Jax x Reader ~Enemies to Lovers~

Chapter Nine: Concern

With all of the talking out of the way, we started walking on the dirt path once again, trying to find the others. My heart has calmed down a bit, but my arms still pricked with sharp needles, an uneasy feeling was settling in my stomach, making me feel nauseous. Though, instead of dwelling on my thoughts (which I knew wouldn't help me), I decided to follow Jax and the dirt path, trying my best to block any unwanted thoughts that were trying to seep into my head.

"How the hell did the others get so far away?" I heard my voice complain.

Jax shrugged. "Who knows. Why did you stay behind anyway? You had no reason to."

Shit. How was I going to tell him the true reason? Like, 'oh, I was just concerned for your well-being, even though we're either enemies or frenemies, I can't really tell.' That just sounds stupid and dumb, and he will probably laugh at me. Besides, I don't even know why I cared in the first place when he's been nothing but sarcastic, not genuine, and snarky.

"Um..." My words got caught in my throat as my brain clouded with how to respond--any response. But how do I respond without him raising an eyebrow? With a deep breath, I attempted to respond again. "It's gonna sound stupid, so don't you f*beep*ing go around saying how stupid I sound since I already know, but...I was worried. You don't just stare off into space or at the ground the way you did unless there's something that was actually wrong. Same with the way you were pacing in your room this morning. I know, it's dumb, but...I just couldn't help but check up on you. I don't know why."

Silence. He didn't respond for a while, and I couldn't help but take a quick glance at him, worried I went too far or creeped him out or something. But he seemed lost in thought, or he was searching for a way to reply to my confession. Either way, his eyes stared straight forward while his walking pace slowed down a bit, which made me have to slow down my pace as well.

After a few more moments, a soft chuckle left his lips. "You're such a weird character, you know that? Honestly, you're right in one regard. It is dumb."

My heart skipped a beat and started twisting with anxiety. Great. It's not like I wasn't aware, but I should've assumed this would be his answer. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Why did I think expressing my emotions would be a good thing, when I knew Jax and I never got off on the right foot, and parts of me doubted we ever would. Why do I care in the first place, anyway? Am I finally losing it? What if--

"But it doesn't mean I don't appreciate your concern."

My eyes started blinking again, shock consumed my body as I heard his words, wondering if he was messing with me. "Wait, what?" My voice sounded weak and pathetic, making me internally cringe.

He chuckled softly, a sly grin was on his face. "What? You thought I would yell at you or diss you for being concerned for my well-being? How cute." The last part was underneath his breath, but I could hear it loud enough to understand that he fucking called me CUTE! I felt my cheeks heating up, possibly turning a bright pink as my eyes darted away from his glance.

"Excuse me?" My voice whispered.

"You heard nothing," He spoke with a grin, probably noticing the hint of fluster that was scattered on my cheeks. "Anyway, to answer your concern, nothing's wrong. But with the whole 'you made us behind out of concern' thing...I think this whole situation is your fault."

OH. So THAT'S where he's going with this. Yeah, scratch that. Now I regret being concerned for him. But could you blame me?? If anybody was zoning out that much or seemed bothered by something, I would go check up on them. It's just a nice thing to do. But now he's blaming me? Fucking original.

"My fault? Really?" I deadpanned, my eyes harshly glaring at the purple rabbit next to me while we were walking.

"Yep. All your fault. Don't try denying it, dollface. It won't work."