Chapter Twenty-One: Home Sweet Home Part 2
"Which do you think looks better?" Eren alternated the two swim suits while she looked in the shop's ornate white mirror.
"I'd have to see them on you first." Levi replied, he continued to boredly flip through the magazine one of the shop matrons handed him half an hour ago. He had intended the whole beach front hotel thing to be a pleasant surprise for Eren, though he truly had expected that she packed at least one swim suit; this was obviously not the case, and he found himself sitting in a plush chair while Eren flit from one end of the little boutique to the other in search of a cute but also reasonably priced swimsuit; though he told her money wasn't a problem, she insisted on trying to find the cheapest one.
"Which one?" She asked again, this time making sure he was looking.
Eren stood in front of him and held out the two options she'd finally narrowed her search to. With a sigh, Levi looked up from the 'This Summers Top Trends' article and to the two pieces of swimwear currently being held in front of his face. A fairly plain white one piece with subtle ruffle detailing on the shoulders and around the hips, it looked like it would be quite a modest suit, and Levi silently hoped she'd wear that so no one would see too much of the tanned goddess he was lucky enough to call his own. The second option looked a bit more revealing; it was a white halter bikini set with black polka dots that had lace and bow detailing along with a frillier row of ruffles around the hips. He had to admit, they both would look dazzling on her…
"Why not both?" He said bluntly.
"Because that's excessive, I only need one." She rebutted.
"You never know, we're going to be here most of the week, just get both of them." Levi waved over one of the many attendants standing idly by in wait of an opportunity to be of assistance and all but forced the swimsuits out of Eren's hands and into the hands of the attendant. "We're taking both of these."
The woman nodded and smiled widely, accepting the pieces before she made her way to the register to prepare the transaction. Before Eren could further protest, he'd already made his way to the register and given the attendant his bank card to complete the purchase.
"Would you like any cover-ups to go with your purchase sir? You can choose one for free with the purchase of two or more suits."
Levi made sure to avoid Eren's gaze as he nodded and waited for the attendant to show the free cover-up options. Thinking Eren would likely take another half hour to decide, he pointed to a frilly, mini-dress option made of a gauze-like fabric with a pink floral design.
Once the couple was finally out of the boutique, Levi turned to Eren and asked, "Care to tell me why you look like you just shat yourself?"
Eren's eyes widened momentarily at the crass nature of his question, then quickly averted her gaze. "And what makes you say that?" she countered.
"It's just that most people get excited when someone spends a little money on them, or you know, at least try and show a little appreciation. All I'm getting from you is annoyance and resentment. It's bizarre and I just want to know what is it is that I did so I'll be sure to avoid it in the future."
Eren remained silent, ever since that night she got stuck outside the dorm with Jean, she'd been replaying one thought every time Levi spent even a few dollars on her, 'So you actually like him or are you more interested in the perks of having a sugar daddy?' it wasn't like she asked him to spend money on her, he really just did it, almost as if it were a habit, or maybe a whim. After the surprise plane tickets, arriving at the hotel and seeing how lavish it really was, not to mention that view, she couldn't help but dwell on the term 'sugar daddy,' that's not what Levi was to her, was he? She really did like him, and care about him, but did he know that? What has she ever done to show him that she cared for him far more than her finances would permit?
She could rarely afford to treat him and he was more than understanding of that fact, but she just couldn't help but feel bad, guilty even, that he constantly covered their expenses whenever they went out. And now here she was, yet again, causing him to spend absurd amounts of money on her and offering nothing more than a sour face and unpleasant vibes.
"No, no, I'm really happy, ecstatic even, those swimsuits are really adorable…it's just…I can't help but feel bad every time you spend so much on me. I'm sorry, that's not being very grateful is it? You know, just forget I mentioned it…" she quickly pulled out her phone and clicked to liven the screen and check the time, "It's already this late? What do you say we grab a late lunch? My treat." She forced a grin and reached down to lace her fingers with Levi's.
