His Rose

Ch. 7

I wish I had a bit more of a break before I had to face Jace or Julian again. Sadly, I only had a little over half a day to recover from the rollercoaster that was last week and take in all the new gang information I overheard from yesterday, and my new theories as to the end of mine and Jace's relationship. I had questions to ask, but most of all, I was worried about another run-in with Julian. I may not be as worried as I was the first time I heard he was a gang leader, but that didn't mean I felt completely safe. I wasn't naive, and I didn't live under a rock. There was still a good chance something bad could happen.

Which would explain why my hands were shaking a bit as I reached for the doorbell when I arrived at the Castillo's home at 9 in the morning to nanny once again.

As I waited at the door in my cropped tee and Nike shorts, I started wishing I had just shown up at 9:29. Julian wouldn't be here as it was, and if I showed up later, Jace would have had to leave right away instead of sticking around for another half an hour. Although part of me wanted to talk to him, the way things were left wasn't the best, I would prefer to just avoid both people that were possible problems. But instead I forgot to change my alarm, and it was still set to get here at 9. So, here I stood on the Castillo's porch, the door opening after a bit to reveal a shirtless Jace, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Why do you still shower before practice?" I asked before I could stop myself, managing to keep my gaze locked on his eyes and not his chiseled chest. I was supposed to be blocking him out, not asking things I always teased him about when we were dating, things that became inside jokes. He rolled his eyes, stepping aside to let me in.

"We've been over this. Showers wake me up," he replied simply. I cursed him for sounding so nonchalant, as if this reminder of the last years wasn't a painful memory. I should have expected it; he was always better at things than any person should. Smartest guy in our grade. Star quarterback who was being recruited by D1 colleges in his sophomore year. The list goes on. So I shouldn't be surprised he could also move on much easier than me.

I brushed past him, walking towards the living room where both Nolan and Elsie were already waiting, watching the interaction with interest. I rolled my eyes at the pair. They were cute for trying to get us back together, but it wasn't going to happen.

"Damnit," Nolan mumbled once Jace headed back upstairs, sulking in his seat.

"I don't know what you expected, Junior," I snorted, although there was no humor in my voice. "Or did you forget yesterday morning?"

"It doesn't matter," Elsie replied before Nolan could start another argument as to why Jace and I should sort things out. At least she knew better than to keep pushing the subject.

"Whatever," Nolan grumbled, clearly still a bit upset.

"Why did you guys make Jace get the door anyway?" I asked. "He clearly wasn't ready."

"We didn't make him get the door," Nolan stated, a satisfied smirk on his face when he saw the flash of surprise in my eyes. I thought he'd want to avoid me. Maybe I should go talk to him...

"Is something wrong?" Elsie asked, frowning. I shook my head, forcing a smile.

"No, I'm fine, just thinking. Yesterday was a bit crazy when I got home," I offered. Neither were that convinced, though. And rightly so, I was still quite tense being in the enemy's home, and now I didn't know if it was better to ignore Jace or talk to him.

"Maybe you should talk to Jace," Nolan offered. Elsie sent him a glare.

"Nolan, seriously, shut up-"

"They need to-"

"No, they-"

"I'll be right back," I muttered, standing up abruptly and heading towards the stairs. This was quick to shut them up, but I didn't care. I only needed one thing to worry about in this house, and if I could clear up whatever Jace meant, then I should do it.