Nami was currently wrapping up a phone call with Vivi and Robin. They were done with organizing their shopping plans for the following day. There was to be a pop-up store that had all sorts of bargained high-end brands such as Criminal and Nami especially was looking forward to the deals.

"One quick question before I go," said Vivi, "Are you sure you guys aren't dating?"

"Me and Luffy? I'm sure."

Nami smiled as she finished up her fruit bowl. It was extra dessert after her mum's cooking. She had a dorm at university she shared with some girls but she was home for the summer vacation back in her old room. It felt great to be home. Food was in galore and Bellemere made sure she was spoiled silly.

She spotted a notification on her screen. Luffy had sent her a video of some kind. It was no doubt a funny one and she couldn't wait to finish up her talk with her friends to have a look.

"It is humanly possible for a guy and a girl to be friends, you know."

"We know but you and Luffy are so close. And you look so good together."

Robin was silent on the other line. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of turning pages but she was listening nonetheless. It had always been like this.

"You think so too, don't you Robin?"

"Yes. You two are simply meant to be."

"Tell us honestly. You like Luffy, right?"

"Not in the way you think."

"Why not?"

Nami sweat-dropped.

"It's not what we want. Case closed. We value what we have and are perfectly fine with how things are."

"What if Luffy finds someone he has romantic interest in? Things won't remain the same."

"I know that."

"Luffy is a strikingly handsome young man."

"Even I think so," admitted Vivi. He isn't a boy anymore."

"Well date him." Nami rolled her eyes. Her best friend had never dated anyone. She teased him once about the girls who looked his way but he didn't seem affected by it. He wasn't interested in them in a romantic sense and what she observed, he wasn't interested in boys either.

"I would date him but I'd hate to come between you two. Any future girlfriend of his would feel that way. The truth of the matter is that one day, maybe sooner than later, it might be best that the both of you forget about each other. It would only be fair to your future partners."

"..."

"Are you still there, Nami?"

"Yes. I'm still here."

"You do understand what I'm trying to say, right?"

"I understand completely. I've given it some thought before but I'll never bring myself to forget about Luffy or pretend that he seizes to exist. Luffy is special to me but when the time comes, I'll know my limits. He's a great guy and any girl lucky enough to have him, I'm sure he'll make them happy. Even happier than he makes me.

"I wouldn't be his best friend if I didn't support him. I'll support him for as long as time."

"You really care about him a lot, huh?"

"I do."

"How exactly did you guys meet?" Robin at this point had closed her book and was finally in the mood for a discussion. "I've been meaning to ask."

None was exactly sure how the two came to be. Luffy showed up with her one day at their lunch table. She was a guarded transfer student with very little social skills. It was amazing how one's personality could flourish once surrounded by the right people.

"Yeah! Tell us about the moment your eyes met for the very first time."

"I met him on my first day of school. Being the transfer student and all, I had to report to the principal's office. I was late so it was sometime during first period. It was there I met him. He got in trouble for something I couldn't quite remember. It wouldn't surprise me if it was food-related."

Nami found herself grinning and smiling bright. Her friends picked up her merriment in her voice as she spoke.

"Guess who said something first?" she asked.

"Luffy?"

"Correct."

Nami did not plan on being late but it was a predicament she had to live with.

The secretary made her wait in the corridor and she was met by a shaggy, raven-haired boy seated in the middle of a total of three chairs so she had no choice but to sit next to him.

Ever since she came, he sat more upright and Nami could feel his eyes on her. The attention was unwanted but before she could lecture him about how rude it was to stare, she was met by a smile. Her frown instantly fell away and she blinked feeling a calm rush over her. She was nervous since she stepped into the school gates. Now there was not a morsel of it left.

"You're new here, aren't ya?"

He did not give her a chance to answer.

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy. Besides the stingy teachers, you're gonna love it here. I got in trouble 'cause I didn't have enough to eat for breakfast. I'm not myself when I don't eat my fill so I tried to sneak some meat during class. As long as you stay out of trouble, your time here will be a breeze."

"..."

"What year are you in?"

"Third."

He was a little too happy the minute she spoke and before he could get in a few more words, the secretary, Ms. Khalifa announced that Principal Whitebeard was ready to see her.

Her brows knotted knowing that her seatmate was there first and sensing her concern, Luffy said:

"Don't worry about me. I'm waiting for a permission slip from the secretary. Go on in. It was nice meeting you."

She bowed and she didn't know why but she gave him a little smile and for some reason, his eyes grew slightly wide and his face once full of smiles went dormant.

Before she went in, the secretary called him over and there he went scampering off to her desk. When he stood, Nami deduced that he was not too tall and his build was not too slender or lean as she first thought. He walked with the gait of someone excited for every moment.

