Part 1: link
Next morning, Arthur wakes up late. He couldn’t sleep for a long while after he dropped Merlin off and returned to his own apartment. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Once he did sleep, he was blissfully tormented sa pamamagitan ng dreams of her. Her eyes, her lips, her hair, her skin all giving him sensory overload. He woke up stiff as a board. In the shower, he couldn’t help but relieve the tension in his loins, thinking of her. Her smell, her perfectly shaped breasts, her delicate painted toes, her soft curls, her lush, full lips and that kakaw skin, so soft. Oh, God…
It is Saturday, and he doesn’t have to ulat back in to the firehouse until noon Sunday. He tries to busy himself, actually cleaning his apartment, washing the pile of dishes in his sink, watching football highlights on the news. sa pamamagitan ng noon he can take it no longer. He looks at his phone for the thirtieth time since ten o’clock and dials her number.
Gwen is sitting at her mesa in her office at the library, eating her lunch and pagbaba a book open on the desktop. Not reading, really, looking at. She hasn’t turned a page in ten minutes, as her mind has been occupied with thoughts of Arthur. She keeps seeing his eyes smiling down at her, his lips, full yet masculine, coming in for a kiss. She remembers the scent from his neck so close as they danced. The larawan flash in front of her eyes, obscuring the words on the page.
Her phone buzzes, making her jump as it skids across her desktop. She grabs it and looks. I don’t know that number, she thinks and is tempted to dump the caller into voicemail. Something stops her, though. He wouldn’t call already, would he? Hopeful, she swipes her finger across the screen and answers, attempting to sound calm.
“Hello?”
“Gwen? Hi, this is…”
“Arthur,” she cuts him off, “Hello.”
He can hear the smile in her voice, and loves how she says his name. Her voice has a throaty quality to it that he didn’t catch last night in the noise of the club. He clears his throat, suddenly having no idea what he wants to say. “Um, I…”
“Yes?”
“I hope you don’t mind me calling so soon. It’s just that I have to work tomorrow and won’t be tahanan again until Tuesday, and…” he blurts all at once.
“I’m glad you called,” she says, her free hand now picking her lunch apart into tiny pieces of sanwits shrapnel.
“You are?”
“Yes. That’s why I gave you my number, silly.”
“What are you doing today?” he asks before he can stop himself. God, I sound desperate, he thinks, and pounds his fist down on the countertop.
“Working.”
“Oh.”
“But I’m done at five,” she says, baiting the hook and casting the line out hopefully.
“Can I pick you up?”
“Yes. I’ll have some things to do here after closing, so make it five-thirty.”
“Five-thirty, then,” he repeats, but thinks, four forty-five. He wants to see her at work in her little librarian outfit.
“See you later,” she sells him.
“’Bye.”
He hangs up and stares at the phone for a second. Suddenly it rings in his hand and he almost drops it. Merlin.
He puts the phone to his ear, and before he can even speak he hears Merlin’s voice.
“You called her, didn’t you?” he says, his voice accusing.
“How do you do that?” Arthur asks, incredulous.
“I’m a wizard, remember?” Merlin says, making his familiar joke.
“Yeah, sure. If you’re a wizard, I’m prince,” Arthur counters sarcastically.
“But you still called her.”
“Yes.”
“You’re such a girl.”
“We’re going out tonight.”
“Uh…”
“You’ve got no witty comeback to that, eh, mate?” Arthur laughs at him.
“Arthur?”
“Yeah?”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and Arthur?”
“Yeah?”
“See if you can get Morgana’s number for me.”
The rest of the araw goes sa pamamagitan ng far too slowly. Gwen is not thinking about her job at all. Luckily they don’t get many visitors to the aklatan on a Saturday afternoon in mid-July, so she’s not required to do much. And that only makes the afternoon pass slower.
After she got off the phone with Arthur, she quickly added his name and number to her own contacts list. Then she called Morgana and asked her to bring over a change of clothes.
He did what? Morgana had sinabi on the other end.
He called me. Right after noon.
Well, that means he’s either desperate or hard-up.
I doubt that. You did SEE him, didn’t you? Or were you too drunk to remember?
Yes, yes, blonde, handsome, blah blah blah. His friend was MUCH madami interesting.
You liked Merlin?
You know I have a thing for ears.
Gwen laughs at this, then says, He’s taking me out tonight. Bring me a change of clothes?
I don’t know, I’m kind of busy here…
No, you’re not. You’re watching chat shows and eating cereal.
Fine, what do you want?
When Morgana arrives, she not only has the clothes Gwen has requested, but also a slinky puntas sinturon and a pack of condoms that Gwen has not requested. Gwen looks at her and says, “Really?”
“Hey, just want you to be prepared is all. I saw how you two were looking at each other last night, drunk or not.”
“And how was that exactly?” Gwen asks, putting her hands on her hips. She knows full well how Arthur was looking at her, but she is curious as to how they appeared to her friend.
Morgana is suddenly serious. “Honestly? It didn’t look at all like you’d just met. It looked like the two of you were very much in pag-ibig and have been for some time. It was… kind of creepy. But in a good way.”
Gwen feels her cheeks grow hot and she takes the canvas bag from her roommate. She doesn’t know what to say. What is going on? she thinks.
Morgana plants a halik on Gwen’s cheek, her airy self again, says, “I won’t wait up,” turns on her heel and flounces out the door.
Gwen looks at her watch. Three o’clock. Will this araw ever end? She takes the bag back to her office, shuts the door, and looks at the underwear. She ponders it a minute, then before she can change her mind, she takes off the ones she had on and puts the new ones on.
