When Paths Cross ⚔️ (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction)

14. Marinette's Song

One Week Later

Marinette parks her scooter on the sidewalk and glances over at the houseboat. Luka had called a band meeting out of nowhere and she's freaking out about seeing Adrien.

After Adrien confessed his feelings to Marinette, everything's changed. The two don't talk much, and when they do, it's awkward. She finds herself thinking about the model more—even when she's spending time with her boyfriend.

She hasn't told anyone about what he said to her, not to Luka or Alya. She can't even admit it to herself. How could Adrien Agreste be in love with her? With her?

It shouldn't matter, though, if Adrien loves her or not, since she's with Luka.

Right?

Marinette sees everyone standing on the dock together, lost in their own conversation. She spots his blonde hair immediately and freezes. No one has noticed she's here yet. She could leave and no one would ever know.

"Marinette!" Alya shouts, waving her arm. "Come on, girl! What are you waiting for?"

She nervously waves back as she sets her helmet on the seat. This won't be bad. Maybe the boat will sink and we'll all drown and die. She crosses the bridge and walks over to her friends. "Hey, guys..."

Adrien looks over at the sound of her voice. He starts to smile, but forces it away as Luka walks over to her, to his girlfriend. He and Marinette could still be friends, though. Even if he couldn't be with her, he didn't want to lose her.

"Hi, babe," Luka greets as he kisses her cheek. "Oh, you smell good."

"Thank you," Marinette whispers, glancing behind him and accidentally making eye contact with Adrien. The model waves, and she ignores him and grabs Alya's hand. "We'll be right back! We have to talk about... toilets!"

The two friends run in the house and duck down in the kitchen.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Alya asks. "You're acting weird—"

"If you knew why I was acting weird, you would understand!" She shouts, eyes bugged eye.

Her best friend sits down and grabs her hand. "Okay, what happened? Did Luka do something?"

"No, it wasn't Luka."

"Who then?"

"Adrien."

Alya waited for her to continue. "Okay... what did Adrien do?"

"He confessed to me!" Marinette screams as she hides her face in Alya's shirt. "The other day at school, Adrien told me he's in love with me."

"Shut... up!" The reporter gasps with wide eyes. "No, did he?! Really?!"

The pig-tailed girl nods. "Yeah... and now things are awkward!"

"Well, to be fair, things have always been awkward between you and Adrien."

Marinette rolls her eyes. "Not helping, Al."

"I'm sorry. But... why are things awkward? You love Luka now."

"I-I know, but I did love Adrien at one point, and knowing he loves me now, it..." She shakes her head. "It's just messing with my mind."

"You have a lot of feelings, some bigger than normal, so it's okay to feel like this. As long as you remember that your totally awesome boyfriend loves you a lot, and he cares about you."

Marinette smiles. "Luka said I smell good."

"I heard!" Alya shrieks with her. "See, Juleka was right about switching body washes. Who knew blueberry was his favorite scent?"