By Your Side: Two
Flashback – Year One.
Rose had been hesitant to go with Petra Ral, one of her newer friends and classmates, to meet the second years in the Cleaning Club. To be frank, she wasn't entirely interested in the club; but she wanted to be nice and humor Petra for just a little while. She was a people-pleaser, unfortunately, and would sometimes get dragged into situations she wasn't entirely interested in doing.
Upon approaching the room, she stopped by the door, looking inside. It was classroom sized, with just one long table and several chairs, some lined on and piled up on one side of the room. She wondered why the Cleaning Club needed such a big room, but upon observing further, she noticed that one area of the room was piled high with cleaning supplies.
That made more sense, then.
"Are you going to just stand there?" someone asked from behind her.
She spun around, then moved to the side, blue eyes landing on a rather short boy with black hair and icy eyes that seemed to match his attitude.
"Sorry," she muttered, averting her eyes in embarrassment.
"Don't apologize, just don't make it a habit," he said, entering the room and taking a seat, pulling out a textbook from his backpack and beginning to read the material.
An avid studier, huh?
"Oh, who is this?" piped up a voice from a second year with brown hair and glasses, their eyes looking mischievous as they honed in on Rose.
"This is Rosemary Aer," Petra introduced, smiling between the two upperclassman that had come up to the entrance of the club room. "She's our class president, and I just thought she might want to be part of the cleaning club."
"I – I still am unsure," she admitted, eyes flicking between the tall blond young man and the brown haired person. "But I like what you guys do, or at least what I think you do, from what Petra told me." She then reached in her book bag and grabbed a small baggie, now extending it to the upperclassman. "For your hard work. That is, if you want them."
"Are those cookies?" The brown-haired person exclaimed, grasping the baggie and immediately opening it, taking a chocolate chip cookie out and putting the whole thing in their mouth. Barely having chewed it, they said, "It's delicious."
"Chew your food, Hange" said the shorter boy, who seemed to have averted his attention from his studies to their conversation in the entryway.
"Mind your business, Levi," Hange countered, entering the room and taking a seat beside him. "You know what, I bet you'd act the same way if you had one of these."
"Then give me one," Levi said, his expression seeming uncaring and unchanging.
"Nah." Hange proceeded to eat another cookie whole. "Erwin, you should try one!" they said, now addressing the tall, blond man standing in the hall with Petra and Rose.
Rolling his eyes, Levi turned back to his textbook. Erwin walked into the room now, sitting at the head of the long table. "Are the others coming, Petra?"
"Yep – right after they do some cleaning for our teacher," she said. "Are you going to come in?" Petra now asked Rose.
"I have to babysit tonight, remember?" Rose reminded Petra. "But how about this: I bring you guys a snack tomorrow to make up for my absence."
"I agree to that plan!" Hange said, waving the bag of cookies in the air for emphasis.
Levi took the opportunity to grab the bag from Hange's hands, then quickly took out a cookie, taking a small nibble of it. He nodded once, as if in approval. "Not bad."
"Ha! I told you you'd like them," Hange said in a snarky manner.
"Sounds like a plan to us," Petra said with a small smile. At least she didn't look disappointed with Rose's soft rejection.
As they year progressed, Rose would sometimes find herself coming with Petra to the club room, a treat of some kind in hand. Hange looked forward to her snacks every time, and expressed their gratitude by greedily eating a few brownies or cookies or whatever Rose made before anyone else got a chance to touch them.
Sometimes she was asked to help her fellow classmates study, so her, Petra, Eld, Oluo, and Gunther would crowd the table with their class books and Rose would lead the study session, usually putting on a teacher role. She didn't mind those afternoons though; she liked also getting to know the upperclassman in the club, who seemed intrigued by her willingness to take time out of her day to teach her classmates.
Levi was quiet with her at first, though he also would indulge in at least one cupcake or something when Rose came to visit. As time went on, Rose found herself curious about him, so she decided to talk to him.
"Do you like school so far?" she asked, trying to break the ice in the only way she knew how – by talking about school.
"It's okay," he answered simply, not looking up from his textbook at first. Then, he stopped reading to look over at Rose, something like intrigue in his eyes. "Why?"
"I just was curious," she said shyly, collecting her belongings as she was finished with her study session with the others for the afternoon. "You just… don't talk much, is all."
"I need something to talk about." He had a point.
"Well, what do you do when you're not here?" she tried, throwing the strap of her book bag over her shoulder.
"I work," he told her, eyes almost seeming to watch her now. "Don't you?"
"Yes," she said, rubbing her bag's strap nervously. She felt like she was in trouble somehow. "I babysit my neighbor's little girl. Her name is Emma."
"I see." He blinked once, but Rose noticed that his normally hardened face appeared much softer now that they were talking.
"Where… do you work?" She felt almost determined to get a decent conversation out of him.
"That tea and coffee shop on Third." He closed his textbook slowly, sitting up as he spoke to her. "Are you planning to visit or something?"
