[ marinette ]

Last night was just full of squeals and shrieks and fangirling with no other than Alya.

My parents knew about my adoration - no, wait, scratch that. I meant obsession - for Adrien. They agreed, anyway. So, now, I was waiting for the limousine to pick me up from the bakery, and I had been bouncing my knee up and down like crazy.

Of course, I was nervous. I was going to meet someone I was completely crazy for, but I haven't met them once in my life. I've heard his voice in interviews - and, by God, I swear that he's a walking angel - so, I could probably memorize some of his mannerisms, like the way he swings his head to his right when his hair gets in his eyes, or when he fiddles with his fingers when he's talking. From the points of view from a few of my friends who saw him at least once, they said that Adrien looked and talked and acted way better in person. I was determined to see that myself.

From the glass on the door of the bakery, I see a limo pull up, and a redhead walking out of it. She enters the bakery and walks up to Mama, who was at the counter. "Does Marinette Dupain-Cheng live here?"

"Uh, yeah!", I say - quite nervously, might I add - before I say, "Right here!"

"Follow me, Marinette.", she smiles down at me and takes my wrist softly. I bid goodbye to my parents, my luggage bag in tow, as I get to the limo.

The woman closes the door behind me, and the driver drives off.

"So, as mentioned, you have won 14 days with Adrien Agreste. I'm Chéyenne, by the way, I'm his modelling manager.", she smiles at me warmly, "Do you have any questions before we get there? To the house you'll be living in, I mean."

"Uh, can you elaborate on what's gonna happen in these fourteen days?", I ask her out of curiosity.

"Well, you have Adrien Agreste all to yourself for fourteen days. You'll be living in a mansion on the outskirts of Paris, and there'll be different agendas for some days - like, you'll go to the Catacombs, or the Louvre, or the Seine, depending on the schedule. Some days, you two just spend your time with each other, alone, in the mansion, with no security cameras around to video whatever you two are doing.", at that last statement, she gives me a cheeky wink before continuing, "There's a personal chef that only comes at six in the morning, eleven in the morning, and six in the evening to cook your meals. There are maids that go to the mansion, occasionally, to clean up things. They probably go with the chef at six in the morning. Anyway, that's all I can remember. Any other questions?"

"Um... Will it be just the two of us, alone, in that said mansion?", I ask nervously, squirming in my seat. I was uncomfortable. I barely even knew the guy personally! But then again, he's the love of my life. And then, maybe he's not bad at all? I mean, Nino describes him to be great. Ah, well.

"Yes.", Chéyenne winks cheekily, again. What is with this woman and her imagination?

The limo stops after a few minutes, and we arrive at the mansion. Chéyenne opens the door and we both step out.

"Wow.", was all I could say, looking at the mansion right in front of me. They really made an effort to rent a mansion just for this competition?

"Uh, one more question, Chéyenne.", I say, tapping on her shoulder, "Do I have to pay for any of this?"

"No need, dear. We have sponsors.", she says reassuringly, placing her hand at the small of my back and leading me inside.

Chéyenne leads me to a room that looked like a living room - a really large one, at that - and tells me to wait for Adrien there. I see her step out of the mansion and into the limousine - from the window in the living room - and they drive away.

"So, you're Marinette?"

I jump at the voice from behind me. I turn around and see the one and only, Adrien Agreste, standing right in front of me. In the flesh.

He was taller than I expected him to be.

"Hi, I'm Adrien.", he smiles and waves at me. I was at a loss for words. He really did sound better in person.

Be still, my heart!

Realizing I hadn't said a word to him since we arrived, I raise my hand and give him a little wave. "Um, hello! I, I'm M-Marinette."

See? I'm stammering. This will probably be how it will be from here on out.

"Nice to meet you.", he smiles. Ahh, he's too kind! How am I gonna live like this?

"I, meet nice-- you! I, uh. Heh.", I stammer. "Uh, nice? To m-meet you, too?"

He chuckles at my nervousness. I could listen to his chuckle all day. "You're cute."

Did he just call me cute? Ahh! Someone, pinch me!

He takes a seat on the sofa and pats the space beside him. My heart is beating like crazy in my chest - I might break a rib because of this. I take a seat beside him, crossing my legs as I do so. The tension is so thick between us, not even a measly scissor could cut it.

"Do you go to school?", he asks, breaking the tension.

"Uh, yeah. Yes. Yep. I do.", I nod at him.

"Cool! Which school?", he asks curiously.

"Collège Françoise Dupont.", I answer simply.

"Two of my friends go there, actually. Well, one friend, because my other friend is kind of desperate to be my girlfriend, and I don't like her.", he chuckles - again, that beautiful, heavenly sound fills my ears - when he realizes that he'd been babbling. "That one friend, he's an awesome person. His name is--"

"Yeah. Nino.", I tell him, "He's my best friend's boyfriend."

"Wow. It is a small world after all!", he makes a small reference to the song. I giggle at his lame attempt at singing the instrumental parts of the song.

"How about that one other desperate friend?", I inquire, eager to know. I bet it's Chloé Bourgeois - a girl in my class. But then again, why would they be friends? And yet, there are no other desperate girls that I know of in Collège Françoise Dupont. It must be Chloé.

"Chloé Bourgeois, the Mayor's daughter.", he scoffs. I knew it! "I really don't like how, whenever she sees me, she sticks herself to me like that monkey with detachable arms."

"Well, her face does resemble a monkey.", I joke. I prayed to the heavens that he didn't get offended at the comment I directed to his friend.

Instead, he laughs at my joke. Holy crud, I just made Adrien Agreste laugh! My day could not get any better.

"Don't you go to school?", I ask him when both of our laughters died down.

"I'm homeschooled.", he admits, hanging his head down. He frowns at the thought. "I've never been to school before. I never had friends. Like, real friends, the ones you make in high school. Nino is the closest friend I have, but he rarely goes to my house - mostly because my father doesn't like him."

I stared at his sad features as he said this. I frowned. I thought he had everything - a renowned fashion designer as a father, a big house, popularity, money, and he doesn't even get to go to hell - I mean, school! And yet, he wants to have everything I do. Strange kid.

There was so much more to Adrien Agreste than that model who poses for perfume ads and magazine clothing line promotions. And I wanted to dig deeper into his persona and learn more - not in the creepy way. I just wanted to know him as he is - like I said in my entry.

So, from then on out, I made sure to make small talk to take his mind off those sad thoughts of his. Thankfully, he was laughing and talking comfortably with me - although I was still stammering a bit - in no time.

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[ A/N ]

Eh idek about this chapter??? But the feels tho!! Wkdkjwfjejfjekfje

Also hail me for the early update mwa mwa HAHAHAH

Marinette did not stop her thoughts from flooding in this chapter. "That beautiful, heavenly sound fills my ears" - like, yassssss you go gurl!!

Also, Chéyenne knows what's up hehe ;) nO i hAte hEr shE is tHe wOrsT chAraCter !! elle est une salope !!

Vote and comment if you enjoyed! xx

Stay wonderful. :)

- Pia <3