Kapitel 3.
"Ve~ pasta~!" Feliciana was more cheerful and bubbly than usual. This was tenth time she was sprinting through the aisles humming 'pasta'. Ludwig had never imagined someone's contentment could immensely boost up just by surrounded by food. People were staring at Feliciana, and Ludwig as an extension. If their looks weren't so amenable, he would've left the store already.
"I love grocery stores!" Feliciana chirped. Ludwig just shook his head.
After more an hour of ranting and scolding, Ludwig remembered that he needed to buy some groceries. When he opened his apartment door, Feliciana latched onto his back and whined about how much she wanted to go out. Despite his desire to kick her out of his apartment, when Ludwig's eyes met Feliciana's he just nodded his head without thinking. I seriously need to learn how to resist that. He grunted. However, when Ludwig glanced at the paper bags he brought from mall, he concluded that Feliciana could some of those.
Indeed, one of the dresses and coat he bought fitted quite well with— Nein! What am I thinking! Ludwig blushed.
"Look at those tomatoes, Luddy! They look so fresh and pretty!" Feliciana squealed in excitement. "Ve~ you know, there are thousands of foods you can make with tomatoes!" She made a big circle in the air with her arms. Few people who were passing by chuckled.
"So I take it that you're favorite food is a tomato?" Ludwig asked. He got curious. Just a minute ago, Feliciana was so enthusiastic about pasta. However, the way her eyes shined made him to think the otherwise.
"Ve~ nope! Pasta is my favorite food! Tomato is actually my sister's—" Feliciana paused. The smile on her face slowly faded away. "Favorite…" Her cheerful atmosphere faded along with her smile.
Ludwig didn't like— he hated to see Feliciana like this. He thought he could do anything to see her smile again.
"You, um… wanna go out to the park? It's cloudy but the weather isn't bad." Ludwig suggested.
"Ve… I think I'd like to do that…" Feliciana mummered.
Sunday morning of the Central Park was very relaxing. The leafs showed that it was a middle of an October all too well. The beautiful scenery of the park was like a delicate painting. The colors of red, orange, yellow, brown, and occasional green flooded the park. Everyone was walking, jogging, sitting, sleeping, or playing. Among them, a cute girl with auburn hair and amber eyes was the most flamboyant. She was like a bunny hopping around a carrot farm. Her eyes shined with excitement and happiness. However, no matter how joyously she dashed around the park, the girl didn't leave the eyesight from a tall muscular man with sleek blonde hair and icy blue eyes, like she was told.
Feliciana clung onto Ludwig's arm tighter than ever. "Ve~ it feels so wonderful to be out in the park! Thank you for taking me out, Luddy!"
He didn't know the reason, but seeing Feliciana's smile again enlightened Ludwig. "You're very welcome, Feli. But please. Don't get too close to me." Ludwig slightly pushed her away from his arm. But of course, Feliciana didn't comply. He just sighed and let her cling on his arm.
Having Feliciana as his company as Ludwig was walking in the park was… bizarre. Not in a bad way, but it was unreservedly different from jogging the park alone. It even felt good if he was being honest. Every comments Feliciana made about how pretty the leaves are, how cute the squirrels are, or how bright the sky is gave Ludwig completely different view on how he usually saw the park. Ludwig concluded that he could enjoy the day.
"Ve~ Luddy, Luddy! Look at the man over there! He has such a cute puppy with him!" Feliciana gleefully pointed and squealed in happiness.
Ludwig glanced at the direction. There was a short asian man in beige jacket and scarf sitting on a bench with a dog leash on his hand. He was closing his eyes and enjoying the gentle breeze of autumn. Ludwig knew who the man was all too well. Even though Ludwig had nothing against the man; in fact, Ludwig was actually fond of the man. He just wanted to avoid the situation of greeting each other. Especially when he had Feliciana clinging onto his arm.
"Äh (Umm)… Feli? I don't think we should go and talk to that man." Feliciana was getting dragged as Ludwig turned his heels as quietly as possible.
"Ve? Why, Luddy?" Feliciana cocked her head. Even though Feliciana was getting dragged she kept her arms around Ludwig. She wondered why he wanted to avoid meeting the man and his dog.
Ludwig tried to think of a reasonable and believable excuse. "It's because—"
"Mr. Beilschmidt? Is that you?"
Too late. Scheiße (Shit). Ludwig groaned innerly. He was already aware that Lady Luck never stood his side not even once in his life but he was never accustomed to it. He tried his best not to show any discomforts and nodded at the Asian. "Guten Tag, Kiku."
"Konnichiwa, Mr. Beilschmidt." Kiku slowly bowed a greeting. "I am glad that our paths has crossed. Although, I must confess; I did not expect to see you here."
"Ja, I only go for a run in the morning. Well, except for today, apparently."
