Beyond My Touch - chp 26
Chapter 26 - Not Hiding Anymore
The bookstore was quiet as always, that little jingle of music playing in the background to keep the shoppers company as they searched for their next secret world. I let my fingers scan the shelf before me, not really paying attention to what I was looking at. Today was the day. Merlin had been working again for two weeks, but due to his eyes he’d been given very few hours, and none of them had been with Will. When Merlin told me today would be the first time he’d see Will since the surgery, well I couldn’t very well pass that up, now could I?
Merlin spotted me, still able to hear my whistle necklace even with his eyesight. We waved at each other, but otherwise decided to pretend I wasn’t there for the time being. I looked over to the cash register and saw Will standing there, looking bored and staring at the ceiling. He had no customers to help and apparently nothing else to do. He only looked down because Merlin ended up grazing a stand of postcards with his shoulder and knocking it halfway over before he caught it. I sighed and shook my head. How was it possible for him to become even clumsier now that he could see?
“Merlin?” Will asked, hurrying over to help retrieve and place the cards that had fallen out.
“Ah. Good morning, Will,” Merlin greeted, setting the stand up straight. He smiled and then bent down to grab the cards.
“Where have you been, Merlin? I haven’t seen you in weeks!” the brunette complained, snatching cards up like they would burn the floor if he didn’t. He didn’t seem to notice Merlin lifting them up as well. Well that was no fun.
“I was with Arthur and Uncle Gaius,” Merlin said. “Plus my parents were down… together.”
“Oh Arthur.” Will scoffed and stood up with his stack of cards, placing them back in the correct spots. “I saw the news about you on the magazine. Why do you let him get away with stuff like that? And what’s so great about him anyway? He’s just a self-absorbed pop star like all the others.”
“First off, he’s an actor, not a pop star. And secondly, I didn’t know you liked the Stiff Dylans,” Merlin said, looking down at Will’s shirt and then returning to replacing the cards. “Good band.”
“He’s stuffy, that’s what he…. What did you say?” Will stopped what he was doing, three cards still in his fingers. He glanced around, trying to figure out what Merlin was talking about and probably trying to hear which song was playing. I couldn’t help but smirk. I wanted to see his reaction up close, but that would be impossible while staying out of sight.
“Your shirt,” Merlin said. He motioned to it. “I’ve heard some of their work. It’s pretty good.”
Will’s reaction couldn’t be more perfect. I know you all expected it too. He stared at Merlin, unmoving, for several moments. I waited for his eyes to bug out, for him to scream and holler or something extravagant. His stunned silence and awe was great, but I was waiting for it to explode. What he ended up doing more than rubbed me the wrong way.
Will dropped the last three cards and wrapped his arms around Merlin, drawing him into a tight hug. If he had gotten angry and started yelling, I would have been fine with that. Merlin could handle himself in a fight, and I could back him up. If Will freaked out in shock and joy, that would have been fine. It would have been funny…. But this? This was not okay.
“You can see?” Will asked, not pulling away. He wasn’t moving, but I was. “When did this happen?”
“Where do you think I’ve been for the past few weeks? Arthur’s uncle is an eye surgeon. He fixed me up, and I’ve been at home healing,” Merlin said. I was just about next to them at this point, but I no longer had much to worry about.
Will pulled back pretty quick after Merlin’s explanation. He looked torn between emotions, between anger and relief, between betrayal and joy… and then he spotted me. His face hardened but didn’t look totally uninviting. Merlin looked over after noticing the expression shift and he smiled uneasily.
“Yeah. Arthur’s been a lot of help,” Merlin continued. “So I hope the two of you can get along. Okay, Will?”
“You know I don’t like him,” Wil began. He bent down and picked up the postcards again. When his eyes met mine again, he looked softer. “You got his eyes fixed?” This time he was talking to me.
“Yeah,” I said. “Paid for it and everything.” I stepped close to Merlin, marking my territory… ahem, not that we hadn’t done that in the bedroom the day before, but Will didn’t need to know that.
