"Girl, I can't believe you fell back asleep if you were already up that early. Actually, scratch that. Of course you fell back to sleep, it is you we're talking about!" Alya said as she rolled her eyes. By now, everyone was well used to my antics. Most of the class had even placed bets on how late I would be and how outrageous the excuse would be this time. Adrien even got in on the betting apparently as he now owes Alya 25 bucks and she's not letting it go. "But still, you shoulda called me, I coulda kept ya awake!"
"I know, but I honestly thought I'd be able to stay awake." I grumbled. Yes I am, in fact, still salty about the lunchtime detention. I mean who wants to spend their lunch hour with a teacher, sitting in silence? It really seems a little excessive in my opinion.
"What had you awake that early anyways? Usually, you're up way late at night and then basically dead to the world until right before class starts" She gives me her patented side eye look as we head down the steps in front of the school to meet the boys. "Were you dreaming of a certain green eyed, blonde haired 'god'?" She used her fingers to make quotation marks, teasing me about accidentally calling him a god to his face that one time, and wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively. "Give me all the juicy deets girl." Panic instantly flooded my system at her description as it brought the memory of the nightmare to the forefront of my mind. Her description wasn't really all that far off.
"Oh…" I started to nervously reply as I tried to think of something to say that was anything but the truth. "Well…um ya know, I—" I was saved from that uncomfortable line of questioning by the subject of said questions, Adrien freakin Agreste aka the current savior of my life.
"Hey guys! Can you believe Father gave me a free weekend? He will be going out of town with Nathalie so I don't have any photo shoots this weekend! Gorilla will be watching me to make sure I stay out of trouble and complete all my schoolwork but I've already finished all of it. So what should we do this weekend?"
From there the conversation moved on to safer topics and we all made our way to the bakery as was customary at this point. We opened the front doors and chatted excitedly about our "nefarious plans" as Nino so elegantly put it.
"Bro, we should totally sneak into your house for a sleepover!" Nino said with the gleam in his eye that only comes out when he thinks he is breaking rules. "It would be so fun and it's not like Gorilla would tell. Remember when we threw that party and we only had to bribe him with action figures?"
"I don't know Nino," Adrien says worriedly, "Father has cameras all over the house. We would most likely get caught and he would call you all bad influences before pulling me out of school." He opened the trap door to my room while he was talking and as I watched him climb into my room, I tripped on the ladder and would've fallen back down and on top of Nino and Alya if he hadn't reached back through the opening to grab my hand, catching me before I hurt anyone.
I look up with wide eyes at my savior as he helps me into the room. He is looking at me with a small, fond smile on his lips and I am at a loss for words. God, he is so perfect! His eyes are so green and warm and his smile is so perfect and he is so good at catching me every time I fall, which is a lot, and his laugh is so—wait is he laughing at me? Oh crap, did I thank him for catching me or did I just stand there staring at him with my stupid love struck face? As I look around the room, Alya and Nino have already come in and made themselves comfortable. Alya is sprawled across my chaise and she is sharing a knowing, if a little exasperated, look with Nino, who has made himself at home in my desk chair. Adrien is holding me close, his hands on my hips. I always forget how much taller than me he is, as the top of my head comes almost to his chin. My hands currently rest on his biceps, which is where they naturally landed when he pulled me into the room. At the realization of how close we are, I begin to get nervous as I, finally, thank him.
"Th-th-thanks me for s-saving Adrien…uh…I mean saving m-m-me!" I facepalm as my cheeks burn, "Thank you Adrien, for saving me" I enunciate each word through my fingers carefully to make sure they are in the correct order.
"It was my pleasure Mari! You can fall for me anytime," he says smugly as he winks at me. Wait. Did—did he just….? My eyes widen and my jaw pops from how aggressively it drops open in surprise. Is Adrien Fucking Agreste flirting with me?! A quick look around the room tells me I'm not the only one caught off guard. Alya and Nino both stare at Adrien in open awe (Nino) and blatant amusement (Alya) and Adrien just continues looking at me with the softest of smiles on his lips. Alya suddenly jumps up with a calculating look on her face and now I know I'm in trouble before she even opens her mouth.
"I have an idea! Why don't we have the sleepover here? I mean, it would be perfect! Think about it, just tell Gorilla you have a group project and you will need to stay the night to work on it. Or ask if he would just let you have the sleepover here without having to make up a school project. Have Tom and Sabine bribe him with pastries if all else fails. Tell 'em it's a great plan babe," Alya is now bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement as she gives Nino a look.
"Yea bro! It's the perfect idea," Nino joins his girlfriend in her excitement. "Video games, endless snacks and plenty of room to sleep. And no worry of being spied on through cameras meant for your 'safety and security' as your old man says."
Adrien seems to think about it briefly before looking at me as if asking me permission. But I could never and would never say no to Adrien, especially when he is still holding me so close after saving me from falling down the steps. So I agree to talk to my parents and get it all arranged. Instantly, his eyes light up and he sweeps me into the tightest, warmest hug and lifts me off my feet as he spins us around my room. I can't help but giggle like a little girl as I wrap my arms around his neck and thread my fingers into his hair.
As he stops spinning, I pull back to look at him and get lost in his eyes, as always, but there is something different about the way he is looking at me now. It's almost as if he is actually seeing me. And is it just me or does it seem like he wants to kiss me? Come on Mari, you're being completely absurd. He doesn't want to kiss you, he only thinks of you as a friend. As I am thinking all of this, I don't miss the fact that he actually looks down at my lips and, again, is it just me or did he lean in just the slightest bit too?
Before I can think too much of it, we are broken apart by the sound of my mother climbing the ladder while asking me how my day was and how late I was this morning. Adrien looks away as he gently sets me back on my feet. Gee thanks mom, perfect timing…