It's been three weeks since Marinette started her new job. The training went well and the members of the maintenance team that she met so far were friendly. Since she was working on weekdays evenings, the building was almost empty except for the cleaning staff and some designers who preferred to work late. She really appreciated the silence after a long day at the university. Her classes were really interesting, but the campus was huge and full of life. At the dorms, students liked to throw parties and she could barely grasp some quiet time.
.
Tonight, she was assigned to the production and creation floor. She was currently vacuuming the thick carpet of one of the work rooms where designs were left for the night in different steps of completion. She couldn't help but to stop in front of one of the mannequins on which sat a gorgeous coral pink cocktail dress. It seemed almost finished, only missing a few embroideries.
.
Marinette put down the sweeper and touched delicately the fabric of the dress. It was made of silk and it shone slightly in the dim light of the room. She was so absorbed in the contemplation of the dress that she didn't hear footsteps approaching.
.
Someone cleared their throat and Marinette jumped and squeaked, startled. With her unfortunate clumsiness, she knocked the mannequin down with her hip while suddenly turning toward the sound she heard. It crashed right on the nearby desk, knocking over a bowl full of pins.
.
"Oh my god!" she screamed.
.
She promptly picked up the fallen mannequin and put it back in place, making sure no damage was done to the dress.
.
"Oh god I'm so..."
.
The last word died on her tongue when her eyes met green ones. Surprised, she took two steps back and looked at the man standing in front of her. He seemed to be the same age as Marinette, was tall, had blond slightly tousled hair and was grinning, holding in a laugh. His eyebrows were raised in a surprised expression and his eyes were shining from amusement. His broad shoulders where hugged by a charcoal tailored suit jacket. He didn't wear a tie though, and the two first buttons of his green shirt were undone, showing a bit of his skin. His look was completed with a pair of fitted charcoal pants and neatly polished shoes. He was really handsome. No, he was gorgeous.
.
The young woman felt her cheeks getting hot, blushing from embarrassment.
.
"I... I... Hum... Sorry?..." she stuttered, while trying to put back the scattered pins in the bowl.
.
The man smiled and crouched to pick up a ribbon that had fell from the mannequin. He handed it to Marinette who looked at it without picking it right away.
.
"Hi! I'm Adrien!" he said. "I don't think I've seen you here before."
"H-Hi... my name is Ma-Marinette. I'm new here..." she responded, finally picking the ribbon from his hand. Their fingers brushed slightly and Marinette blushed even more. She slowly looked up to meet his eyes.
.
"Marinette... I think I've heard your name before..." He looked at her more intently. She thought she would melt under his gaze.
.
"I..." She cleared her throat. "I think I was hired here b-because of you." she answered, her fingers fidgeting with the ribbon.
.
His face suddenly lit up.
"Oh! You're the girl my buddy Nino asked me to help get in the company! You're his girlfriend's best friend, right?"
"That's me!" She cringed internally at the way her voice was high pitched when she was nervous.
"Well, nice to finally meet you, Marinette." Adrien said, extending his arm for a hand shake.
.
She shook his hand, which was warm and soft while hers was cold and shaking a bit.
.
He smiled again at her. "I won't hold you back any longer. I don't want you to be late on your schedule because of me. See you around?"
.
She smiled and nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment. Adrien waved and walked out of the room. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She grunted, awfully embarrassed that her clumsiness was the first thing the renowned model Adrien Agreste saw of her. That was pure Marinette Dupain-Cheng luck.
.
After finishing her shift at work, Marinette went back home, exhausted. She was glad to see that the room was empty tonight. Rose probably decided to spend the night at her girlfriend's apartment. She met Juleka once, and she seemed very nice. She was happy for her roommate.
.
She took a long hot shower, washing away the stress of the day. She put on her most comfy pyjama and laid down on her bed with the novel she was reading these days. After reading the same page three times, she groaned and dropped the open book on her face. All she could think of was green eyes and blond hair. She had to admit that seeing Adrien Agreste in person was something. He was even more handsome than his pictures in the magazines. And he seemed like a very nice guy. When she knocked the mannequin down, she was sure he would get mad, maybe even yell at her. But he actually acted as if nothing happened, smiling and even helping her.
.
Marinette sighed. She jumped when she felt her cellphone vibrating on her lap. She picked it up to see who was texting her so late.
.
*Alya*: Hey girl! You up?
~Mari~: Yup! Having a good day?
*Alya*: Yeah! Sooooooo... Somebody told me you met your boss' son today? ;)
~Mari~: Wait what? How did you know?
*Alya*: I have exclusive sources, you know.
~Mari~: Wait... Nino? How did he know? Wait. Adrien told him? What did he say? Oh god...
*Alya*: LOL calm down girl! He just texted to tell him he met you today at work and that you seemed really nice.
*Alya*: So, tell me, is he hot? ;)
~Mari~: Oh god yes... But, you know me, I HAD to make a fool of myself in front of him. Hello first impression... ugh!
*Alya*: Let me guess. Your clumsiness stroke again? XD
~Mari~: Geez, how did you know?...
*Alya*: Just a hunch. And what did you do this time?
~Mari~: Oh, you know, nothing much. I just casually knocked down a mannequin. On which was a designer's dress. A SILK dress nonetheless. And a bowl full of pins. So he could try to walk on one and stab his foot. The usual stuff.
*Alya*: What? No... Oh Mari... You'll never change...
~Mari~: Yeah, I know. I love to look like a fool and make people laugh. What is self-esteem again?
*Alya*: Well it's a good way to be remembered!
~Mari~: Ha. Ha. So funny.
*Alya*: Come on girl, it's not that bad. I'm sure Adrien thought you were cute. Nino told me the guy's sweet as honey. He would never be mean or avoid you on purpose even if you're a walking safety hazard.
~Mari~: Yeah, he was nice... Even helped me picking up some things. But I'm still so embarrassed...
*Alya*: A good night of sleep and a strong hot coffee in the morning should make things better.
~Mari~: Yeah, I guess you're right... Talk to you soon!
*Alya*: Of course! I miss you Mari.
~Mari~: Miss you too, Al. Bye!
.
Marinette sighed and leaned back on her bed. She fell asleep thinking of bright green eyes.