Then There Was You

Chapter 6

"Oh my God girl, he gave you his office key!" Alya blurted out at the top of her voice. Marinette shushed her, looking around the cafe where they had met up, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"It's just for two days while the placement finishes. Really Alya it's no big deal." She said in a forceful whisper.

"Uh ha, yep, no big deal." Alya retorted sarcastically, this time at a more acceptable volume. "Marientte, my dear sweet innocent Marinette, a guy giving you his office key is like giving you the keys to his apartment." Marinette's mouth flew open.

"Alya! Adrien would never be like that. He's far too much of a gentleman, and he was just trying to protect me from Lila." Alya shook her head with a laugh.

"Okay, I'll concede that Adrien is far too much sunshine to get down and dirty in his office." Marientte really wished a whole would just open up and swallow her whole. "But that doesn't mean he hasn't thought about it. Besides, you still have that dinner date tomorrow night."

"It's not a date." Marinette clarified. "It's just a coffee catch up like what we are doing right now." Alya rolled her eyes and took her friend by the hand.

"Marientte, he sees you most of the day, he doesn't need to have a 'catch up' with you." She emphasised her point with inverted fingers. "He wants to be with you. He's pretty much treating you like a girlfriend without saying it out loud. I just wish I knew why he is holding back." Marientte slumped back into her seat.

"Chloé seemed to think that he is afraid to love." Alya narrowed her eyes at her.

"And why are we believing anything that super brat says?" Marinette could understand Alya's reaction. A year ago she would have probably said the same thing.

"She's not like that anymore and I know Adrien means the world to her. Honestly, I think she had a point. She believes he's afraid of loving someone and being left again, like his mother did." She lowered her eyes down. Alya grabbed her shoulder and gave it a gentle shake.

"Well then it's up to you to show him that his heart is safe with you." Marientte looked at her best friend with pleading eyes.

"But how Alya? How do I tell him that? These last few days being around him have been amazing and I feel we have gotten so much closer, but I'm afraid too. I'm still afraid to tell him how I feel. Afraid of being rejected." She sat back wrapping her arms around herself. "Will he ever know how much I love him?"

*********

Marinette raced down the stairs, stumbling her way through the bakery. She'd tossed and turned worrying so much about Adrien and how she was going to ever confess to him that she barely responded to her alarm. If it hadn't been for Tikki, she may not have woken up at all. Calling out a hasty goodbye to her parents she raced her way to the metro she reached the Gabriel Fashion House just in time. Making her way to the top floor, she walked into Adrien's office to find two tall cups of coffee sitting on the desk. Taking off her coat she placed it over a chair when she heard him call out.

"Good morning." Came his voice from behind her. She turned around to see him walking over with some papers in his hand. He threw them down on the desk before giving her a friendly hug. "Is everything alright, you look flustered?" Marinette wasn't sure if it was the run to the office or his intense gaze that was making her red.

"Yeah, fine." She reassured him. "Just overslept my alarm." She then noticed him looking her up and down. "What?" She asked as his smile collapsed into a giggle.

"Is that a new fashion statement or is your top on back to front?" Marinette looked down and realised to her horror that her top was indeed back to front and inside out! She was grateful she had at least had her coat on while travelling the metro, this was embarrassing enough. Adrien continued to chuckle. "Don't worry about it, just use the bathroom and fix yourself up. Nathalie won't be here for another ten minutes anyway."