III
Of Hamburglaring and Chance Encounters

The Boy;

I followed the scent of strawberries with a hint of vanilla, hoping to the heavens I might come across a secret buffet with actual sweets and treats, not like the minuscule portions of what is basically just fancy road kill from the god forsaken party. My stomach was growling in anger, as I expected it to; after stewing in misery for months on end, it kind of makes you actual crave for stew, as weird as that sounds.

I open up glass doors that lead to a balcony apparently. The whoosh of the autumn breeze rendering color to my face. The scent here was strongest yet I don't find any food, nothing at all aside from a stereo playing a soft acoustic and an empty bottle of champagne on the greek style columned pane. I take a step closer and notice the expanse of the balcony, measuring up to the size of a regular classroom. I let out a soft wolf whistle, the extravagance of this balcony alone could set someone back thousands of dollars-think quadruple digits-and I'm pretty sure there are loads of these balconies in this mansion and rooms worth even more. I hear a scuffle from my left and I turn towards the sound.

The sight I beheld was more than my poor heart could bear. A midnight blue dress shimmered underneath the lantern light that complemented the daring beauty's golden hair perfectly. Her body moved, hips swayed without a care to anyone who saw and I could barely contain my nosebleed as her curvaceous body went from side to side. A breathtaking serene smile graced her porcelain face, her pink lips moving as she hummed the song coming from the stereo. Her arms swayed absentmindedly by her side. I could feel a lump rising in my throat as the beautiful enigma of a blonde did a full turn, revealing the dangerously low cut at the back of her dress and exposing the milkiest of skin that I suspect would be baby smooth to the touch. The soft glittering material swayed around her effortlessly and the small serene smile upon her glossy lips made her an absolute vision, a sight to rival the most picturesque of landscapes even. The unknown goddess' eyes were closed and she was strangely barefoot, dancing as if slightly drunk-that case more likely so yet she looked absolutely astonishing. A spectacle that was registering in my mind as a memory I wouldn't dare give up for anything. Her hair was swishing in the cold wind, lemon locks escaping her unkept updo, framing her face heavenly making her -in my mind at least- the pinnacle of beautiful chaos. No words escaped my mouth and I gulped, sweating underneath my suit despite the cold atmosphere and my heart pounding straight out of my chest. I inched closer, begging to absorb every detail of her as much as I can, but my leather shoes scraped the granite floor loudly, making the girl's eyes to pop open and turn to face me on the spot. She was looking at me, her big cocoa eyes glittering with a subdued tranquil gleam and shy dreamlike smile that's got me hook line and sinker under her charm.

"Like the show?"

"Uh pardon?"

"I said did you like the show. Starring me, the crazy nutcase, drunk out of her wits and dancing like the loony she is"

"I-i don't think you're crazy"

"Please, you look like you've just seen a ghost. Was my dancing that bad?"

"No, I'm just a bit surprised is all" I was taken aback for a moment as her melodious laugh filled the open air. I looked over at her face, her laugh lines and the mirth in her eyes were pure, sincere and damn straight stressing my heart out.

"There's no need to get so flustered, I'm only joking. My dancing's tremendous" I inched closer to her by instinct, an invisible rope pulling me by force to the beautiful blonde.

"W-what are you doing out here anyway?"

"Getting away from the crowd. The horrible fumes of aristocracy and stuck up everything is making me gag"

"Tell me about it. And did you see the hors d'oeuvres?"

"Actually no, I physically couldn't because the portions were microscopic!"

"Not even worth the one bite either. Believe me, I tried one" This was a lie. With my motion sick stomach and sensitive nose, I would've barfed before the food even touched my lips. However that didn't matter to me, not when her face lit up in amusement when I said it..

"Ooh which one did you try? The one with the blue fur on top or the weird orange mold with an unsuspecting piece of raw meat underneath?"

"Neither, I chose the greenish goop with some random fruit on top"

"And how was this delicacy?"

"I'm pretty sure they just barfed on a plate and put a fruit on top of it to make it taste better, only to be doing the complete opposite"

"That sounds terrible"

"Taste even more so" After a short round of quiet laughter, we reverted back to silence. It wasn't extremely stuffy or uncomfortable, more like, it was the type of silence one would expect to have with a person you just met. I avoided her gaze which I knew was on me, her eyes showing suspicion of the subtlest kind, instead I looked at the lantern above her, its orange light straining my eyes.

"You know what I want?" At the sound of her voice, my eyes flicked over to her.

