No room to swing a Cat?

9 - Something's happening

"You've been acting weird recently..." Véronique noticed the next day during a lunchtime.

"What?" Marinette replied in absent tone.

"That's what I'm talking about!" her friend only nodded. "Is it Luka? Has he come back with his tail between his legs?"

"Tail?" Marinette repeated and suddenly she imagined a particular tail with its owner. Very familiar owner.

"Oh, you're picking on me..."

"I'd say that you're picking on me. Nothing's happening. Maybe except that I had to move out, my house needs a renovation, and my parents stuck in China."

"It's hard to call it 'nothing'..." Véronique laughed.

"So, you see." Marinette smiled.

"You know what? I really thought that Luka just came back to you."

"Why?"

"Because..." Véronique hesitated. "You have that special look, you know..."

"The special look?" Marinette burst out laughing.

"You know... Like you were in love. That's why I related that to Luka's comeback."

"Ver... Don't you remember that I left him? Do you really think that if he came back now, I'd act like a teenager in love? And why do you think I have a 'special' look? I'm just tired. Believe me, a lot is happening in my life right now. For two days I had no idea where I would live..."

"You could always move in to our dorm."

"I know... But I need a room." Marinette admitted not being precise about the reasons of that need which couldn't been satisfied by living in a dorm. "Besides, I'm a messy person. You would kick me out within a week."

"So, where are you staying?"

"A friend of mine lives with her boyfriend and she had a free room."

"If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Of course, Ver. Thanks!"

Marinette felt that this conversation with Véronique helped her a little bit. She believed again that there were sincere people around her. So she could continue her lectures at the university in much better mood, leaving all yesterday sorrows behind.

At least she thought she left them. They all came back as soon as she stepped in the apartment in the evening. Was it because she was at the same place where she had had those sad thoughts? Or was it because she passed Adrien who seemed to go for a date with his mysterious girlfriend who made his eyes sparkle? Or, finally, was it because she reminded herself the jealousy scene made by Cat Noir yesterday? Who, by the way, had left soon after this without even saying goodbye.

She had no idea why he left so suddenly. Especially when she decided that she was ready to tell him the story about her broken heart.

Except the fact that... she wasn't sure anymore if there was a broken heart or a disappointment. It wasn't about that she wanted to get married and have kids. It was rather about that she thought Luka was her soulmate. They could communicate with each other without words. He could always play the right song. Like he understood her heart. And she had opened her heart on him. Just to experience the biggest disappointment in her life when she discovered that...

She sighed heavily, closing that door to painful memories.

"Tough day?" Cat Noir asked, sitting on the window board, as usual.

She turned around in astonishment.

"Oh, I didn't know if you'd come tonight..." she whispered.

"Why? I visit you every day. Or rather every night."

"Or rather every evening, Cat..." she corrected him. "But... You left yesterday without a word, so I was wondering if you felt offended or something..."

"Nothing of the kind. I thought we could finish today our yesterday meeting." he replied, jumping inside.

"So, why did you leave so suddenly?" she asked him directly, as if words escaped after her overthinking about Cat Noir's possible reasons of disappearing.

He glanced at her carefully, but she looked away immediately. Cat Noir smiled under his breath when he noticed she blushed. But instead of teasing her, he just answered her question:

"You seemed to get lost in thoughts. I felt I should leave."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"I didn't." he admitted, approaching to her and making a gesture as if he wanted to take her hand, but he stopped at the last moment.

"So, why did you leave?" she asked, looking up.

"I thought you wanted to be alone."

"I just wanted..." she hesitated.

"What?" he spotted.

"I wanted to tell you the story."

"What story?"

"About Luka."

"Oh..." he sighed and seemed to turn back to the window.

"Because... Wasn't it the purpose of our support group? To talk about it? I really have to talk to someone who'll understand me. Alya doesn't want even hear about Luka. Every time I start talking about him, she gives me a lecture that he was a wrong guy for me. And after what he did, he's done for her. And Véronique, you know – my colleague at the university, is so concerned that every time I mention Luka, she thinks he's coming back. Even today she asked me if he had come back to me, because I'm acting like..." she stopped suddenly, embarrassed that she almost blurted out 'like I were in love'. Cat Noir could think that she was in love with him! That wasn't going to happen! Ever!

"Like who?" he asked her breathless, and she realised he was standing right in front of her. Actually, he could easily embrace her. And that made her breathless too.

"I... I'm absentminded for most of time. A lot of classes, projects, work... And the collapsing house on my head... And instead of sleeping I'm spending nights with you, drowning my sorrows in milk..."

"In milk?!" Cat Noir laughed.

"Not in alcohol at least. And you're a cat, so probably you drink milk, right? That supposed to be a joke, but I'm terrible in joking..."

"Don't worry, Purrincess. Milk is OK." He smiled at her and added quietly: "If it's lactose free..."

"I'm hopeless..." she facepalmed.

"Don't say that, Mari..." he whispered and put his hands on her shoulders.

She looked up and for a moment they were staring in each other's eyes. Marinette held her breath and an alarming thought occurred to her suddenly. A thought about kissing Cat Noir. That was ridiculous! And at the same time – so real and easy to do...

"And what's happening here?" they heard from the door.

Marinette and Cat Noir broke their eye contact to look at the door. There was Alya, standing with her arms crossed. And with a mischievous smile on her face.