Believer ~Jean x Reader AU~

Chapter 14: Middle Way

I stared at him, still meeting those cognac eyes of his. They were fierce...no surprise there, but I still couldn't help but feel my breath hitch. Even then, even after I worked to distance myself from my idiotic feelings for him, I still couldn't help but grow weak at just one glance. It made no sense. Why did he make my body react? There was no reason. Still, I couldn't help but grow weak.

"Do you get it?" he asked, knitting his brows with concern. "Do you understand? He's not good news."

I lowered my gaze briefly before bringing it back to him and swallowed, "How? How is he this big, bad monster? I don't understand."

To be honest, I almost -almost- wanted to believe him. I almost wanted to believe that Kellen was a horrible person. I almost wanted to trust Jean's warning. I almost wanted to end it all with Kellen. Almost. I still failed to see how horrible Kellen was.

Jean's jaw flexed as he sighed, "He's not...he's not who you think he is."

"How?" I tested, crossing my arms over my chest. "You keep saying the same thing, but it's not changing my mind."

"Ugh," he whined, throwing his head back before bringing that sharp gaze back to me. "You're really going to make me go into depth, aren't you?"

"You want me to believe you?" I pressed.

I was starting to feel a little annoyed and I could tell by the look on his face that so was he. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his expression read frustrated. But, what did he expect? Did he really think I was just going to believe whatever he said with no concrete evidence? He was comical if he thought so.

"Fine," he huffed, leaning forward. "Let me guess? He calls you 'm'lady', right?"

I blinked rapidly. "Y-yeah, but -"

"And he pays for everything when you two go out. Am I correct?" he continued.

I shrugged, "Well, yeah..."

"And he is constantly complimenting you, like calling you 'beautiful', 'gorgeous', 'stunning'. Stuff like that," he states matter-of-factly.

I bit my bottom lip. To my dismay, he had thrown out everything that Kellen had said and done...which was starting to freak me out. I didn't want to believe him. I didn't want to think Kellen was anything but amazing. But...the confident expression on Jean's face defeated me.

"Yeah. He's Prince Charming," he snickered. "Need more?"

I took in a deep breath and stammered, "N-none of that m-means anything." I balled my hands into fists. "So, what if he's said those things to other girls before? It's not like I'm his first girlfriend. He's just...he's just a gentleman."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Y-yes," I replied.

My heart was racing against my ribs, my pulse strumming. I was feeling a mixture of emotions washing over me. Part of me wanted to cave and listen to Jean...but another part of me wanted to jump to defend Kellen. I couldn't explain it, but Jean's persistence in incriminating Kellen almost pissed me off.

"You still think he's some great guy, don't you?" he sighed.

I nodded, "Yes."

"You're not gonna believe a thing I say, are you?" he asked.

I swallowed, "No. I mean, I believe that he has called other girls that in the past, but I still fail to see how he's so horrible." I tightened my arms over my chest. "Did he beat any of those women? Cheat on them? Anything like that?"

"Well...no," he answered.

"Then, I think you know what I'm going to say," I began.

He rolled his eyes. "You're still gonna date the prick."

Honestly, I almost found it amusing how irritated he looked. He was losing, and he knew it. Still...I couldn't help but be curious. I mean, what was there to warn me about if Kellen wasn't a woman beating cheater? There was still something...or was there? What made him so bad?

Jean began to gather his things and stood up, breathing, "It's your life. You can do whatever you want. Even if I told you, you still won't believe me." He began to walk, though he paused briefly and turned to me, adding, "I'll just give you one warning; don't let your guard completely down."

And at that, he left, once again leaving me alone. I was confused and still lost, unsure of what to really think. What...what the hell was that all about?

**Bello my wonderful lovelies! Sorry if things are anticlimactic right now, but I promise things will pick up. But, I still hope ya enjoyed this! Thank you so super duper much for everything! Y'all are the coolest bees. Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross

P.S. Oh, y'all know I had to include my wifey😏 "Lost at Sea" by Amber Liu.