I Have An Objection! [ Levi x OC ] [ Moderate Editing ]

Ch. 17: A Memorial and the Mysterious Mr. Ackerman

 The hardships dwindled. Regretful memories were cast aside, only to be replaced with a future brimming with smiles and forgotten blunders. Everything seemed to be blossoming accordingly, from the lilies I received from Eren and a repaired relationship with Erwin, all the way to a significant alteration in my romance regarding Levi. Positively, of course, since after I cleared the air with our distressed Aryan friend, Levi and I were able to advance smoothly with our dating lives, sharing kisses at the park or cuddling on the couch with a movie on Sunday evenings.

Erwin resumed his attorney duties with a pep in his step, again plastering genuine smiles on his masculine face. Little by little, his advances came to a halt until the feelings he had for me were discarded into the past, and the blank canvas of our future was starting to pave itself before us.

Levi, who still resented Erwin for his audacious behavior and treatment towards me, showed no signs of improvement in mending their relationship. Although, Erwin attempted to patch the gap he had created between them, yet Levi only responded with distasteful words and insults in regards to the Aryan male, ultimately abandoning their conversations altogether.

On the other hand, Mike was in the process of acclimatizing to his new workplace at Brightfield. Yes, it just so happened the honey-haired fellow decided to transfer from the firm he was employed at to join the diverse team at Brightfield. Erwin seemed ecstatic for his arrival, proffering him a hug reserved for a deep-connection bromance. The last I had seen Mike, however, was at Erwin's party many months prior, but on the bright side, the towering male hadn't changed in the slightest.

The only problem I encountered with Mike after his transition was the peculiar event regarding an empty break room and a perplexing statement.

I had been lounging in the break room by my lonesome one morning, patiently waiting for Levi to return from his trip back downstairs, since his scatterbrained self had forgotten a pile of case material in the backseat. Unbeknownst to me, there were other faculty members milling around the firm, a few that I had seen were Eren, Erwin and Mira. Then, as though time itself had frozen over, the presence of another being seemed to materialize behind me, the following utterance spoken in a hushed tone:

"You smell strongly of lavender, and Levi's shampoo."

Yelping, I jolted around to face the mysterious sniffer, only to meet the bewildered stare of Mike Zacharius. "Uh . . . good morning, sir?" I questioned rather than uttered, absentmindedly clasping my fingers a bit too tightly.

"Mornin'," he mumbled nonchalantly, as if he never inhaled my scent in the first place. "Roxanne, right?"

I bobbed my head in response. Perhaps I had not registered the fact that he could possibly be a closet weirdo, judging by the way he blatantly vocalized remarks that were uttered by Erwin towards me at the gala and, well, most importantly, how he waltzed right up and got a whiff of me.

"Yes, I remember you," he deadpanned, his expression beaming seconds later like a certain memory dawned upon him. "The attractive accountant girl with the small chest, but large brain! Of course, how could I forget that divine herbal aroma!"

Doesn't that count as sexual harassment?! I pondered, eyes scanning over the ox-built male until I met his virescent hues once again.

"Ah, but we work together now though, yes?" he inquired apologetically, hands on his hips and a smile on his mustachioed face. "That makes us friends, so call me Mike! If you can do that, I promise I won't smell you anymore, even if it is tempting, deal?"

Now he's bribing me?! Sounds more like threatening though . . . but it's worth a shot.

"Okay!" I beamed, partially outstretching my hand for a customary shake. Yet, instead of returning the gesture, Mike embraced me in a tight squeeze, raising me from my sedentary position on the floor and practically crushing the air out of my lungs.