Part 16: link
One buwan later
“Gwen, it’s time to go, why are you still working?” Merlin asks Gwen. It’s Friday and it’s past quitting time and she is still diligently working away.
“Arthur sent me a text earlier that he was going to be late. I’m his ride, so I figured I’d just stay late myself and wait.”
“You could leave him your keys and I could give you a ride home,” Merlin offers, but he knows she’ll say no.
“Merlin, you know he can’t drive yet. He still has that boot on for at least one madami week,” she says.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Merlin says, pretending he’d forgotten.
Gwen just shakes her head at him. “Have a good weekend,” she says, smiling up at him.
“You, too. See you Monday.” He pushes his chair in and heads for the door. Inside the lift he presses the button with the number 24 on it, and exits one floor down, heading into Pendragon Insurance.
Half an oras later, Gwen gets a text from Arthur. All done. Meet me down here?
Be right there, she sends back, shutting everything down and grabbing her jacket.
The lift doors slide open on 24 and Arthur is waiting right outside them, poking his phone. He taps the screen one last time and then puts the screen to sleep, slipping it into his pocket. “Hi,” he says, smiling and stepping unevenly in, halik her as he does so.
“Hi, yourself,” she says, twining her fingers with his. The elevator starts to descend.
Thirty segundos later, it stops and they are plunged into darkness.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Gwen says. “There’s not even a storm this time.”
“I hope it’s nothing serious,” Arthur says. “You all right?” he asks, wrapping her in his arms, standing behind her, remembering how unnerved she was on the night they met.
“Actually, yes. Somehow the darkness doesn’t seem so oppressive this time,” she says.
“Let’s sit,” Arthur says, releasing her with one hand to step back. He hangs on to the pader and sits on the floor. Then pulls her down in front of him, nestling her between his legs, her back to his chest. He winds his arms around her again and toys with her fingers absently.
“At least we know how to amuse ourselves,” he jokes, hoping she’ll take the bait.
“Mmm,” she replies, and he can hear the smile in her voice even though he cannot see it on her face.
“Dare,” she says with a giggle, leaning her head up and back to halik his chin.
“Hmm,” Arthur says, thinking, still toying with her hands, except now his fingers seem to have a purpose.
“Arthur, what—”
Her words are cut off sa pamamagitan ng the sensation of something being slipped on the third finger of her left hand.
“I dare you to marry me, Guinevere,” he whispers in her ear, his warm breath sending wonderful chills down her spine.
Gwen gasps, groping with her right hand to feel what is surely an engagement ring on her hand. A bloody huge engagement ring, from the feel of it!
“Guinevere?” he asks, suddenly sounding a little scared.
“Yes,” she whispers, turning quickly around, searching for his lips with hers. They miss at first, finding a chin and a nose, but then they connect, her warm, soft lips pliant under his, his tongue searching hers out in the darkness.
But they no longer need to see, and in moments Gwen finds herself on her back on the floor of the lift, Arthur over her, halik deeply, caressing her face and her neck with his hand.
She moans into his mouth, running her fingers through his hair, clinging to him.
“God, I pag-ibig you,” Arthur murmurs between kisses, the declaration practically a prayer.
“I pag-ibig you, Arthur,” she answers, tilting her head back as he kisses down her neck, his hand now on her breast, her right leg wrapped around his left, her palda bunched at her hips.
Then the lights come back on.
“Wow,” Gwen says.
“Yeah, that was pretty wow, wasn’t it,” Arthur says, awkwardly moving back to a seated position, allowing her to sit up now.
“No, I meant wow for this ring. Bloody, hell, Arthur, it’s amazing!”
Arthur laughs and she helps him to his feet. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I pag-ibig it. It’s beautiful, and so are you,” she says, wrapping her arms around his waist, grinning up at him.
“And you are the most beautiful woman in the entire world,” he says.
“Thank you, even if it is a ridiculous overstatement,” she smiles, chuckling warmly at him.
“Well, perhaps my judgment may be a bit slanted.”
“A bit, but I pag-ibig you for it.”
Gwen looks down at her ring again. “You’re pretty confident, aren’t you, just sliding this ring right on before I even answered?”
“I was fairly certain you’d say yes,” he says, halik the tuktok of her head just as the doors ding and open.
Merlin and Uther are standing in the lobby, looking like two little boys on pasko morning.
And suddenly Gwen knows the pinagmulan of the mysterious power outage. They step out of the lift and she turns and looks at Arthur, her hands on her hips.
