Thank you so much for the support this story has gotten so far! A big special thanks to the reviewers, you guys are great!
Just a note: the story will begin switching perspectives a little less forth with. Please do enjoy!
It should have been just an ordinary shift at Smith's. It should have been a simple night where Eren would earn his bread and milk by waiting on the patrons who wanted to eat the best steak in the city. He never would have imagined he would be placed on VIP service – the waiters would usually be told about serving celebrities in advance so they could look their absolute best. However, Eren received little warning; as he clocked on, his boss informed him that he would be waiting on none other than Levi Ackerman and two personal friends of the man.
While waiting on the rich and famous was nothing out of the ordinary for the top employees at Smith's – the esteemed restaurant attracted both local and international celebrities of varying fields, from sportsmen to musicians – the fact that it was his very own idol was what had Eren constantly needing to remind himself to behave professionally and remain calm. It also didn't help that said idol, Levi, was dressed in form-fitting smart-casual clothing that had Eren imagining all sorts of things he ought not to at work. And the way Levi looked at him when they talked…it had pleasurable chills running the length of Eren's spine with every word.
Needless to say, the experience of being able to interact with his idol – even though it was in a professional manner – was what made Eren's shift extraordinary. What added to this was the incredibly generous tip left by the man; the tip equaled the entirety of the bill and then some. It was enough to pay Eren's expenses for nearly three weeks, if he excluded the fuel his car would use.
Another thing that made his shift noteworthy was what happened after the trio left. Eren bid Levi and his companions farewell, watched them leave and turned back to finish up for the evening. However, he'd barely made it back to the kitchen when the beautiful red-haired woman who had accompanied Levi and the other gentleman came running back into the restaurant, demanding to speak to Eren privately.
At first, Eren's heart leaped up into his throat as he thought of all the possible reasons a client would come hurtling back into the restaurant in such a frantic manner. Although every conceivable scenario was a negative one, Eren quickly consoled himself with the fact that they would not have tipped so generously had they been disgruntled. Another point he considered was the fact that a patron would much rather address the manager than the problematic staff member directly.
With those thoughts in mind, Eren acquiesced to the woman's request for privacy. As soon as they were alone, he smiled politely to encourage the woman to speak, but the question that came from her was the absolute last thing Eren imagined a client would ask.
"Are you gay?"
Eren's heart leaped right back into his throat and started pounding frantically, beating against his very bones and sending nauseating vibrations tearing through his frame. He stared at the woman in horror; never before had his sexuality been so openly confronted and at work nevertheless. He had no idea what to say, in fact, he couldn't even think straight as confusion and anxiety hurtled through him.
Then the woman did something Eren did not expect – she laughed. It was a curt, shrill little laugh but it was laced with genuine amusement. He could only stare at her in confusion as he fought to remember how to breathe.
"God, you are so cute!" she said.
She then launched forward and embraced Eren tightly, surprising the brunette yet again as their bodies collided. And as soon as the embrace started, it ended; Eren suddenly found himself an arm's length away from the woman, her emerald eyes staring up at him with the expectation of a little girl meeting Santa for the very first time. Despite the crippling fear he was feeling, he had to admit that it was terribly endearing.
"I just want to know if you're into the handsome man I brought along tonight," she said with a wink. "And no, not the blonde. That one is mine!" She winked again.
At first, Eren wanted to laugh at her statement but as his mind registered her words, he balked yet again. Did this woman straightforwardly ask him if he was interested in the internationally renowned MMA fighter Levi Ackerman? Of course he was! He wanted to scream it to her, not because he genuinely was, but because what human being attracted to men did not find Levi attractive? The man was an underwear model, for Christ's sake.
"Well, I saw the way you were looking at him," she continued when Eren did not reply. He shifted uncomfortably; he knew for a fact that he had looked at Levi with significantly more interest than what was courteous as mere strangers. "Although…I'm wondering if you saw the way he looked at you." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Because I did…"
That was unexpected.
"What?" Eren all but cried out.
The woman giggled whimsically. "I guess I have your attention now, don't I?"
This was not happening. Eren looked around to see if there were cameras set up anywhere that were recording the embarrassing admission of his lust for the sportsman that would lead to the outing of his sexuality. There was not a soul in the restaurant save for the last few waiters and waitresses tidying up for closing.
"I'm sorry ma'am, who are you?" Eren asked in a hushed tone.
Leaning forward, she whispered, "I'm Isabel. I'm Levi's best friend." She had a slight slur as she spoke, although Eren would expect no less considering she drank the majority of the two bottles of wine the table ordered. "And I think you should have left your number on the bill."
Of course Eren had thought about that only a dozen times, yet of course he did not do it because it would have been highly unprofessional and quite frankly, desperate.
"Ah, there you are!" a man said, pulling Eren and Isabel out of their moment of secrecy. "I'm so sorry, Eren, but you know…" The man gently took a hold of Isabel and pulled her away from Eren. "Women are a completely different species when they drink wine."
The waiter could only laugh awkwardly at this; women were a completely different species even when free of wine.
"Farlan," the man suddenly said, hand waiting to shake Eren's.
Eren took the man's hand and shook it. "Eren."
"I know," Farlan said with a smile. He snaked an arm around Isabel's waist and pulled her close to him, causing the woman to giggle at the sudden movement. "Thanks for being such a great waiter tonight, Eren. Levi is very happy with the service and he's impossible to impress."
"It's because he lllllikes Eren," Isabel whispered in a less than subtle manner.
Farlan immediately stiffened and laughed curtly before saying, "Well, we have to go. Have a great evening further, Eren!"
