My Roommate is upset with me:
Ludwig contemplated having a fifth beer. Beer always made life appear a bit easier for him. He didn't get a fifth one though, but paid is tab and grabbed his coat.
On the drive home, he briefly wonder if this is what a husband felt like having to go home an angry wife. Ludwig furrowed his brows and gripped the steering wheel. He'd never thought of An'na in a wifely fashion until now. Then again, they'd never had a major argument until tonight.
As he parked the car, Ludwig disembarked with reluctance and a tugging feeling of uncertainty. Would she still be upset? His own emotions had long since settled after a few hours at the bar with a good beer. When he opened the door, the overpowering smell of bleach, household cleaner and the humming of the drier didn't at all surprise him. All of these were signs that she was upset.
For a moment he wondered if retiring to his room would be the best solution. If An'na were still upset, seeing him might start another argument. Ludwig, however, was never one to run from his problems. That was the way he was raised.
So, he climbed the stairs into An'na territory; the smell of fresh linen lined the hallway. Growing ever closer was the sound of soft music that emitted from her bedroom. He stopped short of the door, eyeing it disapprovingly. He should apologize, he thought.
What made the situation even more troublesome was the fact that Ludwig couldn't remember why the argument started in the first place. Whatever happened, it escalated quickly, both of them raising their voices at each other. Words were said that further spread the wildfire and Ludwig himself was so pissed that he left. Because when he was angry like that with Gilbert, it often led to them shoving each other. But An'na wasn't Gilbert.
If he couldn't actually remember why they were fighting, then he very well might be the one who needed an apology. Ludwig reasoned with the idea, shoving his hands in his jean pockets. Perhaps tomorrow would be best to discuss apologies. With that resolve, he turned towards the stairs, not fully satisfied with leaving it unsettled but content enough to deal with in the morning. As he made his way towards the stairs, the telltale click of a handle let him know the door behind him opened, letting music flow free into the hall.
Ludwig paused and faced the woman who eyed him back with unreadable emotions. An'na's hand had yet to leave the doorknob and he wondered if she was debating retreating back inside her room. But she closed the door, cutting off the sound a new song.
She pulled at the sleeves of her grey sweater and stretched them over her fingers. Then crossed her arms over her chest, which caused the oversized thing to shrink a bit at her thighs. It was then that Ludwig noticed that she must have only been wearing that sweater. That, or her shorts must have been really tiny that he couldn't see them.
He cleared his throat and said the first thing that came to mind. Because staring at each wasn't going to make the argument go away. Plus, it would serve as a distraction from her legs, "The house is cleaned."
An'na pursed her lips and looked at the adjacent wall, "That's what you wanted, right?" her tone was sarcastic and accusing. Ah, that's right. It was the kitchen rotation that started the argument.
Ludwig was about to lecture her on responsibility and cleanliness but he stopped himself. Perhaps that was one of the reasons it escalated out of control.
"I'm not lazy," An'na finished though she kept her eyes fixed on the wall, "And I'm not dirty either. I know where everything is even when it looks like chaos to you. I'm not you."
Ludwig blinked, "I never said to be like me."
"But you want me to fall instep with you," An'na raised her voice a bit," With the charts and instructions and filing and everything. I'm not you, Ludwig. I don't do that stuff. I'm not playing follow the leader in my own house."
Now the argument was coming back to him. An'na had pulled the 'this is my house' card on him earlier. Ludwig didn't take to kindly to that, seeing as he pays half of the bills.
Ludwig widened his stance and crossed his arms as well; "Maybe you should take more initiative in cleaning your kitchen then."
An'na rolled her eyes in his direction, "I don't like washing dishes," her words were pointed and sharp, "That doesn't make me dirty or lazy. It's just something I don't like and won't ever like, ever. Just like you can't do one thing with having it penciled in your schedule. As if spontaneity would kill you."
Her little jab barely stung, because it wasn't at all true. Ludwig could be spontaneous when he wanted to be. Most of the time he just chose not to…because preplanning made things run soother.
"You mean, like a bit of organization and cleanliness kills you?" his sarcasm earned him a scowl.
"You're an ass," An'na declared and went right back in her room.
A/N: Things can't always be all rainbows and butterflies. It's compromise that moves us along. Yes, I just borrowed that from Maroon 5 but that doesn't make it any less true. In any case, I'm siding with An'na...cleaning the kitchen is the worse! lol
-CeCe ~.^