Hello everyone~

Sorry for the long wait! School was hell. Thankfully today was my last day! :D Not that I'll have much more time to write, since I'm gone almost all of July... DX Oh well. (Probably the worst part of it is that I have to miss half of Nalu Week! DX)

Enjoy this chapter! I hope you like the fluff!

Chapter Four

43 Days Until the Truth

It's been a week since Natsu and I saw each other. We talked once on the phone towards the beginning of the week, but then I got too busy with studies to do much. School starts next week for me, so I need to finish the summer homework I was assigned. Finally, my father left for a business meeting, leaving me to freedom. Instantly I pull out my notebook and start writing. My phone rang loudly next to me, causing me to nearly fall out of my chair. "Stupid phone!" I shout at it. But my eyes widen when I see the caller ID, and I snatch it up. "Hello!"

"Yo," he replies. "How ya' been? Haven't heard much from you recently, you were makin' me worried."

"Summer homework," I sigh apologetically, standing up and stretching. "My dad took my phone and has been forcing me to finish."

"Yuck," Natsu sounds sympathetic. "Summer homework? That's bullshit." I collapse onto my bed, kicking one of my legs into the air, then resting it atop my left knee. "That sucks, Luce. You need a break? Levy and and I were thinkin' that pizza sounded good for tonight. Gray is being a lame ass and can't come, so that leaves the three of us? You in?"

"Yes!" I squeak, not bothering to hold in my excitement. "I'd love to go! What time?!"

"Meet up at five?" Natsu suggests. "I would come pick you up, but from what I've heard about your dad, I dunno if that's such a good idea..."

"Yeah, I'll come get you," I tell him. "I can pick up Levy too."

"Sweet!" he cheers. "It's gonna be good to see you, I've missed you a ton."

I blush crimson. Taking a deep breath, I reply as calmly as I can, "I've missed you too."

After spending ages picking out clothes, doing my hair and makeup, and pacing around my bedroom trying to decide what shoes to wear, I was finally ready. At this point, I knew I was going to be late. I smooth my tan skirt down as I pull up in front of Zirconis' house. Thankfully, it was only 5:10. I wasn't too terribly late.

"Lucy!" Natsu's voice carries through the door. He throws it open and comes running towards me, a huge grin on his face. He's wearing almost exactly the same outfit he was the last time I saw him, except his shorts were replaced with jeans. He's such a dork...

"Hey!" I shout back, waving at him.

Natsu shouts something over his shoulder, probably talking to his step-mom, then yanks open the car door and jumps in. "No worries," he tells me. "I took motion sickness pills before you got here." He clicks in his seatbelt, then leans back against the headrest.

"Do they work?" I ask him.

Natsu bites his lip slightly. "Err...no." He grins almost nervously. "The only thing they do is prevent me from puking." I sigh and shake my head. "Better than nothing," Natsu says, nudging my arm with his elbow. I smile and start the car. We ride in silence, with me just focusing on the road and Natsu gazing out the window. His eyes are faraway, as if in another world.

The truth is, I'm worried about him. Ever since I touched his wrist at the amusement park, I've been thinking about his behavior. The fact that he has no father is definitely something to think about, along with his frequent space-out moments where he'll seem to be miles away. He's just so hard to read: he seems so cheerful and good-natured, but I can see the pain in his eyes. I can still feel his teardrops on my skin, hear his heartbreaking sobs, see his crumbling strength. He is a house of cards, delicate and precarious. The more cards you stack on top, the harder it becomes to stay balanced. One little mistake, and he's going to come crashing down.

All of a sudden, Natsu's smartphone rings, interrupting my thoughts. "Masayume Chasing, Chasing, koero motto! Jibun shijou saikou no-" Natsu snatches it up, checks the caller ID, then answers. "Yo, Levy. Wassup?" He holds the phone out in front of him, on speakerphone, so I could hear too.

"I'm sooo sorry!" Levy's voice cries. "I agreed to pizza without even thinking! I've got to work an extra shift today! Ughhhh it's horrible!"

"It's okay, Levy-chan," I tell her reassuringly. "We can meet up some other time."

