36)Let Me Keep You

16.1K 380 103
                                    

Jace's dark blue eyes grow to the size of saucers

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

Jace's dark blue eyes grow to the size of saucers. They're glassy and bloodshot appearance quickly shifting, clearing up as he leans against the door.

"Alexis," he rasps my name like a prayer. "W-What are you doing here?"

Swallowing down my nerves, I hold onto my anger with everything I have. "You said we were going to talk tonight, but you didn't show. Why? Too busy partying? Fighting?"

I can smell the bitter aroma of beer and weed on him from a foot away. Mix that with the fresh cuts and bruises on his face and it's not hard to tell what he's been up to tonight. However, fighting the urge to rush into his arms and check to make sure he's okay is extremely difficult. My fingers flex with the need to touch him.

"It's not like that, baby." Jace reaches out for me but I take a healthy step back. "Please, just come inside. Let me explain."

I should say no, turn around, and go home. I should do the exact opposite of what I find myself doing in this moment.

"Everything?" I cross my arms and raise a questioning brow.

Jace nods. "Everything. Fucking swear."

When he reaches out for me this time, I let him pull me in. With Jace's arms around me, my body relaxes for the first time all week, greedily leaning into his touch. It's not fair how easy this is. I should be putting up more of a fight but I can't find it in me to do so.

A small smile graces Jace's lips as he shuts the door behind us and leads me to the couch. Light streams through the floor to ceiling blinds covering the balcony windows and highlights the dry blood and dirt on his face.

I reach up to brush the back of my hand down his cheek. "What happened?"

I want to be angry but that's hard to do seeing him like this. When I pull my hand away, Jace notices the blood left on my fingertips.

"Maybe I should clean up real quick."

Nodding, I sit down. "Go ahead. I'll wait here."

Questions flash in his eyes but he bites them back before walking away.

It's not long before Jace comes back, clean, and dressed in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. The cuts on his face are no longer covered in dry blood and grime but I doubt he took the time to properly clean them. His chest glistens like he didn't fully dry off before coming out either. Even his hair is still damp and clinging to his forehead. He's painfully gorgeous, making this that much harder.

Sitting down next to me, Jace takes a deep but shaky breath, wincing as he places a hand against his ribs.

"You had a fight tonight?" I whisper, my voice still sounding too loud in this dark apartment.

Jace's jaw ticks as he shakes his head. "Not exactly."

Dropping my gaze, I think back to Kade's text. "Initiation?"

Kissing My Ex ✔Where stories live. Discover now