Updated: October 2, 2022
Chapter 2
"What?!" Lucy exclaims loudly as she sits up straight from her chair while her hairstylist widens her eyes in surprise at the actress. Silently apologizing to her stylist, Lucy tries to calm down and relax on her chair again, but with Levy's call, she barely can handle the conversation, "Levy-chan, what the hell are you talking about?" she whispered over her phone
"As I said, you have to date this guy," Levy then chuckles when she hears Lucy groan in annoyance
"I heard you once, woman. But why do I have to da—do that? I'm not into doing that right now, Levy, you know that" said Lucy as she eyes the people inside her trailer, and they seem to do well in pretending not to listen, "I thought you had someone who'd have a contact to clean this mess?"
"Well, yeah. That's what Lisanna and I did talk about…" Levy then trails off when she heard Lucy gasp a little in surprise as if Lucy wasn't expecting that Lisanna would be helping out, "Hold on, woman…What exactly were you thinking when I said I knew someone who had contact with a guy?"
"…I didn't really have anything in mind," Lucy denied as she tries to shrug off her dark thoughts of hiring a gunman
"Wait up, woman, did you think I was talking about hiring-"
"No," Lucy cuts off too early
"LU-CHAN!" Levy bellowed as she was flustered with her friend's thoughts, "What on earth made you think I know a gunman?!"
"I did not say you knew a gunman!" Lucy exclaimed too loud, making everyone on the trailer look back at her baffled. It was too late for Lucy to take back her words as she just sheepishly laughed
"Haha! Lucy-san is just kidding! She's-she's just practicing a line…" Laki quickly tries to cover up her boss, but everyone knew better. Lucy was loving and nice, but the woman can have some dark ideas too. And so, everyone pretended not to hear a thing. Lucy and Laki then sigh in relief.
"Look Levy-chan, for some odd reason, hiring that kind of person sounded saner than me going on a date," Lucy whispered as she eyes her assistant, who pretended to fix her things while keeping watch of everyone else
"Oh come on Lu-chan, we're not in one of your drama series, who'd hire an assassin and keep Loke's body hidden in the depths of the ocean,"
"That sounded good to me," Lucy nonchalantly comments as she laughs internally, making Levy whine in annoyance
"Lu-chan! Seriously!" Levy exclaimed and Lucy just sighs in defeat, "I know that he had hurt you, but we aren't murders…"
"Well, I think he deserves some killing of a sort," Lucy remarks, making Laki widen her eyes in surprise, but Lucy quickly dismisses the look as she tries to wave it off as if telling her she wasn't serious, "I just despise Loke today and I feel like he deserves that. But don't listen to me about these ideas, I'm erratic nowadays. But seriously Levy-chan, hiring a person for dirty work sounded more possible to me than me going out on a date with a guy that I don't know. I don't even understand how dating would help me,"
"Well, I remembered Laki saying about giving Loke the same medicine and I was thinking maybe you can make him jealous or something,"
"Does it necessarily mean I have to date someone?" Lucy questioned dubiously
"Well, it's a start," Levy replies, "Lisanna has this idea of partnering you up with this guy, who will be perfect to make him jealous,"
"I can't start dating, it's just been a month since Loke and I broke up," Lucy then looks down at her fumbling hands, "and besides, I'm not ready to go meet someone new. I don't think I'll be ready anytime soon,"
"So, you're saying it's fine that Loke goes out in public, dating another actress or model, while you suck up in your house, moping about how he cheated on you?" Levy retorting asks, making the blonde close her eyes and feel a pang in her chest, "Lu-chan, it's like you're allowing Loke to thrive with what he did. By sulking about your situation, you're making the rumors even more true. If there is one thing you should do, it is to make Loke wear all the dirty shit he has done in your relationship,"
"But Levy-chan-"
"No, you're not going to give me the excuse that maybe it was your fault, because it's not," Levy quickly intervenes, knowing the train of thoughts of the blonde
"Okay, maybe the fault is not entirely mine. But knowing Loke, he's too self-assured to look pitiful. I doubt I can make him take the blame for the cheating," Lucy then looks at her reflection in the mirror and sees that her assistant was informing her of starting the scene in 15 minutes
"We'll get to that point someday. But for now, we're not going to focus on that. We'll devise a diversion to appease your rumors, then we'll work on Loke, branding him who he really is," Levy then smirks as she embraces her plans
"A diversion?" Lucy echoes, getting a little confused
"Yeah. And we're doing it by having you a new lover," Levy smirks victoriously as she feels thrilled with what they will do, "And like I said, Lisanna already has this person in mind that fits perfectly for this diversion. She'll be contacting him and try to get him to meet you,"
"How sure are you that this guy would even help? How exactly are we going to make this diversion?" Lucy inquires, finally getting on board with the idea
"Lu-chan, you know how the media works. All you have to do is give them something fresh and interesting. Once you start flaunting this guy, who is striking as Loke or better yet, more striking than Loke, your rumors with Loke can be easily covered with a new rumor about dating someone else hotter,"
"And how sure are you it will work?" Lucy challenged the blunette, but the woman just chuckles as she replies
"Oh, trust me. Give anything to the media, and they'll make the story escalate. I'm a writer, though not for a tabloid, and that is what media does. We crave for stories to tell. So, throw any possible story to them, for sure, a new rumor will pop up. It will work," Levy then smiles as she has now played a plot in her head making Lucy shake her head in disbelief.
