News With The Neverseen

Episode 9

Gisela's POV

I couldn't believe my ears. The game segments were over?! I lived for those! I was half-tempted to go straight to Fintan and demand that he beg our parent company to let us resume them. But I knew that wouldn't go over well. I was new to the agency, and I could not afford to lose my job. If I did, I would have nowhere to go.

On top of that, Gethen had been acting rather strange since our encounter in the elevator the other day. [A/N: As I read back to check the location of the "encounter" in Episode 7, I realized I made a mistake T-T. At the end of Episode 7, Gethen and Gisela are in an elevator, but later in the scene, they are in an office. This was where I messed up. They should have been in the elevator the whole time. So, at the beginning of Episode 8, it should say, "I ran out of the elevator in a daze," not "I ran out of the office in a daze." Sorry!]

I suppressed a sigh. My life was so complicated sometimes.

Speaking of Gethen, I decided to corner him on his way out of the building. No matter how much he tried to hide his feelings about the game segment getting canceled, I could see right through it. I knew he was just as upset as I was.

"Gisela. Hey." Gethen said as he saw me waiting by the exit, and I tried to ignore the way my heart fluttered whenever he was around. Stupid heart.

"Gethen." I smiled.

An awkward second passed. "Um, are we leaving together, or..."

"Wait!" I said as he started to walk out of the building. "I actually want to talk to you about something."

Gethen looked suspicious. "You... uh... you do?"

"Yeah." I led Gethen into the lounge area and sank into one of the sofas. Gethen sat down next to me. Even though he kept careful distance, he felt so close I found it hard to breathe.

He nodded, cuing me to start talking.

I waited a second for confidence before beginning. "Are you sure you're okay with the game nights being canceled? You seem kind of... upset."

Gethen sighed. "There's nothing I can do about it, Gisela. It doesn't matter how I feel about it. It's just the way it is."

"Are you sure? It's worth a try. We can petition or something."

Gethen somberly shook his head. "No. We're already on thin ice with our parent company for our low ratings. We can't risk annoying them. Plus, maybe they're right. We need to do the news if we want to get our ratings back up. As I said, there's nothing we can do."

With Gethen's explanation, I felt something cold clamp around my heart. The network's problem with low ratings... some of that was my fault, all the way back from when I was working for Umber. The game shows were canceled partly because of me.

With that realization, I felt a new sense of urgency. I needed to tell Gethen the truth about why his ratings were low. It was the only way I could help.

I was about to open my mouth, prepared for a long explanation, when Gethen spoke.

"Gisela?"

"Hm?" I looked up at him, realizing that I had been glaring at the floor.

"I hope this isn't too inappropriate."

Then he kissed me, and all my thoughts about coming clean vanished from my brain. If I ever wanted a relationship with Gethen, I could never tell him the truth about why I joined the company. And in that moment, I was more than willing to never let my secret out.

+++

I went to work the next day with my head swimming. Did Gethen regret what he had done yesterday? What if he thought I didn't want it? Could I forever pretend that I had never conspired against him with Umber? Would he ever find out?

Stop it, Gisela, I told myself. Think good thoughts. I don't know what expression you currently have on your face, but something tells me you cannot walk into work looking that freaked out. Poker face!

After a few calming breaths, I deemed myself ready to walk into NWN's building.

And who would be waiting for me inside but Gethen?

"Gisela! Hi!" Gethen said with a smile.

I smiled back. "Hey."

Gethen's smile faded. "Gisela, I'm so sorry about yesterday. I got carried away. I should have asked first."

I nodded. "Thank you. But, for the record, I'm glad you did." When he appeared confused, I elaborated. "Kiss me, I mean."

His expression cleared. "Oh. Um-"

All of a sudden, Alvar came running in from the newsroom.

"Gethen! There's something I need you to see. Fintan is freaking out."

He looked at me, clearly also puzzled. "Uh, I better go with him." Gethen followed Alvar as he bolted up the stairs, since apparently the elevator was too slow.

I called the elevator, because there was no way I was taking the stairs in my heels.

By the time I got to the floor (because that elevator was slow) Gethen and Alvar were nowhere to be seen. I shrugged to myself and set out for my desk.

When I arrived, people kept whispering to each other and shooting me anxious looks. What was up with that? I sank lower in my chair. Fintan suddenly strode into the room.

"In order to deal with an issue in the building, the newscast is being postponed." He said. "Now, that doesn't mean that anyone can slack off. Get back to work. Updates will come." Then he left, leaving everyone shocked. And, in my case, very confused. Was there something going on that I didn't know about? Was there a reason why I was getting left in the dark? Did I do something wrong? I hoped nobody would notice me sweating.

I was somewhat relieved when Alvar walked in with Gethen at his side. But, the look on Gethen's face immediately put me on guard.

"Did something happen?" I asked when he approached me. "What's wrong?"

"All the furniture in the lounge area was stolen," Gethen told me. "And the note said: 'This is for you, Gisela. Love, Umber."