I stumbled from my seat as I watched the big, wooden door swing open. "Oh! Mr. Agreste! You're here for the meeting with Nathalie, correct?" I ask, smiling as I tug my skirt back to my knees.
"Yes, I presume you're leaving." He says, looking at me. His hair was slicked back to a point.
"Of course." I stride to the door and grip the handle as Gabriel sits beside Nathalie, she looks up at him from the white screen in front of her. I carefully close the door and walk down the hall. My steps echoing down the stairs as I glide my hand across the railing. Finding myself in the kitchen. It's quite surprising Mr. Agreste doesn't have more staff, but that just means I get to cook for Nathalie myself! I grin as I rummage around the cold, white kitchen.
I crouch before a cupboard and pull out a variety of vegetables. I plonk them on the marble side as I wonder around in an attempt to find a chopping board. I swing open every cupboard and drawer I can find until I eventually find what I'm looking for. I grasp at the red and green boards sitting in the side of the neatly packed cupboard. I stand up quickly and look across the kitchen island to see a blonde haired boy. he stares at me for a moment. His arms filled with cheese. "Who are you?" he says confused.
"I'm the person your dad hired to take care of Nathalie." I respond, placing the chopping board by the vegetables.
"So it's that bad?"
"Unfortunately so, but I'll make sure she's alright!" I slide open a draw and gaze into it as my fingers wrap around a knife handle. "Would you like some help with that cheese?" I ask, looking back at the lad. His eyes filled with sadness.
"Yes please.." he nods. I place the nice beside the chopping boards and scoop some of the cheese from his arms.
We walk to his room together, he pushes the door open with his back and we put the cheese into a small cupboard at the bottom of a shelving unit. "So what do you do with all this cheese?" I ask, looking at the tall boy. He looks at me, a little sheepishly.
"I just like it.." he says as though he's thinking of an excuse.
"Well don't eat too much! It'll make you sick." I smile as I open his door to leave.
"Do you think Nathalie is going to get better?"
I turn to face him, his eyes filled with tears. "I think she will, but only time will tell. You shouldn't worry though! I won't let things worsen." I reassure Adrien, he nods.
"Thank you.."
I smile tenderly at him as I close the door, slipping back to the kitchen. I rummage through it until I find some chicken. My hands turn pink as I begin to saw through the frozen meat. Maybe I should have defrosted it. I sigh as I finally manage to cut the chicken into small chunks. They slip into the pot and I wait for it to boil.
My hands finding their way back to the cutlery draw and gripping a new knife handle. It makes a gentle clunk against the chopping board as it slides through the vegetables with ease. The colourful juices spilling onto the board. I slowly pour the squares of vedge into a pot along with water. As the heat of the stove warms the pot, I hunt down the freezer. I toss in a few other ingredients to make the soup.
As the pot bubbles I attempt to open the high cupboards. Why is there no bread in this place!? I wine as my fingers graze the handle. As I scan the room for a stool a warm heat grazes my side, the cupboard swings open. A loaf of bread falls onto the counter. I turn. A tall man is standing behind me, his eyes practically glaring into my soul. "the meeting is over. You can go back upstairs now." He says as he looks down at me.
"Alright, I'll take the food up soon." I smile awkwardly as backs up. I shakily open the bread bag and pull a few slices over to another chopping board. I slip another knife from the drawer and begin to butter the bread. My breath shook as I tried to focus on cooking. Mr. Agreste is terrifying.
He watches me for a moment. "Bring some of that food to Adrien. It doesn't look like the chef is in." He says bluntly, I stumble around him trying to grab a few plates and bowls. His hand firmly resting besides the plates. I slide one from the top and place a few slices of bread in the centre. Gabriel leans from the white marble countertop and heads to the door.
I gingerly dip a silver ladle into the pot, as I fish out some of the soup he speaks up. "Clean up after yourself." The abrupt sound of his deep voice startles me. Soup spills from the ladle onto my hand as I miss the bowl entirely. The door slams as soup splatters across the side.
My eyes widen and fill with tears as the sting of hot soup shoots through my thumb. I gasp as I realise what I've done. I turn to the sink, quickly stretching my arm under the faucet. The cool water drips down my fingers as the burn slowly cools. My other hand holding my elbow as I steady my thumb under the water.