"I do believe I've told you this before, but I'll say it again for the situations sake; money is not an issue, so don't let that even factor into this equation, alright?" He squeezed her hand tightly for a moment, then added, "Lunch sounds great. What do you have in mind?"
Eren allowed herself a small, earnest smile, "Nothing in particular, you?"
"I'm actually craving French, but since we're by the ocean, why not go for some seafood?"
"Hmm, sounds great."
With that, the two made their way down the little shopping strip in search of a local restaurant and a fresh sea-sourced meal.
After enjoying the chef's choice and freshest catch of the day for lunch, Levi and Eren made their way around a few more shops before returning to the hotel and making their way out to the beach; both too ready and willing to forget the unfortunate circumstance that held them captive in a would be paradise, if not for the meals that had to be shared with Levi's winner of a mother, for the next week.
Eren eyed Levi with a glint of distaste while he finished setting up the umbrella and beach chair; she stared down at her hands and let out an audible sigh when he requested the items she'd been instructed to keep off the sand, 'we're on the beach for fucks sake, you'll have sand in places you didn't know were a part of you, it's just how it goes,' nevertheless, she handed the items back without too much attitude and simply watched while Levi adjust himself on the chair and settle with a book and a few folders full of papers in his lap.
"Are you really not going to swim?"
"I hadn't planned on it."
Eren's pout fell into a full on grimace. "If you knew you weren't going to get in the water, why did you even bother wearing your trunks?"
"Just in case I get wet." He adjusted his reading glasses and looked up from marking a paper, "There are troublesome children anywhere you go, not to mention immature young adults." He made it a point to look Eren directly in the eye as he said it.
"Humph." She shrugged and walked to stand under the shade of the umbrella, "Suit yourself. If you wanna stay here and look grumpy while you grade papers then by all means, don't let me or my immaturity distract you, professor." Her tone was playful, but Levi was still able to detect a hint of sadness behind the jestful words.
Levi felt drawn to give into her, but the last thing he wanted was to spoil Eren, and seeing as he'd fulfilled nearly all the princess' requests so far that day, he figured being a little tough love would do her good. Relationships were all about give and take, and though she was giving herself in a big way by even being here with him, he still wanted to make sure she knew she couldn't and wouldn't always get what she wanted.
He simply grunted in response and returned to grading the last pile of midterms he'd oddly enough, managed to misfile.
'I said don't let me distract you, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna try,' she smirked to herself and rummaged through their shared beach bag, 'hah, found it!' Eren plopped down near the tip of the beach lounger and placed the squeeze bottle of sun block on her lap. Once settled, she started her little show.
Slowly, she untied the little bows that secured the front of the floral cover-up. With more movement than necessary, she slipped the rest of the cover-up off her body and made a show of neatly folding it and reaching across Levi's legs to put in the beach bag. She then returned to the actual task at hand, putting on sun block. She loved tanning but they were going to be here for a whole week, she had plenty of time to get a nice even tone later on, no point in rushing it now? Plus, prevention is an important part skin care, especially in your younger years.
She popped open the lid and squeezed a liberal amount of the white substance on her hands, then starting from her feet, worked her way to her calves, thighs, stomach, chest and shoulders. She stood and made a show of applying the precious potion on the parts of her backside that peeked out from the bikini bottom. Once satisfied, she turned to look over her shoulder with the most innocent smirk she could muster. Levi would have called it a full on shit-eating grin, but she did try at least.
He'd watched the whole display from behind his papers and tried his best to ignore just how flexible she was. He did not however ignore the passerby's who dared stare at her during the whole routine, they got his full on piss off or there will be problems glare which caused a decent amount of young brownnosers to scoff and scurry back from whence they came. 'And of course she would wear the halter…' though he really shouldn't complain, his view was positively fant-ass-tic.
When she shot him that look, he knew he'd lost. Fuck not spoiling her; he was well past that point already. He made one last attempt to salvage his nerves and paused the mad scratching of red ink across the page, "What?"
