I woke up in an empty room. The only thing other than my bed was my suit cases that were filled to the brim with clothes. I sat up shakily as I rubbed my face with my palms. My scraggly hair was swept from my face as my hands moved back to my sides. My fingers dug into the sheets as the ear piercing screech of my alarm echoed around the room.
... beep...
... beep...
... BEEP...
I looked around to see my phone vibrating on my black suitcase. My legs swung from the bed and I stood up. Carefully making my way to my phone.
My finger swiped the screen, turning off the awful beeping . I groggily stared at the time. It's 7...
I'm late!
My eyes opened wide. As I begin to quickly rummage for my clothes I realise where I am. I release a long sigh as I calmly undress myself. The dark grey curtains sway from the breeze of the open window.
As I begin to button my shirt a deafening creak comes from behind me. I swing myself around to see a tall, dark haired woman in the doorway. My fingers fumble around, hardly able to slip the buttons through the holes as I look at her. "Can I help you, Nathalie?" I say, as I attempt to cover myself. I hardly notice the flustered look on her face.
"Gabriel told me to come get you." She days, her voice tired. I watch her fingers tenderly tuck her hair behind her ear.
"He really shouldn't be getting you to do so much work, but thank you. I'll go see him in a moment. When I come back I'll make you breakfast!" I smile, finally getting the last button. I pull my skirt up my legs and over my waist, slowly tucking my shirt in.
"Alright, Take your time." She says softly as she begins to walk away. My hand quickly grabs the door as I flick my shoes on hastily. As I rush out of the room my hands slip up to my hair, hurriedly slipping the hair band from my wrist and twisting it around my thick hair into a ponytail. I hoped this would hide the fact I hadn't had chance to brush it this morning.
I approached Gabriel's office, the large white door loomed over me. My fingers softly twisted the metal handle and I entered. I stood before Gabriel with my hands neatly tucked behind my back. "Nathalie said you wanted to speak with me, sir?"
"Yes, I do. Take a seat." He says, his tone unchanging. I plop myself onto the red chair across from him. "It's about you staying with us. We're not sure if Nathalie will recover."
"What are you saying? I'll be here indefinitely?" I ask, completely taken a back at the fact Nathalie may never recover. My heart stopped when Gabriel said that. I tightly grip my chest as I look down at my lap. My knuckles turning white as I grip the skirt that pulled tightly across my thighs. I held back the tears that flooded my eyes. I've heard this before at the retirement homes. Why does it hurt so much now?
"Yes, that won't be an issue will it?"
"No, not at all! But what about my belongings? They're all at my apartment." I say, hardly able to look at the man behind the white desk. I gingerly brush the hair from my face as I look at Gabriel's expression. He's stone cold.
"I can have someone bring them over for you. That's not an issue." His tone is the same.
"Okay, please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you." I nod as I begin to stand.
"Of course. There isn't anything else for now. But maybe next time you should brush your hair before a meeting."
"Yes, sir." I step out of the room and quickly skip down the stairs to the kitchen, I go as fast as my body can muster. My hands shaking as I think about Nathalie's condition. I swing open the kitchen door and slide Nathalie's breakfast from the counter.
As I leave I hear a familiar voice. "Your fencing lesson has been rescheduled, Adrien."
I rush to the large dining table to see Nathalie. "Nathalie, are you sure it's a good idea to be moving around so much?" She looked at me, her blazer wrapping tightly around her waist.
"I'm feeling better this morning, I thought it'd be nice to stretch my legs." She says, her expression changing from a gentle smile to concerned rather quickly. "Your hair..."
"What about it?" I tilt my head at her beautiful face.
"How did it get like that? It wasn't this bad when you woke up." She approaches me, her fingers ran along my hair. Her nails tugging against the knots.
"Oh, it gets like this sometimes, I can fix it when I go back upstairs. But now you should really eat your breakfast!"
Nathalie sighs, she knows she won't be able to convince me otherwise. She takes a seat at the table reluctantly. I slip the tray in front of her and as she begins to eat I look at her hair. I gently untie her bun, my fingers delicately running through her long hair. I slowly twist her hair back into a bun, much neater than before.
"Isn't it time for school, Adrien?" I ask, looking at the blonde boy to my right. He looked up at me with a gloomy expression. My hands lowering to the back of wooden, brown chair.
"It doesn't start for another hour." He answers.
"I'm glad you're not running late again." I smile at him. He nods. as he lifts his plate. "Let me get that for you!" I say taking it from his small hands.
"Thank you." He smiles kindly and walks out of the room with me.
Upon my return I hear coughing. I look in to see Nathalie's head in her hands as her elbows forcefully push in to the table with each sputter. My legs move toward her seat upon instinct as I gently wrap my arm around her. Her head slowly lifts from her hands and she looks up at me, her eyes full of watery tears. "It's okay..." I whisper as her fingers intertwine with mine. Her glasses were pushed up to her forehead. My fingertips gently tapped them back onto her face. "Let's get you back to bed."
