Class Reunion
. . .
"I think it's really important that you do this," the guidance counselor said in a sugary sweet voice that made Lucy Heartfilia feel slightly nauseas. "I know things didn't go completely as anticipated for you, but perhaps this will give you something you can be proud of."
"That's the understatement of the century," Lucy muttered as she twirled a piece of her bleached blonde hair around her finger and fixed her clear brown eyes on the woman in front of her. She had been around people like this for the past five years. Everyone trying to claim that they were there to help her but really, they were just there to claim a piece of her fame. And ultimately that had been her downfall.
It was no surprise to those closest to her that Lucy was "discovered." A lot of people had expected it to happen sooner than it did. But the right person had finally seen her strong singing voice and previously upbeat attitude during her senior year of college.
Her rise to fame had been swift—and so had her fall. She shook her head slightly, berating herself for falling back into the trap of reliving everything that had happened to her in the past year. Lucy very much wanted to keep that behind her.
But it was her past that led her back to this office. At twenty-six years old, she had one semester of college left to obtain her degree.
"Well, I believe in you," the counselor said, trying to regain the woman's attention.
Lucy rolled her eyes at the rather plain looking woman. "Great," she said in a bored tone. "Let's just get this over with. How do I get signed up for classes?"
The counselor's face brightened and Lucy internally groaned at her current situation.
Two hours later and Lucy had left the stifling little office with a complete schedule of classes and an accompanying headache. She squinted her eyes against the setting winter sun, before pulling her coat up and around her shoulders. She shivered at the crisp air, feeling slightly annoyed that she was back in this place after having been able to live in beautiful Los Angeles weather for the past five years.
The blonde pulled out her phone to check the time and sighed. It was only the early afternoon and she had absolutely nothing planned for the rest of the day. Having unstructured time was a huge change and she didn't know quite what to do with it.
She looked out across the campus square and her eyes landed on a tall figure. He was just as she remembered him, only slightly more mature looking. His blond hair ruffled in the wind slightly as he spoke with the person in front of him. Lucy blushed when his eyes locked with her own. She had been caught staring. Besides, she hadn't spoken to him since she'd left school. Turning around, she quickly walked in the opposite direction, with absolutely no plan. She just wanted to avoid him. She couldn't face him right now.
. . .
"So I just wasn't positive that I was thinking about the problem in the right context. Did you have any thoughts, professor?"
A flash of blonde hair caught Laxus Dreyar's eye, momentarily distracting him from the conversation he was having with a student.
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," he responded absently, not paying attention to what the girl was saying.
"Huh?" she huffed in a bit of annoyance.
"Please excuse me," Laxus said, dismissing himself from the conversation when he saw the woman begin walking away at a fast clip.
"But, professor!" the younger woman called out to him as he left her standing there by herself.
Laxus began to pick up his pace as his intended target turned a corner and disappeared from his view. It had been several years since he'd seen the woman and while his eyesight wasn't the sharpest, he thought for sure that it had been her.
He and Lucy had been close before she left for the west coast. And her departure had been so sudden they hadn't even had the opportunity to say their farewells. Attempts to call her had gone unanswered until finally, her number had been disconnected. Laxus had tried to avoid reading about her on the pop culture columns, but for those years, her face was on almost every magazine and her voice was on almost every radio station. Avoiding the hurt had been near impossible.
But all of that fell by the wayside when he caught a glimpse of her from across the square and he gave chase without a second thought.
. . .
"Shit," Lucy thought as she saw that Laxus had begun to follow her, despite her best efforts to lose him. "I really do not want to talk to him right now," she thought desperately as she turned to enter a random building to her right. Walking through the empty corridor her boots clicked against the tile. She heard the door to the building open further back down the hall and she ducked into a room to her right, hoping there was an additional exit.
Bright lights caused her to blink as she looked around at what appeared to be a nurse's office. "Just be sure to get some good rest this weekend," a kind voice said from the corner of the room. "I'll be with you in just a minute," it called out to her and all Lucy could do was nod her response.
Looking around the room she realized that there was no second exit. A few cots were set up with curtains that could be drawn around them and Lucy walked towards one to try and shield herself from view. But before she had the opportunity to pull the material around her, a younger male approached her.
"Oh my gosh, you're Lucy Heartfilia, aren't you?" he exclaimed. He was young looking; likely no older than nineteen and his dirty brown hair was a mess atop his head.
"I don't really-," Lucy began to respond but he cut her off.
