The second time it happens, Caspian tells himself it's a coincidence.
Maybe the tall, loud boy with the silver-streaked hair just happened to walk by the same bench again. Maybe Jace was looking for someone else, or just needed to sit down, or—
"Miss me?"
Nope. Definitely not a coincidence.
Caspian stiffens slightly as Jace drops onto the ledge beside him, all relaxed limbs and citrus-sweet cologne that hits before the sound of his voice does.
"I've been here five minutes," Caspian mutters, not looking up from his sketchpad.
"That's five too long without my sparkling company," Jace says. Then: "Whatcha drawing?"
"You again, and this time I'm giving you horns."
Jace laughs — a full, unbothered sound that bounces off the courtyard walls. "Hot."
Caspian closes his eyes like that might erase the last ten seconds.
He doesn't mean to be mean. Jace just… talks a lot. And he's very there. All tall posture and knowing smirks and little fidgety movements like he's never quite still. Like he might catch fire if he held still too long.
But today, he doesn't push too hard.
Doesn't peek over Caspian's shoulder or touch the sketchbook again. Just sits beside him with one foot tapping and hums softly to a song only he can hear.
Caspian can't help glancing sideways.
Jace is scrolling his phone one-handed. The other is fiddling with a silver ring on his thumb. His tongue pokes out just slightly when he reads, like he's concentrating — which doesn't match anything Caspian thought about him, and that's irritating for reasons he can't quite name.
"You don't get tired of talking to strangers?" Caspian asks finally, more curious than anything.
Jace shrugs. "Strangers are fun. No expectations."
"You barely know me."
"True," Jace agrees. "But you're not boring. That's rare."
Caspian flushes — not red, exactly, just a quiet shift in the color of his ears. He turns back to his sketchbook before Jace can notice. (Jace notices.)
"Most people don't sit with me twice," Caspian says softly. Not accusing. Just stating a fact.
"Guess I'm not most people."
Another beat.
Then, quieter:
"I like your vibe."
Caspian doesn't answer.
Jace doesn't expect him to.
They sit in silence for a while after that. Not awkward. Not comfortable either. Just… something in between, where the space between them starts to matter.
When the warning bell rings, Jace stands, stretches like a cat, and smirks down at him. "Same time tomorrow?"
Caspian doesn't say yes.
Jace grins like he heard it anyway.