⤜Chapter Sixteen⤛

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You woke up to the sound of birds chirping faintly. With a groan you rolled over and checked the time on your phone. 5am. You sighed and padded out of your room still in your pajamas. Once downstairs I'm the kitchen, you grabbed a box of your favourite cereal and got your breakfast sorted. You decided to eat outside, so you opened the glass doors that opened up onto the outdoor patio. It was a little bit cooler than you thought it would be, especially with your thin night garments on. But you didn't move, the tiredness and ache in your bones kept you rooted to the place that you sat down at. You watched as the couple of clouds made their way across the sky slowly and the sun rise up. Tranquil and serene. The screeching of birds buzzed in your ears as you mindlessly ate, staring off at the sky, but not really seeing anything.

Too wrapped up in your own world, you didn't notice the opening and closing of the sliding doors, the man closing them flinching at the squeaking noises it made. He carried on with his task, two mugs of hot coffee and a blanket tucked under his arm. He was able to place the coffees on the table without making his presence known to you.

Warmth enveloped your slightly shaking form, as he flung the blanket over you with a minuscule smile. You looked at him in surprise, your face matching his when you saw who it was. You didn't say anything to each other, instead silently enjoying each other's company as the sun slowly shone brighter.
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It was around 10am when all the others were sitting outside with the two of you, not exactly silent, but they were as loud or boisterous as they usually were.  They ate and drank and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the day so far.
Loose plans were made to explore the gardens and to walk along the edge of the cliff the house was built on.
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It was about 11am when you had changed into something simple and comfortable, ready to fully go  back into the world.

"Feeling better petal?" Reiner asked as you came down the stairs. You gave him a small smile in response.
"Yeah, thanks Reiner." He nodded.
"How long were him and you out there?"  He asked, as you slipped your sunglasses on and grabbed a hat.
"I went out at like five. He must've appeared at five-thirty. My cereal was soggy."
"Soggy cereal sucks," said Marcel, poking his head through the window.
"Come on let's go!" Colt said, pulling him out of the way to poke his own head through. You giggled and met them outside.

Linking your arms through theirs, you made your way through the garden. The neatly placed wooden garden beds held an abundance of different fruits and vegetables growing in them. A whole box for different types of berries, the strawberries and raspberries were a vibrant red. Porco leant over and grabbed a strawberry and a raspberry. He ate the raspberry and offered the strawberry to you with a tilt of his head. You smiled before taking it in your hands and biting into it. It was a little sour but still enjoyable and had a enough sweetness hidden in it to balance it out.

You made your way past the lettuces and tomatoes. Past the peas and the beans headed for the miniature orchard at the back. The boys moved at their own pace, Reiner was hanging at the back, Marcel and Colt and the front, grazing as they went and Porco walking just a little bit behind you. Above your head was a green apple, just out of your reach. You craned you head up at it and with a little groan, you rose up to the tips of your toes in hopes of grabbing it.  When you couldn't reach it, you jumped. Still unable to grab it, you huffed and walked off, unaware of the man behind you smiling softly at you. 

Porco reached up to grab the very apple he watched you attempt to retrieve. But Reiner's voice stopped him.
"You're very friendly with her Porco." He said. Porco withdrw his hand from the fruit.
"Huh?" He sneered.
"You're a lot more pleasant around her. Why is that?" Asked Reiner. Porco stared him down. "Are you interested in her?"
Porco froze.
"I've only known her for six days Reiner. Get your head out of the ground." He growled, turning away from him.
"I didn't ask if you liked her. Only if you were interested in her."
Porco looked around. He reached up and grabbed the apple before letting out a little snarl.
"Piss off Reiner."

He walked to where you were, patting your shoulder gently to get your attention. You flinched, causing him to frown. He held the apple out, and you smiled brightly.
"Thank you Pock!" You said, taking the fruit in your hands. "That means you saw me struggling?" You said with a small laugh.
"Yeah. It was amusing." He said smiling at you. As you bit into the apple, his mind trailed off to what Reiner was saying just before.

Was he interested in you?

You were kind, funny and sweet. You could cook extremely well and surf as well. He though it was funny when you tried to keep up with the boys, your athletic it abilities often failing you.  But he don't know enough. He wanted to know what was behind the playful and cheery exterior because he knew damn well that you were hiding some things.  But he didn't know if this was platonic or romantic.

Snap out of it.

He shook his head, dispelling his thoughts. He enjoyed your presence, and that's all he was going to focus on for now.

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