Lucky | Reader x Armin

Chapter 6.

The next morning you woke up to an empty house. You tried not to let it get to you but you were starting to feel quite lonely, even with Armin. The fact was, that he was the only person you'd seen in over a month, and he wasn't always around anymore, usually away for work and exhausted when he got home. You were lucky he let you take over the garden or you'd probably go insane.

Just as he promised there were oats in the fridge ready for you to eat, right next to it was a bowl of mixed berries you knew was for you as well. You beamed as you reached into the fridge and took them out. Even though he had to be away for work, you guessed that it wasn't far. He usually made it home for mealtimes and on the days he didn't, he always made sure to meal prep for you. You made yourself some tea and then took your usual seat at the table.

As you went to set your bowl down you almost sat it down directly on a note. You stopped and moved to set it next to the note instead. It was just a note, but it made your heart skip a beat. Even when he wasn't here he was taking care of you.

Y/N,

Sorry I wasn't there to make you breakfast this morning. I'll take you out to lunch when I get home. I can't wait to show you my favorite bookshop.

Armin

You bit your lip happily as you read it. You also laughed at the fact that he felt the need to apologize for not making you good enough breakfast.

Wait. You suddenly had a thought. Did this count as a date? You sank into the chair and sipped your tea thoughtfully. What was with last night though? He had seemed really into you only to jump away at the last second.

The way he treated you, the way he took care of you, the times you felt his eyes on you when you were curled up in one of his armchairs. It gave you hope that he returned your feelings. On the other hand, maybe he was this nice to everyone. You had never seen him with anyone other than you. You still didn't actually know if he was single. You suddenly found yourself feeling jealous of a possibly non-existent girlfriend. Not just her though, everyone in Armin's life. He had talked about some of his friends with you, two of which he had known since childhood. You had only known him for a little over a month. You had no claim on him. Far from it.

You looked down at the note again and some of the tension dissolved. You thought of the way he touched your face last night. You decided to hold onto that one. No reason to think of anyone else. The way he looked at you filled you with warmth and you weren't going to let your paranoid brain ruin that.

You decided to forego research today. There was no way you'd be able to focus and you doubted Armin would be angry if you took one morning off. Instead, you spent most of the morning in the garden, tending to the rows of flowers and vegetables that Armin had planted earlier in the season.

The sun was warm on your skin, and the breeze carried the scent of autumn. As you worked, your thoughts kept drifting back to him. You couldn't help but wonder what he was doing, and if he was thinking of you as much as you were thinking of him.

You pushed those thoughts aside, focusing instead on the task at hand. The garden was something like a sanctuary, a place where you could lose yourself in the beauty of nature and forget about whatever troubled you.

And as the morning turned into afternoon, you felt a sense of accomplishment. The garden was looking better than ever, a testament to your hard work and dedication. And as you sat down to rest, you couldn't help but smile.

You knew with fall coming most of the plants wouldn't last much longer but you were trying to make them last as long as you could. You weren't sure how you'd entertain yourself in the winter.

Just before lunch, you went inside to clean up. You stepped into the restroom and got a look at yourself in the mirror. You almost laughed. You were a mess. Your hair was tangled, your forehead was glistening with sweat, and you had dirt on your knees, hands, and face in some places. Your cheeks and nose had become a bit sunburned too. Maybe you'd ask Armin to buy you a hat today. Speaking of, just then you heard the front door open. You happily went back out into the hall and greeted him at the front door.

Armin was standing there, toeing off his boots and looking just as handsome as ever. You felt your heart skip a beat as he smiled at you.

"Hi!" you said, not bothering to hide your excitement, "Welcome home, Armin."

"Hey," he said, his voice warm and inviting.  He chuckled at your excitement. He shrugged off his bag and left it by the front door as he approached you. "Been in the garden?" He asked, grinning, as he tugged on a lock of your tangled hair.

You nodded blushing, "Yeah, I was just about to go clean up. You were home earlier than I expected."

"Lucky for us, one of my meetings got canceled at the last minute. Go ahead and get cleaned up. I'll be ready when you are."

You nodded again and turned on your heel.