A/N: Sorry, guys, it's been a verrrrry long while. Just a lot of stuff going on right now, stuff that's got my mind spinning in about a billion different directions….but Princessmelia's last couple of Centistories managed to stir up a little inspiration! So, here it is. Enjoy! And a belated Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates the holiday!
Chapter 30
Arthur paused in setting his boots beside the bed and swiveled his head about to look at his wife , who was just setting her paperwork aside at the wooden desk. He and Merlin had chatted that evening, and it got the King of Camelot thinking, and he just needed to know—for his own mental health—the answer to one very nagging question.
"Who was your first love? I don't believe I've ever asked you, Kelly." The King worked to cover the unease in his voice at the mention—at the thought of anybody else ever having caught his wife's gaze.
Kelly paused in setting her books away and raised her eyebrows in question. "What?" She stacked the rest of her research materials neatly and stood up, pushing the chair back up against the desk. "Wow, that's a question right out of left field. What were you and Merlin talking about earlier to start this train of thought?"
Arthur shrugged, mildly embarrassed at even having asked. "Life," he managed, feigning a careless shrug. "Merlin told me about Freya."
Kelly crossed the room and stood in front of her husband. "Oookaaay…." She nodded her understanding, a smile lighting her face. "I don't know. I had lots of crushes…" She almost winced at the kicked-puppy expression that her husband tried so hard to hide under the guise of general curiosity.
"What is a 'crush'?" Arthur screwed his face up in confusion.
Kelly rolled her eyes at the wary expression on Arthur's face and hugged him around his middle. "It just means you really like somebody, that's all." She shrugged and continued to watch him, her amusement plain as day. "I kind of had a thing for Jordan Bates for a little while, but then he opened his mouth and spoke." She deadpanned as she said this, watching Arthur's eyes widen in surprise. "Yeah, it turned out that as cute as he was, as great a surfer as he was, the boy couldn't string more than three words together. Game over, my crush...was crushed. And I sort of mooned over Craig Wilson for a week or two, but I found that he was an egotistical jerk." She shrugged. "Most guys just weren't worth the time or the aggravation, or the stress at the thought of them meeting my father..."
Arthur frowned in thought, keeping his wife close. "What about that Ian fellow? You two seemed fairly…close when I—that is, when we…crossed," he managed, trying not to choke on his words.
Kelly wrinkled her nose in distaste. "What, Ian Somers? My surfing buddy?" Arthur's face went crimson within the space of a few heartbeats. "Oh, God, no. He's awesome, but dating Ian would have been like—like dating my brother…" She shuddered at the thought and stepped over to stand in front of her husband. "No." She shook her head. "I met my first love a couple of times."
Unsure about where this next tale was headed, Arthur asked, "How so?"
Kelly forced an irritated expression. "Ah, he was always trying to show off and impress me. He was a real outdoorsy kind of guy, so that got my attention. " The King's stance instantly became confrontational, and a small part of her wanted to console the man, but this was just too much fun. "I got to marry the man I thought I'd lost, so I can't really complain. Kind of a shotgun wedding and all that, but it worked out not too bad..." She saw realization settle upon his face and laughed out loud, pulling him down for a kiss. "You're so cute when you get your back up over these little things!"