Arigatou..

"You want me to do the honors?"

It was incredulous. Elli just told me about baby steps and here I am, about to ask Jace if she wanted to stay in my place instead. She would probably punch me or just smirk at me thinking I was just plain crazy.

Aeron sighed again. His dark hair were sticking out in every direction, due to the numerous times he ran his hands through it.

"I'll do it," he said. "I have to explain everything to her." He tugged at his hair in frustration again. "F*ck! This is killing me. I don't understand mom. Jace had nothing to do with whatever happened to Aunt Jasmine in Japan."

"I don't get it either, but maybe your mom needs time." Or maybe there was more behind the story Mrs. Wong told the twins about their Aunt Jasmine.

"Look dude," I sighed out. "We are running out of time. Your parents would be here in twenty-five minutes, and I don't want to see your mom raising hell because of Jace's presence in her house." That would be ugly.

Aeron didn't say anything for another minute. He took a deep breath and opened the door. We went in and he didn't try to beat around the bush. He just dropped the news without even taking a breath.

"MomcalledandshewantJaceoutbeforetheyarrive."

Elli's brows furrowed. "What the hell? Are you kidding me?"

Wow. I didn't know how she managed to get that.

"What's happening?" Jace asked.

"You need to move in with Tolkien now. I'm sorry Jace but I will explain everything later," Aeron answered with a pained expression.

Jace's eyes zeroed in on me and I met her gaze. I couldn't say what was she thinking and her eyes didn't give away anything.

"Okay." She stood up and went out to get her backpack. Elli stomped after her while glaring at Aeron.

"F*ck!" Aeron swore again as we strode out to the living room to wait for Jace. "I'm sorry, dude."

"I'm telling you, it's fine," I said truthfully. "I'm sure mom and dad won't mind. They'll probably like her. You know she wanted a big family before she had her ovaries removed."

Aeron stared at me and shook his head. "Thanks a lot, man. I owe you big time. And it's totally fine with me about you liking Jace."

I almost choked on my own spit.

"I don't like her!" I said, exasperated. Why the hell did the twins think that I liked their cousin was beyond me. But I really didn't.

"Sure," he said obviously not believing a word I just said. "But really, man, thanks a lot."

Ten minutes later Elli and Jace descended from the stairs, the former carrying a small suitcase and the latter her backpack.

"Don't tell me you're going too," I demanded at Elli with my eyes wide.

"No," Elli snapped. She was still pissed off. "She doesn't even have to stay in your house!"

"I know Elli," Aeron snapped too. "But she have to. What's with the suitcase?"

"My clothes, obviously. I'm lending it to her since she didn't want to accept it when I'm already giving it to her."

"Fine, let's go," Aeron took the suitcase and went outside. We followed him into his pick up truck. I rode shotgun while the girls were in the backseat.

"I'm so sorry Jace," Aeron apologized again as he drove off.

Actually, we could have just walked since my house was just a few blocks away. I only walked whenever I came to the twins' house.

"It's okay, Ae," Jace said calmly. "I understand your mom. Actually, I expected this to happen." She sounded like she didn't care, and that she was used to this kind of treatment.

My heart suddenly felt a pang upon this realization.

"It's definitely not okay!" Elli cried. "Mom is being inconsiderate."

"Elli please," Jace's voice was hard. "Don't hate your mom because of me."

I glanced at her through the rear view mirror, and something tugged at my heart when I saw her glassy eyes. She was looking outside the window and when the lights outside illuminated her face, I almost reached for her when I saw her pained expression. This was hard for her too. She was just that good at hiding her emotions. And it was the first time I saw her like that instead of her trademark tiny smirk.

I didn't like it though.

~~•~~•~~

Aeron stopped the truck in front of my house and nobody moved for a moment.

"Hey," Jace leaned forward and mussed Aeron's hair. "It's okay. I told you I expected this. I knew your mom hated my father, and I totally understand that she's not ready to see me."

"Jace, no," Elli sniffed. Great. Now she was crying. "It just doesn't feel right. She's being unfair, and she's never unfair!" She turned to her twin as she wiped her tears furiously. "We'll talk to mom, right Ae?"

"Of course," Aeron said with determination. "Tolkien will take care of you for the time being, Jace."

"Uh, right." I got out of the truck and opened Jace's door. "Come on."

She said goodbye to the twins and got out as I got Elli's suitcase from the back. I waved at the twins before I walked towards my house gesturing at Jace to follow me. It was still early and mom and dad were still at work. I had to call and inform them about Jace though.

"You've got a nice looking house," Jace commented that I stopped from my tracks and whipped around.