Kiku's fingers timidly fidgeted with his dog leash. "Oh… I had no idea. I wish I had known it sooner." Ludwig always considered Kiku impassive, but he caught slight sadness on his colleague's eyes.
It took few seconds, but it perceived Ludwig. Even though Kiku was the closest person he could call as a friend and he had voluntarily helped him on occasions whenever he received overwhelming amounts of works, Ludwig had never shared anything private with Kiku. every conversation they shared were completely work-related. In addition, Kiku had offered to buy dinner to Ludwig. He rejected every offer. Except Gilbert, in his whole twenty-five-years of life, no one had offered him a dinner or a drink.
Ludwig concluded one thing: he had no friends. He never had. His entire life in his workplace, his life in his college, his life in high school, in middle school, elementary school…
It was overwhelming. The incident had seriously destroyed Ludwig after all. He was broken into pieces.
Then Kiku's eyes met amber eyes. Whose owner was waving hello at his dog with one hand and clinging onto Ludwig's arm with the other hand. Kiku was surprised and curioused from the unexpected company of his colleague. He bowed gently to her. "Please excuse my manner. My name is Kiku Honda. I am a friend of Mr. Beilschmidt. It is my great honor to meet you, miss…"
Er ist mein Freund (He's my friend)? Ludwig was surprised. That was unexpected. Since he had always declined Kiku's offers, he thought Kiku wouldn't like him. However, the word came from Kiku almost made Ludwig smile. Just second Ludwig thought he didn't have any friends, but he had one the whole time.
Feliciana beamed. She was always overjoyed whenever she met new people. "Feliciana! But you can call me Feli like everyone else! I'm from—"
"ITALY!" Ludwig immediately spluttered, making Kiku and Feliciana to flinch. They both looked at him with surprise. Getting embarrassed, Ludwig cleared his throat to compensate his embarrassment and continued. "She's from Venice, Italy. Right, Feli?" He didn't even want to imagine how Kiku would reply or react once Feliciana said she came from Heaven. Just the thought itself made him shiver. Ludwig eyed her a message: Just say yes!
Feliciana understood Ludwig's desperate attempt. "Oh… oh! Sì! I am! I'm from Italy! Ciao, Kiku! Molto piacere di conoscerti (Very nice to meet you)! You have such a cute puppy! Can I pat him? Pretty please?" Her eyes sparkled.
Kiku nodded and handed his dog leash to Feliciana. He seemed pleased. "Ah, I see. Italy is such a beautiful country. If I may say, I am a huge fan of your country's art, music, and culture." Thankfully, Kiku didn't seem to be suspicious.
"Ve! Grazie, Kiku! You should go travel there some time! It's meraviglioso (wonderful)!" Feliciana chirped while patting Kiku's dog. "Does he have a name?"
Kiku smiled at the compliment. "It's Pochi."
Feli and Kiku seemed to get along quite well. Ludwig chuckled. It was flattering to see his friend and… Ludwig still didn't know what Feliciana was to him but it was good to see them getting along.
When Ludwig saw Feliciana knelt down and patted Kiku's dog, he reminded of his dogs and how he lost all of them from the incident. Indeed, the incident took far too many things from him.
"Well, I am very glad to see that Mr. Beilschmidt has someone besides him." Kiku smiled; he sincerely looked happy. "I felt bad because he always seemed lonely."
"Ey (Hey), what's that supposed to—" Ludwig protested but Kiku wasn't finished.
"Please excuse my interruption for your date."
Date!? Ludwig almost stumbled from Kiku's choice of word.
Kiku didn't notice Ludwig's shock. He just peacefully smiled. "I won't be bothering you anymore and I hope you both have a wonderful time. I'll see you at the work tomorrow, Mr. Beilschmidt… and it was my big honor meeting you, Feli." Kiku bowed.
Feliciana jumped into Kiku for a goodbye hug. "Ve~ goodbye, Kiku!" Kiku's blush infuriated. He shrieked and babbled some slurred Japanese words even Feliciana couldn't understand. He looked like he was about to pass out. Ludwig had never seen his colleague
"P—please! I'm really not used to being hugged, Feli." Kiku somehow managed to utter a complete sentence.
"Ve? But it's always good to hug, Kiku!"
Ludwig didn't know why but it made him incredibly uncomfortable; almost angry. He dramatically cleared his throat, but neither Feliciana nor Kiku had heard him. Before Ludwig could try it again, Feliciana let Kiku go and beamed. "Ve~ it was really really nice meeting you again, Kiku!"
"L—likewise, Feliciana…" Kiku shyly replied.
Feliciana gave Kiku his leash back. "Bye, Pochi~." She waved at the dog. The dog seemed delighted but it was as quiet as his owner. "Ciao! Arrivederci~" Feliciana happily waved at Kiku while he was stumbling after her affectionate expression.
