"Last Christmas I gave you my heart..."
"Ok girl, what do you have in that closet of yours that will make you shine?" Alya asked Marinette lounging on the young designer's chaise.
"Well," she flipped through many jaw dropping dresses, her past designs, finally taking out two stunning ones. "How about one of these?" She smiled fondly at her creations.
"Girl! Try them on! I can't decide without seeing you in them first!" Alya pushed the blushing girl in the bathroom with the two garments. The first dress she tried on was a baby blue color adorned with silver jewels from her shoulders to her hips. It went down a little past her knees. Looking at herself in the mirror she felt a little less like herself and more like Elsa from Frozen. She stepped out of the bathroom to be met with the aspiring journalist taking countless photos of her.
"Alya!" the girl giggled at her best friend.
"You look amazing! A little like Elsa though, don't you think?" she smiled snapping one last picture before Marinette went back into the bathroom to try on the next dress.
This particular one had a smooth red skirt with a white sweet heart neck line covered in red and silver jewels and little vines that finished with ruby flowers. She cracked open the door to make sure the coast was clear before creeping out of the bathroom. Alya's mouth was wide open as she gawked at the stunning image before her.
"So?" The nervous girl questioned her speechless friend.
"The color contrasts! It's so beautiful! It really makes your eyes pop! And the jewels are bound to get you a guy within the first five minutes of being there!" She continued her ravings about Marinette's talent as the designer plucked her red ballet flats out of her closet trying them on with the dress.
Going over to her vanity she looked at her reflection. She was replaced by a confident young lady beaming back at her. Instead of her usual twin tails tonight she decided to wear her hair in a high pony tail. Alya walked up behind her in her amazing peach colored strapless gown. It went a bit past the knees as well but was a simple yet elegant dress going perfectly with her spunky, fun loving attitude.
"Are you ready for this Christmas party? I know it's at Chole's but hey! Adrien will be there! And you'll have a chance to show off your lovely dress to him!" Alya put a comforting hand on Marinette's shoulder. "You've got this! I believe in you! And if things go South tell me and we'll leave right away! Okay?"
"Thanks Alya," Mari put her hand on Alya's and squeezed it for comfort. "Let's do this." She smiled confidently back into the mirror. Grabbing her purse that was concealing Tikki, both girls went down the trap door to go downstairs into the Dupain-Cheng's living room.
"Oh! You girls look too cute!" Sabine gushed, snapping a photo of them before they could protest.
"They certainly do!" A big burly man came through the apartment door covered in flour, Tom smiled and give them the usual 'dad talk'. Don't stay out too late, don't go home with any boys, text if a pick up is needed, etc. Both of the Cheng girls kissed him on the cheek while Alya waved a goodbye. They closed the apartment door behind them with a soft click as an excited smile grew on the teenage girls' lips.
Slinging her purse over her shoulder Marinette started to chat with Alya as they began layering for the outside weather. Both girls hugged Sabine in farewell as they stepped out into the frosty weather.
Pulling her light pink scarf over her already pink nose Mari looked over to her best friend. Both were bundled in layers of soft clothing but they still shivered in the chilling night air, after all it was Christmas Eve.
"Think it'll snow tonight?" Alya asked, snapping Marinette from her thoughts.
"Maybe! I really hope so," she sighed smiling, "a white Christmas is what we need right now!"
"Yeah, the temperature is perfect for snow," the auburn haired girl looked skyward, "sad thing is I don't see any clouds. Let's cross our fingers after this party we'll be walking home in snow!" She crossed her fingers holding them up to her best friend. They giggled for a bit about old snow day traditions they had as children before they came upon The Grand Paris Hotel.
Marinette froze in her tracks. Alya, being the determined girl she was, pushed Mari inside ignoring the girl's protests. Two maids take the girls' jackets without a word. Alya takes the ravenette by the shoulders steering her through a crowd of people listening to a remix of jingle bells as Nino hops up and down at the DJ table.
"Alright, now's the time lady's and dudes," Nino switches the upbeat, loud song to a soft waltz. Alya runs over to him as he jumps over his set to take her in his arms and dance slowly together.
Marinette sighs at the sweet couple wishing she could have the same, a loving partner to share Christmas with. Swaying to the music for a while, Mari feels a soft tap on her shoulder. She turns around to be face to face with Adrien Agreste.
"A-ADRIEN! Hi! What are um you doing here?" the young girl stutters.
"Well, Chole did invite the whole school to this party." He says chuckling.
"R-right! Well uh..." she trails off unsure of how to start a conversation with her crush without tripping over her words almost as much as she does on her feet.
"Do you," he cleared his throat, "wanna maybe dance? Remeber last party? We could rock this dance floor even more then last time!" He smiled enthusiastically at her. Nodding dumbly she turned as red as her skirt. He snatched her hand and speed them off to the dance floor. The danced for what seemed like hours; slow dances, fast dances, and all the ones in between.
Her head was nestled in his collar bone as she fought to stay awake. He had his head resting softly adjacent to her's as he began to doze off. They both were startled when Chloe came bursting in between them.
She went on and on about something, Mari was too groggy to even really hear her. The blue eyed designer walked off with an apology to the blondes.
She found her way up to the roof for a bit of fresh air. Breathing in the crisp, fridged air she sighed.
"Wow Mari, nice dancing." Her purse shifted, then popped open reveling Tikki. The two chatted for a while until a violent wind sent Marinette shivering. She started to walk back to the elevator as Tikki jumped back inside her purse. As she walked another fridged wind struck her.
She prepared for the impact of a freezing, wet pool when instead she was met with a warm hand lifting her and a pair of warm green eyes smiling down at her.
"Careful there, Mari! You could've frozen in that pool!" Adrien guided her away from the edge of the pool.
"Sorry! I'm so clumsy!" She covered her red face in embarrassment. They stayed in comfortable silence for a bit, staring off at the cityscape of Paris, until Marinette relised that Adrien's hand was still on the small of her back, steadying her as she shifted in the wind.
"Uh...um," the blue eyed girl looked around as if trying to find a sentence, "Adrien?" She summoned up her courage, taking all of Alya'a previous advice: go for it!
"Yes, Mari?" She blushed deeper at the nick name, only her closed friends and family called her that. It made her feel as though he trusted her, maybe that he could think of her as more than a friend and trust her as such. It gave her a boost of adrenaline.
"I... I uh..." why is it so hard to talk to him?! She mentally scolded. "I have a crush on you!" She pulled away and looked into his sadend eyes. He looked away just as her eyes began to swell with tears.