You are my miracle

      Another working day has finally come to an end. Levi parked his car, stained with mud, near the block of flats, frowning as he was trying to get out of the car without wiping the dirty threshold with his pressed suit trousers. For the umpteenth time, Levi regretted having bought a black car. It seemed dirty at any time of the year. In summer it was covered with grey dust, in autumn or spring with wet ground shit-looking mud. Only sometimes, when it was freezing outside, the car was able to meet his standards of cleanliness. In the morning Levi was going to take it to a car wash, to make it look at least presentable, but as soon as he drove out, he was caught in the nasty shower, which never ended even until now. It wasn’t as obvious as in the morning, but to go to the car wash would be a waste of time and money. Levi would have not been able to drive home with the car staying clean. Annoyed and exasperated, Ackerman quickly slid to the staircase, walking up to the flat.       With every day the weather gradually worsened. The leaden sky was heavy, as if it would fall down on your head. The wind fluttered the umbrellas of the people outside, shaking off the last remaining crisp leaves from the trees. Everywhere was bleak. The streets were looking untidy, dark cars were covered in mud, and people did not dare to wear pretty clothes at this time of year, scurrying about their business in the dark. Everything outside the embrace of the cozy apartment was depressing. The “charms” of the off-season in the metropolis could be seen from the window of a high-rise building, and even the presence of a park nearby did not brighten up the dull greyness of the urban landscape.       The first days of December have long passed, but there was no snow to be seen. There were Christmas decorations here and there in the city, but it was impossible to feel the atmosphere of the holiday. No wonder. It was above zero on the street, and one could only see the snow in advertising, and in the pictures of some New Year’s greetings cards. Heavy clouds brought hope about the upcoming snowfall, but the days followed each other, continuing to overhang the city with a pall of greys.       Levi was sitting in the brightness of his kitchen, observing the scenery outside the window. His mood was worse than ever. New Year’s season was his “favourite” at work. It was pretty intense to try and meet all the deadlines. And there was more to it — he would probably have to celebrate the holiday alone. Although on the other hand, maybe it wasn’t such a problem. Anyway, Levi, for quite a long time, hasn’t been in the mood to see anyone. Even Erwin was starting to get on Ackerman’s nerves with his fanatical optimism. In particular, unsolicited advice about Levi’s personal life. Hot tea distracted a little from routine thoughts, and Ackerman turned away from the window, in the darkness of which garlands and lanterns were already being lit.       It was already something around eight o’clock when Levi was mindlessly flipping through the news feed on social media, lying on the couch. Some other day he would have spent his free time reading, would have gone to the gym in a pinch, but today he was sick of all kinds of activity, and he just wanted this endless day to end as soon as possible. It was unlikely that tomorrow would be better, but you don’t notice the shitiness of the world around you while sleeping.       Suddenly, the phone vibrated in his hand. Smith’s name has shown on the screen. Levi reluctantly answered the call, not wanting to, wishing to just mute the sound and do nothing for the rest of the evening. But still, he turned on the speaker, hearing the muffled music. “Hanji and I dropped by a bar here, waiting for you for half an hour. If you don’t show up, we’ll roll over to your house,” Erwin said with a laugh, not even giving Levi time to get mad, immediately hanging off. A moment later, came the geolocation of the bar, and Ackerman realized that it was easier to obey. He’ll tell them to mind their business personally, otherwise, these lunatics will surely come to the apartment. And he has just done a thorough clean-up.       Having stretched his body with displeasure, Levi still got up from the sofa. He dressed himself up while checking the weather forecast. It was freezing outside and, what a surprise, there was a slight chance of snow. Ackerman, even without a weather forecast, could say that if there are clouds in the sky, and it is December according to the calendar, there is a slight chance that snow will fall. Sarcasm even with himself was on top today, but Levi still tried to put a nicer expression on his face, going out into the cold entrance. He could not drive on ice by car. He still hasn’t changed the tires.       It did get much colder outside. Puddles were covered with a thin crust of ice, which indicated only that one would have to walk carefully in the park. The tiles always started to feel slippery, and Levi’s shoes weren`t the most suitable for long winter walks, but it was a fifteen-minute walk to the bar, and today he felt, to be honest, too tired to go around the park by the long road. He didn’t want to go at all, strictly speaking.       