Chapter Text
Up in an attic bedroom in Paris, there was a young girl in her late teens with ebony hair, skin of cream, and eyes of sapphire. Her room was filled with pink, bolts of fabric, fashion magazine clippings, and there was even a desk with a sewing machine and computer on it.
"Girl, you're a friggin' machine!" Another girl said.
She had dark red hair, tan skin, glasses over hazel eyes, and was wearing flannel in orange.
"Thanks, Alya," The first girl said as she was pleating some fabric for one of the dresses she was making. "It's nice to get some peace and quiet after school..."
"Yeah, Marinette, it can't be easy dealing with-" Alya began.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Marinette!" Sabine, Marinette's mother, called from below the bedroom door. "We're making graham crackers in the bakery! We'll bring some to you later."
"Thanks!" Marinette shouted as she locked the door to her room, and she and Alya looked at each other.
"Speak of the devil, much? Ugh, how annoying..." Alya murmured, face-palming and shaking her head, as Marinette put a finger to her lips to hush.
"Hopefully mom and dad will chase him off again as always." Marinette murmured.
"I'm surprised this is working as well as it is," Alya commented. "That was a convoluted plan, girl."
"Are you sure?" Marinette asked. "I know my plans are pretty complex, but I felt this one was pretty simple and straightforward."
"Keep it down!" Alya warned.
Marinette sighed.
After what seemed like half an hour...
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"All clear." Sabine said.
"Thanks." Marinette said before unlocking the door.
The girls breathed a HEAVY sigh of relief as they collapsed onto the chaise lounge.
"Thank God he's gone." Alya said, relieved.
"Geez," Marinette wheezed. "I can never breathe with him around."
"It was sweet of you to do what you did, but still..." Alya began.
"Don't scold me! I know I messed up!" Marinette protested.
"You meant well. He's the one taking things too far." Alya assured.
Marinette looked up to the trap door on her ceiling, and she wondered aloud, "How long is this going to go on? Are things ever going to change for me?"
Alya put a hand on her BFF's shoulder and said, "Things will, girl. You just gotta make it happen."
"Question is, how..." Marinette muttered sadly.
The next day at school, Marinette was walking the hallways with Alya, talking about the homework they were doing, the classes they were taking, and more.
"Honestly, Mme. Mendeleiev doesn't take it easy on anyone," Alya complained. "That particle physics homework was a real pain."
"Yeah, it was so hard to comprehend," Marinette agreed. "Does she even understand how tricky that subject is-"
Alya stiffed up, sucked in her breath, and she dragged Marinette into another hallway before ducking out of sight of someone.
"Alya, what's-" Marinette began, but Alya silently put a finger to her lips.
"Sorry, Marinette, but I remembered that I've been craving graham crackers today." Alya said before winking at Marinette.
Marinette groaned before face-palming. She gave Alya a nod in thanks.
Alya motioned for Marinette to stay in place. Alya peeked out from around the corner and moaned in disgust at the sight of the source of Marinette's distress.
A young man about their age, in a nice suit, slicked-back blonde hair, green eyes, a perpetual scowl, and a necktie.
Félix Graham de Vanily. The son of the recently-widowed owner of Graham Films, who moved back to Paris from London. To say the least, he wasn't popular. He was cruel, mischievous, very good at deception, and never seemed to show any remorse for his behavior. Even Chloé Bourgeois, the mayor's daughter and the resident brat and bully, didn't care for him, and that spoke volumes.
But ever since he designated Marinette as one of the few people he was "nice" to, things at school went from average to very unpleasant for Marinette. He'd go out of his way to find her and try to talk to her, getting invasive with her space and even trying to get close to her in her own home by constantly visiting the bakery and demanding to see her.
Félix was currently at his locker, getting his books. He shut his locker, then turned into another hallway.
Alya breathed a sigh of relief, and she came back to Marinette.
"He's gone." Alya said.
Marinette also breathed a sigh of relief before saying, "Good. Now let's get to class before he catches us!"
Marinette made a dash down the hall to try to get to the classroom, with Alya following behind.
The girls turned another corner, saw the door to their classroom, and felt like that was the exit and they had to make a break for it, otherwise they were still at risk at running into the shark in the water.
At the door, they saw a smaller girl with short, pink hair, blue eyes, and wearing black sports gear with a hat on her head. She was rapidly waving at the girls.
