A Surfer's Love

Chapter 37

I rested on the couch, waiting anxiously as numerous commercials flashed upon my vision. Everyone sat around, crowded in the living room. My mom was beside me, while Erza sat on Jellal's lap, on top of the love seat. Gajeel lay propped up against the arm of the couch, with Levy situated in between his legs as he cradled her. My only other, singlular partner, Gray Fullbuster, sat on the other side of me.

After taking a glance at him, I gradually took the bowl of popcorn from his hands as he passed it over, collecting a big handful before handing it on to my mom.

My phone buzzed as I reached into my pocket, noticing that I had received a text message from Lisanna.

'Hey, has it started yet?'

My fingers got to work as I quickly replied a text back.

'No, commercials are on right now. You are on Channel 13, right? Make sure you are, cause you don't want to miss it! :)

After a few seconds, my phone rumbled again, notifying me of her reply.

'Lol, don't worry, I am. Let's both cheer him on!'

'Yep, you can count on it!' I responded, with a light chuckle, causing Gray to curiously glance at my phone screen. "Who are you talking to?"

"Lisanna," I told him, "Her and her siblings are gonna be watching too."

"Lisanna?" Levy beamed, "Tell her I said hi!"

"Kay," I said as I pulled my phone back out, typing in her comment.

It's been a month since Natsu left, and its currently the middle of August. School is bound to start in roughly three weeks, so I've been trying to spend as much time as I can with my friends before they have to go. Over the past month, Lisanna and I have become pretty close with each other, along with Levy, Gray, and Erza.

Natsu usually sends me a letter weekly to tell me how he's doing, because our cells wouldn't work over the long distance. It was good to hear that he was doing pretty well too. He recently told me that he'd be coming back in about a week, and that he'd met a few people who'd known his real parents. I was happy for him since he'd gotten to know more about them, and had even been told more about the day they given him up to his foster parents. In the letter, he began writing in all caps, in excitement, as he told me he had so much stuff he couldn't possibly express on paper, and that he couldn't wait till he came back so he could tell me everything he'd discovered.

"It's on!" Levy cheered as she pointed excitedly to the screen, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Today was the day of Natsu's Surfing Tournament. Apparently, this was the nationals, called the, "The Reef's World Cup."

"And the tournament begins!" yelled a speaker on the television screen, "We have some of the top surfers, coming in from any and every country! Who will win? Who are our highlights of the show this season?!"

Another man spoke, "We have Loke Celestial from our mother state, America! He's swift on his feet, and smooth on the waves."

My eyes widened as they showed a side view of the ginger haired male, the one I had briefly met over a month ago. He squatted down as he stretched out his leg muscles, most likely warming up for the big competition ahead.

"Sting Eucliffe from East Japan! A sharp athlete, who's well experienced in the sport. His confidence shines like no other!"

I gasped as the camera zoomed in on Sting. I didn't even know he was participating! No wonder I hadn't seen him around.

He smirked as his eyes locked with us, viewers, through the camera, shrugging triumphantly as he swiped his thumb across his nose. The harsh sun beat down on him, making his golden hair shine in the light.

I slightly chuckled at the smug expression he wore, that was so like him.

"Rogue Cheney from China! He's quite the stoic type, but channels all of his energy to the board. They say his grip is so magnetic, he's never even once fell off of the board. Not even during his first competitions!"

"Apparently, him and Sting Eucliffe are cousins," the other man announced, "Fierce family rivalry, perhaps?"

He was the man who won against Natsu last time. I had no idea him and Sting were related!

Rogue lightly scoffed as he tied his semi-long, obsidian black hair into a small ponytail behind his head, collecting it all out of his face.

"Also, we can't forget about one of Japan's top surfers, Natsu Dragneel!"

Everyone in the room joyfully hollered and cheered in excitement. I immediately jumped up and fisted my hands, yelling his name out loud, causing the popcorn in my lap to spill all over the place. Levy joined in as we chanted for him, everyone else applauding, except for Gray, who was giving a few proud nods of his head.