Park pillars with carved lanterns and garlands have already been decorated with shiny garlands. Christmas decorations hung on rare Christmas trees, and even a specially brought-up forest beauty was already standing in the center of the park, ready for the celebration. However, in the surrounding mud, it looked somehow nondescript and out of place, despite the stylish design and bright lights of garlands. There was almost no one in the park. It was way too easy to understand — the weather was nasty, it was dark and cold. Who if not his crazy friends would want to get out on the street?       Not so far away from him, an elderly lady was walking with her dog, holding a plastic bag in her hands. For some reason, this picture pleased Levi — at least dog shit would not be added to the frozen ground, he thought. Somewhere far ahead, a girl was walking energetically towards him, but he didn’t pay much attention to her either. It was not like him to look at passers-by, and even now Ackerman was observing them only because they seemed to be his only companions.       Finally abstracting from the outside world, Levi tapped twice on the headphones dangling in his ears, turning on some random track. The music could brighten up this unpleasant walk and Ackerman calmly continued on his way, looking at the withered grass and evergreen bushes, somehow adding colors to the urban grayness.       The girl, whom he noticed from afar, had almost caught up with him when suddenly, the vicissitudes of the weather overtook her. Awkwardly stepping forward a couple of times, she swayed, unable to restrain herself, and with a loud “ah” fell right on the dirty sidewalk.       Ackerman slightly chuckled. Well, at least something brightened up his unpleasant walk. She fell very funny, causing Levi to smile. He had already stepped past, following the stranger still sitting on the ground with his gaze, but a sudden pang of conscience disturbed him, and, with a sigh, he turned back, realizing that even with such a vile mood, he simply could leave without helping.       Levi stepped back before he could completely get out of her sight and, coming closer, pulled out one of his headphones, immediately stuffing it into his pocket, and stretched out his hand, offering help.       Suddenly, as if by magic, snow began to fall. Ackerman wanted to look up into the leaden overhanging sky, meeting such a long-awaited event, but the sparkling snowflakes suddenly faded into the background.       Large fluffy flakes slowly settled on the grey, dirty sidewalks, twisted branches of bare trees and yellowish, long-rotted grass. The city has suddenly brightened. Levi remained standing with his hand outstretched, slightly leaning forward, and could not take his eyes off the stranger sitting on the ground. He felt the muscles on his own face relax, changing from a displeased expression to a calm and even surprised one. The snow, which a minute ago seemed like a slow stream of soft flakes, now quickly covered the blackness of the park with a white sparkling blanket, settling on an almost snow-white young face with her pretty cheeks pinkish from frost, tangling in black hair and fluffy eyelashes, immediately turning into shiny droplets of water. Her eyes were the color of the sky before a thunderstorm, reflecting the twinkling lights of Christmas garlands, and her dissatisfied gaze boldly rested directly on his face. Neat scarlet lips pouted, as if Levi had already managed to annoy her with something. And yet for him, the sight of the girl seemed to be something unexpectedly beautiful, standing out sharply against the background of a dull urban landscape and a sudden heavy snowfall. The wind slightly ruffled her knitted red scarf which, apparently, did not protect her much from the cold. She shivered, burying her nose in it, and spoke discontentedly:       “It’s impolite to laugh at a girl, you could’ve helped”, her voice, despite the irritation, sounded soft and melodious, even more pleasant than the music that was still playing in the only earpiece, and Levi did not even dare to breathe, for fear of scaring off this view. But she was already getting up from her seat with displeasure, trying to push her body with her hand. The snowfall did not help to make ice less slippery at all and the girl, slipping on the tile with her palm, sat down again.       Ackerman couldn’t help himself and smiled.       “Who am I holding out my hand for”, he asked mockingly, waiting for the girl to grab onto his palm, pulling her up. Her feet immediately slipped again, but Levi helped her to stay on the ground, holding her by the waist.       “Thanks”, she muttered, immediately starting to wipe the dirt off her hopelessly stained light coat. The snow has only made the mud wet, blurring it on the fabric with streaks. The girl sighed with displeasure, clearly upset that she would have to walk with such a stain, and Ackerman blurted out before he even had time to think:       “I live here nearby, let’s try to wash the dirt off before it dries up?”       If both of his hands weren’t busy with the girl right now, he would definitely slap himself in the face from the stupidity of the offer. But, to his great surprise, she took a fast glance at the watch on her wrist, then looked sternly at him and nodded.       “I would be nice,” she said confidently, agreeing to the offer. The man clearly didn’t look like a maniac. An expensive coat and headphones of a famous brand made a good impression on her and he seemed handsome, even though he looked at her as if he saw a woman for the first time. Even if he wasn’t the one to blame for her fall, for some reason his smirk and condescension made her want to receive at least such an apology.

