IT’S SHOW TIME

“No, no! It’s not going to be the same! It’s would be like a dream come true! What was the last time we were able to spend summer together? Like… ten years ago? We should definitely go together!”

Felix’s conscience painfully poked him under his ribs. He couldn’t say “no” to Adrien’s face after that speech.

“I’m sleeping in the master bedroom with the shower.’ Felix sighed, sealing his fate. He flinched when Adrien nearly squealed and jumped from excitement.

“This is going to be the best summer ever!” Adrien nodded to himself, smiling ear to ear.

Felix turned his attention back to the essay he was initially reading before Adrien burst into his guest room with the unexpected announcement of his grandiose plans for the month of July, choosing to let Adrien babble about how great everything will be once they all arrive at their beach house in Porquerolles but Felix’s paper was immediately forgotten when he heard something that  made his stomach knot.

“Wait, what did you say?” Felix asked, putting the papers aside and sitting straight, hoping that those were just auditory hallucinations.

“Mmh?” Adrien turned back to face him, trying to feign a nonchalant expression but his pink cheeks were betraying him. “That Nino will bring his stereo system with him?”

“Not that. The sentence before that.” Felix squinted at his cousin, already knowing the answer. It wasn’t hallucinations but the blond still hoped he misheard.

“Marinette is coming with us.” Adrien muttered under his breath, averting his eyes, convinced that this was the part that made Felix focus his attention back on him once again. “And she asked Juleka and Luka to join us too so they can work together on Kitty Section’s brand design while we’re there. I know, dad isn’t very fond of me spending time with her but Natalie said it’s okay. We’re going as a big group, it’s not like I’ll be spending time with her only. I mean… dad can’t really forbid me from dating someone I like. Right? Or can he?”

Adrien’s voice lost its strength by the end of his rambling speech and he looked at Felix like he was expecting his cousin to help him decide whether he was right to go against his dad’s ridiculous wishes or that indeed he was a bad son for daring to have his own life.

Felix could see how Adrien’s friends were having some much needed good influence on him and the Agreste heir was at least starting to doubt his father’s decisions that tend to control every aspect of Adrien’s life. After Emily’s death, Gabriel’s constant supervision of his son’s smallest steps was starting to leave the “overbearing parent” category and slowly approaching the dangerous zone of “controlling and manipulative”.

“No, he can’t.” Felix knew that his words will not entirely convince Adrien but they were at least heard. “He can give you his opinion and advice but not decide for you. Do you like Marinette?”

“Yes…” Adrien answered timidly, a small smile curling the corner of his lips.

“Do you want to break up with her?” Felix watched Adrien shake his head feverishly. “Then don’t. Just… go enjoy your summer vacation with her and go on dates…”

“We’re going as a group it won’t be just us two!”  Adrien blushed harder but he seemed happy that Felix wasn’t judging him.

Felix wasn’t judging in the slightest but he also wasn’t exactly worried about Adrien’s romantic escapades. He was much more interested in the other little detail Adrien mentioned earlier.

The fact that Luka, for a reason genuinely unknown to Felix, decided to join their group and spend a whole month under the same roof with his ex and her new boyfriend. Felix was not sure what to think of that.

Last Friday, Felix managed to successfully avoid meeting Luka by using his long and exhausting flight from Thailand, where he had spent the past month, to France, as an excuse to instead stay home and rest.

And now he’ll have to spend an entire month with the older Couffaine sibling in close proximity.

Felix’s stupid heart on the other hand was not catching up with his brain because it was fluttering, awaiting the upcoming trip. Felix didn’t know why he felt so excited despite knowing how awkward and embarrassing he’ll be feeling once again when he will inevitably start acting like a verbally challenged, lacking any necessary social skill idiot.

Felix sighed heavily remembering how he wanted to be swallowed by the ground the last time he had something that resembled a normal conversation with Luka that took place last summer, the day before Felix was flighting back to England. That was also when Luka was still dating Marinette.

ִ ۫ ˑ ֗ ִ ˑ ּ 𖥔 𓄼 ࣪⠀ ִ ۫ ּ ֗ ִ ۪ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֗ ִ ۫ ˑ ִ᳝ ۫ ˑ ֗ ִ ˑ ּ 𖥔 𓄼 ࣪⠀ ִ ۫ ּ ֗ ִ ۪ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֗ ִ ۫ ˑ ִ᳝ ۫ ˑ ֗ ִ ˑ ּ 𖥔 𓄼 ࣪⠀ ִ ۫ ּ ֗ ִ ۪ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֗ ִ ۫ ˑ ᳝

Felix hung his towel around his neck, not bothering to change into his pyjamas yet and sat on his bed in his bathrobe, taking his phone off the charger.

He resisted the temptation throughout the entirety of the day and didn’t let himself go online even as he was packing his suitcases for the vacation but as he was standing in the shower, the nervousness about the upcoming trip finally fully settled in the pit of his stomach.

His finger hovered over the icon of the app on the display of his phone for a moment before Felix gave into his curiosity and pressed it, opening Instagram.

And as if to mock him, the first post he saw was from Luka’s account.

