Author's note: I know I was on hiatus for a llloooonnnggg time but rest assured, I'm gonna finish this story^^ Thank you, everyone, for all the support!

Chapter 4 A Long Night

An awkward silence wrapped the three after the introductions. Jellal was too shocked to even go along with Erza's charade. He just stood there frozen until Simon snapped him out of his trance. "Jellal, are you okay?"

"O – Of course…"

"They said you came with your fiancé. Now, where is the Heartfilia princess?"

"She's in-" Before Jella could even finish answering, Loke and Lucy came to join them. Like Jellal's first reaction, Loke was taken aback to see Erza right in front of him.

"Loke, it seems like you've seen a ghost with that kind of face," Simon jokingly commented. "Are you alright?"

The second son laughed lightly and replied, "I momentarily thought I have died and have gone to heaven to see such a beautiful angel beside you."

A vein pooped out of Lucy's forehead for a second. He's a real player! He'll even flirt with girls he has just met, she thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry for the late introduction. This is my girlfriend, Erza Scarlet. Erza, he is Jellal's younger brother, Loke. And this young lady must be Lucy Heartfilia-san, right?"

"Hai. Nice to meet you, Simon-san, Erza-san!" She greeted them with a courteous bow.

Feeling uneasy as minutes went by, Jellal chose to excuse himself from the group and said something came up in the office that he needed to check out. His brother saw through his lame excuse and followed him out of the party venue while the three continued a friendly chat without them.

"Onii-san, wait! Where are you going?"

"Do me a favor, Loke. Please take Lucy home."

"So what if you've met her again? Haven't you moved on? I thought – "

"I thought so too! Just leave me alone for a while…" he then quickly drove away.

-ooo000ooo-

"Did you two have a fight?" inquired Lucy who noticed Loke's seemingly disappointed face as he walked back to the hall. "Is something going on?"

"Nothing big. Just some issues in nii-san's office…" he replied, forcing a smile. "Are you enjoying the party?"

"Pretty much. Erza-san and Simon-san are very friendly to me and so do Jellal-san's schoolmates. He'll be back soon, right?"

"Sorry, he won't be. I'll be the one to take you home so – " he paused after seeing her crestfallen expression. "You don't like me to drive you home?"

"O – Oh, I'm fine with that. I just wished Jellal-san and I could have enjoyed such a nice party. Guess, he just really has to leave…"

Then, a piano quintet assembled on stage and played a sweet slow dancing music. "May I have this dance with you?" he extended his hand to her.

She pleasantly agreed and took his hand.

-ooo000ooo-

Her dark apartment welcomed Erza from the reunion party. She took her heels off, placed them in the shoe rock at the patio and wore her house slippers. The party was fun for she got to know a lot of her fiancé's friends back from high school. She did enjoy the event for a while until Jellal appeared before her.

The red head heard plenty of news about like how he has become Fernandez Group heir and the mind behind its continuous success in the market. He was famous after all. However, it never crossed her mind to meet him again. She longed to see him, to be with him but she never put those desires into action.

As she walked to the living room, Erza noticed her parents' pictures hung on the wall. They passed away a year ago from an unfortunate car accident. She grieved their death for quite a long time because they were the only ones she had.

"Oto-san, Oka-san, tadaima," she warmly said to their portraits.

Other photos she had displayed in there were her and Simon's. The two looked like a loving couple from those pictures, each of them filled with smiles and happiness. She met him in Toronto when she and Jellal just broke up. Her first impression on him was a kind looking man, but a little nosy with other people's business. She sat alone at the farthest corner of a coffee shop with swollen eyes from countless nights of crying. There, she hoped to calm herself a bit when all she could think of was her first love. She tried her hardest to hold her tears while reading a college book.

Simon then came, offering some tissue, and said, "I don't know what your problem is, and it seems that all I could do is give you some tissue. Just cry as much as you need. It's better than holding everything inside your heart." That meeting started a close and comfortable friendship between the two.

Time flew; Simon slowly fell for her and confessed. Not ready yet to enter a new relationship, Erza refused his feelings but their friendship remained. Sometime later, he held very sincere feelings for her that he was able to heal her broken heart. He was kind, gentle and understanding that's why Erza at last decided to date him. She wasn't sure if she loved him as much as she had loved Jellal, but Simon was an important person to her. Erza looked at her diamond engagement ring as a tear escaped her eye. She felt sorry for Simon and guilty for betraying his innocent feelings for her. All the time they were together, she never mentioned Jellal.

