Young Adults

CHAPTER 23

After school, (Y/n) made sure to speak up before heading on the bus with Ymir.

"I might be a little late joining the call tonight," she said, adjusting the strap of her bag. "Levi and I were supposed to go over the project together. On the phone."

Cue the smirks.

"Ohhh, a sexy phone call?" Ymir teased, elbowing her gently.

"Just the project," (Y/n) emphasized, cheeks already heating. "Just writing."

Mikasa offered a soft smile. "We'll wait for you before we start the movie."

And they meant it. That was the thing about them—they never left her out. (Y/n) boarded her bus with that quiet warmth humming in her chest. She hadn't always had this kind of group, people who teased and checked in and saved her a spot. It meant more than she could ever really explain.

By the time she got home, showered, and ate dinner with her little sister talking her ear off about a classmate's magic trick, the clock was approaching 8:00pm.

She dried her hands, padded to her room, and flopped onto her bed. Texting Levi felt weirdly... charged, even though it shouldn't have been.

[Y/n]:
Hey! I'm ready whenever you are :)

The smiley face was maybe too much. She deleted it. Rewrote it. Sent it with just a period instead. Too cold? No. Neutral. Professional.

Then she waited.

And waited.

Five minutes.

Ten.

Twenty.

She sat up, grabbing her sketchpad, doodling without thinking. At the 45-minute mark, her stomach twisted. By 9:30pm, she had stared at the message thread so long, she half expected it to respond by itself.

[Y/n]:
Hey, are we still good to go? Just checking in—are you okay?

After pressing send, she chewed the inside of her cheek. A small part of her—okay, a not-so-small part—felt stupid. Like she'd gotten her hopes up for something she'd imagined was more meaningful than it actually was.

Not wanting to keep her friends waiting anymore, she opened her laptop and joined the group call.

The moment her camera turned on, the group lit up.

"There she is!" Armin grinned.

"Took you long enough," Ymir added, though her tone was light.

(Y/n) smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey, guys."

"How'd it go?" Eren asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

But Mikasa was the one who paused, narrowing her eyes. "Did... it go well?"

(Y/n)'s gaze fell to her lap for a beat too long. "Uh... well, it would have. If he called me."

The energy deflated all at once.

"Oh no..." Armin murmured, sympathetic.

(Y/n) shook her head, holding up a hand. "It's okay. He said earlier he had something to do tonight. Maybe it ran longer than he thought."

"That sounds about right," Ymir piped up. "All men have terrible time management."

Eren made an indignant noise. "Hey!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Armin frowned.

"It means you two still forget what day it is half the time," Ymir countered smugly, arms crossed.