Flowers Left Behind | Luka x Reader

Chapter 39

The bell to the bakery chimed as customers filed in, quickly lining up to get some of the delicious freshly-baked pastries. It was the weekend so the Dupain-Cheng Bakery was holding its monthly sale - which means it was also their busiest day. You probably should have walked in a different day, or at least at a time that wasn't rush hour.

Under all of the busy noise, you could hear Marinette taking orders and reciting them back to herself as she ran through the counter to put the pastries in their to-go boxes and bags. Her mother would walk in and out of the kitchen with trays of all sorts of sweet bread that filled the building with drool-inducing scents. Marinette would quickly stop to ask her mom to help, but the woman was already busy helping her husband with the baking and left her daughter to fend for herself against the crowd of customers.

So it only made sense that you'd come to her rescue.

You made your way through the crowd, hopped over the counter, and began to take orders from customers. That was when Marinette finally noticed your presence.

"(y/n)? What are you -"

"I'm volunteering," you smiled, "Mind passing me one of those strawberry tarts behind you?"

Marinette snapped out of her shock and grabbed one of the desserts from the display. The two of you worked side by side for about another hour. You would switch between manning the register and taking orders until Sabine finally found time to help the two of you. Eventually, the crowd cooled down and Marinette was able to take her break.

"C'mon," She grabbed your wrist and dragged you upstairs. Her parents remained downstairs to clean up, allowing the two of you to talk privately in the living room. As soon as the two of you were alone, Marinette was finally able to take in the situation. She let go of your wrist and began to fidget with her apron.

"Um, do you want something to drink?" She took a step toward the kitchen. "We have juice, water - oh, and my mom just made strawberry lemonade if you want that. Or if you're not thirsty, we also have some snacks. Most are the desserts downstairs, which you probably don't want. Unless you do! In that case, I can go down and -"

"I'm good, Marinette," you chuckled, "Thanks."

Marinette took a breath and nodded. The two of you sat in the living room, an awkward silence passing over for a moment. You noticed how Marinette was fidgeting again. It would probably be best if you spoke first to ease the tension.

Taking a deep breath, you opened your mouth to speak. "Listen, I -"

"I'm so sorry!" Marinette clapped her hands together in prayer form, startling you. She began to explain her situation from the very beginning. She talked about her insecurities, the day she saw Adrien and Kagami together at a photo shoot, and how her feelings for you grew more as time passed. She never meant to cause any harm to Adrien, or to you. She hadn't even known that Luka felt that way about her.

"I've always seen him as a friend, kind of like a brother - like you and Owen." She kept her gaze on her lap. "Alya and the girls would tease me sometimes but I seriously thought she was joking because - other than daydreaming about my soulmate - the only other person I ever truly liked in that way was you. And now I ruined that too because you were sent to the hospital and - ohmygosh! Should you even be out right now? What if you get another bad attack?"

You stared at her wide eyes while she continued on with her ramble. She had spoken her entire monologue without taking a breath. You think that quick gasp before her concern kicked in was the only time she took in any air. It made you laugh.

"Okay, first off, breathe." You caught Marinette's wrists - she was doing a quick examination on you to make sure you were okay. The laughter in your voice seemed to have gotten her attention and snapped her back to reality. "I don't want you to pass out on me."