Chapter 7

Arthur arrived at his house soon after Merlin sent him the text. He opened the door and walked straight towards his studio/office. He knew that he could always find Merlin there. If not, he was most likely in the kitchen. Morgana's old chambers were unofficially avoided by both Merlin and himself-there were too many sad and bad memories associated with them.

As Arthur strode into Merlin's studio he indeed found the young man hard at work painting a new creation. His attire hadn't changed much. Only that he had taken off his blazer and donned his running shoes once more.

Arthur leaned against the doorframe as Merlin said, "One second."

Merlin's tongue was held in place by his teeth, and his head looked as if it was at a very unnatural angle. His eyes squinted at the canvas before suddenly exclaiming victoriously. He threw down his paint brush and looked up at Arthur with a wide grin-and added bits of paint-on his face.

"So what grand news did you have for me?" Arthur cut straight to the chase. He was a straight-forward no-nonsense character.

Merlin's eyes glinted mischievously before saying, "Not so fast! You need to apologize for what happened at lunch today. And, you need to tell me that I am The King of All Things Awesome. And the best friend you could ever have!"

Arthur merely glared at him before uttering his trademark phrase, "Shut up Merlin."

"Fine, fine, DON'T hear my news then! See if I care," Merlin waved him off airily, and began to pick up his abandoned brush.

Arthur narrowed his eyes further at the raven-haired man. Merlin knew how infuriated he could get when he didn't know something.

"Merlin," Arthur began, warningly. Merlin knew that Arthur could only be provoked so far.

"Alright alright…don't get your knickers in a bunch now," Merlin laughed, "Guess who I invited to the gala this Saturday! And who I-conveniently-forgot to tell that we needed dates for?"

Arthur felt the blood rush from his face. 'Please don't say Guinevere. Please don't say Guinevere…' his mind repeated.

"Guinevere!" Merlin exclaimed gleefully.

Arthur groaned. How was he going to get out of attending the gala now? He summed up the situation in his mind. '1) I have to attend a stupid art gala 2) I have devoted my Saturday night to being stuck to Vivian 3) I get to see Guinevere at the gala, but not on my arm 4)Most likely if Merlin tells her that she needs a date she'll be going with Lance 5) I kissed Vivian, and Guinevere has a boyfriend 6) My life is ridiculously screwed up'

Merlin could sense that Arthur was processing a lot on his mind. He could practically see the gears turning behind his head.

"Arthur," Merlin began, "What's wrong? You haven't been acting like yourself since you've met Gwen. Is it about me inviting her when she's dating Lance? Because that's why I didn't tell her that she needed a date. I figured that you could ask her, and we could think up an excuse for why Lance can't go or something…"

Here, Arthur began to tune Merlin out. He was rambling, and although Arthur appreciated Merlin's efforts, he doubted that Merlin would be able to help him get his way out of the very deep hole he had dug himself. Arthur weighed the options carefully. He didn't want to tell Merlin what had happened over the past two days, but on the other hand he needed to so that Merlin could understand the situation.

"Ok Merlin," Arthur sighed, "Look…"

And he proceeded to explain to Merlin what had happened. When he was done, Merlin raised his brow. He couldn't believe what had happened with Arthur and Vivian. And now, to make matters worse, he invited Gwen. 'In hindsight,' Merlin thought, 'Probably inviting her and hoping that she'd go with Arthur while she had a boyfriend wasa bit of a stretch…'

"Arthur, I can't believe you toyed with Vivian's emotions like that," was what Merlin settled on replying with.

"I know I know," Arthur groaned, "It's so wrong…"

Merlin vigorously nodded his head and said, "So you better take her out on a nice date."

A non-committal noise was all Arthur could summon in response. However, he had the decency to still look partially ashamed.

"And I better text Gwen that she needs a date," Merlin added.

Arthur's eyes clouded over at that statement. Guinevere may have been dating Lance, but Arthur still believed her to be his. He knew that it was wrong to be jealous of a man who she was dating first, but Arthur didn't care. However, he didn't want Merlin to go off and lecture him, so he merely grunted in response and stormed out of Merlin's studio.

.…

Saturday arrived quickly for Gwen. She had gotten Merlin's text about a date as Lance's interview was ending. Before she could even figure out how she was going to explain to Lance why she was going to an art gala in honor of the best friend of his opponent, her boyfriend snuck up behind her.

-Flashback-

"Hey," he greeted with a peck on her cheek, and pointed towards her phone, "Who's that?"

