Chapter 14
"I can't believe that Madison's character is the big plot twist!" Erza then chuckles in disbelief along with the blonde actress, "Did you expect that the first time?"
"Oh, definitely not!" Lucy replies shaking her head as well as she slows down from her chortles, "This book, it's just really one of my favorites. I've read the whole series a few times already and it gets me all the time,"
"I know. It's so great that I read this chapter a few times before continuing. Loved the plot twist," Erza then sighs in contentment as she leans back on her chair. Lucy then did the same, happily smiling as she stared at her closed book.
She gently runs her fingers over the cover of the book, "This is great," she mutters with a smile present on her face, then looks at the red-haired woman in front of her, "It's been a long time since I meet a book lover too,"
Erza chuckles, "Well, I wouldn't say I'm a book lover. But I do love reading sci-fi books when time permits,"
"So, do I. For the past years, I've been busy with work and barely got to do any of my hobbies," Lucy then grabs her coffee and takes a sip, "I just recently finished a project and finally found time for myself,"
"Really?" Erza tilts her head innocently as if she wasn't doing it in a calculated manner, "Why's that? What's your job?"
Lucy purses her lips, trying to think of a way to explain without really telling her job, "Hm, let's say I'm in the entertainment industry—movies, series, and stuff like that,"
"Oh, really? That's cool," Erza then leans over the table with her arms crossed over it, "I don't usually meet people in the entertainment industry. I work pretty much every day too, even weekends. I don't have time to watch movies or tv,"
Lucy suddenly laughs, feeling somewhat relieved for the fact that she didn't have to act like the perfect Lucy Ashley that the public expects her to be. "Well, that's refreshing,"
"Refreshing?" Erza repeats with amusement in her eyes, "What do you mean?"
"Well…" Lucy then shrugs her shoulders, "It's not like every day there are people who remind me that I'm just like everybody else,"
"Why do people have to remind you that you're like everybody else?" Erza questions, trying to gauge the attitude of the blonde.
"To be honest," Lucy then sighs as she slumps back on her chair, "People don't have to. But with my job, I tend to forget who I really am,"
"Wait, are you a writer or…something else?" Erza then takes her cup of coffee and takes a sip.
Lucy laughs once again, "Something else,"
"Ahh," Erza's eyes then glint as she recognizes the sudden teasing smile of the blonde, "Are you a singer? Actress?"
Lucy puts on a tight smile. A little apprehensive to be breaking the news to her newfound friend, "I'm an actress,"
"Oh, that's interesting," Erza says as she nods her head, "Well, it's nice to meet you Lucy…what's your last name?"
Lucy's eyes suddenly turn wide when she realized that she hasn't introduced herself fully to her new companion, "Oh, it's Lucy Ashley,"
"Hi," Erza gave a wide grin, "I'm Erza Scarlet, it's nice to make friends with you,"
"Me too,"
Lucy and Erza then chuckle at themselves. After bonding over a book for nearly an hour, the two seemed to get along well. They began to talk about their hobbies and interests and told stories about their friends.
"Wait, you have a friend, Levy, who works in a fashion magazine company?" Erza questions the blonde, who quickly nods her head in reply.
"Yeah, we both started as interns at Fiore Style Magazine, until she was absorbed by the company, and I had to quit," Lucy then shrugs her shoulders as she recalls a distant memory.
"Oh…Is this Levy perhaps…Levy McGarden?" Erza then raised a brow as Lucy's face beamed in enthusiasm.
"Yeah!" Lucy then leans forward to the redhead, who quickly took note of her reaction, "How did you know Levy?"
"Through Gajeel," Erza replies with a shrug of her shoulder.
Lucy's eyes then grew big when she suddenly had an inkling about the woman in front of her. She then pulls back as she pursed her lips and cautiously asked, "You know Gajeel?"
"Uh-huh," Erza then grins to reassure the blonde. She quickly noticed the sudden tension in Lucy's shoulders, making her believe that the blonde was having some thoughts about who she is. "I have worked with Gajeel before,"
"Oh…" Lucy then exhales in relief and slowly laughs off her tension, "You guys know each other professionally,"
"Yeah, you can say that…"
"What do you mean?" Lucy tilts her head as she watched the red-haired woman take a sip of her coffee again.
"Um, I know Gajeel personally. And his family," Erza then puts down her cup, keeping her gaze on it. But she subtly observed the micro-reactions of the blonde as she reveals the connection between them. "I'm actually friends with him and his cousins,"
"Cousins?" Lucy repeats with a trembling voice, to which the woman in front of her notices. But Erza doesn't make any comment on it.
"Yeah…" Erza paused for a second as she watches the blonde gawk at her, "Do you know them?"
Lucy gapped, unsure of how to proceed with the conversation. It has finally dawned on Lucy that this woman before her has a connection with the Redfox and Dragneel. The last thing that Lucy wanted to encounter were people who knew those families as it could jeopardize their lie. She did not prepare to meet any family friends.
