AN: This is something I wrote some time ago. Posting on request. :)
"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" Merlin rubbed his temple as he stared at his friend.
"No, but I can't think of anything else. Can you? I can't admit that I lied. That would just make things worse."
Merlin sighed and had to admit that he didn't have a better idea. At least none that they hadn't tried yet. How did he get himself involved in this anyway? Oh yes. He thought that asking Pendragon Hotels to sponsor a charity he volunteered at was a good idea. It was in a way, since he managed to persuade Morgana Pendragon to make a significant donation to the charity and somehow managed to get himself a lucrative job working as Arthur Pendragon's personal assistant. Still, no one warned him that getting involved with the Pendragons would mean getting himself entangled in the oddest situations.
Guinevere's, or Gwen as she preferred to be called, reaction was a lot more subdued that he expected.
"Are you crazy?" She punctuated that with a jab to his shoulder. "Working for the Pendragons has turned your brain to mush!"
He patted himself on his back for being smart enough to make the suggestion to her in public. She might be tempted to murder him had he told her in the privacy of their shared apartment. There was still a chance she might kill him but he hoped that the walk home through the park she loved would calm her somewhat.
"I can't believe you're asking this of me! What do you think I am?"
"You need the money," Merlin pointed out. That was true. Gwen's father was quite sick and the hospitalisation and medical bills were mounting. It didn't help that her younger brother decided to take off and disappear immediately after he graduated from university. With her father refusing to move to the city and Gwen unable to give up her job, she had little choice but to hire a nurse to care for her father, only adding to the expenses she bore alone.
Merlin knew that at the end of the day, Gwen was nothing if not practical and this arrangement was a practical one for her.
When she sighed, he knew she was close to agreeing. "I'm hardly the kind of girl he would date, much less marry. How are we going to fool anyone?"
"Weren't you in drama club in secondary school? I'm sure you can act as if you're in love with him. Half the world seems to be. And he'll take one look at you and fall for you anyway. You're utterly loveable."
"Flattery will get you everywhere." Gwen still looked somewhat uncertain. "And for this charade, I'm going to get $10,000 a month? How rich is he?"
"Very, apparently." Merlin said wryly. "So is that a yes?"
"How about I'll think about it after I meet him?"
"He's late," muttered Gwen two days later. Merlin could tell from her expression that she was having second thoughts about the whole thing.
"He's a busy man. Give him a bit of time."
Gwen merely raised her eyebrows and continued staring at the restaurant they were seated in. He didn't blame her. The first time Arthur had taken him there for lunch, he had been just as amazed at its opulence.
"Sorry. There was a minor problem at work." Arthur dragged out a chair and flung himself into it. Turning to Gwen, he grinned and stretched out his hand. "You must be Guinevere. I'm Arthur."
When Gwen hesitated, Merlin thought that she was going to refuse to shake Arthur's hand and worse, reprimand Arthur for being late. And so when she finally took Arthur's hand, he gave a sigh of relief.
"You can call me Gwen." She was blushing. Seems like even sensible Gwen was not immune to Arthur's looks. Merlin smirked to himself, filing away that little information to use against her the next time she teased him.
And that, Merlin would tell his god-children many years later, is how it all started.
With a little bit of planning and help from Merlin, Arthur managed to avoid his father for most of the day so when the lift doors slid open and his father was revealed, Arthur barely managed to hide his groan. Again his father asked about his fiance, Arthur muttered something as vague as possible then made some excuse to run away. It wasn't that he didn't love his father - he did, despite everything - but recently, his father was on some sort of get-my-only-son-hitched-and-popping-grand-children mission. When it first started, it was amusing and Arthur quite enjoyed having all these women introduced to him. A month later, it was tiresome. Now, he dreaded it whenever he saw his father with any woman around his age. Where did his father find all these women anyway? And frankly, he felt like the wall his father was throwing females at to see what sticks.
Never in his life did think he would have to pay for a girlfriend but here he was, in a tiny little apartment, sitting across perhaps the only female left in the city his father hasn't thrown at him, and negotiating some sort of contract.
"This is very official," Guinevere chewed on her pen as she flipped through the contract. "Do you think I need a lawyer? Not that I can afford one."
"Well."
