Time | A Novella

Her Time

The daylight broke into Marinette's window at six in the morning. She had stayed up all night, staring at her wrist and watching the seconds tick by. Today was the day. The day she has waited for her entire life. This was the day she was going to meet him, her soulmate.

She only started taking notice of the funny looking timer on her wrist when she was nine. Asking her mum, it was the first time she was enlightened by the concept of a soulmate. Her mother was a flower girl, who spent her life wandering on the streets with a basket full of flowers to sell. With such a hard life, she didn't bother to think about anything else, but to fend for herself in the city, therefore, the time on her wrist did not bother her at all. It was just like any other day, she entered the city's bakeshop, ordered her favorite scone, and little did she know that the man who handed her the pastry was going to be the man she was going to love for all the days of her life.

"My wrist gave a short vibration, and then he glanced at his wrist, too. Our eyes met, and it was only then that we realized we were missing somebody all this time," Sabine repeated, pouring a carton of milk in Marinette's bowl. "And just like that, we were complete."

"She's heard this same 'ole story, Sab, my dear." Tom chuckled, laying down a tray of baguettes on the counter.

"Even if you tell it to me a million gazillion times, I'll never get tired of your story, Maman," Marinette said with a smile. "And I just can't believe that today will finally be my day."

Her gaze fell on her wrist.

Three hours.

Where could this boy be right now?

"Where do you plan to meet this soulmate of yours, my ladybug?" Her father slid the rest of the baked treats into the glass display, then turned to the dining area for a bite of his own bagel. "I mean, it is already fate that you two shall meet today, but do you have the slightest gut feeling on where he may be?"

Marinette shook her head. "I don't know, Papa. You know soulmates, you can never expect where you'll meet them, let alone who they're going to be."

It was true, however. As much as Marinette was excited to meet the boy of her dreams, she was still worried, scared, even. She did not know who was coming. Will he have dark hair with a stormy sea in his eyes? Or perhaps, he could have sunshine and light in his hair, along with a dazzling smile. Did he like pastries and sweets, as she does, or maybe he had an exotic taste for spices? Was he sporty, outgoing, lazy, or unimpressed? Marinette had wondered her entire life, but none of these questions feared her as the next.

Could he be older by ten, fifteen, twenty years? Or maybe was he just going to be born in three hours? What if he was in a completely different part of the world? What if he isn't really a boy, after all? What if he was suddenly— no, she can't have morbid thoughts about her soulmate.

Despite all the commotion in her head, Marinette was sure of one thing, and one thing alone: whoever this boy, this person, is going to be, fate has destined the both of them for each other. Whoever he may be, she was sure that she was going to love him all her life.

"You should get out," Sabine told her daughter, now putting away the bowls and cups from the table. "Only less than three hours, and I don't have the confidence that anyone is going to step in this bakery, dashing in, looking for you."

"Yeah, I suppose, Maman," she replied with a giggle. Pulling out her phone, she said, "I'll call my friend, and probably we could go together to the park. That seems like the most romantic spot to meet him."

"Sure, chérie." Her mother nodded with a smile.

Marinette excused herself from the table, and began climbing up the stairs to her room as she punched out his number.

"Adrien, hey," she greeted, forming a bright smile on her lips. "Care to join me for a park day?"

"You? Are you not just the laziest girl in Paris, bugaboo?" The raspy morning voice of her best friend echoed back to her. "I mean, no offense, Mar, but as much as I love you, I can't really back off this modeling stint I have in thirty minutes."

Sandwiching the phone between her collarbone and jaw, she let out a sigh and began searching for clothes. "I understand, but you know, it's such a shame, 'cause today is finally 'you-know-what' day."

"You're kidding?" Adrien's voice was full of disbelief.

"Not kidding." Marinette pulled out a daisy-patterned sundress out of her closet. "I got two hours and forty minutes."

There was a pause before Adrien had returned an answer to her. His reply was quick and dry, "I'll be right there."

He somehow hung up after that, leaving Marinette surprised for his sudden action. She did feel a wave of relief, for she was sure that he would not back down for her for any reason at all. Adrien Agreste was a household name for the Dupain-Chengs. As often as he would appear in the pages of France's Teen Vogue, he would also be in their homey bakery, chowing down as much quiches as he could, much to the dismay of Natalie and everyone who was trying to keep him fit for modeling. Who knew that a girl and a boy could become best of friends all because of a cooking oil puddle and a flying quiche? Inseparable is both an overstatement and an understatement in their friendship. While it was true that they could barely live without each other, they knew that it was just right to leave some space between them, for still, they are entirely different people.

It only took a heartbeat for Adrien to appear behind the glass windows of the bakery. It was not only because his grand estate only sat a couple of blocks behind the bakery, but it helped that he took a sprint on his way.

Marinette laughed as she opened the door for her friend. "Well, that was fast."

"You know I wouldn't miss it for the world," Adrien said, one of his brightest smiles spreading across his face. "I want to be the very first person you see — I mean, to see you once you meet your 'you-know-who'."

Instantly, Marinette's cheeks flushed. The both of them have always been trying to figure out how much time each other had left. It seemed that Marinette was going in first, but she also never knew Adrien's time.

Whoever is going to be his, she's going to be very lucky, she thought.

Hand in hand, they both walked over to the park. Marinette held her breath, and she knew that finally, this was going to be the last time she would ever wait.