𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐒 + 𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄! 𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐈 𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍

09

09
-
ERWIN'S LIES
-
If your hands need to break
-

"W-what?"
"We used to date in high school in fact... you hated Erwin. It caused a huge fight between us when we became friends in college."

Levi hated the look on Chun-Hwa's face.
It was a look of raw pain, as her life, everything surrounding her, was lie.
Where would she go if not for Erwin? She didn't have a house or family to run to. She didn't need Levi to explain it to her more in depth, it was hard to explain but somehow those words he spoke just felt right.

"I-...I-.."
The distressed woman kept frantically trying to find the words she wanted to speak, as she hung her head towards the ground in desperation. Tears started to come from her widened eyes, with the words Levi spoke still running in her head.
"I never... dated Erwin in high school?"

"No... we were together since your grade 10, and we got in the car accident when you were graduating grade 12"
"CAR ACCIDENT!? I was in a car crash!?"
Her eyes bulged out in fear, her voice raising above her normal level, her heart was in pain as a practical stranger was telling her she was in a car accident?
"Y-ye—"

"Chun-Hwa..."
The girl called out to, like an obedient dog had turned around on her heel instantly, seeing the blonde man.
"Erwin... please tell me none of this is true.."

All of his work done up until now, everything he said and acted upon made Erwin want to lie once again, although his Morals knew it was time to stop lying. After all he might still have a leap of trust left in Chun-Hwa.
"It's... true."

The young girl fell on to her knees, scratching them against the pavement, as she let out a screaming, deadly cry. She clasped onto her sweater in under her beige jacket, the fabric surrounding her heart in a fist, thumping it against her chest, desperately letting out loud wails in unison.

"Chun-hwa please... look at him for god sakes! He looks mentally ill! Like a school shooter! I couldn't bare to see you with him! I..."

Chun-Hwa glanced up at Erwin who stood, hovering over her, he seen her eyes filled with such resentment towards him, and he could tell, he wouldn't come back from this.
"I was... concerned for your safety, I thought he was going to hurt you if you ever tried to leave him.. everyone in that damn school said it!"

By now, Levi gave Erwin the same look, bending down into the ground where his ex was sitting on, carefully caressing her shoulder, reassuringly, Levi was afraid of making the wrong move.
"Everyone said that Levi would shoot up the school looking for you... we were all terrified for that day, when you two broke up."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU LIAR!"
Levi backed away from Chun-Hwa's trembling body, petrified at the defying remark she just made towards Erwin. Slowly, Levi looked up at where Chun-Hwa's glare was directed at, Erwin Smith's Face.

His face, screwed up in a ship wreck of pain, Levi took notice to. He felt like he should feel bad, for his former friend, though he felt relieved. Relieved to see Erwin experiencing the pain he felt when the doctors' had told Levi, Chun-Hwa passed away.

"Chun-Hwa ... let's talk this out at home, baby. There's no need for attracting this much attention in public."
As Erwin spoke so helplessly like a pleading child, Levi managed to help Chun-Hwa stand up off the ground. Though she leaned most of her body weight onto Levi's supporting hands, as her legs just could not carry themselves.

With whatever strength she could muster, sloppily she shook her hanging head, no.

"You can come back to my place, Chun-Hwa... you don't need to go home with a liar."
Already down in the dumps, Erwin's former friend's words, was just another jab to the heart.

Chun-Hwa fixed her head, glancing at one man, then the other on either side of her. In her heart, she knew she should've fixed this with Erwin, that's how he felt as well.

"Come on, Chun-Hwa, who cares if you dated him before me! You were together for two years, we've been together for 4, going on 5 years... our relationship is real for heaven's sake, Chun-Hwa! Let our love speak for itself."
"5 years based off a lie!"
"Chun-Hwa... if you don't wanna see me tonight that's fine... but please, I'm begging you, don't go with him... let me pay for a hotel for you..."
Erwin adjured his girlfriend, as the three stood out amongst the others in the park, the snow falling weather.

Erwin watched, as he could clearly see Chun-Hwa argue inside of her head on who she should side with.
Surely enough though, cautiously, she took small footsteps over to Levi, until eventually she practical ran into his arms, engulfing herself in his person. Defensively, Levi had turned her crying self away from Erwin, hiding her in the excess fabric of his coat.

"Chun—"
"Don't Erwin."
Levi said in his causal monotone voice, keeping his cold glare fixated upon Erwin's pitiful face.

"This won't be the end of you and her... she's just hurting right now, so let her be."
With that, Levi turned his back on Erwin, walking away to his car, leading Chun-Hwa close into his side.

The tall man stood in the place he hadn't left in the last 5 minutes, stunned.
Life around him, continued. As it always will.

Erwin Smith was heartbroken, he wanted to crawl up in a ball, and cry the hardest he ever done so in his life, but in the background, a woman had the best day of her, as she was getting proposed to.

In the car, Levi drove in dead-silence.
He kept his eyes on the road, as Chun-Hwa slumped in the passenger seat. She was nether crying or smiling, just numb as she watched the passing by lights move at a fast speed.
Subtly, Levi moved his hand onto Chun-Hwa's exposed thigh, passing glances to make sure his movement was okay. Nothing told him it wasn't okay, so he tightened his grip to a comforting strength.

Another few moments of quietness passed by, Levi had turned on his Bluetooth, searching through the songs. He found the one, making his lips tugs to a small smile, as he turned it up, placing his hand back on Chun-Hwa's warm leg.

"This used to be our song... we lost our virginities together while it play in my car."
Levi's lewd words made Chun-Hwa perk up ever so slightly, to see the song's title, she smile softy.

"I never did know much of my high school life... it was weird to me... when I ask Erwin, he simply said it was nothing."
"I was wondering why you believed me so easily... I guess there's been a lot of questioning blanks in your memory?
"Mhm..."

At Levi's small apartment, he sat on his bed, his back pressed against his wall, he scrolled aimlessly on social media covering the heated topic about the upcoming election. Chun-Hwa ended up stepping on a creaky floor board, alerting Levi's attention up at her. He hitched his breath, amazed at her beautiful self, standing there awkwardly, her hair wet as she had just gotten out of the shower.
Levi wanted to ask her where she felt most comfortable to sleep, offering to take the couch, though before he could, she snaked herself in under Levi's arms, laying her head on his chest, looking at his phone screen.

"Oh... that's John Williamsburg, Erwin hates him."
Chun-Hwa stated boordingly.
"Probably because he wants to tax the rich."

"Hey Levi?"
"Yes?"
"Those soaps you claim are from one nightstands... they're mine, aren't they?"

Levi sighed, shutting off his phone, entangling his hand in her wet hair.
"I... I couldn't throw anything of yours away... I even kept those dirty shoe boxes I hated that you insisted you kept."
Chun-Hwa softly giggled, soon after, falling asleep on Levi's chest.