The pen still in her mouth, she looked up at him, her eyes considering him. "Merlin said you were trustworthy."
"I am."
"Alright then. If Merlin says I can trust you, then I will trust you. So it's $10,000 a month for as long as I play your girlfriend for at least a year."
"Yup."
"I'm not sure how this is suppose to help you though. I mean, when we finally break up, isn't your dad going to continue with his campaign to get you married?"
"I'm hoping he'll tire of it by then. Or find something else to obsess over. Or I might plead heart break when you dump me and never get over you."
She tilted her head and stared at him again, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "You didn't really think this through did you? Because it just seems like you're delaying the inevitable. You might as well buy a wife to get your Dad to stop."
She was right he admitted to himself. Unfortunately, he had opened his mouth and declared in front of his father and the latest female he had dragged along that he had a steady girlfriend he was planning to ask marry before he could actually think it through. And it was nice to have his father stop pushing females on him for the past two weeks. But now, he wanted to meet his future daughter-in-law. The last thing he needed right now, just as he was dealing with a major business deal his father already expressed doubts over, was for his father to discover that he had been spinning a lie. He was jolted out of his musings when he realised that Gwen was still talking.
"And you can terminate it at any time and I will still get paid for the year?"
"That's what it says." He had to remember she wasn't one of those corporate lawyers he dealt with daily.
"And no physical stuff?"
"No. Well, not unless we both want to. I guess we'll need to do some things. Umm, like hand holding. Or maybe hugging? Erm, some kissing but that's probably about it." That didn't come out too badly. Was she going to actually go through every point? Maybe he should have hired a lawyer for her. Then he wouldn't have to spend so much time on this uncomfortable sofa watching her as she chewed her pen and read the contract with such adorable seriousness.
Did he just describe her as adorable? He sighed and put his head in his hands. His father's incessant meddling was driving him crazy.
"Well, seeing that I'm the one who is most likely to be at a disadvantage here, forgive me for being careful." She sounded irritated and he felt slightly bad.
"Look, why don't you contact Elena? She's a friend of the family and a lawyer. She can walk you through the contract. Here. I'll forward you her number and let her know you will be coming by."
"I can't afford a lawyer!"
"I'll bear the cost. And don't worry. Elena won't risk her reputation by being anything but professional with you."
The look she sent him was suspicious but she grudgingly put aside the contract and nodded her head. "So, I'll see you again after I've signed the contract?"
Finally he could get off the sofa. How did people sit on that monstrosity? "Yes. Merlin will arrange it I expect. I do hope we can sort this out by this weekend."
"Ok." She stretched out her hand. For someone who was going to be pretend girlfriend for the next year, it was an oddly formal gesture. Still he took it, ignored the slight pleasure of her much smaller hand in his and smiled as reassuringly as he could.
"I look forward to working with you." How did his brain come up with such things? Maybe this was why his father despaired of him finding a wife on his own.
The meeting with Elena was fairly straightforward although there was a curiosity in her eyes that Gwen pretended not to notice. She didn't blame Elena - it wasn't everyday that you dealt with such contracts.
"I guess you are all set to become Arthur Pendragon's fake girlfriend." Elena stood as she ushered Gwen from her plush office.
"It can't be that bad right?" Gwen smiled tightly, moving towards the door.
Elena laughed, a light, pleasant one. "I wouldn't know. I'm one of the few women his father hasn't pushed on him. I'm sure you can guess why. Rumour has it that he hasn't actually had a proper, long term girlfriend before." She covered her mouth and gasped. "Oh hush Elena, you shouldn't be gossiping about your clients. Sorry."
"Don't worry. I won't tell." Gwen's smile widened. "I should go. Thank you for everything."
"No problem. I plan to bill him well. Good luck!" With a jaunty wave, Elena closed the door behind Gwen.
And that was it. She was now official girlfriend to Arthur Pendragon and all that entailed. She laughed to herself. Official girlfriend. What a job. If she was very honest, the thought excited her a little. It would be nice to not have to live hand to mouth for a while and perhaps even indulge herself in things she hadn't been able to for the past year. She could even make more trips back to see her father and give him more creature comforts. So what if it meant having to make public appearances with the Pendragon prince and perhaps have her photo in a tabloid or two? How hard could it be?
