CHAPTER 19 : HOLIDAYS ON THE HORIZON
Merlin settled in quite easily. The work was the same as in Paris and in no time he was conversant with the names of various international clients' accounts which had been allocated to him. His working language as in Paris was English and French. He had become friendly with a French staff member who lived across the lake in France. She reminded him of his mother and she had taken him home to her family for a meal one Sunday. Her kids were very friendly and Merlin realised that the eldest daughter had her eye on him. He had told no one at work of his sexual preferences so he just smiled sweetly.
The man with whom he shared his area was from St. Gallen. At school in Ireland, Merlin had learned that Saint Gall was a sixth century monk from Bangor in what is now Northern Ireland who as a missionary had settled in what was to become Switzerland and after whom the Swiss canton of St. Gallen was named.
On that basis, Merlin being Merlin tried to be positive towards Friedrich but he turned out to be a dour Swiss who hated living in Geneva in the French speaking section of the country. All he wanted to do was return home once his six months contract was up. He proved annoying as he insisted on speaking German which made it difficult for Merlin to converse with him. He was reminded by the department heads on many occasions that the language of the department was French but his retort was that Switzerland was trilingual and as German was one of the official languages, he had the right to speak it once he was away from his desk. He didn't enamour himself to anyone with that attitude.
Instead, Merlin went around with a young man from Canada, perfectly bilingual and thrilled at being in Switzerland. Gérard came from a large Montreal family and was forever reading Merlin e-mails from his family which Merlin decided could have been the material for a primetime TV show. They got on well together, neither smoked or drank in excess and Merlin saw more of Geneva than he would have alone as Gérard loved biking so, on the weekends they explored the city and surroundings.
Some evenings, they'd join up with Canadian students from L'Université de Génève and sit around and talk. Merlin felt kindly towards the group which had taken him in so spontaneously. He only had one problem in the office besides Friedrich and that was one of the older men who seemed to spend his time leering at him and when the opportunity presented itself patting him on the shoulder or pushing himself against him.
He never mentioned this to Arthur on their nightly calls. Everything in Paris seemed to be running smoothly. He'd received texts from Gawaine reporting on Arthur's state of mind and Merlin had to laugh as Gawaine had a unique way of seeing things. Lance and Libby were still going strong and Tom was waiting for Easter to fly home to visit his girl in Birmingham.
Easter set off bells in Merlin's mind. Arthur still refused to tell him where they were going. He'd just laugh and say, "You'll love it and be in my debt forever…"
Slowly the weeks passed and on the first Friday in April, Merlin was at Cornavin station waiting for the train from Paris. He saw Arthur as soon as he got off the coach and ran down the station to him. He threw himself around his neck and regardless of the people around him gave him a kiss. Arthur hugged him and swung him around. Some of the other passengers smiled but as one old man looked at Merlin in disgust, Arthur wanted to yell, "You should be so lucky!" but he didn't.
Merlin insisted on treating them to a taxi back to the flat. He sat quietly cuddled up next to Arthur who couldn't take his eyes off him. Merlin opened the door to the flat and said, "Welcome to your home away from home!"
Arthur held him against the door and gave him a proper kiss. "I've been waiting ages to get my hands on you. I missed you so much especially at night when I was alone in the flat. Did you miss me?"
"You know I did. I think it would have been very difficult being here if we hadn't talked each night."
"You've lost weight, your hair is longer but you are…as beautiful as ever." He took his eyes off Merlin to look around the flat and saw a large framed bulletin board containing pictures of the two of them, nothing too personal.
Merlin noticed the look and said, "The more intimate ones I saved for the inside of our wardrobe door. A cleaner comes in every two weeks and I didn't want her having a heart attack or falling for you."
"But she could easily open that door…"
"Arthur, I wasn't born yesterday and there is such a thing as a key." He threw his arms back around Arthur and drew him to the bedroom. Arthur checked the large armoire in the corner and noticed that it did have a lock and key.
