Per Ardua Ad Astra // G. Lee

II

Margaret was woken by her daughters jumping on her bed, far too early. They crawled underneath the covers and cuddled up to her. Margaret knew something was up when the girls looked at each other, clearly conspiring something.

"What do you want?" Margaret asked. The girls rolled their eyes and sighed. They got their dramatics from their mother.

"Mummy, when are we going to see Gwilym again?" Rose asked, looking at her mother with a sweet smile on her face.

"Why? Did you like him?" Margaret asked. The girls nodded enthusiastically. Margaret smiled. She liked Gwilym a lot, and she wanted to girls to liked him too. She wanted him to stick around.

Margaret and the girls spent all morning in bed, playing games and talking. Margaret liked to have mornings like this with her daughters, it helped her make sure they were happy and healthy and that everything was alright. During the morning, Margaret fired off a text to Gwilym.

'The girls asked when they were going to see you again. They like you x'

She forgot all about it until she checked her phone whilst the girls were eating their lunch.

'I like them too. I like you x'

'I like you too x'

Margaret put her phone in her pocket and tried to suppress the girlish smile threatening to break out onto her face. Little did she know, Gwilym felt like a kid with his first crush when Margaret texted back, saying she liked him too.

Margaret and the girls stared out of the window as they heard planes from the base go over, wondering if Gwilym was up there flying. Little did they know, of course, that he was up there wondering if they were watching. When he landed, he sent a text to Margaret.

'can I come over this evening and see you all? x'

He thought his heart would burst out of his chest when Margaret replied that dinner would be on the table at 6.

He was welcomed at the door by Rose and Daisy, who told him that Mummy was in the kitchen. He thanked the girls and made his way through, taking off his cap and smoothing down his hair before he entered the room.

"Hello" He said quietly, not wanting to scare Margaret. She turned around and smiled at him.

"Hello, Wing Commander. Did you fly today?" She asked, gesturing for him to sit down at the table. They sat down, facing each other, as Margaret poured each of them a glass of wine.

"I did. Did you see the planes go over?" Gwilym replied, sipping his wine.

"We did. We wondered if you were up there" Margaret said, gesturing towards the sitting room where the girls were playing.

"I wondered if you three were watching" He said quietly, almost embarrassed. Margaret smiled at him and dished up their dinner. She was fascinated with why such a gentle man was in the armed forces. They sat there eating in relative quiet, just taking in the presence of the other person.

Gwilym was taking in the sadness still behind Margaret's eyes, though it had lessened since she'd told him about Alexander. He took in her figure, her face, her beauty.

Margaret was taking in the lines around Gwilym's eyes, evidence of his dedication to his job. She took in his stature, his noble profile, his handsomeness.

They put the girls to bed after dinner, and Margaret's heart melted as she watched Gwilym carry a sleeping Daisy to the girls bedroom. Margaret walked into the sitting room, and saw Gwilym, jacket off, tie off, top button undone. She walked over, straight into his arms. They stood there for a while, swaying to whatever song was playing on the radio. It was all a little bit too domestic for Margaret, and she began to cry quietly in Gwilym's arms. He pulled her closer and pressed gentle, comforting kisses to her head. Eventually, the song changed to something more upbeat, and the pair sat down on the sofa, so close it was almost impossible for Margaret to be closer, unless she sat on Gwilym's lap.