All is left is to ring the bell (fruk)

sois à moi

A year later, since the day we had the fallout, I constantly took him out to eat every Friday. It wasn't a big deal particularly, but I thought I would use Fridays as a way to charm the hell out of Arthur. He did not deny his feelings for me any longer, but he was still hesitating on whether to go through with them or not. I was never one to force someone into doing something they did not want to do, but I would pull the strings a little bit in my favour.

It wasn't as if I was asking him to marry me. Like we could do that...

I mean...that would be insane...

It would not mean anything, really.

So, anyway, every Friday, I would take a trip to London and pull him out to spend time with me. I have been doing this for a year. At first, he would moan and groan about me showing up at his place unannounced, as usual. However, after a few months of me not stopping, he did not seem to care any longer. In fact, he always made sure to be ready for me.

As covid worsened, finding places to go out was getting harder and harder. More of his places were closing because everyone needed to social distance; however, I was not sure how this illness would affect us. He was the only person I still saw through this pandemic. World meetings had to halt until further notice, as did most of the travelling. That meant that we had not seen the boys for some time.

Alfred's home was lenient, and he had conflicting thoughts about the illness. One day he would say it was serious, then the next, he would devise a weird conspiracy. I never took an illness lightly, especially after the black death. So, it was hard listening to that child's conspiracy theories. He was the type of person to put tin foil on his head in hopes Aliens would not take over his mind. However, if an alien wants to take you, they will.

Anyway, the point of this now is, I am with Arthur. He was sitting across from me at this restaurant we came to last week. However, we were given the bad news that starting Monday, their place would be closed due to Covid. All we could do was try and enjoy it for now and figure out what to do later. If anything, I would be happy to go to his home and cook for him.

Arthur was drinking his wine slowly. If he were drinking his feelings like he usually did, it would be a much different picture. Less romantic. However, he was calm today for some reason. He did not have anything to complain about. Almost as if he had run out of things to complain about. Which was good for me...since most of the things he complained about were me being terrible.

"What's up?"

"Hmmm...just thinking..."

"About?..."

"Everything...All of this really is a nuisance; however, I am more worried about my people rather than my economy. How are you holding up?" He asked. He set his wine down, finally looking me in the eyes. Arthur looked as if he were twenty-three. He had looked this way for a long time, and I wondered if we would ever age more than we have.

"I am okay...surprisingly...although I could be better," I hummed. His glass was empty, so I took the opportunity to pour more wine into it. "Oh really? how?" He asked. He took the glass between his fingers while also not breaking eye contact. "If you visited me...at least before they set travelling restrictions. It has been easy for us to get away with coming back and forth. However, the EuroStar could stop doing its routes...you should come before it is too late."

"I see your priorities are in order," he chuckled. It made me smile at him intensely. The Italian restaurant we were at was really fancy. It was a candlelit dinner, hidden in the restaurant's corner for more privacy. I always adored how beautiful he looked as the light kissed his cheeks. Billie Holiday was playing from above, a nice touch that made me feel nostalgic.

"My priorities will always be in order as long as you are included."

"Pfft, Francis, do you hear yourself? I honestly thought you would have given up by now, but it is amazing how much you are trying."

"I told you I wouldn't give up on you...this is why you come with me. It helps," I smiled. We had talked a lot since starting these dinners. I had learned a lot about what he had been up to the past few years, and he even opened up that he had gone to therapy with a human, rejecting the services of his Crown. It was shocking, but I was proud of him for taking that step to improve. It doesn't hurt to seek help; we have all done it and have healed in different ways.

"Oh, my days...You are actually unbelievable," he laughed, looking away. It looked as if he were looking around to ensure no one had heard or watched us. If I, from the eighteen hundreds, could know that we would be eating together like this one day, I think he would be jealous.

"Arthur...I..." I grabbed his hand slowly, and he looked back at me with a tilted head and a saddened expression. "I love you..."

"So you say, I honestly am surprised you have kept this up for so long. It is quite flattering."

"Good, you deserve to be flattered. I don't think you give yourself enough credit. Even if you could stand to care for yourself better, You will still have the everlasting charm that I love, even if you need to get an eyebrow wax..."

"Whoa! Now you are insulting. I just don't care about looking...well....like you! I am perfectly fine with the things I have."

"Dear, your cardigan is what...ten years old?"

"Twenty! And still in outstanding condition..."

"My point..." I laughed. We had somehow come closer to each other, despite the table separating us. Our torsos had leaned across the table. I could not help but adore him. All the love I could ever have in the world was staring back at me with big green eyes and a freckled face. "How about, since we can't go out very long, you come back to my place next Friday, and I can cook for you," he smirked.

My love-struck expression dropped, and I became choked up. "Oh? Are you sure? I mean, I could cook for us instead. I would hate for you to go through the trouble-"

"No trouble at all...I will take great care of you," he smiled. I could not tell if he was flirting with me or planning my death. Well, either way...what a hell of a way to go. I suppose if I must die eating his food, then maybe that is my fate. "Fine, I will be at your place next week, but expect to drink your face off!"

"Oh, we will see," he smirked, sipping his wine.