"We should probably go," Jace smiled. smiling at Y/N before turning to Emily, "Ready?"
Sighing, Jace looked over at Y/N as she read something on the island. His heart ached, wanting to be with her. He let out a long sigh before grabbing his bag. "I'll see you in a few days," Jace said, looking back at Y/N with a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"Sure. Have a safe trip," Y/N replied, still smiling but feeling a pang in her heart. As Jace and Emily left the apartment, Y/N was left alone with her thoughts, wondering what would happen if she were honest with Jace about her feelings. But for now, she decided to keep them to herself and continued on with her day.
_
Jace and Emily drove up to his family's opulent mansion, surrounded by sprawling green lawns and lush gardens. As they pulled up to the entrance, Emily nervously followed Jace to the door, feeling a knot form in her stomach. She was anxious about meeting Jace's family and wondered if they would like her.
"They're going to like me, right?" Emily asked, her voice shaking with nerves. Jace smiled reassuringly as he rang the doorbell, but inside, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. He knew that his family could be judgmental, and he worried that they might not approve of his new girlfriend.
The door swung open, revealing Jace's younger brother, Luke. His smile quickly faded as he looked between Jace and Emily, his expression turning into one of confusion. He seemed to be expecting someone else to be with Jace.
"This is my girlfriend, Emily," Jace said, answering the unspoken question. As they stepped into the house, Luke stayed at the door, looking out as if he was waiting for someone.
"Is she still in the car?" Luke asked, turning to look at Jace. His brows furrowed in confusion, wondering where Y/N was
."Who?" Emily asked, taking off her shoes.
"Y/N. You didn't say you were bringing someone else," Luke said, his frustration evident in his tone.
"I don't have to announce every time I bring someone," Jace replied calmly, although he was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"That's because you only ever bring Y/N," Luke shook his head, as if it was obvious.
"His roommate?" Emily asked, looking at Jace with raised eyebrows.
"His best friend," Luke corrected, pushing past his brother to walk into the living room. Jace and Emily watched him go, and Jace let out a long sigh, feeling guilty for not telling her the truth about his relationship with Y/N.
As Jace and Emily entered the living room, the rest of the family was already there, gathered around a large fireplace. Jace's parents greeted Emily warmly, but there was a palpable tension in the air. They all seemed to be waiting for something or someone, and Jace couldn't help but wonder if it was Y/N.
The rest of the evening was awkward, with Luke and his siblings making subtle jabs at Emily, who was clearly out of place. Jace tried to make conversation, but his mind was elsewhere. He missed Y/N, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing back at the apartment.
Luke and Baela had soon cornered Jace into the kitchen, groaning as he put his phone down on the counter. He had been on his way to text Y/N to wish her good night when they interrupted him.
"Why didn't you bring Y/N ?" Luke asked, his tone accusatory.
Jace shook his head, rolling his eyes in frustration. "I don't need my friend to accompany me to my family home; I have a girlfriend now," Jace replied coldly, but it was obvious that he was still hurting over his unrequited love for Y/N.
Baela let out a scoff of annoyance. "Y/N is part of our family," she spat.
"Mom is upset; our siblings are upset; even Daemon is confused," Luke whispered harshly, his frustration evident.
"She's not needed when I have Emily," Jace replied, his voice louder than he intended, betraying the bitterness he felt about not being able to have Y/N as his girlfriend.
Luke and Baela were left shocked at his response. "What should I have done? Brought both of them?" Jace spoke more quietly now, his heart hurting as he replayed the image of Y/N hurt face when he left.
"Did you even think about her?" Luke sighed, glaring at Jace before the two of them left. Jace rolled his eyes, feeling guilty for not considering Y/N feelings more.
Jace felt his blood boil as his family continued to criticize him. He knew that he had made a mistake by not bringing Y/N , but he couldn't help feeling like they were being unfair.
He had a right to be happy with Emily, didn't he? letting out a loud sigh he picked up his phone to call her, but he panicked when he noticed that a call had ended a few seconds prior between himself and Y/N .
"No no no no" he panted loudly, He tried calling her again and again, but the calls went straight to voicemail. He sent text after text, begging for her to call him back, but all were left on "delivered."
"Jace!" he heard his mother calling, and he sighed, knowing that he couldn't avoid his family's scrutiny for long. But deep down, he couldn't help but worry about Y/N and how she was feeling. He knew that he had to make things right with her, but he didn't know how.
Jace attempted to call and text Y/N throughout the rest of the night, but she still wasn't answering him. He felt like he was going crazy, wondering why she was ignoring him. His heart was heavy with worry and guilt, knowing that he had hurt her by not being honest about his feelings and by bringing Emily to his family's home instead of Y/N.
As the rest of his family slept soundly, Jace lay awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't shake the feeling of regret and sadness that weighed heavily on him. He replayed the events of the day over and over in his mind, wishing that he could go back and make different choices.
When he got up to grab some water from the kitchen, he heard Luke on the phone, his voice low and strained. Jace froze, wondering if Luke was talking to Y/N. His heart raced with anticipation as he listened to the conversation.
"I'm mad enough for the both of us; I miss you," Luke mumbled into the phone, his voice tinged with sadness.
"Are you talking to Y/N?" Jace asked, startling Luke so much that he almost dropped his phone
."No," Luke replied, clearly lying.
"Can I talk to her, please?" Jace begged, walking closer to him and not trying to hide how desperate he was feeling.
"Do you want to talk to him?" Luke whispered into the phone. The brothers stared at each other as they waited for a reply. "Yeah, love you too, goodnight," Luke spoke louder before hanging up and sliding his phone back into his pocket.
Jace got slightly annoyed and let out a loud huff. "Is she okay?" Jace asked, hoping to get any information
."If she isn't, I didn't hear about it," Luke shrugged, lying again.
"Then why is she ignoring me?" Jace asked, his frustration starting to boil over.
"I didn't know she was," Luke quickly spoke, trying to leave. But Jace grabbed his arm, not letting him go.
"Why?" Jace asked again, his tone more stern this time.
"You dialed her by accident," Luke mumbled, causing fear to roll up in Jace's chest.
"What did she say?" Jace panicked, letting go of Luke's arm.Luke swallowed, trying to avoid eye contact.
"She said she needed some space for a while," he finally replied before walking off. Jace felt his heart drop as he realized the gravity of the situation. Y/N was hurt and needed space from him. He couldn't help but feel like he had lost the only person who truly understood him. He slumped down onto a nearby chair, feeling defeated and alone. He knew that he had to make things right with Y/N, but he didn't know how to start.
