Back to Back 2

Flirtation

All of the usual players were at the 'Gabriel' brand photo shoot.

Besides Adrien and Felix, there were the photographer, various stylists and beauty professionals, assistants, security officers, and a bunch of other workers. Then there were also a bunch of everyday people gawking around the set, trying to catch a glimpse of the teen icon or simply being curious.

Having the photo shoot in such a public setting like the Trocadero, it was a little chaotic. So Marinette tried to stay out of the way, and slowly walked around the perimeter of the set.

Once she found the best spot to watch the action, she stopped. And when she caught Adrien's eye, she waved and blew a kiss over to him.

He happily snatched the kiss out of the air and pressed it to his lips. Then he smiled before turning his attention back to work.

A second later, Marinette caught the eye of Felix. So she waved. Naturally, there was no air-kiss for him, much to his disappointment. But at least she waved, and he waved back before turning his attention back to work.

Marinette always thought that the photo shoots were super interesting. Wanting to someday be in the fashion industry herself, she reveled in every opportunity she got to go see them. She knew that Adrien was less than happy to still work for Gabriel, but that was a part of the agreement, so he had no other choice. At least for the time being. Hopefully someday soon he could stop doing them.

Enjoying just being there, she kept her eyes on the scene. She only looked away when the person next to her spoke.

"This is pretty cool, huh?"

Marinette glanced over at the brown haired teenage boy. He seemed about her age, but she didn't recognize him as anyone from school. "Uh, yeah. Really cool."

"Gabriel Agreste is probably one of my favorite designers."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah, mine too. He's very creative."

The teen turned his whole body toward her. "I'm Ronan, by the way."

"Marinette."

He smiled. "So, do you have a shoot today too?"

"A shoot?" she repeated, suddenly confused.

"Yeah, like a photo shoot. You're a model, right?"

Finding the idea absurd, she started laughing. "Uh no, I'm not. Definitely not."

"You could be though," Ronan responded, leaning toward her. "I mean, you're pretty enough to be one."

And the casual atmosphere suddenly shifted. This guy wasn't just making friendly conversation, he was actually flirting with her. Now feeling a little uncomfortable, Marinette looked back over to the photoshoot. "Thank you," she mumbled quietly under her breath.

Nothing was said for a minute, a minute that felt much longer since she could sense his gaze on her.

"So," Ronan eventually continued. "You're not a model yet, but you could be. I actually have some connections in the fashion industry, and I might be able to introduce you to a couple of people that could get you in the door."

If things weren't so awkward, she might have laughed out loud. "I'm not interested in being a model," she said firmly. Then she took a few steps away like she was trying to get a better view of the shoot. Hopefully he would catch the hint and leave her alone.

It seemed like it worked for a minute,  but then he moved right back next to her again. "I'm getting a little hungry. When this is done, do you want to go grab a bite to eat with me? There's a great cafe not too far from here."