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Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Time in the cell dragged. Minutes felt like hours. Days felt like weeks. There was nothing she could do, except sit, and think. The thought that Levi hated her plagued her mind. She kept going over everything in her head. He hadn't answered all of her questions, but she doubted he ever would now.

Looking back she wished she had handled things differently, got a hold of her emotions and thought things through, maybe even confided in Eren and talked it through. Instead she had charged in full throttle, her mind a mess, emotions raging and did the only thing she knew how to do. Fight. Let her anger and pent up frustrations out on the source of her upheaval and did not hold back.

Eren had gone to visit her a couple of hours after her arrest, asking her what the hell had happened and if she was okay. Illyria had been grateful to see him. She knew that the captain could very well have told him to stay away. That she was dangerous, unpredictable, needed time to cool off. He could have given Eren a hundred reasons to stay away. But he hadn't. It meant a lot to her to be able to see a friendly face, and she couldn't help but wonder if Levi had even realised his act of kindness.

When Eren had asked what had gotten into her, Illyria dismissed it, stating she had just gotten caught up in the fight. A lie Eren did not believe. Eventually she had sighed, running a hand through her hair and lowering her head in shame.

"You know... the guy I've been kind of seeing?" Eren's eyes widened and he released his death grip on the bars of the cell, calming himself instantly, nodding his head, silently urging her to continue.

"Well I... I thought that he and Petra were..." she trailed off, knowing she didn't need to say anything more. Eren took a few steps back, folding his arms across his chest, eyes becoming hard in her defence.

"And?" he queried, his tone dark and intimidating. It warmed Illyria's heart to see that he was so concerned about her. She could hear it in his voice, see it in the way he held himself. She knew if it came to it, Eren would defend her, take her side and back her up. He didn't even know that she was talking about Levi, but Illyria concluded that he wouldn't care.

She shrugged, shaking her head.

"Apparently they're not." She chose her words carefully. She was still unsure about whether Levi was telling her the full story or not. His evasiveness was unsettling to her. But right now, she only had his word to go on.

Eren had sat on the other side of the cell, leaning against the wall and talked with her. She had explained the situation as best as she could without revealing Levi's identity. She had told Eren that her 'relationship' with the guy she was seeing wasn't serious. Just casual sex. Nothing more. That she had seen him and Petra together and noticed the way she acted around him, subtle hints and the way she spoke. She had told him that, according to the guy she was seeing, he and Petra had slept together only once, around two years ago in a drunken stupor. But apparently nothing was going on now.

"Do you believe him?" Eren asked, his voice softer now as he played with the fabric of his boot absentmindedly. She shook her head, avoiding his gaze.

"I don't know." Eren stretched, sighing loudly and cracking the bones in his neck as he tilted his head this way and that to relax himself. He must have been incredibly uncomfortable. The cell floor was hardly the cosiest of places to sit, but she didn't comment.

"Has he ever given you reason to doubt him before?" he continued, trying to help her get to the bottom of her turmoil.

Illyria paused and thought about it. No. Levi had never given her a reason to not trust him. He had never shied away from telling her or anyone else for that matter, exactly what he was thinking. He was brutally honest to a fault, blunt, and if you were offended by him stating his opinions or offering facts, then tough shit.