Gabriel had got used to Nathalie’s phone calls about whatever came up in their son’s life, in much the same way as he’d got used to spending his own non-work life with the two of them in Toulouse. So, it wasn’t a big event when she rang him while he was still at work.
Straight to the point as ever once he accepted the call Nathalie asked over the phone, “Gabriel, can you come over sooner on Wednesday?”
“I don’t know. Why?” He said, concentrating on the design on which he was working. If it was something important he was sure he could get Andrea to clear his schedule.
“I think I may have found the house we want.” Oh. That caught his attention.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
---
Nathalie knew Bastien desired this. What she didn’t know however was how firm was his grasp of their situation. He didn’t frequent the houses of many friends, but he did go to Inès’ to play with little Emma and of course, he’d seen that her family dynamic included a father. A father that lived with her. He had a father, but his family dynamic was different to hers.
That longing in his little heart had burst out at the breakfast table on Adrien’s second day visiting when Bastien had compared Emilie to her. The two mothers’ of Gabriel’s children. But young as he was he’d realized that there was a difference between them. His father had been married to one of them and because of that, he had lived with that family of his then. He wasn’t married to his mother, though. And therefore he didn’t live with him.
She wondered if he compared himself to Adrien and concluded that he was less loved than his brother. If her baby felt like a second-class son. Like Gabriel’s hobby. That his father had a whole other life somewhere else that he could choose to go back to anytime he wanted and never come back.
She wondered a little if he had yet reached the correct conclusion that his mother was less loved too. But that was just her digressing from far more important problems than her unsolvable unrequited feelings for Gabriel.
The problem was that Bastien had never spoken about it again after Gabriel had told him off. But she knew the matter was far from settled in her son’s little mind because he expressed it in every drawing he made.
They all looked like terribly shaped spiders in different stages of deformation and varying colors, but when Nathalie asked him what did they meant he always had similar words for each spider-shaped thing. Mommy, daddy, Bas, school, house, pool.
It was always the three of them in one of those places. Except for school because Gabriel had never taken Bastien there because he had to be in Paris early every weekday.
“Bas.” She called as she stood by the door of his room. “Your father and I want to talk to you.”
Their son just nodded and got up from the floor where he was playing with his cars and the building blocks Gabriel had given him when they first met.
Gabriel was in the living room, seated on the sofa and Nathalie led Bastien to sit between them.
“So, who starts?” Nathalie asked.
“I’d like to.” Gabriel told her, then lowering his gaze to his son, he said, “Son, do you remember when Adrien came and you asked me if I was going to live with you in the new house?”
“Yes, dad.” Nathalie couldn’t see her son’s face at all with his head turned to Gabriel but she could easily imagine his curious little eyes looking up at his father.
“So, your mother and I talked and we decided to get married.”
Bastien froze. Nathalie thought that he didn’t understand what that meant exactly. For him. For them. Then he looked at Nathalie for confirmation and she nodded, “Your father is going to live with us.”
Then after a few more seconds of their son’s quiet thinking, Bastien said, “you’re not going away again?”
“No. I’m going to be with you forever.”
“You’ll be here in the mornings too?”
“I will.”
“Will Adrien live with us too?” He perked up a little.
“No, Adrien will have his room, but he’s an adult now. He lives at his university.
“What does that mean?”
“A university is the school that teaches you a profession. Adrien lives there. But when he comes to visit he’ll have his own room in our new home.”
That made Bastien pout a little, so Gabriel tried to console him, “don’t be sad. It happens to all older brothers.”
Bastien just pressed his lips together and nodded. “Is it today?”
“What’s today, darling?” Asked Nathalie.
“That you’re getting married.”
“No. We’re still have to find a new house. When that happens, we’re all going to leave together.”
“Why can’t we live together here?” Bastien inquired making a circular movement with his arms showing them all their house.
“Here it’s too small.” Now it was Gabriel’s turn to pick up the baton from her hand.
“But you’ll sleep in mommy’s room. And Adrien can sleep with me.” Their son said half whinning and half trying to reason with his parents.
“This house is too small. If I’m going to live here and stay in the mornings I’ll need a place to work.” And that seemd to end the argument but it did nothing to raise Bastien’s spirits.
Nathalie had to do her best not to mimic her son’s face. Trying to hide her worry she asked, “Aren’t you happy, honey.”
“Yes?” She heard so much uncertainty in his little voice it broke her heart. She never thought that delivering this news to Bastien would be like this. She’d been expecting joy and happiness, not this pensiveness. “What’s wrong, honey?” She asked as she pulled him to her to embrace him.
