The Little Games We Play [CANCELLED]

Chapter 21

Marinette's POV

I don't know how long I had been crying. All I knew was that Tikki gave up trying to warn me I could attract an akuma. Normally if I was ever upset but I was reminded of that, I could and would make myself happier. This time was an exception.

I knew that it was unfair of me to just leave Adrien like that in the library, but my heart couldn't take it. I do still love him, but not how I used to. I couldn't stand the look of hurt he wore when he realized I was turning him down.

I wish that I still loved just as much as I used to and as much as he seemed to love me. I hated knowing that when he kissed me I didn't really feel anything special. Even though I could've kid myself and made myself believe I was still in love with him, I knew the moment I registered the fact he'd kissed me that I had moved on.

And who had I moved on to love? None other than my pun-loving feline partner who had made it obvious he had loved me for quite some time. The only thing that I wasn't sure about when it came to him was that I was still at a loss for why he no longer flirted with me.

And dread filled me when I thought that I might have lost my chance with him because I was pining after Adrien for so long. I miss the nicknames he would call me, I miss the way he'd kiss my hand, and I miss all the times he'd try to steal a kiss from me. I wish I knew why it all stopped.

I knew I had given up on Adrien, no matter how much it hurt, but I just had this feeling I wouldn't be able to give up on Chat Noir. It was true that I had an entire future with Adrien planned out, but that was really only in the moment of fantasizing. However when I thought about Chat Noir, a detailed future together wasn't something I could just imagine, but I knew I wanted him in my life forever.

All of these thoughts had been running through my head as I cried over my own heartbreak from breaking Adrien's heart, and they still ran through my mind even when I had stopped crying. My heart still ached, and I knew I would have still been crying if I could. I was probably dehydrated.

But why was I crying so much, really? Adrien had been the one rejected, not me. I should be more worried about him experiencing much more heartbreak than I was.

The world around me suddenly seemed silent, as if everything, including my crying, had just turned off. The only sounds I heard was my occasional sniffing from the runny nose I had given myself.

I stood very slowly as my head spun, and I knew I was dehydrated. I felt weak from crying so much and from all the thoughts that ran through my head. I could only imagine what Adrien was going through, and I felt my throat tighten once again at the thought. Never would I have ever thought I would've been one to reject Adrien.

I had just gotten back up to my room with a cup of water I had filled for the third time and was taking small sips. I had already taken aspirin to help with the headache that came from being dehydrated, but I had no idea how long it would last. I had just let out a long shaky breath and put down the cup of water that was now half empty when I heard a light thud above me.

"What...?" I muttered to myself, ignoring the fact my voice sounded absolutely horrible from my crying, and made my way up to the trap door that led to my balcony. When I saw him standing there, my eyes widened in shock, but I could feel my eyes tearing up again as all the thoughts I thought earlier came crashing back on me.

***

Adrien's POV

She just started crying and I had no idea what to do. I was busy trying to hold back tears of my own to put up a strong front for Marinette. I know I hadn't really been crying much about her rejecting me, but really I couldn't bring myself to. I suppose part of me had expected rejection from Marinette like how I had been rejected so many times by Ladybug, but this heartbreak hurt a lot more because I found out Marinette had in fact loved me before and I was oblivious to it.