Part 17: link


    The first postcard arrives Saturday. It’s from the airport. She’s sent it to the shop.
    “Hey Drag, something for you, mate. Maybe this will put a smile on that ugly face of yours,” Gwaine says, handing him the card.
    “It’s from Guinevere,” he says softly.
    “No shit.”
    He turns it over.
Dear Arthur,
    I wanted to write immediately so you’d know I had arrived safely. Chicago is huge. Busy. Cars everywhere, and the buildings are immense! Haven’t done anything yet; am লেখা this in the car, in fact, trying not to notice how fast Elyan is driving. I sat পরবর্তি to a lovely middle-aged woman on the plane who was returning প্রথমপাতা from a business trip. She liked my pedicure. I told her আপনি did it. She didn’t believe me. Tell everyone hello.
I miss you,
Guinevere
    He smiles, and turns it over, looking at the picture. He laughs at how ugly it is. A shot of the main terminal, interior shots in three nondescript blobs at the top. The words O’Hare Airport are emblazoned across the middle.
    “Why would they even make a postcard of an airport?” he wonders aloud.
    “How is she?” Gwaine asks, returning to his client.
    “Alive. She says that Chicago is huge and the traffic is scary. And she says hello.”
    “Hello,” Gwaine says, waving vaguely.
    Arthur chuckles as a patron enters. “Drag, you’re up, mate,” Gwaine calls, bending his head over the bicep he is inking.

    Saturday night Arthur lingers at Gwen’s flat. Though happy to have the sandals she loaned him, he misses her scent, her essence. The ambience of her apartment is the only thing that gives him solace. Being surrounded দ্বারা her things, in the place that she has so thoroughly put her personal mark on, he feels closer to her.
    He sorts through the mail on her table, stacking it neatly again before walking to the door. Arthur reaches his hand to the knob, pausing before lifting his hand higher, locking it instead of opening it.
    I need to stay here.
    He bends and removes his boots, leaving them দ্বারা the door. He shuffles back to her room, sheds his clothes, and snuggles into her bed, turning his face into her বালিশ to smell her বেগুনি scent.
    One week left.
    When did I get to be such a right needy wally?
    When I fell in love, that’s when. And there’s nothing wrong with missing her.
    Yeah, keep telling yourself that, wally.
    Fuck off. She makes me happy.
    He pulls the blanket up over his shoulder and gradually falls asleep.

    Gwaine hands him another postcard on Monday.
Dear Arthur,
    The tall black building on the picture is the Sears Tower. It is the tallest building in the world. We went all the way up to the শীর্ষ in a very fast lift. It was amazing; I felt like I could see all the way home! I could see so much. The whole city, the lake, which Elyan says is Lake Michigan. I asked if we could swim in it. He ব্যক্ত people do, but it’s really very cold. The buildings are so tall and so close together. The city is so dense, it’s almost claustrophobic. I miss you.
Love, Guinevere
    Arthur smiles at the card, flipping it over to view the shot of the Chicago skyline. It is indeed dense. And apparently she is not afraid of heights. He sticks it up on his দেওয়াল পরবর্তি to the first.