"Um…y-yeah. I know…some of them," Lucy exaggeratedly shook her shoulder before leaning back in her chair and slowly grabbing her book.
"Really?" Erza beams, moving closer to the blonde as she took note of the woman's attempt to leave, "So, you know Sting and Rogue?"
"Huh?" Lucy suddenly halts from packing away. She stared at the woman for a second before she asked, "Sting and Rogue?"
"Yeah, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney?" Erza then tilts her head as if baffled that Lucy didn't know about them, "Their cousins,"
"Ohh…" Lucy paused for a moment, trying to remember any details about Sting and Rogue having a connection with Gajeel and Natsu. When suddenly, she remembered a photo she saw at Natsu's house. "Yeah-yeah. Um…yeah, those cousins of Gajeel,"
"Ahh…" Erza nods her head silently "I see. Well, anyways, I hate to end this," she then drops her shoulders as she sighs, "But, I've got to go. I still have to meet a friend of mine,"
"Oh, right, yes!" Lucy exhales laughter as she nods her head, "I better get going too…" She then stood up as Erza did, "It's nice meeting you,"
"Here," Erza suddenly hands out her phone to the blonde, "Why don't we exchange numbers and get in touch?"
Lucy stared at the phone for a moment, making Erza raise a brow in wonder.
"Oh, sorry…" Erza suddenly pulls back her hand, making Lucy a little startled, "I didn't mean to overstep,"
"What? No!" Lucy then takes her hand and abruptly stops her from pulling away further, "Sorry. I was just—I'm just not used to making friends. I don't…easily make friends,"
Erza mentally wondered about that information. Lucy seems to be an outgoing person and sociable, making it hard to believe that the blonde finds it difficult to make friends. Unless she thought, Lucy is apprehensive about letting people know her personally.
"I understand…" Erza then hands over her phone again, to which Lucy happily takes and dials up her number. When she made a quick call to her number, Lucy hands back her phone.
"Now, we can get in touch," Lucy smiles at the redhead.
"Yeah," Erza smiles back, "Looking forward to our next book-coffee session,"
Lucy and Erza then chuckled together before they waved goodbye to one another.
As Lucy paces in her condo unit, she couldn't stop thinking about her encounter with Erza. For some reason, she had a hunch that meeting Erza was not a coincidence. But as she replays back their whole conversation, Erza had never mentioned Natsu at all, which makes it hard to believe her guts.
"No-no-no…" Lucy mutters to herself as she continues to pace back and forth, "If Erza was really stalking me, she would have inserted Natsu in the conversation. But she didn't…"
Lucy then sighs, frustratedly, as she tries to convince herself that her encounter with Erza was pure happenstance and nothing else.
"And besides, even if Erza knew Natsu, she wouldn't know about the pretend relationship. So…maybe I don't have to worry about her telling anything to Grandine?"
Grumbling to herself, Lucy headed to her living room and lounged on her sofa. She couldn't shake off the odd feeling, but she had to believe that this wasn't alarming. If it was, Natsu would have texted her or something.
Lucy then grabs her phone and opened her text messaging app. In instant, Natsu's last text message appeared on her screen. He told her that he wouldn't be around Magnolia for more than a week as he will be traveling to different cities.
"Just great timing…" Lucy mumbles to herself as she stares at the old message. She contemplated for a moment, thinking if she has to tell Natsu about meeting Erza today. But she hesitated as she didn't want to disturb the pinkette.
Natsu's message appeared to be a warning to her that she shouldn't disturb him with trivial things. Meeting Erza is probably just a trivial thing for Natsu. So, Lucy puts her phone away and grumbles on her couch again.
Two days after meeting Erza, Lucy kept everything quiet to Natsu and her friends. She has come to believe that nothing was harmful in meeting Erza. After all, nothing happened after that fateful meeting. She had expected Grandine to reach out or other family friends to randomly meet her. But none of it happened.
Erza did keep in touch with her, but their interaction was purely friendly. Erza would randomly send her clips of cats being adorable and she'd reply to her with the same cute cat meme. So, Lucy concluded that Erza did meet her by chance and nothing else.
Now that she was more at ease, Lucy had finally decided to step out again and meet her friends. She invited Levy and Lisanna over lunch for a casual catch-up.
Wearing her stripes-off-shoulder dress, Lucy patiently waits inside La Frances Restaurant. It was quiet and has a semi-formal vibe but not too stiff to feel uncomfortable. It was a relief that customers of the restaurant didn't mind her much. Everyone was minding their own business.
Soon enough, Levy and Lisanna arrived and joined the blonde actress. The trio of women easily fell into conversation over food and laughed and enjoyed stories about their recent happenings.
As Lisanna hummed in contentment, she looked at her blonde friend who seemed to be relaxed more than she'd ever seen her, "So, how's the diversion going?" Lisanna innocently asks as she dabs her fork on her Kani salad.
"It's good..." Lucy replies without looking back at Lisanna as she focuses on her food as well, "Well, for now, I guess," she quietly adds, to which Levy still hears.
