"L-Lyon?" Gray stammers a little "W-why are you here?"

"I should ask you the same question, Gray Fullbuster. Why are you here?" the silver-haired man frowns "I don't remember you have any business here unless you're…"

The guy named Lyon turns his attention to the stage then back to the raven head, his facial expression is anything but pleased.

"Don't tell me that you're here to stalk Juvia…"

"N-no, I'm not…"

Gray tries to defend himself and Gajeel, who sits next to him, is ready to give Lyon a piece of his mind. The man crosses his arms, tapping his foot on the floor with a dull look on his face, Lyon is obviously not welcome Gray or Gajeel in this room.

"If you don't have any business here, then leave!" said Lyon before he walks further down to the stage "And don't you dare bother my girlfriend!"

Girlfriend…?

Gray stares at the silver-haired man's back, unable to process what just happen. Did Lyon just confirm that he has a girlfriend?

Lyon Vastia, that grumpy, hot-tempered guy has a girlfriend?

Does that means…Juvia is his girlfriend?

Now he gets it, now he understands why Lyon always holds a grudge towards him. No one wants to see their girlfriend getting too close to another man, Gray bets that Lyon has discovered Juvia is his neighbor next door.

Gajeel pulls the young man out of the room then throws him a look, asking himself whether or not he should spill the bean about Juvia's life or just let his friend figure them out on his own. Knowing the bluenette for quite a while, Gajeel admits that she's a nice girl, but there are sides of Juvia that he wishes to ignore.

"So Juvia is Lyon's girlfriend…"

"I don't think that's what the bastard means."

"Do you have a better answer?" Gray casts him a look before grabbing his bag "Whatever, I'm outta here. See you tomorrow, Gajeel!"

Gajeel waves his hand lazily, wishing the best for Gray. He really hopes that Gray doesn't get emotionally attached to Juvia. If anything the past has taught him, Juvia's family business is way too complicated for a guy like Gray to get involved in.

Gray returns to his apartment around 5:00 pm and has 1 more hour before dinner time, they usually eat dinner around 6:00 pm because Juvia always said that it's better to eat early. However, the raven head doesn't want to come over to her place, not after Lyon has 'politely' asked him to stay away from his girlfriend. He sighs, scratching his head in defeat, he needs to end this…

As he is sitting up to get a shower, Loke's words start to float back into his mind. He understands what the cassanova was trying to say, he is quite worried but then again, Juvia has Lyon, right? Although that guy has a dry personality, he will take care of his partner, right...?

"…-sama! Gray-sama!"

"H-huh?"

Snapping out of his own thoughts, Gray looks up, only to meet the beautiful blue orbs that stare at him in concern. Wait… When did he come here?

"Are you okay, Gray-sama? You've been spacing out…" she askes again, this time, moving forward to touch his forehead "Hm, you don't have any fever…"

"It's okay, Juvia. I'm fine!" he smiles a bit to reassure the young girl.

"Ah, is it because you're not enjoying Juvia's dishes today?"

"No, the food is amazing as always."

"Thank you! She is very glad that you like the food."

Gray nods his head in response, his mind is occupied by the thought of denying Juvia's kind offer. How should he say this to her without hurting the bluenette's feelings? He doesn't want to be the reason for Lyon and Juvia to be upset at each other, yet he doesn't know how to say it to make it sound less awkward. Gray sighs, he has never been good at communication, sure he can make some friendly jokes but when it comes to this type of conversation, Gray feels like every wrinkle in his brain is being smoothed out immediately.

"Say Juvia…Uhm…You don't have to make dinner for me tomorrow…"

"Hm? Are you going out tomorrow?"

"No, I'm not…"

"Then you want to eat out tomorrow?" she tilts her head, puzzling at his request.

"T-that's not it, I…well…" he shutters, feeling the sweat rolling down his face "Y-you know, Lyon wo-won't like this…"

"Lyon-san?"

What is he talking about? The bluenette is quite confused at his words, does Lyon has anything to do with this?

"W-well, Lyon might be upset about this…" he tries again "Y-you know, you cook for me..."