“Then thanks. I still think you’re a paparazzi addicted coward, though,” Will said, scowling slightly and replacing the cards on the stand.
“Hey now, that picture of us wasn’t my fault,” I said, crossing my arms and pouting. “That was all Merlin’s doing.”
“It’s true,” Merlin agreed, speaking quickly to get his word in before Will could even think to disprove me. “I tricked Arthur into the shot, but that’s a long story. Let’s not get into it.”
“What? No. Why would you do that Merlin? You’re going to ruin your life, your privacy like this!” Will exclaimed.
“I know,” Merlin sighed. He sounded annoyed, which struck me as odd. Merlin was never annoyed. “Does everyone think I’m stupid? I did think it through first, you know.”
“Really?” I asked. Merlin gave me a look that seemed to say ‘duh’ and ‘shut up’ at the same time.
“I was worried Arthur may not like me if the surgery went wrong, and I was stressed out, but I did know what letting a camera see us would do. I’m prepared for the media to know about me. I’ve been prepared since the day Arthur came back from Paris, ready to make us a couple. I didn’t want Arthur sneaking around all the time to see me. I know it’s stupid to think I can date a popular movie actor and not be noticed. I just figured we could get it out of the way instead of slinking around and putting it off,” he said. He frowned, a look that said he felt disappointed, perhaps even so far as betrayed. “You’ve known me for years. I’d think you’d have more faith in me than to think I’d run into something without thinking about it.”
“Wha?” Will started. He searched for an excuse of some sort, but seemed to be coming up dry. “I’m… I’m just trying to look out for you.”
“The two of you should know better than anyone that I don’t need looking after most of the time,” Merlin said matter-of-fact-ly. I chuckled.
“I don’t know. You’ve been a lot clumsier since your surgery,” I teased. Merlin elbowed me in the gut, causing me to grunt in pain and hold the spot. “Hey,” I complained.
“The point is, I may be clumsy, but I’m not a total idiot.” Merlin looked between us, registering comprehension. It was a good thing he stressed ‘total’, because otherwise I would’ve had a very smartass comment to add. Heh.
Will looked defeated, like a pissed off kicked puppy. He took a step back and lowered his eyes. I folded my hands behind my back. I didn’t want to butt in anymore. This was supposed to be a show for me to watch, not to act. Will shrugged and looked hesitantly up at Merlin again.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m supposed to be happy for you and I let my stupid ego get in the way again.”
“I think that happens to most good men,” Merlin said. He smiled and, was it me or did he elbow me again? I hope that wasn’t a jab at my ego. “Besides, I don’t want to be mad at you. I need a friend to look out for me in case I get lost in here.”
Will laughed softly. “Now that’s funny. You get your eyesight back and now you’re worried about getting lost.”
“I’ll pick you up after work, Merlin,” I said, taking my cue to egress. Merlin grabbed my arm with as much surprising accuracy as he’d had since day one so that I couldn’t leave yet. He gave me a kiss, right there in front of Will, and then smiled.
“Don’t be late,” he said.
“Never.” I couldn’t help grinning like a loon. He’d kissed me in front of Will. In. Front. Of. Will.
Take that, sucker.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
You ever feel like you life is like a movie? You know… those times when you turn on the radio or listen to your ipod and somehow the music that comes on seems to fit perfectly with what you’re doing and what’s happening around you?
Yeah, I didn’t either. That is, until it was time to get ready to go get Merlin. I turned on my radio, just for the hell of it, and stepped into my shower. I was glad I double locked the elevator door and every other door in my house, because singing to my showerhead was more than out of character for me. Especially when it involved a mix of the world’s most popular classics and me whacking the back of my head against the wall and almost slipping to my doom.
I changed the station when I got out of the shower and chose my clothes to the tunes of McFly’s ‘Party Girl’. It was movie perfect. The timing of opening the closet and slipping the shirt over my head and down my chest. Pulling on my jacket matched like amazing. I felt like a silly teenager, imaging the music matching so well. I laughed at myself and danced lamely around the room to grab my hairbrush and sunglasses. It was so unlike me to feel so free, and I blamed it entirely on Merlin’s open show of affection. I shut the radio off after the song ended and slid in my socks out into my entryway.
