Behind My Smile - EDITING SOON

XII) The Agreste Gala

Adrien stood with Lila strapped at his hip, greeting his guests as they entered Agreste Mansion. They'd been trapped there for nearly an hour, standing in for his father (who seemed very adamant about needing to be elsewhere). Go figure he wouldn't even show to his own event, making his own son become a doorman. His situation, however, wasn't the part that annoyed him. His big issue was the lack of friendly faces. Over the hour, he'd laughed and gotten to know Lila better, but he still missed his friends. They were running late, and their arrival (Gabriel had proclaimed) would bring the end of doorman Agreste.

Adrien was growing antsy and his feet were beginning to ache from the long day. His hands found themselves constantly fiddling in his blue suit pockets, and he could feel Plagg wiggling in his jacket. The volume in the grand entrance continued to rise, causing a slow pounding at the base of Adrien's neck. Lila didn't seem to notice, as she contributed much of the noise in the form of never ending talk. It's not that he disliked her constant mouth movement, it actually helped him distract from the boredom he was experiencing.

Half an hour later, he was still waiting for his friends to make their appearance. He thought about sending a questioning text before seeing a familiar head of blue hair peak from an open car door. His eyes squinted past the steady stream of patrons to watch Luka straighten his suit and tie before opening the passenger door and handing the awaiting valet driver his keys. He extended his hand to his guest, who's porcelain hand gracefully entwined with Luka's and stepped out. Her deep black hair was half up, twisted into a beautiful and high-class bun. The rest of her hair was curled into ringlets, resting on her exposed shoulders and dipping back. The shimmery red fabric that her dress was composed of flowed freely, and clung to her curved in a carefree and sweet manner. The smile on her face was dazzling, and once she made eye contact with Adrien, her excitement skyrocketed. She tugged on Luka's arm with anticipation, hastily whispering to him and laughing. Adrien felt slightly peeved that Luka was the one to receive Marinette's affection and date, but he knew that he had little to no chance.

The couple joined the procession, eventually getting to the doors, where Adrien was waiting. Adrien exchanged a friendly handshake and smile from Luka, but when he turned to Marinette, he nearly fell backwards when she embraced him. "It's been too long, Adrien," she laughed, her voice a jingling bell. Adrien could have sworn he heard Lila scoff beside him, but he didn't want to believe it.

"It's been a week or two, you're right. Sorry about that. My father's been working me like a dog recently. I've had almost no free time with how much modeling and company lessons I've been having." Adrien's hand made it's home at his neck, nervously scratching as it always did. "Did ya miss me?" he cheekily asked, a smirk on his face. He sensed Luka and Lila tense around him.

"To be frank, yeah." Marinette looked the opposite direction, desperately attempting to hide the blush that coated her cheeks. "Having been helping your father with the miraculous line, I've become used to seeing you every other day. When your father cancelled our sessions, I was bummed. I didn't think it would affect my daily life as much as it did." Marinette's hands gripped her dress, bunching up the red fabric in her fingers. "W-who's your date?" she turned back around to face him, her blush fading as she spoke. "You mentioned in your text you had a date. Is this her?" Marinette gestured to Lila, who at this point had shrunk behind Adrien.

"Hi. It's nice to see you again, Marinette," Lila stepped forward, her hips brushing against Adrien's legs. "It's been a while, hasn't it," Her voice implied kindness, but her face revealed her seething jealousy.

Marinette hummed, her eyes skimming Lila's appearance, from her tight black dress to her curly up-do. She had to admit, she was beautiful. "Lila. Last I heard, you had a modeling gig in Taiwan. How'd that turn out?" Surprisingly, Marinette knew that Lila hadn't lied about that one. Her picture was plastered on every fashion magazine from Germany to Korea.