48 Hours To Make You Love Me

The Seventh Hour

Prompt: Snow on eyelashes

Marinette wrapped her coat tighter around her body as she made her way towards the steps and into the small lodge, the cold wetness of the snow melting against her head and running down her face making the idea of being inside all the more welcoming. Woe was her life.

She was cold, slightly damp, and had a stain on her trousers, getting to their room had never sounded more wonderful.

Tentatively, she made her way up the staircase and into the veranda of the house, the little country retreat perfect for the snow covered backdrop. As her foot collided with the top step, Marinette lost her balance, skidding and twirling like a failing figure skater as she tried her hardest to regain her centre and, ultimately, her balance.

"Woah there." Adrien was beside her in an instant, his hands on her hips, steadying her and supporting her just as he always did. She couldn't help but wonder how she'd gotten by so long without him.

This road trip was playing with her heart in ways she didn't understand. One moment she thought he was flirting with her, the next he was pulling away. It was as though he didn't know whether to embrace his Chat Noir side or Adrien side; unknown to him she adored both.

If she wanted to survive these next few days with Adrien she needed to make a choice, because the way he was looking at her at this moment — the deep gaze into her eyes — was doing nothing but sending her into a self destructive spiral of self pity. She had a choice: she could either declare her love to him, take the answer like the superhero she was and move on with her life, or she could ignore her feelings for now and consider what Adrien wanted and more importantly what Adrien desired: a couple of days away with friends to enjoy himself and not worry about the pressures and fame that came with his surname.

As her mind fluctuated between the pros and cons of each option, things only grew increasingly difficult as Adrien stretched up and brushed his thumb across her eyelashes.

"I'm thinking I should call you Snow White. The snowflakes look beautiful against your dark eyelashes."

She couldn't help the sudden intake of breath, not only from Adrien's touch but the softness in his voice. His eyes hadn't left hers as his thumb continued down her face, brushing away the stray flakes of snow still settled on her face from the mishap as she left the van.

The overwhelming desire for her partner simplified her choice greatly. She couldn't tell him. She just couldn't. His denial of her — now more than ever — would break her, and if this was followed with an 'I'm in love with someone else' she knew she'd never recover. They were still close, still in the same circle of friends. If he was in love with someone else that meant she knew them too... a thought she couldn't deal with.

She smiled at him, dead set on making sure her best friend enjoyed himself — that she was a partner who put him at the front and first.

Stretching her arm, she cupped Adrien's hand on her face and moved it down pulling him towards the doorway.

"Come on hero, let's go in before we freeze."

Marinette led Adrien to the door, pushing it open before stamping her feet and knocking the snow from her boots. A soft chime echoed through the hallway indicating their arrival into the house. It was a lot larger on the inside than it had seemed from the outside, Christmas music playing, and lights and decorations everywhere. Marinette felt like she was in a fairytale... or a well written Hallmark movie.

"Hello, can I help you?" Marinette turned her attention to the desk on the side. The large oak object looked almost out of place in the country feel of the room they were in. The wooden walls were lined with photographs and awards — apparently they'd entered France's top B&B as voted for by Trip Advisor.