Free-Falling, a Levihan Fanfic

Chapter 4

The blonde squad is inviting him again to go skydiving with them but he says he'll pass this time, claiming he needs to stock up on supplies for his tea shop. The offer of him becoming a skydiving instructor is still on the table, says Erwin. Levi just doesn't have the time nor the motivation to take it yet. Especially not when Nanaba shared to him the photos that Petra had sent last time.

There were photos of Petra laughing and smiling as Oluo took selfies of them in different cities and countries, looking smug and proud to be able to afford such travels. If he could give himself any consolation, her husband looked like he had been gaining weight, the ticks on the sides of his mouth more evident than before. Then again, Petra chose Oluo, not him, so he's still on the losing end. The photos were all of their travels together as a married couple, and Levi had to fight the sickness bubbling in his stomach.

"They look good together, don't you think?" Nanaba asked him last time before they headed to the plane for takeoff.

"Yeah, like donkey and rabbit."

She slapped his back. "Don't say that—if anything, Oluo was trying to imitate your habits and style."

He rolled his eyes, wishing that Nanaba never reminded him of that. They turned their heads above just in time to duck down and watch a skydiver crash into a ditch.

The tea shop is currently in need of renovations, based on what the majority of his remaining customers have been telling him. Levi doesn't know how to break it to them that the bank declined his request for another business loan. Shit just happens one after another. And so his mind wanders back to Hange who's probably back in town at this point. He texted her good luck on the day of her presentation and ended up being apprehensive about it right after. ('Good luck?' Is that what he was supposed to say? What about 'Break a leg?' Was he even supposed to wish his fuck buddy good luck in the first place? It was frighteningly maddening.)

Nevertheless, Levi felt butterflies in his stomach when she replied with "Thanks!"

Moblit's words have been ringing in his ears the entire week, and he knows that the guy is partially right—he's only a distraction to Hange, just someone she goes to when she needs to cool off from work. Because of that, Levi's been trying hard to restrain himself from reaching out to her, knowing that she has a busy schedule and has a lot of things to attend to. He's still hoping that she'll hit him up one of these days, though.

There's a loud bang from the door and Levi looks up excitedly, half-expecting her to walk in, only to be disappointed when a bearded guy with glasses comes up to him.

"Hi there, I'm Zeke, owner of Marley's Coffee. We're technically neighbors!"

What is it with random people striking up a conversation while he's at work, anyway? Trying to hide his dismay, he stands up to reach for the bearded guy's hand across the counter. "Levi."

"Well, you do put the term 'small business owner' in a new light," Zeke scoffs, having put a lot of emphasis on the word 'small.'

Levi lets the comment slide. It's only been five minutes and he has already taken a disliking on this guy. He also notices the bunch of flyers in his other hand, and he already has an inkling of why Zeke would want to befriend him.

"I hope you don't mind me promoting some of my specials," the cafe owner gestures to the small corkboard in the corner of the tea shop. He's scrutinizing the tea shop in a haughty manner, judging the plain gray walls and the old furniture in the place. "We're not competing against each other, are we?"

He raises an eyebrow. "No, not at all."

The blabbering mouth of the bearded man doesn't stop. "We also have some tea. Nothing as exquisite as your tea leaves, but it's acceptable." Zeke hands him a flyer of Marley's Coffee, showcasing the variety of his menu. "You should go out, you know, take a peek at my cafe. We've got 2-for-1 specials this week—freebies and discounts abound! Just come bring a friend."