Juvia woke up and rolled over to read the time off her alarm clock. 10:00am. She had slept through her alarm, not something that she liked doing and definitely not something that she usually did. She quickly jumped out of bed and started getting ready for the day. Her hand started to reach for the clothes that she had put out the night before. The clothes that she usually wore for going to the guild but she hesitated. She wanted Gray to say yes to her usual dinner proposal, or more accurately she needed him to say yes. She was getting sick of constant rejection but she still clung to the hope that somewhere he had feelings for her and he would go to dinner with her, which would turn into a genuine date, which would turn into a relationship and would end in th two being married and living a long and happy life together. The water mage shook the common fantasy out of her mind, she had already overslept and she had never arrived at the guild any later than mid day and that was a trend she was looking to keep. She remembered the words that Cana had whispered in her ear the day before and she figured it was worth a shot since her own plans had never worked. The bluenette opened her wardrobe and started to look for some new clothes.
It was almost twelve when Juvia pushed open the large wooden double doors and walked into the guild. She was immediately greeted with wide eyes and hushed whispers between the other members of the guild. Gray was one of the only few who had shown absolutely no interest in her arrival. His eyes hadn't even moved away from the drink in front of him, not until Cana nudged his arm and pointed towards the doors. Gray stared at the bluenette in the doorway. Juvia was wearing a long blue dress with a low v-cut neckline that showed off some of her cleavage and a pair of blue high heel shoes to match. It wasn't something that she would feel comfortable wearing to the guild everyday but if it would get her a date with Gray then it would be worth it. Juvia looked at Gray, causing him to quickly look away and take a gulp of his drink. She walked over to the bar to take a seat next to Cana, making sure that she passed Gray on the way. The ice mage kept his eyes locked on his drink, trying his best to stop himself from looking at Juvia. He hated to admit it, but he actually thought she was looking really good in that dress, but he could hardly come out and admit in front of everyone in the guild. He would never hear the end of it if he did, especially from Natsu. He was a big enough jerk already.
"It's not working Cana-san, Gray-sama didn't even look up from his drink when Juvia passed him". Cana put her usual barrel of alcohol on the ground next to her and turned to face the bluenette.
"That's because it's Gray, but trust me, he's seen you today. Just give it time"
"How long does Juvia have to wait?" Cana shrugged her shoulders.
"No clue. Could be a couple of days, could be a couple of weeks, could be never. Depends on how much he likes you in that dress".
"So does Juvia have to come to the guild in this dress every day?"
"Well, not that exact dress but I'd recommend clothing like it. You've got to catch his eye, let him know what he could have if he had said yes each time you asked him to dinner"
"But Juvia only wears clothes like this on special occasions"
"Isn't getting a dinner date with Gray a special occasion?"
"Of course it is, but Juvia doesn't feel comfortable coming to the guild dressed like this"
"Well, if you're lucky, you won't have to come in like that for very long". Juvia sighed. It felt so strange wearing a dress like this in the guild, but getting a date with Gray was her number one priority and had been since the first day that she met him and since she had no ideas left on how to drag him out to dinner, Cana's idea was worth a shot. Since she was already sat at the bar, the water mage decided to order her usual cup of tea. Juvia alternated between taking a sip of her tea and turning around to look at Gray, earning her a nudge from Cana each time she did so, asking if she needed to be reminded about what she had been told yesterday, to which the water mage just shook her head and turned back around to face the bar.
The rest of the day seemed to drag as Juvia kept an eye on the clock whilst walking around the guild, trying to get Gray to notice her and come over to talk to her. She would have went over herself, but Cana told her to stop asking Gray so much, to let him chase her for a once. It was beyond difficult for her to keep herself from walking over and asking him the same question she did every day. It had become routine for her and she ahd always found routines hard to break, but if it would end in dinner with him, she was willing to try. She did what Cana had told her the day before and tried to have conversations with other guys. Apparently it would make the ice mage jealous and more likely to come over and talk to her. Juvia had never spoken to most of the men in the guild, so the conversations were pretty awkward as they were mainly introductions, but she decided to keep talking to people.
It was 9:00pm when Juvia left to go home, along with most of the guild. It was the first time she had gone a whole day without talking to Gray whilst he was in the guild, but it wouldn't be the last. not if she was going to keep following Cana's advice. She hoped that this idea worked and she'd get to go out to dinner with him, and she hoped that it would happen soon. The only thing she could do now though was go home for the night, go to bed and try again tomorrow.