"What?" She sighed under her breath and moved to lean over the parapet, her hand cradling her chin in wistfulness before she spoke.

"A burger, a burger with a big bowl of fries on the side and a gallon of soda"

"Oh stop, you're making me drool" I took a spot beside her, watching her side profile lift up to look at the star dotted sky.

"I bet that drool would still taste better than the puke on a plate you've just described"

"Don't forget the random fruit on top"

"Does it make any difference?" She gave a snort as she said this, her face turning to me this time.

"Absolutely indeed, it makes the difference between horrible to actually bile inducing, ironic I know" She laughs again, and I didn't want her to stop. Something about this enigma (I am stuck to calling her as such in lieu of the fact I don't know her name yet) makes me want to try my best to keep that smile on her face, that sound of her laughter to echo out for eternity. As faintly perverted and overly poetic as that sounds.

"So what do you say stranger? Let's get out of here and grab a burger"

"We have to pay for that burger first, you don't want to be a hamburglar do you?" The statement was met with silence, to that I let out a childish pout.

"That is the worst joke in the history of jokes! You should be ashamed of yourself"

"Yeah yeah yeah. But it was worth the shot, you laughed anyhow and that was my aim" I looked over at her, at how her eyes grew wide in surprise and I was confused. Surely such a beautiful girl as she is used to compliments. I'd expect she'd brush it off with a blush or even a wave of the hand. Now my interest in her is piqued.

"Well then, mission accomplished" Her eyes turned over to an emotion I understood even less…it was…grateful? For what? I don't think I'll ever really know. I coughed a bit in my hand, to try to hide the red in my cheeks.

"Now let's get outta here before anyone suspects us" She leans in closer to me, her face no short of curious and mischievous.

"Suspects us of what exactly?"

"Of hamburglaring" Her head rolls back in laughter and a small smile escapes me and it scared me for a second. This is the first time I've actually smiled since the break up. Just what is this mysterious stranger doing to me?

"Oh gods in the sky! Make him stop!"

"Let's get a move on shall we?" I offered my hand to her and she looks at it and at my face with an apologetic and almost forlorn gleam in her eyes.

"I don't think that'd be possible"

"What do y-" I was interrupted by the scraping of the now open balcony door, a stern man late in his forties standing rigid and glaring daggers straight through me.

"Lucy!" The man strict tone brings me out of my shock. My head goes abuzzing while the girl strides over to the man with practiced yet forced ease.

"Lucy?" My whispered question held both my surprise and my incredulity at the situation, carrying it to the wind. I watched helplessly as the girl's silhouette sashayed farther away from me and nearer to the blonde man.

"Coming father" Her monotone voice almost made me want to grab her from behind and pull her away from this reality. Such emptiness and void of emotion in her voice was something I could never have guessed-nor wanted to hear from her and it left me slightly scowling and depressed (of something other than my ex, that's a first). But before she left me alone in the balcony, she turned around, her soft smile happily planted yet her eyes, unreadable.

"This was fun stranger. Save me a burger if you get the chance will ya?" My hand reached out to her instinctively.

"W-wait I-" But I could no longer finish, the slam of the balcony door was the resonating sound that made me give up completely. I stood there shell shocked for what felt like a minute but was really, a full hour. The opening of the door once again brought me out of my stupor, a ridiculous petty hope running through my mind. Maybe she's come back.

But when the reality of the male voice coming from the door hit me, I was utterly disappointed.

"Bro! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you…well not really but I've got a solid explanation for it. You would not believe the rack on this one chick! I've already named them, the right boob's name is Houston and the other C- Is something wrong Rogue?" Sting. Of course it would be Sting. It's foolish to think otherwise Rogue. I reasoned in my head before quickly taking up a newly found resolve. My head rose and I looked at my best friend with a determination I thought I lost, resurfacing once more.

"No, nothing's wrong. In fact, I think I'll take you up on that offer from awhile back." He reeled backwards a bit, surprised it would seem at the dead seriousness of my statement.

"Really?" I didn't care to respond with words, believing my face would tell him everything. My resolve. My certainty. And my desire to see this through. Sting, for once, did not disappoint and caught on quickly that this time, I was committed.

"Well alrighty then. One Lucy Heartfilia coming right up"

Author's Note:

[Characters are not mine]

Well that concludes their meetcute. *squeal*
I had real fun making their conversations. Though Rogue came off a bit over-romanticized.
Hope you, my internet friends, enjoyed :)
Next chapter will be more on Lucy, so look forward to that!