Where Thou Art, That Is Home (Hetalia Fanfic, Part 2)

Chapter 103~!

"Now, how do we greet our customers?" Francis asked me as we were about to end our first session of waitressing review.

"With a smile and a cheerful "Welcome!"," I answered readily, and the blond clapped his hands together with delight.

"Wonderful! You're truly starting to pick up on your old skills, Carlea!" His light blue gaze fell on the clock mounted on the wall and he sighed. "It's getting late. Wouldn't want Gil to think badly of me for keeping you out after dark! Lessons are over, but we'll start with carrying things tomorrow evening."

I nodded eagerly with a smile to match. Despite some of the work, it hadn't been altogether unpleasant for me. Working -- actually working -- would probably be a little more strenuous, but who knows? Maybe it would be a great way to get back to being myself. And the cafe itself was starting to give me small shocks of deja vu.

I'd pick up a spoon and half-remember doing something similar in the same spot. Washing a coffee mug, curling up on the bed, pulling my boots on; they all brought back senses of familiarity that I couldn't exactly place.

Still, I was probably overthinking things. If I had amnesia, it just meant I didn't have access to my previous memories. It also meant that I might get those memories back one day. Until then, the things I did before would still sort of seem right to do. That's how it worked, I think...

"Hey, Gil. I'm all done," I said into the cafe's phone. My fiancé was on the other end, of course, waiting for me to finish up while he graded papers at home.

"Awesome! I'll be there in ten minutes," he promised, and we hung up after bidding each other farewell. I heard him catch himself right before he was about to say "love you" to me.

Honestly, I didn't mind if he said those kinds of things. I trusted him, and it felt nice to be loved.

That also brings up the question of whether or not I love him back...

'I'll figure it out eventually' I told myself as I idly looked both ways down the street. I rocked back and forth on my feet, feeling the cold start to seep into my jacket. It was already the middle of February, which meant it was still cold out and I had missed Valentine's Day and Christmas.

I sucked in a breath and let it all out in a sigh, watching it form a little cloud of fog in the cooling night air.

'I could stay in the cafe and wait for him' I thought just before something really weird happened.

It was like... a shadow. A shadow passed over me, then disappeared. The shadow wasn't even that dark, just a few shades darker than everything else in the waning sunlight. I instantly looked up and saw... absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. No clouds, no planes, no alien spaceships.

"Must've been... a big bird," I decided, trying to keep my unease off of my face. 'What in the world...?'

The comforting sound of tires rolling near came, and a silver Honda Civic parked by the curb right in front of me.

"Carriage for two?" Gilbert asked invitingly, and I laughed while pulling the passenger side door open.

"Looks like four, actually," I pointed out when I saw that Ludwig and a boy with reddish-brown hair sat in the backseat. "Hey there!"

"Hi, Carlea," Ludwig said with a little wave. I noted the duffel bag that sat on his lap.

"Hi~ I'm Feliciano!" the brunette greeted me brightly. "You probably don't remember me, do you."

I shook my head, an apologetic smile on my face. "Sorry, no. Are you in Ludwig's class?"

"Yeah, we're best friends!"