"Fine, then I guess…I'll leave it up to you and Lisanna," Lucy says as she stares at herself and nods as if convincing herself that this was the right move.
More than a week had passed and Lucy had forgotten her conversation with Levy. Due to her busy schedule, she barely had time to talk with the blue-haired writer. Meanwhile, Lisanna had numerously tried to reach out to her too, to discuss their plan. But hearing Levy and Lisanna talk about some plan, Lucy wasn't entirely sure if she knew what her friends were really talking about. Unless they meant vacation plans.
Lucy had focused on work, going on to her usual schedule. She'd go to the set of her series, do acting, take breaks, then shoot again until they are free to go and start packing up to head home. That went on for more than a week, and Lucy didn't give enough time to relax, not even browse her social media accounts.
As Laki was fixing Lucy's things, the actress' personal phone suddenly rings. It has always been a mental note that if Lucy's personal phone ever rings, these calls are considered important and must be handed over. So, without giving much thought, Laki grabbed the phone and handed it over to her boss.
"Lucy-san, someone is calling you in your personal number," Laki whispered as she stood next to the actress, who was practicing her lines. Laki then showed the screen and Lucy immediately saw that her silver-haired friend and co-actress was calling her for the nth time this week.
"Thanks," Lucy replies as she grabs the phone, and smiles at her assistant while eyeing her long enough to make her assistant recognize that she wants to be alone. When Laki had left, Lucy looked down at her phone again and sighs in defeat. Knowing that this call can be trouble, Lucy tries to hide the frustration that was building up inside her chest.
"Hallu," Lucy kiddingly greets as she sits back and puts down her script
"Finally!" Lisanna exclaims as she hears Lucy's voice, "I've been calling you and this is the first time you finally answered!"
"Psh, don't exaggerate Lis, I answered your call two days ago," Lucy then chuckles when Lisanna huffs in disbelief
"Oh, wow, Lucy-chan, you only answered that call because Levy made your assistant accept that call," Lisanna then rolls her eyes, which Lucy can imagine, given that the silver-haired actress was right. She wouldn't have answered that call if Levy hadn't convinced Laki to answer it.
"Alright, alright, I get it…" Lucy then sighs, "So, why'd you call? I supposed this has something to do with planning?"
"Why of course?!" Lisanna then laughs, "Levy and I have spent tons of time planning this,"
Lucy then rolls her eyes, "Just to be honest, I don't remember what this plan is for," Lisanna then gasps at Lucy's confession
"What are you talking about?! Levy said that you were 'go-for-it' and that you knew what this is all about," Lisanna panicky retorts
"Well…I am go-for-it, it's just that I am not fully committed. I mean, first of all, I don't understand what exactly you and Levy are talking about. Second, I don't get what this planning is for, and third, I don't know if your plan is going to work,"
"Why do you ever doubt us?" Lisanna pretended to be hurt but amusement was heard in her voice, "Levy and I had dedicated our lives for this," Lisanna joked, making Lucy scoff
"Wow, gee-thanks for sparing so much of your time for this," said Lucy, sarcastically as Lisanna just laughs it off, "So, what exactly is the plan?"
