Oh yes, this just turned into a whole love diagram.
Was it a love triangle? A love square? A love pentagon?
Who kept track at this point? Things were confusing.
However…
Yes, Jonathan had feelings for Indiana.
In a sense, he was similar to her. He wondered why he would have feelings for Indiana when he didn't know her.
Obviously, he didn't listen to a word anyone told him about staying away from Indiana when they caught him glancing at her every now and then, since it was him who could decide what he did and what he didn't do.
However, he was confused when Indiana had told him to stay away.
Was this her peculiar way of protecting him, a man she had never even talked to until today?
"I'm not telling you to stay away from me. I'm just suggesting you do that because I don't have the best reputation here, and I–"
Jonathan dismissed it, taking a bold step closer to her.
To think, all he had told her was that he thought she was an amazing person. That was all.
No, he didn't ask her out.
No, he didn't flirt with her.
He just told her he thought she was a wonderful person. That was all.
Did things get lost in translation?
"I don't care what other people have to say. Besides, I just told you I thought you were an amazing person so I don't understand what you're trying to–"
Indiana stared at him, knowing he had a point.
She felt like she was overreacting.
When all she had originally intended to do was basically protect him from the others. Whether it was from her previous friend group who would tear him apart the moment they saw him talking to her, or Xavier himself.
What if Alpha Xavier held a grudge for what she had done?
What if he chose to punish those who had anything to do with her with the exception of Madeline and Briar?
She gulped.
"I just… I don't think the others would agree with you being here."
"They're not the bosses of me, they can mind their own business."
Indiana liked his spirit. He didn't let anyone else tell him what to do and that was a quality she desperately wished to have. If she was like him, she wouldn't have been warning any person who even came close to her in fear that they'd suffer consequences for their actions.
She respected him for saying that. Heck, she wanted to thank him for saying that. It was something she needed to hear. That, and how she was an amazing person.
Indiana had not been feeling so amazing lately.
To put into short, she had been feeling miserable and horrible.
Stuck having feelings for someone you knew could never possibly love you back would be the one thing that would drive her mad one day.
Why oh why did fate do this to her when they could have paired her up with someone like Jonathan?
He seemed like a sweet, caring gentleman.
After all, he had literally walked up to her and praised her. That gesture alone had brightened up her day. She didn't know how he did it.
He looked like he was smiling in his eyes when he glimpsed at her. Like looking at her all confused on what to do next amused him a little.
"Are you wondering why I randomly did this out of nowhere?" He asked her, only for Indiana to nod in response.
"I am."
Jonathan shrugged, "You just seemed like someone who needed a praise or two. And you seem like a lovely person, so…"
Indiana's heart warmed in an instant. She couldn't get herself to look him in the eye, too touched to speak to the point she couldn't form a coherent sentence.
Besides, how did he expect her to react after he said that?
Did he expect her to melt into a puddle and evaporate into nothing?
If that was an option, she would've done that.
However, this was real life. It was no fantasy. Neither was it a fever dream.
Rosalynn would have been excited to hear what Jonathan had done. However, Rosalynn was nowhere to be seen. She was probably still waiting for Indiana all the way in her room.
'Rose is going to get a kick out of this,' Indiana thought to herself, still avoiding Jonathan's gaze.
"Do you really mean what you said?" She questioned, peering up at him and meeting his eyes.
"I do. Of course I do," Jonathan responded truthfully.
Indiana wondered if he would want to join her for dinner, gravitating toward getting to know him better. This Jonathan fellow seemed like a real sweet guy. And besides, what was wrong with asking him out to dinner?
It was one dinner. And they were two strangers, acquaintances at best.
"Fine, if you say you really don't care about what other people think… Mind joining me for dinner?"
Jonathan looked surprised and amazed at the same time. He almost looked as though he was going to tell her, 'Of course I'd join you for dinner.'
Indiana did hope he agreed with her offer. Perhaps they could become great friends, or at least have dinner.
Indiana knew there weren't many people that would agree to dinner with her, but she hoped he would.
"Of course. I'd be delighted to," Jonathan answered, giving her a charming grin.
Indiana giggled, wondering why she felt so happy talking to him.
Heck, she had enjoyed being in his presence so much she invited him out to dinner as soon as she could.
__
Author's Note: Little fun fact to those who are reading this, Jonathan was inspired by someone I met in real life who was bold and didn't care about what others had to say. He didn't come off as arrogant, and he was actually quite charming. So why not write him in as a character? Alright, moving on to the story.. Love you all so much, mari.