4 years later...
It was a beautiful, sunny day in Paris.
Marinette smiled on this perfect day on her walk from college. She was on her way to Bridgette's new place for lunch, see how it was doing on its opening day. After 4 years of working in a chocolatier and a few odd jobs to save up, Bridgette finally set up her cafe, christened 'Lucky Red.'
The cousins were always close as sisters, but in the last four years, their bond deepened to the point that they practically depend on each other. They held onto each other. And never let go. Now they live together above Lucky Red. While Bridgette managed her cafe, Marinette attend fashion college and an internship with Gabriel Agreste.
Marinette walked down the street, blissfully unaware of the stares men was giving her.
That wasn't surprising, as she had grown into a beautiful young woman at 20 years old. Her hair shone in a neat bun. Her body, tall yet still petite and slender. Flawless skin with cute freckles. She was wearing a creation of hers. A light-pink dress with short sleeves, black bell sleeves coming out from underneath, and a black collar, long and sharp. Her signature floral design imprinted on the bottom hem. The ensemble was paired with tall black boots, a black belt with gold buckle around her tiny waist, and a deep-pink kooky-designed messenger bag, secretly carrying Tikki inside. She had also got her ears double pierced so she can wear other earrings as well as her miraculous, which were dangling pink and silver blossom earrings.
Men stopped their working and just stood still like statues gawking at her. A bashful florist even gave her a white rose for free. She sniffed the rose in her hands, then placed it in her bun.
Across the street, a man came out of a cheese shop, carrying two large wheels of Camembert under his arms.
"Geez, Plagg, how much cheese can you-"
He stopped mid-rant when he saw Marinette walking on the street opposite to him. Like every other man, he was in awe of her.
"Wow..." But he noticed something about her. "Wait. It can't be..."
His eyes widened. Quickly, he saddled a black motorcycle, put away the cheese wheels, put on his helmet and followed Marinette before she disappears from view.
Bridgette Cheng felt really proud of herself.
She had opened her cafe after years of dreams and pain and hard work, her cousin had grown strong from the heartbreak, their futures seemed secure.
Her cafe was perfect.
Painted deep red at the front with a black plated sign saying, 'Lucky Red' in gold. A smooth, circular shape of the front and inside. 6 tall windows with black curly frames. A white table for two by each window, two tables for four in the centre of the cafe, and a row of sofa tables at the back. The floor, a polished cream wood. A counter of glass-framed treats and a window behind viewing her kitchen. The only way to get upstairs to her and Marinette's living quarters was through the kitchen. The walls were painted white with a simple display of a ladybug flying around leaving a trail of red-pink dots. Each wall had a certain creature. A black cat, a bee, a fox, a butterfly, a peacock and a turtle, made by Marinette's artist friend.
"You should have more ladybugs, or a Ladybug mural or a-!"
Bridgette had to interrupt. "Not everything has to about Ladybug. That'll just be cheapening it."
If she had to listen to anymore Ladybug praise, she'll kick Marinette's best friend out the door, never minding of the consequences.
Alya was quiet for a moment until she shrugged. "You're right. This is much prettier."
She went back to taking pictures for her blog. Like Marinette, Alya had grown up. Studying journalism, still running the acclaimed Ladyblog, still having no idea her best friend was Ladybug.
She now possessed a very voluptuous body, wider hips and bigger chest. Her wavy hair was cut short between her chin and shoulders, most of her hair brushed to the left, giving her waves more volume. She was wearing tight black jeans with ripped knees, grey pumps, and a dark-orange jumper. It was knitted of heavy wool but hugged her form nicely. Thick criss-cross braids ran up her stomach and short sleeves clung to her shoulders. Around her neck hung a silver necklace with a white fox tail pendant.
The door flew open, the handle rattled by a force. A blonde woman had barged in, pushing through Marinette and Alya without a warning.
"Out of the way!"
The girls glared at whoever rudely pushed them and recognised her.
"Chloe?"