When she looked at Gabriel, he seemed completely lost. He’d obviously also expected a completely different reaction.
After a minute, Bastien finally said, “I just don’t want daddy to leave anymore.”
“Oh.” She breathed. “You’re sad because daddy still has to leave?”
Bastien nodded as she heard a low “uhum” because his face was buried in her chest.
When she looked up Gabriel appeared just as lost and in pain as their son. He didn’t know what to do. In that precise moment, father and son looked so alike. For Gabriel, it was ever all or nothing.
She extended a hand to Gabriel and pulled him closer. When their thighs touched, they leaned back together with Bastien between them. For a few minutes, they all sat there holding each over, before they heard Bastien say, “I’m hungry.”
---
After a few months, the house renovations were over. The one they had bought was near the Garonne River. They’d kept the façade intact, with just some restoration work to take the place back to its former glory. Besides it being a very old construction, and the both of them being in agreement that discretion was the best alternative if they were to live here, they weren’t going to commit any sins against architecture.
But that also meant their big day was approaching fast and that Nathalie had been extra busy with the interior design team and buying new furniture.
She had mentioned to them that it was more challenging than she’d originally thought, but she couldn’t admit the why; that it would’ve been easier if the house was only hers and Gabriel was just a constant visitor, because of course she would choose things to make him feel comfortable in her house, but that was just that. It would have been her house.
And this was their house. She’d have to make it look like the both of them. She knew Gabriel well enough to know his tastes, so that should’ve been easy. Though he had mentioned he wanted something cozy, which was the opposite of where he currently lived.
Still, every time someone from the design team asked about her fiancé’s tastes it feltlike they were talking to a different person, not to her.
---
Bastien was completely amazed as he looked around him. He’d never been in a place so clean, so white, so large, and where everyone was so well-dressed.
In short he’d never been to Gabriel. Everything there was designed to embody the improbable combination of simplicity and grandiosity.
Nathalie had known he would be impressed. They weren’t rich. Bastien has always lived a simple life. Of course, this would look intimidating to him. All new interns had that same dazzled face he was sporting the first time they came here.
“Good afternoon. I’m here to see Mr. Agreste.” Nathalie said as she stopped at the front desk holding Bastien’s hand to get a visitor’s pass.
The receptionist droned, “Do you have an appointment?”
“No, I don’t.” Gabriel had said she and Bastien didn’t need one.
“Then I’m sorry madam, but I can’t let you in. Mr. Agreste doesn’t see anyone without an appointment.” The girl said as she looked down and confusion entered her eyes as she realized there was a child on the premises.
“Call his assistant and tell her Nathalie Sancoeur is here to see him.”
That made the eyes of the receptionist pop almost out of her head, and she said, or rather almost squeaked “Miss Sancoeur? Is that you?”
“Yes. Do I know you?” Nathalie said in that impassive voice she used whenever she acted on Gabriel’s behalf.
“I’m sorry, you probably don’t remember me, but I’ve seen you here enough times to…gosh you look so different.” Then her eyes glanced back down Bastien, “Is that your son?” She asked looking at the boy. And Nathalie knew the gossip treadmill would start right there.
“I am,” Bastien answered, apparently slightly less overawed at the idea this person knew his mommy.
At that, Nathalie interrupted the girl and said, “could you please just inform Mr. Agreste’s assistant that I’m here..”
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. Just one second.”
And as soon as Nathalie got her pass, they were quickly on their way up.
The ride up was as uneventful as it was uncomfortable. People were doing their best not to stare, but she knew that as soon as the doors of the elevator opened on Gabriel’s floor people would start to talk. Why the hell had Gabriel summoned her here anyway? They could have easily met at the mansion in safe privacy.
“Miss Sancoeur, Mr. Agreste is waiting for the two of you,” Andrea said as soon as she saw her.
Nathalie didn’t know how much Andrea knew about her and Gabriel’s arrangement or the existence of Bastien, so she just thanked the woman and went ahead into Gabriel’s office.
Bastien firmly held her hand the whole way.
Gabriel raised his head as soon as the door opened, and a wide smile spread through his face at the sight of them.
“Hey. I’m glad you’re here. We have a lot to do.” And picking Bastien up he said, “Hey, buddy. What did you think of daddy’s work?”
“Big. Everybody’s so beautiful here.”
