Chasing Dandelions //Ereri// *ON HOLD*

Chapter Nineteen - Present

Chapter Nineteen - Present

"You know, you're a really great artist, Eren."

I wiped away beads of sweat forming on my forehead with my arm and sighed. I took a look at the painting in progress and smiled slightly, trying not to think about how awful and generic it really looked.

"Thanks. You're a really great writer, Armin."

I looked back at the blonde haired boy who was sitting at my desk and reading his poems and short stories out loud to me. He got a smile at my compliment and thanked me back.

Over the past month, Armin and I have been talking occasionally and we were building a slight friendship, which was pretty nice. It was easy talking to him, it felt natural. It was like I've been his friend in another life. I wasn't sure if I believed in past lives, but if they are a real thing, I firmly believe Armin would have been in one with me.

This was the first time I invited him in my house, and honestly, it was nice to have some company other than Levi for once. It was also nice just to have a conversation with someone and get to know them more, something I didn't completely have with Levi.

I found out that he used to go to college and wanted a major in English, but after some sort of family crisis, he had to drop out and provide support. Now he works as a waiter at some Mexican restaurant every day and gives the majority of the money he earns to his family. He also is attempting to write a novel, but it was a major work in progress.

I also found out about a lot of small things about him, like how he wants to visit the ocean with his best friends one day. He also talked about how he would get bullied when he was younger, and that girl Mikasa would always scare them away. The thought of that made me laugh.

Needless to say, he was a pretty cool dude.

"Hey, Armin?"

He looked up at me with a slightly confused face.

"Do you want to take a break?" I asked, setting down my paintbrush.

    He flashed me a small smile and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm getting a bit tired of reading my stories out loud. A bit redundant."

    I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank sweet Mother Theresa!" I exclaimed. "Even with the window open these fumes were starting to get to my head."

    Armin gave me a weird look at first, but it quickly went away and was replaced with a small chuckle. He stood up and stretched as I started to make my way towards the door. While I made my way down the stairs, I heard his footsteps from behind.

"I'm glad you suggested a break actually, I need to leave soon for work," he spoke.

I let out a small sigh. "Well dang, who else am I going to talk to?" I asked, somewhat rhetorically, while sitting down on the couch.

The blonde boy sat down with me and shrugged. "There's always Levi isn't there?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. For some reason, he seemed a bit hesitant to mention Levi. I let out another sigh, but this one was much more dramatic.

"Well you see, Levi isn't the best at conversations, and him and I aren't even that good of friends," I explained. Under my breath I added, "Although, I don't really have any good friends to begin with..."

Armin rolled his eyes. "Right, I guess that's why you're painting him a picture of himself."

I glared every so slightly at him and he just gave me a smile. I ran my hand through my hair and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know. Either way, I was just joking. I'll probably stay home and paint some more to get back in the groove of art."