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Ever since being a child, Hange has been a dreamer. She dreams of the universe, of theories and adventures, of the millions of possibilities around her—there are just so many things to learn and discover! More so, she dreams about the future, which foundations are right in front of her in the form of the people she loves the most, at four years old.
Her mother—a tall woman with dark hair and thick frame glasses—spreads mayonnaise on the bread with a knife. She stretches her arm to Hange’s father—a slim man with brown hair and the same type of glasses shared by the whole family—who, without diverting his attention from the roasting sausages, hands her the mustard.
Hange looks at them, amazed by their non-verbal communication, by the harmony in which they coexist, by the consonance of their minds.
“They have always been such a great team,” says her aunt, who like her, is watching the couple.
More than a mere team, it’s as if they were flowing together in the same melody, just the two of them in their own world.
She wants that.
She wants that, so, so bad. If her mother is right—and she tends to be—Hange will get it, someday. Therefore, between explorations and experiments, she also imagines that long-awaited future. Actually, she has it completely figured out, by the time she turns five.
It goes like this: She’ll attend school, and will meet her best friend, who can come as one or two individuals (that detail is blurred, still). Later, in high school, she’ll meet a nice person. He—or she, her mother says she’ll know by then—is going to be a scientist, tall, and… what is the word her mother uses to describe her father at that time? Oh, right. He’s going to be charming.
For her part, Hange will be a great scientist, probably in the biology field (nature has so many layers that she can’t wait to uncover them all!) When that is achieved, she’ll marry the aforementioned person, will buy a pretty house she could call home, and the time to build a family will come.
Hange doesn’t question her plan, nor the fact that it resembles—or better said, mirrors—her parent’s path in so many ways. It’s her ideal life, one for which she’ll fight through thick and thin to get.
Picture her satisfaction, when the first part of her dream-life comes true, one day at six years old. Her name is Nanaba, and she instantly becomes Hange’s desired best friend. Nana is nice, funny, and clever. Hange loves her to no end.
Then, at seven years old, she meets him.
He literally falls from the sky.
She’s walking by the side of her school building, absorbed in a book on the way home, when she hears an AHHH! and glances up.
He lands on her, knocking her down.
“Ouch!” she moans, rubbing her head with the boy still lying on her. Her butt is sore, and burning fills her arms and legs’ skin, where she scraped on the asphalt.
He—a pale boy with dark hair and mesmerizing silver eyes—lifts his head and darts away from her, arms covered in bruises. His features don’t give away any expression or feeling, but there’s an apology in his eyes.
“Emm… sorry.” With eyebrows lowering together, he examines the starting point of his fall: a window with three children scoffing.
“They threw you out?!” She asks, gaping. The boy is silent. Hange stands up and thrusts a fist up. “You, monsters! If I see you bothering him again, I’ll kill you!” She yells it which such an energy that the boys completely believe her, and they scurry inside, scared. It was a more effective thread than, say, telling them she’d call their parents.
“I didn’t need help.”
“Your welcome.” She offers him a hand. He looks at it for a few seconds before taking it. The boy raises and dusts off his pants.
She knows it, the second their eyes meet. He’s more than just another person. It feels strange, but natural at the same time; as if a thread united their spirits forever, in that very instant. A click.
There’s no doubt inside of her of the meaning behind it. A smile widens on her face.
Here you are, another best friend! Everything is still going as she planned, and is wonderful. Of course, how didn’t she see it before? What else could he be, arriving into her life in that peculiar way? Hange never expected him like this, but it’s beyond fantastic.
“What’s your name?” She asks, controlling her arms from hugging him in elation.
His face paints reddish, and his gaze lowers. Could he have felt the same way she did? Could he already know they’re destined to be best friends for life? Maybe it’s just the remnant of the fall.
“Levi.”
“Levi,” the name tastes as her favorite sweet lolly-pop to her mouth. “I’m Hange! I think we’ll be best friends forever.”
Weirdly, or not so much—as she’s been right on her wildest assumptions—she’s correct. Since that day, Levi and Hange become inseparable friends.
They play together, every day. He follows her insane ideas and laughs the most—or, at all—when she’s around. She learns the micro-expressions of her grumpy friend and understands the complexities of his behavior—the kindness hiding within. Their bodies are lighter when they share each other’s company, and she feels included and calmer.
Life is good.
She only needs to find her soulmate in high school, and it will all go as it’s supposed to.
***
Hange also knows it, the moment her sight lands on him.
