Secret Admirer

Chapter 10: Avoidance

Marinette grabbed her diary lockbox and slung her purse around her shoulder. Tikki flew inside her bag as she ran down the stairs, closing her trap door before leaving. Marinette entered the bakery and stole a macaroon from one of the trays.

"Bye mom. Bye Dad. I'm going to the park." Marinette said as she opened the door.

"The park? You've been going there everyday now." Sabine stood at the counter by the register.

"Yeah. I just like to be around nature." Marinette smiled.

"Alright." Sabine was unsure. "But be back in two hours for your shift at the bakery, okay?"

"I will." Marinette shouted as she ran out.

It's been about a week since Marinette has seen Chat Noir. She didn't really know why, but she felt relieved. She was calmer. Marinette would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't thought about their kiss. Marinette hated that she enjoyed it, but she couldn't change what she felt. And she didn't know why she felt that way.

Luckily, there were no akumas since then. Akuma attacks were very different now than they were three years ago. Just like the drills installed in schools and public places, people are taught to deal with their emotions in a more positive way. The drills are safety measures to protect citizens from the attack, but all attacks stem from emotions. If someone is taught how to properly deal with their emotions and are made aware that they're okay and not alone, it makes it less likely they'll get akumatized. Since attacks aren't an everyday thing anymore, Paris's heroes get some time away from their jobs to deal with their lives, sort of.

Since there wasn't an akuma, Marinette hasn't had to face Chat Noir as herself or Ladybug. She didn't know how she'd react if she did. Seeing him might set her off. Marinette just hoped that she didn't hurt him too much. Even if she made him leave, she still cared for him.

Marinette walked into the park and sat at a bench. She held her pink lockbox in her lap, staring at it. She took the key from her purse and unlocked it, taking out her diary. She stopped to look around her at the trees blowing in the wind. All the nature around her was so peaceful. She did actually enjoy it.

Marinette clicked her pen and began to write. "Dear . . . " She began, drowning out the world around her, but still living in nature. She wrote a whole two pages in less than five minutes. She had a lot on her mind. Marinette loves Tikki, but some of her emotions are only known in her diary. She didn't want to tell anyone all of her struggles, not even her kwami.

Marinette heard a few familiar voices followed by a car door closing. She looked up to see Adrien's body guard and Nathalie across the park. A few extra people left the limo and carried a bunch of boxes over to the fountain. And then she saw him. Adrien exited another door of his limo and walked over to the fountain. Three of the extra people began fixing his appearance. They combed his hair, blended in makeup, and adjusted his clothing. Marinette couldn't help but watch even though she knew she shouldn't.

The people left Adrien and he moved to sit at the concrete edge of the fountain, checking his phone. Marinette internally screamed. She wanted to run but she also wanted to stay. It's almost two months into summer vacation. She hasn't actually seen Adrien in all that time. She's only seen and wrote to Chat Noir.

Oh no, it happened. Marinette's mind exploded and beads of sweat formed at her hairline. They made eye contact. That single moment she dreaded actually happened and it seemed to last a century. Were they staring or was this glance just slowing time for her? There were fireworks. But the things his eyes were telling her. What did they mean? This look was something different.

Marinette blinked and looked back at her diary. Her eyes had started to sting. She quickly looked up and down a few times between him and the diary, but he was still watching her. She definitely wasn't imagining it now. He was staring. It was happening and it was real.

He looked away. Marinette released a sigh of relief. It was over. She could focus on her diary, sort of.

Marinette picked up her pen but before the tip even touched the paper, she looked up to see Adrien coming her way. She panicked and shrieked internally. Was her look an invitation to him? Why was he coming over? Very professional to leave your photoshoot like that. Should she leave? Run? She didn't know.

Oh no, he was getting closer. What was she going to do? What would she say?

"Hey Marinette." He said slowly. Adrien seemed anxious.

"H-Hi Adrien." She stuttered, her heart beating faster.

"So . . . " He nervously scratched the back of his neck. "W-What brings you to the park?"

Marinette quickly closed her diary. "Um . . . just . . . writing in my journal." She put the book back in her lock box.

Adrien watched her intently. "Is that the same diary that Chloe stole a few years ago?"

"No. I get a new one at the start of each year." She looked down. "But it's the same box." This conversation was killing her. Marinette felt awkward and for some reason Adrien was trying really hard to find something to talk about. She could tell he was nervous. It just wasn't going well. "Shouldn't you get back to your photoshoot?" She asked.

"My photographer is running late, so . . . I have time to talk to you." Adrien smiled.

"Oh." Marinette nodded her head, her internal screams shrieked louder.

"So what are you doing today?" He asked. "My photoshoot should only last like an hour, so maybe we cou-"

Marinette's eyes widened and she stood up, grabbing the box. "Actually I need to get home." She blurted. "I-I'm supposed to be working in the bakery. So I better go." She backed up, tripping a few times.

"Are you sure you have to go right now?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm already late."

"Do you want me to walk you home?" He offered.

"No, no. It's not far anyway. I'm fine." Marinette dashed through the gates and out of the park. She needed to continue avoiding him. She thought she was maybe ready to think about him again, but clearly not. She thought her head would combust or something.

Adrien sighed as he spun around to walk back to the fountain.

Marinette didn't need to go back to the bakery yet and she really needed to clear her mind, even if that meant avoidance. So maybe she'd walk around Paris. You know, get some fresh air.

. . .

"Why is she still talking to him?" Lila gritted her teeth. "I thought she got the message before, but I guess not." Lila watched as Marinette and Adrien talked in the park. She despised it. She wanted Adrien. She wanted what Marinette had. She was supposed to have him. "Ugh!" Lila kicked over a trashcan. "That's supposed to be me!" She shouted. "What does he see in her?!" She picked up on Adrien's interest in his conversation with Marinette and she hated it. "Why her? What makes her so special and not me? I'm way better. Marinette shouldn't stand a chance and yet Adrien is fawning over her." Lila leaned onto a park bench in front of her with a sinister look. "I'm the one deserving of Adrien's affection. Just you wait, Marinette, you've got another thing coming."