The Doctor and the Barista (Levi Ackerman / OC)

Chapter Nineteen - Ginger Lemon

"So my real question, I guess, is what the fuck happened?"

Levi stared at her with a blank expression. She curled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on top of her knees. She nervously laughs before forcing a smile. "Wow, you jumped right into that."

He looks at her for a few more seconds. "... Would you prefer I started with some small talk?" She blinks at him before shaking her head, expression falling. She averts her eyes, swallowing thickly. "Listen, Marley, I'm not going to beg anyone to be my friend. But you have to admit what happened is a little weird."

"... Yeah."

"And I think two weeks is a fair amount of time to leave someone to think things over."

"... Yeah."

"Marlene." His voice sounded cold and distant. The hollowness and lack of emotion in his words made it even harder to talk to him. "I'm not going to let this drag on. I think I deserve better than to be strung along like this. I just want to know if we are still friends or not, and if not, why?"

"I... don't like how things are between us," she says quietly. When he doesn't respond, she looks up at him to meet his eyes. "I don't like how we're... physical," she says the last part quietly.

"Marley, if you weren't comfortable with what we're doing you have to tell me," he says quickly. "I don't want you feeling like I ever forced-"

"No, it's not that!" she cuts him off. She didn't want him thinking that he was taking advantage of her. "I just don't want to do that with someone I'm not dating..."

"That's fine," he shrugs. She can see him physically relax. He lets out a relieved sigh. "Let's just go back to being friends."

Marley swallowed thickly. Her throat was uncomfortably tight. Her mouth felt dry and she felt her stomach lurch. Her chest ached. She fidgets with the sleeves of her sweatshirt, nervously pulling on them.

"I don't want to be friends again. It's too weird."

It's not what she wanted to say. Not exactly, at least. Her head and heart were jumbled, her emotions were a trainwreck, and she still didn't know what she wanted their relationship to be. Her words slipped past her lips before she could stop them. Before she could catch herself.

"I guess it will be weird at first, but-"

"I can't be friends with you after all that." She felt like vomiting. His shoulders tensed up and his eyes slightly widened. Seeing his surprise made her stomach ache even more.

"Wait..." he says slowly. She could hear his breath catching in his throat. "You seriously don't want to be friends anymore?"

She could hear it all in his voice. The confusion, the hurt, the anger. As much as he tried to come across as a stone hearted and cool headed person, she knew that inside he had strong emotions.

"It's too weird." Her voice is small. "I know this is easy for you, but-"

"What's easy for me?" He tried to hide his emotions behind a harsh tone.

"Being... physical... with someone you're not dating." Talking about it made her uncomfortable. She tucked her knees tighter to her body. "It's easy for you."

"You think that's easy for me?" He was able to hide his emotions again. His voice was hollow and disconnected. Like when they first met. "Who said it's easy for me?"

"I've just never been in that sort of arrangement before."

"I haven't either." He stared at her for a few seconds, meeting her eyes. "What kind of person do you think I am?" Although he had kept his emotions from slipping out in his voice, she knew him well enough to know that she hurt his feelings.