Both starting leaning in as if an unknown force wanted to bring them closer. They continued leaning in as they still held eye-contact with half-lidded eyes. Their eyes shone brightly even with the small lights emitted by the candles all around them. Her hand went up to hold onto his neck, while his hand tighten around her waist, holding on to her firmly as if he was worried she would run away. His emerald gaze dropped to her lips, making her cheeks flush even more. Their noses were only a few centimetres away, nearly brushing and they closed their eyes. She could feel his warm breath ghost over her flushed face and his face approaching hers. How long had she been imagining this? A couple of months? She was sure it would be better than everything she had imagined…

Suddenly a female voice spoke up.

"Mari? Where are you? You need to come see this! Get out! I know you´re here. Mylène told me she saw you go outside. You have to be somewhere." They heard her argue with Nino next.

Their eyes shot open as they stared at one another, not moving, still shocked from the unexpected interruption.

Realising their position, Marinette and Adrien took a step backwards away from one another, both flushed and trying to look like they hadn´t been interrupted doing anything particular.

"Marinette! You´re here. Oh? I am interrupting something?... Anyway come on! I have to show you something." Alya dragged her friend back inside, but she didn´t see the disappointment in her friend´s eyes.

She didn´t see Adrien for the rest of the night. The disappointment weighed on her small shoulders. She couldn´t stop thinking about the kiss. Well the possible kiss. She didn´t look at bright and joyful as the beginning of the ball, when she had danced with him. Even as she smiled at a couple of persons she knew, a lingering sadness and emptiness could be seen in her eyes. Her eyes appeared dull in the candlelight and not as lively as before.

Were they really about to kiss? Who am I kidding? Why would he want to kiss me? Though he was leaning in too… or was I dreaming again?

Marinette sighed, left to be confronted by her own thoughts and crazy romantic scenarios. Well she had had the romantic setting and the man of her dreams… but of course her friend got in her way.

She only hoped it wouldn´t affect their friendship too much. She didn´t know if it was a bad thing or good thing that she couldn´t find him anywhere at the party. She wandered in the hospital´s large halls, going up to the sixth floor in order to leave Adrien´s jacket he had lent her in his office. Goose-bumps rose on her skin as she shed his jacket, feeling the cold around her.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out, only to find a text from Alya telling her she would leave with Nino. She could only sigh again, a feeling of loneliness making his way in her heart.

Great… now I have to go back home alone.

She looked outside only to see the pitch black sky covered with grey clouds as if ready to let it rain. Some people were already leaving the party and even if Marinette didn´t work the next day, she didn´t feel like staying longer. She made her way through the empty corridors nobody used, to land near the bus station she always took when she got out of work. She regretted not taking any coat with her, she thought she would freeze before the bus came. After waiting for what felt like a lifetime, a bus finally arrived and she plopped in the first eat she laid eyes on.

When she got home she plopped on her bed, after taking her dress and dessous off. She wanted to be angry at the world for a number of reasons, but somehow she couldn´t. Throwing the sheets over her, she decided to sleep only in her underwear, too tired to get up again. Her brain wouldn´t stop wondering what could have happened if Alya hadn´t interrupted them and it drove her crazy.

Maybe he didn´t even want to kiss me. I mean: why would he kiss me? Me? Marinette? Simple clumsy nurse! No way, it was a mistake…

We´re friends, nothing more…

Finally after some time, sleep found her.

Her alarm rang and she quickly shut it by throwing her arm around hoping not to have to open her eyes. She fell back asleep only to be roughly woken up by Alya, who barged into her room, seeing her friend would not get up without any help. Marinette had to get up a little bit faster than usually, since she actually slept more in than she originally thought she would. Alya practically threw her out, she had woken up earlier than Marinette, although she had to cover for the afternoon shift.

Needless to say that the interaction between Marinette and Adrien was quite uncomfortable and awkward to watch, since their "almost kiss" at the charity ball.

None of them mentioned what had happened the night of the ball. They tried to act professional when they needed to communicate, but avoided one another like most of the time. Both were feeling down, since the "friendly" relationship had abruptly stopped, it felt like a part of them had been ripped away. They missed the time they would always spend together. Both missed dearly their coffee time dearly. Each time she passed next to him, she only wanted to run away or craw and hide under a desk when he passed by. Each time she needed something from a doctor, she made sure to get another doctor than Adrien and when it was inevitable to ask him for help, she would kindly ask one of the other nurses to get it for her. She used the favours everybody owed her, and volunteered each time someone had to get something from another floor, just so she wouldn´t be on the same floor as him and have a chance bump into him. Even though she was always happy to do rounds with the doctors, she had shoved this task to somebody else each time, lying to them as she said she was tired of doing it.

So they had been pretty much avoiding each other in the hallways, scared of how the other one had taken their last interaction. Adrien as well didn´t know how to act and tried to avoid her. He had understood that Marinette was avoiding him and it made his heart ache at the thought. But he decided to respect her wishes and leave her alone even if it was slowly killing him.

When they did bump into each other, they wouldn´t greet to other. Marinette would mostly stare at the floor, and Adrien would clear his throat uneasily before stepping out of her way and leaving. He never heard the deep heart-broken sigh, Mari would let out each time after he left like this.

Each time Alya and Nino suggested they go out, they would find an excuse, saying they were tired, leaving the two to go on a date. Their best-friends didn´t know what had happened and took a couple of days to realise something was different with their friends. They had been so cooped up in their honeymoon-phase that they didn´t register their friend´s mood dropping exponentially.

Hi!

I know you will probably kill me for this update, I don´t blame you, but I don´t want this story to end yet. I have more to write! I know you all wanted them to kiss :( At first I had written a version where they would kiss, but I didn´t seem right to me.

First: thank you for your lovely reviews ^/^. I´m really happy you all like it so much!

Second: The next update will take some time again :/. The next update will probably be in the late August. I would have liked to post it before, but I don´t have any Internet where I am going on vacation so... (maybe it will do me some good to not have any connection with the Internet for a couple of weeks).

I wish you all amazing summer holidays! (I still have to learn for finals :"( )

Eat chocolate ice-cream! (or salted caramel: it tastes like heaven *-*)