Lift Me Up | A Gabenath Story

Chapter 11: Together, My Love

After the business trip to London, everything had gone back to normal. Nathalie still worked for Gabriel, but did not move back into the mansion. When she arrived to work at the front gate, Gabriel would watch from the atelier window as she routinely kissed Jean goodbye. Gabriel had no choice but to down what he felt for her, leaving him to talk with his kwami for comfort. That was, until one day Nathalie arrived alone.

"Nooroo, what do you think of this design?" Gabriel asked, pointing at his work screen. He no longer had interest in watching Nathalie kiss her lover, as it only infuriated him.

"I'm not sure, Master. The design reminds me of Mayura," Nooroo replied, observing the figures Gabriel drew on the screen.

"Mayura? Why would I design anything relative to Mayura?!"

". . . You love her, Master," Nooroo daringly said. Still, he internally shook in fear and hovered behind Gabriel's head.

"I don't love Nathalie!" Gabriel blurted as he turned around to glare at the kawmi.

"Master, I never really mentioned Miss Nathalie. . ." Nooroo whispered, lowering his gaze to the floor.

"Nooroo, what the hell do you expect me to do?! I lost her already! She doesn't love me anymore!" Gabriel shouted. He slammed his fists against a wall as he contemplated what he had said. A tear rolled down his cheek as he digested the meaning behind his words.

"Master?"

"I. . . do love her, Nooroo. I love Nathalie," he finally admitted, sighing as he shook his head. Never would he have thought to say that. And yet, here he was, admitting his feelings for his assistant to one of the kwamis that had watched them grow close.

"And what will you do about it?"

"Nothing, Nooroo. I already told you, I lost her," Gabriel sighed before feeling a new negative emotion nearby. "I feel a negative emotion."

"Master, if you love Miss Nathalie, then why do you continue to look for negative emotions?" Nooroo asked.

"Be quiet, Nooroo," Gabriel spat as he ignored the question. He felt the negative emotion approach him more and more until Nathalie walked through the atelier doors. The negative emotion only got stronger as she sat down at her desk, barely speaking.

Keep it together, keep it together. Don't you dare fucking cry, Nathalie thoughtfully spoke to herself. She took small, deep breaths as she heard her boss' footsteps approach her desk.

"You didn't greet me, Nathalie," Gabriel said as he stood in front of her desk, arms folded behind his back.

"I apologize, Sir. How are you this morning?" Nathalie asked him, displaying a wry smile. She avoided eye contact, looking at the computer in front of her as she felt her weight sink into the chair. She did not have the energy to complete her work.

"I'm fine, Nathalie. But you clearly aren't." Gabriel walked behind the desk, and knelt beside her. "Please, tell me what's wrong."

"Sir, I. . ."

"Please, I hate seeing you hurt like this," Gabriel whispered as he placed a hand on top of hers, allowing his warmth to spread to her.

"Things between Jean and I have ended. We tried working things out these past weeks," Nathalie mumbled. "I'm alone, again."

At her words, Gabriel felt a flutter in his stomach, and a sense of hope in his heart. He felt guilty for feeling overjoyed about the cause of her sadness, but he was glad that the butler was out of his way. However, he did not say anything else about the matter.