Chapter 3
Luka insisted on walking Marinette back home, the two of them strolling through the familiar streets of Paris. Marinette stayed quiet for most of the walk, her mind still a tangled mess of emotions. Luka didn’t push her to talk.
Just as they reached her building, Marinette’s phone buzzed.
"Alya?" Marinette answered, surprised.
"Hey girl, can we meet up? There’s a café nearby- I need to talk to you."
Marinette blinked, confused by the sudden request. "Uh… yeah, sure. I’ll be there soon."
She turned to Luka, offering him a small smile. "Thanks for walking me home, Luka."
He gave her a reassuring nod. "Anytime, Marinette."
With that, Marinette headed toward the café where Alya was already waiting, stirring a cup of coffee. As Marinette slid into the seat across from her, she immediately noticed the serious look on her best friend’s face.
"Okay… what’s going on?" Marinette asked.
Alya hesitated for a moment before softly saying, "It’s about Adrien."
Marinette's expression darkened instantly. "I don’t want to hear it."
"Marinette, please-"
"No," Marinette said sharply, her voice trembling slightly. "I don’t want to hear anything about Adrien."
Alya opened her mouth to explain, but Marinette shook her head. "I said no, Alya."
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Later that night, after Marinette had left, Alya returned home, her mind still racing. She immediately called Nino.
"She won’t listen," Alya said, frustration and worry in her voice. "She’s so hurt, Nino. She doesn’t even want to hear Adrien’s name."
Nino sighed on the other end. "Yeah… Adrien’s pretty torn up about it too."
There was a pause, then Alya’s voice perked up. "What if we plan a party?"
"A party?"
"Yeah! A welcome-back party for Adrien. Marinette won’t be able to avoid him if they’re in the same room. Maybe then they’ll have to talk." Alya's voice was full of determination.
Nino chuckled softly. "That’s… actually not a bad idea."
"Good," Alya said, already scribbling down notes. "Because we’re doing it."
The next morning, Saturday, Marinette woke up with no work for the day and a whole lot of free time. She tried calling Alya, but her best friend was busy — something about plans she didn’t explain. All her other friends seemed busy too.
"This is weird," Marinette mumbled, scrolling through her contacts.
Finally, she called Zoé.
"Hey, want to catch a movie today or something?" Marinette asked.
Zoé’s cheerful voice came through the phone. "Sure! I’m free anyway."
Little did Marinette know, all of her other friends weren’t actually busy with personal plans- they were all secretly helping Alya and Nino plan Adrien’s welcome-back party.