"Well," Lisanna then grins in enthusiasm, "just to remind you, Levy had insisted that you should go back to the dating scene-"
"Which I disagree-"
"I know that," Lisanna quickly cuts off back, knowing that this is Lucy's strategy to dismiss their plan, "That's why I insisted to her that what you'll do is just for show,"
"Oh-kay…" Lucy remarks, dubiously, "I think I can go with that…"
"Perfect!" Lisanna bellows as she clapped her hands, "Now, I have this guy in mind that has his own dilemmas too. It would be great for him to have a diversion too, just like you,"
"And where did you find a person who will be willing to take part in this?" Lucy questioned
"Well, that's the slight problem," Lisanna admitted, making the blonde curious because she knew that the two had been polishing this plan for some time now, "I haven't really convinced the guy yet to partake, but he seems open to ideas,"
"Well, then ask Levy to help you convince him," Lucy suggests, but Lisanna grumbles a little
"That's the thing, I haven't told Levy who is my prospect guy,"
"And why not?" Lucy curiously questions
"Hm…let's just say conflict of interest? Or like she wouldn't be really enthusiastic if I tell her who I am talking about," Lisanna then bites her lips, knowing that this may waver Lucy from participating too
"Well, maybe we should just go with Levy's guts that this will not be helpful," Lucy then smirks, subtly implying that they should just stop doing this plan
"No, no. I'm going to insist on this because I think this is the perfect pairing," Lisanna said shaking her head, "And besides, this decision will be made by you and him. Whether Levy approves my suggestion or not, the decision will be up to you,"
"And what if I decide not to do it?" Lucy challenged
"Then, find a different way to cover up your rumors," Lisanna blandly says, making Lucy sigh in defeat
"Fine…"
"Great! Now, I was thinking, the best way to convince him is to actually meet him," Lisanna listens to Lucy hum in contemplation, "I haven't seen him recently because he says he's too busy, like someone I know…" Lucy then rolls her eyes in Lisanna's sarcasm
"As if you're not?" Lucy retorts back at the actress, who only chuckles at her
"Well, I'm not as busy as you, series-princess. I don't take projects left and right," Lisanna replies, "Anyways, so what do you think? Do you want to meet him?"
"Why would I want to meet him? You haven't even told me his name," Lucy chuckles along with the silverette, who laughs in agreement
"I know, I know, but I was hoping for some element of surprise," Lisanna cheekily says, "I haven't told him who you are either,"
"Now I get it. No wonder he's not agreeing to this," Lucy sarcastically replies but Lisanna just laughs it off
"Oh, Lu, this guy is up for any spontaneity. Not knowing who you are but meeting you in person is something he looks forward to," Lisanna then grins as she can just imagine how the meet-up could play out, "So what do you say? Meet him tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow night?" Lucy bafflingly repeats, quite shock by the immediateness of the meet-up, "Oh uh…I don't know Lis. I—I don't feel like meeting people recently,"
"Oh, come on, Lu, I'll be there. We'll make this like a—a hangout!" Lisanna bites her lips again in anticipation as Lucy quietly thinks
"A hangout?" Lucy repeats, seeking an assurance
"Yes, I promise. I will make sure that this will feel like we're just hanging out," Lisanna then grins, "I'll be next to you when you meet him,"
"Alright, fine," Lucy sighs in defeat as she hears Lisanna yelp in excitement, "But promise me that you'll be there!"
"Yes! Yes! I promise. So, see you tomorrow at Fairy Tail? I'll text you tomorrow night about what time we'll meet,"
"Alright," Lucy quietly groans as she was beginning to dread her decision. Suddenly, the assistant producer of the show called on to her and informed her that her scene was upcoming next. So, nodding her head to the assistant producer, Lucy jumped out of her seat and looked around for her assistant.
