Meeting the Higher-ups

Chapter 22 ~ A walk along the shore

It was currently Thursday night and tomorrow morning we were heading back home. So far we've had a blast. We swam, did some activities along the board walk, and got to introduce the cast to a whole new side of things. We even got to collect some clams and search for pearls.

While we were walking, we passed by a surfing-themed store that was currently holding sessions were you could hold a baby alligator. Needless to say, Hanji was ecstatic. It was almost as bad as the incident in the pet store when they first arrived.

As far as food, we, obviously, ate a lot of seafood but also some things that we bought when we first got here. But currently, we were at the fancy place that Jake and I promised to take the cast.

"Oh my goodness! It all looks so good!" Hanji said excitingly, looking at the menu.

"Hehe, well get whatever you want. It's our treat." I told her.

Time skip

Everybody seemed to enjoy the dinner. Jake and I enjoyed getting to treat them to something that they never get the chance to have, as far as eating. After we ate, we took a short walk along the boardwalk.

"So," I started. "Have you guys had fun?"

"Totally!" Hanji exclaimed.

"Yes, it's been a great experience. Thank you, Emma, Jake." Erwin said.

"Yes, thank you." Mike said.

"You're welcome." I smiled at them.

Time skip

We were now back at the condo and had all changed out of our fancy attire. I was just relaxing in my room when I heard a knock on the door. I went to open it and it revealed Levi.

"Oh, hey, Levi. What's up?" I said.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a walk along the shore with me." He said kind of sheepishly.

"Sure thing, just give me a second." I told him. I went back into my room and put on my shoes.

"Okay, let's go." I told him with a smile on my face.

"I already told Jake, so they wouldn't think that we went missing or something." Levi informed me.

"Okay, great." I smiled at him.

We walked along the edge of the shore, hand in hand, while the sun was just starting to set. It was just like a scene from a movie.

"It sure is beautiful here." Levi said.

"Yeah, it sure is." I agreed.

"I wish we could stay here."

"Me too. But we know you can't." I looked down at the sand, a sad expression now forming onto my face.

"Hey." Levi said and brought my face up to look at him. "It'll be okay."

"No it won't. I dont want you guys to go." My voice cracked as I started to feel the tears slide down my face.

"Hey, shh, it's okay." Levi pulled me in for a hug and held me close. He rubbed my back until I calmed down. He sat me down on the sand with him and we stared out towards the sunset, me leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you." He suddenly said. It surprised me.

"For what?" I asked.

"For everything. For taking care of us... taking us on this trip... and most importantly, for being you." He said. "You just suddenly came into my life one day and somehow made things more colorful, brighter. It was like all the problems of our worlds just went away. You gave me something to live for, to fight for. And for that, I could never thank you enough."

"Levi..." I said. He looked over to me and cupped my cheek. We slowly leaned in towards each other and shared a long, warm kiss under the sunset.

"You know I love you right? And even if we do get separated, my heart will always belong to you." I told him, looking deep into his eyes.

"Yeah, I feel the same way." He said and we shared another kiss. And I meant what I said. I love him, and nothing in this world or in his world could ever stop that.

I melted into the kiss being assured that he felt the same exact way.