I slipped on my shoes and checked to make sure I hadn’t crushed the backs down into the shoes, as I had a history of doing. When I was sure I looked right I stepped into the elevator and, still hearing McFly in my head, leaned against the wall and laughed. I waved at the woman behind the front desk as I left. She looked stunned by the gesture, but I didn’t care.
I was letting the free feeling carry me, because I was about to do something potentially stupid. Possibly the stupidest thing I’d ever done… or at least the stupidest thing since trying to jump off the roof of our house when I was little, but that was old news.
I turned the radio on again in the car. I heard The Script and Brandon Flowers on my drive and some band I didn’t recognize because it hadn’t been on any of my soundtracks and I usually forget to turn the radio on when I drive around. The last song to play as I pulled up to the bookstore was ‘Airplanes’ by B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams from some band I never remembered the name of. It was catchy and I couldn’t decide if I liked the rapping or the girl’s singing better, but it didn’t matter, because then I was pulling up in the front of the book shop.
Yea, you read that right. The front.
The music had been a comfort, a soundtrack for the drive over and an energy for my gall to live up to. I parked my car and cut the engine, cutting the sound too. A few people looked over from where they were on the sidewalk, probably not used to seeing a sporty car pull up in front of a shop like this. I took a deep breath and stepped out, no hat or beanie or nothing. It was just me, in a tight red shirt and a black leather jacket with my sunglasses blocking the sun and keeping me from glaring at everyone unintentionally.
I heard a girl start whispering to her friend. They began debating if it was even possible I would be there before they got to debating if it was really me. I inclined my head to them as I passed them to go into the shop.
“Good afternoon. Welcome to - Woah.” The familiar voice seemed to step back as much as the man saying it.
“Afternoon to you too, Will,” I greeted, slipping my glasses off. Will seemed to look me over twice or so before he remembered he had vocal chords.
“Damn, Arthur,” Will said. “You should leave that stupid beanie off more often… I didn’t realize you were…. You know.” He trailed off and motioned to me.
Yeah. I didn’t usually dress designer and leave my head all exposed, but Will’s reaction tempted me to do it much more often. I smirked and hooked my glasses in the collar of my shirt.
“Hot?” I asked. Will swallowed and looked away from me, embarrassed. I hit the nail on the head. Ha! I was hot even to Will, the guy whose hatred and jealousy of me blinded his sexuality to my charms. It seemed the score today was Will - 0, Arthur - 2. Will picked up a phone and pushed only one button on it.
“M-Merlin, your ride is here,” Will called into the receiver before clearing his throat. “No, at the front. Yeah, I’m sure it’s him…. Just get up here, will ya?”
I smiled and glanced over my shoulder. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure it was about to burst. As I looked out the front doors, glass and completely see through from inside - partially on the outside because of the glare of the sun - my heart rate only got faster. I knew it. There was a line of girls gossiping on the side of the entryway, squinting inside at me, and a paparazzi was standing behind a blue car that had just pulled up three spots over from mine. This was going to launch a media circus.
“Arthur?” Merlin asked in shock, drawing my attention forward again. I beamed for him and held my arms out in a ‘what do you think?’ manner. “You came in the front entrance?”
“Yeah. May be the dumbest idea I’ve had all week,” I said, nodding.
Remember how I was saying this day just seemed to have a soundtrack? The song playing softly in the background was something inspirational but virtually incomprehensible at this volume… but it matched perfectly with the smile Merlin was giving me. He glanced behind me, seeing the girls and the people I’d seen, then he stepped closer to me.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. He was keeping his distance, just in case. I shrugged and reached out, running my thumb over his cheek.