She tenderly stands from her seat, all of her weight toppling into my arms as I support her. Her warm fingers rested against my collar bone as she balanced herself. I'm not strong enough to carry her... How will I get her up the stairs?
~❀I want to help her❀~I held Nathalie tightly in my arms, her head slowly lifted from my chest. Her hair loosely dangling beside her face. She pushes herself back as she regains her stability. Her legs trembling as she looked up at me. "I'll help you up." I said as calmly as I could. I felt my heart rate increase as I decided the best way to assist her up the stairs.
She gripped onto my shoulder for dear life as we clambered up the stairs. Her fingers locked in mine as we gingerly reached the top of the stairs. She looked up at me, despite keeping that same blank face I knew she wasn't feeling great. I couldn't pin point what she was feeling, weather it was embarrassment or just exhaustion.
We made it down the hall at a snails pace as Nathalie spit out the last of her chokes. I pushed against the heavy door and Nathalie released her grip on my arm. She stumbled into the room slumping herself heavily into one of the red chairs and I did the same. I looked at her exhausted face as she sighed into her hand. Her chin rested against her palm and her fingers curled to the top of her lip. Her knuckles grazing the bottom of her nose.
She looked at me with tired eyes. It looked as though there was something she wanted to say, but she couldn't. Her hand covered her mouth, making it even harder for me to tell what she was feeling. I looked into her eyes, the lights reflecting against the beautiful blue ponds.
"I'm sorry I couldn't carry you. I know the stairs must have been tough." I say, in an attempt to break the silence. I hoped this would allow Nathalie to open up to me.
"You don't have to be sorry, I really appreciate what you're doing for me." She sighs into her hand, her eyes slowly dragging their gaze across my face. "I'm sorry you have to help me." She pauses as my eyes widen. Her gaze slides to her lap as she continues. "It's my fault I ended up like this. You shouldn't be having to look after me."
I looked intently at her face. My breathing getting faster as I attempt to think of a way to help her. I spoke without thinking. "Don't be stupid, Nathalie! The cause doesn't matter! I just want to make sure that you get better." I try to reassure her, but those words feel empty after my talk with Gabriel. I lean forwards in my seat as I speak.
She might never recover.
She looks at me again, her hand moving away from her lips. "Did Gabriel not tell you? We don't think I'll be able to recover." She pushes herself up, her back pressing firmly against the seat. She looks at me, her face making a bitter frown.
Can she recover?
I practically froze, hearing the words from her mouth didn't sit right with me. It didn't feel this strange to hear it from Gabriel.
The thought that Nathalie might never recover filled my heart with sorrow for a second time. I gripped my skirt firmly, as I stared into her ocean-like eyes. I could see the tears forming in my eyes as they blurred my vison. I closed my eyes tightly for a moment as I took a deep breath, trying not to look at Nathalie's face as I opened my eyes once more.
"He did tell me, yes. I think I was just being optimistic."
I rubbed my palm up my face briefly to prevent my tears from escaping. Nathalie sighed again and she leant forwards, gently gripping a red hairbrush from the small table between us. "May I fix your hair?" she asked, changing the subject before I could.
I nodded softly as I carefully sat in front of her, my legs crossed neatly. "Thank you." I whispered as her nails tugged at the hair tie tangled in my white locks.
Eventually she glided it from my long hair and held the matted tips of my hair lightly in her hand. The brush tugged at the tangles as Nathalie worked her way along my hair. The gentle tugging of the brush made my eyes well. The gentle sting of my hair being detangled was nothing compared to the anxious weight in my chest.
Her hand slowly working its way up my neck as she brushed closer and closer to my roots. Goosebumps crawled down my spine as her cool fingers ran down the length of my hair with each stroke of the brush. I couldn't resist smiling as she brushed my hair.
"Can you turn around?" Her voice was softer than usual, I felt my heart skip a beat as she broke the silence.
I turned my head towards her before twisting myself to face her. I gently kneeled in front of her seat as I looked up at her. My hair slid from her palm as she leant forwards. Her knuckles lightly pushed against my forehead. My scraggly hair curling over her fingertips. The brush tugged at the short pieces framing my face. Nathalie's hand blocked my view, but I could just imagine her focused expression.
Her breath gently hit my nose as her hand slid from beneath my hair. I gazed up at her, her fingers ran along the hair resting against my cheek. "We're done." She announces, a proud grin spread across her lips.
I ran my fingers through my hair briefly. "This is the best my hairs been brushed in a while..." I admit quietly "Thank you, Nathalie." I look up at her ocean eyes. Her fingertips curling around the red hair brush. A decent amount of long white hair coiled around the black bristles.
Nathalie smiled at me. I examined her smile as she spoke "I can always brush it for you again." Her tone is no longer dismal, she sounds cheerful.
She leans close to me as she places the brush back on the small, black table. Her face stops inches away from mine. Her lips press together firmly as she stares into my eyes. Her glasses slip down her nose as she looks at me. Her hot breath hitting my lips. Her hand gently pressed against my shoulder.