Before Eren could return the sentiment, the couple was already hastily making for the exit. Yet as they walked away, Eren heard something that was not meant for his ears, something that Isabel said to Farlan that Eren would never be able to forget he'd heard.
"He's absolutely perfect for Levi, don't you think, babe?"
Ninety-four, Eren thought as the dim white light flashed in the darkness. He stared up at the ceiling, waiting, and after a few seconds, that same little light flashed dimly yet again. Ninety-five. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the ceiling, nothing tangible or even noticeable but simply an imaginary spot that had kept his interest for what felt like hours. When the little light flashed yet again, Eren mouthed, ninety-six. So he went on until the white light eventually flashed for the one hundredth time.
Only then did Eren bother even wondering who it was that had messaged him at this ungodly hour. The last he'd checked the time it was already passed two in the morning, and that felt like it was hours ago. Anybody who messaged him now was either in grave danger or exceptionally bored and incapable of conquering their insomnia, much like himself at present. And if it were the former, a frantic phone call would have undoubtedly followed the message.
All in all, Eren had reason to believe that his response was not required. After all, it was only one message that had come through; whoever was texting him was probably only asking if he was still awake.
Wide awake, he thought, sighing. Wide awake all because of a single sentence he'd heard, a sentence that was never meant for his ears.
He's absolutely perfect for Levi.
His mind could, and did, give a dozen meanings to that phrase that either did not have Eren as the subject or a relationship of any sort as the undertone. Yet for every reason he came up with that proved that sentence had nothing to do with him, his mind countered with what Isabel had said to him when they spoke alone.
I'm wondering if you saw the way he looked at you.
Had he not imagined it all night? Levi had some sort of overbearing interest in Eren, making an effort to meet his eyes every time they spoke but that was simply being polite, was it not? Even though the man's eyes had a plethora of promise behind them, was that not just how Levi Ackerman looked?
What was Isabel hinting at? Eren rolled his eyes; it was painfully obvious. There would only be one reason a person's best friend would ask if someone was interested in their friend; the friend was interested in the person. In this case, Levi was interested in Eren. It was the only logical explanation for what had transpired and for what was said.
Logical, but too good to be true.
"Fuck it," Eren whispered. He was getting his hopes up and he knew it. He had to stop; it was dangerous.
For the first time in a long time, Eren wished he was straight. Things would be exponentially simpler then – if he were to be interested in someone, it would only be a matter of whether or not she liked him back and whether or not they were compatible. Yet because he liked men, when he found himself interested in a man, he first had to find out if that man was even interested in other men before the matter of compatibility even came up.
Then there was the matter of how he would secure that information. Of course it was not as simple as subtle flirtation to test a man's response to him – that could get him killed. Homophobia was rife in the world, and even hinting at being gay to some men warranted severe violence or even murder.
Eren sighed as he felt the prickling of frustrated tears poke at his eyes. He wished he could be normal. He wished he could live life and find love without fear. What were the chances that the world-famous Levi Ackerman would be gay, anyway? Isabel was drunk and what he'd heard was probably taken horribly out of context. Levi was not gay. Eren did not stand the whisper of a chance with the man.
In fact, Eren reckoned Levi was probably one of the violently homophobic types.
Groaning, Eren reached out for his phone. He did not want to spend any more time thinking about the morbid topic of his sexuality. It had brought enough pain to his adolescent years; he would be damned if he relived that curse again as an adult.
When he unlocked his phone, he was not surprised to see that the message was from his best friend. After all, Armin was always awake until ungodly hours in the week because of his studies and spent his weekend chasing sunrises because of his profound passion for online gaming. No one knew when the blonde slept, but he was always performing at optimum capacity despite seemingly always being online. His mental stamina was nothing short of impressive.
Armin (03:17): Hey Eren! Are you still awake? I'm about to rock some CS. If you're around let me know if you want to play.
Looking at the current time, 03:42, Eren quickly concluded that the invitation had expired. Armin was probably already playing and had likely forgotten about having asked Eren to join at all. Ordinarily this may irk the brunette but this particular morning, he was glad he'd dodged the bullet. With his mind as plagued as it been for the last few hours, he doubted his performance would be any better than that of a wet-eared noob.
Eren (03:42): Sorry dude, next time. Not really up for gaming right now. I'm about to hit the hay.
Assuming Armin was already enjoying a game, Eren locked his phone and placed it on his bedside table once more. He turned over, back towards the phone, and closed his eyes. Even though his mind was still bothered by the events of the evening, he knew he had to sleep. If he did not sleep soon he would most likely not fall asleep at all, and he would not have the chance to make up for the lost sleep for a whole week.
The mooing of a cow broke the silence of the night and Eren rolled his eyes. To this day he could not say why he had selected a cow's moo as his message alert but try as he may, he could not find it in his heart to change it.
Armin (03:44): Thinking about ways to blow that huge tip? Shout if you need help. I'm a pro at spending money.
Eren smiled; he didn't need to be told twice. He'd made the mistake of taking Armin along to the mall one day when he'd gotten a particularly large tip, and needless to say, money that he thought would last eight days only ended up lasting two hours.
Eren (03:45): No need, I've got that covered. Night dude, chat tomorrow.
Armin (03:45): Haha sweet. Chat later. Ciao!
Once again, Eren set his phone down and turned away. This time, however, he felt a little bit better; just hearing Armin's cheerful voice in his mind, even if it was only for a few minutes, had lifted his spirits considerably. He closed his eyes with a smile touching his lips, and dozed off with a mind clear of the worries of the heart.
Thank you for reading. Thoughts and comments are always welcome!
OS