“What?” he asks innocently. Too innocently.
“You are too cute and too ridiculous,” she laughs now. “And you two… accomplices…” she wheels on the other two. “Merlin! You big fat liar!”
“I never lied!” Merlin says, holding his hands up. “Did I ever say I was going home?”
Gwen stops. Thinks. Shit. He didn’t. “You’re my friend, not his accomplice!” she exclaims, but the grin has not left her face.
“Yes, I’m your friend. I did this for you, silly! Now come here and give me a hug,” he says, holding his arms out.
“Thank you, Merlin, you were sweet to help,” Gwen says, hugging her friend. Then she turns to Uther and hugs him as well, laughing when he briefly tenses.
“You need to get used to being hugged, old man,” Gwen teases him. “And thank you, too.” She releases him. “I assume they needed your influence to pull off this little stunt.”
He nods, smiling at her. “It does come in handy to be the intimidating sort at times,” he admits.
Behind her she hears Arthur softly and incredulously repeat, “Old man?” Gwen turns around and laughs at him. “If anyone else had called him that, including me, they would have found themselves tossed out the front door,” Arthur declares.
“Honestly, Arthur,” Uther protests. “Surely I wouldn’t be able to throw you quite that far.”
Gwen falls to laughing again, and looks at her ring again. I can’t stop looking at it, she realizes.
“Come on, kids, hapunan is my treat,” Uther says, turning to the door.
“Um, can we take a rain check on that, Dad?” Arthur asks. “I have other plans.” He gazes down at Gwen, unable to keep the grin from spreading across his face.
“Oh. Um. Right,” Uther says, clearing his throat uncomfortably. “Another time, then.” He turns and starts to exit the lobby.
“You can still buy me dinner,” Merlin calls after him.
“No.”
Arthur and Gwen laugh. “Go home, Merlin. Take Freya out for a nice dinner,” Gwen says.
“Yeah, she’s madami fun than Uther, I’m sure,” Merlin nods. “Congratulations, guys.”
“Thank you, Merlin,” Gwen says. Then she looks up at Arthur and kisses him again.
“Dare,” he says, smirking at her.
“Come tahanan with me.”
-End-
One buwan later
“Gwen, it’s time to go, why are you still working?” Merlin asks Gwen. It’s Friday and it’s past quitting time and she is still diligently working away.
“Arthur sent me a text earlier that he was going to be late. I’m his ride, so I figured I’d just stay late myself and wait.”
“You could leave him your keys and I could give you a ride home,” Merlin offers, but he knows she’ll say no.
“Merlin, you know he can’t drive yet. He still has that boot on for at least one madami week,” she says.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Merlin says, pretending he’d forgotten.
Gwen just shakes her head at him. “Have a good weekend,” she says, smiling up at him.
“You, too. See you Monday.” He pushes his chair in and heads for the door. Inside the lift he presses the button with the number 24 on it, and exits one floor down, heading into Pendragon Insurance.
Half an oras later, Gwen gets a text from Arthur. All done. Meet me down here?
Be right there, she sends back, shutting everything down and grabbing her jacket.
The lift doors slide open on 24 and Arthur is waiting right outside them, poking his phone. He taps the screen one last time and then puts the screen to sleep, slipping it into his pocket. “Hi,” he says, smiling and stepping unevenly in, halik her as he does so.
“Hi, yourself,” she says, twining her fingers with his. The elevator starts to descend.
Thirty segundos later, it stops and they are plunged into darkness.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Gwen says. “There’s not even a storm this time.”
“I hope it’s nothing serious,” Arthur says. “You all right?” he asks, wrapping her in his arms, standing behind her, remembering how unnerved she was on the night they met.
“Actually, yes. Somehow the darkness doesn’t seem so oppressive this time,” she says.
“Let’s sit,” Arthur says, releasing her with one hand to step back. He hangs on to the pader and sits on the floor. Then pulls her down in front of him, nestling her between his legs, her back to his chest. He winds his arms around her again and toys with her fingers absently.
“At least we know how to amuse ourselves,” he jokes, hoping she’ll take the bait.
“Mmm,” she replies, and he can hear the smile in her voice even though he cannot see it on her face.
“Dare,” she says with a giggle, leaning her head up and back to halik his chin.
“Hmm,” Arthur says, thinking, still toying with her hands, except now his fingers seem to have a purpose.