Both of them smiled at his very simple answer and then Gabriel said, “Let’s go. We have a lot to do.”
As they exited his office he asked Andrea, “Did you tell Martha to have everything ready”
“I did sir. And I let her know as soon as Miss Sancoeur and her son came in.”
“Our son, Andrea. Bastien is my son. And from now on, please call Nathalie Mrs. Agreste.”
To which Nathalie had to pretend to feign nonchalance. But it wasn’t a big deal she reminded herself. They were about to marry, and she would be Mrs. Agreste and Bastien was his son and to present her as Mrs. Agreste would divert all gossip that she was sure was already going around about her arrival to see Gabriel with a little boy by the hand. This was Gabriel was telling everyone that yes, he had married his assistant and that they had a son together. It would stop rumors. And it was all true even if extemporaneous in every way.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Agreste. It won’t happen again.”
---
“I see she managed to stay. I told you she was good. Discreet above all things, I wouldn’t have picked her otherwise.”
“She didn’t actually. She ditched me as soon as you left.”
“What?”
“Well, I ditched her. They sent replacements after replacements after you quit, and I didn’t want anyone to take your place.”
“And how was it that she’s working as your assistant again.”
“HR told me they were without options. That you had trained her and that she was the best they had now that you were gone. So, I had to take her back.”
“I know you, Gabriel. It was probably more like she took you back.”
“Haha, Nathalie.”
---
Martha was a woman in her late fifties in charge of wardrobe. Nathalie had had a long time work relationship with her. She was a little too talkative for her tastes, credit where it’s due, she was very organized.
Nathalie guessed that her talkativeness did have its usefulness because children used to love her, so hopefully Bastien would be comfortable while he waited through whatever Gabriel had planned.
“Well, how long has it been, Sancoeur?” Martha came through back door and into the room. She managed to reign herself in, however, as soon as she took in the whole scene. Of Gabriel holding Bastien in his arms. “Oh, that’s...unusual. Am I expected to keep this a secret? Because I’m sure this is all people are talking in this building since they came in.”
“We know.” Said Gabriel. “And we don’t care.”
Martha smiled wrinkling the area around her eyes and said, “I never knew what was between you, but I always knew there was something. I’m glad you both made up your minds and...other things.” she turned to face Bastien. “And you are?”
“Bastien.”
“Nice to meet you, Bastien. You are very polite. And that makes me want to make you even more handsome than you already are. Would you like it?”
"He’s not going to model, Martha,” Gabriel said.
“Oh, no? That’s a shame. He’d be perfect. But if it’s not that, then why are you here? All your assistant told was to expect your visit, Mr. Agreste.”
“Well, as my former assistant, Nathalie used to wear a particular type of clothing that suited her very well for that particular job. But she’s not my assistant anymore she’s my wife. Now, Nathalie knows her own personal style and will have no problems guiding you but take a very good look at her to help you choose only pieces that will make her comfortable.”
Martha made a surprised, but satisfied face. “I’ll do my best.”
Then Gabriel gave Nathalie a quick peck on the lips and said, “I’m going to take Bastien with me while you two pick all the pieces you want.”
Nathalie was taken aback by Gabriel’s physical display of affection, but she wrote it down as the pretense it really was, just as presenting her as his wife. "Martha, I hope you’re discreet about this. It’s not a secret but we don’t want the press hounding Bastien the way they did to Adrien.”
"It’s ok, Mrs. Agreste. I understand. Let’s start working because, as you know, my boss is very demanding.” She said it with a twinkle in the eye. Then turning Nathalie around she said, “Bold of you not to wear a Gabriel in front of him. To come here at Head Quarters wearing anything that’s not from the brand and still get a peck, though. I’m impressed” Then stopped in front of Nathalie, who was wearing a black dress decorated with a pattern of turquoise flowers mostly on one side. Chiffon covered her shoulders hanging over the body of the dress and her arms, down to the over-the-knee hem. “Excellent taste though. I can see why he allowed it.”
“Thank you.”
“Where would you want to start? In the lingerie section perhaps?”
“You still talk too much Martha.” Said Nathalie with a smirk. “Let’s get started.”
---
Bastien was really impressed with the size of his father’s house. When the boy entered Adrien’s room, he thought he was in heaven, and Nathalie immediately regretted acceding to showing him his brother’s room as now she was afraid that he would want to climb Adrien’s wall.
