The next day, Lucy arrived at school. She tried her best to look around and avoid any contact with Natsu, and it was working. Unfortunately, her luck ran out on her way to the girl's bathroom, before going to the classroom, where Levy was waiting for her. When she was about to reach the door, she noticed the pink haired guy in front of her, who already had the same annoying smirk on his face. She tried to look away and not let him know that she had seen him, but it was too late.

"Are you avoiding me?"

Lucy took a deep breath before answering, "Why would I do that?"

"Really? Are we both going to pretend you didn't say anything yesterday?"

"What exactly did I say? I'm not remembering very well, it probably wasn't that relevant."

"That's funny, I know what you're trying to do." he smiled, "You're trying to avoid me and ignore that you confessed to me."

"Confessed to you?! What are you-" Lucy blinked twice before realizing it, "Oh, I get it. You really are clueless, aren't you?" she chuckled.

Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and dragged her to a corner where no one could hear them talk. Lucy was getting tense and nervous, she wanted to avoid him, not be in the same place as him.

"I think we need to talk."

"About what? You have no idea what happened yesterday at all, do you? Do you really think I confessed to you? I only said what you wanted to hear. I barely know you and quite frankly, I don't care and I'm not interested to know more. I told you before, I'm not one of your prize girls that fall for you once they look at your face. I told you that for you to leave me alone."

"If you don't feel anything for me at all, why do you get so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous, jerk! You're just annoying me to the point where I can't even stand you near me anymore."

"If you don't care about me at all, say it." he looked at her, straight in the eyes, "If you do it, I'll leave you alone for good and you won't have to deal with me anymore."

"Oh, come on! Do I really have to say it again for you to understand?"

"Say it."

He stared at her for a few seconds and didn't look away. Lucy looked around a few times because she didn't like the intense look that he was giving her. She was already nervous, but Natsu always had a way to make her feel even more anxious without even trying. Just being in the same presence as him, both alone, was enough to make her feel uneasy. She looked him in the eyes and tried to ignore the way he was staring at her, before finally saying what he wanted.

"I don't care about you. I don't feel anything for you, at all."

He stared at her for a few more seconds, before finally backing away and smirked.

"See? It wasn't that hard, was it?" he turned around to go away, "Like I said, I'll leave you alone. You won't have to worry about it anymore."

He turned and started walking to the door, leaving Lucy speechless.

For a moment Lucy remembered a time when her mother told her to be careful and not to get so close to boys who messed with her head. She was always careful not to get close to people who left her confused and with mixed feelings. She had no idea what Natsu's intentions were with her or what kind of person he was, but even if she tried to avoid it, curiosity spoke louder. Natsu was a mysterious guy and she couldn't deny that, which unfortunately made her want to know more, but the consequences of that were not pleasant. She didn't want to have to put up with Natsu for any longer.

After a tiring week full of classes and no more sign of Natsu bothering her, Lucy arrived at her apartment and sat down on the couch and tried to rest. She sighed and went back to thinking about all the things that happened with Natsu. He was the biggest mystery she wanted to unravel since she arrived in town and she still couldn't understand why he suddenly stopped messing with her just because she had asked.

She tried to close her eyes for a few minutes, but as soon as she did, she felt her cell phone vibrate and noticed that Levy was calling her.

"H-Hey, what's up?" she asked with a sleepy voice while rubbing her eyes.

"Were you sleeping?"

"Trying to, but you didn't let me."

"Well, for a good reason! Since it's the weekend again, why don't we go out and have some fun?"

"Ugh, in case you didn't get it, I was trying to sleep. I'm not really in the mood for that."

"You have plenty of time to sleep after. Besides, if you do this for me, I'll owe you one."

"Ugh, fine." she rolled her eyes, "What's in it for me?"

"Whatever you want, but you can think about it later. Go get ready and I'll meet you tonight, there's a bar near your apartment that seems cool and I want to check it out."

"Okay, I'll be ready."