"Excuse me!" Chloe slammed her manicured hands on the white polished counter, surprising Bridgette. "I'm in a hurry! I need your honey caramels and chocolate honeycombs please, now!"
The fact she actually said 'please' stunned the younger girls but only slightly. In the last few years, Chloe cleaned up her vicious act and became nicer, almost as sweet as honey.
"How much?"
"Just give me enough to last the day!"
She still possessed her sharp tongue.
"What's got you in a rush?" Alya asked.
"None of your business!" Chloe snapped.
"She was only asking!" Marinette defended.
"I'm only answering!"
"Girls, behave." Bridgette told the three of then sternly. She gathered a lot of honey caramels and chocolate honeycombs, just like the blonde ordered, placed on top of pink crepe paper in two red boxes. "How is your father, Chloe?"
"He's doing well. He can write with his right arm again."
"That's good."
As soon as Bridgette finished tying gold ribbons into bows, Chloe snatched the boxes and slammed down a fifty before her.
"Keep the change!" She ran out the door while eating a honeycomb. "Mmmm, this is so good!"
5 minutes later, Alya's phone binged.
"Hey, look! Queen Bee is spotted by the Louvre!"
Marinette nodded, secretly knowing it was Queen Bee's turn for patrol.
And Bridgette had a knowing look in her eye.
"Marinette? Is that you?"
Marienette turned around and gasped. Her pink face washed away to a horrified white. She looked as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Adrien?!"
Close enough.
Adrien was standing there at the door, in the flesh. As if it was impossibly possible, he was 10 times more handsome. He was taller, muscular, with broad shoulders and strong abs. His face lost the baby fat for sharper features. Golden hair no longer spiky, now the layers were cut short, with long floppy bangs over the right of his gleaming green eyes. He wore a suave black leather jacket, a grey shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. A shiny black cat shaped motorcycle helmet tucked under his arm.
In one word, he was hot.
He appeared to be very happy to see her as he walked in, then he stopped directing in front of her. His grin took up his perfect face.
"Wow, I haven't seen you since graduation. You look amazing!"
He towered over her, dwarfing her.
She cringed. "Um...thanks?"
He also noticed Alya. "Hey Alya! I want to say you look great too but Nino will kill me."
Alya waved him off with a playful smile.
Marinette, on the other hand, folded her arms and purses her lips while she silently panicked. She felt like a glass clock being shook violently, all her fragile nuts and bolts bursting out of order.
After he rejected her and broke her heart, she followed her cousin's advice and avoided him like the plague for the rest of her school days. He gave her space and rarely approach her. Then after graduation, they never saw each other again.
It worked until now.
Bridgette glared at Adrien from behind the counter, hunched and crouched as much as a tiger ready to pounce. She wished for him to do something, anything so she can have an excuse to kick his ass out.
Unfortunately, a call from a table pulled her away. She gave off one last warning glare to the blissfully oblivious man before walking away.
Marinette shyly sunk in her chair. Adrien kept talking, leaning in, evading her space, acting so interested in her. He was only making her more uncomfortable by each passing second.
Pain shot through her right arm. She gripped it.
"Um, it's nice to nice you too. But I, uh, I have to go." She almost pleaded through clenched teeth as her lips were forced in an uneasy grin. Her hands clutched the chair so firmly, her knuckled turned white.
"Yeah, me too. More modelling. Can I come back to see you so we can catch up?"
Marinette wanted to lie but Alya told the truth.
"She's always here. This is her cousin's place."
"Alya!"
"She goes to that fashion college on the east side, and she's interning for your dad."
"Alya!"
Adrien beamed. "Great! Awesome to see you again, Mari!"
He hurried out and got onto his motorcycle, winked at Marientte just before putting on his helmet, and then drove off.
Marinette's jaw dropped. Her eyes wide as china saucers. Her brain frazzled, trying to process what happened.
Adrien, Adrien, Adrien, Adrien...
Alya, on the other hand, was pleased with herself, along with another Ladyblog alert.
"Ooohhhh, Queen Bee is spotted at the Palace of Versailles with P-"
Completely irritated with her best friend, Marinette slapped her phone down.