"Can you put it on my back? I can't reach and the last thing I want is a giant dark blotch from missing a spot." She was standing next to him, struggling to keep a smile off her face. She knew she had him whipped, or at least that she was close to it.
"I can but that doesn't mean I will." His face remained impassive and he looked back down to the paper in his lap, feigning disinterest in her scantily clad body. She was much leaner than her clothes lead him to believe. It was so tempting to just give in right then and there so he could allow his bare hands to roam over taunt, and undoubtedly soft skin.
Eren rolled her eyes and asked again, "Okay, will you help me with my back," she paused and considered for a moment then looked him directly in the eyes, offering the sweetest smile she could muster, "Please Levi."
That was it. He was whipped. When did she manage to get a grip on my heart. This is dangerous.
He placed the papers away neatly in their folders and moved his legs so Eren had more comfortable space to rest on while he smothered spf in the places she was unable to reach.
Starting from the back of her neck and down, Levi made sure to be thorough and generous with his application, it quickly passed from being sun block application to a gentle massage as he worked his way from her shoulder and down to her lower back and sides.
When he deemed his work complete, he wrapped his arms loosely around Eren's waist, trapping her arms against her torso while he whispered against her ear, lips lightly grazing below the lobe, "I'll play with you later, so let me finish my work, brat." He punctuated his words with a light kiss then all but kicked Eren off the lounger.
Satisfied with the promise of company, Eren left Levi to his work and began exploring the beach. She walked along the shoreline and watched all the happy families, couples, and a few individuals like herself going about their business, flitting around the snow white powdery mounds of sand and wading into the crystal clear cerulean waters. The ocean was breathtaking, the way the sunlight glinted off the gentle waves and the calming sound of the rise and fall of the waters as they danced along the shoreline; the distance laughter and giggles of teens and children as they braved the watery playground.
When the distant pitches of voices became faint murmurs, Eren stopped walking; she looked around to see how far she'd gone and was actually surprised to see she'd made it nearly to the other side of the sandy cove. Seven grand beachfront hotels lined the majority of the cove; the hotel Eren and Levi stayed at being towards the end of these seven. She'd made it to the rockier part of the cove, there was much more brush, rocks, and shells along the shore where she walked, so she moved back into the water, letting the tide come up to her ankles as she continued onwards.
Her goal was a small patch of black rock formations, they looked like a great spot to just sit and relax, not to mention it was secluded, so she had plenty of space for just herself and her thoughts. It was better than any Whirlpool could offer.
Once she finally found a good place on the rocks, she allowed her eyes to drift shut and immersed herself in the tranquil solitude the area offered. The smell of salt water and a faint hint of fish, the lulling of the tide, and the occasional sound of seagulls engulfed her senses as she basked under the fading evening sunlight. When she opened her eyes again, the evening sunset cast purples, pinks and oranges across the ocean's azure surface.
So entranced by the setting sun, Eren didn't notice the slight form that steadily grew larger and larger as it neared the secluded area. Levi spotted Eren perched on the rocks and set their belongings down, insuring that they were secure and wouldn't fall into the sand before he made his way closer to her.
He stopped. Eyes widening a bit at the look of pure, untainted peace and bliss he found on Eren's face. The warm ocean breeze blew her hair in wisps around her face while the setting sun set such a marvelous coloring on her already golden complexion, and the way her eyes sparkled reminded him so much of the ocean waters that she sat admiring.
He wished that he'd brought his camera or even his phone so he could snap a few pictures; she was breathtaking.
Then she turned and looked towards him. Yes, this was definitely dangerous, but this danger did not scare him. No, it excited him to no end. He wanted to know how far this could go, what this could turn into. Who they were to each other, and who they could become with time. He felt his heart speed up as they made eye contact and felt an unfamiliar heat seep into his cheeks. He was most definitely not blushing, nope. He is a grown man in his thirties and he is not blushing over a twenty year old who looks like she belongs in a magazine spread because she is way too perfect to be real.