"Thanks, Lu-chan, Natsu! You two have fun without me!" She giggles mischievously. "I'm sure you'll have a great time. Love you guys! Toodle-loo!" Natsu then hangs up, completely unaware of our friend's teasing. On the other hand, I probably look like an overripe tomato.

An awkward silence falls between us, the only sound being my poor car's engine. I'm tempted to turn on the radio to break the silence, but cheesy love songs are only going to embarrass me more. I glance at Natsu out of the corner of my eye. His brow is furrowed in seeming concentration. It's almost as if he's trying to decide on something...

"Hey Lucy?"

His voice startles me, and I have to stop myself from yanking on the steering wheel. "Y-Yes?"

"Uh...well...since there's two of us instead of four, we don't have to buy as much food..." He trails off slightly awkwardly. Truth be told, I have no idea where he's going with this. "A-Anyways, we don't have to go to pizza if you don't want to. We could go to a place with better food, like 8 Island. The food's a little pricey, but damn, it's good."

So that's what this was about... But why was he so nervous? Is this '8 Island' super fancy? I've only heard of it, since it just opened recently. "Uh, sure!" I shout a little too loudly. "I-I've never been."

"Grandina took Wendy and I last week," Natsu explains. "Seriously though, I've decided that Haregon's food is waaay better than Magnolia's."

"Yes, the food here is sublime," I reply, watching in amusement as Natsu raises an eyebrow at the big word. "Unfortunately, I'm barely ever able to order out... My father believes that a lady must learn to cook for herself, or have her servants do it."

"You cook?!" Natsu exclaims, leaning forward eagerly. He suddenly turns pale, then leans back against the headrest, cursing his motion sickness.

"Well...yeah..." I find myself blushing like crazy. "I-I'm not that good..."

"I seriously doubt it," Natsu replies, locking eyes with me. My heart pounds against my ribs. "I believe that you can do anything well, Lucy, as long as you put your heart into it."

If I blushed any redder after that, I think my face would've burned off.

I pull into the 8 Island parking lot, listening to Natsu's annoying phone GPS tell me "You have reached your destination" repetitively in the same monotone voice. Natsu opens one eye to glance at me, having been woken up by his motion-sickness induced coma by the GPS. "Do you see any parking?" I ask him, glancing out my window.

He grunts groggily, then replies, "No, but there might be some in-"

"You have reached your destination." Natsu snatches up his phone, not liking the interruption.

"Shut the hell up," he growls, exiting the app. "Damn, that thing pisses me off." He sighs. "Anyways, there's parking in the back."

I nod, slowly turning the wheel to make my way to the back of the building.

After Natsu's mini-celebration about getting out of the car, we head to the entrance. To my shock, Natsu holds the door for me as I enter. Memories of my etiquette classes flash though my head as I step into the restaurant in stunned silence. The atmosphere is very nice, not too fancy but not too casual either. The diners are a diverse mix of couples, friend groups, and families. I spot a few people I know, such as Police Officer Doranbolt (code name Mest), the firefighter Totomaru, and Jura the construction worker.

I feel a nudge on my shoulder. "Lucy?" I turn to look at Natsu. "You want a table or booth?"

"Table," I say, even though the booths look comfortable. There's only two of us and the place is packed. I'd feel bad taking up an entire booth.

The waitress that stood in front of us nods. "Right this way." She seats us at a table near the center of the main room. As she passes out the menus, she introduces herself. "My name is Sherry, and I'll be serving you this evening...with love~"

Before she could continue, Natsu jumps in with, "I want a Coke." So much for etiquette. Sherry's eyebrow twitches, but she doesn't say anything as she writes his order down. I order an iced tea shortly after, then watch her walk away.

Slowly the evening goes on. Natsu and I make small talk, discussing studies, funny stories from our childhood, and other very random things such as Natsu's theory that asparagus is an alien life form. "It was never meant to be eaten," he claims, leaning across the table. He keeps talking in an melodramatic voice, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Once you eat it, it never leaves. Instead, it latches onto the walls of your stomach like a leech and feeds off your blood!"

