Chapter 39

~Marinette's POV~

Adrien had seemed to act weird lately, and I didn't know why, but I found it rather amusing. I never thought Adrien was one to get nervous over this film, but now that I think about it, maybe he always has been.

It was probably just the fact that I really liked him that blinded me from the fact that he was a normal human being, just like me. Naturally there would be things to make him nervous, and in turn naturally I would be amused.

"What?" I heard his voice break through my thoughts, sounding curious and almost a little offended. I looked at him, smiling in more amusement as I saw that his facial expression matched his tone.

"I'm just thinking." I responded after looking away from him and back to the street ahead of us. The two of us were walking to my house together to decorate the waiting Christmas tree that my parents recently put up. Alya, Nino and Alix were supposed to come with us, but something came up for each of them. I wasn't surprised in the slightest, and would have bet anything that they were just giving Adrien and I time alone.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

I hesitated. I couldn't tell him what I was thinking otherwise he'd hear that I was thinking about my crush on him blinding me from really knowing who he was. The idea of telling him made me imagine his reaction: surprise at hearing that I liked him, embarrassment for the same reason, maybe hurt that I thought it was all funny.

There was something else I could imagine: disappointment. I knew that if I told him, he would feel terrible for having to turn me down. I know that he didn't see me how I saw him, and I was coming to better terms with that each day. Slowly, very slowly, I was getting over the fact that we wouldn't be more than friends.

So, instead of saying what I really thought, I said the first thing that came to my mind. "I was just remembering the last time we were at my house together getting ready for a scene."

"You mean when we were painting?" He asked, and I smiled more in amusement and happiness when I saw his face breaking into a grin. "Yeah, that was a lot of fun."

It made my heart fill with happiness to see him also happy as we relived the memory, talking about it on the rest of our walk to my home together. The fact that he had worn my dad's shirt that was huge on him, that we ended up covered with paint, and that it was something that made us both agree that we wanted to have more moments and memories like it.

It was okay for me to still have this crush on him, wasn't it? There was no harm in letting it last as long as it could, possibly lasting until I found someone else to love, right? It wasn't like I was seriously hoping for a real future that I could envision with him; this crush I had on him was completely temporary, and I knew it.

But as the last thought ran through my mind concerning a no longer existing future, I looked at him. I saw the way he was smiling to himself as we fell into comfortable silence, and I knew that everything I thought was a lie. I was lying to myself when I told myself that this crush wouldn't last long, and I knew it.

Because as I looked at him now, smiling and obviously quite happy to be sharing a memory with me, I knew that I still wanted to make this moment last forever—To always see him so happy and be lucky enough to be the cause of his smile.

I'm still so in love with him… And eventually it will be my biggest regret, not moving on quite yet.

I smiled to myself as I took a second to look at the tree, seeing that it was nearly ready for Adrien and I to film our next scene together. "It looks amazing." I commented, still smiling at the tree before I turned my attention to the smiling blond next to me, also looking at the tree.

"Yeah, it does." He agreed, and I smiled a little more when he looked towards me and our eyes met. He looked away a couple seconds later, looking down at the glass ball in his hand. "I haven't done this in years…"

My smile faded to a look of surprise as I looked at him questioningly. "You haven't decorated a Christmas tree in years?" I asked to clarify his statement, and he nodded slowly in response.

"It was one of my mother's favorite parts about Christmas." He responded, and instantly my smile faded. I hadn't noticed when his warm, happy smile turned into a sad one. "After she left, my father has refused for us to put one up in the house. They always remind him too much of her."

"I'm sorry." I said after he was quiet for a moment, though I wasn't really sure exactly what I was sorry for. I knew I could never come close to understanding what it would be like to have only one parent—to always feel like there was something missing.

"What for?" Adrien asked me with a small amused smile as he looked at the tree, focusing on the ornament he was hanging on a branch. "You've done nothing wrong. Unless you have and I don't know about it?"

"No, no." I said quickly, unable to hide a small smile of my own at the light tone of his words. "It's just… I've never really thought about how hard it must be to you to live without your mom. You two seem like you were very close."

Adrien's amusement faded from his smile and he seemed to be lost in thought. Slowly, he nodded then looked down as he picked up a couple more ornaments, one for each hand. "We were." He agreed. "I was always much closer to my mother than father."

I looked at him and frowned slightly. I didn't like seeing that it made him sad to think of his mom leaving, even if he was trying to hide it with a smile. Even then, I couldn't help but feel curious about what he said. "Then why—"

"Why am I living with my father and not my mother?" Adrien asked as he looked at me with a small smile, slight amusement showing in his eyes and I knew it had to have been because of my surprise that he knew what I was going to ask.

"Mother knew that my father wanted me to stay as his model." He said. "To help his business. Even though it hurt her very much because she and I wouldn't be able to see each other because she and my father don't get along well anymore, she still loves my father enough to help his business."

I thought about his answer and I felt a growing sense of admiration for Adrien's mom grow inside of me. "She sounds like a strong woman." I said with a small smile while hanging up another ornament, and he nodded in agreement. "But surely your father could have hired other models for his business?"