***

      “Erwin, I’ll come later, I’ve got a bit of a situation in here”, Ackerman quickly spoke into the phone as soon as the couple left the park and stepped onto a much less slippery surface. Levi immediately hung off the call, not wanting to listen to “friendly” accusations that he “d”umped them again”, and pointed to his entrance, releasing the girl’s hand, which was still clinging to him.       Already being inside the apartment, she didn’t feel so confident. The coat was hanging on the dryer with a heater under it. The stain was still very noticeable, but she would do something with this herself. There was no more stuck debris, leaves, and branches on it, and it was already good enough. She warmed her cold fingers on a warm cup of flavorful, hot tea, looking at a pretty bright apartment.       “Sorry for all that fuss,” she said much less boldly when the man, having prepared a drink for himself, sat down in front of her. In the bright light, she saw that he was clearly older than she had thought in the dim light of the lanterns, but still handsome, and she felt her cheeks turn red every time he dropped an interested look at her. The bluish irises were carefully watching her every move, but for some reason, it didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. The man kept his distance and was quite courteous.       “That’s okay I’ve had a shitty day too”, Levi replied with a slight smile. It wasn’t so shitty now when a beautiful stranger was sitting on the other side of the table, embarrassed by the intrusion into someone else’s house. It seemed that she was clearly no older than twenty, probably a student, and Ackerman suddenly wanted to know more about her before the coat dried out and she would disappear as quickly as she came here.       The conversation somehow wasn’t flowing. Levi hadn’t even bothered to ask her name, and now it was a little awkward to do. He was already leaning forward slightly, intending to reveal this secret, but accidentally met the girl’s gaze. Suddenly, the urban greyness, the leadenness of heavy clouds, the cracked concrete of the sidewalks — everything at once transformed, merging into the image of the color of her incredibly beautiful eyes. A soft smile touched her lips, and before Levi could do anything, the stranger spoke:       — I`m Mikasa by the way…

***

      “What are you thinking about?” Mikasa gently put her hand on the shoulder of a man looking out the window at the raging blizzard. He gently took her palm in his, softly touching her warm fingers with his lips, feeling the metal rim of the ring with his own hand. Almost a year has passed since that day, but until now the snowfall brought back pleasant memories.       “Nothing”, he answered vaguely, looking away. He certainly didn’t want to admit him being sentimental over such things.       Levi recalled how on that evening Erwin and Hanji still showed up to his so-called “New Year’s Eve corporate party” unceremoniously, not even bothering to warn him, completely embarrassing his guest. Ackerman had to fend off silly jokes about a secret affair for a long time, although there was nothing at all. At least on that exact day.       Mikasa herself showed perseverance, taking the first step towards him, offering to celebrate the New Year together. Levi did not have time to blink, as he realized that he could no longer imagine his life without this brazen person who turned his whole world upside down. She burst into his life as unexpectedly as that first snow and firmly got into his heart.       Mikasa walked around the chair on the other side, childishly climbing into the man’s lap, tremulously kissing him on the lips. He eagerly wrapped his arms around her, hugging tightly, enjoying the closeness. Until that evening, Ackerman had never believed in New Year’s fairy tales.       “You are my miracle”, he whispered softly, not planning to let her out of his arms.