Maribug Split

Chapter 5: Missed opportunity

The rest of the day went past in a blur. Marinette went to her classes, trying to concentrate on the lessons. Does he miss me? She walked in a haze in the corridors, stopping only to help Kim pick up his books when someone knocked them all out of his hands. Does he miss me? Physics was a complete write off as she spent the whole lesson staring at Adrien asking herself for the millionth time, Does he really miss me?

“Are you lost somewhere in there?” 

“Emm,” was the only response Marinette could vocalize. 

“Hello? Marinette? Would you like to come out and play?” something tapped on Marinette’s forehead. 

Marinette slowly shifted her eyes from the blue sky and attempted to focus on the bothersome mane of red hair floating next to her, pulling her away from her pleasant dreaming. The grass pressing on her back and legs was soft while the trees swinging above them as the wind flowed through the park. She wanted to stay in her little bubble of goodness and enjoy her fantasies in which Adrien was lying beside her. Their hands curled together as they watched the clouds in the sky pass over their little heaven. Her little world where she was lucky and loved and everything was wonderful. Could it be a reality? Was there even such a reality for Marinette? Did he genuinely miss her?

The mane of red formed into a shape, a round face sporting a wide grin. Large hazel eyes, covered by wide glasses, glaring at her. “Hey? Anyone there?”

“He misses me,” Marinette whispered with a smile.

“Who? What? What are you on about? You’ve been in a daze the whole day and now you’ve been lying here for half an hour, dead to the world. I’ve been telling you what Ladybug did yesterday, but I don’t think you heard a single word I’ve said.” Alya wasn’t upset. The tips of her lips twitch in her very obvious struggle not to laugh. “Judging by your behavior, I can only assume you are talking about Adrien. So, apparently, he misses you? How did you come to that conclusion?”

Marinette was not sure. The day was a haze, with the butterflies fluttering in her stomach laying eggs which grew to larva, pupa and then even more butterflies flying around inside her. Where did this come from? She knew this. There was a thought somewhere lying dormant in the back of her mind, pushed aside to the corner by the wonderful thoughts and dreams spreading like wildfire to every recess of her mind. He said he missed her. Well, he did not actually say it. Not him. Someone else. It was still true, right?

The smile faded from her face as her eyes came into focus on Alya’s. 

“Nino.” The name came out before she even recognized the thought flying through her mind. Alya’s smile disappeared and her lips tilted in a slight frown.

“Nino misses you?”

“No,” Marinette quickly replied. “Yes. I mean me, not me, Adrien.”

“Nino misses Adrien? Now I’m lost.”

“You know what, I think he does,” Marinette realized the truth of that. “But no, that is not what he said. Nino said he missed us. He wanted to hang out. He said Adrien would too. That Adrien misses me.” She could not stop the big smile spread across her face.

Alya stared at Marinette for a long time before she asked, “he missed us?”

Marinette scrambled to a seating position, worried her best friend was going to get her hopes up and get disappointed. 

“Em, those were not his exact words. He just said we should hang out sometime. The four of us, him, me, you and Adrien. It was more of a thing he said in passing. I am sure he meant it, but not, you know, more than that.”