Part 6: A Date?
Ashley, Adrien, Marinette and Nathan reached the stage area. They were invited backstage by the stage crews. Nathan was somewhat nervous because he was just a friend. A number of stage crews greeted Ashley as they passed by. They soon caughy sight of Katherine. She greeted them outside the changing room.
"So glad you could make it!" she said, excited. "He's currently changing to his next outfit."
"I came here to check on it," Marinette said, winking.
Katherine nodded. Adrien turned to Nathan and Ashley.
"Why don't you two go look at the funfair and while you're at it, you can share more details about the project with him," he suggested to his cousin.
"You really are up to something…" Ashley mumbled, annoyed.
"I trust you can keep her company?" Adrien turned to Nathanael.
The redhead took a glance at the girl before replying, "Uh, sure. I can do that," he said.
Ashley looked up at him. He flashed an awkward smile. "Shall we?" he gestured her to the exit.
"I guess.." she hesitated.
They felt somewhat embarrassed at the situation. This was the second time they were left alone, just the two of them. Nathanael and Ashley walked around the funfair. The girl suddenly stopped when they walked by the merry-go-round. The boy stood beside her, full of wonder.
"I've only been on it once when I was 10 years old," she muttered.
"Do you want to get on? We can line up," he offered.
She turned to look at him. "Can I really?" she asked.
Nathan smiled and nodded. He walked up to the long line. Ashley followed suit. The caretaker of the ride recognized her. He offered her to go ahead of the others but she refused. She was having fun lining up together with Nathanael. Nathan was stealing glances of her from time to time. Soon their turn came.
"I'll take this horse," Ashley said, patting on the metal horse's back.
Nathan nodded. He could see the excitement in her eyes. He took the one next to her. The ride started. Nathan took out his phone and stole some photos of her. He wanted to have many references for his future arts.
Nathan got down from the ride. He offered his hand to Ashley. The girl blinked before she understood why. She placed her hand in his and slowly got down from the horse. She glanced up at Nathan. Realizing that her hand was still in his, they both pulled away immediately. A visible pink was seen on Ashley's cheeks.
"Sorry about that," he apologized.
She shook her head rapidly. "Thanks.." she mumbled.
She started walking ahead. Nathanael followed her. It started to become even more crowded. Ashley was pushed around by the other visitors. As they kept pushing her, she ended up very close to Nathan. She abruptly held his arm to avoid falling down or getting separated. Nathan took a glimpse at her. He felt bad for her struggle to keep up with him.
"Let's go sit down. There's a bench over there," he pointed at an empty bench on the side of the street.
"Don't you want to enjoy the funfair?" she asked.
Nathan shook his head once. "Let's get you to the bench and I'll buy us something to snack on," he insisted.
Ashley sat down. She looked up at Nathanael who was smiling at her. Her eyes sparkled. She did not realize that he can be reliable.
"I'll be right back," she said.
She nodded once, still astounded by his considerate gesture. Nathan disappeared into the crowd. Ashley started to look at her phone. She received a message from Alix. It was a photo of her holding Nathan's arm in the crowd just now. Her face turned red out of embarrassment. The pink haired girl appeared in front of her. She almost toppled backward out of the surprise.
"You guys make such a cute couple," Alix cooed.
"We're just friends…" Ashley mumbled.
"Are you sure?" Alix asked, sitting down beside the girl, "He seems to take an interest in you. Nathan is not the kind of person who would join this kind of event."
"I see… I didn't know," the orange haired replied.
"Now you do~" Alix muttered, giggling.
Ashley blinked confusedly at Alix. Alix turned to look at her with a big grin. Nathan made an appearance with a caramelized apple and two drinks.
"Oh, hey Alix. How was the assignment?" he asked while handling Ashley the snack.
"The lecturer will grade it tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes," she replied, standing up.
The boy blinked at her. She shut her right eye, and her left eye was looking at Ashley.
"Welp, I don't wanna bother your date~" she chirped and then skipped away, leaving the two furiously embarrassed.
Ashley ate her snack quietly. Nathan sipped on his drink from time to time. They kept their eyes on the crowd in front of them. The girl took a glimpse at the boy. He could feel her brief stare, which made him feel a bit nervous.
"Thank you for buying the snack and this drink," she said to him.
"A pleasure," he said.
"Shall we keep walking again?" she asked.
He nodded. "Sure."
They started their stroll to the next section of the funfair. There were a few booths with mini games and stalls selling more food and souvenirs. The girl stopped by a few of them, tried a few mini games but lost and she picked up some churros, which was a rare find in a funfair in Paris, France. She started to munch on it.
"Step right up and win yourself a video game, stuffed dolls or a keychain!" a mini game booth called out.
Ashley and Nathan stopped by. It was a simple dart game where you have to pop the balloons with a dart. The prize is determined by how many balloons you have popped.
"Do you want to play?" the booth manager asked.
Ashley looked at Nathan as she munched on her churros. She nodded to him as support. He shrugged and paid for one round. He was given 4 darts. Nathanael was not good at the game, but he would like to do something to impress her. He started to throw each of the darts. He managed to pop 2 balloons. The booth manager asked him to choose a prize from a variety of: keychains, a few handmade bracelets and palm sized stuffed dolls. He picked a handmade bracelet. It was made from threads, braided together. It looked like a rainbow. He showed it to Ashley. Her eyes widened. She was in awe.
"A fine gift for the lady," the booth manager commented.
"May I put it on?" he asked.
"S-Sure…" she answered nervously, holding up her left hand.
He slipped the bracelet onto her left wrist. She looked really happy to receive the gift. He heaved a sigh of relief, glad that she accepted it.
"Thank you. It's pretty," she said, smiling.
He nodded to her. "It suits you," he remarked.
"There you two are!" a voice was heard from behind.
They froze at their spot. It was Marinette and Adrien. They were smiling at the two's reaction.
"Did you have fun on your date?" Adrien teased.
"I thought something was up!" the cousin exclaimed.
She started to hit her cousin. Of course, they were just gentle slaps and punches. Adrien kept on laughing at her reaction. Marinette was smiling. Nathan heaved a sigh, unsure of how to react.
"Thank you for keeping her company. I trust you had fun?" Marinette asked him.
"Y-Yeah. Time well-spent," Nathan replied. "Thanks for the opportunity."
"Now, I suggest you ask her on a proper date soon," Marinette said.
"I hope to do that as well," Nathan confessed.
"Good to know," Marinette smiled at his reply.
Ashley stomped her way to the concert. Adrien kept on trying to apologize to her but nothing seems to work. The 3rd session of the concert had started. With their VIP passes, they were allowed to cut lines and stand closest to the stage. Ashley decided to join Katherine backstage. She was exhausted from being angry at Adrien. Katherine handed her a bottle of plain water.
"Thank you," she said, quickly drinking it.
"How was the date?" Katherine teased.
"Not you too!" the girl groaned, earning a giggle from Katherine.
In the midst of the concert, Nathan caught sight of Ashley talking with a few of the stage crews. He could not help but be mesmerized once again at her gracefulness and her sweet smile.
Adrien leaned in and whispered, "Ask her out soon, okay?"
Nathan faintly blushed at the thought of it, but he really would like to spend more time with her, but not just for the project they were working on, but for more than that.