Marinette and Alya dashed for the door, ran in and shut it. They slumped down to the floor.
"And Marinette wins the race to safety!" Alix Kubdel, the girl guarding the door, teased.
"Thanks, Alix." Marinette said as Alya was looking out the door window.
"Any run-ins with the prick?" Alix asked.
"Thankfully not." Alya said as she turned away from the door.
"That's good." Rose, a short-haired, blue-eyed blonde wearing pink said from her seat.
She was sitting next to a girl with brown eyes, long black hair with a purple fringe, and wearing black.
Marinette and Alya took their seats, and Marinette turned to the girls, saying, "Thanks for helping me out with this, girls."
"No problem," Myléne Hapréle, a shorter, chunkier girl with blonde hair in multicolored dreadlocks with a bandana. "Anything to make you feel safer."
"Yeah..." Marinette agreed.
"He came by the bakery yesterday." Alya told them.
"Again?" Rose questioned.
Marinette gave a nod.
"I'm so glad you came up with this plan, Marinette. It's really working." Myléne told her.
"We just gotta make sure he doesn't find out, otherwise we'll have to change tactics." Alya said to the girls. They all gave agreeing nods.
Later on, between classes, Marinette was at her locker, looking inside it to try and find her books for her next class. And she was trying her best to be fast, too.
"Ah, Marinette. There you are," A voice said. "I've been looking for you."
Marinette held back a groan.
She shut her locker door, and with disgust and bile filling up her stomach, she turned around and neutrally said, "Félix."
"Honestly, running around this place, trying to get time to talk to you is a pain, and you're never at home," Félix said as he tried to get Marinette up against the lockers. "We'll never get a chance this way."
"Because I don't want to talk to you, Félix." Marinette said, her eyes darting around for an escape.
"Come on, playing hard to get this way is beginning to get old," Félix said as he leaned up closer to her. She sidestepped him to try and get away. "Though I will admit, it was adorable at first."
Marinette rolled her eyes up to the sky, her face clearly screaming annoyance and frustration. She was about to get out of the locker area, but Félix managed to trap Marinette against the wall. She tried to hold back a scream before turning her angry eyes back to Félix.
He was still giving her the same look that combined passion with predation, with a twisted, wicked look in his eyes that was palpable. Marinette's stomach did a flip and she felt nauseas.
"I do have another magic show I'm planning. Just for you." He said as he continued to lean in closer.
"Félix, listen to me, I..." Marinette began, trying to be stern with him.
"Marinette! Hurry up! We'll be late to class!" Alya shouted.
Marinette ducked down and away from Félix before running out to Alya.
Félix looked on, his eyes narrowed, his perpetual scowl on his face, and a growl at the back of his throat.
The two girls were running down the halls to get to the classroom, and Marinette said, "Thanks for that, Alya!"
"No problem, girl." Alya told her.
"I should've been more careful." Marinette spoke.
"Don't worry, you knew this wasn't foolproof." Alya assured as they ducked into the classroom before shutting the door.
"Let me guess: run-in with Félix?" Nino Lahiffe, a red-capped boy with tan skin and hazel eyes behind glasses asked.
"No kidding." Alya said as she sat down next to her boyfriend.
"Geez..." Nino sighed as he pulled his hat over his face. "That guy need a lesson in modern-day manners, dude."
"I couldn't agree more," Another voice said from nearby. It was a shorter, dark-skinned boy with short black hair, brown eyes, glasses, wearing green, and had a small robot hovering beside him. "Félix Graham de Vanily has tried to target Marinette... Um, how many times now, Markov?"
"At least 350, Max, and that's only here at school." Markov reported.
"Yes, at least 350 times, not including the times he tries to corner her at home or whenever she has to help her parents out at any high-end functions where his probability of attendance is at least 77.6% and..." Max began, pushing up his glasses.
"Max, we get it," Kim, his seat mate said. He was a taller boy with olive skin, olive-shaped grey eyes, a sharp quiff of blonde hair on his hair and wearing a red tracksuit. "Félix has been after Marinette for a while and I don't think he's gonna stop."
"Like how it took you a while to stop pursuing Chloé?" Alya joked.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. What was I thinking?" Kim admitted. "But Ondine and I... DA-YUM, why hadn't I noticed her like that sooner?"
"Because the saying goes, "love is blind," and you were so blinded by your "love" for Chloé that-" Markov began, but...
"Um, ever heard of rhetorical questions, Markov?" Max interrupted.
Everyone laughed at that.
"Don't worry about it, Kim. Bottom line, you and Ondine are adorable together." Ivan, a larger, chunkier boy with a blonde tuft of hair and freckles on his face said. He was sitting next to Myléne, gently holding her in his arms.
Marinette couldn't help but look around at her class.
Alya and Nino; Ivan and Myléne; Max and Markov; Kim and Ondine; Juleka and Rose...
Marinette had to wonder...
Was there anyone out there for her? Anyone that wasn't Félix?
After school that afternoon, (and narrowly avoiding Félix again), Marinette made her way home, and quickly finished up her homework. Now she was working with her parents in the bakery. She was manning the counter while her mom and dad were in the back, baking up the goods.
While she was treating the customers with the right customer service, including smiles, handling the sales, and giving the customers their desired baked goods, she was also keeping an eye out in case Félix came by the bakery like the day prior.
"Marinette!" Sabine called from in the back. "We're done with the cupcakes! Could you bring them out, please?"
"Coming!" Marinette said as she stepped in the back and she took the tray of cupcakes. They were dark chocolate with white chocolate ganache frosting and sprinkles.
She picked the tray up and was walking to bring the cupcakes out, when...
"Marinette, could you please put these baguettes out, too?" Tom spoke as he put the baguettes in her arms, avoiding the cupcakes.
"Yes, dad." Marinette said as she stumbled her way to the front.
The doorbell to the bakery rang out as the door opened. Marinette's vision was obscured, so she wound up tripping and the tray with the cupcakes and the baguettes went flying.
"I've got them!" Someone shouted as the sound of clattering and a big "whew" were heard.
"Thanks," Marinette said as she stood up and took the tray. She looked up. "That would've been a dis..."
Her eyes widened just a touch as she laid eyes on her savior, who was carrying the tray of cupcakes in one hand while he had the baguettes in his other arm. His skin was tan, like he'd been in the sun for a bit, with crystal-clear blue eyes, like the water on a lake on a summer day. His hair was dark with teal blue tips, and he had black gages in his ears. He was wearing a dark blue jean-jacket, black jeans ripped at the knees, and his fingernails were painted black, too. He also wore a white Jagged Stone T-shirt. On his back was a guitar case. But most importantly, he was giving her a warm, friendly smile.
Marinette cleared her throat, and said, "Thanks, that would've been a disaster."
He chuckled in response, and said, "Glad I could help."
Marinette took the tray of cupcakes and put it in the case before the boy handed her the baguettes. She placed them in their basket.
She turned around and said, "Thanks again."
"No problem," He said. "Sorry if I scared you."
"No, I'm just clumsy like that," Marinette admitted with a giggle. She went behind the counter. "So..."
She tried to figure out something to say to start the conversation, but her eyes laid on his shirt.
"...You're a fan of Jagged Stone?" Marinette asked.
He chuckled and said, "He's my favorite singer."
"Same here." Marinette giggled.
The two of them were looking at each other with big smiles.
"So, is there anything I can get you?" She asked as she pressed the screen on the POS system to wake it up.
"I think four of those cupcakes sound nice, since I saved them from a spill." He joked.
Marinette laughed as she boxed up the four cupcakes. He handed her the cash and the transaction was complete. He took the box of cupcakes and he said, "Thank you."
"You're very welcome!" Marinette asked. "Will there be anything else?"
"Actually, I was thinking that maybe I could take up a bit more of your time," He casually said. Marinette looked at him in surprise. "I like talking to you."
Marinette gave a smile, and she pulled back, about to turn him down, but truthfully, she wanted to spend more time with him, too.
"Marinette!" Tom said as he came out from the back. "How are things going out here?"
"Fine, dad," Marinette said. "I was just finishing helping this young man out."
"It's nice to meet you, M. Dupain. My sister goes nuts over the desserts from here." He politely said.
"Please, call me Tom." Tom belly-laughed in delight.
"I was actually going to ask you if I could take your daughter out so we can talk some more." He said, gesturing to Marinette.
Marinette blushed a bit at that.
"Why, I don't think there would be any problem with that!" Sabine said as she also came out. She'd overheard everything. "Go and have fun, Marinette, but make sure you get back before dark."
