Oceans Away

Chapter Six

The sky overhead was gray and dreary, as per usual, but it felt even more so today. Rosalie had been most disappointed when she learned that the Enclave had approved the mission to infiltrate de Quincy's party this evening. She had half a mind to bar Tessa from going, there had to be some other way to get information on their brother that didn't include potentially endangering her sister. Rosalie feared what she would do if both of her siblings were lost. It would be next to impossible to go on without them; it was hard enough living with the knowledge that Nate was out there and to know that he was probably suffering. When she imagined Tessa in the same circumstance, the pain in her heart was almost too much to bear. But Rosalie knew that she could not object to Tessa going to this party; she needed to do this. She needed to feel like she was doing something important to aid in the rescue of Nate. All Rosalie could do was pray that everything would go as planned and that everyone would return safely. She was not permitted to come along- seeing as she was not a Shadowhunter, nor did she possess the same abilities as her sister. She was merely a mundane as Will had put it. Although she wasn't entirely sure that she would want to go. Rosalie was content with meeting one vampire; she did not enjoy the thought of being in a room full of them. That sounded like a recipe for disaster. The idea sent a shiver along her spine, along with a feeling of dread. Tessa would be in a room full of vampires. She would be disguised as one, of course, but that did nothing to ease Rosalie's nerves. It was in moments like this that she wished that she had been the one born with this strange power; if it had been her, then she would not have to worry about her sister. If it had been Rosalie, the Dark Sisters would never have tormented Tessa and the de Quincy would not be after her.
Rosalie was pulled away from her reverie when she spotted a flash of dark hair coming toward her. "I thought I might find you here." Will said as he took a seat beside her on the stone bench she was sitting on.
"I suppose that means I should find a new hiding spot, then."
She sounded as if she were a million miles away, when in reality she was right next to him. Will knew that she had been struggling with the idea of her sister going off to this party for the Pandemonium Club; the disappointment on her face when she'd heard the news was written all over her face. "There isn't anywhere you can go that I won't find you, Miss Gray." he said, his blue eyes twinkling.
"That is quite disturbing, Mr. Herondale. You do realize that don't you?" she did not look at him when she spoke, her eyes were trained on her hands that were folded neatly in her lap. She couldn't understand why he was so determined to be near her. His attitude had made it quite clear that he held no real feelings for her. So why couldn't he just let her alone? Was that too much to ask of him?
"I believe it is up for interpretation." he said and grinned. Despite the fact that she wouldn't look at him, his eyes were all but glued to her; watching the subtle blowing of her hair when a gust of wind struck, the way her eyebrows furrowed closely together when she spoke to him, and the way her mouth moved when she spoke.
"Why is it that you always follow me out here?" Rosalie asked as she finally turned to face him. His face was smooth and expressionless when their eyes met, yet she could have sworn that he had smiled at her. It was a fleeting smile, but she was sure that it had been there. Just for a moment. "Mr. Herondale?" she said when she received no response. He merely held her gaze but said nothing. "Will," she sighed at last, "why do you follow me out here every day?"
The sound of his name leaving her lips sent a tidal wave of emotion through Will's system; every nerve in his body seemed to ignite within him. He could listen to her saying his name for hours and never grow tired of the sound.
"Well?" she prompted when he still had not answered. "It's rude to ignore people, Will."
There it was again, that strange flood of emotion upon hearing his own name. It was a strange sensation; unlike anything he had felt before. "I am not following you, Miss Gray, don't be absurd." he said plainly. "I daresay you're a bit full of yourself."
"Oh?" she perked up and her eyebrows raised slightly, "Full of myself, am I? Then please enlighten me on why I find you here with me every day."
"Quite." he nodded. "And I believe it's merely a coincidence that we both seem to find ourselves here at the same time."
"You are a liar, Will." she frowned at him, her lower lip jutting out faintly. "You cannot expect me to believe that-"
"Oh, but I can." he interjected, and Rosalie's frown deepened at being interrupted.
"You-" Rosalie started but stopped herself, her eyes burning. "You... are unbearable, has anyone ever told you that?"
"Many, many times." he chuckled, "Although I don't really see it, I think I'm rather charming."
Rosalie said nothing, she just stared at him. The annoyance displayed across her face was impossible to miss, surely even a blind man would know it. His witty responses bothered her deeply because it seemed like she could never get a straight answer from him. He always had to say something smart in response.
"I'm sure you do." she said at last before letting out a long sigh. She had grown tired of Will; his inability to be serious, and the way he teased her had worn her out. "Anyone can see how highly you think of yourself, and how poorly you think of everyone else."
"Do you truly think that?" he asked. He didn't sound the least bit hurt by her accusation. "Do you truly believe I think poorly of you?"
"I know that you do, Will." she said meekly. "I can see it on your face when you look at me- like you pity me... and the way you speak to me sometimes certainly doesn't leave me with a good impression."
"This again?" Will rolled his eyes. No matter what he did to show her otherwise, she still stubbornly believed that he hated her. "I have told you on countless occasions that I do not hate you, Rose."
For once, she didn't correct him when he used her name. It didn't do much good, it almost seemed like he did it to get under her skin. "It's not just that." she reminded him. "You look at me like I'm a helpless dog you found on the street- you view me as being lesser than you. And don't you dare say that you don't."
"So, you really do think that little of me." Will said. His head tilted upward to look at the clouds passing slowly overhead. There was a strange kind of pain in his chest that he wished would go away. But how to make it go away? He hadn't the faintest idea.
"It's hard not to." she admitted quietly. The pain inside Will's chest seemed to double and without thinking, he grabbed her hand and held it in his. "What- what are you doing?" Rosalie asked as her confused eyes shifted down to their entwined hands. "Will?" her tone softened, but she still sounded greatly confused by his actions.
"Rose?" he countered, his voice crackling slightly.
"Are you feeling alright?" a hint of concern fused into her confusion as she reached to press the back of her hand against his forehead. His skin was cool under her touch which meant he didn't have a fever.
He caught her hand and pulled it away from his face; Will's eyes were fixed on hers and he cracked a smile. "I feel perfectly fine." he said while nodding. It was strange being so close to her, Will half thought she would have pushed him away after he'd grabbed her hand. But she didn't. In fact, her hand was still in his. But Will knew he would have to pull away from her. He had taken a great risk in allowing himself to do that. He could have undone everything he had done to ensure she would not love him. Despite the fact that he had to do it, he could not bring himself to separate their hands. He enjoyed the feeling of her thin, smooth hand inside of his; and he could not bear the thought of hurting her again. But he had to. Without a word, Will yanked his hand free of hers and stalked away. Leaving her alone on the bench.