Natsu Dragneel

My hand is coiled around her wrist. She is so close. I can hear her breathing in and out slowly. I lean towards her as I watch her lips open slightly.

"Hey Lucy..." I whisper as I look into her eyes. "What would you do if I told you that I was still in love with you?"

Lucy stares as me. I can not control myself any longer. She just looks so vulnerable and before I know it, my face is only millimeters away from hers.

"Stop!" she suddenly yells, slapping my hand off of her wrist. She looks at me with a panicked look on her face. "D-Don't give me the wrong idea!"

I instantly come back to my senses. What the hell did I think I was doing?! Am I out of my mind? I'm going to be married with Lisanna soon! What is with me?! Why did I just say that?! It was as if my mouth was moving on its own. Why did my mouth do that...? Why did Ieven do that?! I must be going crazy. Or maybe I'm just sick. Yeah, that's right. I'm just sick. That's all.

"Uh... Um..." I try to look for excuses. I can't make this anymore awkward. "Just kidding!" I say, laughing loudly. "I'm just messing with you! It was a joke! Just a joke!"

Suddenly, I feel a lump in my throat. Was what I didreally a joke...?

"O-Oh!" Lucy says. She begins to laugh. My heart squeezes when she does. Her laugh means that she is troubled... I troubled her with my joke. I hurt her.

"It was pretty funny!" she says with a bright smile. But I know that smile is fake. As her ex-boyfriend, I know. That fake smile is one that I can never forget. It was the smile she used that day... the day of our breakup.

OoO

Ten years ago...

It was expected. I knew that it was going to happen eventually. I already predicted it anyway. I predicted it since the day I saw her angelic blonde hair in the library with Lisanna.

That day, I received a text. It was from Lucy, saying:

Lucy: Hey, can you meet me at the park near my house? It's really important.

Usually, I would ignore Lucy's text. I was trying to get over her after all. I knew that I couldn't be with her any longer. I had an arranged marriage with Lisanna. There was no point in having a relationship out of love anymore.

However, I couldn't help but reply when I read that it was really important that I went. I just couldn't resist. But... for some reason, I could already predict where this was going. Why else would she call me out anyway? It was obvious... so obvious... yet for some reason, in the depths of my thoughts, I kept praying that it wasn't what I was thinking. I was praying so hard. But for what? It wasn't like I was going to be sadafter it. Maybe it was because I just hated change.

I walked over to the park and spotted her on the swing by herself. She was playing around with her hair. That was something she always did when she was nervous. I knew that for sure.

"Hey Lucy!" I greeted.

Lucy turned around and smiled at me. "Hey Natsu!" she exclaimed. She patted the seat of the swing next to her. "Sit down! Sit down!"

I sat next to her and we swung on the swings silently. I kept looking at her with the corner of my eye. She was definitely nervous about something. Her hair was almost all in knots.

I combed her knotted blonde hair with my bare hands. "Hey... What's wrong Lucy...?" I asked softly as I felt her soft hair with my fingertips. "You can tell me anything."

"Any... Anything...?" she muttered. She stared at the ground quietly. After about five minutes, she took a big breath and looked at me directly in the eye.

"I have been thinking lately," she began. "That our relationship... just hasn't been really... working out."

Ah... I knew it. Somewhere in my heart, I knew it.

"I want to break up," she announced. She made a loud laugh afterwards. It may have been an odd time for someone to laugh, but it wasn't for Lucy. Her lying habit was so clear. Whenever she would lie, she would laugh. The louder the laugh, the bigger lie that she was making. I knew that she did that... to hide her want to cry. She did that to cheer herself up, hiding how much she was truly hurting.

You liar... I thought to myself. You don't want to break up.

"Why...?" I couldn't help asking. I didn't know why I asked that. It was so obvious why. I ignored her calls, texts, her waves in the hallways, and sometimes never even showed up to our dates. I was horrible to her. I was terrible. She probably despised me with all her might now. I could... definitely see why... If I were in her situation, I would hate me too.

"I just think that we would be better off, you know," she said. "Apart," she added with that beautiful bright smile.

But that smile was fake. She wasn't lying however. She truly believed that being apart would be best for both of us... I knew that because she didn't laugh.

And for some reason, I was praying... pleading that she would laugh.

But she never did.

OoO

Lucy and I spend the rest of the time in the ferris wheel in an awkward silence. Once in a while, we would make eye contact, but we would immediately look away afterwards. But we watch the sunset together. It is beautiful, but for some reason, when I am watching it with Lucy... the sunset looks prettier than normal.

Thirty minutes finally past. It felt like hours. Lucy and I get off the ride. Gray and Lisanna are waiting for us in worry. It seems like they didn't ride the wheel.

"LUCY!" Gray immediately yells, sprinting over to Lucy. He crashes into her, giving her a big hug. "Are you okay?! Oh my god... Oh my god..."

Lucy hugs Gray back and then loosens the hug. "I'm fine Gray!" she says. "Look! I'm right here. You don't have to worry."

Gray's eyes begin to tear up. "God... Thank god..." he mutters as he hugs her tightly, as if he were reassuring himself that she was there.

"They really are cute, aren't they..." Lisanna suddenly says.

"H-Huh?" I stammer.

"You know, Gray and Lucy. Don't you think so?" Lisanna says, looking at me. "Or..." She looks at Gray and Lucy. Then she looks back at me. "Are youjealous?"

"Jealous?" I say. "Me? No way! Lisanna, you're being overly conscious!" I exclaim, as I put my hand on her small head, messing her white hair up. "I love you, Lisanna. You're my fiancee after all."

Lisanna makes a weak smile and stares at the ground. "Be true to your feelings..." she mutters almost inaudibly.

I raise an eyebrow in confusion as to why she said that. "Don't worry Lisanna," I say in a reassuring voice. "I am."

- End of Chapter 7 -

Hi guys. Sorry for taking so long to post. I have been having some technical difficulties with this website. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter and are looking forward to the next one!

~ Metallic Snow