What if All I Need Is You (Gabenath)

Birthday Surprise

Less than three weeks after Gabriel and Arthur had their first meeting, the two men decided to go forth with a partnership for the brand's next fragrance.

Gabriel wasn't too sure to do any business with him, but it would definitely benefit the fragrance's campaign, and with that, also benefit his brand.

He has been working alongside Arthur since then. They see each other at least three times a week as they prepare for the campaign to begin.

They typically meet in the company's office building, and today is no exception. The moment he enters the office space, Arthur is already in there with his assistant. The young woman types into her computer while Arthur dictates an email to her.

He's quiet as he tries to not interrupt, and after a few minutes they conclude the email.

"Good morning, Gabriel", greets the man. "Where's Nathalie?" He immediately asks as he notices she isn't with him.

"She'll be here in a few minutes", answers Gabriel in a slightly annoyed tone.

During the past two months that they've been working together, Arthur has not stopped displaying an obvious like towards Nathalie. And Gabriel can't deny that it still bothers him the way he behaves around her.

Yet, he has never mentioned anything about it to Arthur. Because even if Nathalie is his assistant, he knows it isn't his place to intervene. Nathalie herself became angry when he tried to say something about Arthur's behavior, therefore he decided to not bring it up again.

Although he has observed her lack of interest at Arthur's attentiveness.

She's seemingly uninterested in having any type of relationship with him. From what Gabriel's been able to observe, she behaves professionally at all times, and their contact doesn't go beyond work related topics.

He doesn't know why, but the fact that Nathalie seems to not care about the man, fills him with relief and delight. Every time he sees her reject his attempts to get close to her, he can't help but smile.

But soon he realizes the attitude he's taken towards the situation, and he becomes angry with himself. After all, Gabriel shouldn't care if she rejects him or not and still he does.

———

The moment Nathalie walks into the office, the sweetness emanating from her fills the room. That smell of sweet honey and vanilla invade Gabriel's nostrils, taking him back to their passionate week in New York.

He simply can't stop himself from recalling the warmth of her body and the taste of her mouth. And how much he wishes he could kiss her the way he did on their very first night.

"Good morning", she says as she takes a seat.

"Good morning", responds Gabriel. seeing how inevitably pretty and refreshed she looks this morning.

For once, Arthur doesn't begin to hover around her like he normally does. He only watches from his position at the table giving her a soft smile while he continues working.

They discuss a few aspects of the campaign, and after a few hours, Arthur and his assistant leave the office.

Gabriel and Nathalie remain silent as they continue working, and when Gabriel takes a look at the date, he suddenly realizes that it's Nathalie's birthday today.

Throughout the years they've worked together, Gabriel's only been able to learn a few things about Nathalie's private life. She's extremely reserved, and honestly Gabriel never bothered himself to ask her before. It's never been any of his business, and he has always respected Nathalie's privacy.