Chapter 11
As everyone leaves the conference room, Lucy slowly stands up from her chair and tries to collect her things. This wasn't the kind of night she'd expected. A few weeks ago, the broadcasting company had already mentioned having a general meeting regarding the status of their program. Holding on to the light, Lucy had hoped that the rumors weren't true. And yet, here she is, with everyone in the program, receiving the same news.
Her series is no longer in production. It will end within a month.
"Lucy," an elderly's voice calls on the blonde, making the actress look up. Warrod Sequen, their director for the series, approached her and smiled softly, "I hope you don't take this as your failure."
Lucy swallows hard as she tries to calm her nerves. She then tries to smile back, "I'll try not to,"
The director places his hands on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze, "Lucy, you have done your part well. In this industry, there are just some shows that don't go well with the audience,"
Lucy looks down at her fumbling hands, as her eyes swell with tears, "That wasn't the case when we started, Warrod-sensei. People were entertained with our show until I started getting involved in these tabloid issues,"
"That was just nearly two months ago, Lucy. You don't have to put the blame on yourself," Warrod squeezes her shoulder again, making the blonde look up, "The decision of the FBS to cut our show has nothing to do with the actors' personal status. It's purely out of the ratings,"
Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes, "And negative feedback," she adds before she shook her head, "Warrod-sensei, you don't have to spare my feelings. I know what I have done,"
Warrod sighs, knowing that there was no way for him to make the actress less self-deprecating, "Alright, let's say your issues had some factor. But you can't blame yourself for this. It's not like you wanted those rumors,"
"It may not be my entire fault, but you can't say I wasn't part of the reason. I had attracted negative comments, and I gave people reasons to criticize our show, even if unrelated. FBS doesn't like handling these things. I could have just been removed from the show. Why couldn't they just do that instead of stopping the series?"
"Why would we let the station decide who becomes our protagonist? Why would we kill our protagonist?" Warrod questioned with a glint in his eyes.
"The scriptwriters could have changed the story. Look for a new lead character. Give the show a fresh start," Lucy then bites her lips, "People didn't have to lose their jobs,"
Warrod looked at Lucy for a long time before nodding his head and tapping the blonde's cheeks, "I understand that you feel responsible for keeping the show. But please, don't blame yourself. All of us had a responsibility in this project."
Lucy was then silent, feeling dreadful about the news and how it had turned out for everyone. When she didn't reply, Warrod gave her an embrace and gave elderly advice, "There are things that we can't control, Lucy. And these are one of the things we can't control. We made a choice and so did they. We just have to accept and move forward." Warrod then pulls back, "Go home, eat, and rest. We still have a few more days to shoot before we do a final call,"
Lucy looked up at her director and nods her head, feeling defeated. The elderly man gave a soft smile for the last time before leaving the conference room. Soon enough, Lucy gathered her things and head out of the place.
People were swarming around the lobby, chattering, and sniffing as they try not to be emotional. Lucy could hear their disappointment and sadness about what happened to their show. Biting her lower lip, Lucy tries not to cry again as she lowers her head. Lost in her thoughts, Lucy could feel disappointment in herself as well.
"Lucy!" a faint voice called her, making her snap out of her thoughts and glance up to look around. She couldn't see anyone looking for her, until her eyes landed on a pink-haired man, standing a few meters away from her.
Natsu? Is he really here? Lucy thought to herself as her eyes grew wide in surprise. The said man then smiled at her, beaming with delight as they locked eyes. Lucy couldn't help but smile as well as she felt relief flood her chest.
Without thinking, Lucy suddenly sprints towards the man and quickly wraps her arms around his waist. She almost knocks themselves down, but when Natsu embraces her back, Lucy immediately tucks her head under Natsu's chin and listened to the drum of his heart.
"Surprised?" Natsu asked with a teasing voice, making her huff a watery laugh. Lucy couldn't bring herself to banter back with him, but she deeply felt grateful for his presence.
"You're here," She mumbles softly as she tightens her hold.
Natsu chuckles a little at her remark before he pulls away and said, "You are surprised," He then saw the tear-streaked face of the blonde, making him worried instantly.
"Lucy, are you okay? Why are you crying?" Natsu asks as he cups her face and gently wipes her tears.
Lucy looked at Natsu with tears breaming in her eyes, and she could feel the warmth of his hands on her cheeks. Leaning to his hands, Lucy gave a watery smile, trying to tell him that she was okay. But with his expression of worry, it seemed that the pinkette wasn't believing her.
"Luce," He called softly, caressing her cheeks, "Why are you crying? Who hurt you?"
Lucy finally loosens her grasp on the pinkette and took a step back. She shook her head and replied hoarsely, "No one hurt me…"
"Then why are you crying?" Natsu insists as he suddenly grabbed her hand and entwined it. To Lucy's surprise, she just stared at their joined hands before she gave a gentle squeeze.
"Just had an emotional conversation with the bosses…" Lucy then looked at Natsu and gave a more assuring smile. Without a hint, Natsu pulls the blonde and wraps his arms around her shoulders for the second time. Despite the surprise, Lucy returned the gesture and settled on Natsu's chest.
"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Natsu asked tenderly over her head. Lucy moved her head like she was saying no.
"This is enough for me…" Lucy muttered and then Natsu tightens his grip on her.
"Alright…" Natsu then strokes the hair of the blonde, almost lulling her to sleep. When they had stood there for a long time, Natsu softly invites the blonde to leave the place and head home. He pulled away but quickly took the blonde's hand and entwines them. Without contest, Lucy just went with the flow and trailed behind him.
Soon enough, the duo left the building and was driving through the city. Lucy was silent in her seat, just watching the passing cars. When Natsu took a turn towards a park, Lucy quickly looked at the pinkette and silently questioned.
Natsu gave an assuring smile, "I know this good place to eat… I was hoping we could go there,"
Lucy looked at the surroundings and just saw trees, "Natsu, we're in the middle of a park. There are no stores around here,"
Natsu chuckles as he puts the car in park, "I know, but I was hoping we could take a walk towards there. It's just on the other side of the park,"
"Oh…" Lucy then looked back at the well-lighted park and gave a nod to the man, "Sure. I'd like to walk around a bit,"
"Great!" Natsu then opens his door and quickly closes it before running up to Lucy's side. He then opened the door for the blonde and waited for her to step out.
As Lucy and Natsu walked side by side, the pinkette remained silent. He knew that the blonde wasn't feeling chatty, so he tried to keep mum and not ask. But Lucy knew he was still wondering about her emotional outburst moments ago. So, she decided to open up a little.
"We had a general meeting with the FBS," Lucy quietly started, making the pinkette glance at her before nodding, a gesture that he was listening. "Our show was supposed to have a third season by the end of the year. But the management decided not to pursue."
"Why did they change their minds?" Natsu asked, a little stunned by the bad news.
Lucy shrugs her shoulders, "they said it was due to low ratings, causing lost revenues, and bad feedback. People just didn't like our second season,"
Natsu observed Lucy. She had stiff shoulders and tight fists, clawing her palms in anger, "But you don't believe that."
Lucy sighs, "I believe that," she then briefly looked at the man before looking away, "But they weren't honest about the reason. The real reason."
"And what do you think is the real reason?"
"Me," Lucy said and Natsu quickly stops from walking. He looked at the blonde seriously as he repeats.
"You? How did you become the reason for the cancellation of your show?" Natsu said with a tone of challenging the blonde.
Lucy didn't answer immediately. She took a deep breath and said, "I knew that one day my rumors with Loke were going to affect my show." Lucy looked down at her jittery hands, "I was…I was being pictured negatively and the management doesn't tolerate such negativity. They didn't like actors who were involved in controversies,"
"Not to be rude, but your rumor with Loke shouldn't be a big deal," Natsu shook his head, "Why would they be such a pig-head about a relationship tabloid issue?"
"Because they don't like associating themselves with actors that are under negative media." Lucy looked back at Natsu, whose eyebrows furrowed, unconvinced, "I was called an obsessive stalking ex-girlfriend and there were restraining orders being filled against me."
"What? Who?" Natsu bafflingly asks and Lucy just shrugs her shoulders.
"Mira didn't tell me who, but our lawyers were giving us a warning about an impending case," Lucy then rolls her eyes as she shook her head in disbelief. She then starts walking, making the pinkette follow. "When the FBS heard about it, they asked for a personal meeting with me. They told me about how they didn't like to tolerate such behavior. So, they gave a warning that I could be fired from the show if my behavior remained the same,"
"But that's unfair," Natsu shook his head, completely astound by the depths of Lucy's rumors, "How is this your fault? Loke was the one...following you around!"
"But I was the one hysterically reacting and misbehaving in public," Lucy shook her head again and felt disappointed. "I was preparing myself to take the news that I'll be removed from the show. But apparently, FBS cut the whole show. I just made everyone lose their job,"
"Hey, hey," Natsu then steps in front of her and quickly takes her hand to gently clutch it, "This isn't your fault,"
"How is this not my fault?" Lucy tugged her hand away, but Natsu kept his grip, "I was warned and it's too late for me to fix it," Lucy felt heartbroken with the fact that she had caused others pain, "Director Warrod wouldn't let FBS find a different actor for the show. As result, FBS decides to cut the whole project instead. People wouldn't point a figure at me because they're trying to spare my feelings. At the end of the day, I made everyone lose their job just because they were trying to protect me,"
"Because you're worth protecting," Natsu muttered, squeezing her hand as if he was trying to make her see his point. But Lucy shook her head before ducking down, to hide her tears. Natsu stared for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. But he knew he needed to assure the blonde somehow, "Look, Lucy, I don't know why your colleagues did what they did. But I know that they had a reason. If I was there, I would have done the same thing. I would have chosen a decision that protects you too."
