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“Who are you, gorgeous?”
Curious eyes followed the neat lines of Merlin’s grey suit and Merlin looked up, fluttering his lashes at the woman. She was young. Younger than most women who came up to him after having just a glass of champagne too much to realize that the buttons on his shirt were open for a reason.
He smiled alluringly and placed a kiss on the back of the lady’s hand.
“May I ask you for a dance?”
She giggled, red spreading above her cheeks then she nodded.
They danced and talked.
Merlin was careful to keep her at a respectful distance. He accepted her invitation to dinner afterwards and later into the night her exquisite gifts.
-
A few weeks later, Merlin arrived at a party once more.
The tennis court looked almost unused and the fancy tent above it made Merlin smile amusedly. It looked just like another rich people’s party, like the champagne will be expensive and the food portions couldn’t dream to fill an adult man.
Merlin straightened his shoulders and walked through the entrance. Soft music surrounded him immediately and he made his way through slow-dancing couples towards a more quiet corner where he leaned against a post and observed his surroundings.
Between the middle-aged white people in the room, he clearly had to stand out. He relied on that to find women and men alike with money to spend on short-lived flirts.
Which is why a blonde man that was clearly heading towards him caught his attention.
They must have been around the same age and were dressed suspiciously similar. When the young man arrived and came to a halt next to him, he allowed his eyes to travel up from a strong chest over opened buttons revealing soft skin to gorgeous lips and captivating blue eyes.
Not to forget the handsome, artistically messy hair.
“May I ask for a dance?” The blonde asked with a deep, seductive voice.
“Dancing is a dangerous game,” Merlin replied, looking deep into the other man’s eyes and trying to figure him out.
“I will make sure you don’t get hurt then.”
Merlin laughed quietly.
“If that is so.”
He accepted the hand offered to him and was led onto the dance floor.
At first they simply swayed to the music, keeping a respectful distance. They looked at each other, obviously trying to understand the other, but they didn’t come to any conclusions.
“What is your name then?” Merlin tried to find out and his dance partner smiled, leaning closer to him.
“Arthur,” he whispered into his ear and Merlin couldn’t help but notice the shiver running down his spine.
“Arthur?” Merlin repeated, voice rough.
“Must I kneel to you, now?”
Arthur was clearly taken aback by that and blinked once, twice before a mischievous smile spread over his face.
“As much as I’d like to see that, I fear there is not a tad of royalty within me. What is your name?”
Merlin lowered his gaze to Arthur’s lips, fully aware of the effect of his actions before answering.
“My name is Merlin, Sire.”
Arthur raised his eyebrows at that.
“Merlin?” He drawled and came a bit closer.
“Sounds like we’re meant for each other then.”
Merlin laughed and took a step back as the song had come to an end.
“In another lifetime, maybe.”
“Maybe,” Arthur agreed and bowed slightly to Merlin.
“It was nice meeting you, Merlin.”
“Likewise, Arthur.”
They shook hands, holding them a bit longer than necessary then they parted ways. While Arthur headed for the bar, Merlin moved back to his corner, going back to observing the crowd.
But his glance kept on finding his way back to the blonde, handsome man who was flirting his way through the crowd, clearly following a similar tactic to Merlin’s.
Merlin was quite distracted, and didn't notice the man making his way towards him. He only grabbed his attention by clearing his throat a few feet away from Merlin.
Merlin turned towards him and gave him a big smile.
-
They spent the evening at a restaurant but Merlin catches himself drifting off multiple times, thinking back to the afternoon with the mysterious Arthur. Still, Merlin appreciated the company he had.
The bloke was interesting enough and nice to look at. Most importantly, though, the restaurant was noble and as long as the man hadn’t noticed that Merlin had lost his focus here and there, there should have been a nice present at the end of this evening.
He was right with that. An expensive watch decorated his wrist when he hugged him goodbye and placed a small kiss on his cheek.
After that he left, walking away from the fancy place and the wealthy man. His feet took him through the city and he allowed his thoughts to flow, to process the day’s events.
And what a day it had been.
-
It took another few weeks before he saw Arthur again, and he had exchanged the suit for a nice button-up shirt and tailored trousers. Arthur looked almost the same, though.
His hair was a bit less unruly than the last time, but his eyes captivated Merlin the same when they finally locked with his.
Arthur excused himself from the lady he had just been talking to and made his way through the crowd. Merlin met him in the middle of the dance floor.
They looked at each other, taking in the familiar yet strange sight.
Then Merlin took Arthur’s hand and bowed down, barely brushing the back of Arthur’s hand with his lips.
When he came back up, Arthur’s pupils were dilated and Merlin could feel a wave of lust rush over him when he saw the effect of his actions on Arthur.
