CHAPTER 12 : SUFFER FOOLS GLADLY

Arthur opened his flat door, closed it, locked it and let himself lean against it. He and Merlin had spoken late into the night. He felt more for him now than he had before he had taken supper upstairs.

They had spoken together a long time sitting at Merlin's little table. He had been open and truthful explaining his fears that Merlin had been with someone on their first night back. He confessed that he'd come up to find him but he'd heard voices. He'd felt uncomfortable and confused as he had been sure that Merlin had liked him. He explained that he had been scared to knock as he might have found out something which he didn't want to know, so he had gone back downstairs to his flat.

Merlin had been astounded…Arthur had believed that he had a boyfriend in Paris? Why would he ever think that? He had allowed him to kiss he would never have done that if he was involved with someone else. He had looked at him his eyes tear-filled. "Arthur, I kissed you, I hugged you, how could you think that I was already with someone." He'd put his head in his hands, "I haven't ever been with anyone and obviously you didn't believe me." He'd sniffed and wiped his nose with a handy napkin.

Arthur had gone to speak but was cut off when Merlin had continued, "Arthur, I've never felt this way before and I don't know what I should do to prove to you that I have no one else in my life..." He had paused and with a dreamy smile which cut to Arthur's heart he'd added, "Not counting my mother and Gaius that is!"

Arthur had smiled and his heart had gone out to this young man. "There is nothing, you have to do. Just look at me and smile..."

"And let you kiss me and hold me?" asked Merlin shyly.

Arthur had smiled and had taken his hands, "That would be nice!"

Merlin had risen and had walked around the table to put his arms around Arthur's neck. He'd dropped his chin on his head, "I trust you, I really do, Arthur. I don't know too much about this love thing but so far in parts, it's very nice, isn't it?"

Arthur had chuckled, he'd turned and placed his lips on Merlin's and felt Merlin respond. He'd smiled into the kiss, causing Merlin to pull back saying, "Did I do it wrong?"

Arthur had spoken softly to him, "Merlin My Love, you can't do wrong in my eyes. Just letting me be close to you, to kiss you and cuddle with you, is all I want!"

"But not forever...?"

"Not only like this! But we will take little steps, until we reach the next stage."

"Before we're too old, Arthur?"

Arthur had burst out laughing, "Merlin, by this time next year, you will hopefully be sharing my home as well as my heart..."

Merlin had buried his head on Arthur's shoulder and had sighed repeating the very idea which had caused him to bolt earlier in the evening, "Arthur, there is room for me in your life…isn't there?"

Arthur had felt as if his heart was going to break. How could he show Merlin that he had no intention of letting him go? As long as Merlin wanted him, he would stay faithful even if it meant a lot of will power and controlling the desire to just grab him and throw him on the bed. He knew that he really did love him. He knew he did as he knew that he would wait until Merlin was ready and then together they would explore all the wonders of being in love. He smiled to himself as he thought, 'Yes, Mrs. Talbot…really in love!'

Merlin had led him to the sofa pulling him down beside him. He'd said, "Arthur, why is everything at sixes and sevens? We were so happy in London and then once back in Paris I thought that you had changed your mind about me. You kissed me and left me in the lift to come back here. I didn't understand and I should confess that I did have someone in my flat that evening but it was only Gawaine and he'd brought a pizza."

Arthur had raised an eyebrow. Merlin had grinned, "Gawaine is no threat to you. He may hug me but he does it to other people as well. I like him…." Merlin smiled, "But not in the way I like you. You make my whole body tingle and my heart seems to grow too big for my chest and it starts thumping and then my stomach seems to be full of butterflies and when you smile at me, I think I'm going to burst." He had snuggled in next to Arthur and Arthur had slipped his arms around him and held him tight.

"Would this be another good time to have a kiss?" Arthur had asked into his hair. Merlin had turned to face him but Arthur was already kissing the back of his neck. Shades of London and it had again driven Merlin crazy. He couldn't think straight…Arthur had then kissed the shell of his ear and he could feel his teeth brushing against it. He forgot to breath and imagined all sorts of things he'd heard and read.

