The Intern

Chapter 55

Levi

"You're back early."

I rolled my eyes at the chipper greeting and shut the door behind me, twisting the lock back in place. There were a solid twelve hours sitting between now and our opening for the night, and at the moment I couldn't have been happier for it. As it was, I had yet to decide whether I would show up tonight at all. Although I was willing to bet that Hanji wouldn't give me a choice in the matter. She'd barely given me a day to recoup before she dragged me back out again, and now that she had me here I knew she wouldn't let go.

And normally that might have been touching.

But right now it just pissed me off.

"I'm gonna to go ahead and guess that you coming back here is a bad thing." Hanji dropped her rag onto the bar and leaned against the wood with her arms folded. The quirky grin was gone from her face as if she knew I didn't need it there. But I needed the worried look in her eyes even less. "Am I right?"

"You already know you are," I muttered, dropping down onto the barstool and pushing a hand through my hair. "And I'm not leaving again. That was a fucking mistake."

"Why?" Petra leaned her broom against the wall and walked over, mirroring Hanji's concern with an accuracy that made my stomach turn. Sympathy wasn't something I needed right now. And I wasn't even sure I would get it over this. "What happened?"

"What always happens, Petra? What happens with every fucking relationship I've ever had?" I shook my head and let a sigh rush out of my lungs. "And to think I actually thought this couldn't to get any worse."

"It got worse?" Hanji frowned, resting her chin on her palm. "How did you manage that one?"

I shot her a warning glare and then looked away, fixing my eyes on the door. The one he would never walk through again. Not once Armin got a hold of him.

And I was willing to bet he already had.

"I kissed him."

"You what?" The surprise in Petra's voice told me she had absolutely no idea who I was talking about. And to be honest, I wanted to keep it that way. But I knew that wouldn't be possible. Not with them. Not with her. "Why would kissing Eren make things worse?"

"Yea, I'd have to say that's pretty low on your list of offenses. I mean, after you fucked him and..." Hanji trailed off as she met my eyes, and when she did I knew exactly what she saw there. The truth. "You didn't see Eren at all, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

"But then how would you... who did you..." Petra stumbled twice over the words before realization dawned on her face. And a mixture of horror and disgust followed on it soon after. "Oh no, Levi. Why would you do that?"

"Because I have this incredible talent for ruining everything that matters to me." I waved my hand dismissively, as if it didn't matter at all. Even though we both knew it meant the world. And yet I couldn't bring myself to admit that out loud. Because if I did, then it was real. And that would mean that I'd truly lost him this time. "I fucked up again."

"You really did." Hanji's voice was just as sharp as I expected it to be, and yet I didn't hesitate to meet her eyes the second I heard it. Because I knew it was coming. I knew I was getting a lecture from her. And at the moment it was exactly what I needed. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking at all." I shrugged, holding her stare. "I really wasn't. He was just so close, and..."

"And is that all it takes?" She cut me off, raising one eyebrow high over the rim of her glasses. "Levi, we've been close and we have yet to exchange bodily fluids. Should I be worried right now?"