She Who Seemed Heartless

Chapter 21

Ever since he witnessed his best friend and Annie together engaging in physical intimacy, Eren couldn't bring himself to look at any of them (especially Armin) straight in the eyes any longer. He tried his best not to appear obvious to his constant uneasiness towards the two and still hangs out with them, but the image of what he saw that night never left his mind. Eren didn't how or what to think about the situation, and how long he would keep it a secret to anyone.

"Come on, I'll lead the way. I really want to taste the coffee there. Eren, are you coming with us?", inquired Armin.

"Huh? Oh, sure. I don't mind."

"You don't look well the past few days. Are you all right?" He leaned over to Eren as they both walked behind the rest of their friends.

"I'm fine, Armin", Eren replied, annoyance slightly evident in his voice. "Why don't you walk together with Annie, like what you always do?", he grunted under his breath but enough for Armin to hear. This caused the blond to stop in his tracks and watch him from behind as he walked faster, traipsing to their group of friends.

Not long after, the group entered a coffee shop that wasn't very big but enough to accommodate a cluster of people. The ambiance and cleanliness of the place made up for its rather small size compared to the other cafes. Plus, it had books that customers can read for free as long as they order anything from the menu, much to the delight of Armin.

A familiar face welcomed and ushered the teens to their reserved seats. "It's nice seeing your friends here, Armin!", Petra gleefully greeted them. Armin managed to get a scoop of information from Petra about the cafe owned by Levi that she mentioned, so he decided to bring his friends along with him. None of them looked disappointed and Petra left a good impression on them. However, one thing made Armin curious. "You work here as well, Ms. Ral?"

"Oh, why yes. For the time being. I don't work full time, I just do whenever I have time or when Levi asks me to", she explained. "As you can see, we don't have a lot of people working here so he needs an extra helping hand. Oh! Wait, now that you're here, I'll call him here."

"W-Wait!", Armin raised his hands in defense. "He didn't know I asked you!" Petra chuckled at this and dismissed his anxiousness with reassurance. "It'll be fine. Just don't make a lot of mess." She left the menu to the group and asked one of the waiters to take their orders as she made her way to Levi's office.

When they finished ordering, Eren handed the menu back to the waiter and asked Armin. "Hey, who was that? You seem pretty close." Armin scratched his cheek. "That's Ms. Petra Ral, you know, the one I told you some time ago. She has a degree in psychology but since she doesn't have enough funds to start her own office, she works on call." Eren only made a low sound to show Armin that he understood.

Not long after, Levi approached the teens with Petra, arms crossed on his chest. His intimidating gaze made them feel uncomfortable in their positions. Mina whispered to Annie. "I-Is he angry at us or..." She simply shook her head and was about to respond back but Levi beat her to it. "I was not expecting a bunch of brats clustered together. But whatever, feel free to order whatever you want. And don't make a lot of mess."

"Nice to see you again, too, Mr. Ackerman", Armin said sarcastically. Mikasa nearly stood from her seat when he mentioned the man's surname. Seeing this, Armin did not waste any time to introduce the two of them. "Oh, yeah! Mikasa, he's the one I'm talking about. Maybe you're relatives?"

The two studied each other's facial features, neither one faltering. Mikasa was the first one to break the ice. "I'm Mikasa Ackerman. May I know who your parents are?"

Levi flatly replied. "I don't have a father. My mother is someone you probably wouldn't like to know more about. Petra, let's go."

Before following suit to Levi who retreated back to his office, Petra apologized in his behalf. "I'm sorry, but he can be quite sensitive when it comes to his family. Anyway, enjoy your stay!"