Lucy slowly looked up at Natsu and listened intently, "None of these rumors was your fault. So why would they blame you for something you didn't want in the first place? Tabloids are—fucked up. And they screwed you. The FBS is just a scaredy-cat to stand their ground."
"How can you be so sure that I'm not at fault?" Lucy questioned.
"Remember when we first met at the Fairy Tail Club?" Natsu asked back and Lucy nods her head, "You were confident, and you didn't let anybody screw you up. But when Loke came around, your walls came down. You were in pain and struggling to get your shit together. That's why I did what I did. I tried to help you out,"
"What does that even mean?"
"All I'm saying is, we see who the real victim of these rumors is. And that's you. These rumors are to Loke's advantage, while the media depicts you as the psycho. It's unfair and they'll always treat you that way. So, it's up to us, your colleagues and friends to protect you,"
"I don't need protecting," Lucy gritted her teeth, feeling helpless. But Natsu wasn't fazed and just shook his head.
"Yeah, you don't. But we want to because you deserved to be treated well. If you haven't noticed, you're a decent person. A very kind and sweet person,"
Lucy just stared at the pinkette, feeling her cheeks warm at the compliment. Unsure what to say, Lucy just took a step back and cleared her throat.
"Thank you, if that's what you think of me…"
"I do," Natsu then smiles widely as he tries to make the woman smile as well, "And I think you should know that." Lucy nodded but kept quiet.
"Okay, let's go. The restaurant isn't far. You deserve a delicious meal," Natsu then drapes an arm around Lucy's shoulder and urged her to walk along.
"Where are we going?"
"Fairy Tail Bistro," Natsu then grinned and led the way, "Gramps owes me dinner."
The week went on for Lucy and the whole cast of the series. Finishing all the scenes that they'll be using for the end of the show. Instead of leaving a cliffhanger scene that was originally meant to tease a third season, the scriptwriters decided to change the storyline. It was a safe move, to allow some conclusion for the fans while at the same time giving them an open ending, allowing the opportunity to start a new season should the network decide to change their minds.
When Saturday morning came, Lucy woke up to see her room gently being filled with warm sunlight through her jarred curtains. She just stared at her single ceiling-to-floor window and watched the sun creep inside her room. Soon enough, the sunlight reaches her face, and decides to stand up.
As Lucy wears her robe and stepped into her kitchen, she saw that the time was a half hour away from nine, missing her jogging routine. Given she felt listless after the emotional journey she had at work, she didn't feel bad to miss out on her exercise. She didn't even feel like doing anything and hopes to lie down in bed. But with her stomach growling, seeking food, Lucy needed breakfast.
When her coffee and bagel were ready, Lucy aimlessly sat on her couch and turned on her television. She switches channels and stops at a movie that she hasn't watched in a long time. She settles on her couch and begins to binge-watch.
Throughout the day, Lucy just stayed in her living room, ate snacks, and watched multiple movies and sitcoms. She barely left the couch and only did when she had to retrieve more food or use the bathroom. When her chips and biscuits ran out, she called for food delivery and proceeded with her tv marathon.
Lucy's phone blew up with numerous texts and calls, but the blonde didn't feel like talking to anybody. So, she ignored it and left the phone to die.
When the night came, Lucy finally stood up from the couch and headed to her room. Still, in her robe, Lucy dropped to her bed and went to sleep.
The next day, Lucy woke up again with the gentle sunlight streaming inside her room. Sighing, Lucy turned to stare at her ceiling, still feeling tired and empty. Having no clue what to do, Lucy tried to reach for her phone but then realized it was nowhere around. So, she stood up and started searching. When she found it in her living room, battery dead, she quickly plugged it in and waited for it to turn on.
Once it was on, she found that Laki had left ten messages, three missed calls from Levy, then another three missed calls from Lisanna, and two messages and four missed calls from Mira. Sighing, realizing that she had shut off people and caused them to panic, Lucy decided to message them and inform them that she was doing fine.
After reassuring people, Lucy went to her kitchen and went straight to making her breakfast. She barely had food left, given that she had eaten most of it yesterday. So, she settled with coffee and an apple.
Sitting on her couch, Lucy just sat there and stared at her television. It wasn't turned on, but she just felt like staring at it, while blankly wasting time. Until her phone rings and snaps the blonde out of her thoughts.
Without looking at the caller, Lucy places the phone by her ear and greets, "Hello?"
"Good, you answered your phone," a male voice said, making Lucy scrunch her eyebrows and pull the phone away. She then discovered it was Natsu.
"Natsu?" Lucy calls, making the man chuckle at the other side of the line.
"Yeah, it's me," the man's voice sounded shaky, like he was running, "Have you had your breakfast yet?"
Lucy stared at her mug on the coffee table and bitten apple, "Most likely…why?"
"Levy wanted to know. She called me last night saying that she couldn't reach you and that maybe you left your phone to die. She wanted to check up on you but she's in Crocus,"
"Oh…" Lucy then gulps down, suddenly tasting sourness in her mouth, and puts down the apple. "Well, I just texted her and told her I'm okay,"
"Which, clearly, you're not," Natsu said without doubt and Lucy had to groan in annoyance, "Are you at home?"
"Why?" Lucy irately replies, not answering the pinkette's question.
"I'm coming over,"
"What? No," Lucy then scowls as she sits up, feeling a little panicky with the thought of Natsu coming over to her house with her looking like a slob.
"I'll see you in a bit. Bye," and with that Natsu drops the call, making Lucy curse. Groaning in annoyance, Lucy quickly stood up from her couch and headed to her bathroom to take a shower.
In less than 30 minutes, the blonde had finally freshened up and wore new clothes. She wouldn't admit it, but the shower was truly needed and now her mood was a little better. Still sulking but felt a little better than yesterday.
As Lucy waited around in her living room for her guest, the blonde couldn't stand still and kept fumbling with her hands. She needed something to do to get over the anxiety that she was feeling. When suddenly, she saw her unfinished coffee and apple. Lucy then had the impulse to start cleaning her home. And so, Lucy went to her laundry area and grabbed her cleaning essentials. She starts wiping around surface areas and rearranged a few things.
Time went on and Lucy was enraptured with cleaning. When suddenly she saw her curtains and gazed at them as if trying to understand why the curtains seemed off. Lucy suddenly snaps her fingers as an idea pops into her head and runs off to her laundry area again. She started rampaging her cabinets until she found the bag she was looking for.
Pulling and dragging the plastic bag to her living room, Lucy suddenly grins to herself, "I'm going to change curtains," she said to herself proudly before she begins to untie the knot of the bag. It revealed a teal blue curtain, which she had bought in the province of Medallion, years ago when she had visited that city. Ever since then, she has wanted to change her beige curtains to a different color, but she never had the time to make some rearrangements.
So, given her free time and the need to do something productive, Lucy happily pulled out the curtains and stretched them out on the floor. She gave a brief admiration for the new curtains before she started grabbing a few high stools to climb over.
Slowly but surely, Lucy one by one unhinges the hoop rings of her curtains to the curtain rod. She was so engrossed in her task that she didn't hear her door open.
Natsu came in silently and was about to call the blonde when he saw a figure working around the curtain. As he got curious, Natsu immediately placed the food he brought on the kitchen table before he headed toward the person working by the window. He immediately recognizes it was Lucy, and she was obviously struggling in pulling off the curtains.
"What are you doing?"
"WAAH!" Lucy screeches as she gets startled by Natsu's presence. The stool she stood on wobbled and she immediately tried to steady herself by grabbing the curtain. But to her horror, the remaining hoops in the curtain rod slipped off as she pulls it down with her. Soon enough, Lucy felt the stool lose its balance and immediately felt that she was falling as well.
"Shit!" Lucy cussed out loud as she closed her eyes and anticipated hitting the floor. When suddenly she bounced on something, stopping her from falling, and heard someone grunt.
The curtains fell over her, covering her vision, having no idea what is happening.
"You're not light as I thought," the man said, making Lucy whip her head towards the person's direction and franticly remove the curtain from her. When the curtain fell, Lucy gapped at the pinkette as she tried to comprehend how Natsu was able to catch her.
"I'm putting you done," Natsu chuckles at the stunned look of the blonde and slowly settles her to stand. When Lucy stumbled a bit, Natsu quickly steadied her by holding her waist. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"
Lucy just stared, gawking at the person in front of her. Seeing her surprised, Natsu couldn't help but laugh, and then snap his fingers in front of her.
"Hey, Luce, are you okay?"
Lucy finally shook her head, snapping out of her shock, "Wha…what are you doing here?"
Natsu laughed out loud, utterly amused with the blonde's reaction, "Okay, your good,"
"What?" Lucy stated confused.
Natsu grinned at the blonde as he replies, "I just caught you and your first reaction is questioning why I'm here?"
Lucy scrunches her eyebrows before shaking her head again, "Oh…" She then trails off before she finally steps back and looked down at her messy curtains, "How did you get in? I didn't hear the door,"
Natsu raised a brow at the blonde before he smirked and said, "I guess you were too busy to hear the door. Levy gave it to me,"
"Levy? What do you mean?"
"She gave me the passcode," Natsu then turns away and heads towards the kitchen table. Lucy just watched the pinkette walk away and when the man didn't say anything else, she looked back at her clutter again.
Lucy began gathering the curtain as she asked, "So why are you here?"
Natsu peeked over the brown paper bags he brought, "Like I said, Levy."
Rolling her eyes, Lucy stood up as she struggled to carry all of the curtains that she had taken off, "That doesn't answer the question. Why are you here? Don't you have work on Saturday,"
"It's Sunday, Lucy…" Natsu stared at the blonde like she had grown two heads. When the actress suddenly gawked at him, Natsu suddenly realized that the blonde had no idea what day it was.
"It's Sunday?" Lucy repeats with astonishment, absolutely mortified that she feels like she had missed a day of her life, "What happened to Saturday?"
Natsu snorts at the ridiculous question. But the blonde was downright shocked that the weekend was about to end and Natsu thought, Lucy definitely was confused.
"Oh, uh… you're serious?" Natsu tilts his head in wonder.
"Yeah…" Lucy then looks around her surrounding and immediately flinches at the brightness of the day. She groans in annoyance as she steps back. "Oh, what the hell! it's too bright,"
Natsu chuckles again at the absurdity of the blonde as she stumbles back, looking away from her bare ceiling-to-floor window walls. He then walks towards the woman and tried to help her get the curtains. When he grabbed it from the blonde's hand, Lucy immediately looked at him.
"You still didn't answer the question, though," Lucy then crosses her arms over her chest as she watched the pinkette put the old curtains away.
Chuckling at Lucy's insistence on answering her question, Natsu finally stood up straight and grinned at her. "Levy asked me to check up on you. She told me to make sure that you eat, sleep, and take a bath,"
Lucy tilts her head in wonder, "What? Why would Levy tell you that?"
Natsu laughs, "I don't know. I'm just doing this as a favor,"
"A favor?" Lucy questioned.
"Cousin's favor," Natsu said shrugging his shoulders. He then walks close to the window and glances around the view.
Lucy's place was in the middle of the city proper of Magnolia. But being on the 15th floor, she had a decent skyline view. It was mostly buildings, but the blue-sky view was phenomenal. He bet the sunsets were beautiful.
Standing up straight, Natsu shoves his hands inside the pockets of his sweatpants. He then peeked at the window before looking directly at the blonde. "So, what's with you removing your curtains? Won't you be exposed to much?"
"I'm changing curtains," Lucy then points at a pile of beautiful, teal-colored curtains "I needed something to do,"
Natsu curiously thought of her words before shrugging them off, "Bored?"
Lucy sighs before she shook her head and walked closer to the pinkette, "No, more like, I'm getting insane. If you haven't noticed, I'm not myself,"
Natsu hummed as he nods his head in agreement, "I see…Well, I hope no media is around to stalk you,"
Lucy looked at the man, bewildered at the notion, "Why would you think that?"
"I don't know," Natsu then looks back at the bare windows, "It just feels too exposing,"
"Why do you think I brought this out?" Lucy then chuckles as she grabs the colored curtain and slowly drags it to the window. She then looked up and saw how high the curtain rods are. It's going to be difficult to put up, given that the weight of the curtain was not as light as the older one.
"Would you mind?" Lucy suddenly asks as she looks at the pinkette, who just looked back at her, confused by her question, "Help me put this up?"
"Oh," Natsu then scratches his head, embarrassed that he didn't get the hint immediately, "You want me to help you?"
Lucy couldn't help rolling her eyes as she shoves the curtain into Natsu's hand, "Obviously. I don't think I can stand on that stool again after falling over. And besides, I can't reach the rod, it's too high for me,"
Natsu sighs in defeat, "Alright, fine…"
The two then worked together putting hoop rings. When it was done, Natsu quickly climbed up the stool and waited for the blonde to hand over the curtains.
"Alright, put this up now. The sun's getting too hot, and the house is getting too warm," Lucy then gave one end of the curtain to the man and carried its trail. She moved in front of Natsu as he stood on top of the stool.
"Now you've mentioned it, would you mind if I took off my sweatshirt? It's really getting hot," Natsu asked bashfully.
Lucy laughed briefly before she points out, "Well, who wouldn't sweat too much if you're wearing a sweatshirt and a scarf? Who does that? Shit—" Lucy then cursed out when one of the hoops fell. She picked it up immediately and fixed it.
"It's my style, leave me alone," Natsu said before he pulled his scarf off and then his sweatshirt.
As Lucy looks up, absolutely unaware of what was in front of her, she turned red the moment she watched the pinkette take off his sweatshirt. For some odd reason, time seemed to slow down, as if she was watching a sexy commercial of a guy, selling deodorant or something. Except, the guy was Natsu, and he showed his toned abs, chiseled chest, and glistening body in front of her.
Lucy's eyes widen, shocked by how fitted as a fiddle Natsu was. She was face-to-face with his toned body, and she suddenly had this urge to touch it. Curious, if they were hard as she thought it is.
"Yo, Luce!" Natsu called, jolting Lucy out of her thoughts.
Lucy suddenly looked up at Natsu, straight in the eyes, as if afraid to look anywhere else. She gulps in nervous, wondering if Natsu saw her staring. But the way Natsu was looking at her, she knew the pinkette hadn't noticed how she was gazing at him.
"I said, can you hand me over the stick," Natsu then shakes his hand, to which Lucy just realize it was there. She then handed the stick to the man as she mumbles an apology.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lucy mutters to herself that she should get her act together. She was mentally instructing herself to keep cool and just finish the task. When she opened her eyes, she got startled again as she came face-to-face with Natsu's v-line, peeking out of his sweatpants.
"Hello, earth to Lucy," Natsu chanted without looking down at the blonde.
"Huh? What?" Lucy finally snaps out of her thoughts and trained her eyes on Natsu's face. Although, she can still see Natsu's chest, which had sweat, dripping down his body.
Lucy! Focus!
"What did you say?" Lucy repeats, closing her eyes, and stops herself from imagining further.
Hearing the blonde so confused with the conversation, Natsu looked down at the blonde and quickly notices her blushing cheeks. Seeing his half-naked state and how close she was standing to him, Natsu couldn't help but tease the woman.
"Is this your first time seeing a half-naked man?"
"What?!" Lucy suddenly opened her eyes and narrowed her gaze at the pinkette before she pouts her lips, "Excuse me, this isn't the first, you buffoon…I was just surprised," Lucy then ducks her head, feeling bashful.
Natsu then laughs as he hinges the curtains up, "Yeah, sure. But your face is telling me something else,"
"You're just imagining things," Lucy focuses on the curtains instead of the pinkette, "If you have forgotten, I dated Loke. He has good abs too," Lucy then smirked at the pinkette, who just scoffed back at her.
"But not good as mine," Natsu joked, to which Lucy chuckles.
"I'll be the judge of that," Lucy utters as she slowly hands the curtain hoops one by one.
As the duo continued to hinge the hoops in the curtain rod, Lucy stood by the window with her back facing it. It was getting hot, and she felt uncomfortable with her tank top.
"Are you almost done?" Lucy asked with discomfort in her voice.
"Almost. Why?" Natsu then puts down his arm to look at the blonde.
"It's terribly hot here. My skin is turning red,"
Natsu then squats down on the stool, making him face-to-face with the woman. As Lucy got startled by being close to the pinkette, she stumbles back to the window. With a little sound of bumping in the glass, Natsu raised a brow at her.
"Come here, don't lean on the glass," Natsu then pulls the blonde by the arm and inspected her back. Her shoulders were turning red and the pinkette made a sound of disapproval. He then looked at Lucy, who was just curious as to what he was doing.
"Here, drape this on your back," He then pulled the remaining curtains and placed them on the shoulder of the blonde, making the cloth cover the back of Lucy.
"This is heavy," Lucy stated as she lets Natsu fix the curtain over her shoulder.
"Bear with it. I'll be done soon." Natsu then grinned before he picked up the stick and stood up again.
The duo kept silent as they finished the task. Natsu was focused on placing all the hoop rings on the curtain rods, while Lucy kept steady with handing the hoops to the pinkette. But at the same time, she tried her best not to look up and stare at the body in front of her. It felt too intruding to keep her gaze on Natsu's body. But every time Natsu would cuss, Lucy would look up and she would see the frustration on his face. She'd laugh while teasing him and he'd banter back. The two comfortably did the job despite how laboring it was.
"And we're done!" Natsu exclaims as he leans back a little to gaze at his work. Lucy peeked out on the side of the curtains, grinning at him.
"Great!" Lucy then steps out of the curtains and stood in front of the man.
As Natsu sits down on the stool, with his legs and arms numbly resting on his side, he barely noticed the short distance he had from Lucy. Lucy stood in between his legs and they just smiled at one another, happy to have accomplished something different from their usual work.
Without thinking twice, Lucy suddenly lifted her hands and gently dabs her fingers on Natsu's face, brushing off the sweat. Lucy was too focused on wiping his sweat that she didn't realize Natsu was intensely staring at her. When she finished, she then looked the man in the eyes and was awestruck for a moment.
She pulled her hand away, a little bashful, and said, "It's the least I can do…"
Natsu just observed her before he replied, "Thanks,"
Lucy then takes a step back and tucks her hands behind her back, "So, you've brought food as per Levy's instructions,"
"Uh, yeah…" Natsu then steps off the stool and walked back to fully check on his work. Lucy did the same thing and stood next to the pinkette.
