Nebula - Adrien Agreste

Chapter 13 - Charlotte's Modeling Era Started

"Put your arms around her shoulder, Adrien. Perfect! Now, Charlotte, lean into him... excellent! Just like that!"

We'd been at this for hours, taking pictures in Gabriel's new couples clothing line. It was awkward, to say the least, that the photographer kept putting us in couple scenarios. If it was any other time I would have thought this was nice. I liked Adrien, I wasn't sure if it was more than that just yet but he was a nice guy. We had fun when we hung out together.

After that picture our day was finally over. I had decided to bring out a picnic, so laying it out I prompted Adrien to sit down on the towel. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as he sat down in front of me as I took out all the picnic food. Pasta salad, some finger sandwiches, chips and sweet teas I had bought from the store for the two of us to drink. "Wow, Lottie, this looks incredible!" His eyes sparkled as he buzzed excitedly.

Laughing, I took out two paper plates. "I figured since we'd be out here anyway, might as well have a picnic at the park, right?" I shrugged. We deserved to have some fun sometimes, whether our parents wanted us to or not.

Once we plated up our food we started talking, laughing at some things that happened throughout the day. "Chloe's face when she saw our poses though..." I chortled, imagining her outraged face when she saw some of the photos we had to take for Gabriel's clothing line. Though I had a feeling we'd have to do some more posing for my mothers restaurant. It was starting to become very popular, more so now that I was modeling with Adrien, and it was starting to be in magazines. High-tier magazines for restaurants.

Adrien's face wrinkled in distaste at that reminder. "Yeah, she gets overboard sometimes. Her possessiveness scares me a little..." He admitted sheepishly. "But she was my first friend..." He added as an afterthought.

"If she'd give me a chance I would try," I admitted with a shrug, "and if I knew she wouldn't use me for clout. I'm not about to give her what she wants," I grumbled, taking a bite of my sandwich. It was a light chicken salad that I had Silas make before I left for my photoshoot. "The chances of that are really slim though." Ever since our first encounter our meetings have been very hostile. Especially since I am modeling with her Adrikins, and apparently he couldn't have any other friends but her.

"I appreciate that," he gave me a small smile, sighing. "I wish others were the same way, though I understand her personality is a bit overkill for most people." At least he understood that. With how Chloe was raised it didn't surprise me that was how she acted most days. And I think she understood how it came across to most people, but because of who her mother was and her father she felt like she had a reputation to keep. That I could understand, in a sense.

"I know how it feels," I assured him with a shrug. "With my mother being who she is, it's hard not to. It was much easier when she didn't have the restaurant." The restaurant was 4 years old. For the most part, it used to be smaller - business wise. I wasn't at all sure how or why it started to grow. Or when, exactly, it grew to where it is now. After a year it seemed to have a fanbase - it seemed to have a magnet towards every celebrity that wanted to come to Paris. While I was happy that it became such a big deal, it meant that my mothers ego grew ten-fold every time that some new celebrity decided they were going to try the food.

It wasn't even like she made the food. Sure, some of the recipes on the menu were hers. A lot of them were my grandmothers, and then there are the few that the chefs made themselves that my mother just decided to claim as hers. Though no matter how many chefs she had to hire, there were still chefs desperate enough to impress her. You'd think that they would have some sort of group to inform people not to try and apply to Cavier Cadence.

"Yeah, my father mentioned your mother's restaurant once or twice. Probably more times for photoshoots. That was probably why he agreed to partner up with your mother, since her restaurant is super popular right now." It did make a lot of sense. Both the fashion line and my mother's restaurant are at their highest peak. It just sucked that we were the children of conglomerate business dealers who only cared about one thing.

Money.

Money and popularity were the two biggest factors in this. Adrien was already famous. By the route this was going, I'd become infamous because of my mother's restaurant, and because of modeling with Adrien. This sucked, either way, for the both of us. Though it sucked more for Adrien - he never had a chance at a normal teen life.

I just shrugged as I played with the pasta salad. "It'll just be something that we'll have to get used to," I nodded my head, though I did not want it. I wanted to be a normal person, with normal ambitions. I wanted my mother to be proud of me when I try to pursue my dreams of being an artist. Becoming an artist was not easy, and she had to understand with building up her restaurant's audience. Though it seems she's forgotten through all the fame that her restaurant has brought her.

Adrien studied me for a moment, as if he was thinking about something. I wondered what was on his mind. "I think you should try and pursue your own dreams," he stated, making my eyes widen. "You're an amazing artist, Lottie. I've seen what you can do. I think you can make a living off of it." He had confidence in his voice that made me blush. No one has told me this before, even though I had shown people my art. Or people have forced me to show them my art.

Staring at him for a few moments I started to pick off the crust on my sandwich, nerves reaching my heart. "I wouldn't know the first thing to start doing that," I sighed, "even if I did when my mother finds out she'll nip it in the bud. All the progress I would have made would be in ruins. I know most get their start on YouTube, but I can't stand the chance of my mother finding out..." I trailed off, shaking my head. "She is basically forcing me to try and take over the restaurant."

Adrien frowned at that and was going to say something, but someone shouting my name cut him off. "Charlotte!" Blinking, I turned around, mouth falling open when I saw who it was.

"Remy? No way!" I laughed, standing up when he walked over to me. His bright blue eyes sparkled with mischief as we hugged. Remy Souchon was a classmate of mine from Kingsworth, and we were relatively close. Not close enough to where we text non-stop, but we hung out after school sometimes. "Adrien, this is Remy. We went to Kingsworth together. Rem, this is Adrien - he's a classmate of mine." I introduced the two boys.

"Nice to meet you dude. Though I recognize you from the bulletin boards," Remy smirked as he held his hand out, to which Adrien shook - though his eyes narrowed when Remy's arm was still wrapped around my shoulders. "I haven't seen Charlotte in a long time. I still remember you punching Beatrice in the nose!" He laughed, squeezing my shoulders affectionately. "She's still pretty sore about it!" He added as an afterthought, still chuckling.

"Oops?" I shrugged, or tried to. Though I did shrug out of his arm, feeling Adrien's eyes burning into me. Almost immediately I felt the burning sensation die as Adrien tugged me towards him. "It was good seeing you again Remy. We were just having a picnic after our photoshoot." I explained the situation, though the picnic part should have been pretty obvious.

"Photoshoot?" Remy blinked, glancing between Adrien and I. "Are you a model now, Lot?" He snickered, as if it was a joke.

"Sadly yes," I grimaced at the shocked look Remy was giving me. "It's not so bad, since I'm modeling with Adrien, but you know how I am about being in the limelight." It probably did not seem that way at all to outsiders, as I was quite brazen with my personality, but the limelight tended to make me a bit awkward. Especially if it was directly on me.

"I feel sorry for you dude," Remy immediately said and I raised an eyebrow at him. "Girls are going to flock over you. Best be prepared. I know several girls at Kingsworth are obsessed with him," he nodded towards the blond and I grimaced. Yeah, I already deduced that. A few girls were already giving me the stink eye when they saw me with Adrien earlier.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," I shrugged, giving Adrien a reassuring look. He smiled down at me and I knew I'd be fine. With him at my side, I could do this.

I could do anything.