Casualties | ERENXREADER

chapter 16. troubled trio

It was one of those mornings where the world felt like it was spinning just a little faster than usual. I jolted awake to the sound of my alarm blaring, its shrill noise was the only thing capable of piercing through the fog of last night's confusion. Groaning, I rubbed my eyes and began to get ready for my accounting class.

Last night had started off normally enough. We'd hung out in the living room, eating food and reminiscing about our ridiculous childhood escapades. At some point, though, the atmosphere had shifted. The casual touches lingered a bit too long and the glances lasted a bit too long.

And now, here I was, staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, trying to make sense of it all while getting ready for my class. The steam from the hot shower still clung to the mirror, making my reflection appear hazy and distorted. I ran a brush through my hair, struggling to focus on the task at hand.

Was I making too much out of a simple misunderstanding? Or had something genuine shifted between us? I was supposed to be focused on getting ready, but my mind kept wandering back to last night. Was I falling for Eren? And if I was, what did that mean for us, for our friendship?

I know I'm being annoying about this whole situation, but how could I not?

I grabbed my phone to check the time and noticed a message from Eren, sent in the early hours of the morning,

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Eren >:(

My class ends at 12:30 today

Let's meet up and get food

I'm hungry

you're paying this time though

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

I stared at the screen, my heart skipping a beat. Did I even have a choice, not that I mind. I typed a response, then deleted it, then typed again. Finally, I settled on something simple, 'I guess, I end at 12 so I'll wait for you'

I hit send and then took a deep breath, I had a class to get to— I couldn't let last night derail everything I have planned today.

As I grabbed my backpack and headed out the door, I couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to change—whether for better or worse, I didn't know. But for now, I had to focus on the present.

I jogged to my class because I didn't realize how much time had passed while I was in the shower, resulting in me almost being late. I finally made it with two minutes to spare and used that time to recollect my breath before entering the building.

"Hey Y/N" A voice came from behind me. I turned around to see Reiner, I gave him a small smile— still out of breath. "Damn, did you just run a marathon?" I nodded and pointed at the door to wave him in ahead.

I followed him shortly after and the lecture hall was already buzzing with the chatter of my classmates— the low murmur of their conversations blending with the occasional rustle of paper. I spotted Reiner already nearing the spot we sat in on our first day.

Our professor cleared their throat and started speaking. "Good morning, everyone. Today we're diving into the complexities of financial statements. I hope you've all reviewed the assigned readings."