Chapter 4
It was the day of the party.
Marinette was at home, lazily scrolling through her phone when it buzzed with an incoming call. Alya.
"Hey, girl!" Alya's voice chimed through the speaker, a little too cheerful. "Listen, I'm throwing a little party for my sisters tonight- you should totally come!"
Marinette blinked, surprised. "A party for your sisters?" she echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you throw parties for them?"
Alya let out a nervous laugh. "Uh, well, you know... just felt like it! They deserve some fun, and it'll be a great way for everyone to hang out. Its at Julekas and Lukas old place."
Marinette bit her lip, still suspicious. Something felt off- especially since all her friends had been "busy" yesterday. But it wasn’t like she had any other plans.
"I guess I could come," Marinette finally said. "What time?"
"Eight! Don't be late," Alya replied quickly. "Oh, and dress up nicely!"
Before Marinette could ask anything else, Alya hung up.
With a sigh, Marinette tossed her phone onto her bed and stared at her closet. Something about this felt... weird. But she shook off the feeling and started getting ready.
Meanwhile, across town, the Liberty boat was already bustling with activity. Juleka, Rose, Alix, Mylene, Nino, and Alya were busy setting up decorations, arranging snacks, and preparing everything for Adrien's surprise welcome back party. Everyone was in on it except Marinette.
Alya looked over at Nino as she tied a string of lights along the railing. "I just hope Marinette doesn't figure this out before she gets here. She'd never come if she knew it was for Adrien."
Adrien, who had been standing a bit behind them, furrowed his brows. "Who wouldn't come if they knew it was for me?" he asked, his voice quiet but firm.
Nino's eyes widened slightly, panicking a little. "Uh, no one," he said quickly, avoiding Adrien's gaze.
Adrien shrugged it off, though a flicker of concern crossed his face. "Okay..."
The party had finally started. The boat was buzzing with music, laughter, and the soft clinking of glasses. Fairy lights hung along the railings, casting a warm glow over the crowd. Friends gathered in small groups, chatting and dancing, the air alive with celebration.
Marinette arrived a little late, but when she stepped onto the boat, heads subtly turned. She looked stunning- effortlessly chic with her hair falling in soft waves and a classic yet elegant dress that complimented her figure. She adjusted the strap of her bag nervously, scanning the crowd.
Adrien, however, was nowhere to be seen. Unbeknownst to her, he was in the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face, trying to steady his nerves.
Marinette made her way through the party and finally spotted Alya standing near the drink table, chatting with Nino. With a slight frown, Marinette approached her.
"Hey," Marinette said, a puzzled look crossing her face. "Not that I'm not having fun already, but... where are your sisters? You said this was a party for them, but I haven't seen them anywhere."
Alya's smile faltered for the briefest moment before she quickly recovered. "Oh! Uh... they're running late," she said, a bit too brightly. "You know how they are."
Marinette arched an eyebrow. Something felt off, but she didn’t press it- yet.
Before Marinette could ask anything else, Nino cleared his throat loudly and shot Alya a look. The party atmosphere swirled around them, but a quiet tension was beginning to form beneath the surface.
Adrien, meanwhile, had just returned from the bathroom, adjusting the sleeves of his shirt as he stepped back into the main area of the party. The last thing he expected was to see her. Marinette.
His heart thudded. He didn’t know she was coming- why would she? After the way he left, after everything he didn’t say… why would she be here?
Before he could fully process it, Marinette’s gaze locked onto him. Panic flickered across her face like a flash of lightning. Without a word, she spun on her heel and hurried off, slipping into one of the more secluded rooms of the boat.
It was Luka's old bedroom. The one he used to share with Juleka as a teen. The walls still had remnants of band posters, and the faint scent of lavender and old guitar strings lingered in the air.
She leaned against the closed door, trying to catch her breath. "Great… just great," she muttered under her breath.
"Marinette?" a calm voice said from the corner.
Her head snapped up to see Luka sitting on the edge of his old bed, his guitar resting against the wall. His brows knitted together in concern.
"Oh- Luka, I didn’t realize you were in here," Marinette stammered, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Luka offered a small smile and patted the spot beside him. "What's wrong?"
With a sigh, Marinette sat down next to him, her shoulders slumping. She didn’t even know where to begin.
Luka gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a soft, reassuring side hug. "Just talk to him. Give him a chance to explain."
Marinette closed her eyes for a moment, her mind a chaotic mess of emotions. She knew Luka was right- but that didn’t make it any easier.
Marinette finally sighed, her resolve cracking just enough under Luka's gentle encouragement. "Okay fine," she whispered. "I'll talk to him."
With one last reassuring squeeze of her shoulder, Luka let her go, and Marinette slowly made her way back to the main party. The buzz of conversation and soft music filled the air, but Marinette's mind was racing far louder than any background noise.
Adriens gaze landed on Marinette, for a split second, they just stood there, the space between them feeling wider than the entire Seine(very wide river in France).
Then Adrien broke the silence with a single word: "Sorry."
Marinette's heart ached at the sound of it- so simple, yet so heavy.
He took a small step closer, his voice soft but steady. "Can we... can we go for a walk? So we can talk about... you know." His green eyes searched hers, pleading for a chance.
Marinette didn't want to. Every part of her was screaming to run back to Luka's room and pretend this wasn't happening. But a quiet voice inside her, maybe the same one that made her agree to come tonight told her she had to hear him out.
"Fine," she muttered, crossing her arms. "Let's walk."
The cool night air greeted them as they stepped off the boat, the city lights shimmering across the water. For a few moments, there was only silence. Adrien gathering his thoughts, Marinette bracing herself for whatever he'd say.
Finally, Adrien spoke. He told her about why he'd disappeared, how complicated things had gotten with his father, how he had left for London without a word because his father thought it would be easier. But it hadn't been. He admitted he regretted not reaching out, that he never meant to hurt anyone, especially not her.
Marinette listened, her jaw tight, her heart torn between anger and the painful truth of his words. She understood to a point. But forgiveness wasn't something she could hand over so easily.
When Adrien finally finished, there was a long pause.
"I get it," Marinette said softly. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you."
Adrien's face fell just slightly, but he nodded. "I understand."
Without another word, they walked back to the boat. The party was still in full swing, though it felt like the atmosphere shifted the moment they stepped back on deck. A few pairs of curious eyes glanced their way- Nino, Alya, and even Luka- but no one said anything.
And just like that, the party continued, the music playing on as if nothing had happened.
It was getting late, and the soft hum of conversation and music on the boat began to mellow as the party slowly wound down. Marinette, feeling the weight of the day, decided it was time to go home.
She quietly gathered her things, hoping to slip away unnoticed, but Adrien immediately noticed. He stepped forward, his voice gentle but firm. "Do you want me to drive you home?" he offered.
Marinette froze for a brief second, her heart doing that annoying little skip it always did when he spoke, but she quickly masked it with a polite- well, not-so-polite decline. "No, thanks. I can get home by myself," she replied, her tone sharper than intended. She didn’t mean to sound so cold, but everything was still too raw.
Adrien blinked at her response but simply nodded, understanding there were still walls between them that couldn’t be broken down with one apology and a short walk.
She gave a small, tight-lipped smile, more out of habit than anything else, and turned to leave. As she stepped off the boat and into the quiet Parisian night, her mind buzzed with the inevitable thought she had work tomorrow. And Adrien would be there.
Another day of forced proximity with the person who once meant the world to her… and the person she wasn’t sure she could ever fully forgive.