Forget-Me Not

Chapter 5

   I watched as the droplets rolled down the window of the car, the low hum of the engine in the distance. It was a gloomy day with low hanging clouds and wet surroundings, but at least I was leaving the hospital. Hopefully, I would have a more comfortable bed.

     "No falling asleep on me," Ludwig warned from the driver's seat.

     "I'm not, my head just hurts," I said, pushing my forehead against the cool glass. Despite going home, I still felt like absolute crap, so the sooner I could go home and lay down, the better.Lucky for me, our apartment wasn't far from the hospital, so we were home in no time. As soon as I walked in, I went straight to the couch and collapsed onto it. A hundred percent better than a hospital bed. Ludwig had wandered into what I assumed was the kitchen to prepare lunch, leaving me in the quiet living room.

     My quiet, however, was interrupted by the banging from the door and allowed 'hey.' "I'll get it," Ludwig called, coming back out and to the door. I peaked over the back of the couch to see who was making such a racket. There in the doorway stood a tall young man with broad shoulders, sandy blond hair, and bright blue eyes. "Alfred, he really doesn't need loud noise."

     "Sorry dude," this Alfred replied, not changing his volume, "how's Artie doing?" I slunk back down on the couch, putting a pillow over my head to muffle the voices. Though it didn't last long as well since the pillow was ripped away from me by the new face.

     "Give it back you git," I yell, reaching up to grab the pillow, only for the taller man to pull it away. After a few minutes, I just gave up, turning away from his annoying smile. What followed was a fit of obnoxious, loud laughter.

     Finally, Ludwig interjected, "Alfred, please lower your voice. And give him the pillow." At least Alfred listened to him and backed off a bit. "He has a concussion and a headache, he doesn't need you overwhelming him." With that, Ludwig returned to the kitchen to prepare lunch Alfred plopped down on a nearby chair looking like a kicked puppy. "Sorry," he eventually says, "I just really missed you."

     What was with these people? They annoyed the hell out of me, but at the same time, I surrounded myself with them and felt bad seeing them so dejected. "Well, thank you for the sentiment, Alfred."

     "So...I heard you don't remember us."

     "Unfortunately no."

     "Oh..." He slumped forward slightly. The drop in mood made me quite uncomfortable, as this wasn't how it should be. 

     "But...it will be okay. We will just have to start from square one is all. I mean...I'm still Arthur aren't I?"

     He gave a quiet laugh, "Yeah I guess. You're still easy to bug."

     I grumbled at his comment, but at least he seemed to be cheering up some so that was a relief.

     "Well, I need some McDonald's and it looks like Ludwig has got you covered," Alfred said after a few moments of silence. He jumped up from his seat with a grin and skipped to the door. "Don't push yourself too hard old man. Bye Lud!"

     And once more it was peaceful. My head was still pounding slightly, but the quietness made it a little better. Ludwig returned to the living room once more, bringing me a glass of water, but quickly returned to the kitchen. After taking a few sips, I settled back down on the couch, pulling a nearby blanket over myself. Eventually, I fell asleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------     I awoke to the smell of sausage and the soft melody of a familiar tune. With a stretch, I propped myself up to come face to face with Ludwig. "Um...here, I made you lunch," he said, offering me a plate.

     "Thank you." I take it, beginning to eat slowly.

     "Sorry, I hadn't really had time to get groceries so this is all we had."

     "It's fine. Really good actually."

     Ludwig gave a slight nod and went back to his own meal. We fell into silence. Although I wanted the quiet before, this was awkward. It remained this way until we both finished eating. 

"So, I take it you're not originally from America," I said, turning to look at my couch partner

     He looked at me with a deadpan expression. "What gave you that idea?"

     "Ha ha. But honestly, tell me a bit about yourself."

     "Well...I was born in Germany. My parents died when I was young, so my brother had to raise me. He ended up going to school in England when I was around 15 so that's how I ended up there. And how I met you." His cheeks went red at the last comment. His mind seemed to wander slightly as well since he stopped mid-story. "Then I decided to go to the U.S. for schooling along with you."

     "What are you studying,"

     "Business. I hope to run my own someday."

     "Oh really? What kind?"

     "Well..." he gave a small smile, "I would love to make products for pets. Specifically dogs. Or, you know, run a non-profit for animals or something."

     "Do you like dogs?"

     "Yeah, my brother and I used to have three."

     His eyes lit up as he talked about each dog, it was very sweet. I hung onto every word, just enjoying the simple conversation. To me, I only knew him a few days, but I already loved his smile and his deep laugh. His smile wasn't annoying like Francis' and his laugh wasn't loud like Alfred's, Ludwig was sweet and not overbearing. Eventually, Ludwig collected the plates and headed to do dishes. As I laid back down, my mind wandered back to Ludwig's smile and the way his eyes became bright as he talked about his dogs. My cheeks grew warm as my mind continued to wander. I may have not known a whole lot about him, but my feelings appeared to still be there.