To say Jace was shocked would be an understatement. His lips were parted and his eyes were wide. 'Ow,' he mumbled. I suddenly felt a jolt of electricity and pulled my hand away. We were standing so close and I was thinking of things I shouldn't. I thought of moving in closer and biting that bottom lip of his when I realized that his own clear silver eyes were looking into my own, and they were dilating. His eyes flicked to lips and back to my own. Was he thinking the same thing as me? Did he want to kiss me as well? I leaned in. Closer... closer...

'Did you two find what you were looking for yet?' We heard the footsteps of Sunglasses Dude coming inside the room and I jumped away.

I turned my head away from Jace and looked down. What was I doing? What was he doing? No, most importantly, what was I doing? I silently hit my forehead with my knuckles. Yes, go on and kiss the human boy, you idiot. Might as well go and jump off the cliff behind the hotel.

Ugh! A little more and...

I would have kissed a human boy.

And brought forth destruction of my own little world. Jessie, get your feelings together! Jace and I can not be together. Human and Werewolf, remember? People don't really like hybrid couples, didn't I already see that in Twilight? Besides, I don't even know if hybrid babies can happen...

I snapped back to reality and looked at the savior of the day: The Glorious, Sunglasses Dude.

'Oh wow,' he said as he laid his eyes on me 'That dress really suits you!' he grinned and I felt more confident but a bit shy as well. I gave him a small smile. Jace cleared his throat and I looked at him. 'We want this dress, this shirt and these pants that I'm wearing, please.'

I widened my eyes 'What? Jace, I'm not buying this dress!' I tried to argue but he shushed me!

'No, we are buying this dress and anything you say will not be heard so you might as well save up energy for the repairing of props we have to do back at the hotel,' the way he refused to listen at all was very amusing and with a sudden wave of affection for this boy, I leaned up and kissed him.

On the cheek.

If he was shocked, he hid it well and as I walked past him, smiling, towards the hole in the wall that was the changing room, I heard him mumble to himself: 'Too many surprises today, huh?'

************************************************************

Jace was already outside the room, standing by the cash counter by the time I was changed. I heard him talking to the Sunglasses Dude as I walked towards them, touching the multiple clothes hanging by the racks on the way.

'So are you two dating?' Sunglasses Dude was nosy, but I felt myself blush. Is that how he sees us? I patted my stomach to calm the butterflies everyone speaks of.

'No,' Jace said and I felt a pang in my chest. Well, there go my butterflies.

'Do you have a girlfriend?' What?

There was a slight pause before Jace replied 'No.'

I chose that time to walk out towards them with the dress in my hands, to save Jace from awkward stranger questions. The look of relief on Jace's face as he saw me was enough to turn my fake smile real. He gratefully took the dress from my hands and cautiously put it on the cash counter. Seeing the way his muscles flexed when he did that, I realized that he still didn't have a jacket. Oh darn it...

I quickly scanned the racks around us, looking for dark clothing. There's no way they had the expensive jackets Jace wore... My eyes fell on a rack of cardigans and I grinned. Bingo.

I quickly shuffled towards them and searched for one that would fit Jace. Seeing so many different sizes, I grew unsure. What if the one I choose doesn't fit? I mean, his muscles had grown a lot since the last time I had seen them in the library...

Then I laid my eyes on one which was a lighter material than the others, a bit darker in color; a full sleeved cardigan that would perfectly go with Jace's white V-neck shirt. My grin returned as I took it out the hanger and walked towards Jace. I hadn't even properly seen the pants he was wearing. They were black ripped skinny jeans which fit him very well. He was standing, holding the green dress and his back was towards me. I took the chance.

I put the cardigan over his shoulders and surprised, Jace turned towards me.

'What's this?' he asked pulling the cloth from behind him and holding it in front, and examining it.

'It's a cardigan!' I grinned, excited at my perfect find. 'For you. You can buy it now and I'll pay you back at the hotel.'