"You found me," she spoke quietly, as if her voice would disrupt the serenity of the area, "finish up your work?"
"Mhm. Figured I'd join you in the water, but it took me a few minutes to figure out you weren't on our hotels part of the beach anymore, then took about another fifteen to find that you'd wandered to the other side."
"Hmm." Eren hummed and started to make her way down from her perch.
"Once I realized you weren't going to turn around, I figured I join you, so here I am." He offered her his hands so she could jump down from a particularly jagged area, and once she was safely back in his arms, he gave her a quick squeeze and their lips met for a brief greeting. "Nice place you found here."
Eren smirked and gave him a quick peck before going to the bag to find her cover-up. As the sun went down, so did the temperature, and though the warm water currents kept the climate in a pretty steady range, it was still noticeably colder at night. Once she was covered, she looped the bag over her shoulder and reached for Levi's hand.
"I really like it, it's so quiet. It was a bit of a walk, but I think it was worth it." She scowled when Levi tried to take the bag, "You brought it over here, I can take it back, besides it's not that heavy."
"Whether or not it's heavy is irrelevant. It's the principal behind the act."
"I appreciate the chivalry, but we're long past the middle ages, and this sure as hell isn't the 50's anymore. You can drop that whole, 'women belong on a pedestal' spiel; I'm more than capable of handling my own business."
Levi quirked a brow and intertwined their fingers while they walked back to their hotel, "Down girl, I didn't mean to offend you," he shot her a glance, then sighed and gave her hand a light squeeze, "sorry, I'll be more careful of my wording in the future."
Eren smiled at the gesture and let her eyes slip close for a moment, trusting Levi to lead her for a short distance, "Apology accepted, and I'll do the same."
"Perfect. So what do you say to slowing down our pace a bit," he stopped walking and watched Eren's features show slight confusion, "I mean, if we get to the hotel too quickly, then we really won't have an excuse to be late to dinner. Tonight it's at my parent's home, which isn't too far so I can't really use traffic as excuse." He smiled, a playful glint in his eyes, "However, losing track of time while walking on the beach is valid. My mother knows I never take electronic devices with me when I'm out near the water."
Eren giggled and nodded, once they were in agreement, they started walking again, but this time at a decreased, calm pace; trying their best to savor their moments of peace before entering the looming storm.
The petite woman with a perpetual frown on her face spoke pointedly as soon as she answered the front door, "You're late Levi." She stared him squarely in the eyes and waited for the possible explanation as why he'd arrived to his childhood home nearly a half hour later than the promised meeting time.
Levi met her glare and simply shrugged, ushering Eren inside ahead of him, to ensure that his mother didn't try and lock her out. "Ran into traffic. It's different back home."
Leanne looked appalled. "This is your home."
"This is your home. Which is precisely why I'm staying at a hotel."
They'd removed their shoes and started towards the dining room, a short trek from the marble stone entryway through the plush, white formal living room carpeting and onto the sleek mahogany flooring of the formal dining area.
"Which I find ridiculous. You should stay at home while you're home. I have no idea what possessed you to pay for a hotel," she looked over her shoulder and made brief eye contact with Eren, "it's a waste of time and money if you ask me."
Levi narrowed his eyes and reached down for Eren's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before retorting, "Good thing no one asked you."
The growing tension was broken by the large man, whom Eren recognized as Levi's father, quite literally appearing from nowhere. "Leanne is Levi here? Caroline—ah son you're here!" He welcomed Levi with wide open arms and practically forced the smaller man into his hug.
Eren couldn't help but snicker at their size difference, from behind; Levi looked like a young man who'd just returned from his first year of college. Levi returned the hug, though with much less enthusiasm than his father used, then quickly tried to regain his personal space. He ducked back to Eren's side just as a taller, pale but strong looking woman emerged from…somewhere?
"Dad is he here—?"