"I… I might," she told him, turning toward the door. "Is it any good?"
"It's alright." He never gave a straight answer, just vague ones, Rose noticed. She wondered why that was. "I drink it, so it's not that bad."
"Then… I will come see you."
"We'll see."
She had come to the shop on a weekend; she felt that if there was any day that Levi would be there, it would be on a Saturday. Rose entered the small shop and was instantly hit with the scent of coffee. It was warm, inviting.
"Huh," she heard someone behind the counter say, and to her relief it was, in fact, Levi. He was wiping the counter down, it seemed, according to that rag in his hand. "You came."
"Yeah… didn't you… invite me?" Rose asked, feeling a little foolish now. Had she misread their talk before?
"I guess I did." Again with the vague answers. "The menu's behind me."
Rose approached the counter, clammy hands clasped to her purse strap, and she proceeded to look over the menu. There were quite a few things to choose from, but she thought she would just ask for something simple. "Can I just have a large coffee with cream and sugar?"
"Ah," he replied, as if he'd just discovered something. "Not much of an espresso person, are you?"
"I've… never had one," she admitted. "I just like things easy."
"That seems hard to believe," he replied, moving from the front of the counter to the side where the coffee canisters rested. He picked up a large coffee cup and started filling it up, then effortlessly went over to where the cream and sugar were, which seemed to be in glasses with pumps, and put them both inside the cup, before returning to Rose and placing the cup in front of her.
Rose was starting to get her wallet out, when she noticed Levi waving a hand at her. "Don't worry about it."
"Huh – but I want to pay you –"
"It's fine," he insisted, fixing her a look as if she were a child about to get scolded. "My uncle owns the place, so I get to do what I want."
"Oh?" She picked up the cup, taking a small sip, then she asked, "What did you mean by you found it hard to believe? Hard to believe I like things simple?"
"Basically," he answered, continuing with his previous task of cleaning the counter. Then he moved from behind the counter over to one of the square wooden tables, now thoroughly cleaning it. "You kind of pile a lot of work on yourself."
"What?" Rose tilted her head in confusion at that statement. "I do?"
"You don't notice?" Levi asked, as if it was obvious. "You're student president of your class, you run those study sessions with everyone, you do work for the teachers, and you also work after school." He shrugged then. "That can't be easy for a first year."
"I can handle it!" she told him, then she took another sip of coffee before continuing with, "Besides, I… like to do it. It's not… always easy to balance all that, I'll admit, but being around my classmates and then watching Emma grow… it's a lot of fun. More fun than I've ever had in school."
"I see." He was watching her again, having stopped what he was doing.
Was she rambling too much? Distracting him from his work? She hoped she wasn't annoying him.
"Anyway, speaking of, I have a study session here soon. I just… wanted to say hello."
"Well then… hello." He approached her then, setting the rag on the front counter first before doing so. She noticed he stood just a couple inches taller than her. "You should come again."
She felt her face burn a little at the invitation. Did he mean that? She had to admit, it was nice just having a casual conversation with someone instead of constantly talking about books and schoolwork. "Really? Alright. When… are you here next?"
"Tomorrow." Then he added, "I'm here everyday, Rosemary."
She didn't know why, but she felt her heart leap a little at the way he said her name. It sounded… sweet, coming from him, of all people.
"Then, I'll come by tomorrow." And she meant that promise.
When she wanted a break from the chaos of school, student council, studying with classmates, or even the loneliness of home, she would visit the shop. She never expected a free coffee, and always had her wallet out ready to pay for it, but Levi continued insisting to give her the cup without any payment.
Sometimes they would talk like they had that day she'd first come, sometimes they wouldn't talk at all – mostly because the shop would be too busy – and she would simply read a book or browse the internet on her laptop, or simply scroll on her phone mindlessly.
But while she would do those things, she would also watch him. Watched how he interacted with other people, watched him prepare tea and coffee, watched him drink his own cup of tea – which he told her he drank just straight black tea, nothing in it, which she thought was gross, but to each their own. He seemed to do everything seriously yet effortlessly, and as time went on she found it endearing.
When he had a free minute, he would sit with her and talk – and they talked about pretty much anything. She had admitted at one point about her interest in the stars and constellations, and how there was a perfect spot to watch the yearly meteor shower, which would be coming up soon.
"Isn't it around homecoming?" he'd asked her.
"Yes, but I don't think I'm going." She didn't want to admit out loud that, though she had been asked to go by several boys – and also as a member of student council she was kind of expected to go – she only wanted one person to ask her.
It was a pipe dream, she knew.
"The Cleaning Club is attending," he'd told her.
"I know; Petra told me."
"You should join us."
Or maybe it wasn't a pipe dream. Was he asking her to homecoming?
"I… don't know. I don't want to impose."
"I won't make you, but know we'd all like you there."
