DULY NOTED

Dear Gray-sama,

Thank you.

Love, Your Juvia.

A beautifully handwritten note was the only evidence of Juvia's presence in his apartment. When Gray woke up, the side where Juvia slept was empty and cold. The pillow was smoothed out, as if no one used it. She probably left quite early.

Yet, Gray could still taste the sensation of her touch. He could still feel the sting on his shoulders where her fingernails dug through. Her sweet scent still lingered on his skin. When Gray closed his eyes, he could picture Juvia's body. That one night was enough for his hands to memorize every curve and shape Juvia hides underneath her modest clothing.

"Oh, it's just Gray," Gajeel's voice echoed throughout the building once Gray entered. The tall dragon slayer wore a dismayed look as soon as he saw Gray. He never really liked the guy, for the mere fact that Juvia suffers from "love sickness" — her words, not Gajeel's. It was quite ironic that when his guildmates started asking about Juvia (she was supposed to come back from her mission yesterday), it was the ice mage who showed up. Nah, it was just mere coincidence.

Gray didn't respond to the no-brow mage. He was well aware of Gajeel's dislike towards him. Instead, he made his way towards the guild's bar without greeting anyone. He pulled a seat beside Cana, who's already chugging down what looked like her fourth drink. He greeted her with a casual salute.

Mirajane came out of the kitchen, holding a tray of pancakes and waffles. When she saw Gray, she waved at him cheerfully, but a puzzled expression was visible on her face. She placed the tray of food in front of Gray and looked around the guild.

"Hmm, I wonder where Juvia is..."

"Wh-whaaat? Why are you asking me? It's not like we're together!"

Mirajane titled her head to the side, confused about her friend's reaction. "Um, I wasn't exactly asking you. I'm just wondering out loud. She should've reported back yesterday. I'm worried."

"I'm sure she's fine," Gray assured her. With Mirajane distracted, he started picking on the waffles, not exactly caring if that was meant for one of his guildmates.

Mirajane kept wandering her eyes around the area. Many know that wherever Gray was, Juvia was bound to show up. Yet, there was still no sign of her. Once she noticed what Gray was doing, she slapped his hand with such force the ice mage had to jump back from his seat. "That's not for you!" she immediately snatched the fork from his hand and grabbed the tray. Mirajane still proceeded to deliver the food order, even with the half-eaten waffles.

"Gray, be of some use and help me grab some more beer kegs from the storage," she called out to the scowling ice mage. Gray complied, and Mirajane followed after him. She had something to discuss with Gray in private actually.

When they got to the storage room, Mirajane faced Gray. "Are you sure you don't know where Juvia is?"

"Wh-why do you keep asking me? Why, do you think Juvia spent the night with me?"

Mirajane frowned at Gray's outburst. "You're getting so defensive for no reason. I'm merely asking because she seemed to pop up wherever you are," she sighed out loud. "Yesterday, we received a mission report from her client. It seemed the mission didn't go as expected. We're just worried."

Gray scratched his head. He was giving himself away. Then again, it could be just his paranoia. He should just play it cool. "Well, don't ask me about her. You know..." he trailed off. No one in the guild should know about his night with Juvia. His best defence now was to play the uncaring character. "It's not like I bother to know about her."

So uncool of him!

"Do you really dislike Juvia?" Mirajane asked after a moment of silence. Knowing Gray, the man seemed to say things opposite of what he feels. She had observed Gray's eyes trailing after an unaware Juvia. There were multiple times that the Fairy Tail's head waitress caught Gray hiding a smile —at times a blush— after Juvia's giddy love confessions.

Gray bent his head low. "Dislike?" he shook his head. "When I see her and hear her voice, I feel so suffocated, as if I'm drowning."

Unbeknownst to the two mages, a blue-haired girl stood outside the storage room, hearing an admission that broke her heart into pieces. Tears stung her eyes, but she fought back the urge to cry. She bade a confused Gajeel a quick goodbye and ran out of the building.

If only Juvia stayed.

"I... think about her all the time," muttered a flustered Gray.

"Like you're drowning in a sea of love," teased Mirajane, poking him on the side.

Gray brushed her hand away and turned around. He didn't want Mirajane to see him embarrassed. Yet, he needed to tell someone about it. "No, seriously, it's like I can't breathe when she's near me, but I don't hate that feeling. It's confusing for me, you know."

"Well, well, well... It seems Fairy Tail's ice mage has fallen for the water mage," Mirajane crossed her arms, a mischievous smile appearing. "You should tell Juvia-chan. She'll be so happy!"

Gray frowned, knowing he's not yet ready to take a leap into the fires of romance. He wanted to be sure about his feelings, especially when it comes to Juvia. There was one thing he was sure of — Juvia already owns a special place in his icy heart.