"Thanks again for helping, Natsu," Lucy then looks at the man, who later looked back at her. When he did, she immediately looked away, feeling a little edgy keeping eye contact with him, "I like my new living room, it feels…alive, all of a sudden,"
Natsu chortles in agreement, "Yeah, the place looks warmer and brighter. It suits you," Natsu said as he gently nudges the arm of the blonde who just laughed at his gesture.
"Thanks," Lucy mumbles before glimpsing at the man and smiling. When Natsu wasn't looking back, Lucy quickly looked away and stepped closer to her windows. Slightly parting the curtains, she glanced around the busy streets of Magnolia.
"Have you always lived in Magnolia?"
"Yeah. How about you?" Natsu asks as he walks up behind the blonde to admire the city as well. But then suddenly he trips over his discarded clothes on the floor and cursed out. Right when he tripped, Lucy suddenly turns around to check up on him and was stunned to see him falling over.
"Woah!" Lucy yelps as she gets trampled between Natsu and the window. She was then trapped in Natsu's arms as he tried to catch himself to avoid crushing her. But before Natsu could get his balance, his sweaty palms slip upward, making him fold his elbows instead to stop falling further. When Natsu finally catches himself, his distance from Lucy was overly short. Their faces were inches away and their breaths were fanning each other.
Both were absolutely stupefied as they locked eyes and didn't move an inch. Unsure of what to do, Natsu remained in his position until he became transfixed with Lucy's warm brown eyes. Her eyes were bright and warm. It was mesmerizing to stare at. Her eyes flickered like he was staring at beautiful gems.
Lucy, being stuck between the man and the window, didn't know what to do as well. Her hands were clutched on her chest, and she could feel the thumping of her heart. She had stared at Natsu's eyes a few times already, but every time, she gets lost in his eyes. Watching his greenish-black eyes, intensely watching her. Then she looks down at his lips, unconsciously, and saw how plump and red they looked. She suddenly gulps, staring at it.
"I like your eyes," Natsu suddenly whispered.
"What?" Lucy then tilts her chin up to look back at him. But the moment she did, her lips immediately brush against Natsu's lips, and the two ceased to move any further, leaving their lips touching.
Their eyes grew wide, baffled at what has happened. Natsu suddenly felt panic and quickly tries to push himself off the blonde, while she pushed him on his chest. When Natsu stumbled a little, still tripping over his clothes, he immediately cried out, "Sorry-sorry!"
Lucy finally lets out a deep breath, not realizing that she has been holding it for a long time.
"No, it was my fault. Sorry," Lucy then clears her throat as she tries to stand straight and walk away from the windows.
As the curtains were falling back into place, Natsu suddenly saw something shine from the other side of the building. Curious about what he saw, Natsu took a step closer to the windows and peeked a little at the jarred curtains. Soon enough, he saw another flicker of light, almost like the flash of a camera except it was faint due to the tinted glass of the building. Natsu quickly closed the curtains and took a step back.
"Hey, Lucy," Natsu called out, a little startled. He then picked up his scarf and sweatshirt, and immediately put them on. "Do you usually get pictured by photographers at your home?"
"Huh...uh, no," Lucy said, sounding like she was asking back. She then tilts her head, "Why?"
Natsu looked back at the window and then shook his head, "Nothing…maybe I'm just overthinking it,"
After the fiasco that happened by the window, Natsu and Lucy kept mum about it. They avoided talking about it and made minimal conversation about something else as they both prepared the food that Natsu had brought.
When the two settled down on the kitchen island, eating, they both were trying to read each other's behavior. Obviously, they felt awkward. Nonetheless, they tried to play it cool.
As time went by, having enough of the awkwardness, Lucy finally puts down her utensils and cleared her throat. "I just want to say sorry," she said, making the pinkette look up at her with confusion.
"What are you saying sorry for?" Natsu quirked an eyebrow and tried not to smile.
"The—the window kiss," Lucy blushed, but she rapidly shook her head to dispel it, "Doesn't matter. All I'm saying is, it was an accident, and this shall not make it awkward."
"You're making it awkward," Natsu rebuts then chuckles as the blonde gawks at him.
"I am not!" Lucy counters as her cheeks warm up again, "You are!"
Natsu just keeps on laughing and soon the blonde huffs a laugh later. When the man slowed down from his laughter, he eyed the blonde and gave a comfortable smile, "Alright, we'll not make it awkward."
"Good," Lucy then smiles back as she leans back on her chair and crosses her arms over her chest.
When the two had stopped laughing, Natsu decided to make a new conversation, "So, what made you decide to change your curtains? I know you said, you wanted to do something. But why this?"
Lucy snorts at his statement and then looks at her colored curtains, a total contrast to her plain, beige curtains.