"Forget that! Alya, why did you do that?"
"I was only helping you. He's obviously interested in you, girl. Totally smitten."
"He wasn't 4 years ago..."
Vivid memories played. The pain pierced throughout her body more violently. The memories of what she had done for him and what she got from him in return was too much. So much time wasted on a lousy broken heart. Marinette but her lip and clutched her hurting right arm. Her body was shaking. A little whimper escaped from her mouth and her eyes begun to tear up.
"I can't go back to that!" She cried, causing heads to turn, all eyes on her. "I just can't! I won't! Never again!"
Alya realised her mistake. "I'm sorry, girl, I don't mean to, I thought I was helping, calm down!"
Suddenly, Bridgette swooped in, a heroine to the rescue, grabbed her cousin gently by the shoulders, soothing calming words.
"Take it easy, cuz. I'm here. I'm here."
Marinette ceased her panic. She dropped her head against her cousin's chest, basking in her protection.
Bridgette sighed, then shot Alya a sharp look. "Alya, you can't force her into something she doesn't want to. Weren't you there for her at all? Sometimes I wonder how are you still friends with her when you obviously don't understand what she's been through."
Alya just stood there, as a child scolded and feeling guilty. She set her hand on chest, on top of her necklace's pendant. Her hand made its way into her bag, settled on a table, curled around something inside.
Meanwhile, Bridgette pulled Marinette into the kitchen, made her sit down, and gave her a glass of water.
Marinette breathed heavily. Then she spoke quite hoarsely. "I won't take him back, Bridgette. I won't!"
"I know you won't." Bridgette patted her shoulder. "Don't listen to him or Alya. It's probably a one-time thing. He won't come back." She turned away, whispering softly. "Hopefully."
However, despite the arcing pain, Marinette felt a twitch at her heart at the mention of Adrien.
He did come back.
And he kept coming and coming.
And if that wasn't enough, he 'ran into her' at work.
When he asked her out for dinner, she squeaked, gripped her right arm and fled like she escaped the devil.
Adrien just couldn't take the hint.
Just like he followed her at work, he followed her from work to home!
Every day he had been following her.
Every. Single. Day.
"Marinette!"
He called to her just as she reached her college. Suddenly the morning sleepiness evaporated and she ran right into the building. Adrien lost sight of her when he was surrounded by giggling girls and flashing camera phones.
"Marinette, wait!"
Marinette ran right inside Lucky Red, Adrien hot on her heels.
He followed her in but accidentally crashed into Bridgette, making her drop the trays of delicious food she was carrying. China plates smashed, silverware clacked, food splattered, drinks spilt, the floor was a terrible mess. A fragile silence fell.
Adrien laid on the floor, scared of Bridgette's reaction. The older woman stared down on the floor. Not a word.
After a still moment, she rose her head, a furious scowl written across her face, turning orange and red.
Adrien cowered under her glare.
Then he found himself thrown out of the small cafe, a heel print embedded in his ass.
After that, he followed her from work. This time, they were power walking to avoid crashing into Bridgette while working.
Bridgette waited at the door for Marinette. When she was near, Bridgette grabbed hold of her, pulled her inside and shut the door, making Adrien run into it.
One time, he snuck inside during closing time.
He slipped in before the door was closed by her. He reached out to touch her shoulder, just like he used to when they were young and innocent and ignorant. He missed their time together. After he turned her down, she could no longer tolerate being in the same room as him. He wanted to go back to those happy times. He wanted to make it up to her.
He wanted her back.
"Marinette..."
"What are you doing here?!"
Oops. Wrong Cheng. Instead, it was a very angry Bridgette.
But honestly, she looked like Marinette from behind in the dark.
"No strays!"
She kicked him out again. A fresh new heel print on his buttocks.
"He won't leave me alone, Bridgette! What should I do?"
"Get a restraining order against him if he doesn't stop."
"He's my boss's son! I can't do that!"