"He's the surfer that dosent let up! He's an extremely optimistic character, but gets seriously aggressive when the time calls for it! He's won nearly every match he's ever been in, and is easily one of Japan's favorites!"

"You go Natsu!" I yelled as the camera focused on him. I watched closely as he inhaled, taking a deep breath and releasing it with a woosh. He jumped up and down, shaking his hands out and rotating his shoulders.

"Relax, relax!" Erza shouted, waving her whip cream covered fork into the air.

They zoomed off of Natsu as they showed an aerial view of the Hawaiian beach. The gigantic blue waves crashed into white froth as they hit the sandy beach. Thousands of people were scattered on the terrain, the heat so extreme you could see the waves radiate throughout the air as it pounded down on the contenders. They zoomed in on the whole line up of surfers, huge droplets of sweat dripping down their cheeks and foreheads, warming up for the upcoming battle.

I didn't really pay much attention as they mentioned other contenders, my focus only on the people I had knew or heard of.

"Now that introductions are over, how about we get the show started? The Reef's World Cup now begins, now!"

And so it began. Time after time, we watched as surfers fell from their boards, or got swallowed up by huge waves, forcing them to relinquish their stances. We cheered and shouted as Natsu stood tall against the rough waves throughout each round, riding gracefully over them, his eyes furrowed in concentration as he flipped into the air, and swerved deeply, curving sharp ridges into the water.

"Go Natsu!"

"You better not fall!"

"Ride like your life depends on it!"

"Don't loose your pace. Stay focused!"

"Build momentum! Make other's feel your pressure!"

"Don't go easy on em'. Keep fighting you flame brain!"

"We're supporting you, Natsu!"

Throats became hoarse, popcorn was thrown into the air in frustration and happiness, saliva and words of encouragement flew from our open mouths as he rode fiercely on the waves each round. The contenders dropped one by one, and before we knew it, hours had passed.

It was now down to three surfers, the finalists. Commercial break came on, making everyone growl in anticipation.

Just then, a loud ring was heard as the doorbell sounded. My mother sprung up as she ran over to it. "I got it!"

She immediately swung the door open, a wide, jovial smile spreading across her features as she gazed at the visitor. "You've finally made it! Hurry and sit, the competition has already started."

"Sorry for the late arrival," a soft, feminine voice sounded from the doorway.

The door closed as the woman stepped in, everyone turning around to see who it was.

"This is Lucy," my mom said motioning towards me, "And these are her friends."

The woman had vibrant, wavy pink hair that stopped just below her shoulders, and large blue, gorgeous eyes. She looked to be in her thirties, and she oozed a certain confidence, a mature aura surrounding her.

She smiled as she slightly waved towards us. "Hello, my name is Reia. After hearing Layla gush about her daughter's boyfriend's competition, I wanted to see it for myself."

"I met Reia at a cafe a few days back, and we instantly connected!" My mom exclaimed, grabbing her hand as she led her over to the couch.

We all introduced ourselves, and Reia took a seat next to me, my mother sitting on the other side. "He made it to the finals," Layla whispered as commercial break went off, "He's the one with pink hair."

She chuckled. "Like mine? How ironic!"

"And we're down to the last three contestants!"

"Sting Eucliffe!" Sting stepped forward panting, large droplets of water slidding down his body. He fist pumped the air as he held his board tightly to his side.

"How do you feel making it to the finals?" The announcer asked.

Sting wiped a bit of sweat off of his neck, leaning in closer to the microphone presented in front of him. "I'm really grateful for being out here today, and like everyone else here, I came hoping to return home with a gold trophy. I'll surf the waves and play my hardest till the end, whatever the outcome may be."

I was slightly taken a back at his words, and the man widened his eyes at Sting's answer. "Based on all of the other competitions we've seen you in, I wasn't expecting something so humble from you."

Sting laughed as he lightly scratched his cheek. "Well...I guess it's because someone changed me."

