders.
Jace froze.
His lungs burned from the rush upstairs, but the fire in his chest had nothing to do with that.
Rielle turned. Her eyes were red, glassy. She said something to Xander, but he couldn't hear it. He also wondared why Xander stared at her the way he did.
Then she reached out.
Her fingers grabbed Xander's collar like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.
Jace's fists clenched at his sides.
No. He was scared of so many things but in his history of being scared, seeing them that close was his greatest, and he has no idea why.
The moon lit up her skin, and he hoped what he felt for her was just infatuation because there was no way he could compete with Xander.
He wanted to step forward. To tear them apart. To remind her who he was, and who makes sure he keeps her safe.
He gulped again, and stood there, hidden in the shadows, as he watched her cry in front of someone else.
He never imagined her to be someone who cried. Yet her tears reminded him of a particular someone.
When Xander didn't even touch her and just stood there, soaking in her heartbreak like he was allowed to, Jace realized something far worse than rage.
Jace stepped back. Silent. Careful. Like if he made a single sound, the world would split open.
He let the door close behind him as quietly as he could, with his teeth gritted so tight that it hurt to breathe. He wished he could hear what she was saying.
.....
Xander didn't move or react to her words. Not even when her fingers dropped from his collar like they'd touched something dead.
He watched her, memorizing her. Not just her face, but the cracks in it. The way her breathing stuttered.
The way she said "mean hypocrite" like it was a love confession she couldn't take back. The way she clenched and unclenched her fist.
"You always do this," she whispered. "You show up. You disappear. You—" Her voice broke. "You don't even give me the decency of an answer."
Still nothing was heard from him. Not even a breath.
Rielle laughed. Her laugh trembled. "I'm talking to a ghost, aren't I?" when she smiled after speaking, her smile was torn.
His eyes flicked down. One might think it was from shame, but it wasn't. Not even guilt. Just something colder. He was carving a space between them with silence.
Rielle looked at the edge of the rooftop again. She stared down because she wanted to jump. There, at least, no one pretended the air wasn't thin.
"I didn't ask for this life," she said, almost to herself. "You handed it to me like a gift and now I can't breathe inside it."
Xander's voice came finally, low and stripped of everything. "I know." he shut his eyes for a split second, and opened them forcefully, with his brows furrowed.
Her gaze snapped to him. She wasn't expecting that. She wasn't expecting the way his voice sounded like it belonged to a much younger boy, one who hadn't yet learned how to kill the softness in his throat.
He took one step closer.
"I didn't give it to you to fix you," he said. "I gave it to you because I knew what they'd do if I didn't."
Rielle chuckled, like he was saying a whole essay of bullshit. "Then why leave me alone in it?"
A short pause.
"Because if I stayed, you would've ruined me." He said when she had already given up for a reply.
The wind went silent. She stopped breathing.
He looked at her like she was a sin, like she was a consequence, like she was a fucking girl who didn't know what she meant to him, and never should.
Then he turned and walked away. He wasn't even supposed to be around her this early. Not after what almost happened between them.
This time, she didn't stop him. She nodded painfully, and watched him leave. She wasn't sure which of them would break if she let him stay.