Metamorphosis

Chapter 8

I sat cross-legged in the middle of Mikasa's office, going through an abundance of paperwork that she wanted me to sort out before filing it away in the monster of a filing cabinet that took up residence beside her desk. For the past week, I'd been working at Club Rose as her personal assistant. Everything was changing now, my life shifting until things started to click into place as they became familiar. Eren and I were dating exclusively, meeting up with each other on a near constant basis, even at work, when we weren't supposed to. Things between us were unfolding, bit-by-bit, and it was better than I ever could've imagined it. Except, amidst the newfound happiness, there was Isabel. I didn't keep anything from her. I told her everything there was to tell, but she feigned indifference, and at this point, I didn't know what to do. The ball was in her court. She had to decide where to go from here.

Leafing through a stack of papers, the door to Mikasa's office opened. Assuming it was her who entered the room, I said, "I'll be done by the time you need to close up."

"Don't push yourself too much, Mr. Ackerman." That voice didn't belong to Mikasa.

I looked up into Eren's different colored eyes. He smiled and held up a brown paper bag. "For me?" I asked.

"For us. I bought food, because you have worked straight through your break."

"I have?" I considered the clock hanging above Mikasa's desk and saw that he was right. "I guess I have, but you didn't have to get me anything."

He set down two plastic cups on the desk before he took a seat in front of me, stretching his legs out until they were nearly in my lap. "I know I didn't have to. I wanted to. Here." He handed me something wrapped in white tissue paper. I took it from him and placed it on his shins. It was a grilled Panini, bursting with zucchini, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted tomatoes, and fresh spinach. It smelled heavenly, reminding me just how hungry I was.

"You remembered," I said with a moronic grin plastered on my face. It was the little things like this that made me insanely happy. Most people didn't bother to remember that I didn't eat meat, even when it was kind of important.

"That you're a vegetarian?" he questioned. I nodded. "I remember just about everything you tell me about yourself."

I didn't know how to respond to that without making a complete fool out of myself, so instead I thanked him for the food and took a bite of the Panini. We ate in comfortable silence, surrounded by loose papers that I'd stared at for the better part of the night, and I realized—as Eren leaned to the side to pick up his drink from on top of the desk—how content I was sitting here with him. There was no need to interrupt the quiet by speaking of trivial things that didn't matter. We were satisfied just being in each other's company.

When we were through eating, Eren said, "There's a fight planned for tonight," as he gathered up our wrappers and used napkins. He tossed them into the wastebasket. "Want to come with me?"

I lifted my arms above my head in a lazy stretch, my back popping in response. I still had a lot of work to do before I could leave for the night. "Are you fighting?"

"Yep."

"Then count me in." I would never pass up the chance to watch him fight, although now I was a little too concerned for his well being. "Do you know who you're going up against?"

"Never do," he said. I must've made a face, because he added, "Worried about me?"

Truth be told, I was worried, but I wasn't about to admit it. I knew that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. He'd taken down Reiner without a fuss, even when that ape was twice his size. So I had no reason to believe that he wouldn't do the same thing with tonight's opponent. Yet, despite knowing that his fighting skills were almost unmatchable, I worried. I bit at my bottom lip and finally brought my eyes up to his. He was staring at me with an unreadable expression, a crease marring the skin between his eyebrows.