Levy said goodbye with an exciting tone before hanging up and Lucy simply dropped the phone to her side and sighed.

"As soon as Lucy arrived at the bar with Levy, they immediately went to the counter and see what they could get to drink. They looked around and noticed that a lot of people from school were there too, but since it was friday night, they weren't very surprised.

"Wow, we should've come here sooner." Levy said with a smile.

"You really don't miss an opportunity to drink something, do you?"

"Why would I? I thought we came to this town to have fun and experience new things, right? You have to cheer up a bit! I know you're still upset about that whole "Natsu" thing, but you're gonna forget about it tonight. Grab a drink and have some fun!" she grabbed the glasses that the bartender gave them and handed one to Lucy, "Who knows? Maybe you'll meet a cute guy who asks you to dance tonight."

"I don't think I'm in the mood."

In that moment, when Lucy looked around again, she noticed that a random guy was staring at her from a distance in the other side of the counter. She tried to look away at first to not catch his attention, but it was too late because he had noticed it. She gave him a shy smile and he smiled back. After that, she turned around to face Levy and gave her a worried look.

"What's wrong? Did you see a ghost or something?"

"No, but I might've spotted the cute guy you were talking about earlier."

Levy looked behind her friend to notice the guy and smiled, "Ohh, I see him. I thought you said you weren't in the mood." she raised her eyebrow.

"Well, maybe you're right. I need to loosen up and have some fun."

Before she could say anything else, they were both startled by the guy who approached Lucy. They started the usual small talk and Lucy tried her best not to feel too embarrassed, since she hadn't flirted with a guy in a very long time after her last relationship. She didn't want to get near guys in a serious way after what happened with her last boyfriend, but at least she could have some fun while she was there.

In the middle of the conversation, Lucy suddenly looked at the door and couldn't believe what she was seeing. Natsu was at the door with the rest of his friends. At that moment, she just wanted to disappear. She had gone to that bar to have fun and not think about all the problems related to Natsu and at that very moment, he was in front of her again. There were so many bars in town, it was unlucky that he decided to frequent the same one as her.

Distracted in her thoughts, she hadn't even noticed that the boy in front of her had asked a question. She excused herself and continued talking to him, although she kept her eyes in the direction where Natsu was now sitting. He hadn't noticed her yet, but she knew she probably wasn't going to be able to go unnoticed by him that night. She was so focused and lost in thought that she disconnected from the conversation again and only came back to reality when she felt the boy's hand on her thigh suddenly. She looked at him with an indignant expression and quickly removed his hand from her leg.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"What? I thought we were hooking up with each other. What's the matter?"

"Y-You thought wrong! I'm not looking for company tonight."

"Why not?" he stepped closer again and insisted, "We can both have a lot of fun."

Suddenly Lucy stood up and pushed the boy away with a lot of strenght that she didn't know she had. She told him again that she was not interested and he simply walked away with a look of contempt. She sighed deeply and tried not to think about it so much, looking around the bar again for Natsu, but she couldn't find him. She was confused and thought that maybe he had left. Without realizing it, she suddenly heard someone's voice close to her.

"Well, what a coincidence." Natsu

Lucy put her hands on her head, "Is it? I'm having a hard time believing that."

"Relax, blondie. I told you that I would leave you alone, didn't I? You're the one who chose the same bar as me."

"Yeah, as if I would ever do that." she rolled her eyes.

"I saw how you handled that guy, you've got guts. Most guys would not accept that. I was ready to come here and save you."

"Yeah, well, I'm not worried about that. I've dealt with worse types in my life."

"Is that so? Now I'm curious."

"Why? We're not friends, remember? We're not supposed to have a deep talk." she tried to avoid looking at him while joking.

Before he could answer, Levy noticed their presence and immediately approached them with a big smile.

"Well, look who is it! I didn't expect to see you here, what a coincidence." Lucy rolled her eyes at that, "Are you going to join us on drinking? The more, the better!"