"Hey, Lis, I gotta go. I'm called to set already,"
"Oh, hai! Ganbatte, Lucy-chan! Mata ne!" Lisanna then ends the call and Lucy pulls her phone away to give it back to her arriving assistant. Sighing for the last time, Lucy tries to shake off the feeling of uncertainty. She tells herself that this is the last thing she should be concerned about, but the dread just wouldn't go away. Knowing that the feeling of uncertainty wouldn't be going away soon, she puts on her show smile and pretended to be okay. Soon enough, Lucy headed toward the set.
As the next day came, Lucy does her usual schedule. She goes to the set of her series half hour earlier than her actual call time, gets ready for makeup, and waits for her hairstylist to finish her hair, while she rereads the scene and lines.
It is her last day of shoot for the week and Lucy can't wait to get over this day. Although, she isn't looking forward to tonight as she just wishes that it would be Saturday immediately. But no can do, she agreed to Lisanna that she would be coming along to the meet-up.
"Maybe I should call in sick," Lucy utters as she stares at her assistant through the mirror, who was standing next to her, managing the actress' social media account. When Laki looked up at the mirror and stared at her boss, she gave a raised brow at the blonde, "Are you feeling sick?" Laki asked and the hairstylist then halts to check up on the actress, "She isn't feeling too warm more than usual,"
Lucy then rolls her eyes over her protective team, "I'm not sick,"
"Then what do you mean of calling in sick?" Laki questioned
"I just…" Lucy then sighs, "Never mind, I'm just being ridiculous,"
"If you're getting worried about tonight, you can always tell Lisanna that you can't go," Laki suggests as she realizes what her boss was worried about. Although, she couldn't understand what the actress was worried about.
"Exactly, that's why I'll tell her I'm sick. So, you have to back me up," Lucy then looks at her hairstylist and assistant, who were just staring back at her
"What are you so worried about?" Hiroshi, her hairstylist, asked, "It's not like you're going to be prosecuted,"
"Might as well be on a trial case than go to that meet-up," Lucy retorts before she grumbles, making her stylist chuckle
"Lucy-dear, it's just a meet-up! It's like going on a date…you should go on a date! Right?" Hiroshi looked at Laki who nods her head, somewhat agreeing that Lucy should step out more
"It's not a date. Lisanna promised that it wouldn't be a date and that it would be purely a get-to-know like a hangout," Lucy then smiles as if trying to convince her team, but it was more like convincing herself
"Then if it's a hangout, why are you so bothered that you feel like lying to Lisanna?" Hiroshi questions, making Lucy guilty as she looks away
"I don't know…I feel like it's going to be so…life-changing? I don't know,"
"Life changing?!" Hiroshi then laughs, but Laki looked at her boss with regard. The purple-haired assistant then rests a hand on Lucy's shoulder as she uttered, "It's going to be fine, Lucy-san. Maybe this is something that needs to be done, that's why it feels 'big' or life-changing,"
Lucy sighs in exasperation as she considers Laki's point. Her assistant was right. The apprehension she was feeling was something that was making her feel like she was standing on the edge. But it was not threatening rather, it was more like anticipating something good. She's just worried about what would actually play out.
Soon enough, Lucy starts her work and does all the necessary scenes for the day. Without giving much attention to the time, Lucy was a little surprised when their director called it a day.
"Alright! We'll end with this scene for today!" Director Warrod exclaims before he calls on Lucy and Dan Straight, her co-lead of the show. When the two actors stood next to their director, they watched the captured scene and were given some pointers for the next shooting.
"Okay, let's call it a day! I expect everybody to be at our next location in Hargeon on Monday. Call time for Lucy, Dan, Ren, and Sherry will be 3 AM, while the rest be on set before 5 AM. To the staff, I need Lucy and Sherry to be set before 4 AM to get started with the shoot. I need an early sunrise scene"
"Hai!" everyone on set in unison shouts as they bowed to the directors and producers of the show before they started packing their things away. Warrod then glances at his actors, "Lucy and Sherry, take note of the pointers I left on your scripts for Monday. Study it, both of you,"
"Hai," Sherry and Lucy chorally reply as they bowed again to their director before the man left them to leave work as well. When the two actors were left alone, Lucy and Sherry walked together to head towards their trailers when suddenly, Dan came to interrupt them.
"Hey, Lucy, Sherry," Dan greets the actresses before he walks along with them, "So, any plans for the night?"
