A phone buzzed loudly on Lucy's bedside table, waking her from her half sleeping state. With a quick roll to her side, she lazily pulled her phone off of the table and read the incoming message. Yes, the car is still for sale. When can we meet so you can take a look? She propped herself by her elbows and glanced at the time. The clock read 9:43 AM. She typed back a quick message. Is noon okay? A reply came in seconds. Yes. My address is 363 Fairy Tail Ln. See you then. She sat her phone back down on the bedside table and stretched her arms over her head before getting out of bed.
As she passed by her body length mirror, her reflection showed her in a wrinkled t shirt and shorts with a wild bird's nest atop her head. Oh god, she thought. She wouldn't be able to get away with some dry shampoo and mascara this morning. After a quick shower she felt much more awake and ready for the day. With just a towel wrapped around her body, she walked back into her bedroom to see her blue haired friend relaxing on her bed.
"Levy, what the hell?" She questioned her friend. This wasn't the first time Levy had showed up unannounced. Sometimes she forgot that she didn't actually live here as well.
"You weren't answering your phone. I brought bagels." Levy held up a paper bag with a smile.
Bagels. One of Lucy's (many) weaknesses than Levy loved to capitalize on. Lucy couldn't stay mad at her friend when food was involved. She quickly got dressed in a plain white shirt and her most trusted faded jeans. Plopping herself next to Levy, she grabbed her bagel, a wheat everything bagel with onions and chives cream cheese, and happily munched away.
"So what are you doing today? Did you ever hear back from that guy about the car?" Levy asked her between bites.
"Mhmmm. I'm actually meeting him today at noon."
"Do you want me to go with you? I don't like the idea of you going to some stranger's house to look at a car. Have you seen Craigslist Killer? It could happen to you." Lucy smiled at her friend's concern. She also had her own worries about buying a car from craigslist, but it was much more cost effective than going to a dealership.
"Don't worry, Lev. I'll bring my trusty pepper spray. Plus we are meeting in broad daylight. I'll be fine." She flashed a sincere smile at her.
Levy didn't seem convinced but she dropped the subject anyways. Her small friend was fiercely protective of her like an agitated yorkie barking at the doorbell. Adorable and full of spunk, Lucy appreciated every ounce of her. She could count on her to call 911 if she didn't come back in a decent amount of time.
After a good hour was spent practicing self defense moves, Levy bid her farewell. She made it clear that if Lucy didn't contact her in the next hour, she'd go down there with her scary looking boyfriend and beat up the craigslist creep herself. Lucy couldn't help but laugh to herself. She truly had the greatest friends.
With a quick glance at the clock. Lucy grabbed her light, maroon windbreaker and headed out the door. Luckily, this guy didn't live too far from her so she could walk over there. She didn't think her bike would have fit in the small car he had for sale. The fact that she had found the car, which looked to be in excellent condition from the pictures, for such a steal of a price was amazing. When she had asked why he was selling it for so low he told her it was because he had no use for it anymore and wanted to sell it quickly. She had no complaints, that's for sure.
She'd been on the hunt for a new car for months now since her old one had died and gone to car heaven. It was going to cost her the price of a newer car to fix the old one so she said her peace to the old car and started her search. Much to her surprise, trying to buy a car from craigslist wasn't easy. Craigslist was a dog eat dog world that she wasn't familiar with, so when she found this car it felt like a message from the celestial king himself.
It didn't take long for Lucy to arrive at her destination. She didn't realize how nice of a neighborhood this guy lived in until she turned down his street. She knew about this fancy neighborhood but she didn't connect the dots when he texted her his address this morning. No wonder he was selling the car so cheaply, apparently money wasn't an issue. Every single house on the block made her apartment building look small in comparison. Even the grass looked greener over here and the air seemed clearer.
As she approached the address, a guy with bright pink hair caught her attention. He was sitting on the hood of the same car she'd seen in pictures on craigslist. Was this the guy, she wondered to herself. The pink hair threw her off. She imagined him looking a bit more… professional. At the sound of her approaching, he looked up from his phone and flashed her a smile.
"Hi, I'm here to check out the car." Lucy said unconfidently. His onyx eyes fixated on her face. He didn't reply for a moment and just stared. It was starting to make her uncomfortable. Why was he staring like that?
"Oh, right. Yeah. Take a look." He cleared his throat and hopped off the hood of the car onto the sidewalk.
Lucy walked around the car, looking for any cosmetic issues. She wasn't quite sure what to look for but she figured if anything was wrong, she'd be able to tell. When she didn't find anything wrong, she opened the driver's side door and slid in. She could feel the guy's watchful gaze on her through the window. She didn't know what his problem was. It's not the first time a guy has had a staring problem, but they usually don't do it so obviously.
