A tree missing its leaves. A café packed with college students. A bus stop collecting loiterers and pedestrians. All these were seen from Lucy's window on the sixth floor.

It was a nice view at times; there were people she remembered seeing regularly on their way to grab a drink or some food. With it's crisp foliage and gray bark, the tree was a pleasant sight in the autumn. Other times, not so much.

The cigarette smoke lingering at the bus stop made her throat dry up even from her safe barricade in her apartment. So many hands had touched the poles, the bench, it was repulsing. She was glad, however, that the cool weather gave her a chance to bundle up and avoid the contact.

Her usual fall routine consisted of showering and dressing first thing as she woke. Her body would shroud into a layer of jeans and sweaters, scarves and gloves piled over it. She'd make toast, maybe coffee or soup; something easy and healthy. A bottle of sanitizer slipped it's way into her purse, followed by a tin of lotion to keep her hands from cracking.

Leaving the golden hair encasing her head down around her shoulders, Lucy grabbed her key ring and made way downstairs. The elevator was empty, and she bumped the lobby button with her hip. Even the first floor seemed much colder, much more open than her safe and warm apartment upstairs.

Her long legs carried her to the bus stop. The thoughts of walking to class kept cycling through her mind, but it was much too cold and her hands already felt dry inside their mitts. She hopped up over the curb, standing at the bus stop.

She chose a place right beside the bench, a good two or three feet away to keep a sound distance from the smokers and loiterers waiting along with her. The cigarette fumes bled into the air, gray furls streaming with the wind and making way the Lucy.

The blonde took a deep breath before putting her head down and burying her nose into her scarf. The man chuckled, chewing the cigarette between his smiling lips. His face was weathered, wrinkles covering the otherwise young face.

"You want a puff?" He asked. His body leaned against the pole of the shelter. His smile was free of the cigarette as he pulled it out between his fingers, but smoke still ran from his mouth.

Lucy shook her head, refusing to look at him. Her voice was small; polite. "No, thank you."

The man raised a brow and shrugged. "Suit yourself, sweetie." He murmured. His lips wrapped around the bud and he took a long drag as if to entice her.

She was debating walking again before she noticed the bus round the corner, a glorious savior of her own. Lucy would have smile but feared inhaling anything if she parted her lips. Nothing could have carried her onto the bus faster as it parked and opened its doors.

People filled in behind her, some pushing past as she failed to grab a decent seat in time. Even with her gloves, she refused to grab onto one of the poles. She stood in the middle of the bus, hooking her leg around one of the poles to steady herself as they moved again.

Lucy smiled nervously at the person sitting behind her. Prayers ran through her head so she didn't fall over on anyone. Buildings and trees whizzed by the dirty windows as they moved, the sky grey and cluttered with clouds.

The bus took a sharp turn around the corner and Lucy's eyes widened in panic. Don't touch it, it's filthy! she whined to herself, looking around at something to steady her balance. Her leg let go of the pole in an attempt to balance, but she only fell on her side into the aisle.

"Careful." Lucy's side ached as a solid arm slipped beneath her, catching her before her butt hit the ground. Her face burned with embarrassment, the chuckling voice only making her more nervous.

"I'm sorry." She apologized quickly and pushed herself to her feet. The rosy pink head of head caught her eye first, then the deep set onyx eyes and the ivory skin. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Natsu chuckled smugly at her. "Hurt me? You're fine." He shrugged and leaned into her, looking around like it was a secret. "I was trying to be a hero anyway."

Lucy nodded, giving him another polite smile. Her hands slid into the pockets of her sweater, her nose buried back into her scarf.

She felt the black orbs just staring at her. It was impossible to tell if the constant gazing made her uncomfortable or warm. She wasn't able to answer her own question since he asked his. "Not a fan of buses?"

Natsu looked at her blankly, his eyes gesturing to her stiff body. His hand wrapped around the rope handle above him, his back leaning against the metal pole. Lucy shook her head. "Not particularly."

He kept swaying back and forth, peering over people's heads and trying to see out the windows. He sighed, making Lucy crane her neck to see was he was looking at outside.

"Even so, it's not safe to just stand there." Natsu said at last. Lucy tore her gaze off the scenery on the other side of the windshield to look at him.

