As they drove back towards the town centre, Laxus asked, "So, what do you want to do now? I can drive you back home if you want, or we can head to mine, drop my camera off, and get some dinner at the pier. I'll swing by the rental place and return the car too."
"Sounds good. I'm in no rush to get back home," Lucy was looking out of the window and letting the breeze ruffle her hair as she replied.
Laxus wove through the streets effortlessly, not relying on external directions at any point. He pulled up in front of a house similar to Lucy's, minus her lovely porch.
"Come in. I'll just be a minute," Laxus called as he got out of the car.
Lucy followed him inside and noted that, while he didn't have her porch, his house was at least double the size of her quaint one.
"Help yourself to water in the kitchen," Laxus pointed in its direction as he headed through a door into what Lucy assumed was his bedroom. Once in the kitchen, she found water bottles on the counter. She grabbed one and thirstily took several sips. Before she could cap the bottle, Laxus walked in and took the bottle from her hands, swallowing a few large gulps. He held the bottle in front of her again with a questioning look, silently asking if she wanted more. When Lucy shook her head he recapped the bottle, put it down on the counter, and walked to the front door.
"Nice place you got," Lucy commented as they exited his house and he locked up.
"Thanks. You should come by one evening. I'll cook you dinner," he offered.
"My days are currently at your mercy, tour guide. Just give me the day and time, and I'll be there," she laughed.
"Speaking of, I need to do a bit of work tomorrow. Just editing photos, replying to emails, sending out some stuff, the usual. So you got the first half of the day to yourself, but I'll be by to pick you up at around 5 in the evening, so don't plan anything for after that," he let her know.
Lucy felt a pang of disappointment, but didn't let it colour her features. She simply nodded, getting into the car.
"Alright. Any suggestions on what I can do with my day?" she asked.
"Have you checked out the old ruins?"
"Yep, the day I bumped into you."
"Hmm, okay. You know where we were today? So a little before you get to the top, there's this small cafe. They have a ton of books there, and it's always quiet. It overlooks the sea and is a great place to go if you want some undisturbed quiet time, maybe even to write or something. Otherwise, go to the pier and ask anyone for directions to the gateway. It's another old structure with a ton of Greek myth behind it. There are a few other ruins around it, so it makes for good exploration. Plus the view is great. Actually I'll just point it out to you when we get there." Laxus seemed to be a walking-talking guide book.
Lucy no longer felt disappointed that he wouldn't be there, her mind churning with ideas for her alone day tomorrow.
Laxus drove into a garage and the pair left the vehicle. He handed the keys over to the garage owner and made light conversation as Lucy politely waited. Waving goodbye to the man, Laxus put his arm around Lucy and they began walking to the pier.
Once there, Laxus turned Lucy to the right and pointed at a rectangular stone archway that seemed to rise out of the sea. Lucy had noticed it briefly the last time she was at the pier, but assumed that it was a ferry ride away.
"Won't I need to take a boat to get there?" she asked.
"Nah, it just looks like it's in the middle of the sea. If you go along this side of the pier, it'll lead to the gateway. It's just slightly lower than we are, so it makes it difficult to see the ground. Also you may want to cycle, if you're going there. It is a little bit of a long walk."
Lucy noticed a few cycle rental shops, all with their shutters down. When the pair turned to face the side with all the restaurants, they were met with a similar sight. Not one restaurant was open, and the pier looked fairly deserted. A few tourists hung around, and one man who looked like a local was pushing a cart full of assorted fried food.
The couple walked up to him and Laxus asked why everything was shut.
"Big summer storm," the man said, pointing at the darkening horizon. "Everyone went home early. You should also," he advised.
Lucy quickly picked out a few things she wanted and the man put them into a paper bag before pushing his cart along, swiftly trying to get back home before the storm set in. The pair began to dig into the bag, watching as the storm clouds drew nearer.
Laxus turned to her, "You think this is a false alarm? Should we find a bench and risk it?" Between the two of them wolfing down the fried food the bag was quickly empty. Lucy looked up at him to respond when a giant drop fell on her cheek. Laxus wiped it away as Lucy declared, "Nope, not a false alarm. Let's get out of here."
