The first time he met her, it was her eyes, her smile enchanting him. Kindness spoke through them. A sense of mischief. Gabriel had never been the most expressive, yet she spoke without words, the curve of her smile telling him more in a second. With time he learned how to read her, the look in her eyes. In return she taught him to smile more, be more expressive.
Her sparkle inspired him, he always had been creative, but his designs had gotten more flair, more detail, were more daring. In short, he lost some of his conservative style and gained much more. A lot of his current fashion designs would never have seen light if not for his muse. Yet, she was more than that. At first, he hadn't noticed her affections for him, had been too enthralled by his inspiration by her. Yet, in his own way he had loved her before he realized how utterly besotted he was with her.
She had asked him out. Always the one with more courage, more life. She was a whirlwind and he was glad to have said yes or else he was certain she would have found someone else to sweep her of her feet. With her, he had all the luck in the world. He rose to be a renowned fashion designer with her at his side cheering her on. When he proposed she had cried tears of joy and even Gabriel had found himself crying, almost not believing his luck when the most incredible woman had said yes.
Their wedding had been intimate even at the brink of fame he had not wavered in his resolve to keep his life as private as possible. She agreed with him even if it had been her suggestion having a larger affair might garner him more publicity. He never needed it. She continued to inspire his lines.
Sometime down their road, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.
Pregnancy had a funny effect on her, she had turned even more expressive. Once more, he fell in love with her as she gently held her, their son in her arms, tired eyes, a happy and serene smile. She was a gentle mother.
Her son had the same eyes, the same smile, enchanting him, with an equal amount of kindness and mischief as his mother's. During his early years, their son was so much like his mother, curious, wild and sometimes he found himself struggling to contain his wife and son only for them to make him laugh. He could read his own son before the boy even started speaking, his use of expressions from his mother.
Gabriel stopped smiling when his wife disappeared.
With her, his own happiness vanished, leaving him an empty shell she had filled over the years. She was his everything, his other half. Without her he wasn't whole.
No matter what he did, he couldn't stand looking into his son's eyes. They reminded him too much of his wife.