Gabriel catches up with Nathalie and grabs her hand. She looks around and his mind goes blank trying as he loses himself in her eyes.
"What do you want?" Nathalie finally groans with a roll of her eyes.
"I-" Gabriel stutters at first, "I want you to come back to the mansion, come back home."
Nathalie stays silent for a moment and Gabriel would do anything to know what runs through her head. She finally nods and Gabriel refuses to let go of her hand the whole way home. He doesn't know if he's scared of losing her again or what it is but he can't let her go.
"What were you going to do?" Gabriel asks Nathalie because he needs to know if he could've lost her. They are walking and he needs to break up the silence that has grown stiff between them.
"I don't know if I'm being honest," Nathalie tells him, "I felt like you would be better off without me. Someone could be more useful than I could."
"Nathalie," Gabriel lets her name roll gently off his tongue, he couldn't help but feel guilty, "you are one of the strongest women I know. I couldn't live my double life without you, you practically run the company now. You are far from a burden."
Gabriel watches as a blush scatters across the woman's face and he smirks, she is so beautiful. His eyes then fall to her lips, the peach color of them is enchanting, and he can't help but wonder how they might taste. He shakes his head, he shouldn't be thinking like this.
"I know you're holding back," Nathalie says, quoting the song Gabriel had sung earlier in the evening.
He stops walking now and so does Nathalie, he is full of questions that he is scared to ask. He takes his right hand, the one that wasn't holding Nathalie's hand, and runs it down her face. His hand stops below her chin and he gently caresses her lips with his thumb.
He can't help but lean in and when she kisses him back with a matching passion and eagerness.
"Thank you," Nathalie mumbles.
"That was better than dancing," Gabriel tells her.
Then he watches as a small smile crosses her face, he would do anything for that smile. He doesn't know what they are but he's willing to work for it.