But Arthur quickly regained his composure and smiled at Merlin, amusement glinting in his eyes.
“I told you there is no need to bow to me.”
“Sometimes it just feels right, Arthur.”
They shared a grin and Arthur took his hand.
“Fancy a dance?”
“With you? Always.”
Arthur gave him a brilliant smile at that, all boyish joy and loving pride and Merlin’s heart melted a bit.
They danced a bit closer than the last time, already knowing each other’s movements and body.
They also talked more, deeper, they got to know each other between playful swirls.
Merlin’s eyes glowed in the lighting of the chandeliers, making it appear as if stars were dancing within them.
When the song ended this time they didn’t stop dancing, they danced and talked through song after song, not wanting to break this precious moment.
Merlin knew that this was different from all the men and women he had encountered before, because he didn’t feel the need to look at the clock and get away, pack up his things and leave.
No, he wanted to stay forever.
He wanted to keep on dancing with Arthur.
He wanted to keep on being with Arthur.
This feeling was so new, so unknown and yet it felt like coming home.
When Arthur stepped back and smiled at him sadly, Merlin’s heart sank a bit.
“I must leave you now, Merlin. But please, take this.”
He took Merlin’s hand and Merlin could feel a small piece of paper in it.
“Call me,” Arthur said , smiling and hugging Merlin quickly.
“I am glad we met again.”
“Me too, Arthur. Me too.”
Arthur disappeared out of the tent and into the night and Merlin cannot help but wonder where he was going. He tried to ignore the twinge in his heart when he thought about who he might have been with.
Merlin left alone that night. He couldn’t bring himself to spend the rest of the evening talking after another rich folks’ mouth.
Pretending it could have been love when it could never have been.
Like Merlin could be the way out of their misery but only when they pay for it.
He had made a good life out of this, he had always loved the mesmerized gazes and longing hands that followed him night after night.
Now, they meant nothing.
Not when he had met Arthur, when he had found someone his heart longed after.
When he had, for the first time, not felt the need to get something in return for his time and attention. Because the happiness of the moment had been enough.
He had always believed that this could never happen to him.
Least of all here, between all those rich and superficial people that he had had to adapt to.
He knew now what all those people he had swindled must have felt like. He would have paid for those moments Arthur and he had shared.
And he would have done it all over again.
-
The night passed slowly while Merlin waited for a time where Arthur might have been alone.
He had given him three hours since he left and those might have been the longest three hours in his life.
Merlin knew waiting, he had always been waiting.
Always waiting for the right person, the right moment to talk to them. And then waiting for it to be over, all over again.
After two and a half hours, Merlin decided he had waited enough.
All this uncertainty and longing have been new for him and he couldn’t stand it any longer.
So he called Arthur.
For a moment nothing happened and Merlin was scared for a second that Arthur had given him a wrong number, before he could hear the familiar beeping. Three beeping sounds later that seemed like eternity to Merlin, Arthur had picked up.
“Hello?”
It was Arthur’s voice.
But it lacked the sweet undertone it had always had with Merlin and Merlin was a bit taken aback by that.
“Hey, it’s Merlin.”
“Merlin!” Arthur exclaimed, sounding almost relieved.
“I thought you wouldn’t call. I’m glad you did.”
Merlin smiled.
“I wanted to make sure your appointment was over.”
“Oh that. Yeah, it was nothing. Thank you though. For being so considerate.”
Merlin stopped pacing around in his flat and looked outside the window.
“How are you?”
“I’m good, now that you’ve called.”
Merlin grinned.
“You’re flattering me.”
“It’s true though.”
Merlin smiled even wider at that.
“I know what you’re doing, Arthur. I am the wrong one for that.”
“Except you are not, Merlin. We both know what we’re doing. But this - this is not like that, is it?”
“It’s not,” Merlin agreed and he could almost hear Arthur smile through the phone.
“I like you, Merlin. And that’s new for me but I really do.”
Merlin’s heart skipped a beat.
“You do?”
“Yes, Merlin.”
“So, we’ll meet again?”
“How about tomorrow?”
“It’d be a pleasure.”
“Tomorrow then. Where?”
Merlin thought about it for a moment.
“I’ll show you a restaurant none of these rich folks could’ve ever showed you.”
Arthur laughed.
“That sounds promising.”
“I’ll pick you up at 8, alright? Just text me your address.”
“Make it 9 and we have a deal.”
“Deal.”
“I am looking forward to it, Merlin.”
“Can’t wait, Arthur.”
It was quiet on the phone, neither of them wanting to end the call.
In the end, it was Arthur who put an end to the awkward silence.
“See you then?”
“Yes, see you.”
Merlin hung up and dropped his forehead against the window.
Did he have a date?