Felix felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Luka’s gentle smile on his screen. Couffaine was taking a selfie in front of his half packed suitcase and his acoustic guitar and the caption read a single “ready for July”.

Felix hesitated for a brief moment before pressing the username that redirected him to Luka’s page, feeling the familiar tinge of embarrassment and nervous excitement.

His screen was immediately flooded with glimpses into Luka’s life. Luka was quite a private person and only shared a very small part of himself with the rest of the world and Felix respected that.

Felix opened the second recent post published few months ago - a photo of Luka’s new guitar Luka got for his birthday and next slide a video of him playing a melody Felix wasn’t familiar with but it sounded like a cover for a song he heard once on the radio. Since that post the account was silent until yesterday.

Felix closed the app and put the phone away, laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. He knew that he would regret going to this trip despite the annoying feeling of excitement that brew inside his chest. He had no chance with Luka and constantly being reminded of what he can’t have and of his stupid, embarrassing infatuation that he failed to get rid of will irritate him throughout the entire trip. Felix hated how little control he had over his feelings and how his heart would squeeze every time he would think about Luka. How excited and nervous the felt at the prospect of being in the vicinity of him.

Felix squeezed his eyes tightly, fighting the painful pinch inside his ribcage as he reminded himself one more time the observation he learned a year ago: he’s not his type’s type.

During his last visit to Paris Felix was not thrilled to discover that apparently he had a thing for gentle, soft spoken tall brunets with charming smiles and cheeky humour. But unfortunately, those gentle, soft spoken tall brunets were much more interested in cheerful, sweet girls with chirpy laughs and fluffy ponytails.

As far as Felix was concerned, he would’ve gladly lived the rest of his life without this revelation and the unnecessary complicated feelings that followed it.

Until now, Felix’s brain always out-weighted any unreasonable impulse or feeling, keeping its owner grounded and unfazed by irrational emotions. But somehow this time it completely failed him, refusing to be convinced by some very strong arguments which included but were not limited to a) we’re living in different countries, b) Luka is probably straight, and most importantly c) Luka doesn’t seem to care much about Felix.

The last one hurt and Felix hated that someone’s opinion of him suddenly mattered.

He hated how his life suddenly got separated into two segments: the time before he met Luka and after.

Before the idea of a “heartache” was perceived as nothing more than a metaphorical exaggerated description and the idea of physical pain over unrequited love made absolutely no sense to him.  To Felix it was all quite simple - if someone doesn’t like you, you just move on.

Evidently it wasn’t as easy. No matter how many times Felix tried to convince himself to let go of that foolish attachment, he never managed to rationalise his way out of his predicament.

ִ ۫ ˑ ֗ ִ ˑ ּ 𖥔 𓄼 ࣪⠀ ִ ۫ ּ ֗ ִ ۪ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֗ ִ ۫ ˑ ִ᳝ ۫ ˑ ֗ ִ ˑ ּ 𖥔 𓄼 ࣪⠀ ִ ۫ ּ ֗ ִ ۪ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֗ ִ ۫ ˑ ִ᳝ ۫ ˑ ֗ ִ ˑ ּ 𖥔 𓄼 ࣪⠀ ִ ۫ ּ ֗ ִ ۪ ⊹ ˑ ִ ֗ ִ ۫ ˑ ᳝

Felix started feeling out of place even before he set foot in the villa.

Delayed by family errands, he was the last to arrive, as though life itself were mocking him, reminding him where he truly belonged—or, rather, where he didn’t. ош

Tucked along the beautiful coastline of Côte d'Argent, the two-story villa was a mix of quiet luxury and natural beauty.

With its whitewashed walls and huge floor-to-ceiling windows, it looked out over the turquoise stretch of the Atlantic, like it was made to soak in the view.

The architecture was an effortless blend of modern lines and a bit of French coastal charm, flowing right into the lush gardens that edged down to a private, hidden beach. It wasn’t just a house—it felt like a place meant for escape, perfectly in tune with its surroundings.

As Felix approached the main entrance, he couldn’t help but notice how strange it felt to hear so many voices and bursts of laughter coming from inside the house. This place, usually so quiet and still, was alive with sound, and the unfamiliar liveliness only added to the feeling that he didn’t quite belong here.

He did not fit into Adrien’s newfound life and friend group.

As soon as Felix stepped into the spacious living room, where all the newly arrived guests were gathered, the lively chatter came to an abrupt halt. All seven pairs of curious eyes turned toward him, and Felix could feel his grip on the handle of his luggage tighten, as if it were the only thing keeping him grounded.

“Felix!” Adrien broke the brief silence, getting up from the sofa with a wide smile. “Finally! Hey, you remember everyone, right?”

“Hello,” Felix said, nodding politely as the group greeted him warmly, though there was an awkwardness in the air that he couldn’t quite shake off.

Felix felt no hostility from the group, but his only, and very flimsy one at that, connection to any of them was through Adrien. They weren’t strangers, but he couldn’t help but feel like an outsider.

“Nice to see you, dude!” Nino stood up and extended his hand to Felix with a grin. Felix couldn’t help but notice that, even the last time he visited, Nino had been the only one who’d really made a genuine effort to befriend him.