"My father may not seem to all the time like my mother, but I know that he cares about me." Adrien responded. "He's very protective, I think, because I remind him of my mother. I took after her looks, and I've been told many times that I have her personality and temper."

"You have a temper?" I asked, unable to hold back from giggling at the statement. "I don't think I've ever seen you angry."

Adrien let out a breath of amusement and shook his head at me as we each hung up another ornament. "Yes, you have." He said simply. "You've seen me get angry with Chloe."

"Right, I do remember that." I said after a second of thinking, then laughed a little more. "The look on her face was priceless. You took everyone by surprise when you stood up to her like that."

"She was talking down to you." He said, lowering his arm from the branch he just hung an ornament and looked at me. "She was bringing you down and insulting you, and I couldn't let her do that."

I looked at him for a moment before shaking my head to dismiss my illusion of the absolute seriousness I thought I heard in his voice. "She's been doing that to everyone for years." I said. "Long before you started coming to school. We're all used to it."

"That's no excuse for her rude behavior." Adrien argued, and I was taken aback by the sudden change of his tone. There was no mistaking that serious tone now as he looked at me intently. "She shouldn't be talking to you like that, Marinette. You're an amazing girl, and you don't deserve being treated how she treats you. You deserve so much better."

I stared at him in shock as I took in his words and sincerity of his tone. I could feel my cheeks continuously heating up, but I was too surprised by his seriousness that I couldn't smile. Thankfully, he looked away from me almost immediately after he said the words, and I was probably mistaken, but it almost looked like his cheeks were a little pink.

"She really would have liked you." He said quietly, but I still heard. I knew that he was back to talking about his mother, and his words touched my heart. "I wish you could have met her."

"I think I would have really liked to meet her too." I said back to him, matching his quiet tone. He looked at me and I looked at him. Our eyes met, and each of us wore a small smile. No other words were said, but it was clear that we were each perfectly content with saying nothing at all.

I waited in my family's living room for Rose to show up, smiling as I looked at the recently decorated tree in the room. I replayed the most recent events in my mind and smiled to myself happily. Being with Adrien always made me so happy, and though I knew deep down that I probably wouldn't always feel that way about him, I couldn't help but love the warm feeling I had in my heart.

Alya had walked into the room with Nino and Alix, and saw that Adrien and I had finished getting the tree ready for the scene. She had given me this look that confirmed my suspicions that she had purposefully given Adrien and I time to be alone with each other, though I could hardly complain even though I had told her before not to try to push us together.

We started filming not long after, Adrien and I still smiling softly at each other like we were earlier while Nino started the recording, Alix declared the scene and take, and Alya called for action.

"When I was a little girl," I said, starting off this scene. "There was always this… One Christmas present under the tree that was unaccounted for. My parents said that they didn't buy it, so that's how my sister and I knew it was from Santa."

The two of us were hanging the rest of the ornaments on the tree for the scene, the two cats laying under the low branches next to a few gifts. I had been busy with one as I acted lost in thought over this memory, and Adrien was looking at me with a fond smile that I was trying hard to ignore because I knew it was just for the film.

"It was always my favorite present." I added, finishing the short story. My attention turned to Adrien and I was quiet for a moment before I asked, "What are your favorite Christmas traditions?"

"Oh, I usually end up working Christmas Eve and Christmas day." He replied. "The guys with families really want the time off, so… I end up being the guy who holds down fort."

"That must be hard." I had commented, looking down again at another ornament.

"Well, it's no big deal." He replied easily as he finished hanging up another ornament. "What do you do for Christmas?"

I had taken in a long breath as I hesitated for a second to collect my thoughts before I answered. "This year on Christmas I'm volunteering at a big pet rescue adoption the shelter's putting on in the park. Then I'll go to my sister's for dinner."

"You know, I really want to thank you again." He said when I finished my line, and I had looked at him curiously. "For all the work you did around the house."

"Oh," I said, shaking my head dismissively.

"I may be able to sell it sooner than I thought." He added, and I looked at him with a surprised expression mixed with sadness, as if I didn't like the idea of him selling the house, because it would mean Zachary and Marilee wouldn't have that place together anymore.

"That's great." I said, smiling again, though I still looked a little upset for the part. "You didn't just fix up another house this time. You built a real home… For a real family."

Adrien didn't say another word as we looked at each other with small sad smiles that we each tried to hide, as if we were both thinking the same thing. That we were each other's family, and neither of us wanted to see our time together end. Though, of course it was only for the film.

Alya, Nino and Alix were satisfied with the turnout, and Adrien seemed happy with it as well, especially when Natalie called to tell him he had to go home. He was happy that we finished the scene in one take, because it meant he wouldn't risk making his father unhappy.

"Hey Marinette!"

I looked up quickly at the sound of my name and took a moment to realize I was still sitting on the couch in the family room. I had become so lost in thought I forgot what I had been doing.

"Hi, Rose." I said with a smile. "Are you ready for this scene?"

"You mean our second to last one together?" Rose asked with a smile, took in a deep breath, then nodded. "Yes. I am very ready. Are you?"

I couldn't believe that she was right. This would be our second to last scene together, which meant I had one last one with Kagami, and only a few more with Adrien before it was all over. I smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, I am. Let's do this."