Can you guess believe that I almost forgot the details about this story? I seriously, no shit, had to go back in the story to make sure that I wasn't writing something wrong ... Haha, it's been way too long since I last worked on this story.
Well, for now you should just lean back and enjoy this chapter. It doesn't really contain anything revolutionary, mindfucking or anything crazy like that. See it like a pre-chapter to make you ready for the next chapter - because THAT'S where things get interesting. Haha. Did I get you in the mood for reading on?
Hahaha, sorry 'bout that
Enjoy, sweetlings!
CHAPTER 22
"Your tie is crooked," He pointed out with small smile, lifting up af finger to point out the mistake that I had made.
"Tsk," I mumbled, mostly because I was so frustrated with myself and my inadequate attempts to do it properly. I knew how to do a proper tie, so how come I wasn't able to do it now?
"Oh my," Eren lowered his voice, making it sound more teasing. "Someone's nervous?" He came closer to look, standing only a meter away. I was standing in front of the large person-sized mirror, getting ready for a party that was being held at the firm. It was apparently mandatory, or so I had been told by Hanji – whom had named herself my date to the damn thing by the way. I basically had no choice, did I? So I had said yes, though much to my dismay – I would much rather stay at home with Eren, doing the dirty deeds that we had been at all day. I was torn between going, or calling Hanji to cancel. But then again, getting dressed up once in a while wasn't so bad, especially when you had been undressed all day.
Eren was standing behind me, still only in his underwear, watching me in the mirror, as he was just tall enough to see over the top of my head.
"I don't do nervous," I mumbled, my voice steady and cold as always, though my eyes flickered for a moment. "I can do it."
"Then prove it, old man." He said, challenging me. Who was he, and what had he done with Eren? We had only been dating for a few weeks, yet he kept surprising me with these little character treats.
I pulled the tie, undoing it entirely to start from scratch. My fingers worked fast, and it didn't take longer than a minute until it was done.
But of course, this time it wasn't completely right either.
Eren didn't say anything, but I could see him grinning, his smile widening from ear to ear.
"Don't taunt me like that!" I scoffed, turning around to nudge his shoulder. "And don't think for a second that you're better than me. Please, a brat like you? Hmpf!"
"Ow! No need to hit me, just because you're jealous of my skills!" He grinned, caressing his shoulder, where I had just hit him. "Let me try, at least. If I can't do it, then you have permission to mock me as much as you'd like. But if I can do it … "
I turned around, looking at him with an impatient look.
"Then get on with it," I grunted, trying to sound like I didn't really care. I didn't want him getting even more bold with me. Him being so young was a callenge itself.
"Okay okay, give me a second," He grabbed the tie, undoing it completely, before starting to work on folding it correctly. I watched his face while he did it, no – a better word might be that I was studying him. He seemed so focused, with several furrows on his forehead and his jaw clenched. He was slower than me, taking his time in doing it right, and right it became.
"There!" He grinned, before letting go of me. I turned around to look at it in the mirror, and to my displeasure, it was perfect. Much better than my own.
"How are you so good at that? You're not even out of college yet!" Eren rolled his eyes at that comment, though he still wrapped his arms around me. I still wasn't used to all this affectionate feely-touchy stuff yet, but at least I didn't pull away. Instead I leaned back against his chest, resting the back of my head against his shoulder.
"My dad taught me. He liked to keep up appearances, so it was important for him that I knew to dress well. Plus, he was a very important man, so he was invited to a lot of parties. And sometimes I was even allowed to come with him,"
I wasn't really sure how to respond to that. He didn't have to open up to me, to tell me these things about him, yet he didn't seem to mind. I didn't mind either, though I felt a little awkward now, not knowing how to respond to that.
"I can't imagine you being all dressed up, in a suit," I ended up saying instead, tilting my head to get closer to his neck. "But I bet you'd look handsome,"
"Not as handsome as you, though." He said with a chuckle, looking into the mirror again to observe the sight that was standing right in front of him. I couldn't help but get a little flustered, so I quickly released myself from his arms so that I could turn around.
"Don't be a tease," I said, rolling my eyes at him. He just laughed at that, though.
"As I recall, you're tie is perfect now, soooo … You owe me,"
"You never said anything specific," I quickly retorted, trying to step aside, away from him. He grabbed my wrist though, pulling me close again.
"Then I guess I'll just have to make one up, won't I?" He said with a low voice, looking down at me with his eyes sparkling with something unknown. Well, not really unknown – It wasn't really hard to make out what it was that he wanted.
"Afterwards," I said with a stern look on my face. There was no way I was going to have sex after using so much time to get ready.
"Oh please! I wasn't thinking about that," Eren quickly said. "A simple kiss will suffice,"
And so I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his. It was soft and sweet, and for a moment I could let my mind be blank as the only think to focus on right now, was Eren's sweet, tasty lips against my own.
Until the doorbell rang, of course. Damn Hanji, and her talent for bad timing.
