Hello all :)
possibly slightly sadistically, I had so much fun writing this chapter ^_^ Hope you enjoy just as much :D
Read, review, enjoy.
Merlin blessed the absolute silence of his house as the door banged shut behind him.
He had a nastily throbbing headache from where Will had accidentally whacked his head against the doorframe by giving him a bone-crushing hug. Merlin had persuaded Gwen that it had all been a misunderstanding, much to Will's delight- hence the hug- and the beautiful Morgana's distaste. Merlin had almost sprinted from the coffee shop, back against the wall, to avoid what could only be described as her wrath.
Merlin sighed and leant against the closed door. He had an hour all to himself before his shift at Pizza Italiano GoGo started.
"There shall and will be aspirin," He moaned, making his weary way to the kitchen.
Rummaging around in the cupboards for the little box (disregarding an old kettle, a broken spatula, sleeping tablets and what looked like a very old asparagus), Merlin pressed the little answer phone button on the kitchen phone.
There was a beep.
"Two new messages. Message one, today, 2:55 pm."
"Poppet, it's your mum. You're not in again; you're never in these days, honestly, I've said it before, they work you too hard at that pizza place. Your auntie Vi wondered how you were doing… oh, Merlin, dear, I was watching the telly the other night, and there was a programme on about malnutrition. You are eating all right, aren't you? I don't want you just eating that junk food. Give me a call, all right? And-"
Hastily, Merlin hit the 'delete' button.
He would call her later. He wasn't a bad son, really.
"Message deleted. Message two, today, 3:04pm."
"Hi Merlin, it's Jeanie. I was just wondering, if maybe, you know, you'd like to get a drink later or something? I finish at 10. So um, give me a call, or speak to me at work, or, whatever. Ok. Um, bye."
"End of messages. To listen to your message again, press one-"
Again? Again? In panic, Merlin hit a button on the machine at random, quest for aspirin abandoned.
"One old message. Today, 2.55pm."
"Hi Merlin, it's Jeanie, I was just won-"
"No! Stop it, you stupid-"
"Message deleted. End of messages."
He stood in shock for a moment.
Jeanie, as in permanently angry red-haired head chef Jeanie, had asked out him? On a date? Tonight?
Will had always ridiculed him for his success rate with girls. Before Gwen came along, they'd go out to bars and Will, the slick git, would always, always, end up taking home some girl. Merlin, ears blushing like Chinese lanterns, would mutter something along the lines of 'I like your mouth' and then end up home alone in utter mortification.
So really, this was a bit of a dilemma.
He hovered over the phone, deliberating.
Deep breath, Merlin, deep breath. He wiggled the fingers on his hand and his foot jiggled uncontrollably.
He dialled the number, and snatched up the phone.
Don't pick up, don't pick up…
Of course, she did.
"Hi! Jeanie, it's er, Merlin…" He swallowed. "Listen I was just calling about… uh huh. Yeah. Yeah! Um. I- right! That'd be… excellent! Um. Um. Of course. Well, er, I'll see you later the. Bye." She hung up.
Merlin collapsed against the fridge.
-
The purr of a powerful engine hummed through the quiet air in open windows of number 10 Hyde Park Gate.
The blonde man lay on his dark leather sofa, staring contemplatively into the half glass of wine in his hand. He swirled the ruby liquid with a smooth wrist motion and raised a sigh at nothing in particular.
His house was empty- unfortunately. He could have done with company to take his mind from pepperoni and mozzarella. For the meantime the claret would have to do.
His blue eyes- catching the light from the windows- had an irritating habit of flickering unconsciously to the phone and a number scrawled on the pad beside it. Fingering the cup of the wine glass, his free hand dragged through his hair, front to back. There was no reason he should not make his own lunch: his kitchen was fully stocked and there was a rather tender steak in the fridge that needed eating.
Nonetheless, the man downed the rest of the glass a stood in one fluid motion, exasperation and wine nudging him forward.
Ridiculous, he told himself. Ridiculous.
-
"MERLIN! Get out here- delivery!"
Will's bellow jumped Merlin from his anxious musings.
"Coming!"
H pulled on his shiny helmet as he took the box sitting on the delivery hatch, glancing at the address briefly, and hurrying out to the dented moped.
Half an hour. That's what he was to concentrate on. Not the change of clothes folded up in his bag for tonight.
Mr Samose's face rose in Merlin's mind, shaking a salami of a finger at him.
God, he hoped that face wouldn't be in his mind tonight on his… date.
Just the thought of the word made Merlin's knees feel a little faint, and he had to swerve at the last minute to avoid a daring pensioner leaving the pavement.
It wasn't that big a deal. Really, it wasn't.
(So far, however, Merlin had had the sense not to mention his hot date to Will).
Cringing slightly, Merlin turned left and skidded to a stop outside a suddenly familiar house. He glanced down at the chipped face of his watch and breathed a sigh of relief.
Twenty-three minutes. Nice. Very nice indeed.
Merlin pulled off his helmet and shook out his hair. Really, this date- it would be all right. Yeah.
He took the pizza box and strolled- bowling it- up to the paintwork of number ten. He knocked on the door.
"Hello?"
"Hi! I have your pizza."
"Thanks," The blonde man who had answered the door rummaged in his pocket for some money. "Hey- you don't have any change on you, do you?"
Merlin, who had been studying the man's face with a furrowed brow, started.
"Oh, yeah, course-" Quickly placing the pizza box and helmet onto the step beside him, he dug into the pocket of his own jeans. He fished out a wrinkled rag of a ten pound note and some small change.
The man wrinkled his nose slightly at the note.
"Err, £7.45, please." Clumsily, they exchanged some money. As casually as possible, Merlin said, "Um, not to be, well, I mean this in the most, um, in a manly way- I er, think I know you from somewhere."
The blonde man stared at him for a second. "You've delivered here before."
"I know, but… something…"
A hesitation.
"No. I don't think so."
"Oh," Merlin shrugged, abandoning his perusal of the man's face. "My mistake." He smiled. "Well, bye."
"Bye."
Merlin walked back down the steps.
"Your helmet."
Merlin walked back up the steps and retrieved the helmet, scratching an ear.
"Bye."
"Bye."
"Thanks for the pizza."
"Thanks for the custom."
Merlin clambered back over the moped, coaxing it to life. It chugged off back down Hyde Park Gate.
The blonde man held the pizza box. He'd almost forgotten it was there, watching the little bike turn the corner and disappear.