Chapter 5 Like It's Always Been Her

Aria didn't go back inside right away.

She stood on the terrace long after Killian disappeared, watching the frost burn off the grass. The mountains looked different in the daylight-less like gods, more like witnesses. Cold, impartial, patient.

She wondered what it felt like to be that still. To not ache.

Her fingers itched for her camera. But it was still upstairs, zipped in a bag, untouched since she arrived. Like some part of her had already known this wasn't a place where she could see clearly. Not when everything in her was too blurred to focus.

When she finally did go inside, she found Jace in the den, flipping channels with the remote like he was trying to land on a version of reality that didn't exist.

"She's not coming back today," he said, eyes still on the screen. "They're staying at the club tonight. Some engagement dinner."

Aria didn't answer.

He looked over. "You mad at me?"

She leaned against the doorframe. "Are you hoping I say no so you can keep using me, or hoping I say yes so you can call me dramatic?"

Jace winced. "Okay. I deserve that."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

She gave him a long look. "So am I."

He sat up straighter. "Look, if this is too much-"

"It's not."

Her voice surprised them both.

He blinked. "It's not?"

"No." Aria walked into the room, slow, measured. "But if we're going to do this, we're going to do it right."

Jace muted the TV. "What does that mean?"

"It means we stop pretending," she said. "If Blair is going to believe you've moved on, then we make her believe it. We give her a reason to be jealous."

His brows lifted. "Okay..."

Aria stopped in front of him. "Tonight, at the dinner-bring me."

He hesitated.

"She won't expect it," Aria said. "And if she does? Even better."

"She'll assume we're together."

"I know."

He studied her face. "Are you sure?"

Aria smiled, tight and a little dangerous. "You wanted me to help. Let me help."

For a second, Jace didn't say anything.

Then he grinned. "God, you're good at this."

She didn't answer.

Didn't tell him that every part of this already hurt.

Because if she said it out loud, she wasn't sure she'd stop.

That night, she stood in front of the mirror in a borrowed black dress, hair curled in loose waves, lips a soft red. She didn't look like herself.

She looked like the kind of woman Jace would reach for in a crowded room. The kind Blair might consider a threat. The kind of woman who didn't beg. Who made people wonder.

Devon had once called it her "revenge face." Aria had laughed at the time.

Now it didn't feel like a joke.

Jace knocked once and pushed the door open without waiting. He froze in the doorway.

"Holy shit."

Aria turned.

Jace blinked, then let out a low whistle. "Wow. You look... I mean, damn."

Her heart jumped, traitorously. "That'll do."

He walked in and offered his arm like they were heading to prom. "Ready to cause a little chaos?"

She took his arm. "Always."

The club was a monument to old money-granite walls, arched ceilings, candlelight everywhere. The air smelled like cigars and expensive perfume. It was the kind of place where people spoke in polished tones and smiled with their teeth closed.

Blair and Carter were already there, surrounded by family friends and strategically placed press. She wore emerald tonight, a color that made her eyes pop and everyone else fade.

Aria didn't look at her.

Not at first.

She looked at Jace, laughing at something Aria whispered in his ear. His hand rested lightly on the small of her back. He was good at this. He'd always been good at pretending.

So was she.

They moved through the crowd like a couple who belonged together. And Aria could feel it-the way people turned to look, the way Blair's posture stiffened when she saw them. Like she hadn't expected it. Like it bothered her.

Good.

Aria leaned in closer to Jace, her hand brushing his chest. "She sees us."

Jace smiled. "And?"

"And she's trying not to show it."

"Then let's give her a reason to slip."

Aria didn't know who moved first. Whether it was his hand tightening around her waist or her fingers brushing his jaw. But suddenly his mouth was on hers.

The kiss was soft. Familiar.

And completely wrong.

Not because it wasn't good.

But because it didn't feel like anything.

Not electricity.

Not heat.

Just... a move.

Like chess.

She pulled back before it could deepen.

Blair was watching them, stone-faced.

Aria gave her a small nod across the room, like a challenge.

Blair raised one perfect eyebrow.

Then turned her attention back to Carter and laughed at something he didn't say.

They sat for dinner at a long white-table-clothed table under a chandelier that looked like it belonged in Versailles. Aria barely touched her food. Jace kept the conversation going, charming when he needed to be, quiet when he wanted to be noticed.

Blair didn't speak to either of them.

Until dessert.

She rose from her seat, champagne glass in hand, and tapped it with her spoon.

Everyone turned.

"I just want to thank you all," she said, voice smooth and clear. "For being here to celebrate something truly rare-an engagement that actually feels like love."

People laughed politely.

Blair smiled.

"And of course," she added, her eyes drifting over to Aria, "it's always nice to see old friends. Especially when they remind you how far you've come."

The dig was so polished it glittered.

Aria smiled back. "You've come very far, Blair. I barely recognize you."

Blair's eyes narrowed. "How sweet."

Carter leaned over and said something in her ear. She didn't laugh this time.

Jace didn't speak.

But Aria could feel the heat rising off him.

This wasn't going to end quietly.

She just hadn't decided yet if she was going to stop it.