It was a good thing Gorilla still worked for Gabriel, as he had enlisted the man to watch Bastien while she packed up part of Gabriel’s designing materials, fabric, and some other things while Gabriel was picking just a few of his preferred items of clothing. He’d chosen to leave part of his things here to use when he had to come to Paris to attend some important event or meeting. She was sure after today’s session with Martha she would have some things delivered at the mansion for Nathalie and Bastien by their next visit here.
The boy had seemed intimidated by the tall, wide, and mute man in front of him. That was until Gorilla grunted and opened his big hands revealing two dolls of the two most famous superheroes of Paris in one hand and of Mayura and Hawkmoth in the other.
Bastien looked from Gorilla to the dolls, as if deciding whether the dolls were worth the risk until Gorilla extended one hand to him and Bastien apparently took that as an invitation to play.
---
The size of their closet had been, so far, the only disagreement between Nathalie and Gabriel worth mentioning. Nathalie had thought it ridiculously large, but after her quick visit to the company, she was ready to concede that Gabriel might have been right.
Gabriel’s side was to the left and he was fastidiously arranging his clothes by style and color and she, of course, after years working for him, was doing exactly the same on her side. The clothes they were taking for their honeymoon were set apart.
She was almost done, just putting some of the nighties Martha had hidden in the middle of her things in the back of a drawer when it finally hit her that it really was going to be her honeymoon. That she was going to marry the man she’d been in love with for so long now and how much more unlucky and stupid could she be for agreeing to this sham of a marriage in the first place because of how much harder will it be to have to pretend not to be in love with him once he was her husband.
And how stupid could she have been to suggest that they sleep in the same bed every night knowing they wouldn’t in fact be anything more than friends. Not to be able to touch him without the fear he’d discover her feelings. How betrayed he’d feel if he knew she'd taken advantage of his well-meant proposal should he ever discover that she’d been in love with him all this time.
"What's on your mind? Are you having cold feet?" Her preoccupations must have shown on her face.
"No, I...Gabriel, are you sure you want to do this?" Because she has to give him the chance to back off while they still have time.
"Oh, my God, you are!" He exclaimed in surprise.
"No, Gabriel, I’m not but I was thinking...why are we doing this? I don’t want to trap you in a marriage without love. You're binding yourself to me when you could be looking for someone you really loved. Someone who could fill all your needs." He tries to interrupt her train of thought, but she raises her finger and "you're young and you're a man. You have needs and I...."
"You have needs too."
"Yes, but...I mean, I could...this is so embarrassing”
Gabriel crosses the closet and sits her on the sofa on her side, takes her hand, and speaks, "Nathalie, this marriage can be whatever we want it to be. I know it's an arrangement, but I told you I won’t cheat on you and I know you won’t cheat on me. I want you to know that I don't see myself doing this with any other woman. You're my best friend. I trust you with everything in my life. You raised Adrien. You gave me a son. To be with you like that would...n't bother me at all. Would it bother you? To be with me like that?”
“Are you proposing that we...” She knew she was an adult, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the word. Gabriel nodded his head as if to clarify what he also couldn’t say.
"I.." She was still recovering from the shock, but he still needed an answer so, "No, it wouldn't bother me. To be like that. With you."
His whole body relaxed and he looked relieved and someone else too she thought; satisfied, perhaps? Had he thought she would rebuff him? Perhaps condemn him to a life without sex? She could tell he still wanted to say something but was shy about doing so.
Still, he spoke anyway, "If we're going to do this then we should at least try to be more comfortable with each other physically so, may I kiss you?"
She just nodded and his face slowly descended to hers. It was as if real life was happening in slow motion.
His hands on her hips. The smell of his breath. Their lips touched softly once. Twice. Her mouth languidly opened just enough for him to finally enter.
Gabriel tasted like himself. No other flavor but his own. She liked it.
When their kiss eventually came to an end there must have been still something sad in her face because Gabriel asked, “What? Was it bad?”
Nathalie couldn’t help but smile. Gabriel is the only middle-aged man in which Nathalie would find this type of insecurity over a kiss cute.
“No, it was nice...It’s just that I never thought marriage was in the cards for me but I always that if I was to marry, that it would be with someone that loved me.”
“But I do love you, Nathalie.”
This time, she kissed him. Very briefly. She wanted to cry, but she smiled and went back to packing for their honeymoon.
YOU ARE READING
Another Chance
Fanfiction"When did you find out?" "A few days ago." She looked down again as she said, "How?" "I was looking for you, actually. I missed you, Nathalie." He looked affectionately at her. "I had hired a private detective to find you and she came back with this...
