A Man Trapped In A Room | ERERI

Chapter Seven

"Levi, please don't do that. I don't think they would hurt us, but if you up and quit, they'll figure out I've talked to you. I don't think they watch us all the time, but I don't know what they can find out. You know, tracking cellphones, spy satellites, whatever. I'm taking a big risk just being here, and I don't want them catching on." I took a step back from him.

"So you want to keep getting paid to trick people like me." He reached out and grabbed my right hand.

"No, I don't want to. But I wasn't expecting this. How the experiment has changes, getting to actually meet you... I can't do it long-term, but another month or two to save up money? Now that you're in on it and won't be scared or hurt by it any more?" He smiled.

"We can keep going like normal, take some more of their money, and then one of us can quit. The next month, the other one can. How does that sound?" I shrugged uncertainly. It made some sense, and once I had calmed down, it would probably make more. He gave my hand a squeeze.

"And when this is all over, I want to get to know you better. I know I've been playing a role, but for the most part, that's been me you've been watching all this time. I think it's only fair I get to see more of you too." He blushed, "Assuming you're interested in that." I felt my hand growing clammy in his as my stomach fluttered.

"Well, I mean. Yeah, I would really like that." Swallowing, I added, "How long do we have to wait to see each other again?" Eren grinned at me. "Work another month or so. Save what you can, and then quit. I'll wait another two or three weeks, and then I'll do the same. And then three months from tonight we'll meet right here. How's that sound?"

Returning his smile, I nodded. "That sounds great." When he left a couple of minutes later, part of me hated to see him go, but another part was relieved. I was so exhausted, and while I was so happy she was okay and we had finally met, I needed time alone.

I didn't really even remember falling asleep, and when I woke up, I realised my alarm had been buzzing for over thirty minutes. I jumped up and raced to get to my shift at work.

As he had been leaving, Eren had stressed again how we needed to act completely the same. If I suddenly showed no signs of being worried about her, that would tip them off too.

Still, I went into the surveillance room with a much lighter heart. I didn't have to worry or feel guilty any more about not helping him, and there was some satisfaction in finally pulling one over on the people that had tricked me for so long.

Besides, in three months I would be done with this place and get to see Eren again. In person, at least. Because I got to watch him on the video feed as soon as I came into work. He was asleep when I first got there, and I found myself wondering if he was as tired as I still felt.

When he woke up later and started reading a book, I found myself beginning to smile and had to stop myself. I should still be worried acting, not smiling like I had a crush. I had to do better so Eren didn't get in trouble.

An hour or so later he started working on another one of "his" paintings. Watching him work, I was amazed at how real it all looked. It was hard to see everything from my angle, but I would have sworn he had paint on those brushes and was really painting whatever was on the canvas.

I was almost at the end of my shift, and while I hated to leave him, I had to admit that I was ready for some more sleep. But then I realised he was done painting. He picked up the canvas at its edges and carefully walked it over to the sofa.

His body was blocking it at first, but then he stepped aside. It was a painting of a massive tree. The bark was a dark red, with a huge twisting trunk that broke off into a dozen branches. Those branches were covered in leaves that were so deep green they almost reminded me of the storm clouds more than the top of a tree.

Like all the paintings, I felt touched by it, even now that Eren had told me he didn't paint them. Just like this one, if you looked close enough, you could see that there were several small blackbirds in the branches of the tree. It was funny, but it almost looked like they were made out of words.

The worried me would want to know what the words said, so I might as well try to read them. I squinted, following the birds right to left and top to bottom.

"That." "Boy." "Isn't." "Me."

I looked away from the painting to see Eren staring up at me and he looked terrified, Oh god.

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(13/11/2022)

-E_Jaeger12