Strike At Midnight || Luka Couffaine

Chapter 10 ❧ Bittersweet Cookies

•●•●•●•●•

"Second of all, it's easier said than done."

"Is it really?"

•●•●•●•●•

I can apologise to Adrien right now, but I didn't have an excuse to have taken a whole month just to steel my resolve. "Maybe I can do it tomorrow."

"Absolutely not," Grimm snaps. "This dilemma has been prolonged for far too long. All you need are three short words and it would be over."

"But what if he doesn't forgive me?" I say in panic. "Besides, I can't do it now..."

"Yes, you can." He eyes me, unamused. "Selene, focus. You're thoughts are all over the place. I need you to breath in." I suck in a ball of air obediently. "And breath out." I exhale slowly.

"Think things through one thing at a time and isolate each goal. I need you to take baby steps now." He says slowly. "Simply refer to three words 'I sincerely apologise.'"

"I'm really sorry," I say in translation.

"Excellent."

I knock onto Adrien's door and enter when he replies, "Come in."

"Little kitty on a roof," he hums Emilie's lullaby that she used to sing to us. "All alone without his lady."

"Adrien?" I say tentatively.

"Selene," he stands up suddenly, hands behind his back.

I frown. "What do you have there?"

"It's well..." Adrien reveal a small piece of cheese from behind is back. "Uh yeah."

I shake my head, chuckling. He does have a strange craving for Camembert. "Anyway, I came to say something." I rub the back of my neck nervously. "I'm sorry about last time and I'm really very sorry that it took a whole month just to apologise. I knew you kept your secret from almost everyone."

"What are you talking about?" Adrien says, mildly confused, and taking a careful step back.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for not taking your crush on Ladybug seriously."

"Oh, that!" Adrien exclaimed, surprising me. He sighs in relief. "You shouldn't be. I know crushing on the city's superhero sounds like a faraway dream so I can't blame you."

"You're not mad at me anymore?" I ask, hopeful.

"What do you mean? I never was."

"But you were giving me the silent treatment this whole time," I point out, brows furrowing. So this whole month he never held a grudge against me while I was wallowing in regret?

"I was?" He shakes his head and rakes his finger through his golden locks. "I'm sorry, Selene. My mind has been elsewhere lately. Like fencing classes, modelling and superh- I mean school."

"I can tell Nathalie about it," I offer. Did he stutter because he's nervous to be honest with his feelings?

"No, the last thing I need is for everyone to worry about me."

"There's nothing wrong about that Adrien. They care about you- your dad, Nathalie, your friends. That's why they worry. And I worry the most," I say, desiring to tell him anything to make him feel better. "Also, I promise I won't make fun of your admiration of Ladybug."

"Thanks, Selene. I can always count on you." To my surprise, her wraps his arms around my in a warm embrace. I reciprocate it affectionately. If only I could protect him from the negative thoughts that gnaw on him, but only Emilie could ever do that.