→ softly | eruri

06

[ERWIN]

I am a lover of Autumn, of the colour that are bold and homely. I felt the breeze, rich with the aroma of the earth as the four of us walked to the destination that we were heading. Hange carried weight of the conversation, talking about what she had planned for us on the weekend. Miche and Levi were more into listening while I joined Hange's enthusiasm every once in a while so she didn't feel left behind.

After 20 minutes, we saw the cafe lied ahead, its beige painted brick walls glistening in the golden rays of the evening. The style was rather vintage and aesthetically pleasing to see for someone who likes this type of arts. Soon, we entered the coffeehouse and was welcomed by a bell. The smell of caffeine and desserts dominated the building in a balmy comforting way.

Thankfully, there weren't many costumers at the time and we chose to sit near the glass window by the entrance. Levi sat beside me while Hange and Miche sat across us. Hange gushed about how lovely the cafe was to which the three of us agreed.

Later, a waitress came up to us and gave us the menus. She has cheek-length light blonde hair and brown eyes, wearing a small framed pair of glasses. Her name tag that was pinned on uniform read out "Rico." She got out a pen and a notebook, ready to take our orders. I checked the menu to see all kinds of coffee, tea, pastries and desserts. Once we have ordered, Rico collected the menus and went back to the kitchen area. Few minutes passed and Rico came back to us with our orders.

My caramel latte sat prettily in a white china cup, a leaf pattern in delicate milky foam among the pale brown. It was piping hot yet I took a sip anyway. My whole body felt relaxed and the cold disappeared. As we savouring our warm drink, we kept the communication alive by talking about literally everything.

"Levi." Hange called. "Why do you hold the cup like that?"

To be honest, I wanted to ask the same thing when Levi went study at my house two weeks ago. They way he held his drink was quite...questionable.

Levi leaned back in his seat. He thought for a while before speaking. "When I was younger, I tried to save some money to purchase an expensive tea cup. When I was holding it for the first time, the handle broke off and it shattered." He paused, laughing nervously.

"So, I guess it's a habit now cuz I'm paranoid." He turned to look at me and I sighed, feeling sympathetic. Poor, Levi has to go through such horrible trauma. I can't relate though.

"I mean...it's unique." Hange mentioned and smiled sweetly. Levi just scoffed in return and took a sip of his coffee. While his attention was distracted, the three of us looked at each other and thought about the same thing. We decided to copy Levi's movement, holding our cups the same way as he did. Levi gave us a puzzling look and side-eyed me. I raised my eyebrows teasingly, causing him to almost spit out his coffee that he was drinking. I put down my latte hurriedly and caressed his back.

"Oh my god, Levi. I'm so so sorry." I apologised as Levi kept letting out a cough. Once the cough died down, he glared at me and his cheeks turned red, complementing his pale skin. Meanwhile, Hange bursted into a loud harsh cackling of laughter. Miche chuckled and gazed away from the two of us.

"Erwin." Levi said in a hoarse voice, sending a little shiver down my spine. Not to mention the cold weather outside really brought out more into it. "Please, don't play with me."

My eyes went wide for a brief moment, I was taken aback but not too surprised. Levi has always known for his unemotional personality which I don't really mind but the way he said those words were, something.

I just reply with a smirk and rolled my eyes playfully. Hange has regained herself as she was struggling to speak something because she was panting hard from laughing.