Chapter 93 Chapter Ninety-Three

Chapter 93 Chapter Ninety-Three
Grace’s POV 
“Hey.” 
I smiled softly as I handed a glass of something bubbly and pink to Jace, stepping into the sitting area in the middle of Christopher’s very impressive garden. 
“It’s sweet,” I said when he stared at the drink in confusion. “And non-alcoholic,” I added with a laugh. “We’re under the legal age to drink, remember? I couldn’t find your grandfather, but I didn’t want his guests to see him slipping a bunch of under-twenty-ones alcohol. He’s the only person in your family that I still like.”
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled under his breath, shaking his head as I sat next to him. “I didn’t mean for you to see all of that. I should’ve known—” he shook his head, his voice strained and regretful, “—that they would show up. My mom would never pass up an opportunity to show off and Ryan…”
“An opportunity to be an asshole,” I finished for him as he trailed off. I took his hand in mine, as always, slipping my fingers into the spaces where they belonged, before giving his fingers a tiny squeeze. “I’ve dealt with many assholes, Jace. My mom’s employers, her employers’ kids, not to mention Regina and Georgia?”
He turned to me, his eyes still holding the regret from his voice. “I’m sorry about that too,” he whispered. 
He sounded so broken; I wanted to throw my drink aside and gather him into my arms, until I could take all the sadness from him. 
I settled for a huge grin instead, and a playful shove. “You’re sorry that you stood up for me in front of your family, not once, but twice? And the first time, in front of almost the entire school?”
I held up my glass to him in salute. “You deserve a medal, Jace Hunter. Something that says, “world’s second best boyfriend.”
“Second best?” He echoed, his forehead scrunching in confusion. 
“Yup,” I nodded, taking a big sip from my drink. I made a face after, wrinkling my nose. “You know what?” I reached for his drink, tossing his and mine into the bushes. “I’m sorry about your grandpa’s roses, but that absolutely sucked ass. I don't know why I let the bartender talk me into getting it.”
“You said it was sweet,” he reminded me, his eyes crinkling with a soundless laugh. 
I shrugged, leaning back. “My taste buds must’ve been confused at how awful it was, and tried to compensate by giving me the feeling for sweetness instead.” I shook briskly, a shiver running down my spine. “More than half the people in there are drunk, so maybe he thought he didn’t have to put in any effort.”
Jace nodded absently, his face falling back into the sullen expression. “Hey,” I wormed my arm around his shoulder. “World’s second best boyfriend. That’s a good title, isn’t it?”
“Second best?”
“You would’ve gotten first place, but remember that time you left me in the lake? And went around, playing games in the arcade center with Georgia?”
His shoulders slumped another inch. “Yeah,” he said quietly, his gaze on the grass. “I remember.”
“And then you made up for it by sneaking into my dorm room and getting evidence so I wouldn’t get expelled from Beacon High?” 
He tilted his head, his eyes squinting a bit. “Yeah.”
“And there was the other time when you scared the shit out of Regina and Georgia when they tried to douse me in bleach? And the other time when you made me feel better after I thought I almost killed Nicholas?” 
I arched my brow, my lips tipping sideways with a secret smile. “Mm? Remember? How you got the guys on the soccer team to help me get ready for the gala night? And then you walked me back to my dorm!”
Jace sat up straighter. “I still let you walk in the pouring rain. You could’ve caught a cold if Nicholas hadn’t been there.” 
“Yeah…” I pursed my lips. “That’s true. But you were also worried about losing your trust fund. And we weren’t dating either. I’m not saying it wasn’t a shitty thing to do—because we definitely had feelings for each other…” my voice softened as I leaned closer, breathing the same air he exhaled. 
“…I’m just saying that after meeting your parents and your brother, I understand you better. You gave me your coat when Regina drenched my hair and clothes in sauce. And that was when I still thought you were cold and untouchable.”
His lips parted slightly as he sighed.  
“Hey.” I pointed behind his head, changing the subject abruptly. “What’s that?”
His forehead creased in confusion as he turned. “I don’t see anything,” he said. I kept quiet. “What were you—“ he turned, and I kissed him. Jace stiffened, but his hands remained by his sides for less than a second before he was cupping my face, sliding his fingers through my hair and kissing me back. 
I leaned in, and he leaned in, his arm curling around my waist. A keen sound slipped past my lips, but never made it out. He groaned, low in his throat, as my fingers dug into his shirt, loosely grabbing his collar. 
The terrible pink drink tasted better—somehow—when his tongue slipped over mine; the taste mingled with my senses in an explosion of colors. 
“That was tactical, Grace Thompson,” Jace smiled as he rested his forehead on mine, his thumb brushing the nape of my neck. “I take what I said about you being a terrible spy.”
I laughed, recalling the exact conversation. 
My cheeks, bright red, sitting in his apartment…or was it outside? He’d told me that I wouldn’t survive minutes in an interrogation room. 
“That was an act back then, too,” I said, with a nonchalant shrug. “And you fell for it.”
He started to say something, and a loud cracking sound echoed through the air before the sky exploded with a burst of colors. I turned, my lips parted in awe at the fireworks. I snorted loudly. 
“Now I really want to know what’s going on in your head,” Jace said. 
“I could see colors in my head when you kissed me,” I told him. “And they look exactly like the fireworks.”
