Made For Each Other [On Hold]

Chapter 3 - Marinette

"Lila Rossi." 

Why oh why did I have to say yes? Why her, though? Why not anyone else? Why did he have to like such a conceited woman? She made Chloe Bourgeois look like a saint. 

Last year, I had hired Lila as a model for my company but that was hands down the worst decision I had ever made. Lila Rossi is a conceited, selfish strumpet with a god complex. She had worked for me for less than a month before I fired her so that I wouldn't have a criminal record for her sudden disappearance. There was no one I hated more. I would prefer to let Chloe braid my hair everyday for a year than to walk down the same street as Lila. 

I opened my mouth to tell Adrien that I couldn't help him but when I saw his hopeful expression and the light in his eyes, I couldn't find it anywhere in me to say no. He looked so happy and hopeful that I couldn't tell him what a slug the girl he liked was. 

"Ah, okay," I nodded awkwardly. How else do you lie to the guy you really like by telling him that you'd love to help him get the girl he likes who's not you and is worse than a Dalek? My life sucks. 

"Really? Thanks," he sighed in relief and I cringed inwardly. Great. This is going to be absolutely great. 

"Well, look I have to get going. I think I'm late for Alya to murder me but if you want to catch up some time then just call me," I turned back and smiled at him. 

"Okay, sure. Well, see you later, Marinette," he smiled back and turned to go, heading in the opposite direction of where I would be going. 

"Adrien!" I called out and he turned back. "Thanks for today." 

His smile could have seriously lit up the world. As corny as that sounded, that's how he looked when he smiled like that. I sighed. What I wouldn't give to see that smile everyday. 

I turned down the street and headed off towards the apartment I shared with Alya, his smile still on my mind. He had looked like that when he had said her name. I sighed again but not happily this time. She made him happy. Even if she didn't know it she made him happy in a way I couldn't. I gazed up at the gorgeous blue sky. I'd help him, if only to see that smile. 

~~~

"Alya! I'm home!" I slammed the front door and slumped into the kitchen. 

"Your mum dropped off a plate of your favourite biscuits today. They're on the bench," Alya's voice drifted in from somewhere deeper into our apartment. 

I grinned at the plate of white chocolate-chip biscuits sitting on the kitchen bench. I jumped onto the end of the kitchen bench and grabbed the biggest one on the plate. It melted in my mouth and I almost cried. It was sooo good. I shoved the rest of it in my mouth and reached for another one. 

"You know, there's this thing called breathing that most people do between mouthfuls. You should try it some time," I looked up at my best friend as she walked into the kitchen. 

She reached for a biscuit but I slapped her hand away. "Mine." 

She rolled her eyes, "Fine but you have to tell me why you threw Alexandre out of your building and didn't tell me. Why wasn't I the first to know?" 

I smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know I was going to get security to throw him out until I got there and he was leaning against the receptionist's desk, flirting with her." 

"I'm surprised you didn't do anything else to him. If Nino had done that to me, I would have thrown him out of my office window and then gone down and kicked his dead body a couple of times," Alya slid onto the bar stool next to me. 

"Yeah, I can see you doing that," I laughed. 

"So," Alya watched me closely and I shoved another biscuit into my mouth. "How did it feel?" 

"Amazing!" I grinned as I remembered how it felt to watch my cheating, lying, scum-of-the-earth ex-boyfriend be thrown out of my building.  

"What'd you do after?" she tried to reach for the beautiful slices of heaven that most people call biscuits but I slapped her hand away again. 

"Nothing. I just went up to my office and talked to you," I savoured this next slice of heaven. 

"Anything fun after that that I should know about?" my head snapped around to see her struggling to hold back a sly smile. 

"How do you know?" Then I remembered the reporter. "Ugh! That damn reporter!" 

As I sat there fuming, Alya snatched one of my biscuits from the plate. I glared at her but she grinned and bit into it. "Girl, that was up almost immediately." 

She chuckled as she spun around on her chair. "I can't believe you went on a date with Adrien Agreste!" 

I blushed furiously. "It wasn't a date. He just wanted to spend time together as friends. He thought that I might need it after my spring cleaning." 

"Seriously?" she raised an eyebrow. "Out of all our old friends, he took you out for lunch at a place known for its privacy. And you're telling me it wasn't a date?" 

I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on them. "Nope. It was definitely not a date. He took me to lunch to help him win over a girl he likes." 

At Alya's stubborn look, I added. "Not me. Turns out he really likes Lila." 

"No!" Alya stood up, her chair spinning. "Lila? As in the girl who makes me want to spoon out my eyes and be best friends with Chloe Bourgeois?"

"Yep," I replied, sullenly popping the 'p'. 

"Tell me you didn't say yes." 

I threw her a look and she groaned. "Of course you did. Of course you did." 

"What was I supposed to do, Alya?" I whined. 

"You were supposed to tell him no. You don't help the guy you like go for someone else! Especially not that worm! What you're going to do tomorrow is you're going to march over to him and tell him what kind of a slug she is. Then you're going to kiss him. Or tell him you like him. Or both. Whichever suits you in the moment," Alya nodded wisely. 

"But I can't do that!" I cradled my head in my arms. "You know me, Alya. Can you honestly see me doing that? Besides," I looked out the kitchen window. "I think he really likes her. He looked so happy when he talked about her. Why would I mess that up? I should just be happy that he's happy." 

"Girl, you are messed up but I kind of see where you're coming from. Look, just see how it plays out for a bit. Either way, you get to spend time with him. Maybe he'll see that you're way better than she is and he'll ask you to marry him so you can have those kids you have planned." 

I nodded and absentmindedly offered her a white chocolate-chip biscuit, only actually realising what I was doing when she took the whole plate. "Alya! Give them back." 

It was safe to say that I murdered her for eating all of them.