A few weeks after I brought home the marigolds, I constantly return to the flower shop, taking different flowers home as a way to divert my mind to the beauty of life rather than the dark recess of my mind. As Christa and I grow a comfortable friendship, I learn of flowers and their meanings and Ymir, someone who supports Christa whole heartedly. They once threw me glances of suspicion, keeping close to Christa before finding out that I hold no threat towards their relationship with Christa, to which they cackle and slap me in the back.

The clock ticks and tocks and I stare aimlessly out the window, unsure of what to do for the day. Jean has been staying in for more hours, claiming that he wants to depend less on his parents and more on himself, and the thought makes me both proud and jealous. I fear that my loneliness clouds my sense of self and the inability to do things as efficiently hovers over my mind every part of the day as I take minutes longer to finish things and more times evading a space I did not notice or did not pay much mind to until reflexes kick in. I think to myself how dependent I became of Jean and of my parents who send me money to support me in my slump, and I start to resent that I do not take charge and fight against this obstacle with even more effort. And then my mind halts and haunts me with insults and self-pity as I still caution around my own home.

As these thoughts pour into my mind, I turn towards the door and tell myself that it's time for me to leave and take some time out of the house so that I can get away from such negative thoughts rather than allow myself to continue. I get up and put on my shoes and out the door I went, still unsure of where my destination will be. I went in the same direction of the flower shop, but I continue on further, walking until I came upon a café. The shop occupies the corner of the block, deep green on the outside as well as the tiles and countertops. The walls and chairs stand out in an off-white as the tables and counters itself is a dark brown. Small plants settle on a counter in front of the shop and a few plants decorate the interior. Few people bustle around within the café, and I took my time to stay there with a cup of tea and a simple sandwich, walking further in the back to a more secluded lounge area I nearly did not notice.

I take a seat in front of the window, watching the people slowly accumulate as the afternoon rolls by. Soon, the café fills with people, and the lounge area becomes loud with chatter and movement. I took the time to watch as people take seats near strangers, not giving a care in the world as they pay little attention to others, or filling up a section of the seats with friends and family. Some glances pass my area, though no one truly takes the time to ask or sit beside me, and if I can guess, it may be because of my appearance. I watch for a bit before turning my attention back out the window to watch as others walk by and around, heading towards a destination I will never know of.

The sun starts to descend against the horizon when a tap reaches my shoulders and I look up. Standing beside me, a group of three asks to the seats occupying my space to which I smile politely and tell them it was fine. The blonde young man with his hair tied back thanks me with a smile before settling down. His companions follow, the other male thanking me as well, while the female nods in thanks. I watch them a bit as they unpack some of their items, books and lecture notes, speaking of this and that, and soon, I smile along with their conversation. When I first notice my actions, I apologize, smiling sheepishly.

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you around!" The blonde one asks, directly sending attention to me. I smile before shaking my head.

"I've lived here for about three years now. I haven't really… Been exploring the area much, however. This is my first time seeing this café."

"I see. By the way, I'm Armin Arlert! They are Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman. We all just moved here recently, a few months ago, to be exact. We're all attending the community college here."

"My name is Marco Bodt. It's nice to meet you all. What are you guys majoring in?"

I find that Armin is going into medical science, but he might not keep his major as he wants to explore other options. Eren and Mikasa are both undecided, choosing to attend with Armin as they always planned to do.

"But why did you come here? You could have stayed at your other city, right? Ah! If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"There were too many memories there that we needed to get away from," Eren answers, staring at me intensely, indicating to me not to question it any further. "Besides, if Armin does decide to take classes in medicine or whatever, he can easily transfer to another university through a program, so it was a good deal."

Eren stops talking, lips purse together, turning white, eyes blazing with anger and fist clenched tightly against the pen he holds. Mikasa lightly places her hang over his, easing away the tension. They both look at one another, speaking through the deep connection of their relationship as Armin looks between them while sticking close to Eren, eyes with worry. When the tension dissipates, they all turn back to work before Armin looks up at me with a smile.

"Do you also attend college here?"

My head fills with dread and my face flushes in embarrassment, eye darting to the table as I take a few moments to myself to breathe and calm my running heart.

"No," I say with a slight shake of head, "Well, I was in college before… well, this happened."

My left hand raises and brush against the scar laden shoulder, slowly making its way up to my eye. The three look stricken with shock, Armin paling and stuttering an apology to me. I take it in stride, though my heart still races, and shake my head a bit, silencing him.

"It's fine. It just happened. I'm getting used to this lifestyle the way I am."

I smile at them, though it feels a little strain, and though the air is a bit thick, the trio attempts to avert the conversation elsewhere, to both my and their relief. We chat until Eren stares at the clock, swearing and shoving supplies into his bag, dropping a few things and swearing some more as he states that he'd be late for work if he stays here any long. He runs out the café before there is any chance to bid him farewell. Armin and Mikasa also packs, both wanting to head back home to rest as they have morning classes. Amin bids me farewell on the way out, and Mikasa nods at me before trailing off. I wave a bit before looking at the clock myself, surprise filling me as I realize it is quite late and I should also be heading off.

I take my time, not in a rush to meet an appointment, before leaving and bidding the workers good night. Upon reaching home, Jean greets me, eyes deep with worry, grumbling and grousing over how I need to learn how to call him when I stay out late. He hugs me tightly, breathing in against my neck as I lean against him, enjoying this moment. When we part, I peck his lips with a smile before asking what it is he wishes to have for dinner.

"You."

I stop walking to turn back to him, face flaring with heat, heart beating against my ear drums as I take in a shaky breath. I walk back to him, staring down at his red face as he grins back at me before pulling me down for a kiss, slow and sensual, sending shivers down my spine. When we part, I laugh a bit before rubbing my nose against his, stepping back once with a shake of my head.

"I meant real food, Jean. All I've had was a sandwich and tea all day."

I walk back to the kitchen, mumbling to myself that he can have my later, though a squeak travels through the air indicating that he hears my mumbling, making me laugh under my breath as I prepare food. I call out to him again to ask if he wants anything as well, and he just asks for whatever I have. A sigh leaves my lips as I contently prepare dinner, making sure to avoid anything Jean dislikes lest I want to hear him moan over how he has a hard time eating it as it tears apart his taste buds. His exaggerations get worse and worse as he finds new things to complain about, though it amuses me more than anything when he leans over to me and begs me to help him fix his problems. He's such a child sometimes.

After setting up the table, I call him over and listen to him talk about his day, laughing when he yells about a "Jaeger guy who pisses him off," though he never explains why this person upsets him. He going on a tirade over this and that and soon, I realize the conversation takes a turn to the trio I met today. When I mention it to him, his eyes widen and he tells me not to get too close to that Eren because of this and that and soon, I find out that Jean has an infatuation with Mikasa. This realization slams into me, knocking the breath out of me as I continue to listen to him go on and on about how beautiful Jean finds Mikasa, and my heart thunders in my chest. I keep my mouth shut, smiling and nodding every once in a while as the meal continues, losing my appetite as my mind whirls.

"Jean mentioned Mikasa before. Now, Jean talks about her as though he's in love."

This thought comes to mind and I apologize to him, saying I lost my appetite and that I was a bit tired. His eyes widen and he gets up, but I tell him to finish up eating as I head to bed. I lay there, mind going over the insecurity that bursts inside my head, attacking me and telling me.

"Jean might not love me anymore," I clench my eyes shut before mumbling, "Where did you go?"