'For once his selfless nature is not attractive,' Gwen decidedly thought. He always asked about her before telling her about his day. Since this selfless quality of his paired with his powers of observation, Gwen couldn't hide anything from him. Not that she usually tried, but sometimes she wished she could have a little more time to think up an explanation to awkward topics. Like this one. This particular topic Lance would understand about, as always, but the way his eyes would shine with sadness or disappointment would always make Gwen feel quite guilty.

"Oh, it's-um-Merlin. You know, Merlin Emrys the painter," Gwen offered. She wasn't going to mention Arthur if she didn't have to.

"Oh yes, I know him," Lance said as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, "He just recently sold that one for what was it-two million pounds or something like that?"

"Yes," Gwen said, "Well he invited me to come to this art gala on Saturday and I need a date. Would you like to be mine?"

She finished her question with a sweet smile up at Lance, but instead of returning it he frowned.

"Wait a second, you mean Merlin Emrys as in Arthur Pendragon's best friend, Merlin Emrys?"

'Shoot,' Gwen thought.

"Um, well yes," she said, "But you'll probably not even see Arthur-I mean Mr. Pendragon there. He's awfully busy and sought after like you are. I doubt we'll even be near him."

'When did I start referring to him as Arthur?' Gwen wondered. Before meeting the man, she always referred to him as Mr. Pendragon or "the enemy" when she was having a laugh with Lance. She always thought that knowing someone on a "first-name basis" was rather special, and you needed their permission to do so. That was why she always introduced herself with the addition of "you can call me Gwen". Then she realized she had started after she had met him. After he had walked her-almost-home and kissed her cheek. The same cheek and same spot that Lance had kissed a few moments ago. She wondered at how natural and right it felt to be able to call him Arthur.

Her slip did not go unnoticed by Lance. He knew her policy and feelings towards titles and respect.

"Arthur? Since when do you know the man well enough to call him Arthur?" Lance queried.

"Oh, well I um, don't really know. See, Merlin and I met at the debate and we took lunch together. Then Art-Mr. Pendragon showed up, and we all started talking and such. Merlin was a really great guy," Gwen hurriedly explained. She hoped that Lance wouldn't prod her for anymore answers.

Apparently, these satisfied Lance, or else he could sense her discomfort. For he had dropped the topic and simply asked, "Well then, would you do me the honor of attending this art gala with me?"

-End Flashback-

Thankfully, Lance had understood and was excited about escorting her to such a high-class event. So Gwen's mind could rest easy for the rest of the week. It was only Tuesday when the invitation occurred, and her life had turned completely upside down. Monday she had met Arthur on the tube coming back from work, and only earlier that day she had met Merlin at the debate.

Now that it was Saturday, Gwen decided to take most of the day preparing for the night's events. Normally, she wouldn't have "wasted" her day away, but she wanted to look particularly good for this highly publicized event. 'It had absolutely nothing to do with Arthur's presence at the gala', she told herself.

….

Saturday arrived quickly for Arthur as well. He was finishing putting on his diamond cufflinks in front of the mirror as Merlin came wandering into his bedroom. Merlin was already done dressing. His hair was neatly combed, and his back shoes were polished to a shine. His black tuxedo with silver cufflinks was the epitome of class and elegance, and his blue shirt matched the exact shade of his eyes.

"So are you ready to go pick up Vivian?" Merlin asked.

Arthur rolled his eyes as he deliberately didn't turn around from the mirror to face Merlin. Unfortunately for Arthur, Merlin could still see his reflection and scoffed at Arthur's reaction to his inquiry.

"Oh come on, you promised. Get on out of here," Merlin said calmly, "I'll meet you at the event."

With that, he disappeared from sight.

Arthur sighed, and grabbed his phone, keys, and invitation before heading out the door to hail a cab. He arrived too quickly for his taste at Vivian's abode. He got out of the cab and knocked on her door, pressing the intercom button.

"Vivian, I'm downstairs," Arthur said into the device.

"Okay, I'll be down in a minute," Vivian's excited voice back through the speakers.

Arthur checked his watch. It read six o'clock on the dot. The event started in half an hour. He hated people who were not ready on time. However, he didn't mind another few blissful moments without Vivian.

It turned out to be longer than a minute. It was precisely five minutes before she came bounding out through the door.

Although Arthur was upset that he was forced to go on a date with the woman, and wait for her to "be ready", he couldn't deny that she was lovely.

She wore a deep emerald green dress that enhanced the color of her eyes. Its plunging neckline didn't escape Arthur's notice, nor did the way it hugged her curves in all the right places. Its long sleeves were embroidered with gold at the ends, along with the hem of her dress and the boarder of her neckline. Her golden heels were only noticed when she took a step and Arthur heard the "clicking" of them in her step. Her hair was styled in a fancy up-do, with a single strand curling around her face. A gold necklace was also sported around her neck, and dangled tantalizingly far into her neckline.

