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MAMMA MIA

The next week flew by. It was already Thursday night, and you were in the car on your way to a restaurant that Historia had booked for her birthday.

"See you there!" Sasha finally said, with whom you had been talking on a call. After ending it, silence bored you, so you turned on the radio, curious about what they would play. It had been a long time since you last tuned in, maybe since you rode in your dad's car as a kid. "Mamma mia (He's Italiano)" had just started, and you couldn't help but smile at hearing a song from almost 10 years ago.

Once you parked, you headed to the restaurant and entered with Eren and Mikasa, who had just arrived as well. The couple approached Historia first, so while they were talking, you took a look around the place. It was decorated in a cozy and elegant way, which made you understand why the birthday girl had requested a dress code. Several waiters were going back and forth from the kitchen to a large table at the back where people were sitting, laughing, and chatting. Champagne glasses, small appetizers... Historia's smile snapped you out of your thorough analysis of her party.

"Hey! So glad to see you!" she said, grabbing your hands excitedly. She radiated euphoria. Also, you couldn't help but notice her dress; that red colour of it highlighted the gold in her hair. "Happy birthday, His," you smiled warmly. "By the way, that dress looks amazing on you."

She thanked you for the compliment while guiding you to the table. The seats were already assigned, so there was a small sign with your name in a specific place. Your friend had suddenly disappeared, so as you looked for her, you saw that she was back at the entrance welcoming more people. A staff member approached and told you that you could leave your gift on a corner table. After doing as instructed, you returned to your seat and sat down, curious. There was still no one in front of you or next to you. However, a couple of seats to the left were Eren and Mikasa, and Sasha, who shouldn't be far from arriving, had a seat almost right in front of you.

A few minutes later, almost everyone was there. There must have been around 35 people, which was a bit overwhelming with everyone squeezed around this super long table. Sasha had chatted with you for a bit, but the moment you let your guard down, she was up snapping pictures of everything. On the left, some girl you'd never seen before couldn't take her eyes off her phone screen, and on the right, no more seats were left since it was the corner of the table. So, while waiting for everyone to gather, you decided to check your phone too.

You felt someone's presence in front of you, so you looked up in reflex. The guy who had just sat in front of you was none other than Jean, your next date. He looked even better in person, but you decided not to stare too much to avoid seeming like a stalker. Still, when you glanced back for a quick look, his eyes were fixed on you, and a smile spread across his face when your eyes met.

"Y/n, right?" he asked, curious, and you quickly replied. Luckily, social nerves didn't play a nasty trick on you. "Yeah, Jean, isn't it?" The guy nodded, and you shook hands across the table.

Everyone had arrived by now, and Historia let you all know by drawing attention to herself, standing at the other end of the long table.

"Thanks a bunch, everyone, for showing up. It means a lot to me that you're all here today, and I'm really glad to spend this day with people I care about. They'll be handing out..."

A waitress handed you a note detailing dinner and post-dinner activities. You could choose to stick around or bail depending on whether you had to wake up early morning tomorrow. Sasha had just sat back down, bringing a bottle of wine with her. Jean, who had a basket with utensils nearby, rummaged for a corkscrew and offered to open it. They started chatting right away, and you could sense the good vibe between them, as if they'd been childhood friends.

"Want some?" Jean asked, tilting the bottle toward your glass, but you quickly moved it away.

"I don't drink," you laughed. The truth was, you were still disgusted by last week's experience and had no desire to repeat anything like that ever again.

After dinner, the lights went out, and colored ones took over. Music started playing, and Ymir, not exactly the life of the party, energetically pulled Historia onto the dance floor. Some people said their goodbyes and left the restaurant, and though you were about to do the same, a song started playing that made you look at Sasha. It was one of your favorites. Excited, she grabbed your arm and led you over to Eren and the others.

Maybe you stayed there for another hour and a half, because as soon as someone mentioned it was midnight, you said goodbye to everyone and headed straight to find your car. You had an 8 a.m. class the next day, and missing a single session was not an option if you wanted to at least understand something. The streets were empty, so you noticed even more that someone was following you. The car was close, so you didn't have much to worry about. Even less so when you looked back upon arriving, it was Jean who was opening his own car parked behind yours. A sigh of relief escaped your lips.

"See you on Saturday," he said before getting into his vehicle.

The fact that you felt so attracted to him didn't seem normal, maybe it was because he was really good at playing it cool, or you just couldn't explain it. You drove back to the residence with a silly grin, the same one you went to sleep with despite trying to shake it off because you felt stupid.

***

However, before your date on Saturday there was an even more important event... which was Connie's meeting with Hange, your math professor.

Connie was waiting for her at a café nearby the university. They were supposed to meet there to grab a drink and maybe go for a walk after.

Hange walked in, and as she entered, she seductively took off her glasses, stashed them in her pocket, and approached the guy. "Wow, you're... blurry," she said, squinting. Connie couldn't help but laugh at the situation, earning a smile from Hange.

"I've been told many things, but being blurry is new," he chuckled again. Hange gave in and put her glasses back on. "I better keep these on," she finally said. They both walked up to the counter and ordered a hot coffee to go.

They strolled down a busy city avenue; the weather was chilly, and the sun was already setting, even though it was only six in the evening. The coffee kept their hands warm, and their conversation seemed to keep them both distracted. Hange and Connie shared a similar sense of humor and a limited understanding of situational context, as if they lived in their own worlds, which made them click. Nevertheless, the age difference between them was quite noticeable, turning the meetup from a date into a friend hangout that was going really well.

They were now sharing stories about her experiences with students, and Connie came up with a witty response to make her laugh. "There's nothing worse than people using big words they don't understand," she said before taking a sip of her drink. "I photosynthesize with this."

Hange practically spat out her drink upon hearing the bald guy's response. After that, the fact that she was going to be your math teacher came up. " I'm quick at math," Connie said, proud of his supposed abilities. "Ok, what's 38 times 76?" "24."

She raised her eyebrows "That wasn't even close." "But it was quick."

Both exploded into a burst of laughter.

The 'date' ended a couple of hours later, after a long walk through the largest avenue of the city, usually where all the tourists were on every season of the year.

"What's up?" Eren answered the call of his friend. "Don't you wanna know how my date with your mum went?" Connie answered with an ironic and teasy tone in his voice.