Casual Obsession ( A Jeff X Reader)

Chapter 4

I was in the stockroom reaching up towards the top shelf, trying to reach a box of granola bars that the very tips of my fingers could just brush. I was just about to give up and grab the step later when a stark white hand reached up from behind me, grabbing it from the shelf.

I let out a squeak in surprise, quickly turning to face the sudden leering presence behind me. I was met with a dirty white hoodie and a strong coppery smell. I jumped a little at how close he was, my face heating up.

  "God dammit, Jeff!!!" I practically yelled, glaring up at him and trying to ignore that fluttery feeling in my stomach. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry, doll~ I got done sweeping, thought I'd see what was taking ya so long back here~" He chuckled looking down at me and I couldn't help but feel more flustered looking up at him. I'd never really acknowledged how tall he actually was. He had to be at least 6'6 or 6'7.

"W-Whatever," I murmured,  quickly looking down and sliding out of between him and the shelf, grabbing the box of granola bars from him. "Come on, you can't be back here. You'll get us both in trouble." I said as I made my way back out to the front, just about the same time as the door chime went off.

"Good evening," I called out to the guy as he came in. He was tall, wearing a teal jacket with his hood up. He didn't say anything back, just headed into the beer cave. I shrugged and proceeded to stock the granola bars, not paying the guy much mind.

Most people ignore my greeting, either not caring or too busy to notice, but store policy is store policy. If Eliza found out I wasn't greeting everyone who entered this place, it would be an hour long lecture about not caring about my job, followed up by being forced to rewatch the training video for the umpteenth time and take the quiz that follows it.

I had gotten back to work stocking when a chill ran down my spine. I felt watched. I knew it couldn't be Jeff. If anything, I was watching him as he was pulling two liters to the front of the shelf and making sure everything was facing the right way. Besides, I'm used to his staring. This was different and it was freaking me out.

I glanced around the store, my eyes landing on the man in the teal hoodie. I dropped the box of little debbies I was stocking as my eyes met an all too familiar pair of brown ones. He smirked at me and I felt my stomach drop and my blood run cold. Jeff walked up behind me. The noise of me dropping the box must've grabbed his attention.

I guess he'd been trying to get my attention because he put his hand on my shoulder, shaking it a little. There was almost a hint of concern in his voice. "Hey, y/n?!"

This finally snapped me out of it and I looked up at him. I'm sure at this point I was looking shaken and pale.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing… Just, um, give me a sec," I said as I walked slowly towards the counter where He had walked up to after we broke eye contact. I did my best to summon as much courage as I could to keep my voice from shaking. "Y-You can't be here, Liam. If you don't leave I'm calling the cops," I said, rounding the corner and doing my best to glare up at him.

He chuckled darkly, staring down at me with his cold eyes and a cruel smirk on his face. "Oh, go ahead and call them,  baby girl~ There ain't nothing they're gonna do about it."

"I… I have a restraining order!" I snapped harshly, doing my best to banish the fear from my voice.

"A restraining order that, as of two days ago, has expired," He said, his smirk growing. "And guess who didn't bother showing up to court to renew it," he practically sang.

I froze, my blood ran cold and my eyes went wide. All the confidence I'd managed to muster left my body. He took a step toward me and I stepped back, bumping into something.

I glanced up to see Jeff standing behind me. He glanced down at me before glaring back at Liam. "I think you should go,"Jeff said darkly, his voice taking a harsh unsettling tone I had never heard before.

"And I think you should stay out of this, freak!" Liam spat angrily at Jeff. That was a tone I was all too familiar with and I instinctually took another step back, causing my back to press into Jeff's chest.

I felt Jeff take something hard from his hoodie pocket. "Last chance," he said in that same dark tone.

Liam looked surprised, caught off guard by Jeff. The only other time I can remember him looking like that is the night I finally snapped. I had hit him in the head with a frying pan and ran out the apartment. Luckily, Parker only lived a few blocks away and I had managed to get there before he got his wits about him. That was the night I filled the restraining order. The night I hoped would be the last time I'd see him, other than in court.

"Tsk- Whatever, man." He tried to put back on a nonchalant attitude before looking back down at me "I'll see ya around y/n~" He left after that. Just walked out leaving a six pack on the counter.

I let out a breath I'd hadn't realized I'd been holding and I felt Jeff put whatever it was he'd gotten out of his pocket back in it.

He was looking down at me. I could feel his gaze. But I didn't move. I couldn't. I felt like the world would fall out from under me and the only thing keeping me steady was him.

"Y/n?" He said, oddly softly for him and I looked over my shoulder to meet his eyes. "Who was that?"

I look back down. I took a deep breath before taking a step away from him and turning to face him. "I-It's a long story."

"I got time."

"I..."-I glanced over at the clock which showed it was 4:58 am-"I need to finish up my chore list, Eliza is gonna be here in like 35 minutes." I tried to use a joking tone to lighten the mood. He didn't say anything, just stared down at me. I sighed. "I get off at 6… and I really don't want to walk home by myself. My car broke down again so I walked here last night. But anyway, I guess my point is… if ya really want to know, walk me home?"

He nodded. "Sure thing, doll." He was back to his normal tone, but I could see the gears still turning in his head.