"Adrien,  my bro, are you all right?"  Luka asks.

    "Yes, I am just peachy.  Now, leave me alone," Adrien says.

       Luka replies,  "Adrien, why are you so upset?"

     "It is because Marinette does not trust me,"  Adrien says.

     "Trust you, man, she just met you last weekend,"  Luka states.

        Adrien does not respond this time because he knows Luka has a good point there.  He still wishes Marinette could have come back though.  He feels less lonesome when she is around.

        The next day, "Adrien, someone is here to see you!"  Luka says. He thinks, the boy will be surprised.
    
     "Send them away,"  Adrien says angrily.

   "Adrien, I am sure you want to see this person, trust me,"  Luka says in a teasing manner.

         Narrator's POV:
       Adrien does not answer, he takes a shower, dries off, and puts on a fresh outfit.  He makes sure to comb his hair and checks to make sure the ring is there.  He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees it is and thinks good thing too.  The last thing he needs is for anyone to act weird around him today.

     "He will be out soon, I think," Luka tells the young girl.

   "Oh, I will wait for him in the garden,"  Marinette says.

   "Sure, I will let him know,"  Luka says.

    "Adrien, hurry up, will you?   The young lady waits for you in the garden,"  Luka says.

       Adrien exits the room and makes sure to see to it that his zipper is up. It is so he smiles and goes to the kitchen. He grabs a banana, then another one, he pulls out some yogurts from the refrigerator, and pours himself a glass of apple juice.  Then, puts the rest of the juice back up. He gets out some spoons, grabs a few napkins, and heads to the garden.

    Marinette glances in his direction the moment he steps foot in the garden. She thinks he looks even nicer than the last time she saw him. She notices he wears a green collared shirt this time with a single red stripe across it and blue jeans. She approves.  It suits him well.

    "Adrien, let me help you with the food," Marinette says. She stands up and takes the yogurts.
  
     Adrien looks at her in surprise.  He did not expect to see her again.  He feels like multiple butterflies swarm around him now. He sits beside her and hands her a banana. Then, hands her a spoon, and one of the napkins. He smiles at her as he peels the banana.  He closes his eyes and prays.  Then, opens them and eats the banana.

   "Oh, sorry, I believe one of these is yours," Marinette says as she hands a yogurt to him. 
  
 Adrien takes it and his hand brushes up against hers. The innocent gesture makes him blush.

    Marinette blushes too.  She opens up the strawberry yogurt and eats it in silence. She then uses the napkin to wipe the mess off her chin and the edge of her lips.
 
   Adrien finishes the banana, now it is his turn to eat the other yogurt.  He opens it and eats it. 

   Marinette eats the other banana and steals an occasional glance in his direction.  She feels shy suddenly and has no idea why.

     Later, as Adrien finishes his yogurt, wipes the small dot of it off the edge of his lips, and drinks the apple juice he hears a light sob come from the girl next to him.  He sets the cup down on the ground under the bench and grabs her hand.  He is glad when she does not pull away.

     "Marinette, why should a lovely lady cry in my garden?"  Adrien asks.  He wonders immediately where such a question came from anyway?  It is not like him to ask such a thing.

     "Adrien, it is my cousin, she is dead,"  Marinette says sadly.

        "Marinette, I am so sorry,"  Adrien says. He is not sure how to comfort her. He feels so helpless.

       Adrien recalls how once Luka hugged him a long time ago after the death of their parents. He thinks I suppose it is worth a try. He reaches over and hugs her. He feels her lay her hands on his shirt right where his chest is and turns beet red. 
 
     Marinette looks up at him and sees the sympathy in his eyes. She feels unsure how to react to this as it is the first time anyone has been this kind to her since she first heard the news of her cousin passing.  She does not know what all this means. She knows she feels safe with him somehow.

     Adrien's  POV:
      He holds onto her with no plans to release her yet.
  
    He hopes she does not misunderstand. 

  He only meant the hug to be a means of comfort.

   Marinette's POV:
     She thinks he is so kind and compassionate.

   She wonders why is it he chose to hug me?

  She blushes, closes her eyes, and places her head on his chest.


    Luka checks on them when he notices how quiet they are and sees Adrien hugging her.  He smiles and turns back toward the kitchen. He can not wait to tell Kagami how sweet Adrien is on Marinette. 

    Luka's POV:

   How sweet the young love my brother, Adrien has for Marinette.

   He thinks maybe those two will hit it off just nicely after all.

 Narrator's POV:
  Adrien feels Marinette relax and notices she is asleep. He would get up, but he does not wish to wake her.  Besides, somehow he feels like she would be upset if he just walks away right now. So, he remains on the garden bench with his arms around her. He does not mind. He rather likes her.

  Adrien's  POV:
  He blushes and closes his eyes.

  He thinks it is okay, Marinette, go ahead, and rest beautiful woman who has stolen my heart.

   He falls asleep with her in his arms.

  Find out more in Chapter  7 

-Summer out!