Turning Page || Levi Ackerman

17: The Ocean in between

Author's Note

Heyyyy guys, it's been so long!😟I'm getting a little emotional as I type this... uploading a new chapter again, feels so nostalgic. And I'm really really sorry for keeping you hanging for tooo long.

I don't know how many of you are still here, but I did manage to re-write chapters 17 to 20 (with a better plot in my opinion.) And a well deserved book and life update awaits at the end of the chapter!

Some of the scenes remain quite the same, in the new chapters as well. If you've read them before then I recommend you just skim past them (they only have minute dialogue changes). For this chapter the first scene remains the same, but the 2nd and 3rd scene are quite different.

I hope you like it. (And please do let me know about any grammatical errors you've found. I'm really sleep deprived🤡🤌)

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NOV 846

"Humanity's Strongest, huh?" Raz says as she looks down at her strawberry milkshake. Fiddling with her straw and stirring the drink again. Then she pops the straw into her mouth, and slurps loudly. "So do his muscles flex with his every movement?"

"RAZ!" Mae exclaims as an embarrassing red starts to fill up her cheeks, "he doesn't walk around the house naked!"

"Oh...that's boring," she drones out in a bored tone. And she remembers seeing that short man, dressed in a cloak, always sitting at the corner in the tavern. She remembers how his gaze would be stuck on Mae, and how he would show up everyday.

And he still shows up to this day. It feels like nothing has changed, except the now cordial behavior of both parties towards each other. "So when did this happen... between you guys?"

"2 weeks back," Mae mutters as she looks down at her drink to hide the smile that forms on her face, as she remembers how this past month has passed by.

With Levi getting pastries for her every alternate day, and having tea with her in her room, after her shifts at the tavern.

Something in him changed when she spoke to him the other day, something in him made him take the initiative. And no longer was he the awkward, inexpressive man who would follow her back to her room everyday.

Instead, he started walking with her and asked her about her day.

And then one day, in the daunting sunlight he came to her doorsteps. "I want to live without any regrets as well," he said, with his cheeks beet red. And Mae was sure it was because of the feelings that he was trying to express, rather than the scorching afternoon heat.

He fiddled with the hem of his shirt, and shied away from meeting her gaze. Then his stomach grumbled, and she looked away, a little embarrassed of the measly cup of plain rice she was planning to have today.

She still offered him to have lunch with her though. With hesitance in her tone. But he just simply nodded his head left and right, as he said, " I'm not the one struggling with money here."

And how could she say no to the thoughtful man in front of her, who was trying to keep her needs in front of his. How could she not discard the few doubts in her head, when she had been a witness to how caring he had been to her the past few days.

She had to give him a shot, she had to give this relationship a chance to spring. She knew it.

"2 WEEKS BACK! And you're telling this to me now?" Raz's squeals, breaking Mae's trail of thought.

"Y- yeah... "Mae stutters, "I was still accepting the fact that w-we... we are lovers now... It's quite hard to believe, you know?" Deep red settles on her cheeks, and Raz lets out a hearty chuckle, as she sees the lovesick condition of her friend.