Promise Me | Book Three

Chapter Three

Eren's POV

"Good morning, Armin." I say, rubbing my left eye, sleepily.
"Good morning." He replies to me, a small smile growing on his face.
"What do you have?" I ask.
Armin looks at me, confused. "What do I have?"
"Food. What food do you have?" I polish my sentence.
"Oh!" He exclaims, knowingly. "Uhm, I don't know." Armin laughs.
"I'll check then."

I start looking through the one cupboard that he has in the dorm.
"I think that you need a proper house." I tell him, rummaging through.
"Yes, I know. I just can't afford it at the moment."
"I'll help you pay for it, after I sort something out." I say.
Actually, should I tell him? I should, he's my closest friend; he deserves to know.
I close the cupboard; I didn't find anything satisfying inside it.
I make my way into the area where he sits again, and Armin is sitting on the couch. I sit next to him.
"Well, Armin?" I begin, nervously.
He responds with, "Yeah?"

"Me and Mikasa-"
He turns his head to me with wider eyes.
"I-I... Uhm. Well..."
Why am I stuttering?
"Don't be nervous, Eren. You can tell me anything, and you know that." He tells me, reassuringly.
"Okay," I sigh. "I proposed to Mikasa, but I have no ring. I was planning to buy one today, and do it properly.
Probably, take her out for some sort of date and then propose again." I say, quietly.
Armin's eyes widen, then lower again.
"I see," he breaks into a gentle smile. "That's sweet."

I feel a sense of relief. "Could you help? I don't know what to do. I want to make it perfect, but love isn't my strong suit. I don't know about dos and don''s or anything like that." I speak in a panicky tone.
"Don't sweat it, Eren. Mikasa loves you, and I'm sure that she'll respect whatever you do for her. Love isn't as complicated as you think, and nor is it perfect. Just follow your heart, and do what you believe is right, I guess."
Armin tells me, and it is good that he did because now I feel my plan will actually be ideal.
I nod. "Thank you," I say, sighing and lying on the back of the couch.
"Where would you buy a ring?"

Mikasa's POV

I reach out to touch Eren, but he is no longer in bed.
I sit up and yawn, stretching out my arms.
I'm surprised that he woke up before me, considering that I slept earlier than him.

I get up, out of bed and the wooden floor is cold as I step onto it; it doesn't feel good.
I can hear my footsteps as I move towards the door.
"Eren?" I say, quietly. "Armin?" I call.
Is anyone even here? It seems awfully quiet.
"Ere-" I stop when I see a ripped piece of paper on the table, with some writing on it.
'Mikasa,
Me and Eren have gone out to shop. I don't know how long that we'll be out for. Sorry about the such short notice.
Help yourself to the few things I have in the kitchen cabinets, and there's a spare key on the hook near the door, if you wish to go out.
See you in a while.
- Armin'

I sigh, as I place the note back on the coffee table.
Looks like I'll be alone this morning.
I don't even know what to do with myself, so I head to the kitchen cabinet to find some food.
The floor is even cooler here, more untouched.
I open a cabinet, it has bread and butter. I take the loaf of bread from the cabinet; going on my tiptoes to reach, and then take down the butter.
I slice the bread thrice and butter each slice. There doesn't seem to be much here, but this will have to do for now.

Eren's POV

"Finally!" I say, a bit too loudly. It feels like we'd never find a jeweller around here.
We enter the small store, and there's an elderly man at the counter.
"Hello, sir. Do you sell engagement rings?" I ask, politely.
"I think that we might have some still in stock." He says. His voice is quiet and sounds rusty.

As he bends down, it looks difficult. "Are you okay, mister?" Armin asks.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine, young man." He insists, raising one hand to him as evidence.
The man coughs, roughly.