Journey || Erik Durm

♂

ERIK: 

            AS soon as Marco, Charlotte and I stepped foot inside Mama's diner, Mama declared herself sick and bolted off home, leaving the three of us in charge of the diner for the night. The diner operated twenty four hours on the weekends, and the fact that it was Saturday entailed another allnighter.

Because I had stayed awake all night with Marco the day before, I was exhausted; hence, I yawned as I settled behind the counter. Charlotte brushed past me immediately to change into her clothing—or so I assumed—and I continued with the gesture loudly as she passed by.

"Close your mouth, Erik. You'll catch flies," she muttered, flipping her hair behind her shoulders before disappearing into the other room.

I shut my mouth immediately at that, unknowing of why.

Marco appeared on the other side of the counter just then, biting his lip to hide a smile.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, reaching under for a jar of coffee powder.

"Erik," he sang.

"Marco," I replied in monotone.

"Ermergerd."

"Are you drunk?"

"Drunk in the love that's in the air," Marco drawled, a ridiculously facetious expression overtaking his face.

"What are you going on about?" I muttered, pouring a carafe of water into the coffee brewer.

"You said you're not into Charlotte but it's so obvious that you are."

I lamented, "Not this again." 

"Come on, Erik. What do I have to do to get you to admit that she's hot?"

"Right."

"So you agree?"

"I agree that you're currently lowering my IQ."

Marco chuckled.

"Marco, Charlotte is a royal pain in the ass," I announced, "so stop talking about her, okay?"

"Jerk!" Charlotte hissed lowly, briskly appearing in front of me and jamming her elbow to my stomach. I blinked as she bent downward to pull the coffee brewer's plug out of the outlet, brushing my thighs with her back unknowingly in the process.

When she stood up a second later, I sighed, asking, "Shouldn't you be working?"

"The diner is practically empty," she snapped, rolling her eyes.

"Why did you take the plug off?"

"The water's boiled, Erik—" She sighed. "—the container will melt if you heat it further."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So, anyway, Marco," Charlotte digressed, leaning forward on the counter and shifting her attention from me to the blonde haired boy before me. "Would you be interested in, I don't know, getting the hell out of here?"

Marco smiled, his gaze deflecting to me.

"No," I deadpanned. "You two are not leaving me alone."

"Mein Gott, Marco! Do you hear that? A pest is buzzing somewhere nearby."

"Charlotte," I warned.

"There it goes again! Am I delusional or do you hear it too?"

Aggravated, I grabbed both sides of her waist, turning her around. "You," I began, inclining my face closer to hers, "aren't going anywhere."