    What the hell is that? Arthur scrunches down into his bed, his ears assaulted দ্বারা a harsh, piercing, ringing noise.
    Ringing. The phone. The phone is ringing.
    He rolls over, groping for the phone, peeling one eye open to peer at the clock.
    2:30. What the fuck.
    “Someone had best be dead,” he says, his voice groggy and hoarse.
    “What if it’s just someone missing you?” Guinevere’s soft voice floats into his ear, and he is immediately wide awake.
    “Guinevere! What are আপনি doing calling me? This has got to be costing আপনি a fortune!” he exclaims, rubbing his eyes.
    “I know, I can hear my credit card weeping softly from inside my purse. But I had to hear your voice.”
    “It’s so good to hear yours, too,” he says, smiling, curling back up in his bed, phone cradled between his head and the pillow.
    “Sorry about the time. It’s only 8:30 at night here. But I figured you’d definitely be প্রথমপাতা now.”
    “Actually, you’re lucky আপনি did catch me at home,” he admits.
    “Why, have আপনি been sleeping in the shop? Perhaps on the bar at the pub?”
    “No, at your flat. In your bed.”
    She smiles. “Oh.”
    “Not every night, just sometimes. Your বিছানা smells like you. You… আপনি don’t mind, do you?”
    “Not at all. It’s rather… cute, actually,” she grins, using that word she knows he hates.
    “There আপনি go with the ‘cute’ again,” he says, but she can hear the smile in his voice. “Have আপনি been having fun? I got a couple postcards already.”
    “Oh, good. I bought the first one at the airport,” she laughs.
    “Yes, that would be the one with the airport on the front.”
    She laughs. “I am having fun. My brother is good; it is good to see him. Doing quite well, the customers প্রণয় his desserts. He actually lives at the hotel he works at, which is a little odd, but he says that it’s only temporary.”
    “Right.”
    “Yeah, that’s what I said, too.”
    “Did he get আপনি your own room, then?”
    “No, he has two beds in his, the skinflint,” she laughs. “He had to work tonight, so I’ve just been hanging around. I did go out and buy আপনি a present tonight, though.”
    “Really? What did আপনি get me?”
    “I’m not telling. It would ruin the surprise.”
    “Bitch,” he teases.
    “Oh, well, if that’s how you’re going to be, I’ll return it,” she threatens, but she is laughing. “And I believe we’ve established that you are the bitchy one in this relationship.”
    “Yes, you’re of course correct. Please forgive me, my beautiful rosebud,” he says, his voice like honey again.
    “That’s better.”
    Arthur is quiet for a moment. “I miss you,” he says, suddenly serious again, his voice a little hoarse.
    “I miss you, too, Arthur. So much.”
    “Friday can’t come soon enough,” he says.
    She listens closely. His breathing sounds a little ragged, his voice slightly strained, like he is trying very hard to control it.
    “Arthur, are you…?” she asks, having a pretty good idea about what he’s doing over there. Wonder how long he’s been at it?
    “Yeah,” he admits, groaning quietly now, as if he is glad the cat is out of the bag.
    “Arthur...” she says, but a small part of her is flattered nevertheless.
    “I can’t help it… he misses you, too… and your voice is so… sultry,” he says, and she can suddenly picture him there, eyes closed, thinking of her, grasping himself, his muscular body ট্যাঙ্গেল্ড in the বিছানা sheets…
    Oh, my. “Sultry?” she repeats, intentionally speaking softly, purring into the phone.
    “God, yes.”
    “I miss your hands on my body,” she says, keeping her voice at the same timbre.
    He groans again. “You could… যোগদান me…” he gasps.
    “No, I couldn’t,” she answers, though she very much wants to.
    “Yes, আপনি can. It’ll be… fun.”
    “I can’t Arthur. Remember?”
    “Oh yeah,” he says, remembering now. “Sorry.”
    “It’s all right,” she says, closing her eyes and pressing her knees together tightly.
    “Guinevere,” he moans, turning her blood molten. “Tell me what else… আপনি miss.”
    “I miss your lips on mine, on my soft brown skin,” she continues, “your tongue tormenting me, drowning me in a sea of অবিশ্বাস্য bliss…”
    “Yes…” he groans.
    “I am aching without you, Arthur.”
    “Guinevere, oh…”
    “My body longs for yours, to be enfolded in your embrace, to…”
    “Oh…”
    “To see your eyes watching me, memorizing every curve…”
    “Yes…”
    “To feel আপনি inside me…”
    “Ohhhh…” he groans, and there’s a decisive finality about it.
    Gwen smiles, giggling softly as she listens to his labored breathing.
    “Thank you, Sweet,” he whispers into the phone after a few moments.
    “Well, I need a cold ঝরনা now,” she says back, and he bursts forth laughing.
    “Sorry. I’ll make it up to আপনি on Friday.”
    “You’d better.”
    “You’ll be… done… দ্বারা then?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good.”
    “I should go. Let আপনি go back to sleep.”
    “Mmm, I’ll definitely have pleasant dreams now, having heard your voice.”
    “Me too. Good night, Arthur.”
    “Good night, Guinevere.”
    He listens to the click as they are disconnected. The line goes dead and he softly says, “I প্রণয় you.”

