Chapter 4

Happily Ever After?

One and a Half Years Later...

Elizabeva was listening to Roderich play his piano, as she read her book. This was Roderich's piano room, and it was her reading room. Elizabeva couldn't really explain how she fell in love with such a gentleman, compared to what she though she'd fall in love with. She expected a sports player, an athlete, a mechanic, or something along those lines. But no. She managed to fall in love with Roderich. Roderich's favorite song finished, and a new one began. Elizabeva couldn't keep track of all the song titles, but she remembered the composer. Ludwig Van Beethoven, thought Elizabeva.

The young Hungarian woman turned to the clock, it read 5:55 p.m. She closed her book and walked over to Roderich. Roderich opened his left eye as she approached, then slowed his song to a graceful stop. "Hmm?" He asked.

"We need to get ready," Elizabeva instructed.

"For what?"

"Feliks, Toris, Lovino and Feliciano will be here in thirty-five minutes," Reminded Elizabeva.

"And?" Roderich questioned.

"Get ready!"

"I am," Roderich replied. "I cannot play the piano, in sleep clothes. You know this."

"Then why am I still surprised?" Asked Elizabeva, shaking her head and rubbing her temples. "I'm going to get ready then. Sorry to disturb your piano music."

"It's okay, Elizabeva. I really should go down into the living room anyway," Roderich replied.

.

Roderich was actually nervous to meet this Toris man. He had heard that he and Feliks were pretty close, but still. But Roderich sat on his love seat in the living room, reading his book and waiting for their guests to arrive. As Roderich read, he was humming his favorite song from Frederic Chopin, and tapped the back of his book with his fingers. Roderich glanced up at he clock, stood, walked across the room, and opened the door, letting the warm breeze travel into his house through the screen door. Roderich went into the kitchen and got himself glass of water, with pieces of ice floating in it. He sipped at the glass of water as he read his book.

Outside, Roderich heard the sounds of a car engine rumbling through the streets like a cats purr. He glanced out the screen door and saw a familiar car sitting in his driveway. He heard Lovino's angry voice yell swiftly in Italian towards his twin brother. Roderich just sighed. Lovino and Feliciano appeared at the door.

"Just come in, it's unlocked." Roderich instructed.

Feliciano ran full speed towards Roderich and wrapped him in a hug. "Roderich! It's been too long! How's everything? Oh! Where's Elizabeva? Is she here? Where is her family? I want to meet her friend Toris! I wonder when he'll be here! Do you know when he will be here? Have you seen-"

"Hey, idiot! Stop with the questions for five damn seconds!" Lovino growled. He sighed, looked at Roderich and asked, "So, how's the marriage going?"

"Great!" Elizabeva said from the kitchen.

"That's good." Lovino replied with a slow and awkward nod.

"How'd you like the surprise?" Felicaino asked, breaking the short silence.

"The surprise? Oh, you mean the piano!"

"He must play it five times a day," Elizabeva explained from inside the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," Lovino replied.

"Don't be, I love hearing it." She said, walking out of the kitchen with a smile.

"Hey! Guess who!" Sang Feliks from outside the screen door, knocking slightly on it's metal.

"Feliks! Toris!" Exclaimed Elizabeva, running to the door and opening it quickly. She, Feliks and Toris all hugged each other. Roderich stood as Toris and Feliks entered the house. Toris is taller than Feliks, with long brown hair that just barely went passed his shoulders, and ocean blue eyes.

"It smells amazing in here! What ya cooking?" Feliks asked, smelling the air.

"It's just oven pizza." Elizabeva said, walking off into the kitchen. "But right now I am making cheesecake."

Feliks pumped his fists into the air, "Yes!" he sang, "I love cheesecake!" Toris chuckled, then held out his hand for Roderich to shake.

"I am Toris Laurinaitis," He explained with a smile.

Feliks leaned forward, and whispered, pointing at Toris with his right thumb, "He's my boyfriend."

"Okay, or just introduce me like that, whichever you prefer."

Roderich chuckled, "It's quite fine, Toris. Your decision is your decision."

"Thank you, Roderich." Toris said with a slight nod of his head.

"Dinner!" Elizabeva called from the kitchen. Feliciano stood, and sprinted across the hall, and into the dining room.

"PIZZA!" Feliciano yelled.

