Part 19: link


    A few minutos later she leaves his lap, helps him clean up, and they wander back to his bedroom. It is relatively early yet, and Gwen puts on Arthur’s t-shirt that she has stolen and Arthur puts on a pair of shorts. She helps him take his camisa, camiseta off.
    “Can I please leave this honda off?” He is practically begging. “I don’t have to wear it to sleep tonight, honest.”
    “Okay. But be careful. I’ve been put in charge of tu for the evening, tu know. If I see tu doing anything… suspicious, I’m slapping tu right back into that sling.”
    “You’ve been put in charge? por whom?”
    “Merlin. He sent me a text.”
    “Where did he get your number?” He is blustering now, feeling conspired against por his best friend and his love. Fiancée, he reminds himself.
    “I imagine he got it from your phone after I talked to him Friday morning.” She shrugs.
    “What did he send?’
    “You’re such a pain.” She digs her phone out of her bag and drags her finger across the screen. She finds the text and flashes it at Arthur. Make sure he behaves himself. –Merlin
    “Surely, that could mean anything,” he tries. She looks at him, saying nothing. “Perhaps not, then,” he gives up.
    She looks at her phone. “Arthur,” she says, “can we invite my father to desayuno tardío, brunch tomorrow? That way we can tell both our fathers the news at the same time.”
    “Sure, that’s a good idea. My father might have an inkling already, tu know.”
    “Probably.” She smiles, then rings her father.
    “Is he still up?” Arthur asks quietly.
    “Arthur, it’s not that late. Oh! Hi, Dad,” she says into the phone.
    “Nothing’s wrong. Sorry it’s a bit late, but I thought you’d still be up. Oh, good. Just wondering if tu have any plans tomorrow morning. Hmm?” she looks at Arthur and points to the back of her wrist. Eleven, he mouths to her. “Eleven. Arthur and I are having desayuno tardío, brunch with his father tomorrow and we were wondering if you’d come. tu will? Oh, good!” She smiles at Arthur. “What? Oh, I don’t exactly know. Here, I’ll give tu to Arthur.” His eyes open wide as she hands him the phone. “Well, I don’t know where your father lives,” she says to him. He takes the phone.
    “Hello, Mr. Thomas. Sorry, Tom,” he has obviously been corrected. Gwen smiles and walks to the loo while Arthur gives her father directions to his father’s house.
    “All sorted?” she asks Arthur, returning to his bedroom.
    “Yep. He’ll be there.” He pauses, looking at her standing there in his shirt, ring on her finger, hair pulled back. He smiles at her, realizing he’ll get to see her like this – cozy and rumpled and adorable – regularly, for the rest of his life. “Hey, do tu think we could take this bandage off? It probably could do with some air.” He points to his neck. “It itches.”
    “Hmm. Maybe we should call Merlin. Oh – and then we can tell him as well,” she says.
    Arthur picks up his phone and dials Merlin’s number. He finally answers, and Arthur greets him with, “You weren’t sleeping, were you? Oh. Well, wake up and talk to me for a minute. Sorry.” He looks at Gwen and rolls his eyes, and she giggles. “I want to know if Gwen can take this bandages off my neck. Yes, that’s why I woke you. Oh. Hang on.” He pokes his phone, turning on the speaker.
    “Hi, Merlin, sorry to wake you,” Gwen says.
    “It’s all right, Gwen,” Merlin tells her.
    “Oh, so for her it’s all right…” Arthur complains.
    “Shut it, you. Gwen, how does his shoulder look?”
    “One second.” She flips on the bright overhead light. “It’s mostly purple, but the edges are starting to turn yellow. I let him take the honda off.”
    “Hmm.” Merlin doesn’t sound pleased about the sling. “Arthur lift your arm up, out in front of you.”
    Arthur lifts his right arm up easily, grinning at Gwen.
    “Your left arm, Cabbage Head,” Merlin’s knowing voice comes out of the phone. Arthur scowls and does as he’s told. “How does it feel?”
    “Fine,” Arthur says.
    “Gwen?” Merlin asks for confirmation.
    “I would say it still aches a bit,” she studies him.
    “Hey! What is this?” Arthur objects.
