Chapter 13 : The dinner

While entering her place, taking off her shoes and sighing, Ellie noticed that all the lights were off in the kitchen and the dining room and there was a very good smell coming from it.

Ellie dropped her shoes at the entrance and followed the good smell of food.

To her surprise, her dining table was filled with good and home-made things to eat, not like the ones she ordered and there were only candles that lit up the room. She blinked a few times and pinched herself to see if this is all really true or it's only a dream she's having as she fell asleep in her office again.

"No, it's really not a dream. All of this delicious food really is there," she said as she moved closer to the table. But suddenly she heard her stomach growl and then after feeling someone come from behind her, this person was much longer than her anyway, her back was pressed against the chest and abs of this person, this one. then leaned so close to her neck that she could feel his warm breath on her skin.

"It sounds like you're hungry," a husky male voice said.

This voice sounded familiar to Ellie, she was speechless for a while when she realized it was Nathaniel.

When finishing his job earlier Nate thought to thank Ellie for her hospitality and all the things that she did for him thus he decided to prepare a dinner for her since he can't yet buy her nice gifts. Nate cooked so many dishes as he didn't know Ellie's favorite dish and At 8 pm, everything for the dinner was ready : the table, the plates, the dishes, the dessert... He waited and waited and still waited for hours now but Ellie was not yet at home but his wait was finally done when he heard the sound of Ellie's car and quickly hurried to reheat the dishes.

"Nate?!", asked Ellie, surprised.

"Who else do you want it to be ?", Nate replied always with his husky voice.

"Did you do that for...me?", asked Ellie always surprised

"Do you like my little surprise? ?", Nthaniel replied.

"Uhm... Yeah, it's just amazing. It's been a while since I ate homemade dinner. But why ? Why did you do that ?", said Ellie.

"Well, it's just a way for me to thank you for your hospitality and all the things you've done for me", Nate simply replied.

"But it was nothing, I mean it was the least I can do for you after you helped me", she replied a little confused.

But suddenly Ellie's belly starts to growl again

"It seems that you are really hungry, maybe we should begin to eat", Nate said.

"Yeah! Yeah", she only replied.

They ate, discussed everything and nothing, they also laughed a lot until no time.

"So can you talk to me a little about you and your parents if it's not too personal for you?", Ellie asked curiously.

"No, that's fine. Uhm...What can I say ?", Nate replied and wait a little before saying :

"I grew up with only one parent, my mother Barbara, I've never known my father. A few years ago, I was forced to quit university because my mother got very sick, since we didn't have enough money for my studies or for my university fees at the same time."

"This is where I started taking different odd jobs at the same time to support ourselves and ever since and I am accumulating job after job without ever having a fixed job because of my lack of diploma."

Everything Nate just told me just now saddened me a lot, he had to go through it all on his own without anyone's help. I am both saddened and amazed by his courage and the strength he has shown for so many years.

"Have you ever thought of looking for your dad or something", asked Ellie.

"Of course I tried while my mother was very sick, I thought to myself that he could help us a little even only with our daily expenses, but no I didn't have any answers yet", Nate replied sadly.

"But do you want to find him ?", Ellie asked one more time.

"I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe no. All I want is to know why he abandoned us", Nate replied to Ellie.

"When is your birthday already ?", Ellie asked .

" Uhm... In about one month. Why that question ?", Nate asked, a bit surprised by her question.

"Just curious", Ellie simply replied.

"I think we should go to bed now, you have a long day tomorrow", Nate said while he saw that Ellie had yawned.

"Yeah! I think so too. So, good night Nathaniel", Ellie said and yawned again.

"Good night Ellie Jefferson, have a sweet dream", Nate said with a smile at the corner of his lips when he looked at Ellie.

The next morning

"Oh my God! Oh my God! I can't do it ! I can't do it !", said panicked and stressed Ellie repeating it several times.

"You can do it Ellie, I know you can do it. You've worked so hard for six months for it. So believe me you are ready for it", Larry said while trying to calm Ellie down

"But since I'm telling you that I can't. Ask someone else to do it, I'm not ready at all", Ellie said still panicked but this time blowing into a paper bag.

"Ellie ! Pull yourself together! You're the strongest and the smartest woman I've ever seen, believe me you can do it", Larry said.

Ellie only looked at him for a tiny second and then continued to blow into his plastic bag.

"Don't you realize that I'm playing my career out there Larry. I don't have the right to make mistakes. No I don't have the luxury of affording it to myself in my situation", Ellie replied with a raised tone.

"Oh! I've had enough of this, I did all I could but she still didn't change her mind", Larry replied.

"Can I try ?", Nathaniel asked calmly.

"Please go ahead! She is all yours'', Larry replied while rolling his eyes.

"Ellie! Look at me and listen to my voice", Nate simply said with a calm and soft voice while holding Ellie by both arms while putting her face to face in front of him.

"Breathe in, breathe out", he said several times and Ellie did so and she finally dropped her paper bag.

"You're all blown away", Nate said always with his soft voice.

"Uhm... Yeah, you are right. I'm going to storm it", Ellie finally said and found her senses again.

Larry ,speechless and astonished by what Nate just said, said : "What ?! That's all?! He barely do nothing"

"Larry come on or we'll be late for the presentation", Ellie said while exiting her room.

"Amazing!!", Larry said.

"You are magician Nathaniel. Why ? How did you do that ?", Larry added.

"Do you want to come with us just to make sure that Ellie doesn't reproduce her little anxiety attack from earlier ?", Larry asked Nate.

"I don't know if it's a good idea", Nate replied while rubbing his neck.

"Please?! Imagine that she'll do it again and this time in front of the Committee. I'll be horrible for Ellie if that happens", Larry said.

"Fine, I'll come with you", Nate replied.