Better ~Jean x Reader AU~

Chapter 28: Dark Phase

It was weird. It was weird to be in the ADA House, lounging on the old broken-down sofa with my boyfriend as a romantic comedy movie played on the TV. It was weird because the last time I had stepped foot in that house had been when there was a party raging on.

It seemed so long ago. That night...but was it really? Was it really as long ago as I thought it was? That was the night when I was followed by the creep...by Professor Wells. The night he stalked me. The night where Eren escorted me to the ADA House for safety. The night where...where I saw them...behind the shed in the snow.

My stomach lunged at the thought of that memory. The memory of her on top of him, his hands planted firmly on her hips. The memory of each motion she made, her skirt hiked up. The memory of how the moans reverberated from them, echoing through my ears. The memory of them wrapped in that erotic embrace. That was what played through my head.

I attempted to shove those thoughts from my mind and focus on the movie, but I just couldn't get into it. I mean, I picked the film, but the truth was that I put little thought into it. I had just picked the first thing that looked funny. It was funny, but it wasn't enough to distract my thoughts. In the end, my concentration continued to drift back to that night.

I was losing myself again when I was abruptly pulled from my own little world by Kellen asking, "I'm gonna go get a drink. Do you want anything while I'm up?"

I glanced over at him, watching as he stood up and faked a smile, "Nah. I'm good. Thank you, though."

"Okay," he beamed. "I'll be back, babe."

"Okie dokie," I called.

I watched as he went along his way, his back to me as he went. Even from the rear view, my boyfriend looked amazing. Tall...lean...sculpted...nice booty. He looked so godlike, but despite that, I still couldn't muster up those words. I just couldn't say it. I mean, I should've been able to...right? A guy a like Kellen was a catch. I was lucky to have him. But...but regardless of how amazing he was, I just couldn't bring myself to say them back. I chopped it up to me not knowing more about him.

Maybe that was all it was. Perhaps my hesitation was brought on by not truly knowing him as well as I wanted to believe I did. It made sense. I wasn't the kind of girl to just blurt those words to just anyone. So, maybe learning more about Kellen would help me to get to that same level.

After a few moments of waiting, Kellen reappeared with a can of beer in his clutch. He returned to his spot and cracked open the can, taking a sip of it. I watched, already learning something new. I had no idea that he drank beer. I mean, I hadn't seen him drink it before. I wasn't against it. It just baffled me how I couldn't know something so simple.

I knitted my brows and questioned, "You drink beer?"

He brought his eyes to me and chuckled, "Well, not often. It's not my favorite thing to drink, but I don't mind it every now and again."

"Oh," I said. "Do you drink alcohol often?"

He shook his head. "Not usually. I'm more of a social drinker excluding the occasional beer."

"Do you smoke?" I pressed, general curiosity rolling over me.

"No," he replied, laughing. "What's with the sudden interrogation?"

Perhaps my method of just diving right in wasn't the best approach, but it was all I had. I mean, what else was I supposed to do? Kellen was like a roadblock with no way in or out. He was a mystery to me. However, I knew what he looked like when naked. I knew that very well, but I wanted to know what his mind looked like.

I swallowed, laughing nervously, "I just thought I'd learn more about you. I mean, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't know basic stuff about her boyfriend?"

"Well, if you put it that way, ask away, m'lady," he encouraged.

I tried to act enthusiastic. "Well, what about your family? Are you all close?"

What he replied with I did not expect.

With a low and hollow tone, he shrugged nonchalantly, "What about them? There's not much to tell. My parents are divorced. My father remarried a woman half his age and had my two half-brothers. My mother married my old math teacher from grade school." He took a sip of his beer and added, "My two brothers and younger half-sister still live with them. Besides that, there's nothing to really say."

Not much to tell, my ass. I internally squeaked. I hadn't expected that response whatsoever. To my surprise, Kellen was one of six children. Two brothers and three half-siblings. I didn't know he was from such a complex family arrangement. It was an arrangement that fascinated me.

"So, you have five siblings?" I continued, growing more and more curious. "Where do you fall in the lineup?"

He scanned me quickly and sighed, "Yes. I'm the oldest. My brother, Jaycen is three years younger then me and our brother, Ian is three years younger than him. My dad and Henrietta's sons are two and six years old. And my mom and Marty's daughter is going to be ten soon."

I widened my eyes. "Wow. Some big gaps between you and your youngest siblings. Speaking of which, what're their names?"

There was a brief silence that lingered between us before he answered, "Brenton (six-year-old) and Aidyn (two-year-old) and Hayden (the half-sister)."

Jaycen, Ian, Hayden, Brenton, Aidyn. They sounded like easy enough names to remember. My mind began to wander, imagining what they were all like. Were they all polite and friendly like their eldest brother? Were they all blond and beautiful in their own given rights? I was sincerely curious, but it wasn't just his siblings I wondered about. I was also curious about his parents. Much like my own, they were divorced, and I was intrigued to find out why.

"So, your parents are divorced too?" I asked, drawing my knees to my chest. "I get that. My parents split when I was little, but neither remarried. So, it was just me and my mom when I was growing up."

I was hoping for a sweet heart to heart when Kellen interjected a bit harsher than he most likely anticipated. "Well, my parents would still be together if my mother wasn't unfaithful to my father." He balled his hands into fists. "She and Marty snuck around for years when my dad found out. She didn't even deny it or try to repair their marriage because she was already pregnant with Hayden and she knew it."

I was taken aback. I had never expected to hear so much venom in his tone. Talking about his mother's betrayal was upsetting to him and I could see it. I was regretting my decision to ask, but if we were going to get serious, then I needed to know about where he came from. I needed to know about his family and how he grew up. I mean, that was only normal, right?

"I'm...I'm so sorry," I stammered. "I had no idea that...I'm so sorry."

He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed, "Don't...don't worry about it." He brought his gaze back to me. "Let's just drop it. Okay?"

"O-okay," I agreed. "Well, how abo-"

"How about we finish this movie in my room? People will start returning and we won't be able to hear it," he interrupted, smiling. "Does that sound nice?"

That was an abrupt turn that I hadn't foreseen. I was hoping to ask more questions, but if there were going to be more people arriving back then I didn't want to do it there. Plus, a person's bedroom could reveal a lot about them. Perhaps a journey to his room would allow me access to his world.

"Yeah, okay," I replied, attempting to sound chipper. "That's fine."

I hoped for the best.

**Ello my adorable lovelies!! So, now y'all know a tad more about Kellen, eh? How do y'all feel about that? I know quite a bit of y'all are not his number one fan lol. Feel free to let me know! Thank you so much for everything! Y'all are dolls! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross