Fifty-Three - Erza Scarlet
Erza couldn't focus at school for the entire morning. She wished she had decided to skip and go to Era, but she knew it made no sense for her to be there. She thought of Sieg, and hoped everyone would accept his change of heart. She thought of Ultear, and hoped everyone would forgive her as well as Sieg. And, of course, she thought of Jellal.
She hoped that everyone would accept him again, even though they'd hear he wasn't entirely innocent. She hoped broken relationships could be repaired. Even if it took some time, she was sure that everything would eventually settle back into some semblance of a normal life. At that thought, she smiled and looked around the lunch room. Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel were fighting over something or other, but she could tell that no one was very serious.
Even those that were once enemies had become close friends. The boys settled down when Gildarts shouted at them, and they all went back to their table. Natsu threw his arm around Lucy's shoulder and she smiled and leaned into him. Juvia held Gray's hand and he pulled her closer. Gajeel pulled Levy, who was reading instead of eating, into his lap and tried to read over her shoulder.
Erza was happy for all her friends, though she felt a slight pang in her heart and thought of Jellal again. She had been sure, just yesterday, that he had been going to finally confess his feelings. She understood that he had a very good reason to be distracted after everything that happened, but it was still so hard to wait. It was hard to wait for him to be as ready as she was, but she would have to continue to be patient. She thought of their kiss, as she often did, and sighed wistfully.
"Thinking of a blue-haired someone?" a sing-songy voice asked over hear shoulder. She turned to smile at Mirajane, who was grinning, but not in a teasing way. Laxus stood just behind her, feigning disinterest. "If it helps to convince him to finally make his move," Mira said, "tell him I'll give you an A on your flour project."
"Coercion is not going to help," Erza laughed. "We're almost there. He just needs a little more time."
"I think he disagrees," Laxus said. Erza looked at him in confusion and saw that he was looking towards the cafeteria doors. She turned to see Jellal walking towards her and looking determined. "I think he's as ready as he'll ever be," Laxus said.
"Well, we'll just leave you two alone then," Mira said with a huge smile.
Erza ignored her and stood to greet Jellal as he approached her. "Hey, Jellal," she said, smiling. His expression didn't shift and her smile faltered slightly. "Are you okay?" she asked.
He glanced around before taking a huge breath in. "I want to talk to you alone," he said quietly. "Will you come with me?"
He held out his hand and Erza looked down at it. She thought briefly of the rest of her classes for the day, but then she looked into Jellal's eyes again. She nodded and took his hand. Finally, he smiled and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She happily followed as he led her out of the cafeteria.