Jean looks at you with a bit of a side eye, but more of an intrigued one than an irritated one. Holding his position, he squints his eyes at you and furrows his brow almost unnoticeably into a suspicious expression.
"That's all." He mutters, but continues staring directly at you, as if he's watching for something from you.
i know he killed ur family jean im just waiting for u to
admit it
"That's all," he deadpans, looking at me suspiciously.
I know he's lying, but I don't know why or how.
I lean back into my chair, taking my arms off the table. "That can't be all," I say, refusing to break eye contact. "If money and ridding humans were the only reasons to kill, then everyone would be murdering each other all the time. No, there's more."
His eyes almost dig into you, but a sincere smirk creeps up the corners of his mouth as he chuckles quietly.
"Alright," He mutters, leaning forward onto the table with his elbows.
"Have you ever gotten so angry that you started seeing red? You start doing things you'd hate yourself for in the future?"
He doesn't exactly give you a chance to think about your answer as he keeps going. He inhales gently as his eyes trail the nearest person to your table until they walk out of earshot. He then turns his neck to look back at you, his eyes sparkling with a sense of sincerity, but his demeanor still cold and tight, as if he's holding something back.
"I haven't stopped seeing red since a few years ago."
"his eyes sparkling with a sense of sincerity" that sentence could punch me and id thank it
also whats
red
im colorblind
"Have you ever gotten so angry that you started seeing red? You start doing things you'd hate yourself for in the future?" he questions, elbows planted on the table.
I think so. He continues, "I haven't stopped seeing red since a few years ago."
I relax my shoulders, letting my smirk slip away as I conjure up a reply. I run my fingers through my hair, my brow furrowing slightly. "What happened a few years ago?" How old is Jean?
Jean's expression hardens. He almost seemed to be studying you closely in the span of a few seconds as he thought of a response. Something about him seemed familiarly different. The strange thing is that he hadn't moved since you asked the question, but his energy changed drastically. It was almost like that moment with Tyler in the parking garage, but more natural.
"Nothing happened, let's go get lunch."
He stands up, going to a random line to get food. I didn't pry further, wondering how much Anubis knows. Probably a lot, considering they live together. We stood in silence, aside from the noise of the people around us.
Some people just don't open up to strangers, which is understandable I remind myself. If I had something to hide I'd keep it hidden too.
We each order our food and sit back down, but I still say nothing, afraid of provoking him further.
As you sit back down, you start to feel like you're being watched. Looking around didn't help at all either, as no one was looking at you. Was Jean's lifestyle causing paranoia? Jean looks up from his food at you and raises an eyebrow, as if he had the feeling too.
"You only look suspicious if you're trying not to look suspicious." He whispers, eyeing you closely. He returns to his food, but his eyes shifted slightly, implying that he felt it too.
I cry a lot thank you
"Sorry I'm not a professional at life like you," I retort, going back to eating, but the feeling still lingers. I rub my neck and take a sip of my drink, keeping my eyes glued to the table.
Goosebumps cover my skin, hoping the paranoia will go away.
Although Jean continued to eat, he started to look in a certain direction too, toward a store somewhere behind you. After a few anxiety inducing shifty eyes from Jean, he started to pack up, throwing away his food in the trash that sat next to your table. He grabbed the clothes bags and stood up, gesturing you out of your seat.
"Let's go." He mutters, but before you could get out of your seat, another man sat down at your table.
It was Kaiholo.
My eyes widen from disbelief and anger. I contemplate standing up and leaving with Jean, but I'd rather hear what Kai has to say for randomly leaving me alone in a completely new universe.
"Wait," I say to Jean, holding up a hand. I cross my arms despite Kai's blindness, but I'm sure he can tell what I'm feeling anyways. "What's your fucking excuse this time?" I say in a low voice.
Kaiholo sighs heavily, causing Jean to sit back down curiously.
"I have my reasons, but I can't tell you them right now. Just know that Tyler didn't choose that building's garage randomly, okay?"
