My Beloved, My Dear

01

The early morning air was crisp as Mikasa hurried along the sidewalk, her umbrella barely shielding her from the relentless downpour of rain. The sky was a thick blanket of gray, and the streets of Paradis were slick with rainwater. She quickened her pace, eager to escape the cold and reach the warm atmosphere of LA Café, a café owned by a distant cousin of hers, where she worked.

As she approached the café, the familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee flowed through the air, mingling with the dampness of the rain. The café doors swung open, and Mikasa stepped inside, closing her umbrella and placing it on the umbrella rack. She shook off the chill and took a deep breath, savoring the comforting aroma.

"Morning, Mikasa," called out Jean, one of her coworkers, from behind the counter.

"Morning," Mikasa replied with a smile as she tied her apron around her waist. She glanced around, noting the few early customers scattered about, each absorbed in their little world.

Mikasa's attention shifted to the door as it opened again, admitting a brunette man who shook the raindrops from his hair before stepping inside. Her eyes followed him as he walked towards the counter, curiosity piqued by the confident way he carried himself.

"Good morning," the man greeted, his voice warm and resonant.

The cashier, Connie, returned his smile. "Good morning, sir! What can we get you?"

"The usual," the man replied, his eyes scanning the café before settling on an empty table by the window. He sat down, the weak daylight streaming through the glass, highlighting his smooth tan skin.

"Gotcha. One caramel macchiato coming right up!" Connie called out cheerfully.

"The usual? He's a regular? I've never seen him before," Mikasa mused, her curiosity deepening.

She busied herself with her tasks, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the mysterious man. Who was he? Why hadn't she noticed him before?

The café began to fill with the usual morning rush, and Mikasa found herself caught up in the whirlwind of taking orders and serving customers. Despite the chaos, she kept stealing glances at the man by the window. He seemed perfectly at ease, his focus shifting between the window and a book he had pulled from his bag.

Eventually, it was time for the man's order. Mikasa hesitated for a moment before deciding to serve it herself. She picked up the caramel macchiato and made her way to his table, her heart pounding with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

"Caramel macchiato for Sir Eren," she said, placing the cup on the table and offering a tentative smile.

The man looked up, and for the first time, their eyes met. His green eyes were striking, and they seemed to sparkle with amusement. "Thank you," he said, returning her smile with one of his own.

For a moment, Mikasa felt the world around her freeze. There was something about his smile that was disarming, almost magnetic. She felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks and quickly turned away, embarrassed by her reaction.

As she walked back to the counter, she couldn't help but glance back at him. Eren. His name was Eren. She filed that away, along with the way his smile had made her feel.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur. Mikasa found herself thinking about Eren more than she cared to admit. When she finally had a moment to herself, she noticed that he had finished his coffee and left. On the table, where his mug had been, was a tip for her.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she picked up the note under the tip. Her eyes widened as she read it. Eren Yeager, with his phone number neatly written below his name.

—

Later that day, Eren was sitting in his car, the rain drumming softly on the roof. He was lost in thought, replaying his brief interaction with Mikasa in his mind. Had she found the note he had left? He hoped so.

"Yo, Eren!" A familiar voice called out, snapping him out of his train of thought.

Eren looked up to see his best friend, Armin Arlert, approaching with a smile. "Armin, hey."

"You look down. What's wrong? Is it about Historia?" Armin asked, concern evident in his voice.

Eren shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "No, not at all."

"Oh, I thought it might be because of the rumors," Armin said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Remind me, what rumors?" Eren asked, feigning ignorance.

"That Historia is dating a girl. She was seen with an unknown girl multiple times, like clubs, malls, etcetera."

Eren shrugged, his expression indifferent. "I don't see anything wrong with that."

Armin raised an eyebrow. "Nothing wrong? But aren't you and Historia somewhat a thing?"

Eren laughed, shaking his head. "A thing or not, I mean, I went to clubs and malls with you multiple times. How come there are no rumors of us dating?"

Armin rolled his eyes. "Okay, enough, Eren."

—

The next day comes by quickly, and another relentless downpour of rain fills downtown.

"Good morning, Eren," Grisha greeted.

"Morning, Father."

Carla patted Eren's shoulder, "You seem happy."

"Oh, look at the time. Gotta pick up Armin," Eren laughed awkwardly.

"For what?"

"Bye, Mom and Dad!" He left hurriedly.

He and Armin had no plans on meeting up, so it could only mean that he was going somewhere else, perhaps LA Café.

Eren parked his car right outside the café. It was brought to Mikasa's attention that the car looked familiar. "Shit," she whispered to herself as she saw Eren getting out of the car. Eren walked up to the counter and looked around; there he saw Mikasa talking to another person, with her back facing him.

"Sir? Hello?" The cashier interrupted his train of thought.

"Ah yes, um, americano," Eren smiled awkwardly.

"Noted. One americano for Sir Eren!"

Mikasa became nervous. Unfortunately, the other waiters were busy serving the customers, and she was the only one available. She had no choice but to serve the coffee to Eren.

"Americano for Sir Eren. Got tired of caramel macchiato?" Mikasa gave a small laugh, placing the coffee on the same table where Eren had sat previously.

"Thanks, and mm, something like that. I wanted to try something new."

"So you're saying you've never tried anything else besides caramel macchiato? Don't you get tired or dizzy from the sweetness?" She raised her eyebrows.

He chuckled and said, "No, of course not. I've tried other types of coffee too, you know! I'm not a caramel macchiato addict."

"Name other types of coffee then," Mikasa demanded in a joking manner, crossing her arms.

"Well, obviously americano, espresso, and the uh, normal macchiato?"

Mikasa sighed.

They both laughed. "I've got to go, customers are waiting," Mikasa smiled.

"Hey, if you're available, would you like to go out sometime?" Eren said, his hand gesturing to a square shape, trying to see if Mikasa kept the note. She nodded, chuckling.