37. Chapter 37

Adrien was trying to fight his drowsiness but the murmuring voices of his classmates were only lulling him to sleep.

"I have no idea why..."

"...no way to check my blog."

"...see that green van. They must have an engine failure..."

"...stranded in the middle of nowhere..."

"Mari, you're right! There's a train havoc in..."

Squeezing his eyes closed, his consciousness flitted towards a strange yet familiar place.

The sky was getting darker, and a thunder just rolled somewhere nearby. Tall luscious trees were everywhere, but the concrete road and the Bus Stop signage hinted him that the area wasn't entirely isolated.

And there he saw Marinette.

She was wearing her usual white shirt over her black-sleeved coat, with capri pants and pink doll shoes. Exhaustion was all over her face, and her enamored bluebell eyes were filled with sadness.

It was a heart-breaking sight.

"Despise is a strong word, Adrien," she told him. "I'm not disappointed or hated you for that matter. In fact, I'm afraid that I ruined your expectations."

Ruined his expectations? She didn't at all - in fact, she far more exceeded his expectations. He was clear on that.

But why was it she was still crying?

"I am nothing but an illusion."

"NO!"

Adrien immediately pounced, only to bump his nose on the passenger's backseat. The pain jolted him back to reality.

Marinette was nowhere to be found, which caused him some slight panic, same with their other classmate - except Nino who was staring at him with incredulity.

"Dude." his friend deadpanned. "I'd rather much prefer the comfort of our hotel bed than the seats here."

The model looked around, barely recovering from his nightmare. "We - where are they?"

"Outside. Basking in the summer sun." was his reply.

"I see." he sighed, feeling clammy as he brushed his face with his palms. "Thanks."

"No problem." Nino shrugged, with both shoulders strapped by his knapsack. "I've been trying to wake you for minutes but you're in a deep slumber, man. You even have the audacity to snore."

Adrien cautiously looked at his classmate. "Don't tell me Marinette saw me drooling."

"I won't tell you that Marinette saw you drooling."

He gasped "Ni - NO!"

"Chill, dude." the DJ guffawed at his mortification. "Why don't you get up there and do something to redeem your honor?"

"I swear I'm going to do something to humiliate you. And I'm going to tell Alya all about it." the blond grumbled then followed his best friend outside the bus.

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The hotel that their Lycée contracted in Saint-Clair has a magnificent view not only of the Canal de Caen à la Mer but also the bluish horizon of the English Channel.

Most of all, the hotel offered quarters ideal for group accommodations.

"Dibs on the window side!" Kim hollered as he rushed into the room.

"That's unfair, dude." Max scowled, dropping his large bag on the doorway. "We should draw some lots."

"Yeah. Totally unfair." Ivan added.

"Don't mind me. I'll just choose near the entrance." Nathanael muttered as he claimed the left bed.

"Hey, guys. You do realize that we're sharing a bed, right?"

The boys paused and looked at each other.

"I'm fine sleeping beside this sunshine boy," Nino suggested which earned a hiss from Adrien. "And since Kim and Max want to hog the window side, let them share the bed there. I guess you're fine with Nath, Ivan?"

The large teen glanced at the red-head with a shrug.

"Yeah."

"Cool. Now that everything's settled, we - "

"Let's go to the seaside!" the athlete yelled when he ran on the balcony area.

His classmates followed suit then gasped at the areas where the notable D-Day beaches were located.

"I can taste the oysters in the air." one of them respired. "Oysters and scallops are a must on a beach."

"One of the precious things I like outside Paris."

"Mmmmm, yes."

Everyone nodded dreamily.

"Oh, Seafood. My love."

"I sea now why Vikings tried to clam and bit us up on this palate."

All eyes twitched at the model's words. None of them were baited by his pun.

"Hi guys~" a sultry feminine voice greeted from the lower terrace, only to realize it was from Lila.

"Hi," they answered in unison.

A familiar explosion of pinkish hair poked out then shrieked."Oh shit, the boys are on the other side!"

Their other female classmates appeared at the adjacent balcony with surprised faces - and one of them was from a certain raven-haired girl in pigtails.

When her bluebell hues met a certain blond's green ones, the two resumed their Blushing Fest™ again.

"Adrikins!" Chloe waved her hands near the railings. "We finally have our rendezvous for a balcony sce-MPH!"

"Will you stop buzzing around? Your voice irritates me." the Italian beauty admonished.

The offended blondie slapped her ebony arms away. "Want to fight, you minx - "

"Language!" Alya threatened. "Don't tempt me to push you two from this 18th floor."

The two only rolled their eyes with harrumphed.

"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?" Rose wailed dramatically. "Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

Max jerked a thumb with a deadpan voice. "Shall I hear no more, or shall I speak at this?"