The bed hit the back of his legs and he fell across it. Merlin toed off his shoes and joined him. "I missed having you here beside me every night. It was cold and lonely."
"Merlin, you should have turned up the heat."
"Well, maybe I was only lonely but that was bad enough."
In no time, their clothes were in piles on the floor and they were cuddled up together. Merlin decided skin on skin was one of the little things he'd missed. Arthur's kisses being the next in importance and then his hands. He lay there luxuriating in the feel of having Arthur back with him. He decided that he would quite happily spend the next three days in bed. Probably getting up only when it was necessary but then he remembered that he was the host and he whispered to Arthur, "Are you hungry?"
"Only for you!" Arthur whispered back sending warm shivers through Merlin as his words vibrated on his ear.
"The take-away is open until one so we still have a few hours."
"My choice is that we skip eating and do more important things and you can tell me what's the latest with Gérard's family and I'll tell you the adult rated version of what Gawaine suggested that we do this weekend." Merlin wrapped his legs tighter around Arthur's and chuckled. He knew that Arthur would do what he wanted to do but he was interested in hearing what Gawaine's suggestion had been.
He loved having Arthur in Geneva, just knowing that he was in his flat. Having breakfast with him at one of the local coffee shops, lying in bed listening to him shower in the morning and knowing that if he played his cards right he would be able to convince him to come back to bed for a few hours. He was so in love that sitting beside him on a tour bus or on the train to Lausanne, could send shivers up his spine.
Arthur stood beside him chatting, as they looked from the train window, Merlin taking shots out across the lake, "Once the weather improves, we can go further afield, to Interlaken or maybe Zermatt, so many places, so many mountains and such a short time."
"When are you taking your summer holidays, have the schedules been drawn up yet?"
"Not that I know. I will have to spend some time with my father. He is already making noise about my returning to London permanently."
Merlin closed the gap between and said, "When I finish my six months here, I'm planning to transfer to the London office. I know that I will have no trouble getting in as M. Poulain from Paris is head of the legal department there and before he left he told me to contact him if I ever wanted a change of scenery."
Arthur slipped his arm around his shoulders and said, "We'd be together in our London flat. Even if we had to go to different financial establishments each day, we'd be together every other hour." He stopped and looked seriously at Merlin, "If…if that is what you would like?"
Merlin lay his hand on Arthur's chest saying, "I'd expect nothing less!"
Arthur sighed and taking his hand kissed it, holding it between his hands he turned to look out at the lake and Les Dents du Midi in the distance. It was decided, one day, the two of them would work in London and live in the flat on Grosvenor Square, spending weekends at his father's house in Surrey, that was...once he'd told his father about Merlin.
A cloud darkened the horizon.
-0-0-
Arthur's father expected his son to produce a legitimate heir for Pen-D. He wanted the company his father had founded to remain in the family and an heir would guarantee that. He had a selection of girls from established families whom he thought might be suitable. He had told Arthur point blank that the sooner he settled down and stopped running with his friends from school and university the better things would be.
Arthur had never breathed a word of this to Merlin. It would have been a slap in the face. He couldn't imagine himself saying, 'I love you but our family business is more important than our love and I will always be in a relationship with you but behind the guise of a man happily married to his wife and a father to their child.'
He wouldn't insult Merlin like that. He'd only ever said that his father was difficult and that they didn't always see eye to eye. One day, he would have to explain the facts. If his sister married, she could have the honour of producing the Pen-D heir. He could not see it being a son or daughter of his. He had confided in Gawaine who had been ready with all sorts of solutions from 'rented wombs' to adoption but Arthur wasn't yet ready to consider anything along those lines.