His free arm snaked around her stomach, pulling her to his chest. He smelled warm, like cinnamon or campfire smoke almost. Lucy's lungs stopped working for a moment as the bus careened around the corner. She could feel every ounce of her body lean against him, begging that she wasn't crushing him or making him uncomfortable. Her back burned where his chest pressed against her.

Natsu let her go as the bus leveled out again, heading straight down the road towards campus. Lucy immediately pushed herself off him. Fearing she'd been to hasty in getting away, she looked over her shoulder at him and gave him a gracious smile.

He wasn't even looking at her when she turned, but his eyes met hers when he noticed her smile. It was like he was waiting for it, and he wasn't going to look at her unless he knew he'd see that smile. It made Lucy whine to herself softly, droned out by the public noise.

"Thank you." Lucy said finally. The brakes squeaked at the bus came to a stop, slightly jolting forward. Natsu's face fell as he stumbled against her, his hand flying up and pressing against the metal bar as not to crush her.

He was so close. The scent was all she could smell; she tasted spices. His hair was all she could see, a color so beautiful Lucy wished it was her own. She could feel his warmth, hear his breath. For a moment it droned out the worries and the panic, breaking down the claustrophobic walls as he pressed her between himself and dirty metal bar.

It was gone too soon. Natsu gave her a nervous smile in return, his ears matching the color of his hair. "Don't mention it." He said breathily. The young man pushed himself off her, quickly looking away to hide his embarrassment.

The crowd began to disperse, the lack of body heat as people got off the bus giving Lucy a sense of relief. She tugged at her scarf a bit, noticing Natsu had his own face buried in the checkered fabric around his neck as well. She turned away from him as she walked off, his footsteps audible behind her.

"Lucy?" Natsu called out. His voice was so whimsical it made her jealous.

The blonde turned on her heel so abruptly he almost knocked into her. Natsu just smiled and looked down, pressing his lips together. They had gotten a bit chapped from the cold but still melted into a warm smile. "Can I have your number before we go?"

Lucy didn't know what to say. The obvious thing would be 'yes,' and she wanted to say it. It felt like hours had gone by before she actually opened her mouth. "Why?"

It came out much ruder than she'd intended. In all honesty she was baffled of course-no one had ever been so bold to her, let alone after knowing them so shortly. She never called nor texted anybody; sometimes she wondered by she even had a phone other than to make herself look busy when she was not.

"I'd like to talk to you more." Natsu said simply. His ego was clearly unhurt by her blatant reply.

Lucy would have scoffed if she hadn't been raised so properly. It was absolutely ridiculous that he would say such a thing. No one wanted to just talk to her. Not classmates, not family, and surely not strangers in her apartment building. They always wanted more. He would be no different.

"I'm running late." Lucy said. She dug her hands around in her pockets, fumbling for her hand sanitizer. "Can I give it to you later?"

Natsu was silent a moment before he grinned and nodded. "Sure. I guess I'll have to get it later when we go to grab our mail."

His lips curled into a teasing smile, the playfulness of his mood having the opposite effect on her. She kept snapping the lid of the sanitizer open and closed, dying to use some of it. She hadn't touched him, but just being around him made her feel so disgusted.

"I guess." Lucy's face reddened, remembering yesterday. She'd have no mail today, and no reason to see him. Talking to one of her silent friends had only made her want to avoid him. She made a note to herself never to talk to the blue haired librarian girl too long, as well.

Lucy was the first to leave. She turned her back to him, not wanting to be around him any longer. Prying the mittens of her hands, she pulled out the sanitizer and let a generous heap fall into her palm. Never again would she let someone touch her, to make her filthy. Not even Natsu.

She still felt him behind her, watching her with that affectionate little smile he seemed to constantly adorn. She imagined the way his eyes caught the light, shining at her as she walked away. Lucy wanted to turn around, to see for herself, but every time she had done that things never ended well.

Lucy kept walking. Her hands stung a bit from constantly scrubbing, but at least the numbing cold went away as her gloves slid back on them. She was dirty as a child, ruined by people who claimed to be interested in her. There was no way she'd let herself fall back into the routine of being shamed and dirtied, disgusted by the hands of another man.

Lucy had grown up, but that didn't mean she could take care of herself.

Nalu Lemon Novel
Exy Koroleva © 2016
Thank you for reading.
Some triggering scenes
to be included, so please
do not report. Comments
& votes are appreciated.