Too Easy To Read

JACE

Woah, I never expected anyone to be down by this time, especially not Ayla and God has she grown into a woman, last time I was here she was just celebrating her 19th birthday and now she was 21 and a very hot one. She jad always been a very beautiful girl but I never stopped to look at her or observe her the way I did today because of the endless warnings from my sister, seeing her in those shorts and singlets that failed to leave out every detail of her luscious skin and body and her hair packed up just spiraled something in me but I couldn't let it show that I was absolutely mesmerised and in awe of how grown she'd become.

I was older than Lina and Ayla with 3 years but I always felt like I was 27 because of the duties of the first son I had to put up with not a 24 year old boy who just wants to have fun and live out his life.

“Are you just gonna stand there or are we gonna get to work” Cherry, the hottest girl in college right now said snapping me put of my thoughts and gesturing to the table and pile of school work we had left undone. We were partners on a project from school and the deadline was fast approaching and we hadn't even gone anywhere vlose to finishing, that was why she was at my place, not because I wanted to mess around with her. I have the courtesy of never bringing my whores to my fathers house, it's more of my sanctuary, I mean I did know cherry wanted me and it was so obvious, with the way she always arched her back a little bit more when she saw me or how she made her voice go softer, she even put on a see through singlet and I could see her ni***es pointing at me begging to be touched but naaaa I'm good, for now though and I wouldn't even let anything happen in my house.

I wonder if Ayla thought I wanted to fuck her anyways, wait……..why do I care?, I could care less, I thought to myself and went over to the study table where Cherry was standing and we went on down to work

“She's hot though”

“Huh?” I said and turned to Cherry, trying to underrated the meaning of the statement she just made

“That girl with black hair that came downstairs”

“Oh, Ayla” I said bending my face back to my work understanding what she meant “She's my sisters bestfriend and has been around since I was like 12 or something and she's basically part of the family now”

“Well, that's some tension you both got going on” she said, I could hear the jealousy in her voice

“Tension? No, Ayla is just my sisters bestfriend and she's definitely not my type” I said almost in a rush to defend myself

“Am I your type?” She said leaning in a bit closer, close enough for me to feel her hard nipples against the surface of my arm

I smiled to myself knowing exactly where this was headed “Oh honey, only a blind man wouldn't see you for the angel that you are” and I could hear her giggle softly “Now this work won't finish itself, less talking, more working” I said to her to avoid the conversation getting any longer than it should.

NEXT MORNING

AYLA

Morning came too fast and I barely slept, everytime I closed my eyes, it was the same thing—Jace's face and his damn smirk, the way he watched me like he was already two steps ahead, like he knew something I didn't and it was so annoying, it made my stomach turn. I sat up with a quiet sigh, rubbing my face before glancing over at Lina, who was still fast asleep, completely unbothered.

Of course she was.

I swung my legs off the bed and stood, stretching slightly before heading for the door, I needed air, or food, or something that would stop my brain from replaying last night on a loop

The hallway was quiet again, too quiet, even though it was bright and all the servants were outside doing their work as they should. I made my way downstairs, expecting an empty kitchen, but it wasn't

JACE WAS THERE

Alone this time, leaning back against the counter, scrolling through his phone like he didn’t have a care in the world, like last night hadn’t happened, like he didn’t walk around casually ruining people’s sleep schedules and I stopped in my tracks, for a second, I considered turning back but that would be obvious and I refused to let him think he had that kind of effect on her. So instead, I walked in like nothing was wrong, like I didn't notice his presence at and and grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured myself water from the jug I took out from the fridge and took a slow sip. Silence stretched a bit longer than it should

“You always wake up this early when you’re over?”

My grip tightened slightly around the glass, of course he’d speak.

“Could ask you the same thing.”

“Mhm You could.” he paused “But I already know why you’re up.”

I slowly glanced at him, trying to decipher what he means by that, he hadn’t moved much, but his attention was fully on me now with his phone forgotten and his head tilted slightly like he was studying me with that same look

I frowned “Oh yeah? Enlighten me.”

He pushed himself off the counter, taking a step closer but not too close, but close enough to make me aware of it.

“You think too much,” he said simply.

My expression didn’t change, but something in my chest did.

“What?”

“You overthink everything,” he continued, voice calm, like he was stating a fact. “Little things turn into big things in your head. Makes it hard for you to relax.”

I blinked, then narrowed her eyes slightly. “You don’t know anything about me.”

Jace’s lips curved, not into a full smile, but something quieter and complicated, more knowing, more aware, as if he was studying her like a lab rat taking in all her movements

“Don’t I?”

My stomach dropped and did a little flip, I set the glass down harder than I meant to. “No. You don’t.”

“Right.” He nodded slowly, like he was agreeing, but not really

“So you didn’t stay up last night overanalyzing everything you saw?”

I froze, what did he mean by that “You were literally there,” she said quickly. “Anyone would” I shot back trying to sound as confident as I could be

“Not like you,” he cut in.

Now I was irritated “Okay, what does that even mean?”

“It means,” he stepped a little closer again, voice lowering slightly, “you don’t just see things. You read into them. You build meanings that aren’t always there.”

I stared at him, my heartbeat picked up, and I hated it “Wow,” I said flatly “Didn’t know you were suddenly a psychologist.”

He huffed a quiet laugh “I’m not,” he said. “You’re just easy to read.”

That did it!

I scoffed, crossing myr arms, rolling my eyes in disgust “Please. You don’t even know me well enough to say that.” and for a second, something flickered in his eyes, something deeper, almost like he was he was taking what I said in, but that look disappeared just as quickly as it came

“Maybe,” he said lightly, the his voice went softer “Or maybe you’re not as hard to figure out as you think.”

