Chapter 3

Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep

Groaning, I reached for my cell phone to turn off the alarm. When I finally grabbed it, I swiped the alarm off and steadily stretched out my arms and legs. I sat myself up and into a pretzel as a huge yawn escaped while I looked over my phone for any new notifications. Seeing that it was only 03:02, I began rubbing my eyes with my free hand. I wonder if anyone else has to get up at this time besides emergency workers. At a leisurely pace, I got off the bed, put my slippers on and walked into the bathroom to start my morning ritual.

After turning on the shower to let it heat up, I began flossing my teeth to pass the time. I made sure I got in between every tooth especially since that damn dentist wants to do a cleaning every three months for me. Says I eat too many pastries. As if. I tossed the used floss into the trash and took off my t-shirt and sweatpants. As I entered the shower, I moaned when I felt the hot water run over my body. I didn't know why but I loved the heat especially when it was summer. When everyone else was dying from the heat wave, I felt like I could walk the entire day without breaking a sweat in that kind of weather. Hmm, that reminds me of the time our patisserie being extremely busy when people simply wanted to stay out of the sun. At least it helped get our name out there.

I grabbed my orange toothbrush from the holder and squeezed some whitening toothpaste on the bristles. This is going to suck. Starting to brush my teeth, some pain started to appear from my gums. Damn, guess Erza was right. Using all this whitening stuff is definitely making my gums sensitive. Not in the mood to drag this out, I quickly brushed every tooth and spat out the remnants of it. Turning around to face the shower head, I caught some of the water in my mouth and rinsed out whatever was left. I then squeezed some shampoo on my hand and ran it through my pink hair. I wasn't sure why I had pink hair and no matter who I asked, they wouldn't know why either. Heck, the people at the hospital weren't even able to tell me if my parents had the same kind of hair.

Not that it matters. As a child, Igneel adopted and took care of me all the way up until I was in Fairy Tail High. He was always there for me, giving me advice especially when I didn't ask for it. But then one day, he died due to a sudden stroke. It was just so sudden. And I didn't even see it coming. Hell, I didn't even know he had health issues until I overheard one of the nurses say that Igneel's been visiting them for a couple of months before he passed away. Fucking jerk didn't have the nerve to even tell me. I could have stayed at home and took care of him instead of going to school. At his funeral, Erza had said that Igneel didn't tell me because he wanted me to happy and get through high school. I shook my head as I ran my hands through my hair. I took some mouthwash and began rinsing while waiting for the conditioner to take effect.

Igneel, I hope you're happy. Wherever you are. I took one of the bottles and squeezed some soap out as I began cleaning every inch of myself. Rinsing myself with the water, I made sure that all the soap was gone before turning the water off. After grabbing the towel, I dried myself and went back into my bedroom to get dressed. Isn't today the day Erza said I should dress up? Oh yeah, I'm supposed to visit our second patisserie and make sure everything is up to standard in the kitchen. Why can't she do this kind of thing herself? I mean, I already did it the first time around so she should know what I like and dislike.

Shortly after putting on a pair of black khakis and a dark blue shirt, I made sure to tuck in the shirt since the she-devil would probably be on my ass about it if I didn't. She had a thing about looking professional even though I'm a maitre patissier. I also wore a pair of black sneakers and once everything looked nice, I left the bedroom and entered the kitchen. When I saw the cake Sting made me, I could literally remember tasting it without having a bite. It was that delicious. Before turning off all the lights, I put on a white checkered scarf and a black wind jacket. Making sure I had everything, I left the apartment and locked the door behind me. As I left the building and walked towards the garage, I felt a small breeze hitting against me. Ugh, I despise the cold weather. I can't believe it's already Fall. I paused by the entrance and stared down the empty street, full of dead leaves. It actually didn't make sense to me that some people could still be wearing t-shirts when the weather was this cold. It was at least 10 C! I resumed walking into the garage and when I got to my car, I placed my hand on the knob, unlocking it. Making myself comfortable, I started the vehicle and made my way towards the patisserie.

~04:04~

Looking up at the patisserie, I couldn't believe how early I arrived. How did I get here so fast? Usually, when I leave my apartment, it would take me about an hour to get here. I guess since there was no traffic, I got here in just thirty minutes. Great. Well, I suppose I could just enter by myself and get a head start on my work. Reaching for the keys in my pocket, I took them out and picked out the key for the patisserie.

"You're here pretty early aren't you?" Feeling an adrenaline rush, I quickly glanced over to see a shadowy figure. Who the hell is that? I squinted my eyes to get a better look but it was took dark to see who it was. When the figure began walking towards me, I swallowed some saliva unsure of what to do. "What's wrong? You don't remember me?" When he walked under one of the street lights, I sighed in relief.

"Gray? What are you doing here?" I'm glad to see that it wasn't some weirdo coming after me but why the hell is he here? As he walked closer, he was wearing another dark blue suit but it was different from the one last night. It was more elegant in design and how can you miss that shine on his black shoes? It was practically blinding even without the sun!

"I have a meeting at 05:00 but I guess I flew here too early."

"You flew here?"

"My helicopter dropped me off at one of the nearby helipads downtown." My eyes widened as my jaw slightly dropped. Exactly how much money does this guy have? Hold on, does that mean he flew back home last night and came back just this morning? Isn't that expensive?

"Wait, if a helicopter dropped you off, why are you walking?"

"You ask a lot of questions don't you?" Just as I was about to glare, I momentarily restrained myself. Natsu, don't forget he's Erza's partner. If you do anything dumb, Erza will eat you alive. Ah to hell with it. She's not here anyway.

"Do you have a problem with that?" When he began to chuckle, I scowled in annoyance.

"No, not really. I was merely observing. To answer your question, I drove over here, parked my car at one of the garages, and walked my way to your patisserie. Did you also want to know my life story?" This guy has some nerve.

"I'd rather not. Hearing about your life just might kill me from boredom." Continuing to laugh, he grabbed a phone from his pocket and raised it to his ear.

"Since we're both here a bit early, I'm sure you wouldn't mind getting some breakfast would you?" Staring at the raven, I was hesitant to accept his offer. "I'm at Fairy Tail's Patisserie. Do you mind picking me up? 5 minutes? Good." After shoving his phone back in his pocket, he smirked as he walked closer.

"You know I didn't say yes right?"

"You didn't say no either. And besides, it's not like you want to go inside and start working do you?"

"Actually, I do but thanks for deciding to take me without my consent." I replicated his smirk, hoping that it would annoy him. When he didn't seem fazed, he stared at me in such a way that I immediately felt self-conscious. "What are you looking at?"

"You look nice today. And I love your scarf. It somehow matches with your personality." Blinking my eyes in astonishment, I glanced towards the ground as I dug my hands deeper in my pockets.

"Thanks."

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to." Quickly looking up, a limo turned from the corner and stopped in front of us.

"I thought you called for a taxi, not a limo?" He simply smiled as the driver exited and opened the passenger door for him.

"I suppose I'll see you later."

"I'll come!" Right before he entered the limo, I continued staring at the ground, hoping that I didn't sound desperate.

"Oh? I thought you would prefer to work?"

"I changed my mind." After some silence, I glimpsed over to Gray and found it odd to see him still smiling.

"After you then." Making a gesture for me to enter, I slowly climbed inside making sure to leave some space behind for the raven to sit. Taking in my surroundings, I'm amazed to see so much space and a bar with food and drinks inside!

"You have way too much money that it's definitely a crime."

"You sound displeased." Staring out the window, I smiled when there were still a bunch of stars visible in the night sky. It was actually kind of rare to even see stars especially in the city. "I take it you're not too fond of people with money."

"I just don't understand it sometimes. Why have all this money? All it does is make you stand out."

"Tell me, do you even know who I am?" After adjusting my posture, I turned to shake my head and smile at the raven.

"Nope, not a clue!" Appearing a bit irritated by my answer, he placed his right leg over the other.

"Yep, you're definitely interesting." Confused by his statement, I decided to ignore him until we arrived to wherever it is we're going. "So why are you wearing a scarf anyway? It's not that cold yet."

"Because it is freezing."

"You do realize it's only 13 C, right?"

"Like I said, freezing." Perplexed, he took out a tablet and opened up some apps that had a bunch of numbers and graphs. Oh so he can do work and I can't? That's hardly fair. I looked outside the window as we passed a restaurant that Loke, Lyon and I went to a couple of weeks ago. Guess we're not that far from the patisserie.

"Ever heard of Grimoire Heart?" Glancing back, it was surprising to see his tablet closed and on the seat.

"Yeah, it's a two Michelin star restaurant and from what I've heard, it's always a bit difficult to get a reservation." Pausing, I suspiciously stared at him as he remained motionless in his seat. "Why do you ask?"

"That's where we're heading if you were curious." I held back a chuckle when he had a look of bemusement.

"You may have a lot of money but I'm pretty sure you can't just go into that restaurant and expect a table. And besides, I don't think they're open for breakfast."

