Spending time with other people as if she had friends was a new experience to Lucy. It was normal for people to do this, she knew, but sitting there in the café and talking to people she barely knew was an odd feeling.

Never in her life had she had that. It wasn't really hers, though; this was just a temporary thing, until the tree of them realized Lucy was nothing special and they could resume there lives without her.

"Alright, Gray and I are out." Erza sighed, standing up from her seat. Lucy realized she had a habit of speaking for other people. "I need to make sure Princess doesn't sick or expelled."

Gray rolled his eyes. He stared at the drink in his hand, the signature from the smitten barista clearly more interesting than Erza's idea. "Oh boy, shopping with mom."

The redhead glared down at him as she scooted her chair in with her foot. "Would you rather keep wearing my clothes?" She tested angrily.

Looking up at her, Gray rolled his eyes even harder just for effect before he finally succumbed and stood up. "Fine. But I get to pick out my own clothes." He grumbled. Gray buried his head in his arm as he let out a few coughs.

"If that were true, you'd buy nothing but underwear." Erza scolded under her breath. She looked him up and down as he coughed. "We're buying medicine, too."

Turning to Lucy, the redhead extended her free hand in front of Lucy. "Nice to meet you. Maybe we can see each other again soon. We do live close, so don't be a stranger, alright?" Erza smiled warmly.

Don't be a stranger. That was an odd thing to say, and Lucy wasn't sure how to respond. She just returned a feeble smile and cupped her drink tightly between both hands, denying Erza's hand shake. "Nice to meet you, too."

Lucy wasn't sure what hurt more; how long Erza kept her hand out and waited for a shake, or the look on her face as she drew it away. "I'll see you around then. Later, Natsu." Erza said, her voice only a notch quieter as she turned away.

Gray and Erza turned their backs to Lucy, and the blonde watched them all the way until they were out of the building. Their figures passed out of the shop until they could no longer be seen through the windows.

The silence between Lucy and Natsu made her drink go cold. It's like they were old friends who had known each other for so long that they had nothing new to say. Or they were perfect strangers. Lucy wondered which one they look like to the people around them.

A part of her enjoyed the silence. She wanted to bathe in it, to enjoy nothing but the smell of her tea and maybe the gentle rubbing of Natsu's leg up against hers under the table. It wouldn't happen, not after her obvious rejection to him.

Both of them sat there, twiddling with the paper cup in their hands. Lucy's eyes darted up to steal a glance at Natsu, but he was already looking at her. They both looked away, red faced and stiff bodied.

"I should get going-"

"It was nice coming here but-"

They both spoke at the same time, their pitiful excuses for goodbyes clashing with one another. Natsu and Lucy's eyes met again as they gave each other awkward smiles.

"We can walk home together then." Natsu offered, though it was more of a demand. Lucy had no choice but to stand up as he did, scooting in her chair and grabbing her purse off the back of it. She gently threw it over her shoulder before walking towards the door.

Before she could open the door herself, Natsu's lean arm brushed past the side of her head and pushed it open. He gave her a warm smile, his face dangerously close to hers as she quickly and silently thanked him.

The cool air nipped at her, making her bury her face into her scarf. Luckily, Natsu noticed her uncomfortableness with the cold and quickened up his pace. He grabbed Lucy's forearm, the warmth of his hand seeping through her coat. His touch was on fire.

Natsu looked over his shoulder, smiling at her as he pulled her along. "Come on." He whined almost childishly, his footsteps light and skipping.

Lucy hated the cold, and the other boy's eagerness to get out of it made her smile. She fluffed up her scarf as she picked up her pace, running along beside him.

She couldn't remember the last time she ran like that. It was surely middle school or younger, when she was running simply to run. Now it felt somehow similar, like she was a child and he was her schoolmate on the play yard.

They kept running. Luckily their apartment building was close to the café, and it only took a wild burst of energy for the two of them to topple through the doors of their complex. They stopped once they were inside, their panting breath no longer visible from the cold air.

Natsu smiled widely, catching his breath as Lucy did so. She didn't know why such a stupid thing made her feel so happy. After spending the past few years doing nothing but sitting in lecture room, it was tiring too. But seeing such an intoxicating smile on Natsu's face made her chest burn with happiness.

The pink haired boy took a deep breath as he pressed his fist into the button on the side of the elevator. The doors slid open, and he held out his arm in a gesture for her to step inside.

Lucy laughed quietly, sarcastically bowing her head at him as she brushed by him. Natsu pressed the button on the side, and the six button lit up immediately.

He lives on the fourth floor. Lucy noted to herself. Her breath finally evened out, and the elevator ride was oddly quiet as neither of them spoke. Does he plan on inviting himself in?

Lucy didn't hold it against him. As the elevator doors slid open, she knew it was inside for him to still be so interested in someone so cruel to him. Maybe that was his thing.

The blonde stepped out of the elevator, taking light footsteps across the hallway to her door. She glanced at Erza's door, waiting to see the red head with arms crossed and deep eyes fixated on her. Lucy rummaged around in her purse to find her keys.

"Thanks for coming out with us today." Natsu's voice was clear and airy as he spoke. She tried to imagine what he sounded like when he was anything other than happy, but the idea couldn't come to her. It was impossible to imagine him without a smile.

