Before The War Starts (FrUK)

Chapter fifteen

February 14, 1939
All month there haven't been any new serious breaking news stories about the Germans. Everything seemed to be calming down. Which was good, I was hoping it would stay that way for a while. I had gotten something special for Francis today, it took a while to get a hold of but maybe he will love it. That morning I had finished boxing up the gift nicely. I purchased a locket for him, placing pictures of us in them. As I thought about the purchase I was keeping in mind what I was planning to do very soon.

My brothers called me the other night saying there was a need for British soldiers and I had to hurry and enlist before they blocked the English Channel that helps people cross over. However, it has been calm this month. Britain has been preparing for the worst. Eligible men had to go through training that lasted six months. If I take time off work to enlist, it would be hard, but I will be able to see my dear soon. I planned to enlist by the end of the month. Me leaving this gift for him might be a good thing, I suppose.

I saw that even France was starting to recruit men to enlist; I am sure Francis saw the flyers hanging around the city. I will have to tell him tonight. Hopefully, if I finish early, I can see Francis sooner than I realized. I looked at the tiny box in my hand and smiled a bit. I love him with all my heart, but I must do what's best for my country. "Good afternoon !" Francis called as he entered the kitchen area. "Good afternoon to you as well," I smiled at him.

He looked at me happily as I stood up quickly. "I have something for you!" I said, voice cracking by accident. He stopped to stare at me, "Arthur, you didn't have to," he laughed. "Listen, sit down for a bit," I stopped smiling and pulled him to a seat. "I love you so much, and I wanted to show you through something special," I lifted the gift and placed it on the table in front of him. He was a bit confused but opened the gift anyways. I looked at him a bit tense as he opened the box slowly.

"Wow, it is beautiful," he smiled. However, he seemed to be choked up. "Open it," I added, sounding a bit sad. That was not very good. I nodded at my demand, and his eyes widened. "Why would you give me this?" He asked angrily. My eyes widened from shock, and I had no words. "You said you were going to stay in France, are you planning on leaving? If not I don't need this; I will see you every day" I felt my heart get tight as I saw tears run down his face. "Francis?" I asked concerned.

"You are enlisting, aren't you?" He asked, with hurt in his voice. My face dropped as he looked down at the locket. " my country needs me," I said, and he stood up quickly. He looked as if he wanted to shout. " When? When do you plan on leaving?" He asked pacing around the room. Tears fell down his cheeks as he stopped to stare at me. "At the end of the month...I needed to catch the boat back to London," I said sadly. "You said yourself that there probably won't be a war; why would you go?" He asked, sitting back down.

"They are closing the English Channel soon, I won't have a way to get home when that is done. And it is only for training. If I get it done now, I can come back to France and be with you and won't have to worry about it...later. If the time came," I spoke softly as he took deep breaths. "How long is it?" He asked. "Maybe six months," I answered. He closed his eyes for a second before looking back at me. "Fine then...." he tried to smile. He took the locket out and placed it around his neck.

"This just means you are going to have the time of your life before you leave," he laughed as he pulled me into a hug. As he hugged me, I saw a paper in his back pocket "enlist now," it read. He was thinking about enlisting himself; that's why he caught on quickly. I am sure he was trying to get his head together, and me saying I would leave made things worse for him to deal with. I held him tighter, caressing his hair. I promise Francis; I will come back and see you in six months.

Once we separated from the hug, he started pulling me towards our bedroom. "come with me; I have a surprise for you as well," he laughed mischievously. "What is it?" I asked, pretending like I didn't have a clue about what he was going to do. He led me into the room and closed the door behind us. "I know it's been a while, so I thought that since it was a special occasion, we could...." he turned the lights on, and my face grew red from the sight. There were rose petals scattered all around the room. "Oh my."

I turned to Francis, who was smirking. "Arthur, you do not know how much I love you. I have never felt this way and want to share every moment of my life with you. I know we have not been together long, but I want to be with you longer; I love you, darling," he smiled and held me in an embrace as I started to do the same. "Trust me, Francis, I promise you that will be exactly what happens. I would never leave you so easily, and I promise we will see each other again."

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Thanks for reading so far❤️
There is more to come, also I think it is about to get sad so be prepared. (Even more sad)