Made For Each Other [On Hold]

Chapter 8 - Marinette

"Remind me why we have to sit so far away?" Alya swirled a glass of expensive wine around the glass.

"Because if he sees us, we'll have to explain why we're crashing his date!" I whispered across the table. "Plus, we didn't get to choose our seats!"

Yesterday, Adrien had told me about his dinner date with Lila, and like a glutton for punishment, I had decided to spy on them, with my wingwoman.

We were currently sitting on a raised section of the room, with a view of all the other tables - including Adrien's. While Alya had made it seem like we were half a restaurant away, we were still within eavesdropping distance.

Except now I was seriously regretting my rash decision. Here I was, crashing Adrien's date with the purpose of trying to 'win him over', whilst also promising to help him win over said date.

I sighed. "I'm a fool. What am I doing here, Alya? I promised I'd help him get Lila to fall for him, and here I am, pining after him myself!"

I put my head in my hands, "I'm supposed to be his friend, Alya! Why am I trying to ruin his attempt at happiness?"

"Because you know this happiness won't make him happy forever. Eventually he's going to realise what kind of person she is, and that she's not the one for him. Then he'll turn back to you and actually open his eyes to see the beautiful, kind girl that loves him waiting for him," Alya pulled my hands from my face and wrapped hers around them.

I felt tears well in my eyes and I ripped my hands from hers to dash them away. Why the hell am I crying?

"And what kind of a person does that make me? I'm supposed to be helping him be happy and here I am doing it half-heartedly! I'm supposed to be his friend! I should be happy that he's happy!" I whispered the last part and the tears finally spilled.

I ducked my head so that no one would see the pitiful girl crying at Le Cinq.

"Marinette. Look at me. LOOK at me," when I did she continued. "You love him. You love him and you probably always have, so don't even start to think that you're not normal for being unhappy that he's with someone else!

"The only thing not normal about you is that you always put yourself aside to help those you care about," she captures my hands again. "He asked for your help and you gave it to him. Most people wouldn't do that because they're all thinking about themselves. So so what if helping him meant matching him with another girl because in the end, you'll both find your happiness. With each other, I just know it."

I have her a watery smile and squeezed her hand.

"Why don't we get out of this crazy place and head home to drown in ice cream and Disney movies?" Alya stood up and I followed.

"It's a good thing the food was decent cause otherwise that would have been an expensive cry," Alya remarked as we made our way to the desk to pay.

I gave a half-cry, half-sob and leaned into her.

"Marinette? Alya?"

The one voice in the universe I always wanted to hear was the one voice I did not want to hear right now. But of course, I did.

We turned to see Adrien rising from his seat and saw the shock and confusion cover his face when he saw the undoubtable mess of my face. "What are you doing here?"

I could almost hear the thoughts racing through his head and mine struggled to keep pace as I worried through excuses. I needn't have worried with my best friend by my side, though.

"We were out celebrating our eighth anniversary of being best friends. What are you doing here?" Alya lied through her teeth and made it look like we weren't stalking them.

"Oh, ah-" he was interrupted before he could utter a coherent word.

"We're in the middle of dinner," Lila Rossi looked imperiously down her nose at us. "So if you don't mind, we'd like to get back to it, thank you."

Adrien's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. "Ah, yes. Right. Dinner. Sorry."

I could feel the effort Alya took not to roll her eyes. "Of course not. We wouldn't dare interrupt your wonderful night together," she drawled.

With that we turned to go but Adrien called out once more. "Marinette, are you alright?"

I watched him over my shoulder. "Not yet."

Without another word, we paid and walked home for a girls night in.