Stranger! Please be my Child’s Father .Chapter 8: congrats, Laurent family . “Okay, Mr Laurent. We’ll move in with you. Can you please, please, make sure my two conditions are acknowledged? I promise we’ll be good houseguests, the second this entire thing dies down we’ll leave you alone and let you be. But I’m unwilling to part with any of my conditions. I can’t.” Arabella tentatively broached the subject, and Gael could see how tired the woman got just by talking about their situation. “Okay.” Gael acquiesced. “Okay. We’ll figure out a way around it. I’ll accept the two conditions.”[to Louis Avian MANAGER: Louis. We have an answer.Arabella is willing to pose as my spouse, but she has two conditions.She’s using another name, and she’s not doing any publicity with me.She doesn’t want her face to be seen.][from Louis Avian MANAGER: That’s not looking good at all.][from Louis Avian MANAGER: It won’t look believable.][to Louis Avian MANAGER: I know, but I don’t know what
Stranger! Please be my Child’s Father .Chapter 9: memories bring back memories. Lines had been drawn. The house, after the first day the two others had moved in, had grown quiet, save for when Hudson was home. Arabella and Gael retreated to opposite ends of the home, an imaginary line sliced through the middle of the house, neither party to ever cross. Arabella sank back onto the bed, her back thankful now that her endless nights of sleeping on the floor had somewhat come to an end. But still, for how long would she be able to enjoy this luxury?Her gaze drew to the bag in the corner, the very single duffle bag that had held all of hers and Hudson’s possessions, save for Hudson’s school backpack that was filled with loose sheets, remarks from his teacher, and odd rocks that the child liked to grab. Arabella had been living out of that bag for years. She rotated the same clothes, didn’t unpack, because there was no confirmation that she’d ever be able to stay. When she had her ap
Stranger! Please be my Child’s Father .Chapter 10: miscommunication at worst . She stepped out, intending to make her way to where she could see Hudson’s teacher, collecting all the children, but a hand in her path stopped her. Arabella glanced down--it was Gael’s, but the producer wasn’t paying attention to her, instead staring off at one of the bushes. It wasn’t extended to stop her, but--what was it for?“Well, do you want to carry Hudson?” She asked, tilting her head in confusion. Gael didn’t answer, instead taking Arabella’s free hand and lacing it with his own. Their fingers tangled, and Arabella tried hard to not think about when the last time her hand had been held like this, aside from all the times she held hands with her own son. “Let’s go, we’ve got a few more minutes before school begins.” Gael hummed, as though his hand wasn’t the warmest and his thumb most definitely wasn’t resting so comfortably on top of Arabella’s hand. The elder trailed after him, making the
Stranger! Please be my Child’s Father .Chapter 11: fight fight fight! . “I never thought you’d go so low, Arabella.” Gael drawled as he approached the other. The elder whirled around, hands on her hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”“Exaclty what I said. Breaking our agreement, using your son to get me home, forcing us to have dinner, trying to appeal by cooking my foods, immediately answering that I’d make it to his play. You’re overstepping.” Gael huffed. Arabella seemed to recoil for a moment, before firing right back. “I can’t believe you! You think I’m doing this to get on your fucking good side or to be a model husband? Hudson was asking for you. I felt terrible, so I asked. You could have said no, at any time, by the way. And I made your favorite foods as a fucking apology, Gael! As an apology for disturbing your work time! And I answered for you because it’s the second thing I’m asking of you. It’s for Hudson. It would mean the world if you could make it, Gael.” The ot
Stranger! Please be my Child’s Father .Chapter 12: a colossally screw up. Speaking of--there was a firm knock at the door, and Gael rose to let her in. Chanty Starr, or Chanty as the industry and fans knew her, was a sweet faced woman, known for her clever songs and a personality that drew people in. Gael himself had talked to her during a few awards shows, and he found that he definitely did not hate her presence. She was polite and private, and she had a similar drive and enthusiasm that he enjoyed working with. She grinned at him, and god bless, knew about his aversion to hugs, instead reaching out for a shoulder pat instead. “Hello Gael! Let me tell you how excited I am for this collaboration. I’ve been talking about it all day. I’m sure my managers are tired of hearing me talk about it. But it’s true. The track is there, the lyrics are just how I envisioned it to be. Now it should be easy for us!” She cheered, her enthusiasm immediately picking his own up as she gifted him
. Stranger! Please be my Child’s Father .Chapter 13: do you see right through me? . Gael had initially anticipated a house that was upturned, his pictures on the floor and glass shattered everywhere, but surprisingly, he came back to an intact and quiet house. Too quiet of a house. The house was dark, seeing that it was late in the night by the time Gael got home, but there were no signs of life. A cough -- Arabella -- was the only indication that there was someone else living inside of the home. It was too late to talk now, so Gael decided to leave it for now. Besides, it was Saturday the next day--the weekend. He’d talk to them then. Plans did not work out to his convenience. In the morning, after Gael had tossed and turned on his bed for hours and hours, he crept out, padding into the studio. Neither mother nor son turned around to greet him as they usually did. Rather, Arabella gently took the empty bowl from her son’s grasp and set it in the sink, before hoisting the to
Stranger! Please be my Child’s Father .Chapter 14: the standard . “You do that a lot. Clench your hands when I’m driving.” Gael noted, quiet enough for Hudson to not hear him. Arabella made a noise of surprise, before answering him. “‘I’m just uncomfortable with driving.” She said. There was definitely a story there, but Gael didn’t pry. He just slowed, switching to the slow lane with sharp clicks of his indicator, and reached across the console to slip his hand under Arabella’s, warmth filling his palm as he gently pulled the sharp fingernails away from attempting to tear into her fabric. “Your dress needed saving.” Gael said cheekily as Arabella looked and stared at him, neither of them quite talking about how she squeezed his hand in a show of thanks. Arabella didn’t respond to the joke, instead quietly murmuring, “You’re putting a lot of effort into this, aren’t you?”Gael sobered up, staring straight ahead as he replied. “You deserve more. Both of you do. You called me o
Stranger! Please be my Child’s Father .Chapter 15: playing the safety game . Arabella has long since perfected the ParentNapTM. Maybe it came with the paternal instincts that triggered when Hudson entered his orbit, but at the slightest hint of disturbance, she was immediately awake. Most of the time, she snapped awake, echoes of a bad dream bleeding into the background as she tried to calm down her racing heart. But days like this were a little different.See, Arabella was already up by the time she heard her door slowly open, the telltale small squeak of the hinges startling her from her slumber. She stayed very quiet, not moving, regulating her breathing, as she tried to discern who the newcomer was. The little pad of feet was enough–it was Hudson. Gael moved with a bit of purpose, but he dragged his left leg just a little, so there was often a little shuffle to the sound of his steps. The bed dipped, and the little boy clambered onto the mattress next to her. It was quiet