She had felt her cheeks warm up, but she pushed past that feeling to work up the courage to ask, "Does that include you?"
"Of course. I wouldn't say anything if I didn't want you there, Rosemary." He had looked a bit insulted by her question. "I'll even stay with you."
He was asking her. She couldn't believe it.
"Okay… I'll go."
Bunni always said that her ideal dress color was blue. Light blue, deep blue, didn't matter: she apparently looked best in that color.
For the dance, Rose had bought with some of the money she'd managed to save a cute, short navy blue dress with an emerald-like broach on the bodice, and a slightly puffy skirt. She looked at herself in the mirror in her bathroom and hoped and prayed she didn't look ridiculous to anyone else.
She drove to Bunni's house first, picking up her friend; of course, she was wearing a mini black dress and high heels, making her even taller. Rose had opted for flats; she wanted to wear heels, but knew that if she did, she would undoubtedly fall over.
She already had enough problems, what with her ill heart and all; she didn't want to add to that with a few broken bones.
The only one who knew about her heart condition was Bunni, who harped on her to remember to take her medication. Rose only had two pills she took a day, but they were vital in keeping her heart in check.
"You look cute," Bunni commented, giving her a small sneer. "Who is the outfit for?"
"No one," Rose answered quickly, heading to school once Bunni was buckled in. "I just… thought it was, as you said, cute."
"Uh huh." Bunni clearly didn't believe her, but dropped the subject as they drove on.
Once they'd parked at school, they headed inside to the gym, where it was suddenly transformed into an underwater wonderland. It looked beautiful, Rose had to admit – and then she remembered the Cleaning Club would be at school tomorrow to take all this down. She didn't have to work, maybe she could help them this time.
Speaking of the Cleaning Club, Rose found them standing by the snack table, seeming to be chattering away amongst themselves. Rose grabbed hold of Bunni's arm and led her toward them, stopping in front of Petra.
"Oh, who's this?" Petra asked, smiling at Bunni.
"This is my friend, Bunni," Rose said, letting go of her friend's arm and gesturing to her. "She's in our class, you know."
"Oh? I don't think we've ever talked. I'm sorry."
"No biggie," Bunni insisted, waving her hand. "Rose talks about you guys all the time. Cleaning must be more interesting than it looks."
Rose ignored the comment and looked within the group for one person in particular. When her eyes found him, she noticed he was watching her, his expression now soft as he assessed her. She felt shy under his gaze, but ignored that as she went to approach him.
Levi looked nice – wearing a button down white shirt and black slacks, nothing particularly impressive, but still very nice on him.
"You're late," he said to her, his arms crossed. But she could tell by his tone – as she'd studied him a bit in the times they'd spoken alone – he was teasing her.
"Sorry – won't happen again."
He dropped his arms, shrugging a bit. "Better late than not here at all."
She couldn't help but smile at that. Was he admitting that he was glad she was here? Was that his way of saying that?
She'd tried to learn his terminology the best she could anytime they spoke; she learned when he said "not bad" or "it's okay" he means that he likes something. And he'd learned when he was being his usual serious self and when he was joking around, despite the fact his actual tone wouldn't change.
The night went on slowly; Erwin and Levi didn't seem interested in dancing at all, to which Rose felt a little disappointed, but she still had fun dancing with the others. Hange was quite the party animal, Rose discovered, but she didn't mind it; she liked the energy they created around them.
Rose checked her phone and noticed what time it was; the meteor shower would be starting soon. She snuck away then during a rather fast-paced song, heading to the exit and deciding she would sit in their usual lunch spot to watch it. It wasn't her perfect spot, by any means, but it was slightly on a hill, and with the slight elevation she hoped she would be able to see the spectacle better.
She sat in the grass, legs straight before her, and she leaned back on her hands as she looked up, waiting patiently for the show to start. Though, at the sound of someone sitting beside her, her eyes tore away from the sky to her newest guest, jumping a little in surprise.
"Didn't mean to do that." It was Levi; had he seen her leave? She was trying to be subtle about it so as to not disturb anyone's night.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, thoughts of the light show completely gone now that Levi was by her side.
"I wanted to see what this meteor shower was all about," he answered, gaze previously fixed on her now turning to the dark sky above. "If you like it so much, I guess it's a big deal."
She couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face, and without saying another word she also looked up, though she couldn't help but be slightly distracted by the fact that her and Levi were just a couple of inches apart. Why had he sat so close to her? Did she mind?
Not at all.
Soon enough, it began, and just like every year that she'd watched the meteor shower, she was intrigued by how beautiful it was. However, she wanted to know what Levi thought of it. She turned to him, opening her mouth to speak, then stopped herself.
His face was completely clean of all its stoic and hardened features, eyes a little wider, mouth slightly open. He had a face of wonder, and she couldn't help but ask herself if anyone else had seen him look like this, or was this something special, just for her?
It occurred to her then that she really, really liked Levi.
This could pose a problem, she knew.