I'll be entirely honest with you, with how much content I wanted in this chapter I was really expecting it to be longer.

We're gonna hang with Adrien today. We love Adrien.

Claire: sits down to write review responses. Check email…. Wha-What? 16 reviews over the course of 4 days! Holy Sh*t! That can't be right! Checks the fanfiction website. I REALLY DID GET 16 REVIEWS! I FEEL SO LOVED!

SunshineMLB: I really do appreciate that you made this comment. I really try to use my own experiences with certain emotions to create a more realistic response for all of my characters even though I've never actually had any of these thing happen to me.

Cutecreamska: Aww thank you! I'm glad that you think so. When I originally wrote about the dress in 'the Promise' I had found inspiration for it through a few helpful pins on pinterest. I made an estimated guess on what body type Marinette would have as an adult and chose the most flattering type of dress for that body type. Not to mention dresses like that are stunning.

mayuralover: why do I feel like every time I respond to your reviews I can hardly respond because if I did I'd be giving away spoilers?

Guardian of the Inheritance: thanks!

Sidd: Thank you! I'm glad to be back! I'm not sure what svtfoe is but I recently got into a show called The Dragon Prince. The next long term story I'll be writing is an original work but I'm using the magic and the elven races as inspiration for the magic in my own story. Btw that story once I'm done with the planning process for it I'll be posting oneshots for that universe along with the main story on wattpad. You can find me on there under the name TheStrangeClaireBean.

Spidey: I shoulda known you were the reason behind 10 reviews all at the same time. Not that I mind. I very much enjoy the attention. However if I respond to every one of them then my authors note will be longer than the chapter itself… maybe shoot me an email sometime and we can talk about all of it.

Without Further Ado, I bring to you!

7 minutes in heaven: 7 minutes in heaven is a game general played at partys normally with 2 people of the opposite sex. These two people go into a closet for 7 minutes and "make out".

Adrien's POV

I just don't get what's up with her!

She's hardly spoken to me at all since we got home on my birthday.

It's been a week and this whole 'let's avoid Adrien' thing is getting really old.

I honestly don't know where I went wrong…

Tonight is Alya and Nino's annual christmas party and I'm really not in the right mood to socialize with anyone right now.

After I finish getting ready I grab my winter coat and my new hat and scarf. I step outside into the freezing air to clear my head.

I just don't know what to do. I could have sworn that I made it very obvious that I wanted something more than friendship while we were at the park last week. I'm starting to think that her avoiding me is some sort of rejection.

My heart aches at the thought of rejection. I hear the door to our apartment building open and a pair of footsteps approach.

I turn to see Marinette in a simple but pretty red dress. She looks absolutely stunning.

"You ready princess?" I ask as I open the passenger side door for her. She smiles just a bit and mumbles a faint yes.

After a rather lengthy series of hellos and merry Christmas', a couple of drinks and snacks we all sit down to play 7 minutes of heaven. Of course I tried to refuse to join in but Alya isn't the kind of person to take no for an answer. So of course, I decided to play rather than face her wrath.

Alya insists that her maid of honor, Marinette, be the first to draw a name from the hat filled with names of the people here.

When Marinette picks a name out of the hat, her eyes widen and a bright red blush covers her cheeks and the tips of her ears. She nervously looks up from the slip of paper and her eyes meet mine. I already know who's name is on the paper before she even announces it.

"Adrien," she mumbles.

I swallow the lump in my throat and stand. We make our way into the closet one room over. It's only big enough for the two of us if we stand close together.

Before I know it the door shuts and locks behind us. I can hear alya and the rest of the group giggling from the other room.

Panic rises in my chest when I realize how uncomfortable she looks. We stand in silence for a minute or two before she speaks up.

"Are we just not going to kiss or something? You know, kissing is like the entire point of the game."

I'm completely shocked by her words. Anger pools in the pit of my stomach.

"Are you kidding me? That right there was the most you've spoken to me in a week. All you ever do is give mixed signals. One moment you're affectionate and loving and the next you're cold and distant. You don't get to just choose when you want to love me and when you want to leave me whenever you feel like it. That's not how love works!"

Hurt and anger crosses Marinette's face. She jabs a finger into my chest.

"If I didn't love you then I wouldn't have stood up for you when your father was cold and distant. I wouldn't take care of you when you're drunk. I wouldn't have helped you adopt plagg so you wouldn't feel so alone while I was gone. I wouldn't have called you several times a week because I couldn't stand missing you. Most importantly I wouldn't have come back." She crosses her arms over her chest. "If you're so worried about mixed signals then why is it that you've never chased after me, never put in any effort to keep me close or fight for me. You're constantly letting me go like I'm not worth the effort."

I throw my hands up in frustration. "I never wanted to let you go in the first place! I only did it because I really do love you more than anything in the world and I wanted you to be happy! I wanted you to stay with me in Paris and build a family with me but you told me you didn't want some guy getting in the way of your education and I respected that! Not to mention I didn't get drunk that night because I was celebrating about the wedding! I was incredibly hurt and I wanted nothing more than to tell you that you can't go out on dates with other guys, but I couldn't, not if there was a chance he'd make you happier than me…" tears gather in my eyes and threaten to spill over.

She stays quiet for a moment before she wraps her arms around my shoulders and pulls me close. "You're not just some guy, Adrien. You're the guy that stood up for me and cared for me, you're the guy that's been by my side for as long as I can remember. You're the reason why I didn't want to go to New York two years ago, I couldn't imagine my life without you." She runs her fingers through my hair and my anxiety begins to slip away. "I realized last week how much I really do love you. I can't believe I hadn't realized it earlier."

I move away just a bit to see her face. "More than just as friends right?" I ask.

She blushes and smiles. "Yeah. what about you?"

"Always," I mumble. I lean towards her and she stands up on her tip toes while I finally pull her in for a kiss. (and maybe a few more)