Adieu

Starting Over

"But, I'm pretty sure that I don't know you." She bowed again and went away. Leaving a very confused and heartbroken Adrien and a shocked Lila.

"W-w-what?" Adrien whispered to himself as Marinette scurried along with a distant look on his face.

"Was that-" Lila stepped closer to Adrien.

"M-M-M-Ma-r-r-in-e-e-e-e-t-t-t-te?" Lila couldn't stop shaking and stuttering. Her whole body was shaking tremendously.

"Lila? Are you okay?" Adrien asked her after seemingly breaking from his trance.

No answer.
All Adrien could see on her face, was shock, guilt, surprise, relief, happiness.
And most importantly...

Fear.

Her eyes were wide open. Her lips were parted. Her eyeballs were shaking out of fear.

"Lila?" Adrien started to feel something was up.

"Is something wr-" he didn't get the chance to complete his sentence as Lila ran towards nothing in particular after taking a few steps back.

He looked at Emilie. She was confused as she didn't know what was happening.

"Well, that just happened." She shrugged with a confused, nervous, sheepish grin.

Adrien ran and hugged her. She reminded him of Plagg.

That was a funny thought.

"Hey, Mom," Emilie hummed in response.

"Let me tell you the full story."

*************

It was now night time and Adrien and Emilie were in this fancy hotel he had booked before his arrival in China and were talking on its balcony

Adrien told her the entire story and Mrs. Agreste was initially shocked to hear that Marinette was supposedly dead.

But then, to others, if she herself was considered dead and she got back to life, then this could happen too.

Right?

"Adrien, how do you feel now that you know Marinette's back to life?" Emilie asked her son as she stroked her hair in a motherly way.

Something Adrien thought he would never even imagine to feel again.

"I-" He started but words failed to leave his mouth.

"Take a deep breath son. And try to figure it out." Emilie said.

Adrien nodded and smiled. Then, looking at the stars, he whispered, "I honestly don't know."

"I mean, there are those... Mixed feelings in my head. It's as if my heart and brain are like, debating against each other."

Emilie nodded in encouragement.

"One says that it can't possibly be Marinette. She's dead, right? But the other says that she is Marinette. I saw her with my own two eyes. You saw her. Lila saw her."

"And then... Comes the complicated part. How am I supposed to feel? Happy? Because she's alive? Sad? Because she came back after twelve whole years? And... Scared? That she might never remember me again?" He clutched his mother's hand tightly.

"Hey, hey, kid, it's okay." She stroked his head lightly.

"It's not, mom. She may never remember me again! She may have married! Or might have started a new life! What if she doesn't need me? Heck. How would she even need me if she can't even recognize me?!" This sudden outburst failed to shock Emilie.

"Adrien. Listen. Forget everything else. Just focus on how to make her feel that she needs you."

"Huh?"

"Start over. Make her your friend. Get to know her. And try to make her remember you."

"But then... How could I do that without telling her anything about the past? I'll have to lie to her. And I don't want to start a friendship based on a lie."

"Adrien, son, who said you're gonna lie? You're just going to be... Hiding the truth. So that it doesn't come too hard on her."

There was a deep silence before Adrien finally sighed.

"Ok..."

"But... How do I befriend her again?"

"How did you do that the first time, Adrien Friendzone Agreste?"