The room fell overly heavy with silence as I held his gaze, refusing to look away first and seem weak, but inside? My thoughts were racing again, this didn't feel like guessing or a coincidence, it felt specific— all what he said about me, TOO SPECIFIC and I didn’t like it, one bit and I broke eye contact first, turning away and grabbing my glass

“I’m going back upstairs,” she muttered.

“Yeah,” Jace replied casually behind me “You do that.”

I toom two steps towards the door and paused, something in her chest tightening again

“Why do you talk like that?” I asked suddenly, not turning around.

There was a beat of silence

“Like what?”

“Like…” I hesitated, frowning slightly. “Like you already know what I’m thinking.”

And this time the silence lasted longer

“Maybe I do.”

My breath caught and I turned but he looked away picking his phone back up like the conversation meant nothing, like he didn’t just say something that made her entire body go still. I stood there for a second longer and shook my head slightly.

NO

There was no way, she was just reading into everything again, right?.........RIGHT?

Lost in thought, I didn't even realise when I got to Lina's room and she was sitting up on her bed with her phone in her hand and the minute I entered she raised her head to my direction

“Hey,” her voice came softly “You're up early, I went to your room and I couldn't find you, thought you took a stroll outside”

“Oh…….uhm, no I went down to get a glass of water” i said back my voice trembling

“You met Jace?” She said, probably noticed how I was fidgeting and uneasy

“Yeah, but we didn't talk” I said in a lie to avoid her questioning and suspicions

“Woah……..he really has grown, the Jace I knew would probably pull a prank on you that'll leave you screaming, but that's good for both of us, atleast we could spend time together without his drama”

“Yeah,” I said to her as I strolled across the room and picked up my phone from the nightstand and back to the door “I need to take my bath, I'll be back in a minute” I said to Lina as I closed the door behind me almost in a rush to avoid her from catching me in my lie and of course I wouldn't be telling her about the blonde girl I saw with Jace last night in the kitchen or about our encounter this morning, I wouldn't want her getting all worked up because of something as minor as Jace.

I walked towards my room and sighted Jace and MJ leaving through the front door and oh my freaking God was I blown away by MJ's physique, I wanted to be sure it was him and I ran to the balcony and stood up looking down but not outside enough for them to notice me staring right down at them.

MJ CLIFFORD was Jace's bestfriend and had been ever since I knew the Roberts, one would mistake them for brothers as you'd always find them together in every situation. MJ on the other hand was way different from Jace, he was calm, sweet and sometimes I wonder how could two people in entirely different fonts be so close. It was like a collision of two worlds.

MJ was a brunette and his long hair always fell on his shoulders each time I saw him, he always had this perfect smile plastered on his face like there was no problem in his world, his bright hazel eyes would make girls swoon, and God his body was that of a Greek God but oh well, he would never look at me that way, I mean he saw me as family, the same way Jace did. He had never bullied or pulled pranks on me like Jace did, infact he always shunned Jace and stood up for me, I did have the longest crush on him but I guess, we don't fit in each other's worlds. Although his family wasn't as rich as the Roberts but they were doing so well off and could get an entry into any event if they wanted to, just a few calls and boom. Everyone knew wherever MJ, Jace too, and wherever Jace went, MJ too, I just didn’t expect to see him today and thank Goodness he didn't see me like this, I'm a mess.

I was about to turn and leave when I caught Jace looking at me from the corner of his eye and I immediately became aware “Shit!” I cursed and ran inside, how long did he see me gawping over MJ? Did MJ see me too? It can't be that bad can it? Before I ran, I could see that stupid smile of his and God did it piss me off so bad

Ugh, I wish I could punch that dirty little smile off his face, I thought to myself and I peeled my clothes off my self and started running the shower and when it was just right, I jumped in and let the water run from my head to my toes, washing away my thoughts and making me calm and this shower was exactly what I needed. 30 minutes later, I was out and pulled out my clothes from my bag. I pulled my camo shorts that stopped right above my knees, a white tube top and my socks, I oilrd my body and braided my hair into two parts and laid on my bed after the satisfaction of how I looked, I really didn't have much to do today as today was a Saturday and I just wanted to rest in, so did Lina, I placed my headphones over my head and took out my journal and wrote everything that Jace made me feel and everything that went down.

My journal was basically all I had, I had it since I was 15 and well you might think how do I manage to fit in evrry detail since then till now, it was a very big but cute one and no one was allowed to go through it not even gradnma or Lina, it was my most sacred book and I really didn't know what would happen if it got lost or picked up by someone who isn't supposed to have it, someone like Jace, but he would never breach my privacy, would he? God I'm thinking so much again whatever, I placed it down on the book stand and went down for breakfast after Helen, the head maid, knocked on my door to tell me about breakfast.

Lina left immediately after breakfast on a date with Ethan and I was left alone in the Roberts big might mansion but I wasn't bothered or scared, I was used to being alone, I just stayed in my room and scrolled on tiktok. The weekend was a blur and ran by fast and before you knew it Monday was here but it was like the last week before holidays so no classes and I was done with my papers last week, I called to check on Nan and to see if she needed anything and told her I might stay on for a bit longer and she was excited. I really love my old Nan, she took care of me since I was 3 after my parents mysterious and sudden death and I don't even care if she was my grandma, I saw her like my mother and I loved her with my whole heart and she definitely did deserve all that she ever wanted. I figured giving her space alone at home would ease her stress on bothering about me, she too needed a break.