𝙿𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚕𝚎𝚜

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟿

"I'm really stressing about this trip, Sasha."

Your words fell on deaf ears. You craned your neck to see what Sasha could possibly be doing. With her head buried in her closet, you watched her ponytail swing wildly. She tossed clothes every which way, continuing her search for whatever it was that she needed.

You let another moment pass. She still didn't say anything. When she finally turned around there was a proud smile on her face. She outstretched arms over her head and she held a skimpy, plum dress in her hands.

"Found ya," she said. She held the dress up to her body, posing for you in a variety of ways. "Do you think this will be cute for tonight?"

"Super," you said flatly.

She pouted when she saw your dulled expression. She looked like she was trying to remember what you were talking about, her eyes skirting around the ceiling. "What did you say again?"

You sighed, reluctant to speak if she was only going to half-listen. She set the dress down and sat on her bed beside you.

"I just don't think it's the best idea that I go on this trip." Your voice tapered off at the end of your sentence. You continued to dwell.

Mikasa had invited you to Eren's 'surprise' birthday excursion just the day before. She and Armin told you that they rented a cabin just a few hours north of here. They planned to spend a long weekend there, filled with all sorts of snowy activities and drinking – that you were sure of.

When she first told you about the event, you asked Mikasa, "Why did you say 'surprise' with air quotes?"

Her lips quirked into a smirk. "Because Eren sent us the information about the cabin and the exact days that worked for him."

"That sounds like him."

She laughed. "Anyway, there will at least be a hot tub."

Sasha interrupted your memory. "What do you mean? Of course you should come. You need to come. You and Eren are practically dating."

"We aren't dating!" The once-sheepish tone of your voice morphed into a near growl. It even surprised you. You shrunk. You were more sensitive on the subject than you wanted to be.

You didn't want to talk about Eren with anyone, not even Sasha. Something about telling her about your thing with Eren didn't feel right.

Perhaps it was the fact that she had known him for so long. She was familiar with all of the different parts of Eren, pieces that you were still trying to know. It would be like explaining the plot of a movie to someone who had already seen it. Really, it was just uncomfortable to think that she was watching you develop feelings for one of her best friends.

Truth be told, you found the whole experience mind-numbingly overwhelming. So rather than try to sort things out, you decided that it was easier to just label the time you shared with Eren as friendship. But that was becoming harder to do. Romantic feelings always seemed to sneak in, didn't they?

The way the two of you tip-toed around your feelings was a delicate dance. It only allowed for passing glimmers in which said feelings were acted upon. It was always Eren that tested the waters. That teasing way about him made it easy for him to do so. It was like he lived for those moments where you faltered over your words and became a flustered mess of a person.

You hated that he could do that to you. More than that, you hated the way it always just felt so right. All of those thoughtless moments made your heart flutter. It was those times that you could quite literally witness a change in Eren right before your eyes. Like the cooing way that he spoke to you in his bed, placing soft kisses down the length of your neck. In just a blink, you would see the intensity in his eyes switch to something different – something more gentle and indulgent. It made all of those interactions that you once deemed as friendly feel far more intimate than you previously believed.