Sherry glanced at the red-haired actor, "Well, it's surprising Dan that you aren't tired yet,"
"Of course not," Dan then grins, "Despite the action scenes I had, I'm still pretty much pumped up," Dan then looks at Lucy, "Hey, Lucy, sorry about the take we did,"
"What do you mean?" Lucy looked at her co-star
"Oh, during the third take of the action sequence we had in the warehouse," Dan watched Lucy contemplate and remember what he was trying to explain. When Lucy seemed to remember, Dan smiled at her and said, "I pretty much pushed you too hard and you sort of tumbled over the crate too hard,"
"Oh…" Lucy then sheepishly chortles, making Sherry raise a brow at the blonde
"I saw that scene," Sherry comments, "You did fall too hard. Are you okay?"
"Yeah-yeah, I'm good…" Lucy then steps forward and turned to her co-stars, "Actually, I want to apologize for today," Dan and Sherry then raised a brow at her, so Lucy continued, "Well, I'm quite distracted and…during the scene, Dan, it was kind of my fault. I wasn't really listening to our fight director and—I was just winging it. So, yeah…"
"…oh," Dan and Sherry then looked at one another before, Dan replies again, "Well, I'm fine. I think what you should be more worried about is yourself. You should be more careful. You're doing action scenes that could actually hurt you,"
"Are you sure everything is okay, Lucy? I mean…we are aware of what happened between you and Loke,"
Lucy was then silent and internally grumbles as she further realizes that people around her are starting to notice how she is getting distracted. The last thing she needs now is for people to think she is weak and incapable of working professionally.
"Look, Lucy, we know you're a dedicated actor. But we're just worrying that maybe your personal life is affecting your work motivation," Sherry then tries to give a gentle smile, knowing her comment may sting Lucy and can be misinterpreted
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. But I promise I'm okay and…I'm sorting things out," Lucy tiredly smiles at her colleagues
"Hey, why don't you join me tonight? Bora invited me for his birthday party, he'd love to see you again," Dan then looked at Sherry, "You too. Bora would be thrilled to see you at his party,"
"Why don't I invite Ren as well? It would be fun," Sherry suggested, and Dan happily nods as he said, "The more the merrier," Sherry then smiled at the red-haired actor before she waves at Lucy and headed towards Ren's trailer to invite the man. When Dan and Lucy were left alone, the red-haired actor smiled at Lucy again, who was quite contemplating hard.
"Um, thanks for the invite…" Lucy then softly smiles as she declines the man, "But Lisanna, invited for a get-together and I—I promised her that I would come,"
"Ah, I see…" Dan then looked down and tried to hide his little disappointment. When he could manage to smile, he looked back at Lucy and said, "Well then, have fun. You really should take some rest,"
"I will, thanks for the concern," Lucy then embraced her co-star before she turns to head back to her trailer.
As soon as Lucy climbs into her trailer, Laki greeted her with Lucy's handbag and towel, "Lucy-san, your things are inside the van already. I left your change of clothes inside. Once you're done, we can head out,"
"Thanks, Laki," Lucy smiles as she takes the offered towel and went straight to her shower-dressing room. After freshening up, Lucy comes out in her leather skirt and loose white pintuck blouse. As she descends her trailer, she immediately saw her assistant sitting by the van, waiting for her to come out. And within minutes, the trio had left the location. Five minutes into driving on the highway, Max notices the actress furiously texting on her phone. So, without being noticed, Max nudged the assistant and gestured to her to check up on their boss. When Laki noticed the furrowed brow and puckered lips of the blonde, which indicates that the blonde was internally contemplating, she immediately remembered the plans Lucy made with Lisanna.
"Um, Lucy-san?" Laki softly called, which Lucy hummed back as a sign she was listening, "Are you still pushing through with your plans with Ms. Lisanna-san?"