"I charged the battery so it should start right up if you wanna give it a try. Keys are in the ignition." The guy told her.
She turned the keys, and like he said, it started right up. She waited for a moment, trying to listen to any strange noises to start. She half expected the low whine her previous car was known for. The engine purred like a content kitten. After a few minutes, she killed the engine and got out of the car. The car was perfect. It still seemed too good to be true, but she wasn't going to let this opportunity slip through her fingers.
"I'll take it." She told the man. She dug around in her bag for the envelope of money she had withdrawn from the bank the day before. Saving up for the car had been easy with how long it took her to actually find it. He gratefully took the envelope and briefly leafed through the cash.
"It's all there." She assured him.
"I'm not worried. Glad to do business with you." He shifted awkwardly, like there was more he wanted to say.
Lucy hesitated a moment before getting in the car. She felt inclined to hear what he had to say, especially if it had something to do with the car. The vibe he was putting out there was tough to read, but she could tell he had something on his mind. Just as she was about to step in the car she heard him speak up.
"So, I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to go grab some food or something?" It looked like it pained him to even speak the words.
His sudden question caught her off guard and without thinking twice, she turned him down. She quickly got into the car and shut the door, starting the car desperate to flee the awkward situation. She took off down the road not daring to looking in the rearview mirror.
The uneasy feeling that had settled in the bottom of her stomach didn't dissipate until she'd driven a few blocks. It was then replaced with guilt. Maybe she had been too harsh to turn him down so bluntly. He was actually kind of cute, despite the staring problem. But it was too late now. Her pride wouldn't allow her to go back there with her tail between her legs.
A honk coming from the car next to her startled her out of her thoughts. She turned to see a brunette girl motioning for her to roll down her window.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but it looks like all of your tires are flat. It's not good to drive around like that." The stranger called to her once she rolled her window down. Lucy waved her thanks and pulled the car into the closest parking lot.
Tears pricked her eyes as she stepped out of the car to view the tires. All four of them were flat. She couldn't believe it. She'd been right about it being too good to be true. Anger started to wash over her as she thought about the situation. How dare he sell her a car in this condition! With shaky hands she pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed his number. Her frustration grew with each unanswered ring, peaking when his voicemail picked up.
"I am calling the cops! You're creepy and a thief!" She shouted into her phone before hanging up, wishing she still had a flip phone that she could close dramatically. She got back into the car and slammed the door shut. She let a long scream escape her lips and rested her head against the steering wheel. The tears that had been threatening to fall were no longer holding back. What had she done to deserve this?
Her phone started to vibrate on the seat next to her and she snatched it up and took a deep breath before hitting answer.
"Please don't call the police!" The pink haired thief pleaded into the phone.
"Why shouldn't I? All of the tires are flat. Flat! You sold me a car that is useless!" She yelled into the phone.
"Shit. Really? Where are you?" He replied.
"Like I'm going to tell a thief like you!" She retorted.
"Hey! Chill out. I want to help. Tell me where you are and I'll call a tow truck. We'll go down to the tire shop and I'll pay for a new set of tires."
Lucy bit her tongue. She didn't expect him to actually offer to help. Apparently, most people on craigslist are crooks, according to Levy anyways, and she had expected the worst when he didn't answer her call. She told him her location and waited for the tow truck to arrive.
By the time the pink haired punk showed up, Lucy had calmed down. Well, she was still frustrated at the situation but she was no longer directing it at him. He did just offer to pay for a full set of new tires. Maybe he wasn't a thief… but the creepy comment still stood until proven otherwise.
His knock on her driver's side window made her jump in surprise. He had wasted no time getting there. It looked like he ran the whole way by the way he was trying to catch his breath. When her own heart rate slowed back down from the shock, she stepped out of the car and took a seat on the hood.
"Why the hell are all of the tires flat? You said it was in excellent condition!" She snapped at him, letting her frustration seep through her words.
He shrugged his shoulders, "I mean it had been sitting there for months. I do apologize for this. I didn't even think about the tires." His eyes were sincere causing Lucy's frustration to lose some steam.
"Well, as long as it gets fixed by the end of the day, it's fine." She replied while crossing her arms in front of her. An exasperated sigh left her lips. She should've been home by now, cozied up with the new book she just borrowed from Levy.
"Don't worry, this creep will have it all taken care of." Lucy scowled at his comment. He was smirking at her, proud of himself for calling her out. If she could just melt into the car right now, she would. Oh how she despised how easily she found herself in awkward situations.
