Believer ~Jean x Reader AU~

Chapter 6: In the Breeze

"Would you...would you like to go out with me sometime?"

Those words still rang through my ears. I almost hadn't believed what he had said, but as I thought back to it, a smile crept across my lips. I recalled how inviting his gaze had been and how sincere he appeared. At the time, I had been so unsure of what he meant, but he had made that clear.

"Wait, what?" I had blurted, blinking rapidly. "Go out? W-what do you mean by that?"

He chuckled warmly, "Well, I mean a date." He leaned in a little closer. "I'd like to take you out and get to know you better."

Astonishment washed over me as my cheeks flushed red. "A-a date? Y-you wanna t-take me on a date?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but only if you want to." The corners of his lips pulled up into a warm smile. "Though, I'm hoping your answer will be 'yes'."

I had been so awkward at his abrupt question, but I remembered how a wave of...excitement washed over me. No one had ever formally asked me on a date before, so I had been a tad surprised. Still, I hadn't allowed that shock to completely paralyze my speech.

"A date?" I repeated, lifting a brow.

"That is correct," he answered.

"You're not yanking my chains, are ya?" I pressed, somewhat anxious.

That gentle smile remained on his lips as he softly replied, "I promise. I'm genuinely wanting to learn more about you." He fidgeted with his fingers and added, "I wanna take you out, maybe go to a restaurant or something. Whatdaya say?"

I scanned him quickly, taking him in. His expression was relaxed, his posture sporting both confidence and calmness. I was still finding it difficult that a guy like Kellen would show any interest in me. I mean, it wasn't like I was anything special and we weren't close whatsoever. So, why he had a sudden interest in me made no sense, but that didn't matter. I was too excited that someone was pursuing me.

I cleared my throat and smiled, "Y-yeah. Yeah...I'd like that."

He grinned, "Awesome. How about this Friday? Say...eight o'clock?"

"Sure," I nodded, still beaming.

"Awesome," he smirked. "I gotta go, but I'll see ya then. Give me a text or ring sometime." He slid a small piece of paper with a cell number on it and beamed, "See ya around, beautiful."

I stood in front of my dormitory, grinning from ear to ear at my thoughts and memories from the day before. A date...I'm going on a date. I gushed internally. I wonder what I should wear. A dress? Nice jeans and a blouse? Should I do my makeup? Keep it natural? I was overthinking. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Chill, Y/N. You have a few days to figure this all out.

Instead of dwelling on my thoughts, I breathed in haggardly and began walking, making my way to the LAL building. At that moment, fantasizing about my approaching date with Kellen had to take the backseat. I needed to focus on my classes. I began to clear all thoughts of Kellen and refocused myself.

I allowed the nippy breeze to gush pass me, the soles of my shoes scuffing the cement. I was blissfully drifting in my thoughts, not caring about a thing when I rounded the bend. Due to not being able to see who was on the other side, I collided into them. Our bodies impacted, causing me to tumble back, all the while I mentally snarled at my luck of constantly running into people. It seemed it was happening more and more, only driving me absolutely insane.

But, just as quickly as it all happened, a set of hands immediately wrapped around my forearms. The person steadied me, making sure I was secure on my feet. To be honest, I shouldn't have really cared, but two things prevented that. The first was how gentle, yet firm their hold was. Their touch was warm and almost inviting. But, more importantly, was the familiar ink tattooed onto the person's hands and fingers.

Trembling, I glanced up, my eyes colliding with a set of fierce brown orbs. My breath hitched at the sight of those fiery eyes as my heart wailed at my ribs. I hadn't expected to run into him; not after all that time. It had been weeks since I had even seen him. But, sure enough, there he was.

Jean Kirstein in the flesh.

"Hey there, ice girl. Long time no see," he mumbled, those eyes still locked on me. "Missed running into me or somethin'?"

I just stared at him, blinking. I remembered how I had felt with him on the night of Marianne's memorial. I had stupidly allowed myself to develop some sort of feeling for him. I guess you could say that I liked him...or had liked him. I had allowed myself to be foolish and as I looked at him I recalled all that.

I pulled my arms from his hold and swallowed, "Thank you for catching me, Jean, but I must be on my way to class."

I began to go around him when he blocked me, laughing, "Wait, that's it? Just 'thank you'?"

I knitted my brows in confusion and asked, "What did you expect me to say?"

"I don't know," he shrugged scratching the back of his neck. "It's just, I figured it's been awhile. Thought you'd have more to say."

I don't know why, but that lit a fire in me. I was pissed that he thought I'd want to just chat with him. I mean, yes, I had been the idiot who thought that there were feelings on both sides only to have that dashed away, but that said, he did kind of fuel that. When he walked me back to my dorm after Marianne's memorial, he had acted so...different. His eyes had been softer and his breathing gentler. The atmosphere that night had felt so...different. I had never felt the way I did that night. Even if it was a one-sided sensation, he wasn't helping.

"Sorry," I mumbled, pushing past him, "but I don't really have anything to say and even if I did, I wouldn't want your girlfriend to think something's up."

And at that, I shuffled away, my heart brutally beating my ribs as I took shallow breaths. A pit formed in my stomach, the anxiety welling to my throat. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt like crying. I had no reason to but seeing him had made me react in a way I never thought of.

After some walking, I reached the LAL building. I paused outside of it, squeezing my eyes shut. Damn it. What the hell?

**Ello, ello my sweet lovelies. How y'all doin'? Ya doin' swell? I hope so! So, real quick, just wanted to remind y'all that in the first book Alexandra (Jean's gf) had made their relationship Facebook official. This means everyone on campus by this point is aware that they're a thing. So, that explains why Y/N would say anything. But, yeah that's this chapter. I hope y'all liked it! As always, thank you so much for everything! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross