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“You’re kidding!” Alya laughed through Marinette’s phone. “Coming in on time at least once won’t kill you, Marinette.”
Marinette rolled her eyes, her flats tapping insistently on the hardwood floor. “I know, I know! I know that it’s just… I was running late when I left so I thought…”
“So you thought you might as well have another silent flirting session with the cute barista anyway?” Alya’s tone became teasing and suggestive which made Marinette huff her bangs from her eyes.
Her eyes flicked up to the cute barista in question her heart humming in her chest. Their interactions were simple and brief but still left her reeling. A morning pas de deux that left her blushing and smiling so wide her cheeks hurt.
This particular morning though, Marinette found herself spending much too long humming and twirling around her room, picturing a certain blond barista sweeping her around the room and laughter coloring her plain walls. Minutes ticked by and Marinette, absorbed in her fantasies, ended up throwing herself out the door and tripping as she ran to her internship.
She passed her favorite cafe, heart thundering as she caught sight of a blond head of hair. Before she knew it, her feet led her past the glass doors to stand in the queue. The line of frustrated adults tapping their feet and checking their watches. The line that nearly stretched to the back wall.
“Hello? Marinette?”
Marinette jolted from her reverie. “Yeah! Sorry, sorry, were you saying something?”
“You have it bad. Just ask him for his number, would you?”
That was always the plan. Ask him out it’ll be fine! Was a mantra in her head every time she stepped past the glass doors of the cafe. Every time she stepped up to the plate she froze and barely squeaked out her order before running out like her skirt was on fire.
“Hey! The usual for you, Em?” the voice that she fell asleep thinking about drew her from her conversation with Alya.
Marinette hastily cut her call, ignoring Alya’s protests in the process. “I-I, ah, yeah! Th-the usual!” she adjusted her bangs. The usual. He knows my order.
His smile was bright and the wink he shot her made her feel like she’s been set on fire. She scurried away to wait for her drink, her mind playing the wink in her head over and over and over again.
When her mint green tea arrived she was glowing. The little ‘Em’ scrawled with a heart in his handwriting left her feeling like she was walking on air as she rushed to her internship.
Em became her name to him the first time she’d tried the cafe. She was busy digging through her purse for her wallet when he had asked her name. She began spelling it on impulse, her name slandered by Starbucks too often. Though she only got through ‘M’ before she met his eyes and her voice died in her throat. He had smiled brightly, scrawling Em on the cup before greeting the next customer.
“Didn’t tell him your name did you?” Alya greeted her at the door.
“What are you doing here?” Marinette bumped her best friend’s hip. “And how do you know? Maybe I did!”
“Babe he wrote ‘Em’ on your cu- Marinette!” Alya gasped.
“What what what happened!”
Alya’s grin was so wide it might have stretched three blocks. “You got his number.”
“What!”
Alya turned the cup in Marinette’s hand, the opposite side of where he had written ‘Em’.
She nearly dropped the cup. “I… got his number.”
“You got his number!” Alya wrapped her arms around her though Marinette was too busy staring at the numbers to reciprocate.
“I… what are you doing here again?” Marinette turned her blue gaze on her best friend who should be at her own internship.
Alya rolled her eyes. “I was on break so I came to see you. I didn’t realize you wouldn’t be here yet though I guess I should have known better.”
Marinette pushed her hand into Alya’s cheek, laughing.
“You’re taking this a lot easier than I thought you would. Scream! It’s okay! Your hot dream boy gave you his number.” Alya laughed.
Marinette rolled her eyes. “I gotta get to work. See you tonight?”
Alya studied Marinette, eyes squinted. “Fine,” she said airily.
Marinette pressed a kiss to Alya’s cheek before flouncing past the looming doors of Gabriel headquarters.
~
“Tell me why you’re not freaking out!” Alya insisted.
Marinette, cat pajama-ed and cozy in her place in the couch, was staring at the number sketched onto her now-empty cup. “I’m not calling him.”
Alya’s eyes widened. Marinette watched as Alya grabbed a pillow and slammed it against Marinette’s head.
Marinette patiently blew her bangs from her eyes.
“Why not?!” Alya tugged on one of Marinette’s braids gently.
Marinette sighed. “It’s just that, well, he’s him and I’m me. And,” Marinette grabbed a pillow and screeched into it. “He’s Adrien and he’s the boy who has the pretty smile and amazing eyes and the laugh like sunshine and what if that’s not what he is?”
“What do you mean?” Alya stroked her back soothingly.
Marinette came up for air. “Like what if he talks too fast or sits too close or asks me creepy questions? What if I find out that when he eats Oreos he eats the cookie part first?! You know I can’t stand people who do that! It’s blasphemous! Or what if he’s secretly a criminal or a psychopath or-or what if he’s colorblind?!”
Alya looked at her, holding back a laugh.
“A-and what if he’s perfect? What if he’s everything I’ve been dreaming of but I’m not what he wants? What if he runs the other way, what if I disappoint him?”
“Oh baby, you won’t.”
“What if I’m so obviously head over heels that he’s put off? What if he…” Marinette’s heart hurt. “What if he breaks my heart?”
Alya’s arms came around her and Marinette pressed her face into Alya’s shoulder. “You’re ridiculous and you’re calling him. He’s your dream boy.”
“I’m ridiculous and I’m calling him.” she groaned.
“Good girl.”
~
Marinette’s fingertips hovered over her phone’s keyboard. She glanced up at Alya. Alya nodded. She might as well have a gun to my head right now. Marinette rolled her eyes.
The phone rang twice before a chipper voice answered. “Hello?”
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut. “H-Hi it’s uh, it’s Mari- it’s Em.”
The silence on the other end lasted three pounding heartbeats. “Em! I-I’m really glad you called I-”
“MARINETTE.” She yelped.
“Wh- huh?”
“My name. My name is Marinette.”
When he replied she could hear the smile in his voice. “Marinette.”
Her name on his lips melted her into a puddle.
“Nice to meet you Marinette I’m Adrien. Wanna get some coffee sometime? Or-or tea I guess because you always um order-”
Marinette smiled. “Yeah. Coffee sounds great.”