Circles | Eren x Reader

Chapter 54- The Bakery:

I stayed home the next day to clean up the house before my parents came home from their work trip. Or, at least, that's what I decided to use as an excuse to avoid Eren.

The day passed by slowly, but eventually, the early winter darkness creeped in. I dropped my broom and fell onto the couch. My stomach growled.

"Maybe I should grab something to eat," I mumbled to myself. I walked over to the fridge. It, as expected, was empty. I need to go grocery shopping more often. I stepped away from my kitchen and slipped on a pair of shoes to take a quick trip to the bakery to pick up some Madeleines. It was a Friday, and from what Armin had told me, Eren wasn't working. I picked up the blanket Eren had lent me to return to the shop. The sooner I got it off my hands, the better.

The sky was pitch black. There were no stars or clouds in sight. I walked past the bakery and, to my horror, saw Eren working the register.

"What?" My face paled. But today is Friday!

I moved to turn around and go home when my brain decided to remind me of something. It was from my night in the snow with Armin:

"Why do you and Eren insist on running in circles?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's the same thing every time with you two. You fight, you make-up, your friendship begins to go well, and then both of you let it shatter in an instant... So, why don't you guys just... do something about it already? I'm not saying you have to date, but I think it would be a good idea to have a transparent conversation about this for once. I think it would be helpful to you both."

When Armin had originally painted the offer, I had turned him down quickly. But, as my feet hit the concrete hard with each step away from the bakery, I knew he was right. At this point, it was just something I had to do. There was no better time, either. If I did it tonight, I would be able to catch Eren alone. I retraced my steps back to the store, clutching Eren's stupid white blanket, and waited outside in the dark until it was empty. Finally, the last person left.

"Here we go, I guess."

I burst through the door. Eren jumped up from behind the counter.

"Do you love me?" I asked suddenly.

He froze, eyeing the blanket in my hand. My fist was wrapped tightly around the dark blue letters. Eren's mouth hung open slightly as if he wanted to speak, but he couldn't find anything to say.

"Why?" I pleaded more quietly.

"I—" Eren sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair and darting his eyes towards the floor. "If I knew the answer to that, I probably would've found a way to stop liking you."

"But, I thought you hated me."

He met my eyes, "I don't."

I stood at the door for a moment, just watching him.

"Then, what now?" I whispered.

Eren turned away from me and started cleaning up the counter. "Nothing now. You can go home."

"But—"

"(Y/N), don't bother," he said harshly. "I already know how you feel about me."

"Eren, how could you possibly—"

"Because I've been with you! I've seen it!" His head flew up and his teal-green eyes pierced mine. "I don't need you to reject me! I get it!"

"You're wr—"

"Just stop! I'm so tired of this!" Eren's face was stained red and his expression was wild. "I'll leave you alone now, okay?! I'm sorry! Just forget this ever happened," he slumped over, looking defeated.

"I don't—"

"Please," he begged desperately.

I pursed my lips, eyeing the heated boy in front of me. Eren stared back, expression heavy, eyes filled with rage and regret. Finally, I lost it.

I threw the blanket across the room.

"Fine!" I yelled, spinning towards the door. "I'll go!" I felt my eyes burn as they welled up with tears. My hand touched the silver door handle and I paused. "You're going to regret this, Yeager! This time, I'm not going to forgive you!" I slammed the door closed behind me, stepping back outside into the cold, black abyss of Winter night.