My face burnt a rosy pink colour as our lips froze millimetres apart. Her hair finally slipping from her bun and falling around her face. The red streak flopped over her glasses. I carefully placed my hand on her arm that rested against my shoulder.
She pushed herself back and her hand slid from under mine. I gazed up at her, too flustered to speak. Nathalie looked down at me for only a second before looking elsewhere. Those seconds of Nathalie's eyes gazing into mine felt like an eternity. I quietly stood up with an awkward cough. My now neatly brushed hair fell down my back. "Thank you for doing my hair, Nathalie." I mumble as I nervously fiddle with the ends.
~❀Such a pretty laugh❀~I opened the heavy, brown door. I held a paper bag in my arms. I looked into the room and Nathalie wasn't in bed. Glancing around, I couldn't see her at all. Gabriel approached me from behind. "Ellis." He whispered softly. As I felt my soul leave my body I dropped the small, brown bag. Cough medicine spread through the dark carpet as I spun my body around.
I stared up at the man, his pale blue eyes. the light from Nathalie's room reflecting across them with a grey hue. "Can I help you, sir?" I stutter as He leans closer to my face.
"Have you seen Nathalie?"
"No, I was about to look for her. I've got some cough medicine."
"That would be very sweet of you if it wasn't all over the carpet." He says, looking at the bottle of colourful liquid seeping into the carpet.
I hurriedly pick up the sticky bottle. "I'm sorry about that. I must have dropped it." I say, stating the obvious. Gabriel rolls his eyes. "I'll go look for Nathalie." I take a step forwards but Gabriel's arm blocks me from going any further.
"I was hoping I'd get to speak to you properly."
"What about?" I look up at Gabriel, he's staring into my eyes.
"You're not paid to help Adrien steal from the kitchen." He furrows his brows at me.
I gulp. "I didn't realise there was an issue. It's just cheese, sir." My fingers run down the tips of my hair and I twist a thin piece between my finger and thumb.
"I will not hesitate to fire you if this happens again."
As I turn to leave again Nathalie is stood right in front of me. Her hair neatly tied into a bun as usual, and her blazer haphazardly folded over her arm. "Nathalie, where were you?"
"I was helping Adrien, he fell down the stairs." She says, her eyes meeting mine.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help, I've just got back." I say, gripping the tacky bottle firmly.
"He's alright, it's just a few scratches." She gives us a reassuring smile as she squeezes herself between Gabriel and I. The tall man walks away and I look at Nathalie. She gently plants her jacket over one of the short, red seats.
I follow her inside, walking past to the on suite bathroom. The walls were white and the cabinets were black. I rinsed the Cough medicine bottle under the tap. The warm water tenderly stung my cold fingertips. The stickiness slowly rubbing away from the bottle.
I flicked the water from the clear bottle filled with pink liquid. As the droplets splashed the inside of the sink gentle footsteps moved closer to me. I looked up to see Nathalie resting her weight against the bathroom doorway. "Do you want to talk about what Gabriel said?"
"I'm not sure what you mean." I looked back at the bottle, carefully drying it against a deep red towel that hung beside the the sink.
"He said he's fire you if something happened again."
I look up at Nathalie, Our blue eyes met. "It's nothing. He's just upset that I helped Adrien steal some cheese."
I watch Nathalie cover her mouth. A smile sneaking across her face. She tried to contain her laughter as her fingers clenched into a tight fist. I go to tell her I wasn't joking but I stop myself. She finally allows herself to laugh, her beautiful giggle echoed around the bathroom.
I let a smile creep across my face, relaxing my hands as I let the cough medicine rest on the side of the sink.
Nathalie looks at me as she takes sharp breaths, her laughter dying down. We look at each other for a moment as she catches her breath. Her fingers tenderly adjust her glasses. She stood straight. "Seriously, why was he saying that?" She asks, her tone less serious than before.
"It's nothing." I say, looking back at the cough medicine. "I don't know if it'll help but I have cough medicine. I was still a little worried about yesterday."
"Thank you." She smiles softly, her eyes glistening from tears of laughter. The reflection of the blinding bathroom light moving as Nathalie breathed. I gazed at her smiling face.
I lay in bed, surrounded by boxes from my apartment. The blank ceiling barely visible through the darkness. My arm flops over my stomach as I listen to the silence of the night. My eyes welling with tears as I attempt to ignore these growing feelings.
My heart beat fast as I thought about Nathalie. My face grew redder and redder as I continued to think about her laugh. I felt a weight in my stomach as I continued to think. With each thought the weight got heavier and heavier. My chest tightening as my fingers curled the blanket into my palm.
My head turned to face the window. My belongings blocking my view of the night sky through the curtain's gap. Paris looked stunning from here. My hair was coating my pillows like a white blanket.
My eyes slowly closed as I stared at a strip of the deep, sparkling ocean of clouds. My thoughts settling as I drifted into a deep sleep.