Until Next Time, My Lady

So What's It Going To Be?

She turned on the shower and waited a few minutes for the water to heat up. Once she saw the steam escaping from underneath the curtain, she carefully slipped in. The hot water felt like tiny pinpricks against her skin. Stress started to leave her shoulders as she turned it up higher. Heat always seemed to help with the tension. Her thoughts were scrambled into a huge mess.

How could she move on with her life until she knew what'd become of her kitty? She missed him terribly and her heart felt so heavy lately. In a way, she'd done the same to Adrien that he'd done to Chloé. She put him in a place in her heart that was meant for Chat.

She applied some of her jasmine rose shampoo into her hands and started to lather it through her long black velvet hair. The thought of getting a cut flashed through her mind as her fingers caught a knot. Its length had been driving her nuts lately, but there was no time in her schedule to set an appointment.

Marinette thoughtlessly started to gently work it out as her mind started to drift back to yesterday. Adrien's words still echoed through her mind. It was as though they were on replay.

'I wish I would've had acted on feelings that I had for you a long time ago. I know you never felt that way about me though, and I'm happy just being your friend.'

Apparently, he knew she'd never felt like that about him. Was he serious? She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. How could someone not notice a stammering, embarrassed young woman? Her voice would always squeak when she was around him back then. Everyone else saw it and knew she'd a huge crush on him. He must've just been too blind to see it.

When the knot was finally out; she put in some conditioner to set in while she thought. Could Adrien still have feelings for her? Why would he even bring anything up? She put her face in her hands and focused on the hot water hitting her back. The heat was starting to make her muscles relax.

How was she supposed to react? He knew she was in the process of getting over Chaton. Her emotions for both of them were putting her through an emotional rollercoaster. Adrien was her best friend and she'd made sure her feelings were stuffed in her back pocket. She was never able to tell him how she felt.

About a year and a half after Chat Noir and her went their separate ways, Adrien started dating Chloé. The situation ripped her in two. Chloé tried to chase her off countless times. Finally, Adrien told Chloé that if she couldn't deal with Marinette being his friend, he'd leave her. Chloé, of course, backed off and never spoke of their friendship again.

The night after Chaton kissed her, she realized that she was in love with both of them. How could she be in love with two people at once? She would probably never know. She wanted to be with her kitty, but what if he didn't want to be with her? What if he already moved on? What if she'd hurt him so badly that night, that he didn't want anything to do with her?

If any of those scenarios were the case, should she try to be with Adrien? It seemed as though he wanted to try to be more than just friends now. She couldn't help but think that all this was the breakup talking. Maybe he just didn't want to be alone, or maybe he was genuinely wanting a relationship with her. Did she take it too far last night? Granted, she only cuddled with him on the couch. But didn't she say he wouldn't mess it up this time? Hopefully, those words hadn't led him on in any way.

She hissed as the water suddenly went freezing. Turning the faucet off, she quickly got out and wrapped herself in a towel. This was one of the few downfalls to Gabriel supplying its designers with living arrangements. Others were living in much nicer locations, but she preferred this one. The greenhouse helped her keep her sanity; and as far as she knew, hers was the only cottage that the company owned with one.