Natsu thought for a few seconds and looked at Lucy. Her annoyed expression was enough to make him enjoy that moment, so he would make sure that he'd take advantage of it as long as he could.

"Why not?" he smirked and Lucy sighed.

Levy smiled with his answer and called the bartender, asking for a round of drinks. Lucy knew that she was going to regret it, but she didn't want to disappoint her friend or be boring. She knew that Natsu was enjoying it, especially since it was annoying her too much. Levy turned around to face Lucy and she noticed that her friend had a big smile on her face, she was having too much fun for Lucy's liking.

At their table, they took the drink round and without a second thought, the three of them drank it together, while Lucy made a face at the end. She hated alcohol and didn't have a habit of drinking, so she wasn't used to that weird taste. Levy could tell by looking at her friend and laughed at her.

"It's strong, isn't it?" she asked with a big smile on her face, "I'm going to order another round."

"At this rate, you're gonna get us all wasted." Lucy said, taking a breath to take off the taste from her mouth.

"You two don't deal very well with drinks, do you?" Natsu smirked while staring at Lucy, "Take it easy a bit."

"Don't worry! It was only two glasses, we can still handle it." she said firmly and grabbed the menu, "What should I order now?"

"Levy, are you sure if-"

Natsu lifted a hand and placed it in front of Lucy, "Let her. If she says she's that strong, I wanna see it."

"Well, thank you, "Mr. Curious", but I don't need to prove myself to anyone I'm just trying to have some fun and not think about my worries this weekend."

"I'm pretty sure there were many other ways for you to do that." Lucy replied.

Before Levy could answer, another round of drinks arrived at their table. Levy drank it as if she was drinking water and Lucy couldn't help but stare at her friend and wonder if she was going to be okay or why she was acting like that. She couldn't stand to even taste the alcohol anymore and it was burning her throat, so that was her last glass. Suddenly, the lights of the bar changed to neon-like colors and music started playing. Lucy wasn't used to drinking, so she was already feeling her body heating up and her head spinning a bit.

"Ugh, I think I've reached my limit."

"Really?" Natsu smirked, "That's it? I expected more from a firm woman like you."

"I'm not used to drinking, idiot." she rolled her eyes and tried to ignore his joke, "Seriously, it's closed for me."

Natsu laughed and she felt strange at that. She wasn't annoyed or angry at him mocking around because she had almost missed it a bit after a week of not talking. It was a weird feeling. It's almost as if she had gotten used to his presence. She looked around and noticed that some people went to the dance floor and were dancing like it was their last night on earth and she couldn't help but laugh at the sight. She leaned and put her hand on her face.

She looked to her side and stared at Natsu for a few seconds. He was concentrated on the dance floor, holding his glass with one hand and the other arm leaned on the counter. Looking at him from that angle, Lucy couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. Maybe it was because of the lights or the effect of the alcohol in her head.

Since he was looking in the opposite direction, Lucy could only see the side of his face, his defined jawline, along with his exposed neck. She stared at that sight of him for some time, which somehow was making her feel tempted, and she hardly even realized she was doing it. She felt her nerves rise to the surface and a shiver down her spine when she realized that she was admiring the sight of him like that.

"U-Umm, excuse me. I need to go to the bathroom." she said suddenly, getting up and walking past them.

It was a little difficult to get to the bathroom, but she managed. She stood in front of the mirror looking at herself and tried to calm down. She noticed that her cheeks were a bit red and her heart was beating faster than usual. She splashed some of the cold water on her face and took a deep breath. When she left, she almost lost balance when the crowd that was dancing suddenly came closer to her and accidentally pushed her to one side. Once she reached the table, she tried to get up on the chair and sat down, looking at them both.

"Damn, you look terrible. No more drinks for you." he laughed.

"Do you want to leave?" Levy asked.

"N-No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? We don't have to stay here, if you don't want to."

"Seriously, I'm fine. I just need to eat something and wait for this terrible effect to leave my body."