They began walking quickly, but very soon that one drop devolved into a raging downpour. The pair were drenched by the time they showed up on Lucy's doorstep. She unlocked the door and they hurried in, trailing water as they made a beeline for the bathroom. Lucy pulled two towels off the rack and handed one to Laxus. They stood in her small bathroom violently drying themselves off. No longer dripping water, they looked at each other, both with hair sticking out in odd directions and damp clothes that clung to them in places. In perfect unison, the pair started laughing uncontrollably until they were leaning against opposite walls clutching their sides. They left the bathroom, now more dry than wet as the balmy summer air sucked moisture off their skin. The storm did little to cool the place down, given how warm it had been in the days passed.
"Are you still hungry?" she asked Laxus.
"Nah, I'm good. I actually wanted to sit on your porch and watch the storm," he said, with the implied question asking if she'd join him. A sloping tiled roof protected the entirety of the porch, so Lucy wasn't worried about getting drenched again.
She smiled, "Go make yourself comfortable. I'll bring us some coffee."
"Black, no sugar," Laxus replied appreciatively as he walked out of the front door. Lucy made them a mug each and went outside, expecting to find the blond man sitting on the chair.
Instead, he was sitting on the top step of the porch, legs placed on the step below. He hadn't noticed Lucy yet, as he looked up at the sky in rapture. Lucy walked up to him and said, "Bet you wish you had your camera now, huh?"
He looked at her and accepted the coffee mug. "Kind of. But I'm more grateful I didn't, given how drenched we got. There's no way my equipment would have survived it."
Lucy continued to stand next to him for a couple seconds, furiously debating in her head where she should sit. She decided that she was going to be brave and walked down the porch steps before placing herself one step down between Laxus's knees. The occasional raindrop hit her foot, but she didn't mind. Laxus didn't react, and Lucy joined him in watching the summer storm in silence.
Lightning illuminated the sky, dancing across the night in jagged lines. Lucy watched in fascination as everything would shine under bright white light for a split second before collapsing back into inky darkness. When a particularly big burst of lightning was followed by a deafening clap of thunder, Lucy jolted slightly. Instantly, Laxus's arms went around her shoulders holding her close to him. They sat in silence for a long time, before Lucy stood up and went back in, grabbing both empty mugs. She deposited them in the sink and retrieved a thin blanket from her bedroom.
She draped the blanket over Laxus's shoulders and sat down between his knees again. Laxus grabbed either corner of the blanket and brought it with him as he wrapped his arms back around Lucy's shoulders, enveloping both of them in a warm cocoon.
Lucy noticed faint music playing and realised that Laxus must have put some on when she had been inside. She leaned back into him and rested her head on his chest. He dipped his head down and propped his chin on her crown.
Neither one felt the need to say anything. Watching the lightning as soft music played was more than enough. In fact, it was the best evening spent with another person that Lucy could remember. They broke the silence to make an off-hand comment, retell a short anecdote, or voice a sudden thought that occurred to them, but otherwise they sat in comfortable silence. Lucy could feel Laxus's chest move as he breathed and she unconsciously matched her breath to his.
It was past midnight when the rain finally slowed, and then stopped. The occasional flash of lightning would crack through the sky, but soon enough, even that stilled. Everything became deathly quiet, save for the soft music emanating from Laxus's phone and the sound of waves crashing against the shore. They sat perfectly still for several more minutes, neither one wanting to be the first person to break this position. Grudgingly, however, Laxus eventually stood up. He folded the blanket into a haphazard square and placed it on the chair behind him, before giving Lucy a hand and hoisting her up.
"I should go. It's late." His voice was barely a whisper.
"Oh." Her face fell slightly.
Don't go. Stay. Spend the night, Lucy wanted to say, but she wasn't sure if she should.
"Yeah. I had a good time today," Laxus said, stepping closer to Lucy.
"Goodnight, beautiful. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that Laxus leaned down and brushed his lips against Lucy's. It was so soft, and so fleeting, that it could hardly even qualify as a peck, but it left Lucy stunned nonetheless.
He smiled at her before turning around and walking away.
"Goodnight," she croaked after him, unsure if he heard.
She stood on her front porch in a daze as her fingers touched her lips. She could still feel the ghost of his kiss on them.
It wasn't yet love, but the blond man was starting to make Lucy feel something that she thought she had renounced. Lucy went to bed that night with a blush staining her cheeks and her stomach fluttering deliciously.
A/N: A little teasy kiss (?) thrown in there to get you excited for what's in store! I cannot wait for you guys to read it! Please leave your kind words of support so I am inspired to type it out and edit it at double speed!