Chapter four- Long Overdue
Wednesday, Marinette was sitting at her desk with Alya, watching the other students trickle in. She saw Adrien walk in, smile at her and wave. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she smiled and waved back.
"Look, Dupain-Cheng," Marinette turned her head to see Chloé standing by her desk, arms folded and glaring. "I told you to stay away from my Adrikins!"
Before Marinette could retort, Adrien appeared and said, "You don't own me, Chloé. Stop being mean to my friends."
"But, Adrikins-" Chloé started.
"No, Chloé. I don't want to hear it," Adrien snapped.
Chloé returned to her desk, deflated as the rest of the class cheered.
"Thank you," Marinette said, smiling up at Adrien.
Adrien returned the smile. "It was long overdue."
Later, Marinette and Adrien were hard at work in Adrien's room, and the report was almost finished. Adrien was sitting at his desk, typing on his computer, with Marinette sitting next to him. Marinette stole a glance at Adrien, only to realize that he was staring at her too. As if an invisible force was pulling them together, they started leaning toward each other. The moment was broken by a knock at the door.
Adrien sighed and walked to his door, opening it to reveal Nathalie. "Hi, Nathalie," Adrien said.
With her usual monotone voice and expressionless face, Nathalie handed Adrien a plate. "Here are snacks per your request."
Adrien thanked his father's assistant, closed the door and rejoined Marinette. "Sorry about the snacks," Adrien said, putting air quotes around "snacks". "I'm not allowed to have much junk food."
Marinette looked at Adrien's downcast expression, then, down at the carrot sticks and ranch dressing. Then, she smiled, picked up a carrot stick, dipped it in ranch and took a bite. "I love carrots! I eat them all the time!" She wasn't just trying to make him feel better, although that was a bonus. She really did love carrots.
Adrien watched Marinette wolf down three carrots, shocked. "But I thought-"
"That just because I live above a bakery, I don't like vegetables?" Marinette raised an eyebrow.
Adrien's eyes widened in horror. "I didn't mean it like-"
Marinette looked at Adrien's face and couldn't hold it in anymore. She burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard that her eyes were watering, and she almost couldn't breathe. When Marinette finally calmed down, she said, "I'm not offended, Adrien, but I had to mess with you!"
Adrien laughed, and they ate their snack as they completed the report. The temperature had dropped and it had started snowing while the pair were studying, so Adrien insisted on giving Marinette a ride home. After arriving at the bakery, Marinette thanked Adrien's bodyguard for the ride and got out of the car, Adrien following suit.
"Do you want me to bring the report tomorrow?" Adrien asked.
"Sure," Marinette replied.
"Until tomorrow," Adrien stated, grabbing Marinette's hand and kissing the back of it.
Shocked and blushing, Marinette couldn't do anything, except watch him smile at her, get in his car and drive away. She suddenly realized that the project was over, and she no longer had an excuse to be alone with him after school, making her sad. She still wasn't one hundred percent sure of his feelings, but she grew more hopeful by the day. She had to tell him how she felt, but she wanted it to be perfect. She decided to tell him at the Christmas party on Friday since it would give her another day to practice what she wanted to say and gather courage. Before going to bed that night, she made his Christmas present, stitching a special message on it.