Now that Jellal had come back, her love for him came back just as fast. How could she have thoughts of coming back to Jellal's side when she had decided to promise eternity to Simon? How could she just forget and put aside all things Simone has done for her when her first love appeared again? Erza's love for Jellal was simply far greater than her unsure feelings towards Simon.

-ooo000ooo-

After an hour of driving and chatting with Lucy, Loke arrived at her house and pulled in front of the gate. "Ok, here we are!" he said, opening the door for her.

"Thanks for sending me home. Oh, are you in a hurry?"

"No. Why?"

"I want you to meet someone," she smiled and invited him inside the mansion. She took him to their spacious backyard where behind the statuesque fountain lies Layla Heartfilia's resting place.

He was taken by surprise when Lucy brought him to see her mother. "Lucy, she's…"

"Oka-sama, I'd like you to meet Loke. And Loke, this is my mother, Layla," she introduced the two with a tender smile.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Heartfilia," he bowed at her grave respectfully.

"You know, Loke. I really feel sorry about you and your mother. I keep thinking on what I should do to help you or is there even anything I could do about it… Sorry, you must be thinking I'm being such a busy body but I just – "

She was cut when he suddenly secured her into a tight embrace. Lucy instinctively thought of pushing him away, but why would she do that when he meant no harm? With that, Lucy just let him be and gently hugged him back.

"Thank you so much for your concern, Lucy. It really makes me happy," he whispered to her ear as he was releasing her from his arms. This made Lucy blush a light shade of pink on her cheeks.

"What I really want to say is that don't lose hope on your mother. One day, I'm sure she'll get well and your family would be complete…"

"Ok, I will keep that in mind. By the way, Lucy…"

"Yes?"

"Do you really plan on marrying my brother? Are you sure about that?"

"Eh?" Lucy was shocked to be asked like that, but she answered anyway. "Well, there is nothing wrong of marrying him. He's a nice person so it's fine by me. And it's not as if I'm seeing someone…"

"Then, what if…"

"Nothing."

"Eh? You're acting weird," she eyed him sheepishly. "If I will marry Jellal-san, then I'll really marry him. If not, it just means we are not meant for each other."

The young man held her hand and asked, "Lucy, do you see me as a friend?"

The question caught her off guard. Well, she hadn't really thought much about their relationship. Were they merely schoolmates? Future in-laws? Nevertheless, she replied cheerfully. "At first, I didn't want to even get involved with you and all. But after getting to know you more, you're not as bad as I thought. Sure, you're a jerk who has made tons of girls cry. But as a friend, you're okay!"

He laughed heartily after hearing Lucy. "Really? That's what you think of me? I'm not such a player you know."

"Trust me. Every girl who has not been deceived by your sugar coated lies thinks the same way. Since I'm your friend, even when the truth hurts, I'm still telling it to you for your sake."

"Then, if I do this…" He swiftly leaned towards here until their faces are just centimeters apart. "does your hear skip a beat?"

Lucy immediately backed off. Angered and flushed, she shouted at him, "HEY! What did you do that for? Do that again and I'll beat you up."

He could only laugh at her threat and thought she was cute. "Sorry. My bad. I was only playing around. Anyway, it's getting quite late so you better go inside so you won't catch a cold."

They walked back to his car and bade each other goodbyes.

"Idiot! You were only playing around? My heart this time seriously… skipped a beat…" Lucy softly told herself while running back to the door.

-ooo000ooo-

Jellal walked along the shore of the Arakawa river. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Why just now? WWWHHHYYY?"

When they were forced to break up, Jellal tried to live normally and forget Erza. Loving her would only bring her suffering, he thought. He focused on his studies and when he got his degree, he kept himself busy with the business. He would sometimes remember her and wonder how she was doing; nonetheless, he would get something to center his attention on. Years passed like this for him.

Just then, a really crazy idea entered his mind. He flipped his phone open and searched the contacts. Erza. Her number remained there, saved. If he calls her right now, will someone answer?

Author's note: Thank you for reading this chapter and please leave some reviews too^^ Look forward for the next one~