Gawaine had suggested that he find a girl he and Merlin liked and they could have a 'ménage á trois'. Arthur had burst out laughing saying, "Gawaine, I could see you coping with that but sorry, it's not for me…"
-0-0-
Arthur had remained tight-lipped about his Easter plans and no amount of pleading from Merlin could get him to disclose the surprise location. "In a fortnight, you will learn all about it and I hope now that you haven't blown it up in your mind to the point that you think we might be flying to Africa…"
Merlin put on a disappointed face, "Oh no, Arthur, don't tell me we are not going to Africa, I had my heart set on it. How could you be so cruel, depriving me of a trip to the continent I most wanted to visit!" They had been wandering through a museum and Merlin had taken advantage of a large Russian Exhibit to pull Arthur behind and tease him with a kiss, then immediately going around to the front of the display case saying casually, "Intéressant!" while grinning through the glass case at Arthur.
Arthur had to keep his wits about him when he was out with Merlin as he seemed to take pleasure in becoming romantic in the most unlikely of places. Only the day before, they had had cars beeping them as Merlin had decided that the middle of a cross walk was the ideal place to give Arthur a hurried kiss and a long hug.
The weekend was over too soon and Merlin was seeing Arthur off on the Paris train. They had decided to both stay in their own cities for the next weekend and then the following weekend was Easter and Merlin would go to Paris after work on Thursday so they could have four days together.
-0-0-
The two weeks seemed to drag by. Finally, it was Thursday, Merlin kept glancing at his watch once lunch was over, and each minute seemed an hour with each hour seeming a day. All his work was complete and the department head came in to wish them all a safe holiday and remind them that he expected to see them at their desks on Tuesday. He then told them they might as well go early.
Merlin pulled his case from under his desk and checked that he had both passport and train tickets and saying goodbye to Gérard who was going to Germany to stay with his older brother who was in the Canadian Armed Forces, he left the office. The train was six thirty so he went to the Buffet de la Gare to pick up something to eat on the train. He'd be in Paris no later than ten o'clock if everything was one time. He sat waiting for the train to arrive and then found his seat. Much to his amusement, he was surrounded by kids and teachers on their way to Paris.
As he descended from the train in Paris he noticed not only Arthur but Gawaine there to welcome him. "Come on, we're off to Jack's the others are there waiting for you. Did you get anything for supper?"
"Yes, but I'm still hungry"
"Great, because Jack will make you something special. How was the trip?" Arthur enveloped him in a hug.
Then Gawaine did the same, "You're a sight for sore eyes, it seems ages since I last saw you."
"And you're not going to see much of him this weekend either as we are going on a Magical Mystery Tour!" Arthur had told no one of the location even though Gawaine who said he was at a loose end over the holidays, had offered to come along for the ride.
"Arthur, why don't you and Gawaine come down the next time together? We've never had any one stay over and we have a great sofa bed." To this suggestion of Merlin's, Arthur raised his eyes to heaven.
Gawaine laughed, "Arthur, I'm not asking to sleep with the two of you. I'd be quite happy to doss down on the floor If necessary."
"All right, but I decide which weekend and you, Gawaine, have to abide by our rules. Right, Merlin?"
"Right!" said Merlin punching the grinning Gawaine in the arm.
Jack was happy to see them all united, "Ah, the traveller returns!" he said patting Merlin on the back. "Have you space for some food? Rabbit sausages or I have a very nice piece of fish, I could grill it and you can have it with chips.
Merlin's eyes lit up, "The fish sounds great…" he was actually quite hungry when he thought about it. Most of the others then decided they'd also have something so the kitchen was again in full swing while drinks were brought to the table.
It was good being back at their table in front of the fire, Merlin seating leaning against Arthur with Gawaine on his other side. Lance was happy to tell them that Libby's family was joining them in Paris and Tom said, "Well tomorrow, I'm off to England managed to get the rest of the week off, mighty generous my boss can be sometimes…" Tom smiled at Arthur as Merlin laughed and dug Arthur in the ribs.
Arthur said, "People work better when their efforts are acknowledged but it will be nose to the grindstone when you come back. Anyway, Guys, Merlin and I are going to call it a night, we have a big day tomorrow.
Gawaine grinned and said under his breath, "…and tonight, if I know anything about Arthur."
They all stood and wishing Jack goodnight, parted company to go back to their own places.