Deep in thought, she didn't notice the figure lurking at the entrance of the law firm. Slamming into him, her bag fell to the floor and spilled open, all her books and papers spilling out onto the floor. She swore under her breath and looked up to glare at the clumsy fool.
It was Arthur.
"It seems like I don't have the most graceful girlfriend," he smiled crookedly as he bent down to help her gather her things.
Slightly miffed at his comment, she snapped, "Are you regretting this already? We can call it off right now."
"And let you pocket $120,000 for doing nothing? I didn't earn my position in Pendragon Hotels by throwing away money like that." He grinned as he passed her bag to her. His fingers brushed against hers and she shivered. He might have shivered too but she couldn't be sure.
"So. Hi." His teasing mood faded and awkwardness entered his voice.
"Hi?" She looked at him, all tall, handsome and rich, the sun highlighting his blond hair, and she wondered, not for the first time, why he couldn't get an actual girlfriend.
Arthur was blushing, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Umm. I take it you've signed the contract?"
"Yes. Are you here to see Elena?"
"Actually, I thought, well, that since we are now officially -" he trailed off and the blush became darker. He made an odd movement with his hands. "you know, together, we could have lunch."
"Huh."
"Not that you have to," he hurriedly said. "Well, actually you do but I don't really -"
"Sure. I can do lunch," she replied quickly, wanting to put him out of his misery. Maybe this was why he couldn't get a girlfriend. It was a little cute. "Lead the way my lord."
He frowned at her. "My lord?"
"You are known in the tabloids as the Pendragon prince."
"Oh. That's true. I asked them to stop but, well, you know how they're like."
Gwen looked at him and shook her head in amusement. "No I don't actually. We don't all lead your life."
The flush on his face returned and he nodded curtly before turning away. "Let's go."
The journey to the restaurant was taken in silence. She stole glances at him now and then but he seemed determined to stare out of the car's window. No one would believe they had been dating for months. Not that she cared really. If he wasn't going to make an effort, then neither would she.
Like the previous restaurant they were at, this one was another exclusive, high-end restaurant that served tiny portions of food on large plates. As Gwen tucked into her starter, she thought she could easily get used to such a lifestyle.
"Maybe we should come up with a story of how we met," she suggested between mouthfuls.
"Good idea. You're really enjoying your food aren't you? I've not seen anyone eat so enthusiastically or as much as you."
Swallowing her food quickly, she tried to stifle her laugh. "It's a good thing you're not actually dating me. I mean in a space of two hours, you've said I'm clumsy and that I eat too much. Is this why you can't seem to find a real girlfriend? Some sort of foot in the mouth disease?"
"What? No!" His cutlery clattered on the table. "I'm just not interested I guess."
"Oh!"Gwen stared at him in surprise. What did not interested mean? "Well then."
"Anyway, let's talk about how we met."
That was a good conversation topic and the awkwardness between them faded slightly as they chatted. Coming up with a story was a little more difficult than she anticipated. Arthur had strange ideas about romance and for some reason seemed to want to make their history more complicated than it needed to be.
"Why do we have to meet in the rain at some sidewalk outside a cafe? Do you even go to cafes?"
"It's romantic isn't it? I saw it in that movie Morgana dragged me to last week. We could have shared an umbrella too."
"We are not living in a movie, Arthur. And you're so awkward so I doubt that would have happened."
"I am not!" And Arthur looked really offended by her assessment but if his little attempt to ask her for lunch was any indication, he definitely was.
"Let's just say Merlin introduced us, which is quite close to the truth."
"I like the rain idea better." Arthur pouted, slumping into his seat and crossing his arms.
She could pout as well and so she did. In the battle of the pouts, it was Arthur who eventually backed down, grudgingly agreeing that they met through Merlin.
She had only met Arthur three times and already she was wondering how this was the arrogant, confident, shrewd business man she read about in the tabloids. So far, he had been polite and quite nice but not what she had imagined in her head. In her head, he was powerful, dominating and clear about what he wanted. This man opposite her didn't seem to have the same sort of self-assurance.
He did continue to look quite delicious though with his soft, blond hair and piercing blue eyes. The moment that thought popped into her head, she knew she was blushing.