When the Cat Met the Wolf

33. Origins Part 4: The Model and the Violinist

Life is made up of moments. Happy ones, sad ones, confusing ones, surprising ones....without them, life is not life.

There are some key moments in the life of a person: birth, first day at school, first friend, first exam, first love, first heartbreak, graduation, first job, marriage...you get it.

But life is not the only thing made up of moments, moments also form relationships. Let's take a look at the key moments of the relationship between Adrien Agreste, the model, and Arianne Mercier, the violinist.

When Arianne and Adrien first met, they were five years old, at Arianne's mother's candy shop right across the pont de arts bridge, where she worked before becoming one of Paris' most popular chefs.

"What can I get you?" asked Layla kindly to the woman standing on the other side of the counter. She was quite beautiful, with blonde hair and green eyes

"A bar of chocolate is okay" said the woman with a smile "It's my niece's birthday, and she loves chocolate" Layla walked to the section of the counter that had, at least, five different types of chocolate bars.

"Well, does she have a preference?" asked Layla "We have a wide variety" it was at that moment, that she noticed a little blonde kid standing beside the customer "Oh, hi, dear" greeted Layla "I didn't see you there"

"This is my son, Adrien" said the woman with a chuckle, placing a hand around his shoulder. Layla smiled and grabbed a candy from the nearest jar.

"Do you like sweets, Adrien?" she asked, handing the boy a candy wrapped in a red paper. Adrien looked at his mother sheepishly, who gestured towards the sweet with her head and a smile, before grabbing it.

"I'll pay for that with the chocolate" said the woman, but Layla shook her head.

"No need. Consider it a gift" at that moment, Layla felt someone grabbing the bottom of her skirt. She looked down, to find five year old Arianne staring at her with wide eyes "What do you need, honey? I'm working"

"Is she your daughter?" questioned Adrien's mom, looking at the little girl with a smile.

"Yes" nodded Layla "Her name is Arianne"

"She's adorable" complimented the blonde woman, making Layla smile.

Arianne walked towards the end of the counter, and peeked sheepishly to the other side. Standing there was a blonde boy, eating a candy.

Arianne was curious about this mysterious boy whom she had never seen before, so she took some steps forward, still hiding behind the counter, to get a closer look at him, and that's when Adrien noticed. Arianne blinked when she saw him staring at her, and Adrien looked at her curiously. They stared at each other like that for a couple of moments, before Adrien's mom was done with the purchase.

"Look at that!" said the blonde woman joyfully, and Layla couldn't help but smile upon seeing the two kids "Say hello to Arianne, Adrien"

"Hello" said the boy sheepishly, raising his hands just above his stomach.

"Hi" greeted Arianne with a smile.

From then on, their paths were intertwined.

Something that children definitely are is curious and playful, so let's take some minutes to see a moment that encompasses both these things: