I frown, feeling lightheaded, as I try to shake off Jace's grip on my wrist. I glance at him, irritation clear on my face.
"Why are you bothering me? It's none of your business what I do," I manage to say without stammering.
He releases my wrist and sets the drink down. "Water, drink it," he orders.
I scoff, "Don't tell me what to do," I frown.
He sighs, "Just drink the water. Besides, why are you acting this way? This isn't like you," he tells me, looking deeply into my eyes.
"How do I behave? You don't know me. We barely even dated. You don't know anything about me," I stare at him.
He seems hurt by my words, briefly looking away. "You're right," he replies. "But who's fault is that?" he asks, catching me off guard. I grab the bottle of water and open it, realizing that I may have had too much to drink and feeling the effects of it.
"I—" I begin, interrupted by Andrew's voice.
"Jace, what the hell are you doing?" Andrew says, approaching us from behind.
Jace shakes his head, "Isn't it obvious? What you should have done," Jace insults, "Is this how you take care of your girlfriend? Really pathetic," he shakes his head disapprovingly.
"Look, Lucy is my girlfriend. She's her own person. She makes her own decisions. I don't control her. All I can do is advise her," Andrew defends.
Andrew looks at me and whispers, "Do you want to go home?" I nod numbly, realizing it's best to leave before a fight breaks out.
As we turn to leave, Jace grabs my arm, catching Mirae's attention. She looks confused, surrounded by a group of people.
"No, I'm taking her home," Jace insists.
Andrew blinks in bewilderment. "Are you joking?" he raises his hands in confusion.
"No, I'm not. She's drunk, and I don't trust her with you," Jace looks at me.
"I—I'm not drunk," I frown.
He throws me a look, "Uh huh, yeah, sure," then he turns to Andrew, and I feel insulted.
"She's my girlfriend," Andrew asserts. "There's no way I'm letting her go home with a stranger. So, can you stop involving yourself?" Andrew says acidly.
Jace looks at me and hands me his car keys, "Go wait for me in the car," he orders.
Confused, I frown, questioning why I should do that. What's actually happening right now? I look down at the keys, then notice Andrew and Jace exchanging words. Jace whispers something to Andrew, who appears shocked by what he hears.
Andrew shoves Jace, my heart begins to pound as nerves floods my body, remembering the last time Jace and Andrew were this close, I begin to have déjà vu as Jace responds to Andrew's shove with a punch to the cheek. The music dies down, and the crowd begins to film the scene with their phones, flashes illuminating the chaos. I swallow, panic rising within me. "Stop!" I yell, but they continue to trade blows, the impact echoing loudly.
"Jace, stop hitting Andrew, please!" I desperately plead. Jace seems to hear me, abruptly halting his punches and blocking Andrew's strikes.
But Andrew keeps trying to hit him, ignoring my pleas. I rush to intervene, attempting to pull Andrew's arm away, but in all that movement his elbow knocks me, causing me to stumble back and fall to the floor.
Jace rushes to my side, concern evident in his eyes as he calls my name. "Lucy," he says softly.
"Ow," I wince, indicating the pain I'm feeling.
Anger flashes in Jace's gray eyes. "You shouldn't fight. I really hate hospitals Jace," I tell him, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.
He nods, understanding my plea. "I won't fight," he assures me, his voice filled with determination.
My attention shifts to Andrew, who bends down to help me up. However, Jace pushes his hand away, growling fiercely. "Get the fuck away from her. You have some nerve," Jace warns Andrew.
I look at Andrew who manages to speak through his watery gaze. "Lucy, I'm so sorry," he says, his voice filled with regret. "I would never hurt you, let me help you up." he says earnestly, heart breaking on every word.
Jace pulls me away from Andrew and holds a cold can against my eye, asking if it hurts. I shake my head, insisting that I'm fine, as my gaze drifts towards Andrew, as I begin to worry about him. He's eyes are watery from tears overwhelmed is his beautiful brown eyes, I can tell that he feels guilty. But I know that it was just an accident and it wasn't his fault.
Jace turns to Andrew, asserting his dominance. "Lucy threw herself on you and I didn't even lay so much a finger on her. You are a shit fighter and an even worse boyfriend, I'm not letting you take her home. She's coming with me and Mirae," Jace states bluntly, taking charge. My head spins aggressively, making it difficult for me to argue, so I let Jace lead me as I turn back to Andrew as he watches me leave. I want to go with him, to tell him that it I understand and make sure his okay but i don't have control over my own limbs and I just let Jace lead me.