"Marinette, you can't let him walk over you. Here." Bridgette handed her a tray of food. "Take this to table 3."
Marinette rolled her eyes but nonetheless went to drop off the order. The number of customers have increased since Adrien first came in. That and word of Bridgette's famous cooking spread like wildfire.
The doorbell ringed.
"Bonjour, Mayor Bourgeois, Chloe."
"Hi Bridgette!"
Chloe, like Adrien, has been coming to Lucky Red every day but only for Bridgette. No doubt she was Bridgette's best customer.
"Easy, papa."
The young woman helped her father sit down in a table by a window. The old man shifted around, careful of his left arm in a blue sling.
"Chloe has been telling me all about your cafe. I heard you make the best beignets after the Dupain-Cheng patisserie."
Bridgette smiled with confidence. "I do more than bake." She placed a plate of sugar sprinkled beignets before him. The sweet smell of the baked goods was enough to make the mayor drool like a hungry dog. "But I've got a fresh batch waiting for you."
"Well keep them coming until I pass out."
"And here's your usual, Chloe."
Bridgette gave Chloe two red boxes of honey caramels and chocolate honeycombs, just what she always ordered. Chloe thanked her. Once Bridgette turned her back, Chloe looked around and slipped some honey caramels into her Gucci handbag.
"He's doing this out of guilt, I know it." Marinette was saying to Alya over the phone as she walked around, helping with dropping orders off.
As if the chasing wasn't enough, he even sent her flowers, which were all white roses. Like the one in her hair. She put them all in round light-pink vases as decoration in the cafe.
"He had set me up with Nino, for God sake! Even if he didn't reject me, he wouldn't notice me unless I was clad in a red polka dotted spandex suit! Just like everyone else in this city." She hissed the last part. "I gotta go, bye."
She bid goodbye to Bridgette and almost made it out the door.
Almost.
"Hold it right there, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"
Marinette's outstretched band barely touched the doorknob as Chloe stood from her chair.
Chloe became quite tall and slim, like a runway model. Her blonde hair was longer and hanging loose, a golden haircomb placed neatly at the back of her head. She wore plenty of makeup as always and designer clothes. A short white romper with a black stripe on the ends, a heavy white cardigan of luxurious fluff, and black stilettos. A pair of shiny black sunglasses perched on her head. Big gold hoop earrings in her ears, a thick gold cuff with a purple/blue/green design of a peacock on it on her right wrist, and a gold ring with a ruby designed after a ladybug on her left hand.
Marinette groaned but turned around anyway. "Yes, Chloe?"
Chloe made that pout of hers, the one where her light pink lips were in a tight line, her blue eyes narrowed more and her arms crossed, and her sharp-manicured hands pointed to Marinette.
"You need to stop stringing Adrien along."
Marinette raised a brow. "I'm whating who along?"
"Don't act dumb! Adrien is moping around because you keep turning him down for one little thing four years ago! Can't you just forgive him and go out with him already?"
"I don't want to go out with him."
"What had happened has happened. Nothing we can do about it. All we can do is move on and live our lives."
"I am living my life."
"No, Marinette. You're living in denial. Quite acting like you're the victim here. Adrien is hurting too."
It almost scared Marinette how wise and mature she was. She cleaned up her act after her father was almost assassinated three years ago. It scared the evil out of her.
Marinette felt her scar pulsed, pain shooting up.
"Four years ago, you were delighted he rejected me and reminded me daily."
"I did...until I met your cousin."
Chloe cringed and Marinette smirked. Bridgette was the much needed discipline figure in the blonde's life. Bridgette wasn't gonna let a spoilt brat pick on her vulnerable cousin.
"Adrien is like a brother to me. I only ever wanted his attention."
"Well I don't want his attention. Maybe you can tell him that since he clearly doesn't listen to me. Now if you can excuse me, I have to get to work."
Marinette turned and walked away, leaving Chloe standing, not very pleased with how their discussion ended. The blonde shook her head disapprovingly.
"Oh, Marinette...If only it was that easy. You have no idea what you're in for."