Despite the fact that this is an obvious fabrication, I shiver. Imagining something in my stomach like that... "Gross!" I exclaim, slapping Natsu's arm. "You're freaking me out! Where do you even come up with this stuff?!"

"There's a similar parasite in Jeellen 4," he replies smoothly, as if I'm supposed to know what a Jeellen is. He laughs loudly, noticing my confusion. "Jeellen is a video game series that's basically an alien invasion RPG. Jeellen 4 isn't out yet, though."

"So...how do you know about the parasite?" I frown, stirring my iced tea.

"My job," he replies, his eyes shining. "I beta-test video games: Xbox, PC, iPhone Apps, you name it, I test it."

"Oh, cool!" I smile widely. I'm not really a gamer myself, as my father forbids most electronics, but I love hearing about them. "It must be a win-win job: you get to play video games and see them before others."

"Get this," he grins excitedly, moving his hands. "I get to keep the old version too! Sometimes I have deleted levels, super sweet hacks, or funny glitches. Sure, it can be annoying sometimes, of course, since there's bugs, but still... Besides, I can still buy the finished game if I want, and they give it to me half-off." He grins wider. "AND my name is in the final game credits!"

I smile fondly at him, finding his excitement addictive. Unfortunately, the awkwardness between us returns. I blush and look away from him, my hands sweating like crazy. Natsu clears his throat loudly, breaking the silence. "Lucy...?" I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. "We should do this again sometime...it's fun being with you." He swallows almost nervously.

I study his expression carefully, my heart pounding a mile a minute. He's leaning across the table, his face now dangerously close to mine. Shyly I look into his warm, dark eyes, feeling a little lightheaded. My mind is running wild, thinking up of insane scenarios. Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, "Are you going to kiss me?!"

His eyes widen in shock as his face turns bright red. He opens his mouth as if he was about to speak, but no words come out. Instead he gapes at me, wide-eyed and stunned. Just as he's recovering, I lean back against my chair, listening as the wood scrapes against the floor. I leap out of my seat and make a mad dash for the bathroom, ignoring Natsu's sudden shout of, "Wait! Lucy-!"

I slam the door shut behind me, trembling. A white-haired girl jumps in shock at my sudden entrance. Gasping for air, I splash water on my red cheeks, feeling the cold sting my cheeks. The girl blinks, then slowly approaches me. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be okay," I breathe, looking at her. "I just embarrassed myself..."

She nods understandingly. "On a date?"

I blush again, "N-Not really...I mean, it's just the two of us, but our friend was originally supposed to come..."

The girl smiles. "Makes sense. I can imagine how awkward it would be." She adjusts the strap of her shiny green dress, then continues. "I'm Yukino, by the way."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," I reply, reaching out a hand to shake. "My name is Lucy." She takes my hand, shaking it gently. Her eyes are caring and kind.

"Want to talk about what happened?" she asks, moving up to lean against the porcelain counter. I explain my predicament to her, blushing and giggling the whole time. She has an almost sad smile on her face as she listens. Finally, she speaks again. "It sounds like he likes you."

"Maybe," I mumble sheepishly, tucking a lock of blond hair behind my ear. I decide to change the subject, even though it is not ladylike to pry. "So...are you alright? You look sad."

Yukino sighs. "Well...my boyfriend has been acting...stranger than normal. He's always been a little temperamental, but he's been super harsh and angry lately. Of course, it may have to do with school coming up. I mean, it's Senior year..." Her expression is distant. "I just miss the person he used to be..."

I place a kind hand on her shoulder. "Yukino... I'm so sorry. That sounds difficult."

"It is," she replies, looking down at her shoes. "It really is. But...I'm going to have to live with it. Hopefully it passes, and things can go back to normal."

"I hope so too." I gaze towards the bathroom door, already feeling more confident. "Good luck, Yukino."

"And the same to you, Lucy," she smiles. "I hope we meet again someday." I hold the door for her, and we exit the bathroom together. I watch her walk away, heading towards the tables in the back where most of the couples are eating. I swallow nervously, then make my way back to Natsu and I's table. My hands are sweating like crazy, my heart is pounding, and my cheeks are on fire. I must...stay...calm...

