Help Me Remember

Chapter 4

"Amnesia? Are you sure?" Adrien almost yelled. He was on the phone with Marinette's parents.

"I wish we could say we were joking, but it's true. She can't remember a thing. It's terrible." Sabine lamented.

"But at least it's just amnesia. There are worse things that could have happened. We're very lucky that she's alive and physically unharmed." Tom replied.

"When can I visit?" Adrien asked, not even bothering to act casual. He had to see her. It hurt knowing that his lady might not even know who he was. He needed to see her. Maybe he could refresh her memory.

"You can come anytime you want, dear." Sabine said.

"Great. I'm on my way." Adrien hung up the phone and pulled on a jacket. He jogged to the nearest flower shop, searching for the perfect flowers for Marinette. He spotted a gorgeous bouquet of red and pink roses. Marinette loved pink, and the red reminded him of Ladybug; maybe it could do the same for her. Adrien bought it and rushed to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

He opened the door to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It was warm inside, and smelled like fresh baked goods.

"Hello, Adrien." Sabine smiled, although her eyes were sad. "Marinette's upstairs. You can go right up."

"Thank you, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." Adrien called out as he climbed the two sets of stairs to Marinette's room. He knocked on the door before tentatively opening it. "Hey, Marinette, you up here?" If she was there, she didn't hear him. The room was completely silent.

Adrien took a look around the room. Everything was as pink as he remembered it, but there was something he hadn't noticed before: the walls were plastered with pictures. Pictures of...him? Clippings from fashion magazines filled every space on the wall. After the shock of seeing the photos faded, he realized what they meant. Adrien melted a bit inside. Had Marinette...been in love with him all along? He was both happy and sad at the same time. Ladybug, the love of his life, loved him back. But they'd spent all this time apart when they could have been happily together. And now their chances of that were gone. She didn't even remember him. Adrien's heart hurt. I'm not giving up that easily. He decided. We'll be together soon. I promise.

"Mari?" Adrien spoke louder this time, but there was still no response. He looked around. Where could she be? He spotted her across the room, lying face-up on the ground. He gasped and hurried towards her.

"Marinette, are you okay?" he gasped, watching her vacant expression.

"I'm fine." The girl mumbled. She was in her pajamas, and her hair was left down and messy.

Adrien sighed in relief. "You scared me for a minute there, m'lady." He winked and grabbed her hand, helping her sit up. He sat next to her on the floor. He held out the roses and flashed a charming grin. "These are for you."

Marinette took the roses. "Thank you."

"So what were you doing laying on the ground?" Adrien asked. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Not really." Marinette fiddled with the sparkling silver ribbon that was tied around the elegant bouquet. "I know that if I do some searching and reading, I might be able to remember something. Or at least learn some stuff. But there's just so much. It's overwhelming. I have no idea where to start." She sighed and there was a silence before she looked up to face the blonde model. "Your face is all over my walls. Are we friends?"

Adrien didn't quite know what to say. He wished he could mention their superhero partnership, and how they worked so well as a strong team, good friends, how he loved her so much, and everything they'd been through. But telling her that she was a superhero was probably too much to take in for someone who'd just lost their memory and couldn't even remember one identity, let alone another.

"Well..." he said quietly. "We... you-you had a crush on me, I think."

Marinette blushed. "Oh. Did I? Well then... I'm sorry you had to see all of those pictures. That's pretty creepy."

Adrien stuttered nervously. "No, no, it's fine. I, uh... I liked you back." Liked. The past tense bothered Adrien, but he knew it would only grow more awkward if he confessed that he still liked her. Not liked, but loved. He hated having to repress his emotions like this. But it was best to take things slowly. He didn't want to overwhelm her any more than she already was.

"Oh." Marinette turned her attention back to the flowers she held in her hand. She rubbed a red petal between her delicate fingers. "Were we-"

"No," Adrien said sadly. "Neither of us really knew about how the other felt. I wish we had though." There was another silence. "Let's start over." Adrien held out a hand. "I'm Adrien Agreste. I'm a fashion model, I like croissants, I fence, play the piano, and speak Chinese. IT's nice to meet you."

Mari giggled and shook his hand. "Hi, Adrien. I'm Marinette. I don't really know anything about myself, but it's nice to meet you too."

Adrien grinned. "Hold on." He pulled two rubber bands out of his pocket. "Do you have a hairbrush?"