He fidgets his thumbs, turning in Jean's direction.
"Same with the forest, I…" He pauses, running a hand through his hair. "I made sure Yuki and Celia would find you."
He looks down shamefully, whispering his next words.
"I couldn't be with you the whole time, but I couldn't leave you alone."
I stiffen, eyes flickering to Jean as I realize I lied to him before about what I remembered. There's no way he'll forgive me for that. Maybe he didn't notice? No, he had to. I never mentioned a Yuki or a Celia.
I look back to Kai, going back and forth between feeling guilty for yelling at him and angry for his secrets. "I appreciate that, I do, but it still doesn't make up for the fact that I am still just as confused as before," I mutter, the edge in my voice slowly dissolving. I take another sip of my drink.
Jean exchanges glances with you and Kaiholo, his expression unreadable.
"Who is he talking about, Jenny?" He mutters, eyeing the man suspiciously.
Kaiholo continued, ignoring Jean.
"I had to keep you in the dark because you couldn't handle the truth the way I thought you could."
"I'll explain to you later, Jean, I promise," I say, then turn my head back to Kai. "You said that last time. Now why are you here and how did you know where to find us?" I demand, wanting to go home and watch T.V. or something distracting.
Jean turns to you, noticing your growing agitation towards Kaiholo.
"Should we leave, Jenny?" He mutters, walking over to stand next to you on Kaiholo's side.
Kaiholo sighed, exasperated. "It's not a matter of I know, it's-" He shook his head, looking down as he rubs his head.
"It's not a matter of I know, it's-" Kai says, troubled.
I ignore Jean, my expression turning into fear - or intrigue. I suddenly lean in and whisper, "Is it her?"
Kaiholo turned his head away from you, nodding ever so slightly that you almost didn't notice. He was fidgeting, too. He shifted his weight onto the other foot, running his hands through his hair.
"We can't talk about her too often, but…" He exhales heavily. "Yes, I've been using her."
I nod, trying to wrap my mind around his words. Technically, she was making him use her. I blink a few times as if that would help me process anything.
"So why are you here?" I ask, hoping to get a somewhat good answer.
Kaiholo goes quiet for a moment, causing Jean to look at you with deep concern. You look back at Kaiholo and…is he blushing?
"I just wanted to check up on you. I got worried." His words were gentle and soft, as if he was saying more than what he spoke.
"I just wanted to check up on you. I got worried," he says, which s w o o ns ya girl and now she forgives the poor boy.
I touch his arms to comfort him. "I'm fine. Jean's been taking care of me. Are you okay? I take it you won't tell me where you've been this whole time?"
Kaiholo shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head disappointedly.
"I'm sorry, I don't want her to know."
He whispers, turning to Jean.
"Please take care of her, and stay out of trouble." He turns back to you and gives you a solemn nod.
"I have to go again, I'll see you soon, Jen." He pauses, as if he was going to say something else, but proceeded to turn and walk away, causing you to notice Tyler was standing just within earshot, leaning against a wall and smoking a cigarette. He was watching you and Jean the whole time.
I wave him goodbye, sort of confused because technically, she already knows. He and Tyler head somewhere else, disappearing once again. I stand up and pick up my drink, facing Jean now. "Let's go, for real this time." We go back to the parking lot, but Jean decides to pull a cigarette out of his pocket. I raise my eyebrows, already thinking about coughing. "Um, could you… not?"
Jean pauses with his eyes fixated on you, his expression unreadable and the lighter sitting in front of the cigarette in his mouth. The slow realization in his eyes communicated quite a few emotions as he furrowed his brow at you.
"Yeah, you're going to have to get used to this. Plus, can you blame me, after whatever that shit was? I thought you lost your fucking memory." He muttered the last part under his breath as he flicked the lighter on, holding it above the cigarette until it lit. He leans against the wall of the building, looking away from you as he exhaled the smoke.