Jace rolled his eyes 'You don't have to pay me back,' I rolled my eyes 'Hey, I'm a feminist, you know? You don't have to be such a gentleman...' Or I might fall for you. 'And I'm a friend, you know?' He retorted, shutting my mouth for good.

He put his hands through the sleeves and I clasped my own hands in anticipation. A perfect fit! I tried not to stare at him. This style suited him so much! I bit my lip and turned towards the cash counter. 'You look good,' I said. Jace put a hand on my shoulder, making me look back at him. 'Thanks for choosing this,' he was grinning and I felt happiness at the fact that it was because of me.

We quickly paid Sunglasses Dude; we wanted to get out of there fast but before we left, he dropped two small puzzle keychains into the back. Jace raised an eyebrow in question. 'It's the offer. You buy any branded dress over $100 and you get a pair of couple keychains free.' Sunglasses Dude grinned. 'It's actually cause prom dresses are bought for dates and-'

'WHAT?!' I shrieked and Jace jumped from beside me.

'How much is this dress?' I held up the bag to Sunglasses Dude and he gulped 'Uh, it's- it's- you're scaring me! Gosh, it's a hundred-'

'Allyn, the keychains are so cute, now let's go, we're getting late.' Jace grabbed my hand and tried to pull me out. I didn't budge, using my wolf strength, but I had to stop my knees from going weak when Jace's skin touched mine.

'Jace,' I looked at him 'There's no way we're buying this! It's too expensive!' Idiot, why didn't I think of this when I tried it on? There was no price tag but still, I should have realized! Jace shrugged and I narrowed my eyes at him. And this boy, he even already paid without a care!

'Are you done? Shall we go?' Jace was so casual, I almost threw the bag at him.

'Jace, I am returning this, and thank you for buying it for me but this is simply too much money and even friends don't do this-'

Jace rolled his eyes and with a swift motion, gently grabbed the bag from my hand, before I could hold on tight, and turned his back, already walking towards the exit. He even waved his hand, as a goodbye to Sunglasses Dude.

'Jace!' I cried out as I quickly walked behind him and caught his shoulder. Before I could even hold on, he turned around and I bumped into his chest. Moaning, I took a step back, rubbing my nose and glared at him. 'Allyn, you liked that dress, didn't you?' he asked, slowly.

I couldn't lie about it; he had already seen how happy I was in it. I nodded my head, scowling.

'Then I give you two options,' here we were, standing by the door of this eccentric clothing shop, in a place we've been to for the very first time and we were alone, with no one else we know. I didn't know what to think.

In fact, now that I think of it, Jace is the only one I've known here for so long. The only friend I've had for so long. And now, here he was standing in front of me, after driving me here, buying me McDonald's and even wearing a cardigan that I had picked up for him; and he doesn't even know who I really am.

I bit my lip. Should I tell him?

Jace snapped his fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to reality. He smiled when my eyes fell on his silver ones. I can't tell him.

'Hello? Are we here?' I blinked at him. His lips looked full enough to kiss. 'Alright, I was telling you that you have two options,' I nodded, trying to bring the scowl back to my face, but it didn't feel real anymore. 'You can either come with me and we'll drive back to the hotel happily, or you can stay here with Sunglasses Dude while I drive back to the hotel with this dress,' He shrugged 'Either way, I'm not giving back the dress. Call me girly, but I rather like this... green... lacy, nature-ish piece of clothing, and I don't care what you say, Miss Prissy,' I laughed when Jace tried to put on his "girly" attitude face.

He raised his eyebrows, a smile lighting up his face and I nodded 'But I get to pay you back,' I warned, as soon as we reached the car, after I had waved goodbye to Sunglasses Dude.

'Sure,' Jace said as he got into the driver's seat, shocking me. He agreed so easily? Then I heard him whisper 'As if I'll accept,' I glared at him and he put his hands up in a surrender motion 'Alright, alright, pay me back. Goodness, you can be so stubborn sometimes,' Jace laughed as he said the last part and I stuck my tongue out at him. He revved up the engine and we got out the parking lot, laughing at each other.

