It had been four weeks since Gabrielle had seen Nathan. She was worried, terribly worried. There had been no calls, no letters, nothing. It wasn't like Nathan to just disappear. The last she had seen him, he had been leaving for work. Nathan was under a good deal of stress lately, and Gabrielle had figured he had taken some time for himself. It wasn't unusual for him to take a weekend and go off on his own, but this was too long. Gabrielle didn't like being by herself. At first, she did enjoy the time without Nathan. Gabrielle rarely got any time to herself but now, she missed him. She missed him more than she had ever would have imagined. Granted, their relationship was rocky. It seemed they had more downs than ups, but in the end of it all, they loved each other. No one in Gabrielle's family liked Nathan. Maybe that was her fault. She always ran to her family when they would fight or when Nathan had hurt her feelings. Gabrielle had always thought that she could turn to her family for support, but it seemed she may have been wrong. Her "support" system was driving a wedge between her and Nathan, and quite frankly, Gabrielle didn't like it at all. Maybe the two of them would pack up and leave, putting some distance between them and their families. Maybe some of the tension and drama would dissolve in their relationship. Nathan and Gabrielle met while taking classes at the local college in town. They had run into each other quite a few times. He was very attractive, and Gabrielle was drawn in the moment she laid eyes on him. Nathan was 6'1" and athletic toned. He had dark brown, curly hair and gorgeous blue eyes. He was kind and spoke gently, the perfect gentleman. After what seemed like hundreds of short run ins in the hallways, Nathan finally asked Gabrielle out for coffee. The rest was history. They were inseparable. Gabrielle still remembered the first time he kissed her. It felt like walking on air. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered so much she knew that they were lifting her off the ground with intentions of setting her on a cloud. He took her breath away. She'd never forget that feeling, especially when every time he puts his lips to hers, she feels it. That was three years ago. As Gabrielle stared out their bay window, she began to reminisce. The weather was cold. Winter had turned up without any prior warning. The cold reminded her of meeting Nathan. She began to think about the first time seeing Nathan. It was between classes. It was November, and Gabrielle’s grandmother had asked her to meet her for some Christmas shopping. After shopping, Gabrielle headed back to school for her next class. And it was then, as she was readying herself to turn into a parking spot that she saw him. He was walking across the street, and apparently hadn’t seen her car coming. Gabrielle’s heart jumped into her throat. She was nowhere near hitting him, so she continued on her path and pulled into the spot she had set her eyes on. Nathan must have assumed he might have been hit because he had stopped walking. Gabrielle made sure she sat in her car until he was out of sight. Nathan was absolutely gorgeous, and Gabrielle was embarrassed. Gabrielle smiled to herself at the thought. Seeing Nathan that day turned her into some sort of school girl, always primping herself and making sure she was well dressed and well groomed, just in case she were to run into him again even though she went out of her way to avoid coming into contact with him. Her nerves got the best of her. She finally mustered up the gall to talk herself to merely walking by him in the hallway one afternoon. As she walked by him, Nathan gave her smile. A smile that sent her heart into a frenzy! Those little run-ins became more frequent which eventually lead to small talk. Every second around Nathan was like heaven to Gabrielle. Then one day, Nathan asked her to go for coffee. Their coffee date turned into more. They met at the coffee shop and after a couple of latte’s, Nathan asked her to dinner. Which after dinner, he took her to a movie. It was the best night Gabrielle had ever had. She had never felt more alive. She wanted to spend every passing second with Nathan. Every time her phone would ring, her stomach would flutter in hopes it was Nathan calling. Life had went from average to magical in one night. Nathan finally proposed to Gabrielle two years later. Their wedding was small and simple. They bought a cute little house in the outskirts of town. Gabrielle broke her gaze out of the bay window and looked around. She smiled. The house was perfect, and with her decorative touch, it was definitely home. Right now though, it was lonely. She couldn’t help but feel down and out. Nathan was her other half, and she needed him. She put her head back and closed her eyes, thinking more about Nathan and all their little moments together. Somewhere in between her dreams and daydreams, she didn’t notice the sound a car pulling up. A car door slammed closed and the noise jostled her back to reality. She looked out of the window and saw nothing. She then heard some rustling, and the jingling of keys. Her heart began to flutter and she sat frozen where she was. She heard the doorknob turn and the front door opened. Nathan was home. |