I am done with love

One way or another, I'm gonna find you

Gabriel had laid his arm around her waist and was holding her steady, until they arrived at the next day and night opened food store. He had considered to get her some fast food, but then he had taken a closer look at her pale skin and her too big clothes on her skinny figure and decided to not only get her anything to eat, but get her something healthy and with the vitamins and minerals she visibly lacked.

"Are you serious about that? I would have been happy with a burger or something. No need for all the effort!", she scolded him.

The designer just chuckled and tightened his grip around her.

Nathalie gave up her struggling and let him guide her through the market. As they arrived at the cash register, the cashier gave her a derogatory look. Then she smiled widely at Gabriel.

"Is this person in any way molesting you, Mr. Agreste? If so, I can call for our security guard!"

The famous designer raised both eyebrows at the woman and scoffed, to then tell her snidely, that it was rather her who was insulting the beautiful woman, he had invited for lunch. To her mumbled: "as if", he simply replied:

"Did it maybe occur to you, that back in Paris, it's already past nine o'clock AM? As I am still suffering a little under that jet lack, I would advice you, to not upset me today. I already punched an old friend into the face, who tried to make fun of my beloved accompany. I would like to pay for the things I want to buy and leave this...well it doesn't look like one, but the staff certainly smells and acts as if it was one, how do they call it here, my dear? La maison de prostitution? What's the English word?"

With a mischievous grin Nathalie said calmly:

"It's called a brothel. Or a whorehouse. Whatever you prefer, 'dear'!"

The cashier took a deep breath, to not say something stupid and risk her job. Then she said with fake friendliness:

"Of course, Sir, how would you like to pay?"

He handed her his credit card with a vicious grin, then he grabbed both plastic bags with one hand and pulled Nathalie close to him with the other and get out of there as fast as possible.

"I'm so sorry for that", the young singer mumbled, as they were outside, searching for a cab.

He looked puzzled as he asked:

"Why's that. It wasn't your fault. That woman was...well....I don't know why she acted like that, do you know her?"

Nathalie scoffed.

"I wouldn't say know her. I'd rather say, her husband wasn't able to understand, that I wasn't, what my dear boss had announced me to be. And after she walked in on us, while he tried to force me to....you know...", she looked at her feet now, too flustered to look at him.

It was the designer who was shaking now. But out of anger.

Taking deep breaths to calm him down, he said a moment later:

"I would like to hear the complete story, once we are in my room, if you don't mind. If it's too much for you to tell, then don't but if you can, I would love to visit that man as soon as I am back in Paris. And believe me, he won't like it."

Nathalie smiled sadly as she shook her head.

"He would only make my life worse. I have a contract with him and getting out of it, won't be easy, believe me, I've tried. I was just too eager to get the opportunity to sing in a club in New York, that I didn't read all the clauses properly", she sighed.

"I was lucky though, that I didn't let him force me into...well....he tried to.....make me....do things.... The husband of that bitch in the store wasn't the only one, he had already taken money from and told him, I was just playing the innocent. That's why I usually lock the doors as soon as the barkeeper has left. So no one can come in and corner me anymore."

He swallowed hard.

"Did anyone, I mean did you get hurt? Sorry. I shouldn't even have asked. It's just.....I can hardly......I can barely believe......Why would he do this to you? This...this....I would really like to get my hands on him right now.

Nathalie? Can you hear me? I'm sorry I freaked out. Come on, look at me!"

She had pushed him away, and has backed off against the wall of a building, to slide down on it with her back. Now she was leaning against the dirty, crimson bricks and hugged her knees, as if she was protecting herself.

Gabriel had been so agitated and furious, that he hadn't noticed immediately. When he crouched down beside her, she was shaking from fear and the cold wind, that her thin blazer couldn't hold off from her to rarely fed body.

She let out a short scream, when she felt his hand on her shoulder. But then she seemed to recognize him.

"I.....you should just leave me here. I don't want to get you into this. He.....said......he said, he was going to find me...one way or another!", she uttered out reluctantly.

"There's no way, I am going to do that!", he simply stated and pulled her to her feet, to ask, "can you stand? If not I....okay then!"

Feeling her sway again, and seeing her legs tremble, he just lifted her up bridal style, to get her out of the cold as fast as possible. Finally he saw a cab and after getting her inside and taking the seat right next to her, he told the driver the name of his hotel.

Only a couple of minutes later they arrived there and Gabriel payed the driver to then help Nathalie, who looked a little better after the warmth of the car, to get out. He quickly laid his own coat around her shoulders and softly nudged her through the automatic doors and towards the elevator.

The man at the reception called after him.

"Excuse me, Sir, but we are not an establishment that allows people like 'her' inside. So if you wouldn't mind...."

Gabriel tightened his grip around the woman at his side and turned around to the older man.

"What do you mean with people like 'her'? This is a very dear friend of mine, I haven't seen for a long time, and who will stay with me, as long as I like her to. I would prefer, that you treat her the same way, you treat all the other guests. Otherwise I will check out of this how did you call it? 'Establishment'? ...right now!"

The receptionist couldn't hold Gabriel's gaze and quickly looked to the floor.

"That's what I thought", Gabriel added snidely and pulled the young woman further towards the elevator.

Nathalie was hesitant though.

"It's better if I leave. I don't want to get 'the great Gabriel Agreste' into any rumours of taking 'that kind of woman' to his hotel room!", she spat bitterly.

He stopped and looked at her.

"So you do know, who I am? Did you..."

She cut him off.

"I did not. I would've never expected someone like you in a bar like that. And, well, the last picture I've seen of you, was ages before your wife died. So...uhm....I....never would have thought....that....well...."

He chuckled to her struggling to tell him her true thoughts.

"Why don't you just say it? You would have never thought, that I looked that old?", he mused.

He nudged her further, pretending not to see her blushing cheeks.

Only a moment later they were in his hotel room and not a minute too late, because he barely caught her, when she eventually passed out completely.