Regiphobia

The Meeting

Goda woke up in Gabe's arms. The king was still asleep. Goda slipped out of bed, grabbing a suit and slipping into it. As he buttoned up the suit jacket, he glanced at his face in the mirror. No bruise. No fog. No scent of blood. He sighed. He'd been having them more often recently. He shook his head, turning as he heard Gabe sitting up.

"Good morning, doll," Gabe said, standing and stretching out his arms. He walked up behind Goda, wrapping his arms around him and placing a light kiss on his neck. Goda turned around in his grip, forcing a smile on to his face and wrapping his arms around the other's neck. Gabe couldn't seem to tell the fake happiness from the real thing. That's what practice gets you, I suppose.

Gabe kept one of his arms around Goda's waist, using his free hand to put two fingers under Goda's chin. "I've got work to do today," Gabe said, "but after, we can do whatever you want. As an apology." Goda nodded, a touch of genuine happiness coming to his lips.

"See you th-then, dear," Goda said softly. Gabe finally stepped back, grabbing a suit to wear and walking into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he walked back out, fully changed, and left the room with a smile, a wink, and a small wave.

When Gabe left, Goda let his smile fall. Why did things have to be like this? He waited a few minutes, and an idea came to his head. He grabbed a paper and a pen, scribbled out a note, and stepped out of his room. A pounding sensation filled his chest, but he didn't give himself time to think twice. A guard he was certain he'd seen before but didn't know the name of followed after him. He kept the note neatly folded in his hand as he searched for a specific face. Minutes without success ticked by, until...

There he was. Juan Cazado, walking down the hall towards them. They made eye contact, and Goda's heart skipped a beat, his throat tightening. He purposely bumped into the officer.

"Oh, sorry, Officer! I should have b-been watching where I was g-going!" Goda smiled sheepishly. He had become a good actor. Juan opened his mouth to speak, but he shut it when Goda gave a small shake of his head. He looked completely confused, watching Goda walk away with his hand around a slip of paper.

He decided to continue down the hall, around the corner, and duck into a supply closet to read the note. On it were simple instructions.

JC,
Meet me in the second storage room in the East Wing on the third floor. 9:00 AM. Alone.
-GK

Juan blinked. His heart raced. Had he read that correctly? The king's soon-to-be-husband was asking him to meet in secret in... glancing at the clock on the wall, just under an hour from now. He balled up the paper, throwing it into the trash can beside him. He'd have to be careful about this. If he didn't show up, he doubted Goda would do anything, but he'd lose his chance at... whatever this was supposed to be. He left the closet after making sure the hall was empty. Then, he started towards the stairs. He needed to give himself time.

Goda went to the gardens to waste his time until he could go meet with Juan. Minutes ticked by as he let the fresh air enter and exit his lungs, the sunlight making him feel a little better. He didn't let his mind wander, refusing to think about his note. Soon enough, it was time to go. First, he had to ditch the guard.

As he stood up, he slipped his hand in his pocket. He made himself look confused, then checked his other pocket. He kept searching himself for a moment before looking alarmed and turning to the guard.

"Excuse me Officer, I seem to have left my notep-pad in my room, could you retrieve it f-for me?" Goda asked.

The officer looked nervous, "I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to-"

Goda's gaze turned pleading, "Oh p-please, sir, I'll be alright. There are g-guards at the door, and I simply c-can't bear to be without it!"

The officer finally nodded and walked off quickly. Goda sighed, walking in the opposite direction and taking a side-entrance. He had to be careful, any guard who saw him unattended would try and follow him. He managed to slip up the stairs without being caught, getting to the East Wing of the third floor with similar luck. There was an itching at the corner of his mind, wondering if this was too easy. He walked down to the storage room before hesitating. He looked around one more time, worried someone might see him enter, but he was alone. He pushed open the door.