"You look great," Arthur initiated the conversation, holding out his arm for her.

She accepted and looked his up and down, "You don't look half bad yourself."

They walked towards the cab, and Arthur released her arm to open the door for her. Despite his misgivings about this date he did appreciate her beauty. He also acknowledged that by the end of the evening she would hopefully understand that he meant what he said by the kiss meaning nothing. They were merely attending a social function together. Nothing more.

As the car started Vivian couldn't help but give Arthur another look over. He looked so handsome in his ebony tuxedo and crisp white shirt that she just had to stare. She could tell from the way the clothes hung on his body that he was a very fit man. Although, she had already known that from the days when they would "workout" together. The perfectly polished shoes, diamond cufflinks, and the golden hair which didn't have a strand out of place didn't escape her notice as well.

"I love your cufflinks," Vivian offered as an icebreaker to fill the silence.

Indeed, those were her favorite part of his attire. She knew he was wealthy, but this display of it confirmed her suspicions further.

"Thank you," was Arthur's short reply.

There was a hint of finality in his voice, and the taxi was silent for the remainder of the journey.

It wasn't as if Vivian was trying to offend Arthur, but pointing to the richest part of his attire did exactly that. He liked people who weren't interested in the material things in life. He required that quality in a future girlfriend let alone a future wife. Vivian wasn't really helping her chances of securing Arthur's heart. Nor was she favoring herself to him.

As the taxi pulled up in front of the large museum, Arthur stepped out of the car and opened Vivian's door, offering his arm again. He quickly paid the driver and ushered them inside. He was exactly five minutes late to the event, and he hated being late.

The first person he ran into inside was Merlin. It appeared to be as if the raven-haired man had been waiting for Arthur's arrival. Then again, Merlin was greeting everyone personally.

"Arthur!" the lanky figure in the entryway exclaimed.

"Merlin," Arthur coolly acknowledged.

"Vivian," Merlin said, "How lovely that you could make it."

"The pleasure is all mine," Vivian replied smiling.

"I hope you have a wonderful time," Merlin smiled, and then looked over their heads-another pair were arriving. Arthur and Vivian took the hint and made their way inside.

The museum looked amazing. The place had a very inviting atmosphere. The lighting was soft and golden. There were pieces of art upon the walls, each with their own light fixture to highlight their various qualities. People were already standing in clusters around the spacious room chatting about the various pieces on display. There were some tables draped with heavy white cloths and high-backed chairs on the outskirts of the room, away from the art, that some people already sat at. There was a podium with a microphone positioned in front of the tables which was currently empty. Over in a far corner there was also a bar with a seemingly endless supply of drinks and food laid out. Caterers were interspersed amongst the guests with trays piled high with finger foods. The museum really outdid itself.

As Arthur was admiring his surroundings, he heard Gwaine's voice. He turned around and sure enough the man was approaching him at a quick pace-drinks already in hand.

"Arthur!" Gwaine clapped him on the back, "Who is the lovely lady with the unfortunate luck to deserve your company?"

"Hey watch it-" Arthur started, as Vivian interrupted him.

"Vivian Remington," she said with a hint of distain. She didn't like that Gwaine had insulted Arthur-however jokingly.

"Gwaine Macken," he bowed, taking her hand and kissing it.

"So Gwaine," Arthur interjected. He did not want to be left alone for long with Vivian, and Gwaine had popped up at the perfect time, "What's new with you?"

"Oh nothing much. Well, you know, besides being an international supermodel…" Gwaine droned on about his most recent conquests throughout his profession. His intent being to impress the pretty girl on Arthur's arm. It seemed to work, she was enthralled by his anecdotes, but the air of distain hadn't disappeared.

Arthur was just glad that he wouldn't have to be stuck with Vivian alone when a sight caught his eye by the door. It was then that time didn't seem to be working properly, for everything had stopped. He had seen the loveliest vision in the entire world enter through the threshold on the arm of another.

Her black curls were free, and fell in loose waves on her bare back. Her strapless deep red dress' back stopped just short of her lower back, although her hair covered most of her sun kissed skin. She had golden stilettos on, and a beautiful golden necklace and bracelet to match. She looked a little nervous, and her eyes darted about the room. When she locked eyes with Arthur, however, she too stopped. Her date looked a little perturbed at her abrupt halt, but she was just as mesmerized as Arthur was. Each basked in each other's eyes as time seemed to stop-just for a moment-for the two of them.

To be continued