Once Kiku finally disappeared from their sights Feliciana beamed and asked. "Oh, Luddy? What's a date?"
Ludwig didn't answer her question.
Date… do Feli and I look like we're dating? The thought circled around Ludwig's head repeatedly.
"V—ve…" Feliciana frowned. Suddenly, she looked very uncomfortable. She started to shiver. "Luddy… I… this feels so…" She panted and cupped between her legs. Few drops slipped between her fingers and trickled down on her thigh.
"It happens when you have to go to a restroom!" Ludwig bowled. His head jerked around to find a restroom. Ludwig didn't even imagine that not buying the underwears for Feliciana would put him in this horrible situation. His face got furiously red.
"THERE!" Ludwig fiercely pointed it and spluttered. He almost gleeful to find a restroom. "There's the restroom! Go inside and use any available toilet! You'll know what to do once you get inside! And for God's sakes! Do not forget to wash your hands after that!"
Feliciana whimpered but sprinted into the restroom.
"Verdammt (Dammit)!" Ludwig scowled. He fished out one of his cigarettes and lightened it up. He needed one after all of this.
Someone approached Ludwig. Even though Ludwig completely turned his back from the person, he knew who it was just by her scent. He dropped his cigarette and stomped it out.
"Hello, Ludwig. Good day, isn't it?"
Ludwig took a deep breath before he turned around and faced the woman with brown hair and blue eyes. "And guten Tag (good afternoon), to you too."
"Cute date you have there." The brunette winked. "It was Feli. I believe."
Ludwig blushed and muttered. "S—she's not my date."
"Really? Aww, what a tragedy. I thought you guys looked so cute together than you did before." The brunette shook her head and pouted. She didn't Ludwig's eyes, but he didn't miss the glimpse of her mischievous grin. She always liked joking with him. However, what took Ludwig's attention was the last part of her sentence.
Before? What does she mean by before?
"Aren't you going to introduce me to her?" The brunette asked before Ludwig could ask what did she mean by "before". It was crystal clear that she was trying to change the subject. She was always smooth at this. As a reply, Ludwig steadily shook his head. Unlike the brunette, he found the situation uncomfortable.
The brunette raised her eyebrow. "Why not?"
"Because even I'm not sure, or can't believe you're actually right here in front of me." Ludwig asserted. His voice was tensed but weak. It was like he was trying his best to squeeze it out. The smile had disappeared from the brunette's face. She looked hurt. She opened her mouth, trying to say something but she hesitated.
Ludwig glared down at the tips of his shoes. He was trying his best to hold his tears back. "Listen to me very carefully." He couldn't look her in the eyes; he was too afraid to see what face the brunette would have made. "Don't come to me again." His voice cracked. They both noticed it. Before the brunette could say something Ludwig turned around and walked away. He tried his best not to looked back.
Feliciana came out of the bathroom. She spotted Ludwig and vigorously waved with a smile. "Luddy! I'm done! It felt very good! Ve~ thank you for waiting!" Her smile disappeared when she saw Ludwig's face.
"Luddy? Ve… is Luddy okay?" There were genuine worries in Feliciana's eyes.
"I'm fine." Even Ludwig himself wasn't convinced.
"Ve… no, you're not. What's wrong?" Felicina had different colors and shapes with the burnette's eyes, but Feliciana had the essence with hers. The essence shined the bright light that could melt the frozen heart. Ludwig finally realized: he needed it. He needed her. Right now.
"Luddy… Ve, I—"
Feliciana couldn't finish her sentence. Ludwig dug his face into the crook of Feliciana's neck and wrapped his arms around her fragile waist. Feliciana paused, but soon, she slowly reached her arm out to pat Ludwig's back. She smiled and cooed. "Ve~ you know, Luddy. Even though your hand, your arm and your cheek is warm but your heart was always cold."
Although Ludwig didn't answer, he was carefully listening to every single part of the sentence.
"Ve~ I think your heart is starting to get warmer."
Ludwig couldn't stop them. No matter how hard he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, gasp and tears were slipping out. Ludwig couldn't understand or know why was he doing this. He clenched his jaw and shut his eyes to suppress them. He didn't want Feliciana to see them. He pretended to rub his nose to wipe his tears.
"Ve… it's okay, Luddy. I'm here for you." Feliciana cooed.
The comfort reminded of her. The woman who Ludwig could always lean onto. The woman who Ludwig couldn't even say a proper goodbye. The woman who Ludwig just walked away from.
(A/N)
Yay~! Luddy is hugging Feli and Kiku is his friend!
Yeah… the incident affected Ludwig horrendously ;( but don't worry! Feli is here to fix it! The identity of the brunette is still a mystery ;)
Sneak Peek for the next chapter: The appearance of THE AWESOME GILBERT! _