“Been a while, right? We’ve just finished assigning the rooms, so you’re with me and Adrien on the second floor near the veranda with the hot tub. This place is incredible—there’s an actual hot tub!”

“But don’t think you can claim it for yourself just because your room’s the closest to it!” Alya shot Nino a playful warning, pointing a finger at him.

“I think the tub is big enough for all of us, right Felix?” Adrien said with a smile. Felix nodded absently, his eyes subtly scanning the room. Immediately he noticed that among the gathered group Luka was nowhere in sight. A strange knot formed in Felix's chest. He couldn’t decide whether to feel relieved or disappointed that Luka hadn’t joined them after all. With a sense of defeat, he realised that he was, in fact, upset.

“There are only two beds in that bedroom, right?” Felix raised an eyebrow, trying to push aside the unpleasant feeling that was growing inside him. “I can sleep in a different room.”

“That’s no fun!” Adrien grinned, playfully nudging Felix’s side. “We’re supposed to hang out and have sleepovers. I’ll be sharing a bed with you.”

“Isn’t this already one big sleepover?” Felix smirked dryly. The idea of sleeping in the same bed as Adrien, who tossed and turned all night like an eel on a frying pan, was hardly exciting.

“Yeah, but you know what I mean! Plus, Mylene and Alex will be joining us in a few days once they finish with their volunteering work, and there’s only one room left. We figured it’s better to let Luka stay in it since it only has one bed.”

Felix felt his breath catch in his throat.

“Oh... Luka’s coming too.” He hoped his voice didn’t sound too strained.

“He’s already here.” Adrien, completely unaware, continued speaking, oblivious to how his words had just made Felix's heart race.. “He went upstairs to put the girls’ luggage in their room—oh, Luka! Felix just arrived! We can start getting ready for the beach!”

“Good. The timing’s perfect, the sun’s not so harsh anymore.” Felix heard the smooth, low voice behind him and turned, his heart skipping a beat as he faced the person who had been living rent free in his thoughts nonstop ever since the trip was announced few days ago. “Hey. Long time no see.”

Luka looked even better than the last time Felix saw him. He had grown into his long limbs and broad shoulders, no longer carrying the lingering remnants of a lanky teenager’s awkwardness. Now, he stood with quiet confidence, taller and more at ease in his own skin.

His hair was shorter than Felix had ever seen it, and the ends were the darkest shade of blue yet. It suited him. He looked more mature, his cheekbones sharper, his eyes somehow brighter—drawing Felix in with a quiet intensity.

“Hi.” Felix hated how weak his voice suddenly sounded, the words barely escaping. He took a quiet breath, trying to steady himself and regain his composure. Thankfully it seemed that nobody noticed his inner turmoil and Adrien’s voice quickly drew everyone’s attention away from him.

“There are spare beach towels in the guest house!”

“There’s a guest house?” Alya turned to Adrien, both amused and a little perplexed at how casually he mentioned it. “Who’s staying in the guest house? Because if it’s free, Marinette and I are calling dibs—we’d love to stay there!”

“No, no! It’s already been partially turned into a studio, so there’s only a couch left. You can’t really sleep in there. Plus, it’s outside—why would you want to be away from the house?” Adrien said, shaking his head.

“Adrien’s right! I’d rather stay with everyone here,” Marinette agreed, tossing a few more things into the beach bag as Alya helped.

“You can leave your stuff in the cabana by the beach,” Adrien added. “There’s even a little bar there, and I was thinking we could pick up some alcohol tomorrow in the store.”

Nino arched an eyebrow, smirking.

“Since when do you drink?”

“I figured it’d be a good setting to give it a try. I’m not planning to get... you know, shit-faced or anything.” Adrien replied with a shrug, causing Alya to let out a laugh, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

“Where on earth did you pick up that word? Nino, I think you’re a terrible influence on him.”

“We could make some nice cocktails. Like piña coladas,” Luka suggested, his voice smooth and casual.

Felix turned to him, a bit surprised. For some reason, he’d always assumed Luka didn’t drink—probably because of how health-conscious the older Couffaine seemed to be.

“You know how to make them?” Felix asked, realising his assumptions had been pretty shallow. In truth, he barely knew anything about Luka. He was the oldest of the group, a regular at music festivals, and the son of Paris’s most wild rock musician.

Luka had always seemed so laid back, a little introverted, and oddly sensible, as if he was above the usual teenage recklessness but apparently there was so much more to him that met the eye.

Felix felt a bit foolish. He’d thought he was good at reading people, that he’d already figured Luka out. To him, Luka was the sensitive, romantic type—genuinely selfless, the kind of guy who’d say something like “hear the soul of the music” without a hint of pretension, even if that made Felix roll his eyes internally.

But for some reason, this time, when Felix looked at Luka, he felt like he had been completely wrong with his judgments. There was more to him, something Felix hadn’t quite grasped before.

“You coming?” Nino asked Felix, nodding towards the door that led to the private beach. Everyone was almost ready, their voices buzzing with excitement about catching the sunset and staying up late to watch the sunrise.

Felix nodded, pulling his wheeled luggage closer to him.