Glances of the future

Chapter 6

He was standing in his room looking outside the window. He wasn't really thinking about anything when he heard the door opening.

-Let me change my clothes and we will begin, okay? – asked Nathalie.

Gabriel turned around to look at Nathalie and nodded.

She nodded back and walked towards the closet and the bathroom. Gabriel walked towards the sofa they had in their room. He sat and heavily sighing closed his eyes. When the bathroom door opened, he choked. Nathalie was wearing a very loose grey sweater. Both of her shoulders were showing, the sweater covered half of her thigs, so Gabriel wasn't sure if she was wearing any bottoms or not, but knowing her, she surely was. Her hair was tied in a messy tall ponytail. Her black long silky hair reminded him so much of his daughter's, except for the red strand his wife had. He'd never seen her like this, so informal, so fresh, nevertheless, he didn't feel uncomfortable at all about her outfit.

Nathalie took off her slippers and climbed on the sofa next to Gabriel, she left a large gap in between them. Her feet were folded under her. Gabriel saw she was wearing shorts under the sweater.

"Her legs... No, okay, focus Gabriel" he thought raising his eyes to hers.

Her eyes were already fixed on him. Unexpressive. He blushed a bit.

-So ... - he started.

-So? – she replied.

-So, what happened after the night at the bar?

-Nothing, really. Until winter.

-Nathalie?

-Yes, sir? – she raised her eyes from her computer to her boss in the middle of the studio working on a design.

-What are you doing next Thursday? – he was still staring at his screen.

-Working, Sir. Why?

-I mean at night.

-Review your schedule like every night and then if nothing shows up, I'll go to bed.

-Would you accompany me to the Chanel dinner?

-What?

-Would you accompany me to the Chanel dinner? – he repeated, this time slowly and moving his eyes to Nathalie's.

-You always took... and last year you didn't go... I thought you... - Nathalie's words were fast and lacked sense.

-I did. I know. But it's a very important dinner and I need to go. We will be there just for a while and I will take you home afterward.

Although Gabriel's words were firm, Nathalie knew him way too good to know that his voice was filled with insecurity. Her heart melted at that thought. He was trying to keep up with his life, but he was scared. And he asked her to accompany him through this process. He trusted her, he wasn't brave enough to do it by himself, he needed her. This thought made Nathalie smile.

-Of course, I will accompany you – Nathalie smiled at him.

Gabriel nodded and returned his eyes to his screen.

Deep within his chest, he felt his heart racing. It was the first time he asked a woman out in many years. The truth is he didn't want to be seen alone. He didn't want to be alone.

"This isn't a date, this is work, calm yourself" he kept repeating in his mind. Yet, deep in his heart, he was happy she'd agreed, he felt some sort of... excitement. These emotions were far too old to seem familiar, so this seemed all new to him.