Max then looked at Laki, confused that the purple-haired assistant knows something that he doesn't. Instead of questioning, he listened intently to the two, "Oh…uh," Lucy then looks up, completely uncertain what she should do, "I'd like—okay, before I make a final decision, let me ask your opinion about it,"
"Does that include me?" Max immediately questioned as he was confused with the topic on hand
"Yes, Max. I need your and Laki's opinion about me going to this meet-up," Lucy then slumps back on her cushioned seat, "My friends can be helpful but at times they bring more trouble after,"
Laki nods in agreement, although, she believes that Lucy's friends brought reasonable situations, "Well, if you'd ask me, I'd say, go for it. Levy-san and Lisanna-san mean well. I'm pretty sure they can help out if something comes out unexpected,"
"But that's the thing," Max suddenly interjects, "Why go through something that can be avoided at all costs?"
"Where is the life in there, Max? If Lucy-san just keeps on avoiding dealing with things, her problems wouldn't go away. It's better to do something than idly wait for a miracle,"
"Okay, maybe taking a risk is good at times. But does she have to do this? I mean, who knows what media would say about her again if she's seen meeting up with somebody—I don't know less comparable to Loke?" Max raised a brow at the purple-haired assistant, who huffed in annoyance
"What are you saying? Loke is the highest caliber of men out there for Lucy-san? Oh, come on, Max! There are tons of other guys out there better than Loke!"
"I'm not saying Loke is the-"
"Um, guys…" Lucy suddenly interjects, making her two assistants stop bickering. When Max and Laki glanced at their shoulders, Lucy smiled at them as she says, "I'm good…Thanks for the opinion and um…" Lucy sheepishly laughs before she full-on laughs, "Will you guys just chill?"
Laki and Max then look at one another before they realized that they were too invested with the topic that they forgot Lucy was listening to them, "Um—sorry about that Lucy-san. We got carried away,"
"Yeah, sorry about that boss. I mean—the media just sucks,"
Lucy chuckles at Max's comment as she couldn't agree more, "I totally get you, Max, and thanks for the concern. But I might agree with Laki for tonight. I can't keep making excuses not to deal with this. And besides, Levy and Lisanna have gone out of their way to make this plan. So, I'll go to that meet-up,"
"You will?!" Laki turns fully at her boss, with a beam on her smile
"Yeah," Lucy says with a sigh before she tries to smile over her anxiety, "So, Max, we're heading to Fairy Tail. I'll meet Lisanna's guy for me and hope that he could really help me out,"
Without further questions, Max accelerates the gas and speeds off back to Magnolia. The trip from Bassia to Magnolia would take more than an hour's drive and without realizing it, Lucy has finally managed to close her eyes and rest a bit. Shortly, they finally arrived, and Max immediately enters the large parking lot of Fairy tail. The lot was quite crowded with various vehicles and motorbikes, which simply says that the club was filled with a lot of people who wants to unwind on a Friday night. Laki immediately sees a line of people, waiting to be given the chance to enter the infamous club. As Laki turns to call on her boss, she saw that the actress was actually up already, prepping herself with light lipstick and a dash of blush-on.
"Do I look less zombie now?" Lucy asks her assistant as she keeps her make-up away
"I don't think you ever looked like a zombie, Lucy-sama, despite your deprivation of sleep," Laki compliments as she subtly chuckles at the stunned look of her boss, "But yeah, you look amazing, as always,"
Lucy then chuckles at the compliment, "Thanks. But just to be clear, I'm not trying to look pretty or anything. I have no intention of trying to impress the guy,"
"Of course, Lucy-sama. You don't have to put much effort to impress any guy," Laki says, making Lucy roll her eyes before she and her assistants laugh. Soon enough, Laki steps down from the front seat and opens Lucy's door as the actress secures her purse across her chest. When Lucy and Laki stood next to each other, Max quickly uttered that he was just going to look for a parking space while they head inside already. Lucy then turns to her driver and assistant, "Actually, it's fine with me if you didn't wait for me. Unless you guys want to hang out as well and enjoy the club?"
Laki then looked at the entryway of the club and listened to the booming music coming from the club, "To be honest, Lucy-san, I'd rather go home and rest,"
"Alright, that's fine with me. What about you Max? Do you feel like partying?" Lucy questioned the sandy-brown-haired man, who quickly shook his head and said that he'd rather watch some tv than go to a place with blasting music. Lucy then chuckles as she nods her head, "Alright, that's settled then. Just get my things settled at home then you guys can go,"
"Are you sure? I can drive your car here and leave it for you before I head home," Max said with a little hesitation knowing that if Lucy was caught by paparazzi heading out of a club with a guy, they can make up stories about her again.