"My sister owns it."

"You're kidding." When he shook his head, he was so impassive that it was starting to bother me. At least it didn't seem like he was showing off.

"But you're right about them not being open for breakfast. However, since I'm in town, I have a private table set up this morning. I figure I should take the maitre patissier out with me." Unrelenting, I continued to stare warily of him.

"Wait, if you have a private table set up, why did you stop by the patisserie? Couldn't you have just gone to the restaurant first?"

"Didn't I just say I was going to take the maitre patissier out with me? My, someone has a short-term memory." Brushing off how irritated I am, it was still odd that he was at the patisserie. Did he really just want to take me out? But why? I'm not anyone that significant or at least I don't think I am. It would make more sense if he took Erza out to breakfast.

"We're here." Quickly gazing outside, we were definitely at Grimoire Heart. Even as the door opened near Gray, I was still astounded that we were here. I've always wanted to eat here but I never could find the time. Or the money now that I think about it. "You coming?" When his hand stretched out, I was nervous to take it. "Well?" With that, I gathered as much courage and grabbed his hand as he gently pulled me outside the limo. "You took a while to get out didn't you?" Ignoring his comment, I stared at the brown doors adorned with gold metal. "You're not getting sick are you?" Baffled, I didn't know how to respond but continue staring at the raven. "You're a bit red."

"I am?" I brought a hand to my cheek to see if it was warm but it didn't feel like I was running a fever. Wait a minute, I've never even had a fever my whole life! Why would I get one now?

"Let me see." Before I could do anything, Gray's hand pressed against my forehead. "Yeah, you're fine." When he removed his hand, I couldn't stop myself from staring at the raven. He seems kind of nice even though he has a ton of money. "Hmm, you're turning red again. You're not falling for me, are you?" Avoiding his gaze, I stared down the street in amusement.

"You wish."

"Ah good morning Mr. Fullbuster." Glancing back to the restaurant, at the door stood a tall man with silver-colored hair. Heh, like Lyon's. "We were expecting you per your request. Although," When his eyes fell on me, I stared at Gray for some sort of reaction. "We weren't expecting another person to join you." I knew it! This wasn't planned at all.

"Is that a problem?" When Gray spoke with a venomous tone, I felt bad even though the employee himself wasn't fazed.

"Of course not. Please, right this way." I followed the business man into the restaurant as the door closed behind me. "My apologies but my name is Rustyrose. I'll be your host this morning." After bowing his head, he lead us further into the restaurant. Looking around, everything's so elegant from the carpeting to the tables and ceiling! Heck, there was even a painting up there! "And here we are gentleman." Staring past the host, we stood near a table inside a private room. I took Gray's lead as he sat down in one of the leather chairs. Wow, it's so comfortable! The host began to pour us glasses of water when something was a bit off. Where's the menu? "What shall we prepare for your friend?"

"A croissant french toast with fresh strawberry syrup." It was surprising not to hear Gray speak so harshly as he did a couple of seconds ago but it's a good change.

"Certainly. And the usual for you sir?"

"Of course."

"Both dishes will be out as soon as they are ready. Please don't hesitate to call me if you need anything else." As soon as he walked away, I began taking off my jacket as I hung it behind my chair. However, I did make sure to leave the scarf on. "Sir, did you want to check in that coat?" Surprised, I turned around to see him standing by the chair.

"You can take mine as well." Glancing back, Gray somehow already had his jacket off and when the host appeared next to him, my jaw dropped when he had my jacket. What the hell? How does he move so fast? "So Natsu, shall I be paying for you this morning?" Taken aback, I quickly shook my head.

"Of course not! I have money of my own thank you very much!"

"Is that so?" He asked as he placed both elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands.

"Don't think you're so rich that somehow, other people can't afford to eat out." When he smiled, I shook my head even though I could feel a smile creeping up on me. "Anyway, you never really answered why you came to the patisserie first. And by the look of things, you didn't plan to take me with you this morning." Thinking I had him on the fence, I had the biggest grin even though he appeared so calm and collected.

"I find you interesting. And I want to get to know you more."

"Is that a fact?" This guy is playing some type of game. I know it.

"Oh? Then it's no surprise I've heard Lyon call you a flame brain." I narrowed my eyes as his smile didn't recede.

"I don't think I've heard Lyon ever call me that. Perhaps there's something you would like to share?"

"Something I would like to share? Hmm, I do find you cute." I blankly stared at the raven sitting across from me. Did I just hear him correctly?