    Arthur strolls in to work the পরবর্তি morning, and Gwaine and Phil both stop cold at his almost-cheerfulness.
    “Who the hell are you?” Gwaine asks.
    “Yeah, mate, আপনি kind of look like Drag, but he’s been a mopey twat since his girlie left for America,” Phil adds.
    “Piss off, both of you,” he says, but he still seems আরো his old self.
    “There he is,” Gwaine laughs.
    “She called last night. Well, this morning,” Arthur says, grinning.
    “She did? Holy fuck, that must be expensive!”
    “I know. She called at like 2:30 in the morning, though. ব্যক্ত it was only 8:30 there,” he shrugs.
    Gwaine counts on his fingers. “Six ঘন্টা time difference. She’s going to be messed up when she gets back,” he says. He looks at Arthur. He’s relaxed. Somewhat pleasant. “Wait. What kind of phone call was this, exactly?”
    “The kind that is none of your sodding business.”
    “That’s what I thought,” Gwaine laughs. “I’m liking that Sparrow আরো and more.”
    “Wow, I wouldn’t have thought her capable of it,” Phil says, surprised and a little impressed.
    The postman arrives later with another postcard. “So who has the girlfriend on holiday in Chicago?” he asks, handing it to Gwaine.
    “Drag,” Gwaine motions with his head as Arthur snatches the card.
    “You’re not supposed to be পাঠ করা the mail, mate, just delivering it,” Arthur grumbles.
    “I’m just looking at the picture side and the address, honest,” he says, turning to exit.
    “Hey, Bill, when are আপনি going to let me ink you?” Gwaine calls after him.
    “If my wife dies, আপনি can do it over her body,” he calls back, laughing.
    Arthur looks at the ছবি first this time. She went to the Art Museum. Lucky. Smiling, he flips the card over, Guinevere’s tidy handwriting greeting him like an old friend.
Dear Arthur,
    Museum day! There are several all grouped together দ্বারা the lake. Today we did the Museum of Science and Industry and the Art Museum. I would have loved for আপনি to have been here with me, to see all these great works of art with you. So many beautiful pieces, but I still like your work best. S&I was really interesting. They have a coal mine and a submarine inside! Tomorrow we’re doing the Aquarium. It is near the museums as well, but we ran out of time. Elyan says hello and that he wishes he could have met you. He picks on me when I play with your ring. I missed আপনি আরো today.
Love, Guinevere

    On Wednesday Arthur is expecting a postcard with মাছ on it অথবা of the Aquarium, but he receives one with a ছবি of a baseball diamond on it instead, a large red sign bearing the slogan Wrigley Field over the words Home of Chicago Cubs on the front.
    “She went to a baseball game?” he says aloud, turning the card over.
Dear Arthur,
    I know I ব্যক্ত aquarium. We did go. It was fascinating. They have a white alligator and beluga whales (also white). Saw trained dolphins. They were brilliant. It was all so peaceful, so beautiful. But it didn’t take as long as we thought, so Elyan took me to a baseball game. They played the Atlanta Braves, and they actually won. El says that the Cubs don’t win a lot. Baseball is about as exciting as cricket, but the খাবার is ridiculous. A lot of drinking goes on, too. A drunk old man in thick glasses came out at one point and sang a song about baseball that everyone knew but me. El says he’s a famous radio announcer for the Cubs, but he looked like a bizarre old drunk to me. Miss আপনি tons.
Love, Guinevere
    Arthur laughs out loud at her বিবরণ of the baseball game, and even reads it to Gwaine.
    “Isn’t that supposed to be their national sport অথবা something?” Gwaine asks, chuckling.
    “Yeah. And they have the nerve to say football – our football – is dull,” Arthur laughs, adding the card to his collection.
    “Cubs game, huh?” Arthur’s client, who has just sat down, asks, looking at the four cards on his wall.
    “Apparently so,” he says.
    “I spent some time in America in my younger days,” he comments. “I found American football to be আরো entertaining than baseball.”
    “Ah,” Arthur says, not all that interested. “Wonder why he didn’t take her to a football game, then.” He looks at the নকশা the man wants. Gee, how original. A হৃদয় with the name Delores across it.
    “Because they don’t play football in the summer. It starts up in the fall.”
    “I see. Where do আপনি want this?”
    He holds out a beefy forearm. “Your girlfriend?” he asks, looking from the cards to the photo.
    “Yeah. Her brother moved to Chicago and she’s visiting him.”
    “Without you?”
    “Obviously,” he wanders over to make the transfer of the drawing to apply to the man’s skin.
    “What kind of a girlfriend goes off to America all দ্বারা herself?”
    Arthur plops back down and looks at the man. “The best ever, actually. The kind that had the trip booked before she was my girlfriend. And I’ll thank আপনি to drop the subject now before I ‘accidentally’ spell Delores D-E-N-N-I-S.”
    “Right. Sorry.”