I steadily grip a tray of soup and bread as my feet guide me down the long hall, stopping at a large door. I pressed my back against it ands stumbled into the room. I looked over at the bed, Nathalie wasn't there. The sheets were neatly tossed to the side. I entered, carefully examining the room. I saw her at in one of the chairs, talking to her white tablet. "I have your food, Nathalie!" I grin as I place it on the coffee table in front of her.
She gives me a nod and continues to talk to the device. "Your fencing lessons are an hour later tomorrow, Adrien."
Adrien gives a disappointed response as Nathalie places the tablet on the arm of the chair. Her fingers gingerly wrapping her hair around the back of her ear. "Thank you." She says, softly picking up the tray. She plants it on her lap as I take a seat. She looks up at me briefly. "Are you not eating?" She asks.
"I had my meal with Adrien. He seemed quite worried this evening." I reply softly, sliding my black blazer from my arms and slumping it over the seat.
"How is Adrien?" She asks curiously.
"He seems well enough. Though he is worried about you."
I watch her expression change, only for a second, as she thought of a response. She clearly cared for Adrien.
"I dont think he has anything to worry about. I know you'll make a spectacular recovery!" I say sincerely. Hoping I would help Nathalie feel better about her sorry state. She looks at me with a sadness in her eyes, despite her professional face. Clearly my words weren't a comfort to her.
~❀A "Meeting" With Mr. Agreste❀~I slowly closed the door as Nathalie lay in a deep sleep, her hair sprawled across her pillows. I gently used my foot to prevent the loud clunk of the door as I left.
A tender sigh passed my lips as my fingertips dragged down the deep brown door. The dark hallway sent a cool shiver down my spine as I took a step back.
I could hear footsteps approaching the door, the hall light flickering above my head. As I turn to make my way home Mr. Agreste stands at the end of the hall, his white suit practically glowing as the light hit it.
"I was hoping to talk to you." He says, not even greeting me as I approached him.
"What about?" I ask, looking up at the tall man.
"Its nothing serious, I just want to see how you're getting on."
"Its only been a week but Nathalie already seems to be more relaxed around me." I say, hoping that answered his query.
"What about my son, Adrien? Nathalie has mentioned you seem to get along with him wellas I try to move around him, tightly squeezing myself through the doorway. His hand swiftly moves beside my head.
"I get on great with Adrien." I say, trying to contain my flustered tone. "He's a sweet boy. I am worried about how much cheese he seems to eat though.."
Gabriel raises an eyebrow at me, his other hand runs down his slick hair. "I'll have to get Nathalie to speak with him about that."
"I wouldn't make her do so much work, she can hardly make it to the bathroom." I look up at him, his expression is as stern as ever.
"She's my assistant, I decide how much work she can handle."
"I'm supposed to be taking care of Nathalie. I really do think you should listen to me on this."
"How about you take over some of her work, I'm sure she'd appreciate it." His hand slides down the door frame and he walks down the hall. His white suit disappearing into the dark hallway. My heart beats fast in my chest as I quickly make my way to the front door.
As I walk down the dark Paris streets and stand before a building. The door was dimly lit by the street lamp outside. I push open the door and walk to the green light flickering in the corner. As I push the button a door slides open and I step into a creaky, metal death trap.
The elevator carries me up to the top of the building and I step off again. My fingers fumble with the small keys in my pocket. I softly push against the door and enter my apartment.
I throw myself into my bed and let my pillow surround my face. I relax and let my bed take my body's weight. It creaks as I flop over onto my back. I stare up at the ceiling and graze my hand through my hair.
~❀How Long Am I Going To Be Here?❀~I stood in the dining room, taking on some of Nathalie's work. I stood beside Adrien as he ate.
"So why are you doing Nathalie's job again?" He asks curiously.
I sigh and turn to him. "Your father asked me to. I didn't want him to overwork Nathalie." I answer honestly, the boy looks back at his food. I glance at a silver watch that was tightly strapped to my wrist. "It's almost time for school, Adrien, please don't be Late."
I give him a gentle tap on his shoulder as he takes the final bite of his breakfast. I pick up the tray and take it to the kitchen as he rushes out the door. My shoes tapped against the white tiled floor as I placed the tray on the counter.
I opened the door to leave and Gabriel stood in my path. "Good morning Mr. Agreste." I say, smiling at the tall man.