After saying this, she tried to move and almost lost balance. Levy and Natsu both moved at the same time to try to hold her, but Lucy simply raised her hands to let them know that she was fine. Her head was starting to get dizzy and she could barely keep her balance. She started looking around and realized that she wasn't exactly sober anymore. She wasn't drunk, but she was definitely not normal.

"Alright, I think that's enough. The night is over for you, blondie." Natsu said with a smirk on his face.

"Ugh, I didn't want you to be like this, Lu-chan. Let's leave."

"N-No! I'm fine, I'll stay a bit longer. You came here to have fun tonight, right? I'm not going to be the boring friend."

"Don't worry, I'll take her home."

"Really? Are you sure you can handle her?" Levy smiled and Natsu nodded. She stopped for a second, thinking if it was a good idea, but she looked at her friend's face and she also nodded, "Okay, I'll call a cab."

"No need. My car is outside, I'll give her a ride home."

"Oh, okay!" Levy looked at her friend one more time and put her hand on Lucy's arm, "I'm so sorry, Lu-chan! I promise this is the last time I ask you to drink with me. Just go home and rest. I'll call you tomorrow." she smiled and Lucy did the same, although she could barely think straight.

"Let's go, blondie." he said, pulling her gently by the arm and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"I don't need you to babysit me, you know? I can walk by myself, my head just hurts a bit."

"Yeah, I'm not taking that risk." he smirked.

She sighed in defeat and Natsu began to guide her out of the bar. She started mumbling something that he couldn't understand, but he didn't mind it because it was probably the alcohol kicking in and she was thinking about something random. They reached the car and Natsu opened the door, gently putting Lucy inside. He got it and looked at her one more time to make sure she was okay before driving.

"I was such an idiot." Lucy mumbled to herself.

Natsu looked at her, confused at her words. She thought he hadn't heard her, but the look on his face was enough for her to know that he did. He frowned, waiting for her to elaborate more, but she looked outside the window and tried to pretend that she hadn't said a word. She sighed and placed a hand on her head.

"It's going to hurt a bit tomorrow." Natsu said, with a smile on his face, trying to ease the moment.

"Yeah, I know. I'll just have to handle it." she closed her eyes and looked outside again, "Just like I've handled many other difficult situations in my life."

"I see the alcohol is finally kicking in." he chuckled.

"It's not that. I'm just- I'm just thinking about the bad decisions I've made in the past, that's all."

"Exactly. That's the alcohol trying to bring up your bad side. Don't think about things that aren't important anymore."

"I thought- I just thought that I was special." she turned around and leaned her head on her hand.

Natsu looked at her and noticed that she was almost crying. She was probably thinking about something that had happened to her in the past. He was confused and noticing that she was about to cry was enough to make him stop the car in the nearest spot.

"Hey! Lucy." he called her name with a firm tone, "Look at me."

"I lost two years of my life!" she sighed, "I lost so much time of my life for someone who didn't even care. For someone who made me think I was worthy and special, but none of it was real. None of it was true." a few tears fell from her eyes and Natsu got worried.

"Hey-"

"I was such an idiot! I let myself be a fool by falling for the wrong guy and he- He didn't even care."

"Hey, Lucy! Listen to me," he grabbed her shoulders and gave her a little push to get her attention. She was surprised by it and looked him in the eyes, "whining won't bring back that lost time. I don't know what you're talking about, but if there's one thing I know is that we should never worry about people who don't worry about us. That's the rule. Got it?" she nodded slowly, "There's no use in crying. Not for people who aren't worth it."

She looked at it as if she was looking at a completely different person. Those words had some impact on her, even though she could barely think straight or why she had said those things, she was still speechless after hearing it. She noticed that Natsu was still holding her shoulders and a shiver went through her spine after noticing how close he was now.

"T-Thank you."

"No more crying right now, alright?" he smirked, while wipping the tears away from her face,"There's no point in ruining that pretty face of yours."

