There Is Freedom Here

Chapter 10: One More Hour

It was a couple of days after you had visited the aquarium with Eren. It was also a couple of days after that weirdly intimate scene. Over the course of the last five hours, Reiner had been texting you about coming to a gathering at his friends place.

You gave in about an hour ago.

It wasn't that you didn't want to hang out with them, but watching movies, cooking dinner, and walking your dog with Eren just seemed better. You didn't know why, though.

Marco's voice boomed through your phone speaker as you applied the necessary makeup for the gathering. "You don't have to go if you don't want to. Reiner shouldn't even be the one pestering you about hanging out with us—that's my job!"

You placed down the eyeliner. Staring at your appearance in the mirror, you replied to Marco with a chuckle. "It's fine. I was just busy these last couple of days."

Marco sighed and in the corner of your eye, you saw him take off his shirt. You and him were getting ready at the same time over facetime. "I'm gonna go take a shower. Do you want Jean and me to pick you up or can you drive?"

"There'll probably be drinks right?" You paused, contemplating whether you were in the mood to drink or not. "I have class tomorrow, so I'll take my own car."

"You sure?"

"Yup, thanks."

"Alright, text me when you leave. Bye, love you."

"Love you too."

You ended the facetime call and continued applying the eyeliner. Your right eye came out better than your left, as you were distracted by your conversation with Marco while applying the eyeliner on your left eye. Deciding it was too much time and effort to redo it, you tossed the eyeliner into your draw before exiting the bright bathroom.

Already dressed in some plain jeans and whatever shirt you saw first in your closet, you opened your bedroom door to join Eren downstairs. You spotted him turning off the PS4 and setting the controller down on the coffee table. "Getting off early tonight?"

Eren glanced back at you as you walked down the steps. "No, I finished the game." You raised your eyebrows, impressed that he finished it so quickly.

"I have other games downloaded if you want to check them out as well."

"Maybe."

The silence that crept into the room didn't seem to bother Eren as much as it bothered you. Yeah, silences were normal in conversations, but you couldn't help that the scene in the bathroom a couple of days earlier had to do with this one. Ever since that day, Eren avoided eye contact—actually, he avoided any sort of contact with you. He kept conversations short, stayed a good distance away from you anytime you came close, and didn't even say goodnight sometimes. Eren just walked upstairs and shut the door behind him as you ate your dinner downstairs.

You didn't want to sound offended, but shouldn't he act a bit more kind after you gave him a place to stay with food? Who knows--he could be in an insane asylum right now.

"Why are you dressed up?"

The deep voice shattered the imaginary glass. So now he was deciding to make conversation?

"Dressed up?" You glanced down at the jeans and shirt. "This isn't dressed up."

"Well, it's better than what you usually wear."

You frowned, not sure whether that was laced with malicious intent or not.

"Well, I'm going to my friend's house."

"Is it the same people as last time? When you wore the seductive outfit," Eren said without a stutter. You paused, taken aback by the bold language. You guessed the outfit was in fact seductive, but to have Eren point that out was surprising.