"Don't worry, I'll keep this short… unless you say otherwise," Jean added.
Shawn let out a short, disbelieving laugh, turning away. "Aren't you, like, sixteen or seventeen? What are you doing here?"
Jean only smiled, a quiet hint of victory in it, saying nothing.
The silence seemed to pull Shawn's attention back. He turned to Jean, one brow lifting. "What?" he asked.
"It's just…" Jean tilted his head slightly. "You didn't shut me down immediately, so I was starting to wonder if..." He cut himself off, the smile fading into something more composed. "Forget it."
His expression turned serious. "And about me looking young, I get that a lot. I just look younger than I am."
Shawn was looking at him like he couldn't believe he was lying straight to his face. So Jean pulled out his fake ID and the card that said he worked at the bank, things not even his parents knew he had, and held them out for him to see.
"Do you think they would've let me in here if I were that young?" he added, trying to sound convincing, because it felt like Shawn could see right through him.
"So," Shawn said, as if he'd suddenly dropped the whole age issue, "what are you looking for here? A boyfriend, a one-night stand that turns into obsession… or just flirting, rambling, getting drunk, then heading back home?"
Jean blinked, caught off guard. He couldn't believe Shawn was actually starting a conversation.
What? Did he actually like him? Was that why he hadn't dismissed him like the others?
Maybe… maybe this could actually be the night he experienced everything he'd been craving. With someone he liked, someone even his guards hadn't objected to.
"At first, I was just planning to blow off some stress from work, from family- by drinking and heading back home." Jean said, the lie coming easier than it should have. "You know how it is… you're not even paid that well, but the moment people hear you work at a bank, they think you're rich. Your parents, your siblings- they keep asking for money. And when you send what little you have, suddenly you're selfish."
He almost stopped, surprised at how far he was going. He didn't even have siblings.
But he kept going. All he needed was for Shawn to believe him.
"I haven't even saved anything for myself… not for the future," he added, then let out a quiet breath. "But after I saw you, I thought… maybe you could change how this night ends."
Shawn stared at him, like he was actually considering it.
"And how exactly were you hoping I'd do that?" he asked.
Jean's heart pounded harder. He wanted to feel him, that was the truth. That was why he was here. Even with all his doubts, that part hadn't changed.
"I don't know anything else that could make this night better," Jean said, meeting his gaze. "So stop acting like you don't get it."
"I wasn't planning on that," Shawn replied. "And I'm not about to change my mind. But I'm sure there are plenty of people here who'd be happy to help you with that."
Frustration hit Jean immediately, sharp and embarrassing.
Shawn should've just rejected him from the start instead of dragging it out only to end it like this.
Jean didn't say anything. Even with a thousand responses burning in his chest, he just stood and walk away.
The rejection hit him harder than he expected. He couldn't believe that he had just been rejected, after throwing himself at someone for the first time.
It stirred something in him. A need to prove to himself that he was good enough. That plenty of people would want him.
So he went back to the dance floor.
People approached him easily, drawn in, trying to get closer, but he didn't let any of them touch him. Didn't let them kiss him. He entertained just enough to make a point, nothing more.
After a while, it was enough.
He had proven it to himself.
He was just about to leave, ready to go back home, when a voice brushed close to his ear. "Are you coming or not?"
He turned instinctively -and froze for a second when he saw Shawn.
Jean felt his pride snap right back into place, rising as if it had never wavered.
Jean rolled his eyes, hesitating. He hadn't met someone with this much ego before.
For a moment, he almost turned and went home, just like he'd planned. But something stopped him. No matter how hard he tried to think logically, he still wanted this, wanted to get physically close to Shawn.
In the end, he found himself following him.
"Your place," Shawn said the moment they stepped outside.
"Your place," Jean repeated, then added, "I have a roommate and he's home." Another lie. He couldn't take Shawn back. There were guards everywhere, the party was probably still going on… and he didn't want anyone seeing him with a guy.
"Hotel room, then," Shawn muttered.
A hotel? No. Not for him, Jean thought.
"Why not just your place?" Jean asked.
"Because I don't want you showing up there again," Shawn said without hesitation. "This is a one-night thing. And I have a feeling you'd come back."
Jean rolled his eyes again.
Who did this guy think he was? That Jean would go back and beg for more?
The thought alone irritated him and sparked something else. A need to prove him wrong. To drag that ego down.
That was why he pushed. He kept insisting they go to Shawn's place, pressing the point until Shawn had nothing left to argue with.