How Gabriel Noticed

Revelation

"Nathalie!", Gabriel yelled at her in fear, "please, try to breathe normally, love! Nathalie, it's okay, please, I will never mention anything like that again, but please, my dear!"

He was still holding her taut and in his despair, he did the only thing, he could think of, he kissed her. Violently! Nathalie, who had started to hyperventilate, immediately gave in and the rapid gasping for air stopped. Her hands were interlinked on the back of his neck, as she tried to steady herself on her feet once again.

The concerned man pulled back and looked at her, eyes still closed, trembling all over, she took a deep breath. He beamed widely, as he cupped her cheek with his right hand and whispered excitedly:

"That's better, darling. Breathe. Slow, deep breaths. Just as we did when your recovery started. In and out, yes, that's it!", he instructed, while he kept staring into her mesmerizing, turquoise eyes. "Would you like to sit down, Nathalie? Or rather stay upright to be able to get more air into your lungs?"

She cleared her throat and smiled at him, then whispered hoarsely:

"I'd like to have another kiss like the one just now!"

Gabriel gasped, but didn't dare to upset her and kissed her again. Almost as strongly as he did before. But this time he forced his tongue between her lips and invited hers to play, which Nathalie gladly accepted.

The new sensation, the rose inside their bodies, made them become quickly aware, that they were both still naked and originally on their way to shower.

"Adrien's still waiting for you, Gabriel!", she panted as they finally were able to part their lips.

"For us, my love, for us. I'm taking the risk and point towards it again. Once Emilie has had a proper funeral, would you even want to become my.... w-w-wife?"

"Is...this h-h-hypothetical or are you j-j-just trying to....", she stuttered to be interrupted by the greyish-blond man:

"It is whatever you want it to be, Nathalie. If you want to give me the hypothetical answer, it's fine by me. But if you will answer to my pathetic attempt of a proposal, I would like that even more. Just one request: please don't say you won't. I promise you, to do it right whenever you want me to, just don't say no, okay?"

Nathalie's knees began to give in and she quickly sat back down on the bed, then looked up at him and said barely audibly:

"How about just now? You said whenever I want you to, so I say, now. Do it right. And then we'll see, how serious you were!"

She was mocking him. How could she think, he was making fun of her? Well, he tried to disguise his first weak attempts as jokes, yes, but now? Taking a very deep breath, Gabriel got down on one knee, then pulled his own ring off of his finger and took his assistant's hand, to put it on hers, while he solemnly pleaded:

"Nathalie Sancoeur, will you please consider to become my wife!"

Her heart skipped a couple of beats, when she watched him and as he really knelt down and proposed, she wanted to cry and laugh at once. Swallowing heavily, though still feeling that lump in her throat, she tried to speak. It was more like a croak, but she managed to answer to his question:

"What do you think, Gabriel? Of course I will consider it!". she watched his expression change and added, "relax, it's a yes, darling!"

Hearing her say consider had made the corners of his mouth drop immediately, after he had already been smiling, when she said of course I will. Now he widened them into a wide, beaming grin and kissed both her hands, then got back to his feet and lifted her up bridal style, to then devour her lips with his own, while carrying her into the bathroom.