"Please Leon? If you don't then I'll show Mithian that video of you from the house party after my twenty first." Gwen bribed.
"I don't think so. Besides, I erased that video off your camera." Leon reminded, trying his best not to remember the morning after Gwen's twenty first birthday party. Long story short, he really should not have been allowed all that tequila.
"Come on Leon, I'm the one who told you that Mithian liked you. You owe me one!" Gwen wheedled but Leon remained stubborn and Elyan returned with their drinks. The bar they were in was quite busy for a Saturday night. There was some music being played and a good sized crowd had filled the bar.
"What's wrong?" Elyan asked.
"Leon's refusing to help me. You're refusing to help me too. Some brothers you two are." Gwen joked good naturedly. Their mother had been Leon's child minder and the three of them had grown up together. Now in their twenties, each of them was gaining success in their chosen field of employment. Elyan owned his own garage, Leon was steadily rising in the ranks of the police force and Gwen had her salon. Yet the three of them made sure to do something together at the weekends, sometimes they went out and other times they would watch DVDs ad occasionally they would sit around and reminisce about childhood and teenage memories.
"I just don't want a photo of me with my hair in rollers like some old lady posted online. I'm a cop; I'm entitled to be respected." Leon argued.
"I wouldn't use rollers. I use curling wands." Gwen reasoned and the three of them laughed. "I'll find someone I guess."
"Hey Ginger Nut!" Gwaine called as Arthur walked into the bar. The whole gang were grouped around a table, Merlin, Morgana, Gwaine and Percy who were waiting on him. Arthur turned red and glared at his sniggering Irish friend.
"You know Gwaine if you were half as funny as your face, you'd be hilarious." Arthur retorted.
"Ouch, did I touch a nerve Little Red?" Gwaine teased. "I've got loads of these; I'll be going all night."
"If I buy you a beer will you stop?" Arthur asked.
"Maybe," Gwaine grinned.
"Hey share the love, mine's a vodka and coke." Morgana jumped in quickly.
"Mine's a pint." Percy added.
"Since you're buying, you can get me a Guinness." Merlin grinned. Arthur rolled his eyes; he should have seen that one coming. Arthur crossed to the bar and as he walked back, expertly balancing two pints, a vodka and coke and two bottles of beer in his hands, he spotted Gwen sitting and laughing with two blokes at a nearby table. Arthur sat down with the others but looked over at Gwen every so often. An action which hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Hey Gwen that blond bloke's been staring at you for ages, want us to go have a word with him?" Elyan asked. Gwen turned in time to momentarily catch Arthur's gaze before he looked away again.
"No it's fine, I know him." Gwen replied as she looked at who Arthur was with and she was hit by a sudden idea. "Be back in a minute." Gwen got to her feet and walked over to where Arthur was sitting with Morgana, Merlin and two men she didn't know.
"Hi Gwen," Morgana smiled as Gwen walked over to them. "Gwen's my hairdresser; she fixed Arthur's hair the other day. Gwen you remember Merlin right? This is Percy and Gwaine.
"Hi guys, nice to meet you two and it's good to see there's been no more disasters Arthur." Gwen smiled at Arthur who bushed slightly. Percy smiled at her and Gwaine grinned warmly at her. "Um this is kinda awkward but can I ask you something Gwaine?"
"A lovely lady like yourself can have whatever she wants." Gwaine replied with a wink and choosing to ignore the stern look Arthur shot at him.
"The thing is, I'm creating a Facebook page for my salon, Cutting Edge, and some of my patrons are willing to let me photograph them as examples of my work. The thing is I need a guy as well so I was wondering if you would help me out." Gwen explained.
"You want me to be a hair model?" Gwaine asked.
"Basically, yeah. I'll pay you for your time if that's what you're wondering." Gwen offered.
"Ah sure it'll be a laugh just promise me you won't shave my head." Gwaine warned and Gwen smiled as she studied Gwaine's thick dark hair that trailed towards his shoulders.
"As a hairdresser I think it would physically hurt me to damage such hair." Gwen commented and Gwaine flagged down a passing waitress to borrow a pen. He scribbled his mobile number on the back of Gwen's hand and quickly kissed it.
"There you go," Gwaine grinned and Gwen shook her head.
"That was smooth, I'll give you that." Gwen commented. "See you all later."
"Bye," everyone replied and as Gwen walked back to Elyan and Leon, Gwaine smirked smugly at Arthur.
"See Annie, it's not that hard." Gwaine said to a silently fuming Arthur.