"Are you sure that's okay, mom?" Marinette asked.
Sabine leaned in and whispered into Marinette's ear, "Honestly, I'd feel a lot safer knowing you're out and about in the city than in the bakeshop or the house right now. You never know when he could show up."
Marinette gave a nod, knowing what she meant, and said, "Thanks."
She came out from behind the counter, and said, "I'd love to go with you."
"Thanks," He said as he opened the door. "Don't worry, Monsieur and Madame Dupain-Cheng. I'll be sure to bring Marinette back before dinner time."
"I'm holding you to that, um..." Tom began.
"Luka. Luka Couffaine." The young man introduced himself.
'Couffaine? Where have I heard that name before?' Marinette thought, trying to wrack her memory.
Marinette followed Luka out of the bakery doors, and it soon shut.
Tom and Sabine sighed in relief before Tom said to his wife, "He seems like such a sweet young man."
"I couldn't agree more." Sabine spoke.
Outside in the city, Marinette was walking along the streets with Luka, and the two of them were talking like old friends.
"So, which of Jagged's songs do you like?" Marinette asked. "I can't choose between any of them!"
"Neither can I," Luka admitted. "But his latest album, Rock Giant, is really good."
"I like it, too," Marinette agreed. "It's, as he would say, very rock-n-roll."
The two of them laughed at that.
I saw you have a guitar case on your back," Marinette pointed out. "You play?"
"I've been playing since babyhood." Luka confirmed.
"That's impressive. I'll bet you're really good." Marinette spoke.
"Wanna hear?" Luka asked as he found a bench.
"I'd lo- like to." Marinette said, but she covered her mouth in surprise at what she almost let slip.
Luka chuckled, almost as if he could tell what she nearly said. Luka sat on the bench, pat the seat next to him, and Marinette sat down next to him in response. Luka took his guitar case off his back before taking a brown, acoustic guitar with Jagged's image painted on it.
Luka started playing some random notes, but it all sounded like a very cohesive song. The monophonic texture of the song, combined with andante tempo in minor key made Marinette feel so at ease.
"What do you think?" Luka asked.
"It... It's beautiful." Marinette said. She gently laid her head against the back of the bench as she continued to listen.
Luka continued to play, and he looked at Marinette, a suave smile coming upon his face.
A few moments of quiet, the only sound being the standard city noise in the background, while the forefront was Luka's music.
*DING*
Marinette sat up, and pulled out her phone. It was a text from her mother.
Sabine: "Félix came by, asking for you again, but I chased him off. So glad you're out of the house this time."
Marinette just sent a thumb's up emoji back before putting her phone on silent and putting it away.
"Sorry about that. Keep going." Marinette said as she asked Luka to keep playing.
Luka obliged without hesitation, continuing to play his guitar.
Marinette felt so relaxed at the music, like all of her troubles were so far away.
Later on...
Dark had fallen, and it was time for Marinette to go home for dinner.
Luka had escorted her to the bakery storefront, and he said, "I had fun tonight."
"So did I," Marinette said to him. "We should do it again some time."
"I'd like that," Luka said as he took his phone out. "Shall we exchange phone numbers?"
"Great idea!" Marinette said as she mirrored his action and pulled her phone out, too.
After the two of them traded digits, Marinette went into the side door of the building and told Luka, "See you again?"
"Definitely." Luka said before turning around and walking away.
Marinette tried her best to hold back a sigh as she went inside to go back to her home.
At dinner that evening, Marinette was munching on her food, but her mind was distracted by blue eyes, a guitar, and a smooth, chill voice.
"So, Marinette, did you have a good time with that young man?" Tom asked.
"Oh, I did," Marinette said as she ate a bunch of her chicken. "I don't think I've felt so relaxed in such a long while."
"That's wonderful," Sabine said to her daughter. "He seems like a very sweet boy."
Marinette gave a hum and nod in bliss as she ate a bite of potatoes.
Marinette kept humming and chewing on her food, thinking about Luka and how she was so eager to see him again.
The next day at school, Marinette was still humming the tune of "Part of Your World," much like the scene in "The Little Mermaid" where Ariel was humming that same song after saving Eric and she was in her room.
She was leaning up against the walls of the hallway in her school.
"Marinette?" A voice asked.
Marinette continued humming, ignoring her friends.
"Marinette?" The voice repeated.
Again, no answer from the designer.