"There you are," Natsu smiles almost shyly as I sit back down. "I was worried for a moment that you left me here."

"Haha," I reply, trying to sound lighthearted, but my nervousness bleeds through and destroys it.

After a long moment of silence, Natsu looks me straight in the eyes. "Lucy," he says slowly, deadly serious. "I...I want you to be honest...are we...are we really just friends?"

His question catches me off guard, but I force myself to keep calm. "Uh...well..." I look away from him. "I...I'm not exactly sure... A-Are we?"

"Do you want to be?" he asks vaguely, leaning closer to me.

Confused by his question and embarrassed by how close he is, I attempt to come up with a quick answer. It's not pretty. "Yes! I mean, no! No, yes! Completely! Um...I-I mean..." He silences me by pressing a finger to my lips, as if shushing me. My heart pounding, I whisper against his finger, "No."

Natsu grins wildly, blushing as he says gently, "Me neither..." His eyes are swirling with love.

Shyly I gaze back at him. His face is illuminated by the dim lighting, giving him an almost magical glow. I breathe deeply, and when I speak, my voice is barely a whisper. "Now are you going to kiss me?"

"If you want me to," he smiles shakily, just as nervous as I am. His forehead presses against mine, his breath on my face. Unsure of what to do, I simply wait. He understands my silent thoughts and feelings easily, and slowly begins to close his eyes. Trusting him, I close mine as well.

I can smell his warm, comforting scent as it tickles my nose. I can feel his strong hands take mine, entwining our fingers. Finally, after what feels like years, his lips connect with mine. Astonishing heat floods through me like a wildfire, starting at my lips and flooding through my whole being down to my toes. My heart slams quickly against my rip cage in short, violent bursts. Fireworks explode in my stomach, like a chemical reaction. It just feels so...right.

He pulls away after what feels like a split second, looking reluctant and shy. I'm sure my face is cherry red, but I don't mind anymore. This is all so...unreal...dreamlike...perfect. Unfortunately, my runaway mouth ruins it once again, "You're a good kisser."

Natsu raises an eyebrow, both amused and embarrassed at the same time. The reality of what I said hits me then, making me want to faint from embarrassment. To my surprise, he replies pretty nonchalantly, "I know."

I can't help but to laugh in spite of myself. The laugh turns into an embarrassing snort, which only makes me laugh harder. His grin only widens as he watches me bemusedly. "S-Sorry," I finally stammer out. "I'm no good at this... I've never dated before." His eyes widen, and I realize that, once again, I've gotten ahead of myself. Just because we kissed doesn't mean we're dating-! "Sorry!" I squeak.

"Stop apologizing," he says softly. "It's okay... You can relax, alright? It's just me."

I smile, warmth and reassurance flooding through me. It's just Natsu... I know him, it's not like he's a stranger who I have to make a good first impression on. "Right," I reply softly.

"You ready to go now?" he asks me. "You pay up at the counter." I nod, following him to the counter. He pays, even though I insist on paying. We walk out of the restaurant hand in hand. I have never felt this loved in my entire life, and it feels amazing.

Now I want nothing more than to Magnolia High. I want to stay with Natsu, meet his friends, and learn all that there is to know about the world that I do not know yet. I want to experience things differently...

I've made up my mind. Soon, very soon, I am going to tell my father that I want to go to Magnolia High, and if he refuses... I'll find a way to go anyway. This...is my dream. I want to be ordinary... I want to finally, finally, be ordinary...

Thanks for reading! I also apologize if I haven't answered your reviews, I do read them and love everything you all say. I just have no time anymore, especially with 3 other stories to update... Thank you for all of the feedback! I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter!

Also, if you need inspiration for your own writing, listen to the full soundtrack of Life of Pi on Youtube. It's beautiful.

Another little side note: Yukino's boyfriend (I'm sure you know who it is) is going to be OOC. I wrote the original idea for this story long before my opinion of him changed. Just a warning, and me saying that I don't have anything against him at all. (He's actually in my Top 15 of favorite Fairy Tail characters!)

~ForeverDreamer12, signing out! :)