𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 | 𝖫𝖾𝗏𝗂 𝖠𝖼𝗄𝖾𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗇

N I N E T E E N

Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if she was doing all right. If she had been doing okay. Levi had received a message that they would have a week off. A week without making money. At the same time, if she had canceled for an entire week, she wasn't okay. And something inside told him that she was just alone and trying to suck it up. He didn't know her very well, but it was just a small feeling in his gut that told him.

Once Levi reached his apartment, he got into the shower and stayed there for an hour, not giving a damn about the water bill. When he finished, he only bothered to put on his boxer shorts, and made his way to the kitchen. Levi refused to rest, knowing if he did, all the fatigue would just come rushing back to him without mercy.

"Shit," Levi breathed out, seeing the empty fridge. He frowned as rubbed his eyes. His stomach growled and it made him feel nauseous. He realized he hadn't eaten anything except an orange.

Too damn hot to go outside. Levi looked over where his blinds were closed. He diverted his attention back to the empty fridge and heaved a sigh.

The only thing available was milk and fruits. The majority of the fruits were from Furlan. He'd gotten them from his second job he had picked up, because they apparently had ripe fruit for desserts and more. The blond man took it as an opportunity to steal—as Furlan would say "borrow" some.

Levi closed his fridge and went back to his room. He took out his wallet and frowned when he saw 4000 yen in total. I thought I had more. Levi narrowed his eyes and checked over his money again.

He heaved a sigh and sat on his bed. He would run out of money by the end of the week. If he did, he would need to ask Furlan for some and he didn't want to have to go through the struggle of paying him back. He also refused to eat cup ramen and fruits for an entire week.

Levi looked over at his phone he placed on his nightstand. He debated if he should text Irene. He scoffed and turned away, wondering why he would even text his boss. What he would say. Now that Levi thought about it, it didn't even seem as if they had the relationship of that anymore. In the weeks he'd known her, she was laid back and calm and quick to anger. She was too laid back; she had taken him out to eat, gotten him tea, and spoke to him as if they had known each other forever. It confused Levi at what he should do.

Not to mention the feelings that evoked whenever he was around her. They were feelings he hadn't experienced before and couldn't comprehend. The way his stomach would dance whenever he saw her smile or heard her laughter. Or the way it churned in displeasure when she mentioned that she had no interest in him.

He turned away from his phone and glared at the ground in frustration. He scoffed, feeling ridiculous about the entire situation he was in. Still, he kept glancing at his phone, contemplating on what he should do. If she had taken the entire week off, it would affect him greatly money wise.

"Fuck it," Levi said, grabbing his phone, unlocking it, and clicking on her contact number.

As it rang, his heart suddenly started to pick up its speed. The decision he had made was so abrupt and he followed throughout it without a second thought. His hands grew clammy and he quickly swallowed. Before he could hang up, she answered.

"Hello?"

Her voice was a bit scratchy, but it was quiet and gentle, as if she were talking to a child. Suddenly, Levi regretted calling her. He mentally cursed himself, because he didn't know what to say to her.

"Levi?"

He rubbed his eyes in distress and swallowed. "Hey," he greeted, screwing his eyes shut for the bland greeting.

"Hey," she said, a quiet and soft laugh being released.

Levi licked his lips together and stuck his hand in his hair, trying to figure out what to say. He had never thought it through, and he regretted it because he didn't know what to say now.

"Is something wrong?" Irene asked, her voice woven with concern.

He was taken aback by the question, and he frowned. "No..."

There was an awkward silence that made his stomach churn. He pinched his thigh and gritted his teeth in pain. He cleared his throat and sighed. "I was just checking to make sure you weren't dead since everything just got canceled so suddenly, and I haven't talked to you in two days."

Irene stayed silent, as if processing the words he had just said. After a few seconds, he heard a quiet 'oh.' She muttered an apology and gave a small laugh, one that sounded forced. "Uh, no. I'm not dead..." Her tone of voice sounded like she was hurt, like she was going to cry.

"Good," Levi said, the word leaving his mouth before he could stop it. He heard Irene force a weak chuckle and even heard her swallow.

"Listen, um, I'm really busy right now. I'm actually falling behind with a few things. I didn't realize that due dates were coming up—it slipped my mind."

He nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see it. He suppressed a sigh by pressing his lips together. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked, hope hidden in his voice.

"I'm sorry, but this is something I'm required to do by the company."

Levi couldn't help but feel disappointed. He hummed, indicating he understood. "Okay."

Irene went back to her silence, the call still going on. After about a full minute, she spoke. "I'll call you back when I can."

Levi didn't get a chance to reply because she hung up. He stared at his phone for a few moments before putting it to charge. He sighed and fell back on his bed, rubbing his eyes.

He felt a bit relaxed now that he knew she was okay—not exactly, but that she was still breathing. At the same time, he didn't know if he believed whether or not she was still working. If it was a lie to cover up her still getting over Hanji.

She sounded stressed and upset. The way she spoke was out of place and different from all the other times.

The sound of his door opening made his head snap towards it. Furlan stood there, looking worried for two seconds before he appeared rather annoyed before it morphed to him looking exhausted. His dark blond hair was a disheveled, and his light gray eyes a bit red, as if he had stayed up for hours.

Levi narrowed his eyes. "Don't you know how to knock, Furlan?"

Furlan blinked, leaning in the doorway and rubbing his eyes tiredly as he yawned. It made Levi yawn. "I did," he replied groggily, "three times in fact, no response. Thought you died in your sleep."

The older stayed silent for a brief moment. He hadn't heard him knock or even arrive. "You look like shit."

His friend gave a weary smile and nodded. He crossed his arms and looked like he was going to fall asleep right there. "This new job is kicking my ass. Running back and forth, cleaning up tables."

"You're going to get fired if they find out you've been stealing fruits," Levi deadpanned.

The younger shrugged, clearly not caring if he lost his job or not. "I'm just going to shower before going to sleep. My bartender shift starts at six, so wake me up."

Levi nodded, watching as his friend stumbled just to close his door. He heard a thud and a groan after a few seconds. He figured he must have tripped.

He glanced back at his phone, and he couldn't help but feel guilty for not being able to help Irene.