Chapter Three – Kind Words Cut Deep
Sweat had the phone slipping in Marinette's hand as she held it to her ear. Adrien's velvet voice was like a physical caress but it was the strain in his voice which alerted the girl to what he was likely to say. With a nervous giggle she gripped the phone tighter. "Oh, you saw that. I figured you needed some cheering up."
Good grief, the forced cheer was so bleeding obvious. Even Tikki winced before plastering a look of encouragement on her petite features.
Adrien's tone changed and she could almost hear the smile in his voice. "Yeah, I did need a little brightness in my day. What you said was really nice, Marinette. You've always been an amazing friend."
Oh hell, he'd gone and said 'friend'. This was the beginning of the end. How could she salvage her pride and more importantly, her heart? Marinette opened her mouth to speak but Adrien beat her to the punch.
"About that last bit." The model paused and drew in a deep breath. "You really feel that way, don't you?"
It was on the tip of her tongue to deny it all but honestly, what was the point? She'd been trying to express her true feelings to Adrien for years. It was time to come clean. Letting out a wistful sigh, Marinette scrunched her eyes closed and simply said, "Yes."
Silence practically echoed down the line. It could have been mere seconds but it felt like hours to Marinette. The metaphorical axe was poised over her head and she was simply waiting for it to fall.
"I'm really flattered, Marinette, but… I, um. My heart belongs to someone else. I'm really sorry." A pleading note entered his voice. "This won't ruin our friendship, will it? You mean a lot to me, Marinette. You're one of my closest friends."
Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as her chin wobbled but Marinette was determined to hide just how deeply his words slashed her. "No… we'll be okay. I… I just might need a bit of space for a while."
"I'm sorry Marinette. I know what it's like to be rejected. Heck, I should have spoken to you face to face. Then at least I could have given you a hug."
He knew what it was like to be rejected? Who in their right mind would reject Adrien Agreste? Shock momentarily halted her tears. Then his offer of a hug tore her asunder. How could his kindness be so cruel?
Her hesitation in responding had him speaking again. "Do you want me to come over? I'm sure I could convince Nathalie under the circumstances."
Marinette shook her head, then realised he couldn't see her. "No, it's fine."
"But I've upset you, Marinette."
Damn, so much for her effort in concealing how devastated she was. "I want to be alone," she managed to choke out.
Adrien continued, concern thick in his voice. "I can understand if you don't want to see me but I can call Alya for you."
"That's sweet, Adrien. But I meant what I said. I just need space."
"Are you sure?"
Why did he have to be so nice, even as he broke her heart? "If I need someone to talk to, I'll call Alya."
His hesitation was obvious. "Okay, as long as you're sure."
"I am."
"Alright. Is it okay if I text you later?"
"Sure," she replied in her eagerness to end this awkward conversation.
Between the pair of them, they made their stilted farewells. Marinette wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeve and made it her mission to delete her response to Adrien's Instagram post.
Okay, I'm going to be serious for a moment here because of something my eldest son told me tonight. He is worried about one of his good friends because he admitted that he's been wanting to kill himself and he's only 10. To say that I was shocked is an understatement. To think that someone so young could feel so despaired breaks my heart. If you have someone you're concerned about or feel this way, please reach out for help (check out the Beyond Blue website too - please note it is an Australian website but the advice is universal). You are important and people care for you even if you think they don't. Now go give those people you love a hug.
Deep stuff aside, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It wasn't meant to be nearly as heavy as my note here.