"Good morning, Ellis." His hand presses against the door and I slip out of the room. He looks down at me. "I presume you're going to go see Nathalie now?"
"Yes, of course." I briskly make my way to the stairs
As I begin to walk up he says, "Don't let me down." his voice cold as ice.
He's still terrifying.
I walked into Nathalie's room, she was sat up in bed. Her legs covered by the blankets. She was fully dressed in her usual red turtleneck. her blazer was slung over the back of one of the chairs. "I see you managed to get dressed alright!" I smile at her.
"Yes, it was rather easy. But I am curious as to why Gabriel asked me not to give Adrien his timetable this morning." She says, sadly looking at the screen in front of her.
"That's because he asked me to. I didn't want you over working yourself." I approach her, gently placing the back of my hand to her forehead.
"Why did he ask you to do that? It's not your job." she asked as My fingers lucked some red hair from her face.
"My job is to take care of you! So I'm doing just that." I smile and briskly grab my bag, rummaging around for my phone.
As I pulled it out I began typing notes Nathalie spoke "I appreciate what you're doing but are you sure you want to do my job as well?"
"I'm not trying to do your job. I just want to do bits and pieces to stop you from becoming overworked. All those meetings with Gabriel seem to leave you exhausted. I can't imagine what the rest of your job must do to you!" I look at her with the sternest face I can muster.
She sighs "Alright, but please don't feel you need to do it."
I pushed the door open with my back, gently gripping a tray full of food. I look inside to see Gabriel sitting in the seat across from Nathalie. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt!" I say as I lift my body from the door.
"It's alright, I just came to check on Nathalie." Gabriel says as he looks at me. I place the tray on the coffee table between the two seats.
"Thank you, Ellis." Nathalie says.
I nod at her, looking back at Gabriel. "I can leave if you want a private talk with Nathalie."
He slowly rises from his seat, he towers over me. "It's alright. I was just leaving." He steps closer to me and stares at my nervous face before swiftly leaving. The door slamming thunderously behind him. I shudder before taking the seat across from Nathalie.
"The food looks great, as usual." She says as she takes the tray to her lap.
"I'm glad you like it. The chefs aren't normally in this late so I have to make it myself." I say with a nervous smile, trying not to make it sound like I was bragging.
"You make it yourself? I didn't realise you could cook like this!" She smiles as she takes a large bite of her food.
"Well you tend to het good at something if you do it enough." I say, anxiously fidgeting with my long, white hair. Nathalie's compliments about my work always fill me with joy. Her approval of what I do makes me forget about my problems for a while. Sometimes it feels like her comments are the only things getting me through the day.
"If you get the chance you should work at a bakery."
"You really think so?"
"I do." She says simply.
My fingers wrapped around the cool door handle and as I twisted it towards the floor Nathalie sat up. I turned to her, thinking she needed something. "During our last meeting, Gabriel said it might be best if you stay here." She says quietly.
I look at her face, she's still making that same professional look she makes all the time, it was like a blank slate more than an expression. Yet I could still tell she was embarrassed to admit she needed help.
"I can stay. But I don't have an clothes here. I can bring some of my things down tomorrow, so I won't be around as much. Is that okay?" I tilt my head as I try to pin point exactly what she's feeling.
The dim light of the lamp beside her bed reflected in her glasses on the short table. Her hair sat on her shoulders and the red streak slowly fell in front of her face. "That'll be fine, it's only one day. Gabriel said there's a spare room down the hall. If you don't want to sleep in your work clothes I do have some spare pyjamas."
"Thanks, I'll grab a pair and find that room. Shout if you need anything!" I say with a gentle smile, heading towards her black wardrobe. I opened it and took a pyjama set, they're all very similar. It was all the same style of silky pants and shirts. Most of which were black.
I waved as I left the room, carefully walking in the blinding darkness. I fumbled around until I had a firm grip on a door handle. I forced open the door to find a room with just a bed. No other furniture. I could barely see through the darkness. The dim light that waved between the curtains as a gentle breeze revealed the stars in the deep, dark sky was the only thing I could see. The thin strip of shifting light crawled over the bed with each swing of the curtain.
My hand clambers around the wall until I find a switch. The lights suddenly flash, my eyes adjust to the sudden burst of light. Is this the guest room? It's quite bare. I guess Nathalie ended up with the nicer room after she got sick. I presume to myself as I sit on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.
How long am I going to be here?