BEFORE US

9

"7:00pm, and I'll text you the details." Connie said as tapped on your phone, Before you could even reply, Connie sprung up from his seat and sprinted out of the cafe without looking back or caring about your response. Armin twisted his head to the side as he felt a strong gust of wind pass him. "Jeez, maybe his last name should be Connie Sprinter.." He mumbled as he handed Eren a few dollars to pay up for his order.

You watched through the cafe's window as Connie was still running around campus like an idiot. A hint of annoyance mixed with curiosity crossed your face as you muttered. "Who does he think he is, just running off like that?"

Armin observed your expression, recognizing the annoyance you were feeling. He tried to offer a light perspective with a light-hearted comment. "I mean, you are going, right?"

You took a moment to think, weighing the decision in your mind. To be fair, it had been quite a while since you attended a party or any kind of college function. Maybe it was time to live the college life that everyone fantasizes over. But, there was something that always held you back from going. You never knew what that bittersweet feeling was, or how to overcome it. The endless advices that you've received to battle that feeling, never struck out to you. Ever since you were in high-school, your academics was everything to you. Without seeking knowledge, you always came to the conclusion that there was no life without it. Finally, you decided to speak up onto that matter.

"I'm not to sure, yet." You said as you scratched the back of your head, concealing your awkwardness that lingered onto your body.

"Whatever you choose, it's for the best." Armin said with a smile as he took hold of his coffee cup, and turning towards the door. "See you later, Y/N." He nodded as he exited the cafe with a smile jolted across his face.

You smiled warmly at Armin's comment. There was just something about him that stood out to you. You weren't sure if it was his wisdom, or if it was simply his personality, but he always had a way of speaking to others that always made them feel more positive about themselves. In your book, he was the sweetest boy a person could think of.

You focused on your revision for a while longer, making sure you covered as much ground as possible before heading back to your dorm a few hours before curfew struck. Eren on the other hand, continued to hand out drinks, cleaning up his space, and counting the register, all while paying little to no mind to your presence as he usually did. But, you saw nothing unusual in his behavior either. Maybe he was just avoidant, or had nothing else to say to you.

You opened countless amounts of encyclopedias on different tabs to keep yourself busy, and sipped onto your matcha as you went along with the articles that were on your screen, taking notes as you went through them and making important annotations about the subject. You made your occasional glances over to Eren, which bothered you. Why did you always have to look at him? It wasn't like he had a effect on you or anything, your eyes always made their way onto him without your consent, which always made you fume in anger just by acknowledging his presence more than once.

You decided it was time to call it a day and head back to the dorms. You packed away your belongings, taking one final glance at Eren, whom was writing something on a notepad, to you were not sure what was the topic, you had no other choice but to proceed to head out of the cafe.

The walk back was a chilly one, as the climate had taken a frosty route. You cheeks felt numb from the gushing cold, your blood seemingly turned to ice shards with each step you took into the freezing air that lingered in the atmosphere. You shoved your hands into your bag, searching for your scarf that you always held onto, and flicked it around your neck, covering your mouth as you walked faster to your dorms, in need of warmth.