Himawari never thought that walking home from Le Grand Hotel can be this far away. Every step she takes feels so heavy like she does not want to leave at all. It's hard for her to imagine Chloe's current position and her stand on the situation. Does she really want to be married off like that? Or she just accepts it because that's what her parents want her to do. The raven head can't believe that these types of parents exist, one that will do everything to gain fame and power, even if it means sacrificing their own children. Just the thought of it makes her stomach turns.
Disgusting…
Luka who has been by her side this whole time can feel the strong, negative vibe around the young girl. Her lovely inner tune is no longer bright and bubbly, but instead, a sad and melancholic one. He understands how she feels right now, they both have gone through the same problem related to their parents, but Chloe? He doesn't even know how to describe the situation anymore. She may be a spoiled blonde, but to be put in that kind of situation is unbelievable.
Thinking about it is one thing, Luka doesn't like it when Himawari is feeling down. He wants to cheer her up, or at least, make her smile. So instead of going home, he holds her hand and makes a detour to Andre's ice cream stand, knowing that some sweetness will definitely bring that smile to her face. It's very easy for him to take Himawari to the ice cream place, especially when she is too focused on her inner dialogue that she will follow him without any question.
"Well, hello there. What a lovely couple you guys are." Andre's voice rings through her ears and the young girl snaps back to reality, where she is welcomed by his kind smile and the warmth of Luka's hand "Now, let me see… Vanilla for your fair skin, mint chocolate for the young lad's eyes and blueberry for your beautiful eyes."
Himawari stares at the ice cream cone she receives from Andre, a blush adorns her lovely face and she says thank you to the ice cream man before they find a great spot to share the sweet treat together. As the cold, sweet blueberry flavor touches her tongue, all her worries just magically disappear, leaving a satisfied smile on her pink lips.
"You like it?"
"I do. Thank you so much, Luka!"
The young pair enjoy their ice cream, and the beautiful sight of the Seine River and it seems like the whole universe is working in their favor as a lovely, romantic tune is played in the background. Himawari is surprised, she can clearly hear the soft melody playing somewhere but she has no time to try and find it. Her amethyst eyes lock onto the teal orbs that are staring at her.
A hint of fondness, so tender and kind…
So loving…
She can feel Luka's big, calloused palm covers her own, and their fingers laced onto each other, enjoying the warmth. Himawari smiles softly, she can feel her face heat up from the closeness and the way he looks at her. As she shyly averts her eyes, his other hand surges up and holds onto her chin, guiding those beautiful amethyst orbs back to him.
The way her eyes shine brightly when she looks at him makes his heart swell. He has never felt like this, the fluffy bubbly feeling in his heart only grows stronger with each and every single moment he spends with her.
Gosh… She is so beautiful…
The sunlight shining onto her makes the soft blush on her face more visible, it would be a lie if he said he doesn't want to hide her away from everyone, to keep her for himself. Luka smiles, his hand moving from her chin to her cheek, caressing it softly. Himawari closes her eyes when she feels his lips on her forehead, then her eyes, then on her cheeks. Every kiss lit a small fire inside of her.
He pulls back a bit and looks at her, searching for any sign of denial but no. The only thing he can see is how her amethyst eyes stare at him, longing… Himawari wants this…
Is he not going to do it?
Does she know how much I adore her?
She holds onto his hand tightly, eyes close as she leans in a bit, just enough to encourage him to do the same. His thumb is on her lips, brushing lightly before he leans in, so close that he can feel her soft breath on his skin.
Just a little bit more…
A little bit more…
It seems like everything is going according to plan, if they are not, once again, interrupted by a loud cheer behind them. Himawari jumps as she looks behind her, only to see a lovely lady accepting a ring from her love. The raven head stares at them a bit, realizing that is the source of the background melody. She slowly pulls back, her face is as red as a tomato. And here she thought that the timing is too perfect, the scene, the music, the atmosphere…
Not again…
Luka sighs heavily, as much as he wants to congratulate the newly engaged couple, he just wants to curse under his breath. This is the third time already…
Damn it!
Running his hand through his hair, Luka turns away, trying to calm his mind down. Ignoring the background cheering, he stands up and helps Himawari to do the same. They walk home hand in hand without saying anything, either feeling too embarrassed or too disappointed to even talk to each other.
As they arrive at Himawari's house, Luka sighs one more time as he lets go of her hand. He misses her warm already…
"Good night, Luka…"
"Yeah, good night." he replies before turning around and taking his leave.