“Like you said, better to get it over with. I’m not hiding anymore,” I said. I saw Will shift out of the corner of my eye. It looked like he was shivering from the lovey way we were acting. He sort of morphed out of the area and vanished behind a shelf. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah,” Merlin said. He nodded and pat his messenger bag. He was changed out of his uniform, which would make it harder for the reporters to tell if he worked here or if I just picked him up here. That would be a good start.
I put my hand on Merlin’s shoulder, slipped my glasses back on, and led Merlin out the front doors. He had his specialty sunglasses on before he’d gone one step. His eyes were still sensitive to the sun’s brightness. The camera started going off almost imperceptibly as soon as we opened the door, and the girls got louder as they called to get my attention.
I walked Merlin to his side of the car first, even opening it partway for him. He thanked me and slid into his seat with the grace of a five year old… aka, not much, but only I could see it. As I chuckled under my breath and made my way to the driver’s seat, I gave a short wave to the girls. It seemed there was an invisible force field between them and me. It was called Fame.
They waved and screamed amongst themselves as I slid into the front seat, trying my best to ignore the paparazzi guy. The engine roared and the girls got startled a bit. It seemed the cameraman was too, because he dropped his camera. He was just lucky that thing was attached around his neck or he would’ve lost his livelihood.
“So… your house or mine?” I asked, putting the car in reverse and smiling over at him. Merlin laughed.
“Yours,” he said. And with that, I pulled out of that parking space and tore out of the area as fast as was almost legally possible. We’d be front page tabloid material by the evening. It was a good thing Merlin chose my house. I had to warn my parents.
…………………
Preview, Chapter 27 - Two Months
I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun with the paparazzi than when I was spying on them. It was even more fun when we got Gwen and Morgana into it.
“Wake up.” I sat on the bed beside him and ran my hand down his bare back. “Come on. I have a surprise for you.”
“You’ve been talking to Mordred, haven’t you?”
“A little, but I didn’t need to talk to him to wonder.”
In some ways, it was like he was still blind. He would reach for things without looking. He would stare off into nowhere while he spoke.
“Arthur,” he scolded. “You’re avoiding the question.”
“What was that?” Mordred asked.
“That was God telling Dad to shut up,” I said.
Click HERE for Chapter 27!
The bookstore was quiet as always, that little jingle of music playing in the background to keep the shoppers company as they searched for their next secret world. I let my fingers scan the shelf before me, not really paying attention to what I was looking at. Today was the day. Merlin had been working again for two weeks, but due to his eyes he’d been given very few hours, and none of them had been with Will. When Merlin told me today would be the first time he’d see Will since the surgery, well I couldn’t very well pass that up, now could I?
Merlin spotted me, still able to hear my whistle necklace even with his eyesight. We waved at each other, but otherwise decided to pretend I wasn’t there for the time being. I looked over to the cash register and saw Will standing there, looking bored and staring at the ceiling. He had no customers to help and apparently nothing else to do. He only looked down because Merlin ended up grazing a stand of postcards with his shoulder and knocking it halfway over before he caught it. I sighed and shook my head. How was it possible for him to become even clumsier now that he could see?
“Merlin?” Will asked, hurrying over to help retrieve and place the cards that had fallen out.
“Ah. Good morning, Will,” Merlin greeted, setting the stand up straight. He smiled and then bent down to grab the cards.
“Where have you been, Merlin? I haven’t seen you in weeks!” the brunette complained, snatching cards up like they would burn the floor if he didn’t. He didn’t seem to notice Merlin lifting them up as well. Well that was no fun.
“I was with Arthur and Uncle Gaius,” Merlin said. “Plus my parents were down… together.”
“Oh Arthur.” Will scoffed and stood up with his stack of cards, placing them back in the correct spots. “I saw the news about you on the magazine. Why do you let him get away with stuff like that? And what’s so great about him anyway? He’s just a self-absorbed pop star like all the others.”
“First off, he’s an actor, not a pop star. And secondly, I didn’t know you liked the Stiff Dylans,” Merlin said, looking down at Will’s shirt and then returning to replacing the cards. “Good band.”