"Shut up Gwaine," Arthur retorted as he drank some more of his beer. He had always been smooth as cream around women, he mightn't have had many proper long term relationships but that didn't man he didn't know how to flirt or get a woman's number. There was just something about Gwen that made him feel like an awkward thirteen year old again and it was confusing, embarrassing and a massive pain in the backside. Arthur gritted his teeth. This was daft. He was a grown man, he worked in one of the biggest businesses in the country. He was a man. He was a manly man. He could ask one woman for her phone number. Right? Right. He was going to go over there and calmly and politely ask Gwen for her number or offer to take her out on a date.
Just as soon as he finished this drink.
Gwen re-joined Elyan and Leon beaming and sat down beside them again. "What's cheered you up?" Elyan asked.
"I managed to find someone to model for me." Gwen replied, showing them Gwaine's scrawled number.
"Gwaine, I think I know him. Irish lad, dark hair, flirts with anything in a skirt?" Leon asked.
"Yeah that sounds right," Gwen replied. She found Gwaine quite funny, it was clear he was quite the ladies' man and handsome as he was, well, he wasn't her type. Leon chuckled wryly and downed more of his beer.
"He goes to the same gym as me. The man is obsessed with his hair. So what about that blond guy, what did he say?" Leon asked.
"Nothing really but he seems alright." Gwen shrugged.
"He fancies you." Elyan stated calmly.
"No he doesn't." Gwen protested.
"Yes he does. He's been staring at you all night, he blushed when you spoke to him and he looked ready to deck that Gwaine bloke after you left them. The guy's got it bad." Leon stated, as a police officer he had been trained to observe and remember and notice the smaller details. The blond bloke, whoever he was, had an obvious thing for Gwen.
"All I did was remove some bad dye from his hair. It's not like I saved the life of his first born or something. Besides he's a Pendragon. They're one of the richest families in the country, why would a guy like him be interested in a girl like me?" Gwen denied. They were being so ridiculous. Arthur was merely being friendly to her and the two of them were acting like he'd proposed. Besides she wasn't interested in romance anyway. Not after Lancelot…
Leon and Elyan looked at one another. They had known Gwen all of their lives and they knew when something wasn't right. They also knew that look which had entered her eyes. She was thinking about Lancelot. She hadn't done that in a while. Elyan reached over and squeezed his sister's hand.
"Gwen it's been two years. How much longer is it going to take?" Elyan asked. Gwen roughly pulled her hand away.
"That's none of your concern." Gwen replied sharply as she got to her feet and grabbed her bag. "I'm tired, I'm gonna head home."
"Gwen come on, we didn't mean it like that." Leon said but Gwen crossed the bar and didn't look back. "Smart," Leon commented sarcastically.
"Tell me something I don't know." Elyan muttered as he rubbed his forehead.
"Arthur," Percy nodded as Gwen crossed the bar and walked out the doors. Arthur watched her go and got to his feet. Well, here went nothing. Arthur walked out the doors and could see her fishing in her bag for something and he walked up to her.
"Gwen,"
Gwen turned, almost expecting to see Elyan or Leon and was surprised to see Arthur. "Hey Arthur,"
"Are you alright?" Arthur asked, stupid question. He could see that Gwen clearly wasn't right but he wanted to be polite.
"Yeah I'm just tired. I'm gonna phone for a cab." Gwen replied as she finally got her phone.
"I could drive you, save you the money. Taxi drivers in this town are a total rip-off anyway." Arthur offered.
"I don't know," Gwen replied. She barely knew Arthur and they had been in a bar after all. She wasn't stupid, she had some sense.
"I had one drink and I didn't even finish it. I swear I'll stick to the speed limit and get you home safe and sound. If I don't then you can have me arrested." Arthur finished light heartedly and Gwen smiled slightly.
"Are you sure it won't be too much hassle?" Gwen asked.
"It's fine, besides I owe you don't I?" Arthur reminded as he led her down the street to where his car was parked. Gwen's eyes widened when she seen the car he owned. It was a black Porsche 911 and also happened to be her dream car. "Is something wrong?" Arthur asked.
"That is my dream car, well it and the Bugatti Veyron. I've never even seen a real proper one before." Gwen explained as she climbed into the sports car.
"You're interested in cars?" Arthur asked, Gwen seemed so feminine, not much of a petrol head.
"My brother's a mechanic and the three of us grew up watching Top Gear. I know cars." Gwen stated as Arthur started the engine and revved it up for both her benefit and for those on the street who loudly whooped the sound of the engine's horsepower. Gwen gave Arthur directions to her house and her phone buzzed with a message from Elyan.
Where are you? Sorry about what I said, you alright?
Gwen smiled as she typed out her response.
Yeah it's fine. I'm just heading home. Talk to you tomorrow.
Gwen put her phone back into her bag as they pulled up at a traffic light and Arthur took the time to look closer at Gwen. There were tears appearing in her eyes and she was twisting her hands in her lap. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Arthur offered.