At sixteen years old, she’s a sophomore with little to no patience left. Fortunately, he arrives as expected. The room closes up on her as she takes on his thin-framed glasses and blonde hair. A dim and illuminated aura surrounds him, making him spark. He stands tall in the middle of the classroom.
“I’m Zeke Yeager,” he declares with shoulders back and chest out.
Is this it?
In the seat in front of her, Levi turns around and places a bottle of her favorite milk chocolate on her desk. “Here. You didn’t have breakfast.”
She nods, absentminded, lost in the view of the new student getting introduced. Thousands of prospects featuring them dance through her eyes. Their wedding, their house, their children…
“Four-eyes.”
She tears her gaze off Zeke and, finally, focuses on her friend. “What?”
Levi frowns and shakes his head, turning his back to her. Nana elbows her.
“Is him, yes?” Nana asks, raising an eyebrow.
Hange smiles knowingly. “He is.”
It turns out, Zeke is what she wanted, and more.
That precise day, they go to biology class at the lab, and—as the best student in that area—Hange gets partnered with Zeke, to guide him through the lesson.
“No, no. Hange.” He articulates her name in a low and smoky way. Hange feels her limbs melting by that sound alone. “It’ll be faster if you take the beaker this way…” Zeke places his hand on hers, re-accommodating her fingers. A wave of heat begins where their hands touch and climbs up to her face.
She giggles. “Thanks.”
CRASH.
The entire class turns to the right, where Levi stands stiff, left hand frozen in the air as if holding something. Glass pieces are scattered on the floor.
“Ackerman!” scolds the teacher from the front. “I said, take them with care!”
Levi purses his lips and nods. “I’ll clean.” He leaves the laboratory, head down.
Hange puts the beaker down on the table and chases after him, outside.
“Levi!” She calls when she reaches him in the hallway. “What happened?”
He doesn’t turn around. “Nothing.”
She faces him and takes his hands on hers, moving them up and down while inspecting them for a scratch. “You have to take care…”
He winces and withdraws his hands from her hold, gaze on the floor.
“What’s up between you and the new guy?”
“What do you mean?”
“…”
“Oh, Zeke?” She asks and smiles. “He’s him.”
His head jerks up. “Him?”
“The one I was supposed to meet! The love of my life, my destined partner, those kinds of terms.”
Levi takes a step back, scowling. “What kind of bullshit is that?”
“I told you I would meet him in high school! You’ve seen my parents, they’re perfect for each other. That’s what Zeke is going to be, for me.”
He rubs his eyes and grits his teeth. “We were like, seven years old, shitty glasses.” She looks at him, not understanding his point. “That’s stup—” He sighs and closes his eyes. His brows turn heavy. “Whatever. You always do what you want.”
Levi stomps off. Hange looks at his back while a knot tightens her stomach. She shakes her head and decides to ignore whatever she’s feeling. Maybe she ate something wrong at lunch. She comes back to the class to talk a little more with her future husband.
But, if for a breath she questioned whether Zeke was truly her meant to be, she forgets it pretty quickly. You see, it isn’t only she who believes so, but everyone else, too.
In the following year, Zeke proves to be a great scientist, as the second smartest in school—after herself—, and beyond popular. Handsome. Charming.
So, she lets the subject rest. They’re fated, and everything is as it should. Hange ignores the feeling of dread that encroaches her chest every time she’s talking with Zeke and Levi is around; because otherwise, everything is fine.
***
It’s almost the end of the school day, and Levi is sitting at her right in the classroom, engrossed in a tea’s encyclopedia. She, for her part, is writing like mad the contents of her brain, before she forgets the amazing ideas she just had.
These minutes, where they only sit together in a comfortable silence, are a constant in their daily routine. They fill Hange with peace, help her to focus, and… she just gets happier afterward. They’re her favorite time, of every single day.
Nana storms into the classroom and crashes against a desk. “You…” she pants, “… won’t believe this.”
Levi arches a brow. “She believed you when you said you saw a two-headed dog.”
Nana gives him a dismissive wave off and erects her spine. “Zeke… Yelena asked Zeke out on a date for today.” She leans in. “And he said yes.”
Hange’s pencil falls from her hand to the table. It lands with a tap, along with her heart.
Levi puts down his book and sees her out of the corner of his eye.
“Breathe.” He orders.
She inhales and breathes out speaking. “This ain’t happening.”
They’re soulmates—supposed to get together at the end of high school, in one more year. Since he arrived, they’ve worked together on numerous projects, have shared ideas, got to know each other better. They’re friends—not as much as she and Levi, or she and Nana are, but buddies still.