"I'm… sorry for calling you creepy." She mumbled, not meeting his eyes.
He took a step closer to her and cupped a hand over his ear. "What was that?" He asked her with false sweetness.
"I'm sorry for calling you creepy!" She repeated herself loudly. She met his eyes this time and felt her face flush red at the eye contact. He was wearing a playful smile as he held her gaze, daring her to look away.
"I'm Natsu, by the way." He said without breaking their eye contact. His eyes were so dark, Lucy could feel herself getting lost in them. She hadn't noticed how much depth his eyes had before. It was like she was looking into two bottomless pools full of hidden emotion.
"Lucy…" She trailed off. She knew she'd been staring for too long, but she was too captivated to care. Who had the staring problem now?
A loud honk broke the two of them out of their trance and they turned to see the tow truck pulling up next to the car. Lucy's heart was racing and she wasn't sure if it was because of the honk or that onyx star. At this point, she wasn't sure which she wanted it to be.
Luckily, Natsu did all of the talking with the towing company so Lucy didn't have to do much explaining. She admired how professionally he handled it, knowing she would've been a mess if she had to do it on her own. Lucy and stressful situations were not a good mix and almost always ended in tears.
The ride to the tire shop was quiet. Natsu had been gentleman enough to offer her the window spot, sparing her the torture of riding between him and a complete stranger (not that Natsu was any better.) However, the truck's cab was small with barely enough room for the three of them. Lucy was acutely aware of how close Natsu was sitting next to her. It felt like every inch of her skin was overly sensitive, over analyzing every movement he made. She wasn't sure she breathed until they arrived at the tire shop.
The shop was busy when they arrived. Natsu went up to the front desk while Lucy searched for a place to sit. She found a tiny table tucked behind a stack of tired and claimed it. Just as she relaxed into the metal chair, her phone started vibrating in her pocket. A gasp escaped her lips when she realized who it was.
"Levy! I'm okay! I'm sorry I didn't call. Some things happened but I'm okay." She attempted to calm down her fire ball of a friend.
"What do you mean something happened?!" Lucy had to hold her phone from her ear to avoid damage to her ear drum.
"Well, I bought the car right? And when I was on my way home, someone stopped me and told me my tires were flat-"
"WHAT, WHY THAT LITTLE-"
"It's okay! Natsu called a tow truck and we're at the tire place getting new tires put on now. He's even paying for them. You told me everyone from craigslist is a crook, but Natsu's actually a good guy." She smiled at Natsu who was still standing at the front desk messing with the popcorn machine.
"Natsu? Do you need me to come pick you up? I can bring Gajeel!" She laughed at her friend's antics.
"No… I'll be okay." Lucy watched Natsu as he walked towards her with a content smile on her face. "I gotta go, Lev! I'll call you when I get home."
"Lucy, wait-" She hung up before Levy could finish. She'd understand.
Natsu slid into the chair across from her and placed a bag of popcorn on the table. He spun the opening in her direction.
"It's complimentary. And also… a few hours old." He crinkled his nose as he popped some stale popcorn in his mouth, eliciting a giggle from Lucy. His eyes lit up at the sound.
"It'll be at least thirty minutes before they get to the car." Lucy nodded in reply and grabbed a handful of popcorn. She surveyed the area, taking in the sight of the other people also waiting for their cars.
Natsu leaned in towards her like he had a secret to tell. When he had her attention, he motioned to a couple across the shop with his eyes.
"Long time married couple. They're in here before he promised he'd fix it and six months later, it breaks down on their way to the grocery store and here they are. Turns out he didn't fix it at all." He whispered across the table to her.
A sly smile crept onto her face when she realized what he was doing. She took another look at the crowd and her smile grew as she motioned towards a woman across the way.
"Mother of three, all under the age of 6. She uses this time to escape the kids and leave them with dad. She chooses this errand because of how long it takes. The dad is none the wiser." She ended with a giggle.
They continued with that until everyone in the shop had their own backstory fabricated, even the shop employees. No one was safe when they walked through those doors. By the time the car was ready, the two of them were dying of laughter, earning looks from everyone in the room. Lucy was surprised by how quickly the time passed when they were interrupted by an employee with the keys. She was almost certain they had worked on her car quicker just to get them out of there. A permanent smile was plastered on her face as the two of them walked towards the car. She hadn't laughed that hard in a while.
"Hey." Natsu paused by the front of the car.
"Yeah?" She hesitated next to him.
"Wanna go grab some food or something? Not like a date or anything, I mean unless you want it to be." He asked nervously, keeping his eyes on his shoes.
Lucy didn't hesitate to answer this time.
"Sure. I'd love that."