"Your tie is crooked," He pointed out, lifting up af finger to point out the mistake that I had made.
"Oh … I suppose so," I mumbled, raising a hand to cover the tie, as if it was embarrassing. Eren kept standing there for a moment, and I wondered if he was thinking about the same thing that I was. Did he remember all those times he had fixed my tie? It had all started with that one night where I had been nervous for no reason at all, and since then it had become a tradition for him to do it for me. Even though I had been perfectly capable of doing it myself. And he would earn himself a kiss for it every time.
Those kisses meant everything now. They stood clear in my mind, and odd enough, I was hoping that Eren would be reading my mind at this very moment. Wouldn't that mean that he would think about those kisses as well?
But I didn't have time to see if I had been right, because when I looked at him again, he had already started walking again, leaving me behind.
I couldn't help but to feel hurt over this. It had been a tradition between us, a sacred act … And now he had no problem walking away from it? Was I really the only one thinking about it? Did he even remember it now?
"Wait up," I called out, making him stop. He turned around, confusion standing clear in his face.
"What is it?" He asked in a polite manner, as if we were perfect strangers to each other.
"Come back here," I ordered, knowing that he would have no other choice than to do what I told him to. I was his superior after all, I was even the reason that he was hired. He went back, but this time he was closer than before.
"Do it for me," I said, pointing at the tie.
"Wh-What?" He stammered, suddenly looking a little pale. It was clear that he didn't feel comfortable doing it.
"Yeah … You should know better than anyone else that I'm not as good at ties as you are,"
His cheeks turned into a dark shade of red, but he still stepped closer with hesistant moves.
"I … Um," He didn't say anything after that, instead he focused on reaching for my tie to undo it. His hands were shaking, and it was pretty clear that he was nervous about being so close to me. So the question was just – was he nervous around me because he still felt something for me, or because he was intimidated by me?
And how should I play by this … what strategies would I use to get him back? There were several opportunities that I could use in my advance, I just weren't sure how to work them. I knew Eren, yes, but I also knew that Eren had changed. Which meant that I had no idea what would affect this new side of him. Before, he had been greatly influenced by physical attraction, but there was no way that it would work anymore. Besides, I didn't underestimate him just like that. Eren was smarter than I had once thought, and I wasn't going to look down him anymore.
Yeah, he had changed these past 3 months. But so had I.
"Relax, Eren. I'm not going to bite you," I said with a low chuckle, tilting my head to send him a little smile. It seemed to ease him a bit, though his hands were still shaking lightly.
"Sorry …" He apologized, his eyes flickering from the tie and to my eyes. "I don't know why I'm so … So … "
"Nervous?"
"Uh … Yeah," He lowered his eyes again, but I noticed the look in his eyes. He knew very well why he was nervous, he just wasn't going to tell me.
"You shouldn't be," I took a deep breath, before leaning slightly up against the table behind me. We were standing right in the middle of the office where everyone else was seated as well, and though I had been here for at least 6 hours, Eren had only just arrived. And it had been my plan all along to make me the first person to greet him. And with a crooked tie, no less. "I know that you're probably feeling embarassed to be around me after I confessed to you last week. I want to make it clear that you shouldn't be,"
"I shouldn't?" His fingers had stopped working, and now he was just looking at me, surprised by my words. He probably hadn't expected that I would adress the elephant in the room so quickly.
"No. It was a very unprofessional thing of me to do, confessing to you like that. We still work together, so I hope that I haven't scared you away completely,"
"You haven't!" He quickly exclaimed, a little louder than I had expected. My eyebrows flew up in surprise by his quick answer, and again he blushed.
"Oh, sorry. I just mean, that it's okay. I'm not going to quit working here, because of … That,"
"Well … I'm glad," I said, sending him a warm smile. I was actually even surprising myself, with all of this positive attitude of mine. Did he notice it as well, my strange behaviour? After all, it wasn't like me to be this nice.
Eren lowered his gaze once more, and his fingers started working on the tie once more, this time with a bit more confidence.
"So how far are we with the case?" He asked. Was he just trying to make small talk, or was he genuinely curious?
"Well, the woman that shot me – Annie – was captured, and was questioned the whole time that I was in the hospital. However, they couldn't get anything out of her, just like the case with the man Reiner. She seems to have a very strong sense of will, so for now she will be prosecuted the correct way, and then sent to prison. But before that happens, we need you to see her. This is why you were called in today,"
"She was the one who shot you?" Erens eyes grew wide, and his eyes flickered over to my arm were the bullet had went through.
"Yeah, two times in the chest and one in the upper arm. But it has mostly healed now, so no worries,"
Eren didn't say anything for a few moments, he just quickly finished the tie.
"I wasn't," He mumbled under his breath as he took as large step away from me. "There you go,"
"Thanks," I nodded, sending him another smile. What the hell was up with me today, being so warm and fluffy? It felt like I was really going all out here – of course that wasn't true, but to me it felt like a lot. "Now I don't look so bad,"
"You didn't look bad before,"
"Huh?" I tilted my head, pretending not to have heard it correctly. I wasn't sure if I had done it to tease him, or if I just wanted to hear him say that I looked good.
