My Roommate is gone:
There was breakfast made, the usual bagel and coffee, courtesy of Ludwig, mainly because An'na had last-minute things she stuffed in her carry-on bag. They'd eaten in a rush in order to get all the suitcases out to the taxi and make it to the airport on time. Though their flights didn't leave at the same time (An'na's took off two hours before his), he didn't mind being at the airport four hours early.
An'na wasn't very talkative on their ride to the airport, which didn't surprise Ludwig at all, since it was so early in the morning. That didn't stop him from stealing glances at the woman who curled herself against the car door, eyes closed. She insisted on wearing shorts because, as she stressed, Texas was hot, even though Ludwig warned her that Germany could be quite cool in early morning hours. An'na at least had the good graces to wear a light jacket and UGG boots at his advice. Clearly, those two things didn't do much in keeping her legs warm, if the way she balled into herself was any indication.
Ludwig considered, several times, pulling her closer to share his warmth (he'd dressed properly) but thought better of the idea. There was no sense in making a situation more awkward than it already was.
The cabby got their bags out of the truck. Ludwig took the liberty of carrying most of them while An'na dragged the rest behind him. They flew on two different airlines and since her flight was first, he walked with her. Well, more like walked, stopped, waited for her to catch up and repeated the process two more times until she was actually awake enough to keep up. Even then, An'na was sluggish, so he stayed until she'd fully checked in, got her boarding pass and could get through security.
Ludwig cleared his throat, handing over her bags once they reached the point where he couldn't follow. He chose his words diplomatically. "I can't go with you."
An'na shouldered her bag, sobering a little. "I know…"
He shifted his weight, both uncomfortably and apologetically, and secured his own bag at his side. There was a lengthy pause before she spoke again.
"Don't you have to check in?" Her tone was casual, as if she wasn't leaving him for nine months. Ludwig nodded stiffly, flushing slightly in embarrassment.
"I do." He gripped the strap of the bag on his shoulder, and glanced behind him at the sign. He needed to go to other side of airport. Turning back to his roommate, who was looking at the growing line to get through security, he cleared his throat again to get her attention. "Be safe."
With that, Ludwig straightened, ignored the pounding in his chest and started toward the other side of the airport. What more could he have said? His mind had gone blank in the wake of knowing they were really leaving each other. "I should say something…tell her the truth…" he mumbled to himself, but that didn't stop his legs from moving in the opposite direction. "I should go back…" But he didn't. "I should…"