"He's such an idiot..." Lovino mumbled under his breath, shaking his head, and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Everyone followed Feliciano's example and filed into the dining room, and sat down to eat.

.

Hours passed, it was now within the hour of eleven. After dinner, Feliks decided to break out his vodka (that he brought). About four hours later, Felkis was completely drunk. Roderich was sipping on a beer, and listening to the drunken Feliks talk about random things that made no sense at all. Toris, sitting beside his drunken boyfriend, was only drinking water, but would occasionally lean over and take a sip off Feliks' vodka. Elizabeva was doing the same as Roderich, sipping on a beer and listening. Feliciano and Lovino were drinking wine.

"And then I was like, totally why not?" Feliks began laughing hysterically at the exaggerated memory, "So I just, like, jumped, ya know? Broke straight through the ice, and like, in the, like, freezing cold water!" Toris chuckled, but shook his head disapprovingly.

Roderich turned in his chair towards Toris, "So what's the real story?" He whispered.

Toris ran his fingers through his long brown hair, thinking about where to begin. "Most of the story is true, some of the dialogue is exaggerated, though. Anyway, our friend, Matthias, dared Feliks to jump into the frozen lake. And for some odd reason, Feliks did, but the ice did not break beneath his feet, but instead Feliks just slipped and landed on his butt."

Lovino began to laugh hysterically. "So, you're telling me that Feliks slipped and landed on his ass?" Lovino continued to laugh. Then he cut himself off and stared at his glass of wine in betrayal. "I think I've had enough for tonight..."

"This is weird." Feliciano chimed in, "You usually don't care if you get drunk."

Lovino glared at his twin. "I'm usually not at my friends house. I am not going to get drunk in front of Elizabeva... She doesn't need tot see that." Feliks laid his head on the table and sat there in silence.

"Why not?" Questioned Elizabeva with a slight smile.

Lovino turned to Elizabeva. "...I'm not a nice drunk..."

Elizabeva chuckeld with her hand over her mouth. "I'd bet."

"You're not nice now." Roderich mumbled so only Elizabeva could hear him. His Hungarian wife chuckled.

Feliciano looked over at Toris, his eyes filled with so many questions. "So, where did you meet Feliks? How did you-" Feliciano stopped himself from asking Toris too many questions at once. "Where'd you meet Feliks?" He said, repeating his first question.

Toris thought for a moment, smiled, then spoke. "My friend, Edaurd, invited me to this dance, where you dance with a stranger. Maybe he did it so I could get a girlfriend." Toris chuckled at the memory. "Anyway, I was dancing with this pretty woman, and this was a very, very fast moving dance. I was twirling her, and twirling her, then we had to turn around and dance with someone else for a split second. I turned back around and began dancing again, and just as the person leading the dance, which was me, was going to lean in for the kiss, I realized that Feliks stole me form her." Toris's smile was larger than it had been all night. "And do you know what Feliks said?"

"What? What did he say?" Feliciano exclaimed excitedly.

"'Do you want to dance again?' He asked me. 'I'll let you lead.'" Toris said, quoting Feliks exactly. The group around the table chuckled. "I didn't go back to that other woman, though." Toris explained with a smile on his face. Toris sighed happily, looking at Feliks, whose head was still on the table.

Feliks popped his head up quickly, and began singing loudly in Polish, slurring some of the words together. Toris shook his head, then began singing along.

Another hour passed after the Polish singing had ended, and Feliks had fallen asleep leaning his head on Toris's shoulder. Feliciano sat in his chair, half asleep himself.

Elizabeva was leaning on Roderich's shoulder. "I'm tired." She said. "Let's go and sleep."

"Sleep sounds good." Lovino cut in.

"Sì." Feliciano said.

"Feliks, wake up." Toris said, shaking Feliks softly. Feliks only moaned. "Wake up." Toris repeated. Feliks sat up from his leaning position on Toris. Toris stood, and helped Feliks stand. Toris helped Feliks walk to the guest bedroom.

Lovino left the dining room. "Goodnight." He said over his shoulder to Roderich and Elizabeva, then walked into the living room.

Feliciano followed him. "Buonanotte." He said, then disappeared into the living room.

Roderich and Elizabeva left the dining room, climbed the stairs, and went to bed.

Hand in hand.