Nathalie's Breakup

Part 24 - Crossword

She had tried to make him tell her, what he was thinking about for all of the day, but Gabriel had simply refused to tell her and told her to trust him and that he was already taking care of the issue.

"All I want you to do at the moment, love, is trying to get better. Just stay in that bed and sleep it off. I love you very much and I'll be with you again very soon. But there are two little things, I have to do before I can come and be with you, Nathalie. I'll be quick, I promise. Now lay back down, please!"

He kissed her cheeks, then her lips very softly, before leaving the room and descending the stairs and walking into his office. Taking a very close look around the room, he nodded contently. Then he called for Adrien and Marinette, asking.

"Well, how are we progressing? Any news?"

Beaming the young woman told him about her parents' efforts and how much they had already achieved. Gabriel nodded in approval and faced his son.

"I've been helping Nino getting his things here for the last two hours and was just about to help him set everything up. The girls are almost done as well and there was a call from the company which does your sewing, wanting me to inform you that your very special order will be ready at 6 o'clock straight. The only thing left is..."

His father interrupted him.

"You've both done a wonderful job today. I'll take care of this last thing before I'll go and inform Nathalie about all the things we prepared and ask her for her consent. Thank you both a lot. And now go and get ready. Oh and, by the way, Marinette. If your parents agree, you are allowed to spend the night whenever you like. There's just that one thing, Nathalie and I would like to talk to you about again. Maybe, when I get back?"

Marinette gazed at the designer with a scarlet red face, but kept eye contact and told him with a hoarse but steady voice.

"Would you feel better if I told you, that I've started taking the pill a couple of months ago already? I had a talk with my mum and she suggested, to start any contraceptive already, no matter if we were planning on making that last step or not. Because if I did, we were prepared all the time and wouldn't suddenly be in the situation of being too distracted to remember."

Grinning sheepishly she took her boyfriend's hand into hers and felt him squeeze it softly.

"I'm glad to hear how responsible you already are. And as this was exactly what we wanted to speak about, I think we're good. Now go and get ready for later, yeah?"

They agreed and quickly ran up the stairs and into the young man's bedroom.

"I thought you don't like lying, Marinette!" Adrien teased her. "But it's still a good thing that you thought that quick of this one!"

The girl shook her head.

"Actually, my dear boyfriend, if one is telling the truth, there is no more need to think fast. I would never even dare to lie to your dad like this!" She scolded him.

"What? Why didn't you tell me? I mean, did you think, I'd be such a senseless moron that I would try to, well you know, have sex, like right away?" He looked truly hurt because she hadn't told him.

"To be honest, I didn't tell you, because I didn't want 'you' to think I wanted to have sex right away!" Marinette replied with a flustered grin.

They both stared at each other awkwardly for a moment then began to laugh and eventually that turned into a hug and a rather savage make-out session.

Meanwhile Gabriel went to pick up his order from the tailor he had all his designs sewn from, then made a quick stop at the print shop to as well receive what he had ordered earlier that day. Telling his driver the last address for that day, he raised his eyebrows in surprise and let out an approving grunt, before he started the limousine and drove off.

"Monsieur Agreste! It's such a pleasure to welcome you in my little establishment. When my assistant told me about your visit later today, I was thrilled. And then hearing about your request, I let him take out the most beautiful and rarest..."

"Stop! I am truly grateful for your effort, but I already know what I need and what I want. First, let's have a look at the regular ones, plain, pretty without any extravagant things. Like everybody could afford."

The man in the tailor-made suit gasped at this statement but quickly reacted and showed him his collection. Gabriel narrowed his eyes, trying to find something that would instantly shout at him. When he was almost about to give up, something special caught his eye and he pointed at it, demanding.

"I would like to see this one. Yes, this one just there. How long will it take to adjust it to this?"

He handed the man a piece of paper with his own handwriting on it.

"A couple of days, I suppose? I have many other adjustments to do before that. How about at the end of the week?" The disappointed man told him with fake politeness. Gabriel though could see right through him, knowing that he was pissed because of him not buying some very expensive piece instead of the one he chose. And he wasn't holding back with telling him.

"I get it!" He accused the clerk. "If I had chosen something else, in another price category, you would have answered very differently. Here's your chance to tell me the time, today, until you have it finished and will deliver it directly to my home. Because I was planning on buying another object, one I know someone had an eye on for years. And I am very sure, we can come to an agreement once I tell you which one I am talking about!"

Half an hour later he left the shop with a content smile and a small package in his hands.

Arriving back at the mansion, he first opened the envelope from the print shop, pulling out a sheet of paper, which he placed on a tray, next to a cup of herbal tea and a fresh croissant with butter, to not overwork her stomach already.

"Good afternoon, my love!" He cooed and bent down to kiss her lovingly. "I brought you something to spend your time until I have finished the last thing for my little surprise. I'll go change and handle that last hurdle. Tell me what you think about your little crossword puzzle. I created it all by myself, just for you!"

She didn't even get a chance to say anything at all, as he left so quickly. But as she really loved puzzles, she looked at it with a smile. Seeing the few empty squares, which were supposed to be filled with letters, she shook her head and studied the second page with the questions shortly, then without another hesitation or even the need to think, filled everything but the pink cells. He had made the riddles for those more difficult but soon she had figured the words out too.

Not even thinking further about them, she placed the solved puzzle back on the tray and took a sip from her tea. Then started to eat her croissant.

"Who would have thought he would become so sweet one day!" She said to herself, them a thought entered her mind. "Why would he create such a simple crossword, knowing it wouldn't take her very long, if he could have just downloaded a whole file with thousands of puzzles?"

Gasping she took it into her hands again and looked at the four words in the pink cells more pensively. Eventually they formed a sentence and Nathalie slapped her hand to her mouth as she wrote them down on the bottom of the paper.

'MY LOVE MARRY ME'

Only a moment later the door was pushed open and Gabriel stepped back inside, wearing a tuxedo and getting down on one knee, holding out a beautiful silver, yet ordinary ring with a rather small, purple shimmering diamond.

"I'm asking again in person, my love. Nathalie Sancoeur, my love, my heart, center of my whole existence, will you marry me?"