Flowers

Chapter 3: Ilex

It's warm. That's the first thing I think when I regain consciousness. I'm lying on something soft, slightly dipping under my weight. I remember being very, incredibly cold and wet. I remember being saved by a wonderful, kind lady. I remember walking for a long, long time. I don't remember anything after that.

I hear a gasp above me. When my eyes open, I lock eyes with a person, but not the lady who saved me. He has blue eyes with long brown lashes and thin-rimmed glasses. The look in his eyes, harsh yet concerned, reminds me of my girlfriend. I almost chuckle at that mental comparison. They jolt slightly - I guess I must've chuckled anyway - and bend over me.

"You awake yet?" His voice is sharp, unexpressive almost. They really are pretty, I think groggily. His face is suddenly dusted with red. Oh, did I say that out loud? Oops.

"Sorry," I say, and my voice doesn't sound like me. Not talking for that long will do that to you, I guess. A smile graces their thin lips and he lets out a heavenly giggle.

"For what?" He asks, tilting his head a bit. His dull blue hair falls across his shoulders, even in front of his face a bit. The calm, homely atmosphere makes me feel like giggling too. It's like nothing outside of him and I exist. This is nice - foreign, but nice! We're suddenly pulled out of our moment by someone tapping the man on the shoulder. It's the lady who saved me!

"He doing okay?" She asks, her voice as reassuring and gentle as I remember from before. I zone out after this, just staring at the blue-haired man and the curly, white-haired lady as they converse. I don't feel like I could pay much attention to their talking even if I tried, so I didn't bother. Alas, paradise doesn't last long as the man shakes my shoulders.

"Hey, wake up. What's your name?" He asks with a sharp tone, like a knife. I process that for a second. My head feels heavy, like I just did multiple all-nighters. They both wait patiently, the lady way more patient then man though.

Once the question was processed, I finally spoke again. "Ed," I say, a bit embarrassed of my slowness today, "Ed Smith."

"Alrighty Ed, I'm Anika," The lady says with a soft smile, scooching closer so I could see her better, "Can you tell us what happened?"

I hesitate. I don't remember, and what I do remember, I don't want to tell them. How can I deflect this? How do I...

My gaze turns to the blue-haired man. His gaze is on me, only me. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the attention. "What's his name?" I say, my voice embarrassingly hoarse.

He seemed a bit spooked at being addressed so suddenly, but he instantly gained his composure. "It's Ardell. Ardell Kozlov." The man - Ardell, I guess - says. 'Kozlov'. That sounds Russian, or at least Slavic. What's a person like him doing in Canada of all places?

"So, is he doing okay?" Anika interrupts my respectful examination of Ardell's last name. Ugh, rude, but whatever.

"He'll be fine. You need to get to your camp?" Ardell stood up and their conversation fades into background noise. My attention is stolen by the adorable ball of fluff on my chest. How did I not even notice this cute little guy? I pet the kitty's head, barely holding in noises of cuteness aggression. I already adore this cat, and I've known her for less than a minute. Her collar says 'Whiskers'. What a cute name for such a sweet little girl.

A hand covers her head as I'm admiring her adorableness. I look up and see Ardell. He is just looking down at me, an unreadable look in his eyes. Anika is gone, so it's just us now. I blush a bit at the thought.

"So," I start, "Can you explain where I am? And who you are?"

"Right, that's probably a good idea." He mumbled, standing awkwardly above the couch. I shuffle a bit, internally sobbing when Whiskers jumped off me and ran off. I immediately shut up when Ardell sat by me.

"So, Anika found you almost passing out while she was hiking. You seemed in real bad shape, and she heard about my house being here, so she brought you to me. Since I have a heater and blankets and such. But you're the only one out of the two of us who knows why you were stumbling around in 20-degree weather. Mind explaining?" He rambled a bit too quickly for Ed to keep up, but he eventually got it.

"I got in a fight with my girlfriend..." I pause, "Ex-girlfriend maybe now. I think."

Ardell hummed in response and got up, dusting the cat hair off the couch. He sighed and looked over at me before smiling softly, his grin absolutely angelic.

"Want some tea?"

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