Pillowtalks

xxiv

"Why are you here again?"

Noah just gave an amused smile at a confused an expectant Eren before leaning back comfortably in his seat.

"I was craving some coffee."

Eren squinted her eyes at him but nodded slowly, not really believing what he said.

"Alright. What would you like then?"

"Are you on the menu?"

She scoffed at the pick up line and looked at Noah who was obviously embarrassed to have used that pick up line over everything else. While it was adorable, Eren couldn't help but laugh.

"You seriously came up with that?" Eren laughed again. "Come on. You can do better."

"That was my attempt okay. I'm not good at this." Noah cutely pouted a little, cheeks dusted pink.

Eren couldn't help but feel adoration creeping up her body for the boy sitting in front of her right now.

"Cute." She giggled then walked away, already deciding what to serve him. Placing a latte with extra whipped cream and some blueberry muffins on a plate, she walked back towards Noah, placing it on the table.

"Your blueberry muffin." Noah smiled, eyes already shining. He had come over to the bakery a few times to know that Eren's cupcakes and muffins were delicious and mouth watering.

"You've been having the strawberry one for a few days now. Try this tonight." Eren smiled, walking away to take orders from the customers who walked in.

Noah would be lying if he said he really craved coffee. He just wanted to see Eren for a while. She would have been working but just being able to see her gave him a peaceful feeling. A feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. He liked how those feelings exploded all through his body whenever he saw her face. He embraced those feelings as it grew a little bit more everyday and learned to memorize it but it always felt overwhelming as each day passed.

Right now, Eren was talking to an old lady, helping her understand something and as she smiled, he loved how her eyes crinkled at the side, eyes turning into crescent moons. She was really beautiful.

Noah decided to stay at the bakery until her shift ended and even when Eren questioned him as to why he stayed back, he just smiled and shrugged.

"You're weird." Eren commented as they walked down the path to her house, shoulders gently grazing against each other.

Noah laughed at that comment and turned to look down at her. "Is it bad that I want to walk you home?"

Eren blushed but managed to keep her cool. "It's not that bad."

"Can we hold hands?"

Noah's request surprised Eren, especially when they had nothing more than talk normally after their shared kiss at St. Luke's. This was the first kind of physical contact after that kiss and made Eren feel shy suddenly. But she nodded softly and let him engulf her hands within his big, warm ones. It was a nice feeling. A feeling of content and happiness and somehow this was enough for now.

"I have been thinking a lot lately." Noah said, eyes on the path, hands tightly gripping Eren's small ones.

"Thinking about?"

"About everything that is going right now. Moving out, my parents not giving a damn about it."

Eren's grip tightened at that. She grew up without parents and seeing people who had parents made her feel jealous because she craved that love. But parents who didn't care about their children like Noah's just hurt her. It was heartbreaking to even think about and she had no idea how Noah would have been feeling.

"How do you feel about moving out?" Eren asked instead.

"To be honest I feel really light and relaxed. That I don't have to feel suffocated in that cage I call home. It feels good and now that I have you here beside me, it feels even better. I feel content."

Eren smiled and squeezed Noah's hand in reassurance, that she would be there.

Noah suddenly stopped walking and Eren looked at him in confusion but before she could ask why, he pulled her a little closer, hands gently resting on her waist. Eren was aware of the distance between them, chests slightly touching, faces just inches apart. Her eyes involuntarily landed on Noah's lips.

Noah hesitated at first as he leaned forward but backed away. Sensing his hesitation, Eren slowly leaned forward, their foreheads touching, a sense of deja Vu coursing through them. Noah then knew she wanted this as much as he did and smiled softly before leaning down and finally capturing her lips in his. It was the same feeling, maybe stronger as his heart warmed up to her, her lips as soft as the first time he tasted it.

"Thank you." Noah whispered and though he didn't really explain why he said that, maybe Eren did understand why. She just smiled and leaned in again, their lips finding each other's, drowning, melting and just falling in love.

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