Hange doesn’t understand.
“I don’t understand.”
“I think…” Nana says, a finger tapping her mouth. “… that he wanted you to make a move. You’re perfect for each other! Compatible at exceeding limit level, everyone knows that.”
Levi stirs, next to her. “I… I kind of agree. He probably wanted that.”
Hange sinks her head on the smooth table, between her arms. She stands up, out of the blue.
“I need air.”
She flees the building and strolls through the school ground, not even getting excited by the trees above her, nor the shrubbery, flowers, and grass close to her feet.
Steps resound behind her.
“You forgot this.” Levi hands her Hange’s purple bag, full of pins that she considers funny. She takes it and keeps her hike. He adjusts his step and follows her slow pace.
They walk side by side until the sky paints pink, and then dark; until the school ground ends and her legs feel like jelly. She throws herself to the grass and stares at the greatness of the night. Her arms and legs spread open, and she relaxes. Levi lies beside her, arms folded.
“Thanks for coming,” she says. “But, didn’t you have training? You have a competition the day after tomorrow, don’t you?”
“I needed a break; the coach would agree.” A pause. “I—I’m here.” He clears his throat. “For you, I mean. Always—I mean, if you want to cry or… something.”
Something rolls on Hange’s stomach, overflowing her with bliss. She puts her hand onto his cold and silky one, and it turns to hold hers, squeezing.
“I… just want to rest.” Here. With you. Forever. She suddenly turns too cold. What is she thinking? She whips out her hand from his hold.
After a silence that makes her want to run away, Levi says. “You’ll plan something in the morning.”
“How do you know I’ll have a solution?”
“You’re Hange. That’s what makes you… you.” He says softly with affection, something she’s never heard from him before. It traps her breath in her lungs. “You achieve whatever you put your mind into.”
She moves closer to him and lays her head on his shoulder. “I didn’t finish my homework.”
“We can finish it tomorrow, before class.”
She yawns. “Okay…”
His hand caresses her hair, sketching figures on her head with his fingers. It provokes little tingles on her skin, and a soothing sensation engulfs her.
Yes, she thinks. Everything will be alright. She just feels it.
Hange cuddles closer to him, his warmth enveloping her, and her forehead touches his jaw.
“Levi?”
“Mmm?”
He’s drawing angel’s wings on her head—that, or butterflies? It could be flowers cut in half.
“Do you agree with Nana? That Zeke and I are… the most compatible together.” Levi stays still. She rolls to face him, setting her chin on his chest, arm on his abdomen. “We don’t lie to each other, Levi.”
He drops his gaze… to her chin? She can’t tell. Her heart beats faster and faster, and her mouth gets dry. She licks her lips and sees him swallow. His shadowed gaze returns to her eyes.
“I think…” he says, hoarsely, “that you wanted to find someone like him since little. He’s what you always dreamed of. And,” his eyes pierce her and she can't take hers off, as if his were a magnet and hers a metal, “you deserve your dreams to come true.”
He draws away and stands up. She stays on the ground, fidgeting with the grass. “Haha. You get me.”
“Yes.” He stares up at the sky. “I do.” He offers her his hand. “Let’s go.”
Hange takes it and jumps to her feet. His breath mixes with hers for their closeness, so much that his hair ruffles by her exhalations. She starts breathing faster, wrapped in his scent. Abruptly, she leans back and turns around to take a deep breath of fresh air, away from his overwhelming presence.
She takes her bag and hangs it on her shoulder. “Your mom must be worried. Hurry.”
***
Levi is for sure her best friend. He brought her a bottle of milk chocolate because he thought she’d be down today. Strangely, she isn’t.
Yelena sits on Zeke’s table, smiling and talking with him. Hange feels nothing but a pinch of wrongness, like every time an experiment goes in a way she can’t control. She hates that feeling, but she’s never able to stop its boost.
“This year’s class’s yearbook is out!” yells Oluo from the doorway. He lifts a blue book with both hands above his head.
The class’s yearbook is a tradition. It’s made by—and for—students. It showcases their daily life and awards people for the weirdest things. Last year, for example, Hange was awarded for “not-burning-down-the-lab”. Sadly, she won’t get that one, this time.
Nana takes the book and leafs through its pages. The entire class huddle around, peeking over her shoulder.
“Oh, Petra! You got awarded for the best dressed!” Nana smiles.