"Erm…Did Lyon-san say something?"

"Well, he…he told me to s-stay away from his g-girlfriend…"

"Lyon-san's girlfriend? You mean Meredy? Do you need something from her, Gray-sama?"

Gray looks at her, confused. Did she just say Lyon's girlfriend is another person and not her? Then why did that guy tell him to stay away from Juvia? He should have stated in a more detailed way so Gray wouldn't have to be embarrassed for assuming things like this.

"Did Lyon-san say that Juvia is his girlfriend?" she giggles, covering her mouth with one hand "She's sure that he means no harm. Lyon-san is a bit, erm, protective over Meredy and her, she hopes that Gray-sama doesn't mind."

"N-no, I'm fine. I'm just…worried, that's all."

"Well then, what do you want to eat tomorrow, Gray-sama?"

He's supposed to decline her offer, but Juvia's sweet smile stops him from even have a chance to open his mouth. She seems to be in a good mood and he doesn't want to ruin it, not after she has spent many hours practicing for the final performance and cooking this amazing meal.

"K-Katsu sando, please."

The bluenette eagerly nods her head in response before something comes across her mind. Gray said that Lyon told him to stay away from his girlfriend, then they must have met each other somewhere, right? Gray came back home and mistook her as the silver-haired man's partner, which means they met around the time she's in the theatre club. If that's the case then…

"Gray-sama, did you…uhm…where did you meet Lyon-san?"

"I saw him at theatre club's practice this aftern-?!"

He stops midsentence, realizing what Juvia was asking about. He turns to the bluenette, only to see the bright blush appears on her face. She stares at him, blue eyes open wide upon receiving the information from him.

"Uhm…she…she…"

"D-don't worry, I only s-saw part of your p-performance so…"

Gray mentally slaps himself, he only makes the matter worse as Juvia gets all flustered and her whole body shakes violently. Her face is beet red as she tries to hide it behind her soft palms. She has never actively invited Gray to come to see her performance, mainly because she does not have confidence that he will like it. But now…

How should she respond to this? Should she scream in embarrassment or she should quietly retreat to hide in shame? There's an awkward silence between the two as Juvia doesn't know how to react and Gray refrains himself from making things even worse for them.

"I…uh…I have a lot of homework to do today, so-sorry for not able to help you cleaning up."

She nods her head in response, still not know how to say or react to his words. Gray removes himself from the chair and almost runs to the door. As his hand touches the doorknob, he stops for a second. After seeing her great work this afternoon, Gray feels like he should at least compliment her amazing performance.

Juvia seems so different when she performs on stage. Unlike the bashful girl who always blushes whenever she talks, the bluenette shines like the brightest star when she stands in front of her audience and he's very lucky to be able to see this side of her.

"Juvia!"

His call grabs her attention as she timidly hides behind the wall, only pokes her head out to listen to what he says.

"I, I just want you to know that your performance is amazing!"

With that, Gray dashes out the door, leaving the bluenette beet red as a bright smile adorns her face. Her beloved Gray-sama acknowledges her talent, he told her that she's amazing. His words make her heart jumps in excitement as she rushes to her phone to call her best friend and Meredy can't hold back her joy when hearing the news.

Gray runs back to his room and closes the door behind him violently. He slides down the door, hiding his face behind the black bangs. He can't feel his legs anymore, his heart is beating fast and his whole body is heating up.

There's a reason why his previous relationships didn't work out, the girls he dated always complain how dry and unromantic he is, despite having a rather handsome face. Gray has never been the type who gives a compliment to anyone, he can give small ones here and there but hardly ever a sincere one. So Gray is experiencing a roller coaster ride of emotions, surprised at himself when he complimented Juvia for her great performance.

"Homework, I need to finish the assignments…"

The raven head pulls out a big folder that contains all the application assignments he gathers throughout since the first year of university. Gray tries his best to focus on the applications, pushing the buttons on the calculator rapidly and yet, when he reaches the fifth assignment, he lets go of the pencil and lays flat on the desk. He can't muster up his energy to do these math problems, not when his mind is filled with the sight of Juvia plays the violin beautifully on the stage.