Like I said, I updated again! Wow I'm so punctual and cool, right?
From this chapter onwards, the characters exist in present tense. The last chapter was in italics because it's more or less a flashback. Lucy's gone off to university now! I hope the timing is clear!
-KingRadish
Inside and Out
2- Whispers Over the Line
He grabs the vibrating device from his bedside table and wrestles his eyes open to look at the too-bright screen.
Lucy.
His finger moves on its own.
"What's up?"
"We broke up," she says, her voice flat.
Natsu takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
"I mean, it's not really a big deal," Lucy continues. "We were always falling apart."
He keeps his tone soft, because he knows this side of her. Too well. Too many times. She puts up a wall of glass-hard to the touch, but so easy to shatter.
"Luce?"
There's a small gulp on the other side, and when she speaks again, her words were whispered. "I love him, Natsu." He could feel her struggling, all alone, so far away from him. "I can't believe it's over. He said that… He said that he needed me. And then he found another girl and now I'm just…"
A soft sob came through the speaker of his phone and Natsu gripped it tighter in his hand. "It's okay, just let it out. Talk to me."
She hiccups and her ragged breathing becomes muffled. "Y'know, Natsu, I don't think he ever cared. Not really, at least. Like, he's always… Looking somewhere else. I don't remember the last time he looked me in the eye. And then when we go out, he doesn't even hold my hand…" Her voice is small, tiny, but her words were like needles in his heart. "He doesn't even try. And then whenever we're together, there's always something he's not happy about. Always arguing about some little thing, and it's like he's trying to find something wrong with me!"
He nodded along, giving her encouraging feedback as she ranted. He would always be here for her. He would always listen, always see her for everything that she's worth; he would always make her feel special. Unlike this douchebag who hurt her again and again and again; like all the other dumbass losers she's dated.
Part of him—not the part he was particularly proud of—was glad. She was finally done with this guy what's-his-face, and she was suffering. He hates it when she suffered, yes, and he would protect her happiness with his life, but honestly speaking, she deserved it. She deserved this.
He's always been here for her.
When they got off the phone, she had stopped crying. "Thanks Natsu! I feel better now," she said. "I'll get over it. Good night!"
He mumbled a few words of console and waited until she hung up. Sighing, he leans back onto the headboard of his bed, rubbing his temples.
He's always been here for her, so why wasn't he the one by her side?
The alarm clock on his nightstand cheerfully displays the time in glowing red. 5:58 am.
Again, a short chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to keep my chapters short and updates frequent! I'll probably post the next chapter tomorrow!
