Chapter 4
Warm feelings swelled up in his head, in his chest, in his core. The soul could feel it, and he was glad he accepted Berwald's dinner offer. It was one of the best random life decisions he had ever made.
They were down on the first floor. It was the Icelandic guy's space, and (so he assumed) they were seated on a big round dinner table in the entire apartment. There were four vacant chairs and five occupied ones beneath a spotlight of whiteness It seemed like an ordinary dinner. Two platters of chicken, a big bowl of rice, and a silver pot of corn soup; it was a simple meal, but to Ludwig, it was the best dinner he ever had since he was stationed in this country.
"Are you guys always like this?" he had asked Berwald, who was at his right. A shorter man named Tino (who was Finnish) sat at his left, quietly sipping his soup.
"You mean Andersen cracking awful jokes? Yes. But we're used to it. We laugh along for the sake of shutting him up. Apparently, he doesn't."
"At least the way he delivers the jokes is funny." Tino piped in.
"Correction: his face is funny." Lukas spoke with a blank face. He was the one who lived upstairs, on the second floor. Ludwig learnt that he was an artist right after waking up from a faint. Earlier, upon entering the apartment, his nose was quickly assaulted by the strong scent of paint, varnish and thinner. He felt too dizzy, unexpectedly passed out, then woke up from the aroma of the soup.
"Are you all just laughing because of my face? Seriously?"
A resounding 'yes' erupted from Andersen's housemates. Then a boisterous laughter, accompanied with clinking of spoons and forks against utensils, followed after.
"Really mature, guys… really mature…"
"Don't worry, your face is still handsome."
"Ayy, Lukas just called Andersen handsome!" Tino cheered and looked sideway to Emil, who in turn muttered something, then drank from his cup.
Ludwig had no idea what was happening, but he still enjoyed the company of these new people. Also, he got to see Berwald smile more naturally and laugh a little longer. Andersen, though he really did punch horrible lines, really did have an animatedly comical face, which made everyone happy.
The dinner ended with the Danish blonde accidentally spilling his soup on Lukas' lap. Lukas, still pokerfaced, slapped him… then gave him a kiss on the cheek. They started talking in different tongues, and he took this cue as a time to part their lovely domicile.
"Ah, you're not staying for the night?" Tino asked him.
"Even if my workplace is closer in these parts, I must leave. Work must be done immediately. Thank you very much for your time and hospitability." He shook each of their hands and they nodded, smiling as they parted with the German.
"Still want to hang out some time?" Berwald asked him as they stood on the entrance door. Ludwig was down the porch and when he looked back, he could help but smile.
Five new friends stood by the doorway, watching him leave. It was the warmest scene in autumn. He had hailed a cab, but before he got in, he saluted to them. They saluted back, all smiling and waving farewell.
"See you soon. Thanks again!" Then he shut the door after getting in.
The taxi sped away from them, but the warmth still washed over him. Ah, good feelings. His intuition was right. Befriending Berwald would bring him some kind of happiness.