One Last Time: One More Time

Ceremony

"Actually, I haven't," Maria stretched her arms as she lets out a small yawn. "Yesterday I had a really busy night."

    While the ex-tavern thought of last night as the night that she had to take Lance's measurements, designing a suit and making changes to it to fit Lance, sewing with little light and still having to read and sign off documents. Levi thought of the worse.

"I am really tired, I am surprised I am even awake at all," she added as she took a moment to look at Levi, not surprised to see Levi here. After all, she had suspected that he would come here to pick up the documents.

    She looks back to all the fabric spread around the table, the threads everywhere. It was completely a mess. And she still needed to make Hange's dress for the event. Not like she has asked her to but there was no way she was passing the opportunity to sew a beautiful dress for a beautiful scientist.

     "Lance surely knows how to keep me busy ... Making me make his suit in a week."

"Fuck, I don't want to hear about it!" This time Levi turns around to look at her, raising his voice a little. "I don't want to know how that bastard fucked y-"

    He stopped mid-sentence.

"What was that guy doing here?" Levi asked. Instead of jumping to conclusions, he decided to go straight to the point.

"Well, I needed to take his measurements for a suit, he is the customer Lisa recommended me to," Maria said but Levi remained quiet. At that, she felt that Levi wanted her to say more.

    "And the reason why he was in my room is that he is my doctor ... I am getting my scars treated by him and yesterday he was just checking on my body to see my improvement."

    It went quiet for a few seconds and Levi only stared at the brunette. Maria didn't feel uncomfortable at all, it was actually amusing to see Levi like this.

    And suddenly Maria sees a small smile on Levi's face.

"Are you alright?" the brunette asks, not expecting this reaction from him.

"Yeah, it's just ... Why didn't you tell me?" Levi tried to get his composure back. As he placed a hand on his mouth to try and stop Maria from looking at the smile on his face.

"I don't know ... I was going to ... I just don't feel comfortable at the moment."

    His smile completely disappeared. The thought of Maria not being comfortable with him pained him. He didn't know why but to him it was another barrier. Little by little they were separating.

    But this is what he wanted right? To forget her.

"Are you going to the ceremony today?" Maria interrupted the silence again as she stood up from her chair. Picking up fabrics and began to fold them. "New cadets may join the scouts."

"I am sure the only one crazy enough to join would be Eren's friends," Levi replied as he also stands up to help Maria clean the table. "If I finish work early, then I would much prefer to go to the library and drink a cup of tea while I read a book or something."

"Well, as long as you don't end up sleeping there-"

    Maria and Levi stopped for a moment as they both wanted to reach for the same thread but they touched each other's hand unintentionally.

    Levi's strong hands laid on top of Maria's. They didn't move, silence and only the touch of each other's skin. How long has it been, since their hands were like this?

    It was as if their hands craved to be touched by one another and although Maria felt heat on her cheeks and her stomach felt heavy, she didn't pull away.