Arthur had smiled then he had suddenly stopped! He'd stood saying, "Merlin if I stay here any longer, I won't be able to face you tomorrow. Let me go back to my place. We need sleep. Tomorrow is another day at work and I need to be able to cope. Meet me in the courtyard at eight o'clock. We'll drive to work together."

Arthur could see the look of disappointment on Merlin's face but he knew that he was in no state to remain longer with him as he wouldn't have been able to keep his promise about not demanding of Merlin what he was not yet ready to give. Merlin had followed him to the door He'd wrapped his arms around him and given him one last kiss. "You stay here and get some sleep. Don't follow me!" He'd opened the door and left him standing in the doorway as he walked back to the lift. He'd turned once and said, "Love you!"

Merlin had remained where Arthur had left him but Arthur could hear him saying, "Love you too, Arthur! I'll wash the dishes!"

It had made Arthur laugh; he'd hesitated but kept on going calling over his shoulder, "Eight o'clock, Merlin!" He had reached the lift and waited for it to arrive, he'd opened it and after closing the metal grill interior door, he'd looked at himself in the tiny mirror on the wall. He'd sighed and said to himself, 'So this is what a fool in love looks like…' and he had smiled.

-0-0-

Merlin closed his door only when he heard the lift door clanging shut and starting its descent. Arthur still liked him; it was going to be all right. He had absolute trust that he would in no way intentionally hurt him or make a fool of him. He regretted not knowing so much about loving someone else but Arthur hadn't seemed to have minded. He decided that he would just let love takes it course if this was what love did.

He could still feel Arthur's lips upon his neck. It had been a jumble of sensations some which were new to him but others which he recognised. He slowly slipped off his clothes in the middle of the room and smiled to himself as he always undressed in the bathroom but suddenly he felt as if his body was somehow important. One day Arthur would see him like this, it scared him. He'd never had much faith in his physique …when they were in London Arthur had wrapped a blanket around him as he had said that his bare chest was too distracting. Merlin wondered if that was good or bad, he decided that if he had seen Arthur bare-chested it would be good, wouldn't it?

He picked up his clothes and threw them on the pile of dirty laundry. Did Arthur really mean that he could use his washer and drier? That would be great as he wouldn't have to wait around checking that no one stole his favourite jeans. He looked at the dishes on the table and stacked them next to the sink. He'd get up early to do them. He climbed into bed and checked his phone, one call from Leon. That was it he would ask Leon about all this loving stuff. He put his phone under his pillow and grinned to himself…Arthur had said he loved him!

-0-0-

Merlin grinned as the lift came to a halt and Arthur got in. It was a coincidence which found them both in the same lift at four minutes to eight but Arthur decided it was a good omen for the day.

As they got into the car, Arthur asked formally, "Would you care to lunch with me on the twenty-first floor if our lunch hours coincide today?"

"Sure but what about the others? I often eat with Lance and your Tom if he's available."

Arthur kept a watch on the traffic but put his hand on Merlin's thigh saying, "I'm sure that I can find something to keep him busy if you like?"

"No that wouldn't be fair! We can all sit together but I'll make sure that I'm sitting next to you." Arthur put both hands on the wheel to negotiate a little heavier traffic and Merlin shyly laid his hand on Arthur's knee, looking up at him carefully in case he was doing something wrong. Arthur had smiled and covered his hand with his.

In no time, the car pulled into the underground parking. Arthur leant over and brushed his lips against Merlin's cheek. Then they got out and walked over to the lift keeping their distance. The lift was empty but Merlin muttered under his breath, "If we don't want to star on Security TV, we'd better keep to ourselves."

Arthur had pretended to study the indicator lights and had said, "Merlin I do believe, that you are going to turn into a real handful!"

Enjoying the game, Merlin said, "Maybe more than a handful, if the truth was known."