It was so sudden that Jace bumped into me and stumbled a little, but I grabbed her arm to steady her. She looked up at me obviously annoyed by what happened and she took a step back.

"What?" She pulled her arm from me and I let her go. "You're not used to people complimenting your house?"

"Sorry. It's just that, uh, that was the first time you said something nice to me," I said.

"Not to you specifically," Jace smugly said.

I rolled my eyes and turned toward my house again. "Yeah, whatever. So, mom and dad wanted a big family that's why they bought a big house." I decided to open up to her just to have something to talk about. Jace wasn't one of those people who would initiate a conversation first. I knew that just by watching her for a week. I mean I just wanted to know her.

I opened the front door and let her in and I followed closing the door behind me. I put down the suitcase by the stairs and watched her looked around.

"It has four bedrooms and one guestroom," I continued. "We also have a game room, which is in the basement. Dad's office was in the attic. Mom loves cooking so the kitchen is her sanctuary. Unfortunately, only the three of us occupy the house."

Jace stopped looking at the pictures on the mantel and turned to me. "You don't have any siblings."

I nodded. "Mom had three miscarriages before me. I almost didn't make it too but she fought for me. I was born three months earlier than expected so I had to be incubated."

Jace was just staring at me as she listened to my story. But something changed. Her features soften and I lost my ability to talk for a moment. I cleared my throat and went on with my story.

"Obviously, I made it. But when I was 5 months old, she had her ovaries removed because of a lump the doctors had seen. Luckily she was cancer-free, and with her ovaries gone..." I shrugged.

"She couldn't have more babies," Jace ended my sentence and I just nodded. "Your parents are lucky they have you. And you're luckiest because they love you." She glanced away and looked at our family pictures again. She was hiding it but I saw the glint of envy and pain in her eyes. And I wondered for the nth time what happened to her in Japan that she had to run away. I shook my head and set aside my thoughts for the moment.

"Thanks. Come on, I'll show you your room." I picked up her (or Elli's) suitcase and went upstairs with Jace following behind. I led her through the hallway and stopped outside my room right in the middle.

"My parents' room is down the hallway," I gestured at the last door. "They made the other room into a small library, so if you want to read anything, it was the door right next to their room. Now, this one's mine," I jerked my thumb at my room door.

"Obviously," she muttered with a smirk. "It has your name written on the door."

I grinned at her and looked at my name on the door. "I was seven when I wrote that with a sharpie. Mom was furious at first but she never erased it."

"Nice color, though," she monotonously complimented the bright neon pink on my white oak door. "It was blinding."

Instead of getting embarrassed I just smirked at her. "You can use that room," I pointed at the door opposite mine. "Aeron already owned the one right next to mine."

Jace suddenly bowed at me. "Arigatou," she said.

I smiled at her. "You're welcome." I knew the arigatou part meant 'thank you' in Japanese. I always heard that whenever my parents and I eat in a Japanese restaurant.

And again, something tugged at my heart when I heard the sincerity in her voice. It was as if getting help from other people was a big deal for her.

She straightened up and reached for the suitcase in my hand, but I walked past her and opened the door of her room. I heard her stepped in behind me as I put down the suitcase beside the bed. Jace dropped her backpack on the bed while looking around.

"It was actually for a sister, which didn't happen, unfortunately," I explained as she looked around the room.

"I figured it out, with the pastel-colored wall and, che, the pink curtains and all." She looked a little disgusted at the amount of pink there was in the room. I couldn't blame her actually.

"So, you're not a "girly-girl" like any other girl I knew," I grinned at her and she shrugged.

"I'm not like any other girl," she said rather coldly that I froze. "Are you sure your parents won't freak out when they find me here?" She was back to being nonchalant.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it." I put my hands down in my front jeans pocket as I looked at her. "Uhm, mom would be here in a couple of hours to prepare dinner. I'll just call you when she arrives." I turned to walk out the door but she called my name. Well, my last name actually, but still. And it was the first time she did.

"Summers?"

I looked at her over my shoulder. "Yeah?" She was unpacking the suitcase with her back on me.

"You're actually a nice guy."

I was taken aback by what she just said that I turned my whole body towards her. She was still busy unpacking but I honestly felt her smile when she uttered those words.

I smiled at her back. "You're not that bad either, though you were ignoring me a lot of times since we've met." I didn't let her answer and made my way out the door closing it softly.

"Summers? You're actually a nice guy."

I couldn't erase the grin on my face. I must looked like a creep but I didn't care. Jace thought of me as a nice guy. And she called me by my name. Yeah, it's my last name but it was still my name. And it felt freaking good.

Shit. I think the twins were right. I think I'm starting to like Jace Connors.