"I don't know. I just felt like it was time to change curtains," Lucy then gives a short glance to the man before looking back at her curtains and leaning over the countertop, "I have had the beige color for two years already. After this week, I felt like I needed to see something different from my usual life. I felt dull and lifeless. It's like I needed some color," Lucy then glances at the pinkette, "Like you, you brought color to my life, in some way,"
Natsu chortles in surprise, not expecting the compliment. He then grinned at the blonde and teased, "Are you saying, Loke never made your life exciting?"
Lucy rolls her eyes at the man's implication and shakes her head. "Of course, he did…" she then trails off and Natsu swiftly catches up on it.
"But…" Natsu started as he leans forward, trying to catch the blonde's attention.
Lucy peeked at him before softly smiling and looked away again, "But, believe it or not, he isn't always the exciting one,"
"Really? He seemed to be the type who likes exploring and taking a risk,"
Lucy shook her head, "Yeah, he does look like one. But he's actually fond of stereotypical dates, traditional dating gateways, and typical couple roles,"
"Typical couple roles?" Natsu repeats, confused with the term.
Lucy laughs, "Yeah, um…like, he's the prince charming, I'm the damsel in distress. He's the savior, I need protecting. He tells me what to wear, I can't wear this, or wear that. He can look charming, while I can't be too attractive. Something like that," Lucy then shrugs her shoulders as Natsu scrunches his face in disgust.
Lucy just chuckles at his expression as she turns to him and leans on one arm over the counter, "I know, I can't believe I actually fell for his charms,"
"Why the hell did you date a guy like that?" Natsu accuses and Lucy just chortles at it.
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, mister. But Loke was a nice guy, sweet, and charming…" Lucy then turns away from him and cups her chin instead, staring at her new living room, "In fact, he is too charming that he became a lady's man. I thought, if we dated, he'd stop and stick with me. Unfortunately…" Lucy trails off as her smile slowly disappears and stares at her fingernails, "I was never enough,"
"Who said so?" Natsu hastily asks, challenging Lucy's thoughts. The blonde then glances at him, astounded by Natsu's stern question. "You're an awesome woman. Just in case you didn't know,"
Natsu then smiles as Lucy softly smiles at his compliment. Despite the growing tingle that he felt in his stomach, with the way Lucy was smiling at him, he knew that what he said had to be said. He couldn't let this day end without contradicting Lucy's opinion about herself. After days he had known Lucy, he knew that this woman was not ordinary and is not a damsel in distress. She knows how to make things work for her and get things done. And he is amazed by it, every single time.
"When Loke cheated on you, he made the worst decision ever. He just lost one of the best women in the world," Natsu then grins as Lucy bafflingly eyed him before scoffing with laughter.
"Well, thank you. It's nice to hear that from you, Mr. Dragneel,"
By the time it was past half 12 in the afternoon, Natsu and Lucy had finally finished eating and clearing all the mess in the house. Natsu barely remembered to check up on his phone while he spent time with Lucy.
When the actress had retreated to her room to change, Natsu was able to browse his phone and saw numerous messages from his family. Sighing in exasperation, Natsu read the messages one by one and groaned in annoyance at how his mother was insisting that he'd drop by with his girlfriend.
Shaking his head, he tucks his phone away and tried to ignore the growing interest of his mother in Lucy. He knows that his mother would be doing this, but as much as possible, he'll try to avoid the encounter.
"Okay, I'm all set," Lucy suddenly says as she steps out of her bedroom.
Natsu raised a brow, "Where are you going?"
"To the grocery store," Lucy then smiled as she fixes her satchel bag on her shoulder. She then walks toward her kitchen and gave a last check on her food, "Remember, I don't have food anymore. That's why you brought me food," she then glanced at the pinkette.
"Okay…" Natsu then nods his head and waited. But when Lucy just stared at him, as if waiting for him to make the move. Natsu then asked, "Are you expecting me to come with you?"
"Yeah," Lucy then grinned before she headed toward him and immediately pulled him up from the couch, "I need my pretend boyfriend to go shopping with me,"
"You don't need a pretend boyfriend to go shopping," Natsu nonchalantly retorts, making the blonde goggle at him.
"Um, yes. I do…" Lucy then smirks, "It's for a pap walk,"
"A pap walk? What the hell is that?" Natsu screws his face in a grimace, "What does that even mean?"
"A Paparazzi Walk," Lucy then sighs as she leans on one leg and crosses her arms over her chest, "We let ourselves be caught by paparazzi doing mundane things, looking like a typical couple,"
Natsu just gapped at the woman before he blubbered disapproval, "No…"
Grunting in annoyance, Lucy grabs Natsu's arm and pulled him towards her door, "Come on, mister. Whether you like it or not, you're coming with me. You're not staying in my place alone,"
"You know, I can just go home,"
"Nope, your grocery shopping with me," Natsu then groans as Lucy laughs while they both step out of the unit.
To be continued...