Breaking Free

15) Riddles

Marinette's POV
The next few weeks were... interesting... to say the least. She and Chat had officially been dating for six months, not that anyone knew that, and her classmates were still acting like nut jobs trying to discover she and Adrien's "mystery ships".

Marinette has to admit, she was quite curious about the blond's new girlfriend. Their best guess was still that she was a model or something like that, a coworker or old friend of Adrien's.

Whatever the case, it sounded like this girl made him really happy.

Everyone was stumped as to her boyfriend, though. Everyone was trying to figure out what he looked like, his personality, though no one could come up with any real guesses.

It had turned into the unofficial riddle, like an amendment to the class "Adrinette pool" (yes, Mari knew about it, she forced it out of Alya), and everyone was working nonstop to figure out who their classmates might be dating.

"So..." Adrien brushed up beside her, trying to start a conversation, "as a fellow victim to this new 'invasion of privacy' game, want to give me a hint about you boo?" He asked.

Normally, she would have brushed him off like the rest of her classmates, refusing to say a word, but something about his change of attitude reminded her of something... of someone...

"He looks a bit like you," she blurted before realizing what she was saying. The issue is, when Mari began to think about her boyfriend, she couldn't stop.

Apparently those rules applied to verbal conversations as well.

"He's sweet, charming, an unbelievable dork, and he has the worst sense of humor. He can come off as a bit standoffish or even cocky, but when you get to know him he's one of the most selfless men you'll ever meet. He puts his friends first, and in his eyes... his friends are his family. I don't know what I would do without him. He's my partner." In more than one sense of the word.

"Sorry... I'm rambling..." she finally squeaked, recognizing her rant.

"It's fine." Adrien laughed, "and don't worry, I won't tell the others. He sounds like a really awesome guy, and it sounds like you love him a lot."

"I do." She blushed.

"Will you tell me anything else?"

"Well... if you promise not to tell Alya... he has the most gorgeous green eyes..." She thought about them, how natural yet inhuman they seemed all at once.

"Sort of..." she imagined them, like she had a million times before, outside of the suit, something she didn't even get to see on any of their dates due to his sunglasses.

"Like..." she noticed Adrien's eyes. Just as she had imagined her boyfriend's. Bright, beautiful, full of life, and a certain glimmer she had never seen anywhere else.

"Yours." She gasped.

Could he?

No. There was no way her loveable dorky boyfriend could be her first crush. The one that she spent years pining over, never receiving any attention in return.

But the thought still lingered in the back of her head.

He gave her a confused look, obviously quite lost.

"Sorry. Nothing, I just had a stupid idea. Mind telling me about your new girl?"

He gave her a relaxed smile as he began lighting up about his relationship.

A slight smile tugged at her lips as she considered the prospect of two of the most important boys in her life being one in the same.

That smile quickly faded as she listened to Adrien describe his girlfriend.

Cunning, witty, creative, beautiful. It had to be a model. Of course it was a model.

After all, not even Ladybug could be that lucky.
- • - • - • - • - • - • -
Adrien's POV
"Sorry. Nothing, I just had a stupid idea. Mind telling me about your new girl?"

Mari was so cute when she got excited. It was even more adorable when that thing she got excited about was him.

"Yeah!" He responded, trying to decide just where to begin.

"My girlfriend is one of the most kind and confident girls I've ever met. She lights up my world when I feel like everything is crashing down, and she's incredibly witty and clever. She's creative, selfless, and beautiful. I swear, I could get lost in her eyes. She may have her faults. She can be a bit hardheaded and stubborn, don't get me wrong, but in my eyes she's perfect... I wouldn't change a thing about her."

Adrien didn't notice when Mari's smile deflated, he was so engulfed in his thoughts and memories of her. Each one lighting his heart more than the last.

"She sounds amazing, Adrien," the bluenette softly replied, her eyes slightly downcast, "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks princess, that means a lot coming from you."

He silently cursed as he realized what he just called her, but the girl seemed too lost in thought to even notice. A blessing in disguise.

The two spent the rest of the lunch hour sitting side by side in the courtyard. Adrien wanted nothing more than to wrap his arm around her, kiss her, or just hold her close and remind her that he loved her.

Sadly, that would have to wait for tonight.

"That's my cue, Mari." Adrien stood up the moment the bell rang, "see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow."

Something was definitely wrong. She was acting too... reserved. He knew her expressions by heart, the little things she did when something was on her mind. It didn't take a professional to piece that together.

"Hey, Mari... are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

Yeah right.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Goodbye, Adrien." She calmly yet firmly ended the conversation, swiftly walking away from the model.

First it had been Lila's post, now this. What was going on?