“He’s stuffy, that’s what he…. What did you say?” Will stopped what he was doing, three cards still in his fingers. He glanced around, trying to figure out what Merlin was talking about and probably trying to hear which song was playing. I couldn’t help but smirk. I wanted to see his reaction up close, but that would be impossible while staying out of sight.
“Your shirt,” Merlin said. He motioned to it. “I’ve heard some of their work. It’s pretty good.”
Will’s reaction couldn’t be more perfect. I know you all expected it too. He stared at Merlin, unmoving, for several moments. I waited for his eyes to bug out, for him to scream and holler or something extravagant. His stunned silence and awe was great, but I was waiting for it to explode. What he ended up doing more than rubbed me the wrong way.
Will dropped the last three cards and wrapped his arms around Merlin, drawing him into a tight hug. If he had gotten angry and started yelling, I would have been fine with that. Merlin could handle himself in a fight, and I could back him up. If Will freaked out in shock and joy, that would have been fine. It would have been funny…. But this? This was not okay.
“You can see?” Will asked, not pulling away. He wasn’t moving, but I was. “When did this happen?”
“Where do you think I’ve been for the past few weeks? Arthur’s uncle is an eye surgeon. He fixed me up, and I’ve been at home healing,” Merlin said. I was just about next to them at this point, but I no longer had much to worry about.
Will pulled back pretty quick after Merlin’s explanation. He looked torn between emotions, between anger and relief, between betrayal and joy… and then he spotted me. His face hardened but didn’t look totally uninviting. Merlin looked over after noticing the expression shift and he smiled uneasily.
“Yeah. Arthur’s been a lot of help,” Merlin continued. “So I hope the two of you can get along. Okay, Will?”
“You know I don’t like him,” Wil began. He bent down and picked up the postcards again. When his eyes met mine again, he looked softer. “You got his eyes fixed?” This time he was talking to me.
“Yeah,” I said. “Paid for it and everything.” I stepped close to Merlin, marking my territory… ahem, not that we hadn’t done that in the bedroom the day before, but Will didn’t need to know that.
“Then thanks. I still think you’re a paparazzi addicted coward, though,” Will said, scowling slightly and replacing the cards on the stand.
“Hey now, that picture of us wasn’t my fault,” I said, crossing my arms and pouting. “That was all Merlin’s doing.”
“It’s true,” Merlin agreed, speaking quickly to get his word in before Will could even think to disprove me. “I tricked Arthur into the shot, but that’s a long story. Let’s not get into it.”
“What? No. Why would you do that Merlin? You’re going to ruin your life, your privacy like this!” Will exclaimed.
“I know,” Merlin sighed. He sounded annoyed, which struck me as odd. Merlin was never annoyed. “Does everyone think I’m stupid? I did think it through first, you know.”
“Really?” I asked. Merlin gave me a look that seemed to say ‘duh’ and ‘shut up’ at the same time.
“I was worried Arthur may not like me if the surgery went wrong, and I was stressed out, but I did know what letting a camera see us would do. I’m prepared for the media to know about me. I’ve been prepared since the day Arthur came back from Paris, ready to make us a couple. I didn’t want Arthur sneaking around all the time to see me. I know it’s stupid to think I can date a popular movie actor and not be noticed. I just figured we could get it out of the way instead of slinking around and putting it off,” he said. He frowned, a look that said he felt disappointed, perhaps even so far as betrayed. “You’ve known me for years. I’d think you’d have more faith in me than to think I’d run into something without thinking about it.”
“Wha?” Will started. He searched for an excuse of some sort, but seemed to be coming up dry. “I’m… I’m just trying to look out for you.”
“The two of you should know better than anyone that I don’t need looking after most of the time,” Merlin said matter-of-fact-ly. I chuckled.
“I don’t know. You’ve been a lot clumsier since your surgery,” I teased. Merlin elbowed me in the gut, causing me to grunt in pain and hold the spot. “Hey,” I complained.
“The point is, I may be clumsy, but I’m not a total idiot.” Merlin looked between us, registering comprehension. It was a good thing he stressed ‘total’, because otherwise I would’ve had a very smartass comment to add. Heh.
