Chapter 4
Eren
It had been a week since he started this job, and he’d just started to get used to it. He knew, by now, the unwritten schedule of the office. Coffee run at nine o’clock and one o’clock, deliver Erwin his papers at nine thirty, take them to the fax room at two o’clock, and so on.
And next week everything would change. He’d be Levi’s assistant then. Eren tried to ignore the fluttering in his stomach to the best of his ability, but his will can only do so much.
The man was an enigma to him, honestly. He was peculiar in a way, Eren had observed. But it's not like he was actively spying on him or anything. Okay, yeah. Maybe he was.
Whatever
The man was meticulous and exact. Everything had to be perfect and god forbid anyone to make a mistake with him around.
Eren had seen it, the verbal whiplashing Levi gave to the people who displeased him. Which he supposed, just fueled to his anxiety about working under Levi. What would happen if he made a mistake? Hopefully, Levi would make it quick and painless.
But he wouldn’t have to worry about that until Monday. Today was his day off, and he was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
Eren threw the last bite of his toast into his mouth and washed it down with his now room temperature coffee. He’d slept in more than he thought he would, the sun high in the sky, shining down brightly.
It was almost noon, so grandfather was already at work. Mikasa was gone too, having told Eren with a note by the toaster that she’d gone to meet up with someone named Sasha. Eren may have heard the name a few times, but he couldn’t place the face. He had no idea where Armin was, though.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, looking through his contacts. Right at the top was Armin. Eren clicked on his face to pull up his info. His thumb hovered over the green button for a moment, debating if he really wanted to push it or not.
Things were… strange, between himself and Armin after his friend had kissed him. Sure, he loved Armin with all his heart. He was his best friend and Eren would do anything for him. But Eren just didn’t know if he could think about Armin like that.
As much as he hated to admit it, the kiss had felt wrong. It was foreign and filled his stomach with dread. But how could Eren tell him that? He didn’t want to hurt Armin. That’s the last thing he wanted.
Eren shook his head, deciding to put the issue on the back burner for now. With a sigh, he pressed his finger to the call button and brought the phone up to his ear. It rang twice before the blonde answered.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Ar. Where are you?”
“At work. You caught me right on my break. Grandpa’s assistant called in sick so I came in to take her place for the day. Why? What’s up?” Armin said, sounding slightly out of breath.
“Nothing. I was just wondering where you were. Have a good day, okay?” Eren replied. Armin said goodbye and hung up.
Eren felt bad for some reason like he was missing something. He couldn’t think of what it could be, though.
He ran a hand over his face, knowing today was going to be boring and lonely. Nearly everyone he knew was busy, and Eren had never been good at preoccupying his time on his own.
He decided a shower sounded like a good idea, so he headed upstairs to the bathroom. He stripped his sleep clothes off and turned the water into the hottest setting he could handle.
Eren closed his eyes as the hot water ran over his shoulders, softening the few knots that had formed in his muscles. He let his mind clear. The hot water honestly felt amazing. He let out a content hum as he scrubbed himself down with a soapy loofah. His hair came next, and once he was happily sated, he rinsed himself off and turned off the water.
Eren made his way to his room, searching through his messy closet for something to wear. He came upon the dark green shirt he’d worn on his first day but threw it aside with a sneer. It was pretty stretched and worn out.
Totally had nothing to do with Levi disliking it so much. Nope, none whatsoever.
Instead, he chose a light blue flannel and his only pair of black jeans without any holes in them. He slipped his vans on and threw a grey knit beanie over his head, before leaving the house.
Honestly, he had no clue where he was going. Maybe he’d just wander around a bit, get some coffee or something. Anything was better than just sitting around being a lump.
Eren didn’t have a car yet. He had a license, just hasn’t had the time or money to go car shopping. So he was stuck riding the bus or walking. Luckily, he lived close enough to the city’s center that he didn’t have to walk long.
Soon, he was walking past department stores and cafés and other little restaurants, a crowd of people around him. The air was filled with the sound of chatting, and the clicking of heels on the sidewalk. Eren found it easy to keep his mind off of bothersome topics, as he enjoyed the warmth of the sun radiating down on his back.
A rich smell of coffee entered the air as he turned the corner. After all the coffee he’d been drinking in the office, he’d developed a bit of an addiction. The smell leads him straight to the front door of a coffee shop. It looked busy, but Eren had the time.
The smell inside was divine. Eren sniffed the air blissfully. He looked over the menu, seeing what looked good. He decided on an iced coffee since it was warm out.
The coffee shop was bustling with customers, so the line was fairly long. Luckily, though, the line moved fast, and soon Eren was up to order. Soon, Eren had his drink in hand and was making to leave. But a head of silky black hair caught his attention.
Levi stepped into the coffee shop, his suit jacket draped over his shoulders. He made a face at the amount of people occupying the tiny shop.
Suddenly, as if by magic, his eyes found Eren’s almost instantly. Eren felt his heart speed up at the man’s steely gaze.
“Brat.” Levi greeted monotonously.
“Ah, hello Sir! What are you going here?” Eren replied, internally yelling at himself for asking such a dumb question. Levi snorted.
“Getting coffee. What else would I be doing in a coffee shop? Doing my taxes?” Levi says sarcastically.
“Oh, right. Of course Sir.”
“Yes, now if I could, I’d like to do what I came here for. I’ll see you Monday, Eren.”
Eren nodded and left, a light blush on his face. He felt Monday would be an interesting day.