The Exchange Student

Chapter 3

The trio walked towards the street that led to the bus stop, the bus that Armin usually took to go home, Levi's group of friends behind them, talking in French.

"Eren, I offered Erwin the possibility of bringing over Petra, Hanji and Levi to my house this afternoon, and he said yes. I think he's going to ask them about it by the time we get to where we usually split off. So I was hoping that you would come with me and Mika to go to Starbucks, grab a coffee or something and then spend some time together," said Armin, his blond cropped hair slightly waving in the light September breeze.

"That would be great !" Eren agreed, looking forward to their time together.

Armin dropped back beside Erwin, to ask them if they were okay with staying at his house.
He returned with what was in Eren's opinion good news, nodding enthusiastically.
They headed down to the bus stop, Armin making sure Erwin knew when to get off the bus, before taking a shortcut to the nearest Starbucks.

The bell jingled as the trio walked in. Armin took their orders - Iced Mocha for himself, cappuccino for Mikasa and hot chocolate for Eren, who disliked the bitter taste of coffee, unless he was doing some late night studying.
Mikasa bagged a booth for them, and they sat down, enjoying the feel of normality, the casual talking in the store differing from the cacophony of students talking in the cafeteria, a welcome change to Eren's ears.

"So Armin, you're the only one whose partnering I haven't heard about. Spill the tea little coconut," said Eren, sipping his drink.

"He's quiet, polite, and we get on well together, that's it," Armin responded, slightly blushing.
Eren and Mikasa exchanged a look, before saying in unison "Armiiiiiin ?"

"What !" he protested indignantly.

"You're blushing. It's as obvious as black on white," Mikasa pointed out.

"I'm not interested in him !"

Eren grinned, enjoying the combination of warmth from the beverage and the steady rise of heat in Armin's cheeks.

"Besides, he's only here for six months, I have to make the most of our time together as friends," he added, explicitly articulating the last word.

"Suuuuure."

They remained in a comfortable silence, neither of them wishing to break it. Eren looked around the store, at the potted plants in one corner to the table where two students were passionately making out. He quickly averted his eyes, turning his head towards the street, where he watched people pass by, watching two little kids run around together, stumbling over their feet, all the while running into a couple of passersby legs, making Eren smile softly.

"Earth to Eren ..."

"Wha - oh, sorry my bad," he laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What's gotten you so deep in thought ? Are you thinking about -"

"I'll cut you off there Mikasa, and tell you I was watching two kids play outside."

"Ok, ok," she smiled. "I'll take your word for it. You all done ? Let's go to the park, I fancy a bit of fresh air."

They stood up together, dropping their empty cardboard cups into a nearby bin, and they walked out into the afternoon air. It was late afternoon, around four, so the streets weren't too busy, especially since the sun had retreated behind the clouds.

Once at the park, they chose a spot on the soft grass, putting their bags upright against a nearby tree.

"Bang on time" mumbled Eren watching the sun peek out from the clouds, casting a pleasant warmth against his tan skin as he dropped lazily onto the grass, his two companions following suit.
It was quiet around them, aside from the rustling of the leaves above them with the wind, sounding peaceful.
The sun came out entirely, and the three friends enjoyed it.
The trees around them were a beautiful array of green, yellow, orange and red, the red leaves looking alight with the sun, resembling dancing flames.