"'Tis but thy name that is my enemy." she snickered. "Thou - "

"Thou I must halt these theatrics." Miss Bustier interrupted. "And speaketh that thy meals hath been served below."

The students went into a drop-dead silence then burst out laughing once their homeroom teacher left the premise.

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While Nino and Adrien were waiting for their other classmates to fill in the hotel's dining area, some female students from different classes attempted to catch their attention.

Especially the famous Gabriel model.

"I'm taken already, and I have a girlfriend who has a prowess of a wild feisty banshee." the bespectacled mused. "Unlike you."

"I will not date someone just to be my fan's scapegoat." the blond scowled with crossed arms.

"Hmm. You're getting better at refusing female's advances for a sheltered boy, eh?"

This raised his brow. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"I believe so. I mean, you're such a pure white fluffy marshmallow years ago, letting yourself be dragged by anyone, if not by random people."

"I'm not that naive." he defended.

"Yes, you are. Santa Claus?"

Adrien sputtered with a beet-red face. "Tha - that was a - "

"Yeah, yeah." his best friend patted his shoulder. " And your dear old man even exploited the Alerte-Enlèvement."

"Urk - "

"Why are you bullying our Sunshine Pretty Boy?" Alya countered as she flung an arm around the blond's neck. "Would you like me to call Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"Oh, I'm just teaching my boy how to rebel."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

"You guys are bad influences."

The brunette sniggered when Adrien pushed them away but before he could give a snarky comment, Marinette suddenly appeared behind them.

He almost choked his spit.

"What's up?" she asked, but after meeting his green gaze she blushed. "H – Hi."

"H – Hi." he croaked while rubbing his neck. "Ho-how are you?"

He didn't miss his best friend muffled grunt 'here we go again' as well as his girlfriend's exasperated sigh.

"I – I'm fine! How a – about you?"

"I'm fi – fine too!"

The two meekly glanced at their respective best friends who were giving them stinky glares.

Once they finished filing their food trays , they settled on a four-seated table near the windows.

A bowl of tripes was shoved on the model's plate.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Good food." The DJ replied. "You're here to destroy your diet regimen, right?"

"Made of cow's stomach linings. One of Caen's best dishes." the Ladyblogger explained. "Good food."

Adrien poked the meat with his fork, then looked at the other girl who was sitting on the opposite side. Marinette looked like she was puzzled as she looked at his plate – or probably his hands.

"Norman tarts are the must-to eat, though. Or any desserts with apples." Alya continued as she pulled out their class pamphlet. "Let's see...oh, we'll be visiting Rouen tomorrow. An apple cider's factory."

"Don't forget the town was also famous for their roulettes, as well as almond macaroons. Oh apologies, Marinette – my loyalty still lies in your bakery."

The designer chuckled. "It's alright. I, as a baker's daughter, won't deny that the fouaces here are great."

"It's a good thing your parents aren't adamant with souvenirs. Mine's persistent, forcing me to bring some calvados. Calvados, of all freaking things!"

"You can't beat my beloved Maman. She's requesting me to buy her a fresh cow's milk. A fresh cow's milk from Normande cattle."

"She might've read our itineraries of visiting Cheese Museum in Orne." the model commented then frowned when the idea fluttered his heart. "And a dairy farm in Camembert."

"I bet you'll buy tons of cheese wheels there as a gift to your Father, eh?" Nino smirk earned an eye roll.

"Camembert is good once you paired it with apples. Especially Apple Tarts." Marinette told them, and when she met Adrien's eye, he simply nodded.

"Yeah."

"Haven't tried it, but yeah, we'll try that." her best friend responded. "And speaking of Orne, we are going to visit some chateaus there on the southern part, like this one in Argentan."

Her other bespectacled friend squealed with delight. "Ooh, croquettes! Their croquettes there are – "

"Butter cookies." the designer interjected, still maintaining her eye contact. "Butter cookies in Argentan are great, more if paired with hot cocoa. Right, Adrien?"

There was that prodding feeling again. It was as if the girl was speaking riddles he once heard somewhere before, but couldn't remember when.

"Yeah."

He was taken aback when Marinette stood up slowly with downcast eyes then excused herself for a toilet.

And that was how he caught her staring – not on his hand, but on his ring.

"Her parents were out of the country for an annual convention, so she probably misses her folks," Alya explained with apologies. "She'll be fine, don't worry."

Adrien hummed, recalling some snippets of his eerie dreams while watching her departure. It pained him to see the same facial expression he had seen in his dream, the one wherein she was standing on an unknown road.

The glint from his friend's ear studs as she walked away broke his reverie.

"What must I do to make her happy?" he whispered solemnly as he looked at his plate.

Maybe he should start learning more about pastries.

Alerte-Enlèvement is France's Amber Alert. I believe Adrien was still a minor during Christmas Special ep, and there's no way Gabriel didn't use it to alert the police