I am really happy reading your reviews! You guys are awesome! If you're happy with the last 3 chapters, well me... my heart is overwhelmed and thankful to all of you for following this story and continuously leaving comments in every chapter.. It means so much to me! It gives me more reason to continue writing. Thank you! I'm gonna post more today but this is just a short one. 😊
Enjoy reading and let me know what you think!
PS: I don't want to spoil anything but Natsu's still not off the hook. LOL
Lucy listened to the last voicemail.
Day 11 voicemail.
"Luce, do you even listen to my voicemails? No, you don't have to answer that. I just... I just wish that you do. I thought, as time goes by, being away from you will be much easier but I'm totally wrong. It is the other way around. It gets harder and harder every day. Have you moved on already Luce? Can I still call you wife?" there was a pause then he continued "I've been exposed to so many paparazzi today and it's giving me a headache and it's really tiresome. You must be feeling the same since you haven't left the hospital for days now. Luce, don't punish yourself because of my mistake. I promise to make things right so please, take a rest. I miss you Luce and the only woman that I've spoken to today were Erza, Mira, and some reporters. I'm behaving well…" there's a long silence then she heard a quiet snore.
Lucy chuckled when she realized that he fell asleep before he can even finish his voicemail. You're working hard huh? She thought.
She smiled at his last 2 sentences. She doesn't want to let her guard down but his messages sound sincere. She missed him too… But she's hesitant because he hadn't even answered the most important question that she asked him. "It's just a yes or no question but it's hard for you to answer it…" she whispered to herself.
She repeated the voicemail from day 1 again and his words "If you tell me now to go home, I will..." echoed in her brain.
"Idiot. Saying things that you know you won't be able to do… If I tell you to go home now, will you? You've been working hard for that project and you'll ditch it for me? Idiot. Don't give me false hope..." she ranted.
Then she stared at the phone, well she was staring at the time. Today is the 12th day… will you send me another update? She asked silently.
She stared at her phone for hours but did not receive anything. She checked the time again.
"Maybe he's still working…" while she was lost in her thoughts her personal phone rang.
She looked at the screen and it says "Sting."
She smiled then answered the call. "Hey. What's up?"
"I've been searching for Dr. Heartfilia but it looks like she's slacking off." said the man on the other line in a cheerful voice.
"Oh, is that so? Don't tell that to the board, she might get fired you know?" she responded with a big smile.
"Hmm... Let me think about it… How about... coffee? I promise to keep my mouth sealed and not let anyone know how she's slacking on her job."
Lucy laughed at him. "I would've said yes to your coffee if you didn't add that last sentence."
"What sentence? Didn't you hear me right? I said... how about coffee? I bet you're bored to death right now and you might need someone like me to brighten up your day."
"Nice try, Sting but better luck next time." She can't contain her smile while responding to him.
"Ugh. That's a bummer. It would've been my treat."
"You're paying?" she asked in a sweet voice at the same time she's laughing "Okay. I'll leave my wallet here at home, so all the tabs on you."
"Hey. I just said coffee, I won't be paying for anything extra…" he said jokingly.
"Oh… okay then, I'm hanging up..." she responded playfully.
"Okay, but I'll pick you up in 30 minutes."
"Huh?"
"It's not a long ride from the hospital to your house."
"How do you even know where I'm living?" she so confused.
He chuckled and but did not respond to her question. "See you in a bit."
Lucy changed into comfortable pants and a turtle neck sweater and waited outside their huge gate. Surprisingly a black car showed up in front of their gate after 30 mins.
Sting got out of the car, he was not wearing the usual beach shorts and t-shirt. He's wearing white pants and a black V-neck sweater.
He smiled at her but before he can say anything, she started teasing him.
She walked around him, inspecting him. "Heh… So, you can also wear decent clothes huh?"
Sting raised an eyebrow before he retorted. "You're mean. I can't wear this while I'm on the beach…"
"I'm kidding. You look good." Lucy said while opening the door on the passenger seat. Sting just looked at her like he was lost in his own world but he was taken back to reality when he heard her say "I'm gonna go back inside my house if you'll just stare at me." Lucy was already seating in the passenger seat and was about to close the door when he gave her a big smile then held the door before bending down so he's face to face with her.
"I'm not gonna let that happen, Ms. I still owe you a cup of coffee, and besides... I missed you."
Before she can respond, he already closed the door and walked to the driver's seat.
When he sat on the driver's seat, she started talking "Sting…" but was immediately interrupted.
"I know everything, Lucy. Ultear told me. I knew since day 1, so don't worry about it. I'm just treating my friend for a cup of coffee." He looked at her with his usual big smile. And everything else that you want Lucy. He thought.
She was shocked but she let it pass. "I see.. thank you for still being my friend despite my circumstances… But.. you're still stingy." She joked.
Sting started driving and just shrugged while responding, "You won't change my mind, I'm only treating you for a coffee."
"Stingy." Then they both laugh.
It was already late when Lucy got back home. She had a nice chat and a laugh with Sting. It's like she's in another world when she's with him. She's so glad that she met him.
She lay down on her bed and checked her other phone. Still no voicemail from him…
She forgot that she's tired after her nonstop work for the past few days but her body didn't. She fell right into slumber right after locking the phone.
After a few hours, the phone that she's holding started to ring. Her body is used to this scenario, an emergency in the hospital. So, before she even answers the phone, she already got up eyes still half-open.
She answered without looking at the phone and her whole body froze when she heard Natsu's voice.