Seven Days

Chapter 2- Saturday

Gray flopped onto his tiny bed, his back sinking into the mattress. The cabin was cozy enough, though in his opinion, it could use an air conditioner. His eyelids slowly shut, and his mind drifted.

He remembered the events of earlier that day.

"Gray."

"Nice to meet you, Gray!" The girl, Juvia, had exclaimed. She didn't seem to bothered by the rain, which only grew heavier and heavier. She turned to introduce herself to an equally oblivious Lucy, only to be yanked back roughly when Gajeel's giant hand wrapped around her wrist. The blunt man had also captured a chattering Levy.

"Don't you guys think it's a little… wet outside right now?" He grumbled, his red eyes focused on Levy.

Levy giggled. "Yea, I guess it started raining, huh? Hopefully it'll clear up soon," she hummed, and then turned back to Lucy, only to see that Lucy was no longer there. A soaking wet Natsu had already dragged her halfway to the cabin.

Gray started walking away, his somber eyes fixed on the ground, when an annoyed huff distracted him. He looked over his shoulder to see that Gajeel was forcibly dragging his acquaintances back to their own cabin. Juvia was looking over at him, her eyes unreadable. When their gazes met, she smiled at him, and he quickly looked away, wondering if his face was as warm as it felt.

"Oi, blockhead! Mind helping me unload the car while my crazy girlfriend makes some snacks?" Natsu shouted at Gray from the cabin door, earning a frustrated shove from Lucy. Natsu grinned and muttered something to her, but she simply rolled her eyes and headed inside.

They had enjoyed Lucy's special popcorn (to this day, Gray didn't know what she did to make it so heavenly) and finished unpacking over an hour ago, but it was still pouring rain outside. He lazily opened his eyes and sat up, glancing over at the alarm clock on his nightstand. It was almost six.

His mind wandered, but somehow, his thoughts always seemed to lead back to one thing- her. Her radiant sapphire hair, her luminous cobalt eyes, her bright smile that could probably cure cancer…

He had only just met her, so why was she plaguing his thoughts? This wasn't a Disney movie, was it?

He sure hoped it wasn't.

A quick knock at his door jerked him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Lucy standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Natsu and I are going into town to get some groceries. Do you want anything?" She asked him, her eyes bright.

Gray fell back onto the bed. "Ice cream. I don't care what flavor," he muttered. Lucy nodded and turned back to the rest of the cabin.

"Oh, so Gray gets ice cream, but I don't get hot wings?" Natsu's voice sounded faint.

"Natsu, all you ever want to eat is hot wings." Gray could hear the sarcasm in Lucy's voice.

"Cause they're good."

She laughed. "Fine, I'll get you hot wings. But only if you don't throw up on the ride there!"

He zoned out of their conversation, but he could still hear voices and laughter in the background. The door shut, and they were gone.

He had finally fallen asleep when a loud knock at the front door woke him.

Honestly, don't they notice the car missing from the driveway?

He rose, yawning, and walked over to the door, running his fingers through his messy ebony hair. After playing with the doorknob for a long moment, he swung the door open.

And there she was.

Juvia had traded her earlier clothes for a thin purple long sleeve shirt and jeans, and her cerulean hair was thoroughly soaked as if she had been out in the pouring rain for a long time, but he already felt his mood lightening.

"Hey, um… We were wondering… We, as in me and Gajeel and Levy, of course… We were wondering if you guys wanted to come hang out for a bit? It's raining so they don't really want to go outside…" She shyly looked up at him, her navy blue eyes wide, and a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Well, Natsu and Lucy are at the store, but I can ask them when they come back," he said, trying to keep his cool.

Does my voice really sound that weird?

"Oh…" Her voice trailed off, as if she were looking for something to say, and her gaze lowered to the ground. Suddenly her head jerked up, and she had a wide grin on her face.

"In the mean time, wanna go see the osprey nest Gajeel found earlier?" Her voice was high pitched with excitement.

"Sure, but... It's kinda raining."

"What, are you scared of a little water?" She teased, her eyes glinting mischievously.

Gray smirked. "Do I look like a guy who's scared of a little water?"

"Only one way to find out," she taunted, before spinning around and bounding into the pouring rain.

Like hell am I gonna let this girl get away, he thought, slamming the door and racing after her. She glanced back at him, beaming.

He followed her behind the cabin and into the scruffy woods, through the undergrowth and tattered shrubs, until she finally stopped running. Breathless, he slowed beside her. They were still deep in the woods, but the gravel road was beside them.

"Look," she murmured, pointing up at the trees.

There, in the uppermost branches of the tallest tree, was a ginormous bundle of sticks and leaves and hell knows what else. He thought he could see a bird way up there, but he couldn't be sure.

"How did he even find that?" He asked, looking back at her.

"Who knows? Gajeel always finds the coolest things when we're outside. He's really good at finding special rocks and stuff," she answered, her eyes still glued to the nest. Gray grunted in response, wondering if she had even noticed that the rain was getting even heavier, if that was possible.

"I actually like the rain," she spoke, answering his unasked question. She looked over at him, smiling softly. "It kinda feels like home to me."

"Well to me, it just feels wet."

She laughed, and he marveled at the light behind her eyes, a weak smile tugging his lips.

The sound of crunching gravel distracted him, and he turned to face blinding headlights and a familiar red SUV. The car slowed beside them, and the driver's window slid down, revealing his blonde roommate.

"Hey, do you guys want a ride back?" Lucy asked, and Gray silently thanked her for not questioning what he was doing in the woods with a girl he just met (even though she probably would later that night).

"Sure!" Juvia exclaimed, grinning and bouncing over to the backseat. Gray followed, wondering how a girl he met only a few hours ago had the ability to turn his world upside down.