“Oh,” he smirked. “Guess I should kiss you more often. You know… for the fireworks display.”
“That,” I declared, shaking my head at him, “was unbelievably cheesy.”
“It worked, didn’t it?”
“No.”
His brow lifted.
“…Maybe a little.” I conceded. “But only because I can’t help but be biased. You’re my boyfriend, and I like you a lot.”
The corner of his mouth tipped upward. “Then I think we need to try again. To verify the results,” he said.
“Verify—”
His hand slid from my neck to cradle my jaw, his fingers disappearing into my hair before I could finish the question. His eyes searched mine for the briefest second, the teasing grin softening into something warmer, something that made my heart stumble over itself.
Then he kissed me again, slowly this time. My eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed mine once, twice, before he tilted his head and deepened the kiss, stealing the breath from my lungs with infuriating ease.
I reached for him this time, my arms circled his waist, pulling him against me until there wasn’t an inch of space left between us.
Another firework burst overhead, and the colors flashed through my closed eyelids—gold, crimson, then blue. Somehow they felt exactly like him, warm, reckless and yet, safe.
Jace smiled against my mouth as we pulled apart. “So?” he asked, “Any fireworks?”
I looked up at the sky, another explosion blooming above us before my gaze drifted back to his. “Shut up.”
His laugh was low and victorious. “I’ll take that as a yes.”


We watched the fireworks for another few minutes before deciding to head back inside. 
“My grandpa’s prepared rooms for us to sleep in,” he told me, reaching for my hand naturally as he walked through the back, arched doors into the mansion. “I’m sure that if he has his way, he’s not going to let us leave until we have to go back to Beacon.”
Beacon. 
Senior year of high school felt like another world, but it was just right down the corner. In two weeks, I’d be back there, surrounded by the four walls that held most of my nightmares, until Jace came along. 
And college. 
My palms grew slick, and my heart raced, just thinking about it. We had just mere weeks to finalize our plans for college, but we hadn’t talked about it since he told me about his decision to go out of state. 
I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation, although I was well aware it was inevitable. 
“Is something wrong?” He squeezed my hand gently to get my attention. 
I shook my head. “N-no. Nothing. I was thinking about how amazing Christmas has been, that’s all. It’s always been a small celebration, with my mom and me, and sometimes we only had the day itself to celebrate the holiday.”
“Well.” He clicked his tongue, pretending to think it over. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore. My grandfather’s already decided your mom belongs in the family, so she’s getting an invitation to every single holiday from now on.”
I blinked. “Every holiday?”
“Every single one,” he confirmed with a solemn nod. “And don’t be surprised if she gets a card for one that doesn’t even exist.”
I frowned, unable to hide my smile. “Made-up holidays?”
“Yup. “Last year he flew a bunch of people to one of his houses in Paris because he wanted to celebrate the anniversary of his first gray hair.”
I stared at him for a second. Freaking cool. “No way.”
“He made a speech and everything,” Jace deadpanned. The image hit as I burst into laughter, doubling over as I tried—and completely failed—to stop. 
It was ridiculous, but it was also kind of adorable. When I finally caught my breath, I wiped the corner of my eye and looked back at him with a helpless smile.
“I think Christopher might actually be the coolest person I’ve ever met.”
Jace’s eyebrows shot up so fast they almost disappeared into his hair. “Cooler than me?”
I bit my lip, pretending to consider it. But he looked genuinely offended.
“Grace,” he said, gesturing dramatically toward himself. “I hid behind hedges for you. I broke into your dorm room on school grounds, and I’m still holding on to enough incriminating evidence to ruin half the people we’ve met.”
My smile vanished. “You still have the envelope we stole from Regina’s house?”
He sighed, long and heavy. “Yup. And the laptop too. Seraphine gave it to me before she left. She figured her mom would tear her room apart the second she moved out, so she trusted me to keep it safe.”
He’d kept all of it. 
And he did all of it to protect me. I stopped, and when he stopped walking too, I reached up with both hands and cupped his face, my smile stretching so wide my cheeks ached.
“I take it back,” I whispered. “You’re the world’s best boyfriend and the coolest person I know.”
The smug look that spread across his face was almost immediate. “I know,” he said proudly. “I was just waiting for you to admit it.”
“Oh, please.” I snorted, giving his cheeks a tiny squish. “It’s only going to last a week tops.”
“A week?” He looked personally offended.
“Mhm.”
“Nope.” He shook his head with complete confidence, slipping an arm around my waist and pulling me a little closer. “I’m going to be your cool boyfriend all through college.”
“Oh?”
“I have to step up my game,” he said. “Can’t have some charming medical student sweeping you off your feet with his nerdy charm.”
“You’re worried about medical students?”
He gave me a mock gravelly look. “I’ve seen them, and they’re very dangerous.”
I faced him fully, planting my hands on my hips. “How? Or are you just jealous?”
“They’re smart,” he said, counting on his fingers. “Responsible. They save lives. It’s more than jealousy, Thompson. Those are legitimate reasons to keep me on my toes.”
I took his arm, dragging him down the hallway. “Luckily for you,” I glanced at him, my lips tucked in and twitching with laughter. “I’m not into smart people.”
“Is that an insult?” 
I didn’t respond.