Will looked defeated, like a pissed off kicked puppy. He took a step back and lowered his eyes. I folded my hands behind my back. I didn’t want to butt in anymore. This was supposed to be a show for me to watch, not to act. Will shrugged and looked hesitantly up at Merlin again.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m supposed to be happy for you and I let my stupid ego get in the way again.”
“I think that happens to most good men,” Merlin said. He smiled and, was it me or did he elbow me again? I hope that wasn’t a jab at my ego. “Besides, I don’t want to be mad at you. I need a friend to look out for me in case I get lost in here.”
Will laughed softly. “Now that’s funny. You get your eyesight back and now you’re worried about getting lost.”
“I’ll pick you up after work, Merlin,” I said, taking my cue to egress. Merlin grabbed my arm with as much surprising accuracy as he’d had since day one so that I couldn’t leave yet. He gave me a kiss, right there in front of Will, and then smiled.
“Don’t be late,” he said.
“Never.” I couldn’t help grinning like a loon. He’d kissed me in front of Will. In. Front. Of. Will.
Take that, sucker.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
You ever feel like you life is like a movie? You know… those times when you turn on the radio or listen to your ipod and somehow the music that comes on seems to fit perfectly with what you’re doing and what’s happening around you?
Yeah, I didn’t either. That is, until it was time to get ready to go get Merlin. I turned on my radio, just for the hell of it, and stepped into my shower. I was glad I double locked the elevator door and every other door in my house, because singing to my showerhead was more than out of character for me. Especially when it involved a mix of the world’s most popular classics and me whacking the back of my head against the wall and almost slipping to my doom.
I changed the station when I got out of the shower and chose my clothes to the tunes of McFly’s ‘Party Girl’. It was movie perfect. The timing of opening the closet and slipping the shirt over my head and down my chest. Pulling on my jacket matched like amazing. I felt like a silly teenager, imaging the music matching so well. I laughed at myself and danced lamely around the room to grab my hairbrush and sunglasses. It was so unlike me to feel so free, and I blamed it entirely on Merlin’s open show of affection. I shut the radio off after the song ended and slid in my socks out into my entryway.
I slipped on my shoes and checked to make sure I hadn’t crushed the backs down into the shoes, as I had a history of doing. When I was sure I looked right I stepped into the elevator and, still hearing McFly in my head, leaned against the wall and laughed. I waved at the woman behind the front desk as I left. She looked stunned by the gesture, but I didn’t care.
I was letting the free feeling carry me, because I was about to do something potentially stupid. Possibly the stupidest thing I’d ever done… or at least the stupidest thing since trying to jump off the roof of our house when I was little, but that was old news.
I turned the radio on again in the car. I heard The Script and Brandon Flowers on my drive and some band I didn’t recognize because it hadn’t been on any of my soundtracks and I usually forget to turn the radio on when I drive around. The last song to play as I pulled up to the bookstore was ‘Airplanes’ by B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams from some band I never remembered the name of. It was catchy and I couldn’t decide if I liked the rapping or the girl’s singing better, but it didn’t matter, because then I was pulling up in the front of the book shop.
Yea, you read that right. The front.
The music had been a comfort, a soundtrack for the drive over and an energy for my gall to live up to. I parked my car and cut the engine, cutting the sound too. A few people looked over from where they were on the sidewalk, probably not used to seeing a sporty car pull up in front of a shop like this. I took a deep breath and stepped out, no hat or beanie or nothing. It was just me, in a tight red shirt and a black leather jacket with my sunglasses blocking the sun and keeping me from glaring at everyone unintentionally.
I heard a girl start whispering to her friend. They began debating if it was even possible I would be there before they got to debating if it was really me. I inclined my head to them as I passed them to go into the shop.
“Good afternoon. Welcome to - Woah.” The familiar voice seemed to step back as much as the man saying it.
“Afternoon to you too, Will,” I greeted, slipping my glasses off. Will seemed to look me over twice or so before he remembered he had vocal chords.