He guides me to the backseat of his car and buckles me up. Confused, I question why Andrew can't come along. "Because he's a bad guy, so stop asking about him," Jace replies firmly before closing the door. I gaze out the window, witnessing Mirae arguing with Jace. He shakes his head, folds his arms, and lets out a hoarse laugh before giving her a significant look.
By pressing my ear against the glass, I can hear their conversation. "Jace, she's your ex," Mirae tells him.
"Barely. We barely even dated. Nobody knows about it, except Andrew and her. So, this can look like I'm just helping a friend," Jace explains. He then instructs Mirae to get in the car, as paparazzi are gathering around.
As they drive off, I realize Andrew is missing. "Where's Andrew?" I ask Jace.
"I told you to stop asking about him," Jace responds, his tone growing impatient.
"Why?" I press, feeling a sense of confusion and concern.
"Because he hit you!" Jace shouts, then refocuses his attention on the road.
I furrow my brow, trying to process his words. "No, it was an accident. I shouldn't have stopped the fight in the first place. But Jace, listen," I begin tearfully, wanting to explain the situation.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Put the can on your eye, Lucy," he instructs, attempting to divert my attention. But my mind continues to search for Andrew, as I am desperately worried about him.
Fighting against drowsiness, I briefly fall asleep, only to be awakened by voices. "Why didn't you tell me she lives next to you?" a girl asks.
"Mirae, please stop arguing with me. This is just how it is," Jace replies.
"You better move," Mirae insists.
"Fuck. Can't you see I'm already stressed? How the fuck am I going to get her inside? Unless... you pretend you're her friend," Jace proposes.
"No. Just no. I'm out," Mirae asserts, getting out of the car.
Jace let's out a deep sigh. He pauses for a moment.
"What a shitstorm of events," Jace curses, clearly overwhelmed.
He turns around to look at me.
"You're awake," Jace says with a smile, stepping out of the car to open my door.
"Can you act sober?" he asks me.
I nod, and his smile widens. "Good," he says.
He assists me out of the car and takes a moment to observe me. "Fuck, Lucy, you look like a mess," he exclaims, shaking his head in frustration. "Someone's going to think I messed you up," he adds, frowning.
"Unless..." he trails off, his eyes widening with an idea.
"Do you lock your balcony door?" he asks, trying to get my attention.
I stare at him, struggling to comprehend his words through his accent.
"Lucy, focus. Do you lock your balcony door?" he repeats.
I shake my head. "No."
"Good for now, bad in general," Jace nods, affirming his thought.
We sneakily enter the yard and make our way to my room, where thick vines lead to the balcony. "Get on my back," Jace orders.
"Why?" I question.
He sighs and turns to me. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to climb the vines with you on my back. If someone asks about your eye, just tell them it was Andrew," he explains.
I frown, feeling overwhelmed. "You're speaking too fast. I can't understand you," I tell him.
He dismisses my concerns. "You don't need to understand me. Just get on my back and hold on tight," he says slowly, turning around and arching his back for me to climb on. "Come now, Lucy. I don't have all day," Jace urges.
I climb onto his back and hold him tightly. "Fuck, Lucy, you're choking the living hell out of me," Jace mutters in exasperation.
Realizing my mistake, I readjust my hold across his shoulders.
"Are you ready?" he asks.
I nod, signaling my readiness.
He begins to climb up the vines, momentarily losing his footing but managing to grab hold of the vine. "Fuck me, I'm so stressed right now," Jace whispers to the vine. He resumes climbing, and we finally reach the top of the balcony. Jace stretches his long legs over the edge.
He lowers me down gently, and as I glance at him, I notice he's fanning himself.
While still fanning himself, Jace moves to the balcony door and opens it. "Thank goodness," he sighs in relief.
I look at him, but before I can say anything, he pushes me into the room. "Get some sleep," he instructs, then closes the door. I frown, pondering the fact that Jace is a weird guy.
As he starts descending the balcony, I hear a loud thump. Alarmed, I rush to the balcony and find Jace lying on the ground.
"Jace!" I shout, filled with panic.
He looks at me while lying down.
"Are you okay?" I ask, worry evident in my voice.
He slowly stands up, gesturing an okay sign. Holding his back, he limps away.