Forbidden Love That Wasn't

Adrien (part 3)

Holding a travel mug of steaming coffee, Adrien shuffled rather than walked into the lobby of Gabriel the next morning. His eyes immediately locked on Marinette, standing at their regular spot, nervously peering in his general direction. Swallowing, Adrien tried his best to push the memories of yesterday and all the alluring images in his head aside. Instead, he focused on an equally enticing box in Marinette's hands. His mouth watered and as soon as Adrien approached, got greetings out of the way and received his sweets, he shamelessly bit into the first one he could reach.

"Bad night again?" Marinette asked, accepting her drink and instantly trying to sip from it.

"Something like that," Adrien murmured and dug into the stash of macarons next. Thank goodness for the double portions Marinette kept bringing him despite Kagami never showing up at his work. For the sake of productivity, his girlfriend insisted on not disturbing him during the work hours. She texted him instead. Calls were reserved strictly for the time she knew he was free. Meeting in person was just as scheduled and never spontaneous.

"Want some?" Adrien offered Marinette a treat after noticing that in the short period they've spent together, she had already thrown him a few concerned side-glances. Today's heap looked to be a quadruple of what he usually got. That was kind of greedy of him not to share.

"Thanks." Marinette accepted the cookie, entering the elevator. Once the door closed, she sighed. "Adrien?"

"Hm?"

"You shouldn't stress yourself so much. Everything goes better than expected and if we work hard today, I predict a day off for you tomorrow."

"Good." Adrien nodded, ignoring the curious looks of others around them as he licked the sugar off his fingers. "What about you?"

"I'd have to be at the venue to help set everything up."

"Wait. Don't I have to be there too?"

"Only to see where the walk will take place but since it isn't your first time, you should be fine missing it. And I suggest you take this opportunity to sleep in. You clearly need some extra shut-eye. Plus, I can always instruct you on the day of the show if you want."

"Nah. I'll be there tomorrow," Adrien replied, exiting the elevator. When Marinette didn't follow him, he added. "You coming?"

"I'll be right there. Your father wants to see me first."

"Alright." Adrien waved and walked to their assigned room. To save time while waiting for Marinette, he switched on the lights and headed towards the racks to change into today's clothes. However, reaching midway Adrien stopped. What if there was another photoshoot today? He distinctly remembered Nathalie saying that those won't stop unless Marinette learned whatever lesson his father wanted her to learn, and he knew better than anyone else about his father's impossibly high standards. Perhaps, holding off on changing until Marinette came back and fill him in on the situation would be a better idea. Because if it came to that, no matter how nervous and uncomfortable with the prospect he was, Adrien would not hesitate to jump in and do however many photoshoots it would take to spare Marinette from Antonio's filthy touch. For the sake of their friendship and Marinette's dignity, he would do anything, even if that cost him more than he'd ever bargained for.

Apart from that, there was one other pestering thought that lingered at the back of Adrien's mind. It was irrational and stupid and totally uncalled for, and Adrien knew that, but couldn't help himself to wonder. For him, Marinette was a friend, yet after everything they'd been through yesterday, he couldn't stop thinking about her all night long. Of course, Adrien perfectly realized that it was just primitive, animalistic lust. He was, after all, a healthy, young and severely blue-balled man. He was also confident that it'd go away pretty soon. Multiple cold showers and a constant state of sleep-deprived exhaustion were sure to help with that, and as long as Adrien acted normally and didn't admit his feelings to anyone, he'd be just fine.