In my Memories [Eremin]

[2] a walk for strangers

I eagerly got up the next morning. Of course mom and Mikasa were a bit put off by my sudden change in behavior but they didn't seem to mind. There was a slight drizzle today and it wasn't exactly warm. So I put on a zip up leaving the hoodie unzipped, revealing the graphic tee I was wearing.

I waved hello to Levi who was reading a book on his porch. To my surprise he actually waved back and with a soft smile on his face. Looked like he was in a good mood today.

There was a small bench just by the trail. I saw armin sitting there fiddling with his hands and tapping his foot.

"Hey Armin!" I called out as I jogged over to him. He responded with a quiet "Hi."

We started for the trail and began a peaceful walk. "So how have you been?" I asked.

"Pretty well, and you?"

"Good," I replied.

We weren't too great at making conversation but of course we weren't very close so we didn't know what to talk about. I noticed Armin shivering a bit. He only had a long sleeved shirt on.

"Cold?" I asked.

"A bit. It's colder than I anticipated."

"Here take this," I took off my jacket and handed it to him.

"Oh you don't have to do that. Won't you be cold," He said.

"No I'm fine," I insisted.

He took it and put it on. It was a bit big on him and the sleeves hung over his hands.

Cute.

"I've never seen you around. Have you lived here long?" I asked.

"Yeah my whole life. I was pretty nervous to be around people as a kid, so I never got out much," He said.

Hm. "Are you still nervous around people? Is that why you don't go out unless there isn't anyone around."

"Yeah, sorry."

"No need to apologize for something you can't control. But if I may ask, are you nervous around me?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Actually no. You have a calming and kind presence, so I'm comfortable around you," He smiled. I smiled back.

"I'm glad." I wasn't always great at making friends so the fact that I was a comfortable person for Armin to be around filled me with joy.

I never believed that people could actually feel butterflies in their stomach but it's true. Just glancing at Armin in my hoodie made my heart flip. This almost felt like a date.

"You just have a t-shirt on aren't you cold?" Armin asked me.

"Nah I'm alright. Don't worry about it I'm fine," I assured him. He nodded. Today like the other day there were no people walking, perfect for Armin. I suspected that he had some kind of social anxiety, but I didn't want to make him uncomfortable by asking about it.

"This is nice," Armin said.

"I agree."

Small conversations like that went back and forth like that for the majority of the walk. It was still pretty early in the afternoon when we got back, so I didn't want to go home just yet.

"Hey if you're still free wanna hang out a bit longer. I have something fun to do," I told him.

"Okay. I'm free all day so that's not an issue," He replied.

We walked a bit further through a muddy path that led out to a large lake. Considering how large it was you'd expect more people to hang out there, but rarely anyone was ever there.