Himawari's eyes are still glued to his back before she lets out a big, disappointed sigh when he disappears around the corner. She hates this, she hates this hanging feeling. Everything was too perfect and yet, they could not…
Her aunt looks at her, surprised to see how gloomy she is. Cecile tries to ask if she wants to eat dinner or not but the raven head decline, telling her she is not feeling well. The young woman watches her niece as she takes each heavy step up to her room, a loud thump can be heard upstairs as Himawari flops onto her bed.
"What's wrong with that girl?"
Himawari's face turns bright red again when she remembers what happened between them, it's so embarrassing.
I hate this…
While Himawari spends another sleepless night, somewhere in Paris, butler Jean is comforting a crying blonde. He holds her close and rubs her back softly, the way a father does when his child is in pain.
"Lady Chloe…"
He sighs, feeling her grip on his shirt tightens as each second passes by. Whatever happened today really had a big toll on the poor blonde.
When he heard about the news, he could not believe it. At the age of 15, Chloe's parents unanimously decide that 'it is the best for her' to move in with her soon-to-be fiance. They have acquired legal documents for their daughter's marriage and the official date will be announced this weekend.
How cruel…
And here he has thought that maybe, just maybe, her father will step in to protect his daughter, but no. Andre is either feeling intimidated by his wife or is blinded by the fame and fortune he will get in the future. Audrey has single-handedly orchestrated the whole marriage arrangement without telling anyone. When Chloe found out about this, it was already too late.
The butler also finds it odd that no one is standing up for his beloved young lady, but Chloe tells him that it does not matter anymore because no one likes her, and thus, no one wants to help her. He even asks her if young master Adrien knows anything about this and she just shakes her head, telling him not to bother the blonde.
Jean Paul is upset, he is upset because he can not do anything but just stand there and watch the cruel way her parents are treating her, using the poor girl as a tool to gain more fame and power. The more he thinks about it, the more his blood boils.
If he has a kid, he will never let them shed a single tear…
There has to be another way, right…?
Somehow, in some way, Jean Paul promises to himself and his young lady that he will get her out of this mess…
Fast forward to the next day, Himawari is on her way to school where she is greeted by both Kagami and Adrien. They are both sitting in the Agreste family's car and asking if she wants a ride. The raven head is surprised at first and before she can answer, Kagami has pulled her in and now, she is sitting inside the car with both of them.
They are casually talking about the school's assignment, how difficult the chemistry homework is and how things are going between Adrien and Marinette. Despite being all lovey-dovey with each other, whenever these two are alone, it seems like none of them can handle the teasing from their friends. Kagami smirks when her blonde friend's face is as red as a tomato, trying to answer their questions and failing miserably when the two girls combine their power to tease him.
"Oh Adrien, you really are a lost case…" Himawari giggles behind her palm.
"Well, that's what you get when you put two socially awkward people together." Kagami sends him a smug smile "So, Adrien, how is your proposal gonna look like?"
"K-Kagami!"
As they are laughing nonstop in the car, they drive past Le Grand Paris and Himawari spots the familiar blond stepping into a rather strange car, not the one they use to see her in. She seems to notice Adrien's car and for a second, the raven head swears she can see Chloe's attempt to hold her hand up like she wants to call them.
"Hm, so that is the car…"
"Kagami?"
"Adrien, have you heard anything from her?"
The blonde boy turns his attention to Kagami, and silently asks his friend if it's okay to talk about this. When he receives a nod from his fencing partner, he sighs and pulls out an invitation sent by the mayor himself.
"House Agreste is invited to the party, but, you know…"
"Have you heard anything from Chloe?" the raven head asks.
"No, Chloe did not say anything. She doesn't oppose the arrangement." he lets out another deep sigh "To be honest, I don't know what she is thinking. But from the look on her face, I can assume that she doesn't want this at all…"
"Then we should talk to her, maybe she will tell us something…"
"I tried that already, but she just shook her head and ignored me."
So she is trying to hide this…
"Will you come to the event?" Kagami turns her attention to the blonde "And will your parents come too?"
"My dad asks me to invite Marinette, he wants to stay at home and take care of Natalie since she's close to her labor day." Adrien looks at the invitation "But I don't know if I should come or not."
"My mom told me the same thing." his fencing partner responds "How about you invite Himawari instead? I can bring Luka with me to the event."
They both stare at her as if she just grows another head. Inviting Himawari and Luka to the event as their partner?
"I-I mean, yeah?" Adrien scratches the back of his neck "If you want to, Himawari."
"I will think about it. Thank you, Adrien."