Eren still wasn't sure where these people were coming from, sure if Levi or his mother tried to sneak up on you from out of thin air then that'd probably work out fine cause they were both so under the radar, but Dr. Ackerman who towered over everyone currently in the room and the kind looking woman wearing an apron were both just too much to accept. Eren stepped a bit further into the dining room and noticed a well hidden doorway that undoubtedly led to the kitchen and explained the magical appearances of people.
Within seconds of his first release, Levi was captured in another embrace by the kind faced woman, "Brother! It's been so long don't be such a stranger."
Levi grumbled but didn't protest this display of affection as strongly as he had with his father. Eren simply stood back, admiring and trying poorly to contain her sounds of amusement.
Once Caroline (at least that's what Eren assumed her name was), caught a glimpse of her she was in her space in a heartbeat. "Ah, who is this? She's so beautiful, look at those eyes. You are absolutely gorgeous!" She smiled towards Eren after finishing her stream of compliments then spoke as an afterthought, "I'm Caroline, Levi's older sister, it's nice to meet you…"
"Eren." Eren extended her hand to shake, which was kindly returned. "Nice to meet you too, Caroline." She stated, taking note of the familiarity in Caroline's demeanor. 'She reminds me of Claire…' Eren thought to herself, trying to remember if Levi mentioned having more than one sister the last time she saw his adorable and energetic niece.
Before she could formulate the question, her thoughts were interrupted by Leanne's abrupt reappearance. "Caroline, be a dear and come help me finish up in the kitchen," she turned to her son, ignoring Eren completely, "Levi, help your father set the table."
Eren looked to both Levi and Caroline for some direction, the latter already heading back through the passage while the former schooled his features into his well practiced scowl. He passed by Eren and quickly added, "Don't worry about doing anything, just pick where you want to sit and have at it. And for the love of God, just ignore my mother, she's putting on a show just for you." Eren snickered at his spite filled comment and nodded as she poked around the dining table, trying to decide the best place to sit.
Just as suddenly as the room had been filled, it was empty, and Eren was left alone to take in the grand décor. "I see where he gets his great taste from." The room itself was rather average in size for a dining space, the walls painted a cool mint color with stark white, iron, chrome, and espresso details. The table itself was plain, rectangular, and made of a deep espresso stained wood; her curiosity got the best of her and she briefly peered under the table to see the sturdy and tastefully detailed trestle base that supported the thick tabletop. The chair she sat in was made of warm white, tufted upholstery with brass studs detailing along its edges. The centerpieces of the table were four silver pillar candle holders, each with an unlit white candle atop of it.
She turned to take in the rest of the room's décor; the crushed silk drapes in a creamy white color, similar to the color of the chairs and the grand iron curtain rods that were in a similar design to the iron sconces found along the wall. Directly behind her, was a grand mahogany buffet, which was framed well with four vertical canvases of abstract art that mimicked the placement of the four candles on the dining table.
The overall effect and design of room chimed old world charm meets modern sophistication; it was beautiful, grand, and approachable. A well planned and executed room. If Leanne had been the one to design the room, then Eren had to admit she was a bit jealous of her talents, and also that she, Leanne that is, might not be so bad after all. Surely someone who was able to put this much thought into a family space was kind…dare she say amicable to some extent?
The possibility remained that Leanne could have hired someone to design and decorate for her, given their apparent lack of need, and the abundance of richness of the few spaces she'd seen so far, Eren could guess that they've always been in good shape financially. Levi's father was a doctor after all. But for some reason, the dining room just seemed to be…cozier than the other spaces she'd briefly passed by on her way in with Levi.
While Eren was lost in her musings, Levi made his way back into the dining room, chargers in hand along with napkins, dinner knives and forks. Eren didn't notice he'd been back in the room until he reached around her to place the chrome washed charger in front of her and a stark white napkin in her lap.
"Ah, Levi," her hand flew up to her chest in surprise, "sorry, I didn't notice you coming back in."