Lucy looked over her shoulder as she pulled her lanyard out, swinging the keys on her chain. "Thanks for inviting me."

Natsu glanced down at her lips as she gave him a slight smile. "Don't mention it. You seem kinda quiet, anyway. The quiet ones are always the most interesting."

Lucy sighed. Her hands tightened around her keys, ready for the fatal blow. She slid the key into the lock, mentally bracing herself for the words of rejection to be returned back at her. "Yeah?" She said plainly, not looking at him.

She could see Natsu smile at her through the corner of her eye. "Yeah. I like it when I'm right."

Lucy's face heated up. She could feel the pink staining her rounded cheeks. Just like that her mood changed. She felt light hearted again, but just the fact that he could make her feel so many things so easily made her angry. Not enough to say goodbye, though.

"Want to come inside?" Lucy asked, pushing her door open and dropping her keys back into her bag. She stepped inside, leaning on the door for support. Her knees felt weak. "I'll make us tea."

If it was possible, Natsu's smile grew even wider. He didn't allow her any time to move out of the way; he just stepped inside, eagerly scanning his eyes around her apartment. "Thanks."

Lucy closed the door, hanging her coat up on the rack. She dropped her purse on the table, neatly placing her shoes down as she stepped out of them. Natsu shrugged off his jacket as well, but he just held it in his arms as he looked around her living room.

"You have a lot of books." Natsu murmured. Lucy watched him standing still for a moment, probably figuring someone as clumsy as him didn't want to touch anything in fear he might mess it up. Lucy was a little scared of it too, so she just ducked into the kitchen and grabbed a pot for water.

"Yeah, they were all from my mother." Lucy called out to him. It was a small enough space she didn't have to be too loud, which was odd when she hadn't heard a reply from Natsu.

She looked over her shoulder, seeing him still standing there in the open and holding onto his coat. His gaze was glued onto a picture frame on Lucy's table. "Is that you?"

Lucy craned her head to see what he was talking about. Her eyes widened, her chest tightening angrily. "Don't look at my things." Lucy said blatantly, her hand grabbing the frame and putting it down against the table top.

Natsu's face reddened a little bit. "Sorry. I didn't know it was private."

She turned her back to him, walking into the kitchen and grabbing the loose tea from the cabinet. It was stupid thing to get mad at him for, but no one ever came to her home; she never bothered to hide personal things like that.

"Do you like raspberry? It's all I have left." Lucy murmured, cracking open the jar.

Natsu didn't answer again. She sighed to herself, instantly wondering what else Natsu was looking at. More pictures she should have thrown away?

She wheel around, her face red and prepared to snap at him again. Natsu was standing in the kitchen though, and before she could ask herself why she hadn't heard him, she lost her voice.

Her back bumped up against the countertop, her hands gripping onto the edge at her sides. Natsu stood in front of her not wasting any time in grabbing her face in his hands. They were warm, making her skin burn up at the contact of it. Natsu closed his eyes, his lips parted and breath heavy.

He wasted no time his pressing his lips against her. Her head was caught in his hands, her lips stuck between his. Even if she wanted to move, she couldn't. Her hands gripped tighter onto the edge of the counter, knuckles going white.

Natsu pulled away. Her lips felt like burning and melting right then and there. She closed her mouth, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat. Natsu's dark eyes bore down into hers. They had this empty look, glazed over as his hands fell from her face.

A million questions bordering on 'did he not like the kiss?' all swarmed her mind. His hands fell, but when they did, they grabbed onto her hips and pulled them close again. Natsu slid his hands under her thighs, picking her up and setting her down on the kitchen counter.

Her hands still gripped the edge, unable to move and do anything other than stare at him. He quickly replaced his lips on hers, and the burning sensation flooded her entire body. She wasn't sure it was painful or not; it was too intense, and her entire body felt like she was about to seize up if he kept his mouth pressed against hers for any longer.

As if he knew what she was feeling, Natsu pulled away. His face seemed almost strained, like he was holding back. He hands drew away from her, his arms rigid and tense with adrenaline.

And just like that, the empty look left his eyes and his body relaxed. His face was still solemn, though, like he realized he had just hurt her by doing that. Lucy wasn't even sure if that was correct or not; her skin was humming, but the longer she waited, the more it felt like she was being torn apart in the most painful way possible.

The longer he stood there, the more disgusted she felt.

"Go away." Lucy said. Her voice was small and shaky, but she managed. "Go away. You're disgusting."

Tears brimmed Lucy's eyes, and she had the sudden urge to rip off her skin and buy a new shell to live in. Natsu didn't seem phased by her insults.

She wanted to yell at him, but she couldn't. He turned his back to her, picking his coat up off the floor and laying it over his arm. "I'll see you tomorrow." He murmured.

There was silence, and then the door clicked shut behind him as he left. Lucy tugged her lip between her teeth, scraping at it as if it would help her rid her mouth of the dirtied feeling. She brushed away the water stuck to her lashes, her hands laying back down and gripping onto the edge of the counter.

They had to take baby steps, and she didn't know which one of them hated it more.

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.