Petra rolls, pointing at her yellow dress, and bows. “Thanks, thanks.”
Levi nears Hange and sits on the table alongside her.
“Levi. You’re the best athlete, again.”
He shrugs, not a change in his neutral demeanor.
“Look!” Nana points a page. “Hange, you and Levi are the best friend friendship! That’s unfair, what about me?” Mike, her boyfriend, pats her back.
Hange picks up the book and sees the displayed photo. She doesn’t remember the moment it captured. It’s her, laughing out loud in the cafeteria, while Levi looks at her with a little smile on his mouth.
“You look cute,” Hange tells him.
He wrinkles his nose. “I’m not cute.” But he puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes.
They look… happy, as if caught in their own universe. Even when she can’t tell the day, she can easily recall what her feelings were. She feels them constantly, after all.
Nana takes the book back and keeps turning the pages. “Oh.”
“What?” asks Petra.
“Hange… you and Zeke won for the best couple!”
Hange’s heart stops. Levi’s grip on her shoulder tightens.
“Oh wow! Guys…thanks, but we aren’t a couple—”
Zeke advances to the center and pulls her arm to his body. Then, he puts an arm around her shoulder, a heavy and crushing weight. Her gaze wanders from face to face. She hates being the center of this kind of attention.
“It’s an honor to be awarded by all of you. Of course, we are the perfect match.”
Zeke smacks a kiss on her mouth. Loudly.
Thundering claps are the only sound on her ears, but she doesn’t see much. Her mouth hurts by the impact.
“What’s all this noise?!” The teacher shouts, coming into the classroom. He places his suitcase on the table. “Everyone, to your places!”
The crowd disperses. Hange comes back to her seat, and Zeke follows her tail. When she sits, he sits next to her.
Levi stands beside them. “That’s my place.”
“Just let me here for an hour. I promise I’ll return her unwounded.” Zeke winks at him.
Levi frowns and looks at her with a question. She nods, and he sits on Zeke’s usual chair.
“If the teacher notices, you’ll lose a point,” Hange whispers.
“Never mind.” He leans back in his seat with a smirk.
“Aren’t you with… Yelena?”
“Oh, no. That was yesterday. We went out and it was fine but… don’t you see it? We can be the star couple of this class!” He throws up his arms. “Even the entire school’s! You and I,” he says, face closer, “belong together.”
His words echo in her ears, and she looks down at the yearbook that ended up on her table. She opens it where there’s a photo of herself, deep in research, and Zeke, smiling at the camera.
Right. We do.
She blinks and sees her parents on the paper, smiling at each other over dinner. So perfect, so connected. So in love.
***
Later that day, they go to their chemistry class.
The lab is wide, and bright—with white and blue tiles reflecting the metal of the tables. Hange cracks her knuckles. They’re trying to make the solution the teacher explained a minute ago.
She stretches her arm, and Levi puts a small beaker on her hand without a word. She pours the liquid into a bigger beaker and stretches her hand again. He puts another one.
After a few minutes, she watches their creation, a white mixture that supposedly works as a disinfectant.
“Amazingly done, Zoe, Ackerman,” says Professor Shadis, while inspecting through the tables.
She looks at the liquid, proudly. Ever since she’s lab partners with Levi, months ago (because she fought with Zeke for… intellectual differences—he claimed they had to wait only five minutes for the mix to be ready, when she said ten were needed—and the professor split them), they’ve raised their grades. (Even soulmates have their arguments, and maybe taking her work far from Zeke was a good thing).
Hange can’t deny this is much better. She and Levi can communicate without a sound, and they act as synced; they finish before everyone else, and always get an A+.
Professor Shadis reaches Oluo and Petra’s table and jumps back when foam starts squirting from their beaker.
“Look at Shadis,” Hange mumbles to Levi’s ear, “He’s going to faint!”
“He looks as if he just shitted himself.”
Hange laughs out loud, and Levi laughs a little with her. The thrill of his laugh washes her and makes her drunk. She can’t help but laugh louder; it’s always a success when she hears his uncovered happiness.
“Ackerman, Zoe. I know you’re done, but for respect to your classmates, refrain from being loud.”
Hange makes the signal of closing her mouth with a zipper and Levi smiles at her.
Nifa appears out of nowhere and crouches next to Hange. “I heard you and Zeke are going out tomorrow! On a date! Is that true?”
The smile falls from Hange and Levi’s faces.
“Ah… yes. He asked…”
“That’s phenomenal! Congrats!” Nifa hugs her and leaves.
