Bet ~Jean x Reader AU~

Chapter 20: Winter's Bliss

"Didn't you get the notice?" he questioned, his voice low and laced with irritation. "You shouldn't be wandering campus alone. There's been word about a creep lurking close by recently."

I spun on my heel, my eyes falling on a familiar person that I had grown to recognize too well. He was tall, his frame towering over my own, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. A knitted cap rested on his head, the icy gale gingerly combing the loose strands in a multitude of directions. However, of all his features, what I truly was mesmerized by was those fierce eyes of his peering at me.

Jean.

He cocked his head to the side and lifted a brow, continuing, "Hello? Did you hear what I said?"

I snapped myself out of my trance and laughed nervously, "O-oh. Ye-yeah. I'm sorry." I began to take a step back, my legs trembling from nerves. "A-a creep. Yeah. I've heard about that. It just slipped my mind. I'll be goi-"

I had allowed myself to become so worked up by my anxious nerves that I could feel how my body quaked. I was trembling furiously, but I had no reason to. I didn't know anything about him, but that didn't matter. People, in general, made me anxious and he was no exception to that. He gave off no diabolical vibes, but he was still a person I didn't know. And, to be honest, I didn't need to know him. That feeling he gave me still fed into my curiosity. However, that didn't matter.

As I was making for my escape, my wobbly knees got the better of me. My feet weaved in front of one another, the ground going unnoticed to my soles as a strange numbing sensation overwhelmed me, tampering with my senses. I was trying to hurry to get out of there but was presented no opportunity when my knees buckled just as I took a step, causing me to land on the side of my foot. It all happened so quickly. My poor footing led to me tumbling down and there wasn't a thing I could do to prevent from meeting the hard ground. All I could do was brace myself for the impact.

I squeezed my eyes shut and was ready to feel the harsh pain of cold concrete meeting me when it never came. Instead, I could feel a set of warm hands collapsing around my arms, holding me up. Ease blanketed my mind when I realized who it was.

"I was just wondering why I recognized you and now I know," he scoffed, gently pulling me back to my feet, forcing me to face him. "Ice girl."

Those golden orbs peered down at me, his face sporting an expression mixed between amusement and curiosity. The corner of his lips was slightly drawn up, his posture relaxed. To be honest, I won't deny that my heart sped up, its wicked pounds hammering at my sternum. Why this? You don't know him! He doesn't know you! I chewed on my lips. Stop being, pathetic, Y/N. Just stop.

I readjusted my bag and swallowed, "S-sorry about that. I can be such a klutz sometimes."

I peeked through the hair I had allowed to comb over my eyes to see him. He was still standing there, his arms crossed firmly over his chest, those eyes on me. I couldn't tell if he was observing me intensely, but I could tell he was scanning me. Not like there was much to see. Just a plain Jane who tripped over her own toes and had a habit of humiliating herself at the worse possible moments. That was me...the ice girl.

He observed me for a few more minutes before shrugging, "Eh, whatever. It happens." He paused briefly, bringing that gaze back to me. "But, for real. Are you okay?"

I scratched the back of my head and laughed nervously, "I-I'm fine. No need to worry about me."

"Is that so?" he chuckled, lifting an eyebrow. "Because this is the second time I've watched you bite it. Well, almost, anyway."

"Yeah," I snickered quietly. "I guess I should try to be more careful, huh?"

"I'd say so," he nodded.

Another keen breeze gushed by, blowing my hair around me. It almost felt like it was trying to slice through me as if I was a raw piece of meat, sending chills up and down my spine. It caused me to shiver, but above that, it made me skip a breath. It was as if the wind wanted to smother me, which increased my heart rate. It was such an odd sensation to feel, but I chopped it up as to being nothing when I took a deep breath.

And I smelled the heavenly aroma of men's cologne and vanilla. Such a sweet fragrance that took me by surprise. One that lingered between Jean and me. But I didn't mind it. In fact, I soaked it up. I soaked it up like a sponge. That was until I heard Jean speak.

"So, since I'm apparently going to be the one who catches you every time you stumble, mind telling me your name?" he asked, his deep tone rolling through my ears.

I dropped my gaze down and stuttered, "Y-Y/N...Y/N L/N." I brought my eyes back up and added, "May I know yours?"

"Jean Kirstein," he smiled. "Y/N? Nice name. Don't think I've ever heard of ya, though. Is this your first semester?"

Oh, dear God. Small talk...my worse enemy. I tightened my hands into fists and bit down on my bottom lip. My pulse sounded in my ears, my anxiety overwhelming me. Calm down. Just don't spill what you know. That's all. Easy.

I brought my head back up and faked a smile, answering, "No. It's my second, actually."

Surprise washed across his features as he replied, "Wow. Really? I've never seen you around before."

I shrugged, "MRU is a big campus with a lot of students. Probably never had any classes together."

He eyed me for a moment before saying, "I guess so. That'd make sense."

"Sure does," I did my best to beam.

I could still feel him observing me as if there was something to be found. In the end, there was nothing to dig up. I wasn't some girl with a big, deep secret that needed to be discovered. I wasn't some damsel in distress needing to be rescued from her inner demons or past. I was just me, so there was no need for him to study me. And yet...and yet I couldn't help but wonder why. Why was he observing me as if I was a puzzle?

"Well," I sighed, making sure to meet his stare. "I should get going. I have another class coming up soon."

"Oh," he said, his tone sprinkled by surprise. "Do you need someone to walk ya?"

I shook my head. "Nah. It's still daylight, so I doubt a creeper will jump out and attack me."

His lips drew up into a crooked smirk as he chuckled, "What about your own two feet? You have a habit of either slippin' or stumbling."

I giggled, "Thanks, but I'll be fine."

I watched as his smile softened, the gentle line of his lips curled up into a smooth grin that reached the depth of his warm golden eyes. He crammed his hands back into his pockets and remained tall, his broad shoulders rising and falling steadily with each breath he breathed. I watched as he kept his gaze trained on me, his features remaining relaxed.

"Well, in that case, I guess I'll see ya around, Y/N," he huffed, that smile still sprinkled across his lips.

I nodded, grinning, "Guess so."

At that, I slowly turned, my shoes crushing the little slush present beneath me and began to make my way back to where I had come from. I kept my eyes forward, not daring to glimpse back though I could feel something I wasn't accustomed to. It wasn't an evil sensation that washed over me. In fact, it almost made me feel like I didn't want to go to class because for once in my life, I didn't mind seeing where small talk could have taken me. Because I could feel Jean's eyes still lingering on me.

**Bello, bello my sweet lovelies! I hope y'all are doing well today. I also hope y'all enjoyed this installment. I don't wanna get too ahead of myself, but I'm already plotting my next project (remember, I do one project at a time and this one still has 1-2 books remaining, so it'll be a while before I tackle the next). I'm kinda getting excited about it. But, enough of that. Thank you all sooooo much! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross