This Time

Chapter Seven

She hated how vulnerable she felt, she didn't want to seem like an open book.
Putting on a brave face she meets Eren in the dining room for lunch. The rest of the day was met in silence.

Once his parents made it home, the tension seemed to lift just a little.

"How was your weekend," Carla asked Mikasa.

"It's was fine, I'm just tired...can I please go to bed," Mikasa excused herself from the table.

Eren felt as if he had done something wrong, he just couldn't figure out what.
Over the next week, Mikasa had seemed to distance herself from him. This bothered the crap out of him, but he chose not to act on it.

Mikasa believed that if she just ignored it that these feelings would eventually go away. She didn't think that it would hurt this much.

Armin began to notice the sudden change in his friends' behavior and decided to get them together for a talk.

Armin had invited the two to his house on Saturday. They sat in a circle on the floor of his room.

Mikasa fiddled with her skirt. She knew what Armin had called them here about. He knew that she was trying to distance herself again.

"Are we going to address the elephant in the room," Armin was always blunt.

Eren and Mikasa shared a glance at one another.

"I don't know what you are even talking about," Mikasa couldn't even look Armin in the eyes.

"That's bullshit, you have been avoiding Eren for the past weeks," His tone was harsher than he intended.

"I am doing no such thing, sometimes I just like to be alone....can't I have any time to myself?" Mikasa felt herself be caught in her lie.

The boys looked at Mikasa, she seemed to have tears in her eyes.

"Are you ok," Eren asked her.

She hated this, it was so fucking hard. It was so hard to try and leave them behind when everything she did lead back to them.

"I'm fine just allergies, and like I said before I just need some time alone ok," she wiped at her eyes and scratched her nose for extra effect.

An awkward silence had begun to fill Armin's small room.

"Is this all you called us here for, if that's so I think I should head back," Eren was the first to speak up?

Armin rose from his spot.

"No, no...I just wanted to check up on Mikasa, how about we watch a movie and maybe have a sleepover," his hands waved as he talked, a nervous habit he had picked up.

Eren looked to Mikasa, "We are not watching twilight," sarcasm dripped over the words.

"Hey, I wasn't going to suggest that, how about a horror movie," she shrugged.

"That's fine with me, I'll go look to see if my grandpa had any of those old cheesy ones," Armin looked to Eren, "I'll be back soon."

As soon as Armin left the room Eren took that as a cue to begin to interrogate Mikasa.

"Why have you been avoiding me, have I done something wrong." he had scooted closer to Mikasa.

She wouldn't even look him in the eyes.

"I wasn't avoiding you like..." she was interrupted.

"Don't feed me that bullshit, please I need to know what I did wrong so I could try and fix it," his eyes were pleading.