"Lisanna's with me tonight. I'll probably ask her if she could give me a ride," Lucy then strokes Laki's arm before she encouraged the purple-haired woman to go back inside the van to leave, "I'll call if I need anything,"
"Yes, please, Lucy-san. Just tell me if you need me to pick you up," Laki replies
"Oh, I hope not," Lucy counters before she chuckles at her employees, "Alright, move along! Drive safe!" Lucy then waves goodbye to her team before she turns towards the entrance of the club.
As Lucy strode towards the entrance of the club, a cold breeze blew at her, making her realize that she didn't have any jacket on, and it would have been helpful given that her clothes were quite thin. It was already 8:45 pm and the night was just getting colder. Her clothes weren't see-through, but it wasn't thick enough to prevent the cold breeze to sip into her clothes and make her body shiver. Before she could complain more, a voice suddenly calls her attention. Focusing on the entrance of the club, Lucy quickly spots her silver-haired friend, who had a wide smile on her face. Obviously, the actress was already having fun inside the club.
"Lucy! You're finally here!" Lisanna exclaims as she runs up to the blonde for a hug. As Lucy wraps an arm around her friend to reciprocate the hug, the silver-haired actress quickly pulls away and uttered "I thought you'd stood up on me! You didn't reply back when I said that he was on his way,"
"Well, to be honest, I had thought of doing that," Lucy admits before she chuckles at her pouting friend, although she knew Lisanna wasn't really offended, "Lucy Ashley, you have become quite devious!" Lisanna then softly nudges the blonde's shoulder making them laugh together, "But I'm really glad to see you here! What matters most is that your present and we can finally start this meet-up,"
Lucy smiles along with her friend before the silverette suggests that they'd get inside, "While waiting for your date, why don't we order up some drinks and have—"
"Wait, hold up. Did you just say date?" Lucy reiterates the word like it was some poisonous term, "I thought I was clear that this—" Lucy gestures to the whole place, "is not going to be a date,"
"Oh, did you I say date?" Lissana then chuckles as she sees the menacing look of the blonde, "Oh, come on Lu-chan! This is a meet-up—it can be like a date,"
"No-no-no-no-no," Lucy then backs away, but Lisanna quickly grabs her wrist to stop her from leaving, "I made it clear Lis, this is not going to be a date. This is a hangout, as you have promised,"
"Yes, yes, as I have promised. A hangout…" Lisanna sheepishly grinned at the woman, who only rolled her eyes back at her
"What exactly did you tell the guy?" Lucy dubiously questioned and Lisanna just pursed her lips as she replies, "…a hangout?"
"Lisanna Strauss!" Lucy bellows when suddenly a man's voice called out, "Babe!" Lisanna then turns and grins at the familiar man
"Hey, baby, I was looking for you," the blue-black-haired rock singer greets as he wraps an arm around Lisanna's waist before glancing at the blonde actress, "Hey, Lucy, what's up?"
"Hey, Bickslow," Lucy says as she sighs in defeat, realizes why Lisanna was so insistent on turning the meet-up into a blind date, "You know, Bicks, you have to stop your girlfriend from trying to make this meet-up into a blind date,"
Bickslow then laughs as Lisanna pouts like she was asking for her boyfriend to back her up, "Sorry, Lucy, you know how Lisanna is like when she gets excited," he then squeezes Lisanna's waist, making the actress yelp in tickle
"Well, I'm not thrilled. Did you know that throughout the day I was anxious about this meet-up? I practically fell on a crate because I was too distracted to listen to my fighting director,"
"You what?!" Lisanna then steps closer to the blonde and inspected her for any injury. But Lucy just shook her head before she crosses her arms and deadpan looked at her friend, "I'm not excited to do this. The only reason I'm here is that I've been convincing myself that this is going to be more like a business meeting,"
"Alright," Lisanna sighs in surrender, "Then, a business meeting…After all, he's a businessman and he'll probably consider this as a business meeting as well rather than a date or hangout,"
"Good," Lucy then smugly grins triumphantly as Lisanna tips her head to the side in defeat, "So, what are we waiting for? Let's get in,"
"Let's wait out for a few minutes," Bickslow says as he kept his eyes on his phone before he tucks it away and looked back at his companions, "I just saw his text that he was near Lamia Scale bistro, which is like 10 minutes away from here. But he sent the message like 5 minutes ago. So—"
"Ooh! Here's here!" Lisanna suddenly yelps, making the blonde turn and look for the person Lisanna was pointing at. The moment she turned, Lucy immediately saw a black Ducati approaching and parking a few meters away from where they were standing. She couldn't see the face of the man as he was wearing his helmet and the visor was down. Despite not being able to see the man's face, Lucy was quite impressed, although she wouldn't admit that to her friend. It will just boost Lisanna's ego about matchmaking.