"Marinette, graham crackers!" Another voice spoke.
At that, Marinette startled and looked around, freaking out.
"What?! Félix is close?! Hide me!" Marinette squeaked, only to hear giggling.
"Sorry about that, girl," Alya said. Marinette looked up and saw that most of her group of gal-pals (sans Juleka) were surrounding her. "But you were so far into la-la land that we were afraid that even if we did use our code word, you wouldn't pay attention."
"Oh, sorry..." Marinette murmured. "I got distracted."
"That's for sure," Alix joked. "So, what's on your mind?"
"Um, well..." Marinette began, her eyes going askance, away from her friends.
The girls stared at her, all wondering what got Marinette so distracted. Alya looked at her intently, like she was examining a cadaver.
After what seemed to be a few seconds, Alya's eyes popped open and she said, "You. Met. A boy!"
"Wha?!" Marinette spluttered. She looked around frantically, and she blushed. "But... Well..."
All her friends were giving her knowing looks. Marinette sighed.
"Okay, fine, I did! I did meet someone." Marinette confessed.
Everyone started clamoring in delight.
"Details, girl! You gotta spill!" "What does he look like?!" "Any resemblance to you-know-who?" "How'd you meet him?!" "What's he like?!"
"Okay, okay, calm down, girls!" Marinette admitted, blushing.
"So, how did you meet him?" Alya asked as Marinette started to tell her story.
"Well, I was helping out at the bakery last night, and I was bringing out some cupcakes for the case when as usual, I tripped and they flew up into the air," Marinette began. "Out of nowhere, he comes in, catches the cupcakes on the tray like nothing. After that, we started talking."
"Really?" Alya asked. "Anything else?"
"He and I begin talking about Jagged Stone, since he's his favorite singer, too," Marinette continued as she went to the lockers to get her things for class. "Once I finish ringing him up for the bakery, he asks if we can spend more time together, saying he likes talking to me."
"Ooh~!" The girls squealed in delight.
"Mom and dad told me it was okay, but I think they just wanted me out of the shop." Marinette confessed.
"What? Why?" Rose asked.
Everyone gave Rose pointed looks, as if the answer were obvious.
"...Oh," Rose said, realizing it. "Yeah, if you're not in the house, that makes it harder for Félix to find you."
"Come on, girl, more info!" Alya all but demanded. "What about his looks?"
Marinette blushed and began, "Well, he makes "tall, dark, and handsome" look so natural. Dark hair dyed teal, beautiful blue eyes..."
Rose put a finger to her cheek and looked up, saying, "Hang on, that sounds familiar..."
"Name!" "Give us a name!" "Come on!"
"It's Luka-" Marinette began.
"Hey, Marinette!" A familiar voice said.
The entire group turned around to see Luka, standing next to Juleka.
"Luka? Wow, you're here!" Marinette said, surprised to see him.
"I was going to introduce you to my brother, Marinette, but it seems you've already met." Juleka giggled.
"I knew it!" Rose squealed in delight, jumping up and down. "I knew you were talking about Luka, Marinette!"
"So that's why your last name was so familiar," Marinette said. "I didn't know you had a brother, Juleka."
"The topic never came up." Juleka justified with a shrug before going back to her friends.
"I'll see you later after school, Juleka. I'll be in class," Luka spoke to his sister before looking to Marinette. "Hopefully I'll see you again soon, Marinette."
Luka winked at her, causing her to blush. Luka began to walk away, leaving Marinette all but swooning.
Marinette giggled and she said, "Isn't he amazing?"
"He sure is, Marinette," Rose began. "I wish you could've met Luka sooner."
"Ditto." Juleka began.
Marinette giggled as she listened to the girls' banter.
"So, Luka's in a band?" Marinette asked.
"Yep, along with me, Juleka, and Ivan. We're called Kitty Section," Rose began. "How about you come over to the boat sometime to listen?"
"Sounds like a great idea!" Marinette began.
Myléne looked forward and gasped before saying loudly and clearly, "Hey, girls, want any graham crackers?"
Everyone startled and caught sight of Félix coming down the hallway, and it didn't look like he'd seen Marinette yet.
'Shit!' Marinette thought.
"Thanks. See you in class!" Marinette said before pivoting on her heel and dashing down the hallway.
Once she was out of sight, the girls breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"That was close. Nice eye, Myléne," Alya spoke. "Now let's..."
