The Coaches Daughter | E. Jaeger

27

Your dad hasn't exactly been the same since Heather moved out. You're a week into winter break and you've hardly seen your father. He's been drowning himself in his work instead of spending time at home with you.

It's Christmas morning and he isn't even here...

There's a couple presents on the counter that were waiting for you when you woke up, but there's no tree or any sort of decorations this year.

You wonder if Eren's Christmas is any better...

At the end of the playoff game a few days ago, you had finally decided that you'd allow yourself to be with Eren even if it won't go anywhere.

He was right about you avoiding something because you know it'll hurt in the end. But he was also right about how you shouldn't let that hold you back from something that'll bring you happiness... even if it's just for a little while.

So at the ski trip, you plan on telling him you're ready to commit.

~

You spent your day trying to pack the right things. You've never gone skiing, so packing is hard. But it's also because you're excited and can't collect your thoughts.

Maybe you need three pairs of leggings. Or is that too many? How many long sleeves? Sweatshirts?

This is hard.

Lucky for you, your overwhelmed panic is interrupted by the door bell going off. You make your way down stairs, your socks slick against the wood floor.

You open the door, Eren standing on the other side with a black tshirt layered with a brown dress shirt he's left unbuttoned. He's wearing a pair of black jeans and suede brown shoes.

"Hello," a blush creeps onto your cheeks as you grin. "You look good."

He looks down at his outfit. "Thank you," he chuckles. "Dad made me go to church earlier."

You nod and open the door wider so he can come in. Eren follows you to the living room where you have a show playing in the background. He sits next to you on the couch, his legs spread.

"Merry Christmas," he pulls a small box from his pocket and gestures it to you.

You frown slightly. "I didn't get you anything, I feel bad."

"No worries," he shakes his head with a smile. "Just open it."

You carefully tear the wrapping apart and reveal a white box. You take off the top and reveal a silver key chain with the number 33.

Eren's number.

"So even if you're away from me, you'll have a reminder," his smile tells you he's happy about his gift, but his eyes tell another story. They're sad.

"Thank you, Eren."

You lean in a hug him, savoring his warmth, his smell, his touch. It seems even he's thinking about the future where you two won't be together anymore.

"I love it," you kiss his lips lightly and then pull back. "I'll put it on my key chain right now."

You go to get up, but Eren holds onto your waits and pulls you back down into his lap. "No rush. Let me hold you for a little while."

You cuddle into him and relax. That's until he asks where your dad is.

"At the school. Preparing for next year's team," you sigh and rest your head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around you.

Eren sighs. "Yeah, he didn't take the season ending very well. He suggested we all continue practice even though most of the varsity team are seniors and we're done now."