Strike At Midnight || Luka Couffaine

Chapter 7 ❧ Newfound Camaraderie

"Oh, sorry about that," he says, closing the window. Just from the way the tips of his lips don't reach his eyes, I knew he wasn't all right. Supporting my assumptions, he sinks onto the sofa with a distant gaze.

"What's wrong, Adri?" I ask softly, joining him on the sofa. The desolated expression on his face threatened to break my heart. "You can't fool me, I've known you for years."

He shakes his head. I hold back a scoff. I say, "Fine. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I thought you may need this to cheer you up."  I pull out a small jar from my bag- filled with sugar cookies I bought on my way home.

"It was Emilie's specialty to make us feel better by baking these. Of course, I can't bake so I bought them instead." I hold out the jar to him. "I'm allowing you to eat my health-deteriorating bombs."

"Nathalie won't be happy about this," Adrien warns but pops a cookie into his mouth anyway. "Actually, mom only started baking cookies as her hobby right when you arrived when we were little."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think she baked them because you loved eating them. You were her favourite after all."

"That's not true," I object. "She loves you more." Especially when her last words to me was to be there for you. He smiles, but it another one that's not quite genuine.

He glanced at the window and sighs. "I tried to confess to the girl of my dreams."

My heart stopped. Not only did he say confess, but he literally said the girl of my dreams. As if in our period of youth, he's already found his soulmate.

"The girl- who- what?" I say, dumbfounded.

"You know, Ladybug."

Relief flooded over me like an enormous wave. "Adrien, you almost scared me back there."

"I'm serious! You know me very well that I've been in love with her for years!"

"Yeah, you've been crushing on the superhero ever since she first saved Paris, you can't possibly-"

"You don't think she'd like me back?" Adrien asks.

"It's not that. I mean- ugh," I change the subject. "Okay, so how did it go?"

He suddenly withdraws, averting his gaze. "She didn't show up."

"Oh, she stood you up..." I scratch my head. "I'm sorry, but you know what? It's nothing to be sad about so don't dwell on it."

"No. She may have been too busy to show up, but that's okay. I'll just have to call out to her until she answers." Adrien's eyes sparkle with hope, unaffected by his first failed attempt to confess.

I clench my fist, brows wrinkling in frustration. "Don't you think-" I take a deep breath. "It's time you move on from this childish crush of yours?"

"I know it sounds doubtful right now, but I'm not giving up! You'll see."

"No, ugh, Adrien, Ladybug can't reciprocate your feelings," I say vehemently.

"Why not?" Adrien's eyes grow wide as he looks hurt of my opinion.

"Because!" I exclaim. "She has her own life! Her superhero life and her normal life has to be kept separate from each other. She's probably crushing on someone else in her own normal life and wouldn't accept someone who only sees her as a hero rather than a real girl!"

To my surprise, Adrien stands his ground and says, "You're wrong, I admire everything about her- not just as a superhero with powers."

"Ladybug isn't the only girl out there. Your way of thinking is nothing but a pipe dream, unless you know her identity!" The words come pouring out before I even realised it. I shut my trap before it could do anymore damage but it's too late. Adrien stares at me with a heart-wrenched expression as if all his dreams are crushed.

Maybe they are.

"I-" I begin more hesitantly. "I don't want to argue anymore." I shoot up from the sofa and walk towards the door with my eyes on the ground. To further add to my guilt, Adrien doesn't stop me. I might as well have gagged him to render him utterly speechless and hurt. I may have had the last say but I feel defeated.

"A peculiar turn of events, may I add?" Grimm pipes up. He receives silence. I don't even have the energy to throw him a quip. My eyes begin to burn painfully. I place my palm over my eyelids to massage them, but hot tears stain my fingertips instead. Furiously wiping them away, I storm back to my room.

Although I had no explicit intention, my fingers already dialed a number and my cellphone is placed on my ear.

In the first ring, I'm still wiping away tears.

By the second ring, I question what I'm doing.

On the 3rd, I turn it off and quickly toss it onto my bed. I groan, feeling flustered. What am I thinking? He probably doesn't want to speak with me right now.

Grimm rolls his eyes and fly towards God knows where. Flopping onto my mattress, I sigh. I'd feel better if there was someone to talk to right now.

The loud ringtone pierces the momentary silence to my surprise. He called back. I answer the call and say dubiously, "Hello?"

"Hey, you called sooner than I thought." Luka's voice emerges from the other end.

"Are you busy? I could just call another time."

"No, no, I left my phone in my room and I just returned to see the missed call. I'm not doing much anyway."

I sigh in relief. "Uhm, so would you like to kill some time- talking with me?"

Our conversation lasted from the afternoon to early at night, but time flew by quickly. If he detected the initial glum tone of my voice, he didn't point it out. Instead, my heart felt a little lighter talking with him.