"Phew," the man whistled, "And there you have it! Love stricken Eucliffe has spoken!"

"L-Love? What, no-!" Sting stuttered, frantically trying to get more time to talk and deny the accusation.

Someone...changed him?

"Natsu Dragneel!" Natsu stepped forward, shaking out his hair as large droplets of water and perspiration fell onto his brow, wiping it off with the back of his hand. Despite the heavy breaths floating from his partly opened lips, he grinned at then man.

Then, suddenly, his cheerful expression fell, to be replaced with a small, yet soft smile. He was staring directly at the screen. Almost as if he were looking directly at me. I felt my heart race at the loving gaze, that maybe only I could decipher.

"T-That's him?" Reia hushly whispered. I nodded my head as I smiled.

"Natsu...Dragneel..." she mumbled.

"Yep, that's his name," I proudly told her, gazing back at the screen.

"How do you feel about making it to the finals of the, 'Reef's World Cup?'" the speaker asked him.

"There's only one thing I'd like to do to...express my words," Natsu said as he patted the mike head.

Slowly, he closed his fist as he placed it over his heart, shutting his eyes tightly.

My eyes widened at the notion. Was he...?

.

Listen, Lucy. When I make it to the finals, I'll signal you.

"How?" I asked him in curiosity.

"Like this," he placed a fisted hand over his heart. "When I do this, know that it means I'm believing in the faith you have in me. Know that I'll be riding on that, and throwing my heart and soul into whatever I have to do next. Know that it's...only for you."

I nodded my head, smiling at his words.

"I'll tap my chest four times. They each mean..."

.

He raised his fist as he lightly hit his chest. The first tap means... 'I'm".

He raised his hand again, connecting his fist with the skin of his chest. The second tap means... 'here'.

The third tap means...'because of'.

He hit his chest just a little harder, smiling softly as his fingers tightly clenched together. The fourth tap means... 'you.'

"What is he doing?" Gray asked as he stared at the screen in bewilderment.

My eyes glittered as I smiled blissfully, nearly laughing to myself. I stared in admiration as his pink hair blew in the ocean breeze, his face shining as showers of bright sunlight fell onto his proud silhouette.

Slowly, I raised my fist into the air, turning my palms towards my face as I uncurled my index finger, my thumb following close behind.

Everyone stared in wonder at first, then, without question, Levy raised her hand also, and in a matter of seconds, everyone followed suite. Arms raised high into the air as proud smiles rung on our faces. Everyone voicing their silent words of encouragement.

'No matter where you are, I'll always be watching over you.'

Natsu lowered his hand, closing his eyes as he let out a fast stream of air.

"What does that mean?" The man asked, "Is that some sort of signal?"

.

'I'm here because of you.'

.

"Lucy, watch me. I'm about to become one step closer to that dream!"

"Dragneel?" The speaker questioned, confused as to what he was talking about, and who he was talking to exactly.

Natsu waved him off as he picked up his board from the sand, a secretive, yet triumphant smile lining his features. "I've relayed the message. As long as she knows, then that's all I have to do."

I heard a sniffle from beside me, and my eyes widened as I saw Reia's face hidden behind her hands. Her chest was shaking roughly as a light sob racked her throat.

Crystalline tears trailed over her pale fingers as she sniffled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Natsu...Dragneel..."

A/N

Thanks for reading this chapter, and I'm extremely sorry for the late update. I've been really busy with another story lately, and lets just say its a lot of work, but also a lot of fun to write. I also had a small case of writers block on this chapter, and I can't guarantee quicker updates because starting next week, my summer will be over. Yaaayy band camp rocks. (note the extreme sarcasm) I can't believe I've almost made it to 40 chapters on this story though!

To be honest, I never expected it to be this long, or that I'd still have so much I want to write out for it. I've enjoyed the ride, and I hope you are looking forward to future chapters!

For those of you who celebrate the holiday, Happy Fourth of July!

Also, this chapter was beta read by the lovely nalu-4tw. Thanks!

Anyone curious about Layla's friend? ^^