Part 3: link
Next morning, Arthur wakes up late. He couldn’t sleep for a long while after he dropped Merlin off and returned to his own apartment. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Once he did sleep, he was blissfully tormented sa pamamagitan ng dreams of her. Her eyes, her lips, her hair, her skin all giving him sensory overload. He woke up stiff as a board. In the shower, he couldn’t help but relieve the tension in his loins, thinking of her. Her smell, her perfectly shaped breasts, her delicate painted toes, her soft curls, her lush, full lips and that kakaw skin, so soft. Oh, God…
It is Saturday, and he doesn’t have to ulat back in to the firehouse until noon Sunday. He tries to busy himself, actually cleaning his apartment, washing the pile of dishes in his sink, watching football highlights on the news. sa pamamagitan ng noon he can take it no longer. He looks at his phone for the thirtieth time since ten o’clock and dials her number.
Gwen is sitting at her mesa in her office at the library, eating her lunch and pagbaba a book open on the desktop. Not reading, really, looking at. She hasn’t turned a page in ten minutes, as her mind has been occupied with thoughts of Arthur. She keeps seeing his eyes smiling down at her, his lips, full yet masculine, coming in for a kiss. She remembers the scent from his neck so close as they danced. The larawan flash in front of her eyes, obscuring the words on the page.
Her phone buzzes, making her jump as it skids across her desktop. She grabs it and looks. I don’t know that number, she thinks and is tempted to dump the caller into voicemail. Something stops her, though. He wouldn’t call already, would he? Hopeful, she swipes her finger across the screen and answers, attempting to sound calm.
“Hello?”
“Gwen? Hi, this is…”
“Arthur,” she cuts him off, “Hello.”
He can hear the smile in her voice, and loves how she says his name. Her voice has a throaty quality to it that he didn’t catch last night in the noise of the club. He clears his throat, suddenly having no idea what he wants to say. “Um, I…”
“Yes?”
“I hope you don’t mind me calling so soon. It’s just that I have to work tomorrow and won’t be tahanan again until Tuesday, and…” he blurts all at once.
“I’m glad you called,” she says, her free hand now picking her lunch apart into tiny pieces of sanwits shrapnel.
“You are?”
“Yes. That’s why I gave you my number, silly.”
“What are you doing today?” he asks before he can stop himself. God, I sound desperate, he thinks, and pounds his fist down on the countertop.
“Working.”
“Oh.”
“But I’m done at five,” she says, baiting the hook and casting the line out hopefully.
“Can I pick you up?”
“Yes. I’ll have some things to do here after closing, so make it five-thirty.”
“Five-thirty, then,” he repeats, but thinks, four forty-five. He wants to see her at work in her little librarian outfit.
“See you later,” she sells him.
“’Bye.”
He hangs up and stares at the phone for a second. Suddenly it rings in his hand and he almost drops it. Merlin.
He puts the phone to his ear, and before he can even speak he hears Merlin’s voice.
“You called her, didn’t you?” he says, his voice accusing.
“How do you do that?” Arthur asks, incredulous.
“I’m a wizard, remember?” Merlin says, making his familiar joke.
“Yeah, sure. If you’re a wizard, I’m prince,” Arthur counters sarcastically.
“But you still called her.”
“Yes.”
“You’re such a girl.”
“We’re going out tonight.”
“Uh…”
“You’ve got no witty comeback to that, eh, mate?” Arthur laughs at him.
“Arthur?”
“Yeah?”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and Arthur?”
“Yeah?”
“See if you can get Morgana’s number for me.”
The rest of the araw goes sa pamamagitan ng far too slowly. Gwen is not thinking about her job at all. Luckily they don’t get many visitors to the aklatan on a Saturday afternoon in mid-July, so she’s not required to do much. And that only makes the afternoon pass slower.
After she got off the phone with Arthur, she quickly added his name and number to her own contacts list. Then she called Morgana and asked her to bring over a change of clothes.
He did what? Morgana had sinabi on the other end.
He called me. Right after noon.
Well, that means he’s either desperate or hard-up.
I doubt that. You did SEE him, didn’t you? Or were you too drunk to remember?
Yes, yes, blonde, handsome, blah blah blah. His friend was MUCH madami interesting.
You liked Merlin?
You know I have a thing for ears.
Gwen laughs at this, then says, He’s taking me out tonight. Bring me a change of clothes?
I don’t know, I’m kind of busy here…
No, you’re not. You’re watching chat shows and eating cereal.
Fine, what do you want?
When Morgana arrives, she not only has the clothes Gwen has requested, but also a slinky puntas sinturon and a pack of condoms that Gwen has not requested. Gwen looks at her and says, “Really?”
“Hey, just want you to be prepared is all. I saw how you two were looking at each other last night, drunk or not.”
“And how was that exactly?” Gwen asks, putting her hands on her hips. She knows full well how Arthur was looking at her, but she is curious as to how they appeared to her friend.
Morgana is suddenly serious. “Honestly? It didn’t look at all like you’d just met. It looked like the two of you were very much in pag-ibig and have been for some time. It was… kind of creepy. But in a good way.”
Gwen feels her cheeks grow hot and she takes the canvas bag from her roommate. She doesn’t know what to say. What is going on? she thinks.
Morgana plants a halik on Gwen’s cheek, her airy self again, says, “I won’t wait up,” turns on her heel and flounces out the door.
Gwen looks at her watch. Three o’clock. Will this araw ever end? She takes the bag back to her office, shuts the door, and looks at the underwear. She ponders it a minute, then before she can change her mind, she takes off the ones she had on and puts the new ones on.
Part 3: link