"It's just guy trouble, nothing to worry about." Gwen shrugged as the light turned green and they drove on.
"Let me guess, your ex is being a total twat?" Arthur offered and Gwen shrugged her shoulders.
"Something like that. Turn left here," Gwen advised and Arthur pulled up outside an apartment building. "Thanks for the lift, do you want to come in?"
"I'll come in for a few minutes, I'll need to get back to the others, knowing that lot I'll probably be the designated driver." Arthur replied as he unbuckled his seat belt and the two of the walked up to her third floor flat. The flat was small but homely, the living room was tastefully decorated and Arthur glanced at the photos on the mantelpiece above the electric fire before he spotted the guitar sitting on the sofa.
"You play?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah, I would do covers of songs and upload them onto YouTube." Gwen shrugged.
"Do you write your own stuff?" Arthur asked.
"Occasionally. I first did when I was in Second Year and we had to write a poem for English. When I read it over, I just began adding chords and notes and it seemed to work quite well. Weird huh?" Gwen replied.
"No it's cool. My music skills begin and end with putting songs on my iPod. I can't sing, can't dance, can't play an instrument," Arthur replied with a grin. "Alright what's your flaw? You're nice, funny, know cars and double as a singer-songwriter; there has to be some weakness."
"Well I can be short tempered, I can't speak any other language but English and I'm afraid of clowns if that's what you mean." Gwen replied.
"Clowns are creepy. My cousin Morgause made me and Morgana watch IT when I was seven. I had nightmares for weeks. The two witches found it hilarious but clowns and spiders have freaked me out ever since." Arthur replied.
"So what are you interested in?" Gwen asked.
"I play football, go to the gym," Arthur answered.
"Do Harry Potter cosplays?" Gwen added. "Sorry, couldn't resist."
"It's fine, so when will you be doing Gwaine's hair?" Arthur asked.
"Someday this week probably." Gwen replied.
"If you need someone else, I'll do it. I mean I can see why you got Gwaine's help but if you want another person to help, I wouldn't mind." Arthur offered somewhat nervously.
"That would be great." Gwen smiled and Arthur looked around for a pen and scrawled his mobile number on the back of a notepad lying on the coffee table. Arthur handed the notepad back to Gwen and smiled.
"Just ring me when you need me." Arthur said before he caught himself. "For the hair thing I mean."
"Thanks, this means a lot." Gwen replied and they lapsed into an awkward silence for a few moments.
"I should probably get back. Knowing that lot they've probably moved onto the shots. Trust me, you don't want to see what our Morgana's like after she's had some shots." Arthur said. There were different kinds of drunks and Morgana was an 'I love you' drunk. Sometimes funny but also unnerving as a brother. As they walked to the door, Arthur turned awkwardly in the doorway, feeling like a teenager with a first date again. Would he try and kiss her or ask her out or what?
"Thanks for the lift home, I really appreciate it." Gwen smiled.
"Anytime, I'll see you around." Arthur said.
"Night Arthur." Gwen said and she shut the door. The second the door shut Arthur smacked his head off his palm. Jeez what was wrong with him? He just seemed to act like such a dope around Gwen. This sort of thing didn't usually happen, how was she able to mess with his head like this? Arthur got back into his car and as he started the engine, he thought he'd seen curtain momentarily flicker on the third floor before he sped off down the street. Then again, Gwen had said she as having trouble with an ex. She was probably just out of a relationship and maybe it was best to just give her a bit of time before making a move. Yes that was it, he would be a gentleman and be patient. And beat Gwaine up for flirting with her.
Ok maybe not the last one.
Gwen wandered into her bedroom and pulled on a vest top and pyjama bottoms before going back into the living room and connecting her camera to her computer. She had recorded a version of 'I See The Light' from Tangled that afternoon and had yet to upload it. As she logged onto her YouTube account she saw that some people had commented on some of the other songs she had covered. She quickly thanked them and uploaded the video before switching off her laptop. Gwen rested her chin on her hand and thought about that evening. She knew Elyan and Leon meant well but things were more complicated than they thought; sometimes she felt like she was over him but then there were times like tonight when it all came back, and it wasn't as simple as just letting go. Gwen shook her head and reached for her notebook. She was relieved that Arthur hadn't looked in it, those were private and none of her friends or even Elyan had ever looked in it. Gwen scribbled down a few lines before shutting the notebook and setting it onto the table. As she did that she looked at Arthur's number and quickly added it into her phone along with Gwaine's. Maybe they would be able to become friends after this; she hoped so, Arthur seemed like a good friend to have.
With that thought in mind she picked up her guitar and began attempting to learn the chords to 'Reflection'.