"Hmm. I see." He continued his placement, and then moved on to place the knives and forks in their proper order.
"Do you want any help?"
He looked up from his task and smirked, "I think I can handle setting a table on my own, but thanks for the offer princess." He offered Eren a wink when she rolled her eyes.
"Whatever."
Levi chuckled lightly and returned to Eren's side, he tapped her shoulder, then leaned down when she turned, capturing her lips in a quick, surprise kiss that left a lovely deep rose dust along the apples of her tanned cheeks. "Hang in there; we can leave right after dinner if you want." Eren nodded, turning her attention back to the silvery plate in front of her. "It means more to me than you could ever know that you're even here, please remember that."
Before he could leave the room again, Eren caught his shirt sleeve and pulled him down for one more kiss, letting it linger a bit longer than the previous surprise attack. "We can stay through dessert if there is any." She winked and released him just as a familiar little visitor made her way into the room.
Levi and Eren both looked over to see a sleepy Claire padding towards them, a grin plastered on her face as she rounded the table and nearly bee lined for Eren.
"Miss Eren!" she chirped excitedly, her apparent drowsiness slipping away as the seconds passed. "Hi uncle," she said as she made her way to Levi and hugged him before returning to and practically crawling into Eren's lap.
"Claire! I didn't know you were here dear," Eren allowed her rest in her lap, smiling up at Levi who stared somewhat dumbfounded at the display. "How are you?"
"Mmm! I'm here with mommy cause she's visiting grandma and grandpa. How's your foot? Mommy was cooking so I took a nap but I'm hungry so I came down and I didn't know you were gonna be here I'm so happy now!" The little girl chirped excitedly, wrapping her arms around Eren again in a lingering hug.
"It's all good, completely healed up." Eren answered.
"That's good." Claire yawned and leaned into Eren, her arms still loosely around her neck as she settled in her lap.
"Claire," Levi began, "it's almost time for dinner and Eren can't eat with you in her lap. I need you to pick a seat for now so we can all sit down and eat together." His words were gentle but his tone left no room for argument.
The little girl sighed and reluctantly slid from Eren's side. She looked around the room and decided to sit next to Eren, much to Levi's chagrin as that was his intended seat. Though with the way she and Eren happily exchanged words, he couldn't help but smile. He'd just have to take the seat across from her since he knew his parents always sat as the heads of the table. At least this way Caroline couldn't complain about him being so distant; he ruffled Claire's hair and returned to the kitchen to finish his task, knowing his father was preparing the drinks while his mother and Caroline got the food plates ready.
To both Eren and Levi's surprise, dinner passed relatively well…and dare they think, comfortably? The only explanation either party could come up with was Claire's presence, grandma Ackerman didn't want to show her nasty side in front of her curious and innocent granddaughter, and Eren was more than thankful for that. Sure, Leanne had practically ignored Eren throughout the entirety of dinner, but Caroline and Dr. Ackerman had more than made up for her lack of interest with their own fair share of questions and concerns about Eren's presence, wellbeing, and apparent familiarity with Claire.
Caroline knew she liked Eren from the moment she set eyes on her, and from the few shared glances and passes made between Eren and her little brother, she was sure Levi was more than taken with her. It was nice to see him so happy and peaceful after spending so much time alone; especially after his last serious relationship ended up in a broken engagement and more than one broken heart. Eren was good for him, and from the few interactions she'd managed to catch between the two, he was good for her as well.
It was when they'd retired to the living room, after Claire's desperate begging to watch a movie she'd wanted to see ever since it hit theaters, that Caroline decided to bring up the question that rested on her parent's mind. Leanne was preparing coffee for the adults and juice for Claire while Levi settled down comfortably next to Eren and Claire on one of the sofas.
"So, Eren," the addressed turned from her brief exchange with Claire over the movie she'd wanted to watch and insisted that 'Miss Eren and Uncle Levi stay to watch it' to look up to Caroline.
"Hmm?"
"Are you and my brother dating?"