The radio turned on again, but this time there was no reason for me to turn it off as it was Ed Sheeran's voice playing. I gripped the bag in my lap tighter. A gift from Jace. Another one, now that I think about it. I still haven't opened that box he had given me in the library. I even forgot to ask him about it. I put my hand inside the bag again, to feel the material of the dress. I beamed at it. It was so beautiful... My first formal dress.

My hand touched something metallic and I removed two keychains. They were two different puzzle pieces. Curiously, I held one in each hand and brought them closer together and grinned when they flew to each other and fit. Magnets. Just like a perfect puzzle.

'Are they nice?' Jace asked, glancing at my hands as he drove. 'Yeah,' I murmured, happily playing with the magnets. Then I realized: one is for Jace. Smiling, I put them back inside.

I'll give one to him later.

The beat of the song on the radio caught me and I turned it up, fangirling mentally. Two Ed Sheeran songs in a row and they're my favorites!

If we take this bird in, with its broken leg

We could nurse it, she said.

A grin automatically took over my face and I realized that I was smiling more than I had in a while. It started when Jace took over the wheel. I glanced at him and noticed him tapping his fingers to the beat against the wheel.

'You like Ed Sheeran, too?' I faced him, excited to have something in common to talk about.

He grinned 'Ever since The A-Team.'

I squealed 'Me too! Hi-5!' It took me a while to realize that I was probably being lame, but I let the excitement of being alone in a car, at night, on a long enough drive, with my crush take over me. Jace laughed- actually laughed and I swore to myself then and there that it was one of the cutest things I had ever seen- and lightly touched my palm with his own, before putting it back on the wheel. Blushing, I took my hand back and rested it on my lap, the parts his skin touched still tingling.

It was just a Hi-5, Jessie, I scolded myself. Don't think too much about every single thing.

That's when the song ended and the radio host said something about it.

'And now, from the amazing Disney movie Big Hero 6,AKA the movie me and Phil starred in, here is Fall Out Boy with their new single, Immortals!'

I gasped. Fall Out Boy!

I was about to turn up the volume when Jace's hand reached out and turned up the volume and I looked at him at the same time he looked at me.

'You like Fall Out Boy?' I asked him, my eyes wide.

'Who doesn't?' he replied and we both grinned as the song began.

We sang along happily. It felt amazing. Jace didn't mind my horrible singing voice, and I felt like not singing just so I could hear Jace's voice more clearly. We had a smile on the whole time.

'I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass,' I looked at Jace as he drove.

'I try to picture me without you, but I can't,' I looked at my hands as Jace turned to look at me.

'Cause we could be immortals,' I felt myself growing red. Was I caught? I am such an idiot. 'immortals,'

'You know, I almost cried while watching this movie,' Jace spoke suddenly and I looked at him.

'Really?' my eyes widened. Even though I had seen the tears in Sam's and Troy's eyes, they would never admit that to me after we watched Big Hero 6.

Jace nodded, his lips tight together, in a cute way. Why does he look cute doing anything? Like he could just stand and breathe and I would want to kiss him. I am starting to annoy myself with all these feelings.

'I cried too,' I said softly, not taking my eyes off of him.

'I thought so,' Jace glanced at me with a small smile. 'The movie just reminded me what it felt like to lose a friend. I mean, I've been through that, and I've even put someone else through that, even though I didn't want to. I don't know, this movie just reminded me of someone I had lost,' Jace explained to me and for the first time I felt so close to him. I knew he was talking about me. I felt asif he was finally opening up to me, the way he explained, wanting me to understand how he felt. Inside, I wanted to smile. I felt happy about this. This was a memory I'll remember.

'I understand,' I said sincerely. 'I had lost a friend, too. Just when I needed a friend the most.'

Jace turned his head to look at me for a few seconds, before he turned his eyes to the road again. 'Really?' he asked and I smiled slightly at the question.

'Yeah,' I replied. 'Then we have so much in common, huh?' Jace's pleasant attitude was making me feel so amazing. 'We do.'

We were in silence for a while, and then we spoke about many things. There was music in the background, darkness outside, stars above and having an actual, nice conversation with Jace was nice, it felt great.

He told me about how much he actually liked Jessie, and about how he stopped playing guitar when he was 14, how his hair is the same color as his father's, how he has his mother's eyes, his favorite color was forest green, like my eyes, how he wanted to learn how to paint and that's why he never complained when we had to make the props and how he wished own a cat someday.

Then I lied to him about how my parents lived far away and I was living here with my aunt, how I learnt to paint only last year, how my hair color was the same as my mom's, how my nose was the same as my dad's and how my favorite color was silver. The last part was the only truth.

We reached the hotel before we even knew it and fortunately or unfortunately the vehicle didn't break down on the way.

Mrs. C greeted us with a relieved look and told us to get to work on the props, without even letting us rest. Not like I needed any, I was too hyped after all that time with Jace. I felt good that I knew more about him than Ashley did. It was wrong, but that's how I felt now. I like Jace, and I am not going to care about what Ashley thinks- who am I kidding? How can I like the same boy as Ashley?

We entered the backstage area where our school's props were. The damaged props were in the corner and we walked towards them together. I don't know if Ashley's feelings were real, they're usually just minor or her being too bored to be alone. But they usually don't last this long either.

Jace sat down on the floor and looked up at me. The white streaks in his iris looked bright in this lighting. 'Not sitting down?' He said and I realized that we still had work to do. 'Of course!' I squatted next to him. Am I sitting too close? I didn't look at him and put my fringe behind my ear. Is it obvious now? Did he find out? Does he know?

Jace moved the painting equipment between us so that I could have easy access. I'm such a fool, I should have sat on the other side where the equipment was, why did I sit next to Jace, why can't I control my own body, why is my brain so useless?

But he didn't complain. I noticed as he took the smaller paint brush and dipped it into the paint, leaving the one I used the most. He had moved the equipment next to me instead of telling me to go and sit on the other side, which would have been easier.

I shut my eyes, leaned back and groaned out loud. Do these little things mean anything? Does he like me too? Even a little? Does it matter? What is life?

'What?' Jace asked, looking at me cautiously. 'Are you tired? Do you want to rest? You can go if you want to, I can take care of this, it's not much,' I puffed my cheeks with frustration. I almost considered grabbing and pulling his collar and asking him if he does have feelings for me.

I could imagine it; me reaching out and pulling the cardigan I gave him. I'd pull him super close to my face 'Do you like me, boy? Do you? DO YOU?!' and he'd be too shocked to reply so I'd shake him to get the answer out of him as if he was a bottle of ketchup and I was trying to get the last bit of remaining ketchup out. Then, with his strong hands, he would grab my shoulder, but he'd do it gently, make me stop and then he'd lean forward and he'd close his eyes and... 'Allyn? You okay?'

I snapped out of the dream I was having just in time to see Jace's hand reach out to my shoulder. My eyes widened. Is my dream coming true? 'Allyn, I think you had too much Pepsi in McDonald's. Do cold drinks affect your brain like this usually? Are you okay?'

Pop!

That was the loud sound of my dream breaking.

'I am fine, Jace!' I hit his hand off my shoulder and grabbed the paint brush, furiously dipping it into the can of paint. This boy has no idea of romance. How can the Pepsi affect me now anyway? I had it like 45 minutes ago!

'Or is it stress? Do you have blood pressure, Allyn?' 'Shut up, Jace.'

He laughed and the lyrics of Troye Sivan's song played in my head.

I am tired of this place, I hope people change.

I glared at Jace. Only fools fall for you.

'Careful, you'll break the prop with that paint brush of yours, Miss High Blood Pressure,' Jace said and I hit him hard. He was quiet after that.

Soon, without me even noticing, people who were practicing for tomorrow's play left the theatre and Jace and I were the only ones in the entire building.

What could happen right?

}qz[z;