"You didn't look that bad before," Eren mumbled, suddenly aware of what I had made him say. His cheeks flustered once more, and he quickly looked away.
"Thanks. I'm glad you still think I'm goodlooking," I said, grinning silently. I had bent his words, cornered him to say something that maybe he didn't necessarily meant. But it was all worth it, when seeing his flustered face.
"I-I didn't say – "
"Jäeger! I need you over here, now!"Pixis interrupted him just in time, though distracting both of us. Both our necks snapped as we looked in his direction. He was standing in the doorway that led to the hall where the interrogation rooms were placed.
There was no doubt about it; Annie would be sitting in one of those rooms right this moment, awaiting her sentence. But Eren needed to get to her first, before she could go on.
I couldn't help but feel curious myself. This women had gotten the upper hand with me last time we had fought, yet now I was the one with the advantage.
"Let's go then," I said, giving Eren a small nudge on his shoulder to get him moving as well. He jumped a bit by surprise, clearly dealing with some nerves. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I can be," He mumbled, following right behind me as I started to walk towards Pixis.
"Then let's do this,"
"I don't like it, Eren."
I grabbed the tray, moving further along the line, placing several foodplates on the yellow plastic surface. I sighed when seeing how long the line in front of me was, filled with people my own age who were probably just as hungry and tired as I felt.
"What do you mean by that? It doesn't matter if you like it or not. That won't have any influence on my decisions," I asnwered, turning my head to look at Armin who were standing right behind me, holding a plastic tray of his own. He raised an eyebrow at me, but didn't say anything further.
For once, I thought I was off the hook, but that only lasted until we had gotten outside with our food, sitting on the grass with no other people around us.
"Eren, please hear me out." He started off again, putting down his fork and setting his tray aside. He turned his body, placed himself in a crossed-legged position, to look properly at me. I sighed, and knowing that Armin wouldn't let this go, I put down my tray as well.
"Armin, please don't give me a lecture. I know what I am getting myself into,"
"You clearly don't! You've already done enough for him, Eren. It's time you quit your job and got as far away as possible from him!"
"When did you become so overprotective?" I asked in astonishment, looking at Armin with a raised eyebrow.
"When you became too stupid to see that you're being manipulated with,"
"Hey, there's no need to be rude," I mumbled, though it didn't really bother me all that much. I've been called much worse anyway. However, it did seem to shut Armin up for a second, regretting what he had said.
"Eren, I'm sorry … It's just that … I worry about you. And after you told me what he said to you last week, I just … I don't want you to make the same mistakes all over again,"
"I already told him that I wasn't in love with him anymore!" I protested, angry that he had so little faith in me. "Nothing's gonna happen, I'll make sure of it!"
"Easy talk doesn't make up for easy actions, Eren. Just because you say something, doesn't mean that you can actually do it,"
"Are you seriously telling me that I won't be able to resist him, if I keep being around him?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Armin nodded, looking away only shortly before locking his gaze with mine again, his eyes more serious than before.
"I can't believe you. I'm serious when I say that I don't love him anymore. I've had three months to get over him, and I did. Armin, I'm over him. Don't worry about it,"
"I can't just stop worrying about it. You're important to me, Eren. I don't want to see you get hurt again,"
"Well then … " I rummaged around my mind, trying to find a solution that would ease Armin. "How about this? You'll come with me to work and see how we interact with each other. After that, you'll see that it's not as bad as you think it is!"
Armin looked like he considered it for a second.
"That sounds like an idea. Besides, I haven't even met him yet,"
"You won't like him," I said immediately, grinning by the thought. Armin would instantly feel intimidated and frightened, and Levi … Well, Levi was Levi.
And that was how it came to it that thursday after school, when both Armin and I headed for the police station.
Oh my, Armin has been introduced! Quick note to the story: Eren is jumpy and nervous and flustered around Levi because Levi confessed to him and now he feels awkward around him and doesn't really know how he should act - he is still young and inexperienced after all.
So it's been, what? - over a month since I uploaded last chapter? Well, just wanted to adress that and tell you guys that it's not something that I had planned, and I'm sorry to have left you all waiting for so long. I've been going through a lot of depressing stuff, so I had to take a step back and take care of that before getting back to the world of /
Anyways, I plan on getting back to normal (hopefully getting out a chapter per week) with this story as well as with the other story that I write for (The Jealousy).
Again, just wanted to remind you all that my Instagram account is called - Ererilove - and that I post previews and cute, fluffy pics of ereri (pics that I KNOW you can't live without seeing, just admit it already)
Well, I'm off. I hope you're all well, and I just wanted to remind you all that you are lovely creatures, and that I would just love to hear from you! Hopefully I'll see you in the comment section, but if I don't, then that's okay too - You're all awesome! Thanks for sticking with my story so far!