"I'm find standing," Alec said, stepping to one side and crossing his arms across his chest. He watched her for a few more seconds before he pulled his gaze away and looked around. He tried to picture the New York version of his store in his head but found he couldn't.

He tried again but it wasn't there. When he tried with the Institute, he could see its gleaming arches, its old architecture and every little detail that made the Institute beautiful and daunting. He didn't know why he couldn't recall the bookstore but he didn't spend too much time thinking about it.

"You known Luke long?" he asked in an attempt to make conversation. This wasn't his strength, unfortunately. "I didn't realize he had any employees working for him here."

It was strange to see anyone working in Luke's store who wasn't Luke himself, Clary or even Simon, the tag along mundane.