Natalya Sancoeur

Chapter Nine: Gala pt2

Gabriel went to get something to eat for himself 'cause Nathalie said she's not hungry. He stood up from his seat and went over to Adrien. He saw his son trying to get away from that brat, Chloe, and he also didn't want to get involved in their situation so he just went in the other direction. There are various kinds of food served on the table. This will take forever to choose from. He sighed and continued to walk around.

A bit of time after looking around, he finally found what he liked. But while he's putting his food on his plate, someone bumped into him, both almost dropping their food. He's annoyed but tired to keep his cool. He looked at whoever bumped into him, and to his surprise, it was Clara. He could recognise her features even if he only took a single glance from her at the akumatization.

"I-i'm sorry, Mr. Agreste." she apologised and tried to make her way but Gabriel didn't let her go. He got a firm grip on her arm before she could even have another step. She was afraid, of course.

"Wait, I'm the one supposed to ask if you're alright." he uttered.

"Oh, i- uhmm... yes, I'm alright, sir." she stuttered. "I'll be heading now, sir."

"Wait! Do you have someone to sit with?" he asks, unintentionally. "I-i mean, did you come with someone here?" he gulped. It's obvious he's nervous but tired to act cool.

"I'm here with a friend and I'm trying to find him. But it seems I already have." she pointed to where Nathalie and Martin were sitting. "Looks like he found someone to accompany him." Gabriel could tell she's jealous but when he looked over to where she's looking, he swore he could've dropped his plate.

Cara noticed that Gabriel was silent for a bit and nudged him. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." she chuckled.

"Who are you saying was your friend?"

"The guy with the bron hair. Why? Is the person he's with is your 'girlfriend'?" by now she's laughing but Gabriel still stays silent. "Is she..?"

"What? No! She's not my girlfriend! She's just my assistant. But it seems like you;ve been bothered by your friend with her? Is he your 'boyfriend'?" he returned the little joke but just got a light punch in return.

"He's not! And besides, we're just friends." she frowned a bit, knowing all she said was a lie. "Oh and sorry for the punch."

"It's not that big of a deal. And it doesn't hurt at all." He lied knowing it hurted a bit. "How about we let them enjoy our time while we enjoy ours?" He uttered while pointing to the other table.

"What do you mean by 'our time'? Not like you're planning something already." Cara giggles but when she turned her head to face him, there was a smirk on Gabriel's face, knowing he wasn't joking. "You're serious?"

"Why not? The person we came here with has someone else accompanying them. So let's just entertain ourselves." he put his plate down and held his hand out, waiting for her to take it.

"I mean, it's just for a night." she smiled and took Gabriel's hand as he pulled her out of the crowd.

~~~~~~~~~

"He should be back by now. I wonder where he is." Nathalie murmured while talking to Martin.

"I'm sure he's just taking a walk with his son. And that reminds me, my friend must be waiting for me. Mind if I go ahead? Will you be alright here?" Martin asked.

"Actually, mind if I join you? I mean, I'll try to look for Gabriel while you're looking for your friend too." Nathalie suggested. "It won't take long."

"I wouldn't mind having company, shorty." Martin giggled.

Nathalie was surprised when he called her that. He's not that tall. "Don't call me that. I'm not short."