    “She’s my lie detector,” Merlin laughs. “How high up can he raise it?”
    “He looks like he’s saluting Hitler with the wrong hand.”
    Arthur bursts out laughing at this, as does Merlin, who says, “Good. Now lift your left arm out to the side, as far as tu can go again.”
    “Aaahhhh…” Arthur reluctantly groans a bit at this action.
    “Still sore,” Gwen translates. Arthur scowls at her. She blows him a kiss.
    “How far?” Merlin asks.
    “About three o’clock,” Gwen tells him.
    “Pretty good. I expected that way would be a little worse.”
    “Can I keep the honda off?” Arthur asks.
    “Yes. Gwen, take the bandage off and tell me what tu see.”
    Gwen carefully peels the bandage from Arthur’s neck. All that remains of his burn are what used to be blisters “The blisters are dry. They’ve scabbed over,” she says.
    “You can leave the bandage off. Do not scratch them, Arthur. I know they itch. If tu scratch them, they’ll heal slower and scar. Keep putting that gel on,” he instructs.
    “All right—” Arthur begins, but Merlin cuts him off.
    “And I want tu to use the arm, but not too much. Don’t go work out, don’t reach over your head too much for anything; try not to sleep on that side. If it starts to ache too much, take some aspirin and go easy on it. And ice it if tu need to. Oh, and also—“
    “I’m sorry, Gwen, it appears I already have a wife,” it is Arthur’s turn to cut Merlin off. He winks at her.
    “Do I have to give the ring back, then?” she grins at Arthur.
    “Oh, ha ha, very funny. Wait, what??” Merlin suddenly realizes what has just transpired.
    Gwen and Arthur laugh. “Merlin, Guinevere has agreed to marry me,” Arthur tells him.
    “You do realize that he is a complete nutter and a total degenerate, right?” Merlin asks Gwen.
    “Yes. And it takes one to know one, my dear,” she teases him back.
    “Hey, I’m not a nutter! Seriously, though, I’m very happy for you, honestly. And Arthur, I knew that’s what tu were up to this morning! ‘Errand,’ indeed. I didn’t think you’d be proposing tonight, though.”
    “I know,” Arthur tells him. “Merlin, tu remember when I told tu I knew about a ring my father had? My mother’s ring?”
    “You gave her that ring?? tu actually got him to give it to you?”
    “Yep.”
    “Well done, you!”
    “We wanted tu to be the first to know, Merlin, since tu were the one that dragged Arthur over to come talk to me,” Gwen tells him.
    “Oh, tu two would have found each other at some point, I’m sure of that,” Merlin says.
    “You can trust him. He’s a wizard, tu know,” Arthur grins at Gwen.
    “Oh, of course,” Gwen says, “but thank tu anyway, Merlin.”
    “You are most welcome. Both of you,” he says.
    “And Merlin, you’ll be my best man, obviously,” Arthur announces. He doesn’t ask, he commands.
    “Well, yeah,” Merlin says, as if Arthur had dicho “it’s nighttime.” Then he yawns.
    “Good night, Merlin,” Gwen says.
    “Good night, tu two,” Merlin answers.
    “’Night. See tu Monday,” Arthur says, then hangs up the phone. They are sitting on Arthur’s bed, facing each other, phone on the cama between them. He looks across at her and smiles, his eyes exuding a heat that she feels in her belly. He leans adelante, hacia adelante to kiss her, putting his right hand down on the cama for support. His lips are warm, possessing hers, his tongue sweeping across her lips. She doesn’t let him in yet, and gently pulls away.
    “It’s too bright in here now,’ he says, opening his eyes halfway.
    “One más thing before I turn the lights back off,” she says. She hops off the bed, grabs her phone, and takes a foto of her left hand and sends it to Morgana. She gives him an impish smirk. “Wait for it…”
    Ten segundos later her phone rings. She answers, “Hello?” as sweetly and innocently as she can.
    “BLOODY HELL THAT IS A HUGE DIAMOND!” Morgana shouts into the phone, causing Gwen to pull it away from her ear quickly. Arthur is able to hear the outburst, and he laughs.

Part 21: link