Pleuvoir | Eric Coulter

Dalawamput-apat

K a r o l i i n a

Sammy is a huge, scary man.

He's been barking orders at me every second. I barely have time to rest my feet because he shouts at my ear in his rough, deep voice and sends me running off to get another bottle of oil for the guns.

Curse Eric for landing me this job.

"If it weren't for the black clothing you're wearing, I wouldn't have known you're Dauntless," Sammy comments, chewing his toothpick.

I grimace and send him a shrug, "A lot of people say that."

He hums and then gestures to the rack of guns on the side, picking one gun up and thrusting it to me. I huff at the added weight, almost falling off my feet.

"Oil them. After that, we'll be making bullets."

"B-Bullets?"

"Get on with it, girl!"

I scramble to my feet and run away from Sammy, heading to the back to get more oil. Sighing, I slump on the rickety metal chair beside me. It's three in the afternoon and I haven't had my lunch yet.

As my stomach growls, I close my eyes. A little nap can't possibly hurt, right? Besides, Sammy is working on a new gun.

"Karoliina—"

"I'm sorry, Sammy! I wasn't slacking off, I swear!"

I sit upright immediately, abandoning my cozy spot on the chair. I shouldn't get Sammy mad, or else it'll be my arse on the line. He'll probably let me oil all the gun in the armoury. I have my eyes closed for some unknown reason—probably out of fear—but they open when I hear a low chuckle. I connect eyes with Eric, and they seem to bulge out when I see him wearing a smile on his face.

"Eric?" I say, surprised, "What are you doing here?"

He bites his lip, almost as if he's contemplating whether to answer my question or not, and then he responds to me in a voice that's almost vulnerable, "Have you eaten lunch yet?"

Before I can answer, my stomach growls in hunger. I feel my face flush hotly, and I look down so my face covers my expression. Once again, my ears capture the sound of Eric chuckling, and I would be lying if I said that my toes didn't curl whilst listening to it.

"Follow me," I look up, seeing his retreating figure.

Immediately, I open my mouth to say to him, "But Sammy might—"

"I'll take care of him."

My mouth forms in a tight line as I think about his offer. If I follow him, I may meet an enraged Sammy later on. On the other hand though, I can finally fill up my stomach with delicious food I've been craving hours ago.

With reluctant steps, I followed Eric out of the back room.

See, I think to myself, Sneaking out isn't so bad—

"Eric?" I freeze, my hands instinctively gripping my black shirt, "What are you doing here?"

Eric stops and gives Sammy a what I assumed was a nod. I can't see him clearly, since I was looking down. He pulls me closer so that I was in Sammy's view, and when the man sees me, he hums.

"Taking your girl for a quick bite?"

If I can see myself right now, I am positive that I look like a tomato or maybe even a bad sunburn. I wait patiently for Eric to disagree with Sammy, say how I'm not 'his girl'. But to my utter disbelief, he grabs my hand and laces my fingers with his.

"Yeah. You don't mind if I steal some time with her, do you?"

I can feel Sammy wave his hand around in nonchalance, "Nonsense. Take all the time you need."

Eric pulls me out of the armoury and together, we take the path towards the roof. I am still looking down, and my face is still in its clear red colour. My mind keeps repeating the events that just happened.

Did Eric just indirectly called me 'his'?

"Sit down."

It takes a few moments for me to realise and comprehend what he just said. I look at him, wide-eyed, and I watch as he points to a small table near the roof's entrance. My eyebrows raise in surprise when I see it adorning food and other essentials.

Turning to Eric, I say to him, "What is this—"

"Lunch," He grabs my arm and pushes me gently onto the awaiting chair, "Eat fast. I'll walk you back to the armoury after."

When he serves me the bread and eggs, I place my hands on my lap. I don't know what made Eric do this, but I do know that I like it.

I like it a lot.

∞

"T-Thank you for the um-lunch." I stammered nervously, my hands finding their usual way to grasp the front of my shirt.

Eric nods his head and his lips twitch upwards in a small smile, "No problem. Tell Sammy that I'm grateful for giving me time with you."

Blushing, I nod my head, "Of course. I-I'll see you later?"

This time, Eric does a full-blown smile, and I swear that my heart melted at the sight, "Yeah. I'll see you."

And he turns his back and leaves with his hand deep in his pockets.

∞

Ugh, I'm getting feels from my own story. I don't know if that's still normal (>.<)

Hope you guys liked this chapter and an advanced Merry Christmas to all! 🎄🎁🎊 🎉