𝙿𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚕𝚎𝚜

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 5

You weren't sure if it was humanly possible to imagine a worse day. As cliché as it sounded, it really felt like you had woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. Absolutely nothing was going your way – no, it was even worse than that; if anything, it was like the universe was actively working against you.

The icing on the cake to this horrendous day was the fact that your car had just broken down, kicked the bucket, given up, and died. You were forced to pull over on the side of some middle-of-nowhere road. You slammed onto the steering wheel in frustration, chanting 'damn it' as if you were a stuttering, broken record.

You knew that this day was inevitable, the day your car finally croaked on you. You had driven the same car since high school. Even back then it was already on its last leg. It didn't take a mechanic to know that just about everything in your car was beginning to falter. You wore blinders to the situation, continuously putting off taking it to the shop to get checked out. You were aware of the impending consequences that would surely catch up with you.

What you didn't anticipate was that it would all go to shit on an already dreadful day.

The battery of your phone had just enough juice to get you through the call to request roadside assistance. You couldn't even manage the word 'goodbye' before the phone screen went dark. When that happened, you threw your phone against the ground with an exasperated grunt.

Thankfully, it bounced across the grass instead of shattering. But wouldn't it have just been your luck if it had shattered? Just as quickly as you tossed the device, you darted your hand out to pick it back up. After wiping what was left of this morning's dew on your pant leg, you shoved the phone back into your pocket.

All that was left at that point was to wait for roadside assistance to tow your car. Not to mention, the dude whose job it was to literally help you definitely wasn't much of a help. You asked if you could borrow his phone to ring your friends, but he merely replied with a grumble before taking your car away.

You continued to wallow in self-pity, trudging along the side of the road. It was a muggy day. You could feel your baby hairs begin to collect and stick against the back of your neck and forehead. You would swipe the strands away, only for them to feel wet against your fingers, clinging to whatever exposed skin they could.

You had not a single clue how long you had been walking. It wasn't until you met an oddly familiar intersection that you felt a glimmer of relief for the first time that day. When you looked up from the crosswalk light, you recognized the very gas station that you and Sasha often plundered when you had late-night cravings. You exhaled deeply, all of the bitter air in your chest finally set free. You could guess that you were now within a ten-minute walk of Sasha's house.

She had to be at home. Where else would she be on a mid-week evening? You mustered up your last bit of strength to pick up your pace. Your once-slouched saunter grew into a brisk walk as you imagined tossing yourself into Sasha's well-loved couch.

You saw her street name displayed proudly on the corner sign and you veered down the road. You could make out the welcoming sight of her house just down the way. You also noted a figure jogging down the steps of her porch. The sunset ahead of you cast a warm glow that made it difficult to decipher any details. You could only see a vague silhouette.

Nearing her house, you narrowed your eyes, bringing your hand to your forehead to block out the sun. The shadow of a person quickly morphed into Eren. Tilting your head in thought, you wondered what he could be doing alone at Sasha's house.

Your and Eren's paths crossed as he continued toward the street. He looked up to unlock his car and your eyes instantly connected. He brought his hand up to wave but stopped once he looked you up and down.