"Hello," Félix began, getting the girls' attention. They all turned to him, giving him sour looks. "Have you seen Marinette?"
"No, we haven't," Alya lied. "Knowing her, she's probably going to be running late as always."
"Ugh," Félix scoffed. "The only person worth my attention isn't here? Boring."
"You're the one who isn't worth Marinette's attention." Alix spoke, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.
"She'll come to her senses soon enough," Félix said, stepping forward, a wicked smirk on his face. "I, Félix Graham de Vanily, am the only person worthy of her, and believe you me, she will fall to my charm. So, tell her that I'm looking for her."
Félix walked away, confidence in his gait, and his cruel smirk still on his face. The girls shuddered.
"We cannot let him get close to Marinette." Alya said to her friends.
They were all nodding and murmuring in agreement.
"Charm? Try NOT!" Alix said, sticking out her tongue in a gag.
Everyone gagged in the same way.
Marinette had ducked into an empty classroom and was looking through the window to watch out for Félix.
She saw his blonde head walk past her classroom, and once he was out of sight, she counted to fifteen. She slumped down to the floor before standing up. She quietly opened the door and dashed in the direction opposite to Félix.
'I am SO glad we're not in the same class.' Marinette thought as she ran to the classroom before dashing in.
"Late again?" A snarky voice said.
Marinette rolled her eyes and walked past Chloé, a ponytailed blonde with heavy makeup, wearing yellow and white. She was sitting next to a short-haired redhead with green eyes behind glasses and wearing a sweater vest with purple and green.
"Honestly, Chloé, I really don't need your persecution," Marinette said as she sat in her seat. "You wouldn't like it if Félix was relentlessly going after you, either."
"For once, I agree with you," Chloé said, flipping her ponytail. "I don't envy you for what you're going through, but seriously... Why you?"
"Oh, please, any guy going after me has better taste in girls compared to whoever's dumb enough to get a crush on you." Marinette snarked back.
"Hey, I'm only asking it like that because even you don't deserve to have Félix on your ass like this." Chloé said with a roll of her eyes.
"Glad we're on the same page about that." Marinette said before taking out her tablet to try working on some designs.
Her mind wandered to Luka, and as she started designing, black, several shades of blue, guitars, and Jagged Stone were recurring themes.
The door opened and the remainder of the girls in her group came in.
"Managed to duck him again?" Alya asked as she sat down next to Marinette.
"I sure did," Marinette said as she put her tablet down. She wanted her design to be a surprise for Luka. "He doesn't know when to quit."
"No kidding." Alya moaned.
"Did you manage to throw him off?" Marinette asked.
"Yep." Alya said.
"I'm getting tired of blowing him off this way, and every time I try to confront it directly, he won't listen." Marinette sighed.
"Girl, you need an escape from it all," Alya told her, before growing a mischievous smile. "Maybe you can text Luka and ask him out."
"Alya, no, we just met!" Marinette said, her blush upon her face. "Besides, let's get real: he's Juleka's brother!"
"Don't think that'll be a problem for Juleka," Alya said. "She did want you to meet him, after all."
Marinette's eyes fell in thought.
Her phone started going off.
Marinette took it out and she said, "Speak of the devil. Luka texted me."
"What does it say, girl?!" Alya asked, eager.
"He's telling me that he wants to hang out with me again." Marinette began.
"Girl, that's a step in the right direction already," Alya said. "Text him back and tell him yes!"
"Okay, okay, I will!" Marinette laughed as she quickly replied to Luka's message, telling him that she'd love to do so.
After a few minutes, Luka replied to the message.
"He wrote back!" Marinette squealed.
"So?!" Alya asked, eager for more details.
"He's asking me if there would ever be any time to come over to hang out!" Marinette said, in delight.
"Girl, your parents already like him, so go for it!" Alya said.
"Okay, okay, I will! Just let me ask my parents first." Marinette laughed before texting her parents and asking for their permission for Luka to visit.
Tom replied back.
Tom: "Of COURSE he can come over to see you! Why not invite him to brunch on Saturday and we can get to know him more?"
"Dad gives the okay, so let me text Luka back." Marinette said as she texted Luka, asking him to come by for brunch that Saturday.
His reply: a thumb's up emoji.
Marinette smiled and heaved a sigh. She'd never been more excited for the weekend.