Bet ~Jean x Reader AU~

Chapter 34: Sweet Nothings

"Are you okay, dear?" Mrs. Rail asked, passing me my change. "You seem stressed."

I took the remainder of my money from her and faked a smile, answering, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she pressed, bringing those warm hazel eyes to me. "You know my door is always open if you need to talk."

I chewed on my bottom lip and nodded, "Thank you, ma'am. Have a good night."

"You too, sweetie," she sighed.

I grabbed my bags and left, exiting through the shop's door. The sun had set about an hour prior, painting the scenery in dark shades of shadows as the streetlamps stood tall, casting their gleams down. To be honest, it was all almost eerie. The streets were desolate, no life anywhere to be seen. In the past, I would have been perfectly content with that...but that was no longer the case.

I dreaded silence, the quietness mocked me, but I was still too timid and scared of being near people. I was trapped somewhere in the middle of two hells. One offered space to think with no distractions, but that left me alone in my thoughts. The other did provide the company that kept my thoughts at bay, but I'd constantly be in uncomfortable situations. Maybe that was my punishment for whatever wrong I had committed in my life. That was the payment of being me.

I continued walking, not paying much attention to my surroundings when I ran into someone, my bags tumbling down as I began to follow. I could feel myself falling backward, my arms flailing in the air. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for impact, but whoever I had bumped into grabbed me quickly, making sure to steady me the best they could.

"Oh my God. I am so sorry," he panicked, gently brushing my shoulders off with his hands. "I am so, so sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"It's fine," I sighed, doing a quick check over myself.

Due to him catching me as quickly as he had, I received no injuries. Besides being a little shaken up I was perfectly fine. That said, my groceries hadn't been as lucky. My bags' content was sprawled out across the pavement, but luckily nothing was damaged.

"Shoot," he continued, falling to his knees. He began to gather my things, shoving them back into the bags. "I am so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I replied, also lowering myself to help collect my things.

We worked together, gathering my groceries and sloppily shoving them in bags. They weren't a neat pack job, but at least I had all my things. To me, in the end, that was all that mattered at the moment. Just my things and getting back to the secluded den known as my room. That was it.

"Thanks for helping," I tried to smile, bringing my eyes to the person.

To my surprise, the man I saw staring back at me was a rather attractive fellow with sandy blond locks styled into an undercut and a sharp jawline that was chiseled with accuracy. His skin was fair, a few freckles sprinkled across his pleasantly sunken in features. He was tall, much taller than me and towered over my shorter stature with bulging muscles elegantly carved along his limbs. He was dressed in a well-fitted pair of jeans and a flannel shirt, a winter coat shielding him from the winter breeze. He was handsome, but I couldn't take my eyes off his. His gaze was a stunning ocean blue that was warm in the frigid cold. And they took my breath away.

"I am so sorry," he apologized again, his stare brimming with sincerity. "I was so glued onto my phone that I was reckless. Please forgive me."

I blinked, gasping, "I-it's fine. No need to...no need to worry."

He smiled, "Thank you. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh, yeah. For sure," I nodded, my voice fading in and out. "I'm all good."

He scanned me quickly, those eyes flickering up and down. I won't lie, there was something about him that made my breath hitch. Sure, he was easy on the eyes, but there was something more. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was something about his eyes. Those stormy artic orbs were mesmerizing.

"Wait," he abruptly grinned, "I know you. You're Y/N L/N, right?"

I blinked rapidly, laughing weakly, "H-how did you know that?"

He scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "We had a class together last semester. You usually sat in the back and I was a few rows in front." He shrugged, "Sorry. I don't mean to sound like a creep. I'm just really good with faces and names."

"Oh," I perked up, waving my hands dismissively. "N-no need to worry. I'm really bad with faces and names, myself."

He giggled, "Guessing you don't remember me then?"

I scanned him quickly. I took in how the shadows sank into the lines on his features, the light fighting to claim residency. I admired how loose strands of his honey locks would blow in the breeze, his ivory skin nearly glowing in the artificial gleams. To be frank, those unique features of his did, in a way, seem familiar, but I still couldn't fully put my finger on how.

"Mmm," I hummed. "I'm sorry, but no." I scratched the back of my neck, sheepishly adding, "Sorry, but I really do suck with remembering names and faces."

He chuckled, "That's okay. It's no problem. I'm Kellen Haas. We had Intro to Drawing last semester."

My eyes widened as I blurted, "Oh yeah! With Professor Hart. OMG. I remember now!" I gently bonked myself against the head. "I am so sorry, Kellen. I'm such an idiot."

"Hey," he laughed. "No need to call yourself names. It's okay. You remember now."

"True," I agreed.

We both stood there, the icy gale blowing around us as silence lingered. The corners of his lips were pulled up into a crooked smirk, causing my heart to skip a beat. I almost couldn't believe someone such as Kellen would remember me. I mean, I was a plain Jane. No one ever remembered me. Well, most people never remembered. But, there in front of me was someone who did...and he was smiling at me so warmly.

At that moment, I tightened my grip on my bags and bit down on my bottom lip, swallowing, "Umm...I don't mean to be a bother, but, uh...well...word is that there's a creep who's been lurking around campus and -"

"Would you like for me to walk you back?" he asked, still flashing that grin. "I mean, a pretty girl like you shouldn't be walking alone, ya know."

I grinned, "I'd like that very much."

He beamed, gingerly taking my bags from me. "Here. I'll carry those, m'lady."

"Why, thank you, kind sir," I gushed.

He held all my bags in one hand and turned to walk next to me, keeping pace with me. We walked in silence, though I could feel the both of us smiling like idiots. Being in his company was pleasant and a nice change from the loneliness I had known most of my life. I guess you could go as far as to say I enjoyed it. It was...just what I needed.

**Bello my wonderful lovelies! So, Kellen Haas is my own original character. If you don't like his name, then call him whatever, but I'm keeping it as it is. I hope y'all enjoyed this installment. Know that I always appreciate your all's support! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross