Claire didn't wait for his reply. After she finished drawing a clear line between them, she left. She didn't need a verbal response from him. His actions would let her know his answer.
Adrien didn't follow her out. He simply watched her figure leave the room and close the door behind her. Sitting down on the metal chair he sighed. She was only giving him defeat as an option. Something that went against every fiber of his nature.
Once outside, Claire almost slammed into Aiden's back as soon as she stepped out. He was standing so close to the door she could barely see anything past his towering figure. She let out a relieved sigh since she wasn't sure her expression wouldn't let everybody know what she had just talked about. So she actually appreciated him blocking her view. The room was soundproof, but she didn't feel like her fake smiling was fool proof at the moment.
Placing her hand on his lower back, she was about to speak up for him to move when all of a sudden Aiden grasped her hand in one of his and gave it a small squeeze.
"I'm sorry to have to cut the conversation short." Aiden said to the people who hadn't stopped bombarding him with questions. He didn't really mind, but once he sensed the door opening behind him, he knew it was her. The lack of a burning glare to the back of his head let him know she was alone. "I have prior plans I need to attend to. Hopefully, we'll be seeing more of each other so we can continue some other time." He courteously excused himself as he gave another squeeze to her hand before he let it go.
As soon as he did, he stepped to the side finally letting the rest know that Claire had reappeared. They all bid their farewells before leaving. Claire and Aiden did the same while only Adrien stayed behind.
Aiden again walked by her side without directly placing his hands on her, but this time, he stood so close her shoulder grazed his forearm. He easily noticed how whatever conversation went on while she was away chipped at the bright attitude she had since he first saw her that morning. Something, that again, deducted great points on Adrien's favor in Aiden's mind.
"Everything alright?" He asked as they made their way back to her sleeping quarters.
"Yeah." Claire answered with a small sigh. "Just some unnecessary melodrama."
"Want to talk about it?" He asked with genuine concern. The need to make the masked man disappear kept building up inside him.
"Not right now." She said as she looked up at him with a gentle smile. "I want to enjoy the rest of my day."
He fought the screaming urge to pepper her face with kisses. She was too cute to bare. Simply smiling back at her he answered. "I'll do my best to make it happen then Angel."
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After they fetched Lily and the rest of Claire's things, the three of them made their way out of the base and were currently in Aiden's car.
'And then she had to kiss him so that he could turn back into a prince.' Lily signed as she talked about the latest story she read involving a selfish prince turning into a frog.
"Really?" Aiden asked as if it were the first time he ever heard the story. "Would you kiss a frog to help him like she did?"
'I don't know.' She answered as she giggled. 'They look slimy.'
"And smelly too right?" Aiden replied looking to keep her melodic giggles going.
Meanwhile, Claire stared at them as she again tried to decipher how Aiden managed to crack Lily's code so quickly. It was as if he came with instructions on how to make her feel at ease with him. A true phenomenon to witness.
Aiden hadn't told them what he had planned for the day. Claire simply went with the flow of things. Something she was slowly starting to get used to doing more often thanks to him. She alternated between watching the two who didn't appear to bore themselves of each other and gazing out the car window. They drove out of the city's center and past most of the urban areas. Claire wondered where they were headed after she noticed how all the tall buildings and sky scrapers started to disappear from her sight.
After another short while, the driver pulled into a private entrance. The rural road he started to drive through after passing a security check was one filled with tall trees and wild flora. It was well kept, but still held a forest like aspect. As if they had suddenly found themselves hours away from the city when in reality they were fairly close to it. The road seemed to go on forever when it abruptly ended. Giving her view to an unexpected scene.
Once the main entrance road finished, they were greeted with a beautiful image. The car drove over a red brick road surrounded by lush bushes. A few houses could be seen in the distance to each side of the road while they drove around a few fountains and flower patches. There were other trails that connected to the one they were currently on, but Claire couldn't see where they ended or went to. It was also filled with different species of plants and what seemed to be a few rows of woody perennial vines filled with grapes that could perfectly be made into wine.
As the car kept going, Lily squealed when she saw some horses being trained in the distance. It was as if they entered a very exclusive living urbanization. Claire didn't understand how somebody had acquired such a large piece of land so near the city and quite literally transformed it into a sort of rural escape from the urban scene she was so tiredly accustomed to.
After another few minutes of silently admiring their surroundings, Claire's mouth gaped open once they reached the top of a hill. The biggest mansion she had ever laid her eyes on stood tall and wide at its peak. It was an amazing sight.
The car stopped right next to a massive fountain in front of the entrance, but Claire was so lost in her thoughts as she admired the amazing structure that she hadn't even realized they had arrived at their destination. It wasn't until the door she was practically leaning over opened that she snapped out of her daze. Aiden had opened it for her as he stood with Lily in his arms. They were both looking down at her.
"Everything okay Angel?" Aiden asked as he offered her his hand.
"Yes of course." She quickly answered as she grabbed her purse and accepted his hand to get out of the car. "I was just shocked. This place is amazing. Breathtaking to be honest. Where are we?" He had already wrapped his arm around her waist as they made their way to the entrance.
Lily was also paying close attention to his answer since she was brimming with curiosity. She didn't know where they were, but the place had horses. She was already in love with it.
"Well." Aiden couldn't hold back the smile from spreading across his lips at both of their reactions. "This is my house."