Hange avoids Levi’s gaze and scratches her neck.
“I—I know it’s your competition and we always celebrate afterward with you but… I swear I’ll be there, I’ll only go with Zeke later, and we can cele—”
“It’s fine.” Levi pulls out a book from his bag. “It doesn’t matter.”
She tries to catch his eyes, but he purposely evades her.
Hange can’t shake the uneasiness from her, all day.
***
“Mom, I’m home!”
Hange drops her bag on the floor and throws herself at the sofa, face down.
“Oh, great. Now I have two drained geniuses.”
Hange cocks her head up. “Dad is home?”
Her mother sits on the couch with a cup of coffee in her hands that emanates a sweet aroma.
“Dead on the bedroom.” Her mother takes a sip.
“That sounds so good…” She buries her face onto the sofa.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… actually, I have exciting news.” She pushes herself up and sits. Speaks dreary. “I have a date tomorrow with who could be the love of my life.”
“And why aren’t you happy? Did Levi asked it the wrong way or—?”
Hange gasps. “Levi?! No, not Levi. I’m talking about Zeke, mom. And I’m thrilled, thank you very much,” she declares, ebullient.
Her mother’s hand flies to her mouth while coughing. “Who?”
“Zeke! My soulmate.”
“The boy who you got into a fight with? Who said you were wrong on your investigation and he was right, when in fact, you were correct all the time?”
Hange shrugs. “Soulmates have disagreements. You and dad fight, sometimes.”
“Okay, darling. It’s true. But what makes you think he’s your soulmate, precisely?”
“He’s smart, handsome, and charming. I met him just when I was supposed to meet him, and we are perfect for each other.” Hange feels like reciting from a textbook, and the feeling makes her shift on her seat.
“I see,” her mother says with a thoughtful expression. “How did you know when you were supposed to meet him?”
“That’s… that’s when you and dad fell in love, isn’t it?”
Her mother sets the cup down on the table between them.
“Hange. Our history doesn’t have to be yours.”
“I just want what you have.” Hange scrunches herself over the sofa.
Her mom’s eyes soften. “You can have it—but, how can I say it? Love is a miracle, to find your soulmate—or more than one—is a miracle. And miracles don’t happen the same way, twice. Everyone has their own way, babe.”
Hange jumps to her feet and paces from left to right. “I know, but I made a plan, and it has gone just as I stated!”
“Fine.” Her mother leans back, crossing her arms. “Just keep in mind that no one is completely perfect for another. No one is perfect, for that matter. When we were younger, everyone said I was perfect for your uncle Erwin, but see me and your father, now. If I hadn’t followed my heart, you wouldn’t be here, and that would be the greatest tragedy ever.”
“Did someone said Erwin? Is he coming with Mary?” Hange’s father says from the stairs, rubbing his eyes in the middle of a yawn. His hair stands up in a mess, pretty much as Hange’s at every wake up.
Hers mom smiles, love in her eyes. “They’ll come on Sunday. I was telling our daughter that sometimes things go in unexpected ways.”
Hange kicks the floor. “But I have a theory that—”
“Theories are important!” Her father makes his way to the couch and drops himself next to her mom, hugging her shoulders with an arm.
“Feelings are stronger than any fact.” Her mother affirms.
“Well,” her father tilts his head to the side. “That’s true, listen to your mother. She’s kept us alive all this time.” He looks around. “Where are my glasses? Anyway, adding to that, as much as we hate it, life doesn’t go straight as our job. Us, humans, are unpredictable, and no one will feel or do as the rule.”
Hange sighs, their words stumbling into his head and leaving a disaster behind. “Yeah… thanks mom, dad. I’ll think about it.” Hange hurries to the stairs. She wants to go to the safety of her room as soon as possible.
“I only ask for that,” her mother says. “And, by the way, how’s Levi today?” Hange stops mid-step.
“Oh yeah, he always comes on Fridays!” Her father looks for him around. “Is he here but my blindness hides him from me? Levi, get off your swimsuit, and let’s play Mario!”
“He… he said he had something to do today,” Hange mutters, shoulders hunching.
“Well… we can have a movie marathon later, by ourselves, then.”
***
Levi doesn’t glance at her while he prepares for the race, not even once. He always looks at her and smiles at the sight of her cheers.
“Go, Leviiii!” She yells, standing on the bleachers and waving a handmade sign with her hands. Yesterday, she spent all her afternoon making it, and she can proudly say that it’s her best one. There’s even a little drawing of Levi swimming among fishes into the O’s hole of Go Levi!