"Is that why you've been annoyingly all over me all this time? Because I'm a 'pretty face'?" she was joking, but Natsu could sense some sadness in her voice.

"You're more than just a pretty face, Lucy. If anyone can't see it, it's their loss."

She was taken aback by that statement. She hadn't expected to hear those words, much less coming from Natsu. It all seemed surreal. It was as if he was a completely different person at that moment and all she wanted was to know more and to get to know him. His words made Lucy feel a tightening in her chest and she could feel her heart beating faster as she felt his hand touching her cheek as he wiped away the tears. Every emotion was coursing through her body, even more intensely because of the state she was in at that moment. She could feel the heat inside her, she thought her face was probably flushed.

They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds and all that intensity was starting to be too much for both of them. As time passed, Lucy hadn't even realized that their faces were too close and she could only feel the shivers all over her skin.

"Tell me to stop." Natsu finally said.

"Stop what?" Lucy asked, nervously while staring at his eyes with the same intensity as him, "I can't tell what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking about how much I want to kiss you right now."

He stared at her like she was the only thing he needed and wanted in that moment. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her breathing became heavy, like she was already waiting for the same thing as him.

"What's stopping you?"

With those words, he didn't think about it anymore. He quickly put his other hand on her face and kissed her fiercely. He could already feel her warm lips on his and it was like the whole hunger and desire he had inside of him had been answered. He put his hands on her hair strands and pulled her closer to him. Lucy was feeling all kinds of sensations at that moment and the heat she was feeling inside her body was getting more intense. She didn't know if it was the alcohol's fault or not, but she was feeling the same desire as he was at that moment. It was as if his kiss was so hyptonizing that it made her not want him to stop.

She put her hands on his hair, ruffling it as they deepened the kiss. He couldn't help himself anymore and moved his hands to her waist, pulling her even closer to him. There was too much space between them, since it was too uncomfortable to be as close as they wanted inside the car. Their kiss was getting intense, showing that they were both longing for it to happen somehow. As soon as they stopped for breath, Natsu squeezed her waist and she let out a soft moan, which made Natsu smirk by surprise. In the middle of their kiss, Natsu felt the taste of alcohol, reminding him that she was still drunk.

"Wait." he quickly said and pushed her away slowly, "We shouldn't be doing this. You're not in your right mind right now."

"Who says I'm not?" for a moment, Natsu could sense some disappointment on her voice again.

He chuckled, "Trust me, blondie. As much as I'd like to keep kissing you, you're drunk. I'd prefer you to be in a more conscious state if we're gonna do this."

"Ugh, fine." she got back to her seat and looked outside as if she had been interrupted in the middle of something important.

Natsu looked at her one more time and couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. He started the engine again and made sure she was okay before driving. They didn't say anything on the ride to Lucy's apartment, but after they arrived, she quickly opened the door and tried not to make too much eye contact with him. After closing the door, Natsu simply waited for her to say something and was amused by her attitude. She was too embarrassed to say anything, so she simply turned around to look at him and waved.

"I-I'll see you tomorrow or- something."

"See you, blondie." he smiled, "Take care."

After that, she quickly turned around and went to her apartment's door. She didn't look back, she was too embarrassed to do it. She simply put the keys on her lock and opened the door. Her head was hurting too much, so she didn't have enough patience to call Levy. She grabbed her phone and sent her friend a text, telling her that she was home and everything was okay. She wasn't going to tell her about what had happened in the car. After that, she opened her bedroom's door and immediately jumped on the bed. After a few seconds, she eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, Lucy opened her eyes and it was too bright outside for her to handle. Her head was hurting a bit, but not as much as she had expected. She didn't remember much from last night, but after getting up and drinking a glass of water, she stopped to think. She tried to replay the events from last night and she remembered everything about the bar, but something was missing. She finally put all the pieces together and remembered the whole thing. She widened her eyes and covered her mouth, while slowly touching her own lips.

"Oh, my god. What have I done?"