“Damn, Arthur,” Will said. “You should leave that stupid beanie off more often… I didn’t realize you were…. You know.” He trailed off and motioned to me.
Yeah. I didn’t usually dress designer and leave my head all exposed, but Will’s reaction tempted me to do it much more often. I smirked and hooked my glasses in the collar of my shirt.
“Hot?” I asked. Will swallowed and looked away from me, embarrassed. I hit the nail on the head. Ha! I was hot even to Will, the guy whose hatred and jealousy of me blinded his sexuality to my charms. It seemed the score today was Will - 0, Arthur - 2. Will picked up a phone and pushed only one button on it.
“M-Merlin, your ride is here,” Will called into the receiver before clearing his throat. “No, at the front. Yeah, I’m sure it’s him…. Just get up here, will ya?”
I smiled and glanced over my shoulder. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure it was about to burst. As I looked out the front doors, glass and completely see through from inside - partially on the outside because of the glare of the sun - my heart rate only got faster. I knew it. There was a line of girls gossiping on the side of the entryway, squinting inside at me, and a paparazzi was standing behind a blue car that had just pulled up three spots over from mine. This was going to launch a media circus.
“Arthur?” Merlin asked in shock, drawing my attention forward again. I beamed for him and held my arms out in a ‘what do you think?’ manner. “You came in the front entrance?”
“Yeah. May be the dumbest idea I’ve had all week,” I said, nodding.
Remember how I was saying this day just seemed to have a soundtrack? The song playing softly in the background was something inspirational but virtually incomprehensible at this volume… but it matched perfectly with the smile Merlin was giving me. He glanced behind me, seeing the girls and the people I’d seen, then he stepped closer to me.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. He was keeping his distance, just in case. I shrugged and reached out, running my thumb over his cheek.
“Like you said, better to get it over with. I’m not hiding anymore,” I said. I saw Will shift out of the corner of my eye. It looked like he was shivering from the lovey way we were acting. He sort of morphed out of the area and vanished behind a shelf. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah,” Merlin said. He nodded and pat his messenger bag. He was changed out of his uniform, which would make it harder for the reporters to tell if he worked here or if I just picked him up here. That would be a good start.
I put my hand on Merlin’s shoulder, slipped my glasses back on, and led Merlin out the front doors. He had his specialty sunglasses on before he’d gone one step. His eyes were still sensitive to the sun’s brightness. The camera started going off almost imperceptibly as soon as we opened the door, and the girls got louder as they called to get my attention.
I walked Merlin to his side of the car first, even opening it partway for him. He thanked me and slid into his seat with the grace of a five year old… aka, not much, but only I could see it. As I chuckled under my breath and made my way to the driver’s seat, I gave a short wave to the girls. It seemed there was an invisible force field between them and me. It was called Fame.
They waved and screamed amongst themselves as I slid into the front seat, trying my best to ignore the paparazzi guy. The engine roared and the girls got startled a bit. It seemed the cameraman was too, because he dropped his camera. He was just lucky that thing was attached around his neck or he would’ve lost his livelihood.
“So… your house or mine?” I asked, putting the car in reverse and smiling over at him. Merlin laughed.
“Yours,” he said. And with that, I pulled out of that parking space and tore out of the area as fast as was almost legally possible. We’d be front page tabloid material by the evening. It was a good thing Merlin chose my house. I had to warn my parents.
…………………
Preview, Chapter 27 - Two Months
I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun with the paparazzi than when I was spying on them. It was even more fun when we got Gwen and Morgana into it.
“Wake up.” I sat on the bed beside him and ran my hand down his bare back. “Come on. I have a surprise for you.”
“You’ve been talking to Mordred, haven’t you?”
“A little, but I didn’t need to talk to him to wonder.”
In some ways, it was like he was still blind. He would reach for things without looking. He would stare off into nowhere while he spoke.
“Arthur,” he scolded. “You’re avoiding the question.”
“What was that?” Mordred asked.
“That was God telling Dad to shut up,” I said.
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