Until Next Time, My Lady

Just A Kiss

The crisp, late fall wind came over him as he got out of his car. He felt himself sigh, welcoming the cool breeze. For some reason, every time he thought about the place he wanted to be most right now, his temperature skyrocketed uncontrollably. He clicked a button on the fob, locking his black Mercedes. The paint glistened like a starry sky in the moonlight from the light rain that was beginning to fall. A smile came over his lips as he turned, starting to make his way towards his lady's home. The rain made his heart fill with this new fire he couldn't quite explain. Marinette had told him just a few days ago that she'd realized she loved him in the rain. So how could he not be happy to be in it?

His hand slowly dropped into his pocket, pulling out one of Tom's new creations. The soft smell of peppermint hit his nose as he opened it and popped it into his mouth. He let the mint slide back and forth along his tongue as he took in the flavors. Tom was in the process of trying to make something new and exciting for the bakery to sell for Christmas this year. The candies that Sabine had pressed into his hands before he left were considered to be the ones in the throwaway pile. Tom hadn't like how they had turned out appearance wise so he was back to the drawing board. Even though they didn't look the greatest, Adrien thought these were his best peppermint creations so far. They were sweet, smooth, and the mint wasn't as overpowering as he was used to. Tom had truly outdone himself with these, even if he didn't choose to use them this year.

As he rounded the corner of Marinette's street, a familiar laugh filled the air. His walk automatically slowed in hopes of missing her, but he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid her forever. There wasn't a problem with the person, he just preferred to have this specific conversation at a different time. Perhaps they could do it over coffee or a few drinks. In his heart, he knew she'd brought his lady back to him in more ways than one, but right now he just wanted to be with her. He didn't want to have an hour-long conversation, which he felt would be the end result. When he made it to the stairs, the laugh sounded again. An involuntary wince came as he looked up to see Alya closing Marinette's door and beginning to start down the steps. The orange umbrella fanned out above her as she pressed the tiny button on its handle. She had this crazy smile on her face, which almost completely left as she stopped in the middle of the steps when her gaze landed on him.

"Agreste."

"Césaire." He greeted her calmly.

"You know that isn't my last name anymore." She said dryly, making her way down the rest of the steps.

"I know, but I can't call you Lahiffe. That's what I call Nino when I'm mad at him." He shrugged, laughing nervously.

She paused in the middle of the final step, blocking his way up to Marinette's door. He watched as she looked him up and down with a raised eyebrow. Her eyes glittered with what looked like curiosity and confusion.

"Can't see it, can you?" He chuckled.

"Nope, can't say I can," Alya confessed as she crossed her arms.

"Why is that?" An old cheshire cat smirk immediately fell over his lips. "Not used to seeing the gentleman as an alley cat?"

"No, that's not it." She shook her head. "I think that it's that I only have heard one side of the story and I'm ready to hear the other."

He felt his shoulders fall in defeat. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get out of this as easily as he thought he might be able to. The cold rain would probably get the better of him at this point if he didn't answer her questions.

"What would you like to know?"

Adrien watched as she bit her lip. Whatever it was that she wanted to ask him about must be a touchy subject. In a way, this shocked him a great deal. This was a woman who was straightforward and cut to the point on almost anything. Why would a simple question bother her so much? Suddenly, she took a deep breath and the words rolled off her tongue.