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The bright sunlight that crashed through the window roused Alya from her sleep. She yawned, stretched her tired muscles, and stooped up dejectedly. It had been a long night, and Alya was physically and mentally exhausted. The brunette had spent last night pondering a plan to bring her two best friends together once and for all.

Alya knew she only had a very short amount of time to pull this off. She would only be staying until Sunday night, but that shouldn't be a problem. Right?

Almost everyone could see how the two oblivious teenagers were perfect for one another. They were like yin and yang, day and night. They couldn't function without one another. In addition, it was apparent the two were deeply in love with each other.

As she sighed as she thought of her friends, she was amazed at their intelligence. How dense could one be not to notice that your soulmate was right in front of you?

The first one to confess her love for Adrien was Marinette, who became hell-bent on being with him. Later she decided to move on. Now Adrien is the one who admits his passion for her. Could those two ever be on the same page?

Then came Luka. Alya knew he was an outstanding person. Luka was known to be kind, caring, and sincere. Alya never doubted his love for Marinette, but even taking all that into account, she truly believed he was not her best friend's soulmate.

Alya often wondered why Marinette decided to date Luka. She had already gotten so far with Adrien to give up. Marinette swore she fell for Luka, but Alya knew her best friend was only lying to herself. As great as Luka was, he was not Adrien. 

Luka was not the talented model that placed made sure others smiled even when he was hurting. He was not the pun-loving, video-game-loving guy who genuinely believed his Marinette Lucky charm was all he needed to win. And Luka was certainly not the guy who would sacrifice anything for Marinette's happiness. That was Adrien and only Adrien.

If only she could make Marinette realize her heart had and will always belong to Adrien. If only? Oh no, if only is not the word. Alya was confident she would succeed, even if it was the last thing she did.

Adrien's confession surprised Alya quite a bit. While she hoped he would do so, she did not believe he would have the courage. That was the first time she had ever seen him so confident and honest about his feelings. She found it so romantic, up until the point where he interrupted her response. 

In retrospect, that was probably the best thing to do. Mariette was still in a relationship with Luka at the moment, so she would have to reject Adrien regardless of whether she wanted to. Yet, that also gave Alya a chance to intervene before a mistake was made. The thought made Alya smirk. As soon as they arrived at the amusement park, she began her plan. Alya had a plan, and it would start immediately after stepping a foot at the amusement park. 

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Adrien felt the warmth of Marinette's body against his skin when he awoke. When he realized it wasn't a dream, he reddened. His princess was holding him tightly in her arms. His heart began to flutter at the prospect. The blonde knew this was unlikely to happen again, and he wanted to savor the moment a little longer, but everyone would soon wake up, and the last thing he needed was more fuel added to the fire. Adrien, much to his dismay, realized he needed to get up. He cautiously moved out of the couch and away from her, gently pulling his arms from around her.

For a brief while, the blonde glanced around and smiled as he observed his princess. Even while she was sleeping or drooling was still the most gorgeous girl on the globe. With a broad smile and a love expression in his eye, the model stared at his best friend. A smile that vanished rapidly and was swiftly replaced by a frown.

Will he be able to maintain his relationship with his princess after this weekend? Adrien was certain he'd get turned down on Monday. He could see it in his eyes after confessing last night. That's why he'd stopped her from going on. But why had she come to the couch earlier if that was how she felt? Why would she lay in his arms freely, knowing how he felt about her, only to reject him later?

Adrien was perplexed. Part of him prayed her actions meant his lady had recognized she, too, had feelings for him, but he knew that wasn't the case. On the other hand, he was enraged. What if she was only teasing him? What if she was attempting to elicit stronger emotions from him in order to further injure him? Could she not see how much she was harming him with all of this? Adrien sighed, knowing Marinette wasn't the type of girl to do that. She would never injure him on purpose, but everything was simply overwhelming.

Adrien scratched his irritated face, his frown deepening on his lips. He had a lot of queries for which he required answers. Adrien wanted to discuss it with Marinette. He wanted her to give him the answers he so desperately needed, but she was terrified. Afraid that her responses might contain the phrases he desperately wished he had never heard.

Adrien shifted his gaze back to Marinette's sleeping figure, debating whether he was ready to talk to her about his confession or not. He turned around and walked out of the room and into the hallway, deciding he wasn't quite ready. He'd previously feigned not to remember the confession, so why not go ahead and do it again?

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As she looked at the time, Alya panicked. She needed to talk to Adrien before Marinette woke up. The brunette wished to know if he approved of what she had planned for later. She rushed out of her room and into the hallway, only to find the man she needed to see pacing back and forth with an obvious expression of stress on his face.

"Hey, are you all right?" Alya inquired hesitantly, concerned about what had happened during the time they were alone.

"No! Yes! No? AHHH, I'm not sure!" Adrien sighed and tugged at his golden curls. "I-I'm just so perplexed," he continued, rubbing his eyes. Alya stood there watching as the model appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"OK, let's calm down first, and then tell me what happened so I can try to help," she said as she drew him away from the door and closer to the wall. The two teenagers sat calmly on the floor as they prepared for their important discussion.

Adrien was deafeningly quiet for a few moments. He pondered whether or not speaking with Alya about this was a smart idea. If he was being honest, he preferred talking to Nino, but he knew two things: first, his bestie was probably still sleeping, and second, Alya was Marinette's only confidante. Alya was the only person who knew the truth about Marinette's feelings. As a result, he decided to speak up.

"I guess I'm just confused. When I confessed last night, I was certain she would reject me. I saw it in her eyes. It seemed as if she felt sorry for me. That's why I came to a halt, but then something unexpected happened. Last night, after we'd all gone to bed, I thought it would be best if I slept on the couch. I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable or anything like that, but-" Adrien came to a halt and fidgeted anxiously, trying to come up with the perfect words. Alya observed his struggle and patiently waited for him to be ready to proceed.

"But she- she came to me. I thought she would want to avoid me or even unfriend me, but instead, she laid herself into my arms and told me that she had been waiting for me to go to bed, but when I didn't, she came to me. She hugged me tightly. I was almost sure that she felt the same way as me. To be honest, I don't know what to think anymore," Adrien finally continued sadly.

Alya smiled when Adrien told her about sleeping on the couch. He was a gentleman and very respectful. That was one of the reasons why Marinette fell in love with him when they met. "You really love her, don't you?" Alya inquired as she watched the blonde's eyes well up.

Adrien responded with a nod. "I'm not sure how or when it happened, but suddenly she became my entire universe, my reason for living, and the other half of me."

"Then why didn't you stop her? When Luka confessed, why didn't you tell her the truth about your feelings? Why didn't you fight for her?" Alya questioned.

"Because I was stupid! Because I was scared. Because I felt as though I wasn't worthy of her. I am an emotionally damaged model without a mother and with a cold father that makes him model in his spare time. I don't deserve to be loved by anyone. As opposed to Luka, who is a talented musician with a family and a future. I couldn't compete. What can I propose to her? Though I was thinking about it, I went as far as to try making it happen, but she seemed really happy. Trying to have a relationship with her seemed like a dream, but I really didn't want to ruin that for her. I totally respect the fact that she is happy, even if that means I will never be with her," he responded almost immediately, letting out tears.

Alya murmured. She contemplated whether it would be a smart idea to come clean with Adrien. Would he be able to tolerate learning about Marinette's past feelings? Perhaps not, but this was information that the blonde required. Maybe if he did, he wouldn't give up.

"Adrien, there is something you should know," the brunette swiftly said. She knew that if she gave it any more thought, she would back out. Adrien's emerald eyes met hers almost instantly as he heard her words.

"Recall that day you met Marinette? You realize she was frantic at you, however at that point, you gave her your umbrella and explained the situation?" Adrien nodded confusedly. The blonde pondered where Alya was going with it. Obviously, he recollected that day. That was the greatest day of his life, the day he met his future dearest companion and his first love.

"For sure, that day Marinette saw something in you. She saw the genuine you. The astonishing, sweet, and fragile individual you were. Adrien Marinette fell head over heels for you. She has revered you from that point forward. That is the reason she stammered, reddened insanely when you were near. Adrien Marinette was infatuated with you. She was in love with you, the real you."

Adrien's eyes widened as he heard what she had to say. He stammered out, "S-she loves me?" "She did, but she was certain you would never share her feelings. All of the times you referred to her as "just your friend" were hurtful to her. They served as a reminder to her that you would never love her the way she did. She met Luka at that point and decided to move on." Adrien's face sank as Alya stood there watching. It was clear that the news was difficult to accept.

The model was in tears. He was the love of her life. His princess adored him, but he had been too oblivious to see. He was the one who had ruined his chance to be with her. He had no one but himself to blame. If only he'd noticed it earlier. If only he'd recognized that he was more than just a friend. Alya decided to continue after hearing his silence.

"Everyone was aware of it, and they assumed you would have noticed sooner. Some even thought you felt the same way. You, on the other hand, were unconcerned. Then Luka came along and proved to her that she was deserving of love. He was understanding of her feelings for you. Therefore he was patient with her."

"Marinette entrusted him with her secrets. He confessed several times and promised to wait for her. Marinette gradually began to have feelings for him. She called me several times, unsure if she should give up on you and be with Luka. She waited for you even then, but she eventually gave up hope and decided to give him a chance. Marinette was convinced that you will never love her."

"So, she does love him?" Adrien questioned sadly.

Alya gave a shaky smile in response but then shook her head. Adrien was even more perplexed by this.

"I don't believe so," Alya replied. "Adrien, I know my best friend, and I genuinely believe she simply settled for Luka. Marinette waited for you for years and eventually realized that she didn't stand a chance with you. As a result, she went to the one guy who had shown her affection. Marinette, I believe, is deceiving herself. She is attempting to convince herself that she loves him when the reality is that she does not. I know her, and I know that deep inside her heart is yours. It always has been. Adrien, you have to remind her why she fell in love with you in the first place. Show her no one can love her as you can. Marinette's heart is yours, Adrien. The question is, are you willing to fight for it?"

With a look of confidence, Adrien responded,

"Always."