Levi’s focused on the pool while putting on the goggles, pale skin shining with the water of his warm-up. He’s wearing a pair of black swim jammers and a cap on his head, as the swimmers from other schools do.
They settle on starting position at the platform, on the edge of the pool.
“Take your marks,” commands the Starter. He lifts the pistol and… shoots.
The swimmers dive into the water and start swimming. Levi is at the top but another one swims faster. Hange’s nails dig into the skin of Nana’s arm.
“Ow! Calm down, he’ll win,” says Nana, rubbing her arm. Levi reaches the other side first and propels himself back. “Next time, I’ll remember to bring a long sleeve.”
Levi is reaching the finish line…. and arrives first at the touchpad.
“YESS!” Hange jumps and claps. She doesn’t think it twice: she runs down the bleachers, towards him. Levi’s taking the goggles off when she jump-hugs him, not caring how much she’s wetting her clothes. He hugs her back, but only for a pair of seconds.
“You’re ruining the outfit for your date,” he tells her, distancing himself from her.
“I knew you’d win.” She tells him, smiling. He leaves to get dry and change.
When he comes back, Nana turns up with Mike at her right.
“Congrats!” Nana hugs Levi, and glimpses at the door. “Hans, your man is here. So, time for our exit.” She takes Mike’s hand and waves goodbye. “Good luck!”
Hange and Levi walk to the door, where Zeke waits, leaning on the door frame with hands in his pants’ pockets. Instead of paying Zeke any attention, she turns to Levi.
“I swear, we’ll celebrate this tomorrow.”
Levi only nods. When he’s outside, he turns to leave, grasping the shoulder strap of his backpack. Passing Zeke—who stops mid-wave—Hange goes outside to see him walking by the road, a shrinking figure that gets smaller and smaller with every step farther he takes.
The view gives birth to dullness on her chest, followed by something else. It’s like a click, a belonging that pushes her forward, as never before.
“Ready?” asks Zeke at her back.
She shakes her head. “Actually…” Hange turns up her chin. “… I can’t do this.”
“This?”
“Us as a couple.”
Zeke grimaces. “Why? We’re soulmates, aren’t we? We look perfect together.”
That may be the case, but does it really matter how people see them, to her? How they look on the surface?
“I don’t think you like me very much, and I don’t think I like you very much—in the way everyone thinks, I mean.”
His gaze is pensive. “You’re right.”
Hange looks over her shoulder, but Levi’s out of sight.
“I’ll go now, then!” She runs away until she spots him around a corner, rounded by trees at the entrance of the park. “Leviiiii!”
He stops and turns, widening his eyes when she throws herself into his arms. He moves away, hands on her arms. “What are you doing here?”
“I told Zeke that I couldn’t go.”
Levi blinks and blinks. “Why? It’s your dream coming true.”
She puts her hands on his shoulders. “I realized… What matters is us, Levi.” His lips twitch. She scraps a hand through her hair. “I couldn’t see it before but—"
“Shut up.” Levi envelopes her in his arms and she sinks her face on his neck.
And in this day, in this place, and this hour, she feels the most secure, and happy. But it’s more than that. There isn’t any other place where she wished to be, but right here. She should have known it sooner, like when Levi was in his bitchy mood and she still wanted to be around him; when she had one of her scientific crises in the middle of a project and he was there to calm her down, to inspire her.
Hange raises her head and meets his mouth, and it’s soft and tender and everything she expected and more. Her entire body feels like flying, and she holds him closer, just wanting to be here forever. They know each other better than everyone else does, and they enjoy each other still. Her best friend. Her soulmate, perhaps—or maybe not. Who can tell for sure? The only thing she affirms is that she loves him with her whole heart and that the future seems brighter and spectacular with him by her side.
“Will you make a new life plan?”
She laughs. “I think I’ll let things happen for a little while.”
Just a little. The plan wasn’t that bad, really. Either way, it feels as if her dreams came true, even if it wasn’t how she expected them to unfold. Perhaps, even if it’s hard, it’s better to wait for the surprises and embrace them for what they are: an unparalleled part of life, one she wouldn’t have given up for anything. It has gifted him to her, and the best times ever.
At the other side of the park, Mike and Nana sit on a bench, looking at those two idiots.
Mike rubs his nose. “Hange and Levi, who would’ve thought?”
Nana shrugs and licks her chocolate ice cream. “How didn’t you see that coming? I always knew. They’re just too stubborn for their own good.”