All while in the office, Nami hoped to see him again.

She wanted to see him again.

When leaving the office, she looked up from her prints and class pass to see to her surprise that very boy who greeted her with a smile so bright and you know what? Seeing him made her glad. Like she had a friend but she wouldn't dare say that. How selfish a claim she thought it was to deem someone a friend who she had only just met.

As expected he smiled but the last thing she expected was for him to approach and take her hand. A bold gesture that anyone would have frowned upon but she allowed it. No questions asked.

"I'll show you around."

"What about class?"

His mood de-escalated but a second later his loosened hand squeezed hers again and she instinctively squeezed back."

I can take you there if you want. Which class are you in?"

His earlier dejection filled her with guilt so she changed her mind, deciding that it wouldn't hurt. She was usually a serious student but this was a new school, therefore a new adventure. Luffy was not exactly the type of guy Genzo warned her about but he was the type who seemed to have all the fun and knew exactly where to find it.

"On second thought, I wouldn't mind that tour."'

Shishishishi'

He grinned and pulled her along into the halls.

"Nami."

"What was that?" He stopped, displaying his confusion by a slight tilt of his head.

"My name. It's Nami."

The smile he gave her was his biggest yet.

"And?"

"And what?"

"The story doesn't end there, does it?"

Vivi wanted more.

"That's how we met."

Nami yawned both physically and mentally tired. It was always like this. You feed them some string and they end up wanting the entire rope.

"It's amazing really. That you trusted him off the bat." Robin was fascinated.

"Once Luffy decides that someone is his friend, it's settled. He is too charismatic for his own good. Everyone gravitates to him like moths to a flame. You can't blame me for being just as captivated."

That's right. Luffy was for everyone, not just her.

"I've never had real friends before you guys, before Luffy. Meaning, I've never trusted anyone as much. Luffy was the first person I've ever let my guard down around."

"Luffy does have a good judgement of character. He must have known you were in need of a friend."

Nami badly needed a friend. She promised herself that she would loosen up and make at least one true friend on the very first day of her transfer. The relationship with her old classmates was solely based on competition. She was glad for the change once she learned about her mother's new job placement.

Luffy made things easy for her. And she loved that things were easy with him ever since they met albeit he was a huge idiot and the fact that they would have little disagreements from time to time.

"Tell us about when you saw him again. After lunch break."

"That was after school that same day."

"And? Did you guys walk home together?"

"Not exactly. We have different train routes but we did decide to accompany each other to the station."

Nami walked beside her unofficial tour guide. On her first day, he was the first student to talk to her and the first to invite her to join him during lunch to eat with his friends. He had made her fit right in and she did not know where to begin. She wanted to thank him.

"Luffy?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for everything today. It feels like I would have been lost without your help."

He smiled.

"No problem."

He liked to help. That she knew.

"You know... I forgot to tell you that Robin and I are in the same class."

"Yeah. I know. She's nice, isn't she?"

"She is. And she's incredibly smart and knows a lot about everything. I'd really like us to get along and who knows... Maybe one day we can be friends."

"Isn't she already your friend?"

Nami blinked.

"Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Vivi and Robin. I wanted you to meet them. My friends are yours."

The edge of Nami's lips twitched into an unplanned smile. She had gotten on well with the lot of them but she didn't think herself worthy. They were all a bunch of diverse and interesting people. Gaining so many friends in so little time was wonderment and a miracle in and of itself.

"Even you?"

Luffy stopped walking.

"From the moment I saw you, I wanted to be your friend, Nami. All this time we've been friends but I guess you were too stupid to notice."

Offended Nami hit him over the head. One swift swipe across. He barely dodged it. "Who're you calling, stupid, stupid?"

Luffy had one eye closed as he rubbed his head and instead of getting angry, he grinned and snickered to himself and walked ahead.

"Apologize."

"Nope."

"Hey!"

"I've decided!"

Luffy made another sudden stop and Nami ran into his back.

He spun around, hands now on her shoulders and she blinked confused at his big beaming smiling eyes.

"From now on, offickally... officullee..."

"Officially."

"Yeah! That word! From now on, we're friends!"

Nami narrowed eyes at the dismissal of one of the simplest words known to man but Monkey D. Luffy was an idiot so she excused him.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"Do you want to be friends?"

Nami's answer came fast.

"Of course."

"Then it's settled."

Luffy gave a firm nod and Nami mirrored him and gave a firm nod of her own.

"Let's go."

Nami quickened her pace. Luffy was a fast walker.

"Do you think I'll be able to get their numbers tomorrow?"

"Sure. All you have to do is ask."

"You make gaining friends seem so easy, Luffy. I admire you for that. I've always had a hard time."