“Arthur, what—”
Her words are cut off sa pamamagitan ng the sensation of something being slipped on the third finger of her left hand.
“I dare you to marry me, Guinevere,” he whispers in her ear, his warm breath sending wonderful chills down her spine.
Gwen gasps, groping with her right hand to feel what is surely an engagement ring on her hand. A bloody huge engagement ring, from the feel of it!
“Guinevere?” he asks, suddenly sounding a little scared.
“Yes,” she whispers, turning quickly around, searching for his lips with hers. They miss at first, finding a chin and a nose, but then they connect, her warm, soft lips pliant under his, his tongue searching hers out in the darkness.
But they no longer need to see, and in moments Gwen finds herself on her back on the floor of the lift, Arthur over her, halik deeply, caressing her face and her neck with his hand.
She moans into his mouth, running her fingers through his hair, clinging to him.
“God, I pag-ibig you,” Arthur murmurs between kisses, the declaration practically a prayer.
“I pag-ibig you, Arthur,” she answers, tilting her head back as he kisses down her neck, his hand now on her breast, her right leg wrapped around his left, her palda bunched at her hips.
Then the lights come back on.
“Wow,” Gwen says.
“Yeah, that was pretty wow, wasn’t it,” Arthur says, awkwardly moving back to a seated position, allowing her to sit up now.
“No, I meant wow for this ring. Bloody, hell, Arthur, it’s amazing!”
Arthur laughs and she helps him to his feet. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I pag-ibig it. It’s beautiful, and so are you,” she says, wrapping her arms around his waist, grinning up at him.
“And you are the most beautiful woman in the entire world,” he says.
“Thank you, even if it is a ridiculous overstatement,” she smiles, chuckling warmly at him.
“Well, perhaps my judgment may be a bit slanted.”
“A bit, but I pag-ibig you for it.”
Gwen looks down at her ring again. “You’re pretty confident, aren’t you, just sliding this ring right on before I even answered?”
“I was fairly certain you’d say yes,” he says, halik the tuktok of her head just as the doors ding and open.
Merlin and Uther are standing in the lobby, looking like two little boys on pasko morning.
And suddenly Gwen knows the pinagmulan of the mysterious power outage. They step out of the lift and she turns and looks at Arthur, her hands on her hips.
“What?” he asks innocently. Too innocently.
“You are too cute and too ridiculous,” she laughs now. “And you two… accomplices…” she wheels on the other two. “Merlin! You big fat liar!”
“I never lied!” Merlin says, holding his hands up. “Did I ever say I was going home?”
Gwen stops. Thinks. Shit. He didn’t. “You’re my friend, not his accomplice!” she exclaims, but the grin has not left her face.
“Yes, I’m your friend. I did this for you, silly! Now come here and give me a hug,” he says, holding his arms out.
“Thank you, Merlin, you were sweet to help,” Gwen says, hugging her friend. Then she turns to Uther and hugs him as well, laughing when he briefly tenses.
“You need to get used to being hugged, old man,” Gwen teases him. “And thank you, too.” She releases him. “I assume they needed your influence to pull off this little stunt.”
He nods, smiling at her. “It does come in handy to be the intimidating sort at times,” he admits.
Behind her she hears Arthur softly and incredulously repeat, “Old man?” Gwen turns around and laughs at him. “If anyone else had called him that, including me, they would have found themselves tossed out the front door,” Arthur declares.
“Honestly, Arthur,” Uther protests. “Surely I wouldn’t be able to throw you quite that far.”
Gwen falls to laughing again, and looks at her ring again. I can’t stop looking at it, she realizes.
“Come on, kids, hapunan is my treat,” Uther says, turning to the door.
“Um, can we take a rain check on that, Dad?” Arthur asks. “I have other plans.” He gazes down at Gwen, unable to keep the grin from spreading across his face.
“Oh. Um. Right,” Uther says, clearing his throat uncomfortably. “Another time, then.” He turns and starts to exit the lobby.
“You can still buy me dinner,” Merlin calls after him.
“No.”
Arthur and Gwen laugh. “Go home, Merlin. Take Freya out for a nice dinner,” Gwen says.
“Yeah, she’s madami fun than Uther, I’m sure,” Merlin nods. “Congratulations, guys.”
“Thank you, Merlin,” Gwen says. Then she looks up at Arthur and kisses him again.
“Dare,” he says, smirking at her.
“Come tahanan with me.”
-End-