    “I told আপনি I’m not coming in tomorrow, right?” Arthur asks Thursday when he arrives at work.
    “About 36 times now, yes,” Gwaine answers, rolling his eyes.
    Arthur is anxious, fidgety, buzzing around the shop. She comes প্রথমপাতা tomorrow. 24 hours, approximately. Then she comes back to me.
    “Drag. You’re making me bonkers. Sit the fuck down,” Phil yells at him. “Have a ক্যান্ডি চকোলেট bar অথবা something, you’re completely unhinged.”
    “Only person I know that calms down দ্বারা pumping sugar into his system,” Gwaine shakes his head as Arthur sits in his chair and reaches into the now-nearly-empty bag that Merlin had brought him a week ago, pulling out some red licorice.
Dear Arthur, he reads what is likely the last postcard. It is from a place called Great America.
    We went to this amusement park today. Big place. Everything here is big, it seems. El dragged me on the roller coasters. I wasn’t sure at first, but it turned out to be really fun. আরো ridiculous food, আপনি would be in heaven. They have a big spire that আপনি can ride to the শীর্ষ in a large spinning lift that circles around it. আরো amazing views. El ব্যক্ত that we could see Wisconsin from where we were at the top. I took his word for it. I could see the lake again, too. A lot of walking, my poor feet really miss আপনি today and so do I.
Love, Guinevere

    Friday morning, Arthur stands inside Heathrow at the gate that should be delivering his Guinevere back to him very shortly. He looks at the clock again, checks that he’s at the right gate again.
    I feel like a little boy at Christmas, he thinks, tapping his fingers on the armrest. He looks at the clock again. I swear it just went backwards.
    He notices that he is getting a few looks from the people around him. He’s quite used to it, but there is one woman who seems amused at his anxiety. He smiles sheepishly at her.
    Caught, she smiles back and looks away. A plane taxis up to the gate and Arthur jumps to his feet, stepping closer.
    “They won’t let আপনি go get her from the plane, আপনি know,” the woman, now standing beside him, comments.
    “How…?”
    “It’s written all over your face, young man. You’re clearly waiting for someone special.”
    “She went to visit her brother. Been gone for ten days.”
    “And how long have আপনি been together?”
    “About a month.”
    She chuckles. “That makes sense.”
    The attendant makes a garbled announcement, and the door opens. Arthur bites his lip and cranes his neck.
    People start filing out, tired, worn-looking people who are clearly happy to be off the airplane. Arthur watches carefully for Gwen’s petite form, knowing she may be hard to spot.
    As he waits, he watches as a tall stocky man in torn jeans and a black t-shirt, Doc Martens and the wildest hair he’s ever seen – it looks like flames, dyed in shades of yellow and কমলা and red – strides straight to the woman beside him, a broad smile splitting his face.
    “Mum!” he declares, giving her a massive hug, picking her up as he does so.
    “Michael, put me down!” she commands, and he does.
    Arthur smiles at them, then he spots Gwen.
    She looks adorable. Her hair is in two bunches at the nape of her neck, and she is in very flattering jeans and a Cubs t-shirt. It is the best thing he’s ever seen. She spots him and breaks into a run, dropping her bag at his feet before jumping into his arms.
    “Oh!” he grunts in surprise, arms wrapping around her, holding her as she clings to his neck. He tucks his nose into her neck, inhaling her scent, chuckling with happiness.
    “I missed আপনি so much, Arthur,” she whispers, স্নেহ চুম্বন his neck, leaning back to চুম্বন his lips.
    “Not as much as I missed you,” he উত্তর softly, setting her back on her feet and holding her sweet face between his hands.
    She puts one of her hands atop his and smiles that smile for him, and he bends down and kisses her again.
    “Let’s go get your suitcase.”

Part 19: link