"Nah. I think you're a natural. And I'm sure you can make a lot more friends with practice. I can tell you're a super nice person so you have nothing to worry about."

"You think I'm nice?"

"Yeah."

"That's funny cause back at my old school, people would call me a..."

A bitch. They'd call her a bitch.

Nami's newfound confidence deteriorated as flashbacks from a time scarcely missed consumed her.

Her shoulders drooped forward and she looked on at the sidewalk, wishing it would open and swallow her whole.

"Nami... Hey, Nami."

A touch came at her hand and she looked up, eyes shying away from the sun till she focused on the boy brave enough to call her friend.

"Why'd you stop walking? I almost lost you."

"..."

"Oh. Sorry about that. I was walking too fast, wasn't I?"

Words were just that- words. They weren't supposed to hurt. In the beginning, Nami did not allow them to faze her. She thought she was stronger than that. But after constant wear and tear, her tough exterior had grown soft.

Who was she kidding? Someone like her was not deserving of friends. Especially not a sweet, caring guy like Luffy. He was better off without her.

She moved to speak but to her surprise, a lone tear rolled down her cheek. When she took action to wipe it away, the very next second Luffy gathered her up in his arms. A hand moved soothingly along her back and Nami's eyes sunk closed. She wasted very little time to clutch at his shirt.

She could feel the passerbys' stares but at this point, she had long ran out of cares.

She remembered the smell of him that day as if it were yesterday. Dirt from playing ball with his friends during the break, sweat, cheap deodorant and meat. There was another smell but she couldn't make it out so she called it Luffy.

"Why are you sad, Nami?"

"Because you're an idiot. The biggest, hugest idiot I've ever met."

She laughed and sniffled and cried and she rejoiced when Luffy didn't mind it one bit when she squeezed tighter.

Nami had always had an eye for anything of value and that was what she found in Monkey D. Luffy. So when she quieted down and he was ready to let go, she decided to be selfish and refused, silently demanding to be held for a moment longer and he complied without fret.

"And then what?"

"And the rest was history."

"Come on, Nami!"

"What about the kissing. How did that start?"

Vivi celebrated. Robin was asking the important questions.

"It happened the same day."

"You guys move fast."

"It was when we departed at the station. I was grateful-"

"So you kissed him?"

"Yeah. Right on the cheek."

"What was that for?"

Luffy touched his cheek curiously, eyes widening then narrowing and mouth tugged to one side of his face. Namely the part he had been kissed. That was his first time being kissed, especially by a girl. It could mean anything.

"I'm thanking you."

"Oh."

"Thanks for everything today, Luffy... And most of all, thank you for deciding to be my friend."

"Well in that case," Luffy went close and in turn kissed her smooth cheek. "Thanks for deciding to be my friend too."

"It wasn't a big deal but ever since the kissing didn't stop. It became our thing, you know."

"You and Luffy have something special. There's no denying that."

"I've never denied it."

"So marry hi-"

"Wait, guys. Luffy's calling. I'll talk to you guys later."

"Wai-!"

Nami ended the call and sighed, shaking her head, an amused smile on her face. Her friends-all of them- she concluded that as far as Luffy and she were concerned, they wouldn't stop shipping them despite her and Luffy's claims to having zero romantic interest in each other. So it became a fact she had to live with no matter how annoying.

"Hey."

"Did you see the video I sent?"

"Not yet."

"Well, you gotta watch it. It's hilarious! I sent it to Zoro and he said he laughed so hard, his drink went through his nose!"

"Woah. Seriously?"

Luffy's laughs continued. Intrigued, Nami went immediately in search of the video in the messaging app.

But before she pressed play, something important came to mind.

"Luffy?"

"Hm?"

"I'm curious. What was going through your mind that day when you saw me the very first day we met?"

"The day we met, huh?" He was quiet on his end, thinking too much, no doubt.

Nami was sorry she wasn't near to see his forehead turn red as if it were about to explode. She got kick out of it every time.

"Oh, I remember. Not much though but I remember pacifically-" Nami snorted silently not bothering to correct him. "I remember when you smiled before going in to see the principal. I don't think I'd ever forget that."

"What did you think then?"

"That whoever this girl was, I wanted to protect her smile for as long as I lived."

"Really? That's so cheesy, Luffy." Nami laughed but there was no denying that she was happy.

"It's true. And I still think that."

Nami smiled to herself, squeezing the pillow in her grasp. He couldn't see it but she knew that he knew she was wearing one. The bulk of her smiles were his fault. A crime with the penalty only being the lifetime responsibility of being her bestest friend.

"I love you so freaking much, you know that?"

'Shishishishi' " Yeah, I know. I love you too."

To be continued...