"Oh man, so did you really do what everyone says you did?" he asked, his voice beginning to get whiny and Lucy sighed at the inevitable question.
Before the blonde had a chance to respond, a deep voice echoed in the room. "Are you done with your visit to the nurse?" It was Laxus and he was directing his question to the younger man.
"Well yeah, but—."
"Then I suggest you respect the privacy of others and leave this woman alone," he said with a bit of an edge to his voice. It had been the first time in five years that Lucy had heard that deep baritone of his and it still gave her the shivers.
The younger man rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said as he stormed out of the office.
Laxus turned to give Lucy a brief smile before directing his attention to the nurse. "Do you think we could have a moment alone?"
The woman in the white coat stood and grabbed her computer, switching off her desk light in the process. "As long as you don't need anything else from me, I was actually about to head home for the day." She looked at Lucy and the girl shook her head. "Great! Just lock up for me when you leave, Laxus," she called out to him as she exited with a waive.
Laxus nodded his head in agreement before turning back to direct his attention to Lucy. She looked at the man with whom she had been so close for so many years and her heart ached for him. More than anything during her years away, she'd missed Laxus.
His look had changed but he also looked very much the same. He'd always been fit, having run track all through college as a sprinter and his body filled out the dark blue suit he was wearing perfectly. The white button up contrasted with his blond hair as his blue eyes fixated on her.
"I guess you-," she began to say but she suddenly found herself unable to speak as the man closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers suddenly.
A strong arm wrapped around her body to pull her in closer. As Lucy felt the heat from the man opposite her, her own strength all but gave out as she melted into the feeling of him. She gasped as she felt her body being lowered before she realized he was pressing her down against the makeshift hospital bed.
His arms caged her as he pulled back, his blue eyes looking into hers. One hand cupped her face delicately. "I've missed you," he said, his voice dripping with need.
"I—." Lucy hesitated. She didn't know exactly what to say in this situation. The Laxus she had left years earlier had been her best friend yes, but he had been a bit shy and unsure of himself. This entire situation really knocked her off her feet.
His hand moved down to rest against her hip and Lucy suddenly felt like her coat was suffocating her. She gasped as his strong fingers brushed against her, almost as if he was testing her limits. Lucy looked up at him uncertainly and suddenly the warmth that had felt so good was gone. He sat up abruptly and ran a hand through his blond locks.
It took a moment for the woman to realize what had happened and she cleared her throat before asking, "Is everything okay?"
"Fine," he said in a rather flat tone. Lucy sat up and brushed her hair back, feeling extremely confused by the entire situation. "What are you doing back here?" Laxus asked, his voice still emotionless.
"I, um," Lucy started, trying to make her brain turn back on. "Finishing my degree," she managed to say. The pair sat in silence, neither of them saying anything to the other before finally Lucy decided to break the awkward space. "What are you still doing here?"
"I'm a professor," Laxus responded.
"What? Really?" Lucy exclaimed, momentarily forgetting the rift that had formed between them. Laxus hadn't been particularly known for his academic prowess while they were in school together. Lucy had actually been his tutor; it's how the two had met.
"Well, adjunct professor. I run my own business now and teach a few courses over at the business school," he explained.
"Oh," Lucy replied, not knowing what to say. It was so obvious that she didn't know anything about the man that had once been her closest friend and that pained her. It also seemed like in the years they had been apart, he had really made something of himself, whereas she was still back where she had started.
"I'm sorry for-," she began to say but he cut her off.
"Don't," he replied a bit sharply. Lucy's eyes followed his form as he stood and adjusted his tie. "I've got a meeting to catch. I guess I'll see you around, Lucy," he said, without turning back to look at her.
"Yeah," she mumbled, still in a bit of shock. Before she had the chance to say anything more, the man was closing the door to the nurse's office behind him on his way out.
The blonde touched her fingers to her lips, which were still tingling from their earlier kiss. She sighed, not knowing how to make sense of what had just happened. Had something like this occurred even just a year ago she would have cried, but those reserves were all dried up now.
Shoving the lid back down on her emotions, she stood up herself and exited the space, hoping she could leave everything that had happened there behind her.
END CHAPTER 1
. . .
Welcome to the new Class Reunion LaLu fic! This actually started out as a normal romance novel I am writing on the side, but I figured I would share it with you while I write it since you guys are super awesome at keeping me motivated to write!
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xoxo
Mus