Focusing on the man, Lucy was taken by surprise when she realized that the man was wearing a semi-formal outfit. He is wearing a white dress shirt, with his sleeves folded until his elbow. Lucy then noticed how the sleeves were tight on his biceps, making Lucy deduce that this man probably does work out as he was fit. When the man stood up from his motorbike, Lucy quickly took note of his dark blue pants, which she would describe as a perfect fit as it accentuates his firm ass. Lucy's eyebrows then raise in amazement. The man was relatively tall, although not as tall as Elfman or Loke. But either way, he looks taller than her.
Soon enough, the man took off his helmet, and Lucy immediately was stunned to see the man's hair color, "Is that pink hair?" Lucy audibly questioned as she kept her eyes to the now walking glorious man
"He'd say it's not pink but salmon pink," Lisanna comments back, making Lucy glance at her friend with a skeptical look. Lisanna just chuckles as Lucy replies, "Either way, it's still pink,"
When the pinkette was a few meters away, Lisanna quickly steps up to meet the man halfway. So, Lucy looks back at the newly arrived guest and tried to comprehend the man's image. Oddly enough, pink hair isn't a usual hair color, but somehow, this man was pulling it off. He is tall, lean, quite tan—she isn't sure though as it was dark enough—has pink hair, sharp jaws, and tantalizing black eyes. Lucy suddenly jumped in hiccup as she noticed that those mesmerizing black onyx eyes were staring straight at her. Realizing that she was directly having eye contact with the man—who was smiling at her as well—she felt her cheeks slowly warm up when suddenly she jumps again because of her hiccup. Lucy immediately tries to mask it up by covering her mouth with a closed fist and clears her throat before thumping over her chest to stop her hiccups.
Lisanna laces her arms to the man's offered elbow and gently pulled him closer to her friends. She giddily looked at her blonde friend, who was having some fits, but ignored it as she began to introduce the man.
"Natsu, you know Bickslow, obviously," Lisanna simply starts, and the two men immediately clasp their hands in a handshake before finishing it off with a fist bump. When the two pulled away, Lisanna then gestures to her blonde friend and said, "And this is Lucy Ashley!" the silverette then drops her hold to the Natsu's arm and ran up to Lucy's side. Without warning, Lisanna quickly loops her arm around the woman and pulled the actress closer to the pink-haired man.
As the two women stood closer to Natsu, the pink-haired man smiled even wider at the blonde, which obviously made the actress more flushed.
"Lucy, meet Natsu!" Lisanna then made a quick glance at Lucy before looking back at Natsu, who has extended his hand for a handshake. But then Lucy didn't immediately reach out. As Lisanna glances at her friend in wonder about the lack of reaction, she was about to whisper to the actress, when suddenly she gets distracted when Natsu greets Lucy.
"Hi," Natsu says. Lucy then started having another hiccup, but she quickly conceals it by replying back in haste, "Hi,"
Now as the two had finally spoken to one another, Lisanna couldn't help herself but slowly grin in excitement. It even intensified when she saw Lucy look down at Natsu's hand and reached out to shake his hand. Without recognizing it on Lucy's face, Lisanna didn't realize that the blonde was actually transfixed with Natsu's firm handshake. Lucy then thought to herself that Natsu's hand was bigger than hers and that his grip was firm but at the same time gentle. But among all the realization she had at the moment while staring at their clasp hands, she couldn't get over the idea that Natsu's hand is warm that it is pleasing to hold.
To be continued…