The door opened at the lobby and they parted. Arthur reminding him to look out for him at lunch and that if he wasn't going to be able to be there he'd text him.

"What, during business hours, surely not?" said Merlin and walked to the next bank of elevators.

Arthur glanced at his retreating figure and though to himself, 'Roll on lunchtime!'

But lunch wasn't to be. Merlin's department was in an uproar as a group of important clients' brokers had been suspected of inside trading and the legal department was expected to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible to protect the company's reputation. Many clients' accounts had been compromised, the phones were already ringing as Japan had picked it up around noon and already it was six o'clock in the evening in Tokyo. The powers that be had been called into the office around four in the morning and they were currently deep in conversation around a few computers.

Merlin and Lance were both given lists of clients and their portfolios and they began checking data. Their being kept on would depend on how fast the problem could be identified and how quickly it could be isolated and their clients assured that IntVest was capable of financial security.

Merlin scanned the clients' files on his computer to check that each one was supported by the necessary legal documents. His job like that of Lance and others, was to ascertain if anything was amiss. With projected losses of multi millions of euros, it was necessary that the company protect itself by cutting its losses. It would go to court for any whose accounts had been illegally accessed and compromised.

It was often during one of these concentrated sweeps that flaws were discovered in the system and subsequently flagged for future consideration.

One of the assistants passed by Merlin's desk and said, "Bedlam has broken out upstairs seems some of the supers should have picked it up ten days ago. Stay away from anyone up there if you know what's good for you. Heads are going to roll!"

Merlin figured upstairs meant the international investment department where Arthur and Gawaine worked. He knew they would have to have a break but he doubted that anyone in that department would get further away from their desks than to grab a coffee and a sandwich which probably right now were being made by the cafeteria and loaded onto trolleys.

He caught Lance's eye and shrugged his shoulders. He had hundreds of clients to check on and already he was feeling hungry as he'd done the dishes and skipped breakfast to get downstairs before eight o'clock. He looked up and one of the cafeteria ladies was wheeling in a trolley with a large coffee urn and some granola bars and fruit. He guessed this meant that the morning break was cancelled. He accepted a bottle of water but refused anything else. He had to concentrate on the screen in front of him. He heard some sharp words to his right and saw one of the assistants talking heatedly to one of his supervisors. He ducked his head and tried to concentrate.

By lunch time, he was ravenous and the department head's assistant announced that lunch break would be cut to one half an hour and they were requested to stay in the building. He glanced at Lance who looked worried and distracted. He saw him call over one of the supers who sat beside him checking his screen and then marched off to the department head's office. He could see them nodding and then papers were being spit out of one of the machines and the woman came back to Lance and again they sat studying the pages.

Suddenly, Merlin noticed discrepancies with three accounts on his screen he put up his hand and someone came over to him, he pointed out the accounts and the same process that had happened with Lance was repeated with him. Merlin was now used to the large numbers on his screen but to begin with, he had felt faint hearted when he saw stocks, bonds and shares in the hundreds of millions belonging to any one company. At first he had wanted to check every number personally but now he was quite at home with high finance…if from a distance, and he just trusted his mind to pick up on something which was not correct. He was a little cog in a bigger wheel but there was some satisfaction in knowing that the wheels of high finance ran smoothly because of little cogs like him. It was demanding work and Merlin enjoyed it. It brought home to him the fact that he was still a minor player in the department but after each such episode, with the experience gained, he was one step more knowledgeable in his field.

Just before lunch, he received an e-mail from Arthur, the text read, 'Don't ask!' Merlin felt happy, not that they wouldn't be getting together for lunch but that Arthur had taken time to think about him. He quickly typed in, 'Ce soir…?''

-0-0-

To add insult to injury it was raining when he finally was given the go ahead to leave at seven-thirty. He'd bumped into Gawaine who was returning from a supper break. He said, "Arthur is going to be tied up until late this evening. He said if I saw you to tell you that he'll phone when he gets home. Have to go, or my head will be on the chopping block."

Merlin realised he had never seen Gawaine looking so tired.