"For now?" Levy repeats, curious at the little hint Lucy was leaving them, "What do you mean for now? Did something happen?"
Lucy looks up at her blue-haired friend and quickly smiled at her, "No, nothing…nothing extraordinary happened,"
"Well, what commonly happened to you this week then?" Lisanna then chuckles at Lucy's eye-rolling for her wordplay.
"Um…I met Erza Scarlet," Lucy then shrugs her shoulders as she looks down at her food again to take a bite. As she did, she suddenly saw the stunned look of the two women. "What?" Lucy apprehensively stares at her friend, "Did I say something wrong?"
"You met Erza?" Levy cautiously asks, as if scared to utter the woman's name.
"Yeah," Lucy nods her head firmly before she tilts her head in confusion, "Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
"Wait, what?" Lisanna finally snaps out of her thoughts, "How-how did that happened? When?"
Lucy scrunches her face, evidently confused with their reactions, "Um, last Thursday. She joined me for coffee and book reading,"
"Coffee and book reading?" Levy repeats like a parrot but looks like she couldn't accept the words she was hearing.
"What is wrong with that? I mean, Erza and I bonded over The Elementals book series," Lucy then chuckles awkwardly, as if she was confused by the weird reactions of her friends.
"The Elementals?" Levy repeats once again before she shook her head in disbelief, "Oh my god…"
"What?" Lucy was slowly becoming alarmed at the blunette's reaction, "Is there something wrong with that?"
"Lucy…" Lisanna then sighs, exasperated as she didn't know how to explain the situation without scaring the blonde, "Listen, Erza Scarlet is a private investigator agent."
Lucy was then appalled as she stared stunned at the silver-haired woman. "Excuse me? Erza is what?"
"She works in the Belserion Security Agency, which is under DEG." Levy then leans closer to the blonde and grabs her wrist as if to bring her to attention, "She works under the Dragneel's management,"
"What?!" Lucy whisperingly exclaims as she shook her head at the blunette, "How—what?!"
"Did you mention this to Natsu?" Levy asked as she leans back on her chair but quickly pulls it closer to the table, "I mean, he should know,"
Lucy bafflingly shook her head as she tries to wrap her mind around the information, "No…I haven't mentioned this to Natsu. I mean, why do I have to? Erza seemed friendly and—"
"She was doing her job," Lisanna suddenly cuts off, to which Levy affirms with an agreeable hum, "She used to be the one to investigate Natsu's ex-girlfriend,"
"Investigate?" Lucy utters, scandalized, "Why the heck would I be investigated on? Am I a suspect or something?"
Levy shook her head, "No, Lu-chan. But…" she then sighs as she pinches the bridge of her nose, "There has been a history. And we can never be sure,"
"So, your saying…"
"This could be Grandine's doing," Lisanna supplies as she nods her head, "She's done it before. She can do it again,"
"Oh, my god…" Lucy exasperatedly sighs and tumbles back to her chair, "All along I thought everything was going smooth, none of the lies are being spilled, everything was under control—"
"Um about that…" Lisanna interrupts the blonde again, making the woman gawk at her as if threatening her not to tell any more bad news. Lisanna then cringes in guilt, "Mira-nee,"
"What about Mira, Lis?" Levy asks cautiously.
"Um…well," Lisanna nervously laughed as she slowly sat up straight, "Last week, Mira started asking about your boyfriend and practically unraveled that it's Natsu whom you're dating,"
"How?" Levy stunned looked at the silverette.
"Photos from the charity ball," Lisanna then shrugs her shoulders, making the blonde gawk.
"What? I don't have any photos from the charity ball. Natsu made sure of it," Lucy then looked at Levy then back at the silverette.
"Guess what, Mira-nee knows your side profile and quickly deciphers it to be you when it was caught in one of Yukino's photos. And when she noticed," she air-quoted the word, "a guy with pink hair standing next to you, she quickly assumed it to be Natsu,"
"Goodness," Levy grunts stunned. Mira was such a beast in that aspect, "Unbelievable,"
"Did she call you up and say anything?" Lisanna concerningly inquired the blonde.
Lucy shook her head as she tries to comprehend her situation, "No…she had been checking up on me but never mentioned anything about Natsu,"
"Well then, it's good?" Levy asked looking at Lisanna. But the woman shook her head.
"She's probably gathering details before confronting Lucy," Lisanna then sighs, "I'm sorry, Lu. I tried to lie to my sister but…you know her,"
Lucy nods her head in understanding. She knew Mira was such a smartass to be lied to, as she can read them without a doubt.
"No, it's fine. For now, we just have to make our story solid. She can't figure this out. She can't find out that Natsu and I are under a deal,"
Lisanna suddenly tilts her head, "Maybe it would be good if Mira is on our side?"
"Maybe…Maybe not," Lucy heaves deeply, "I don't know what Mira thinks about this. She knows my background and…I don't think she'd agree to this plan,"
"What should we do?" Levy finally asks the real question.
Lucy looked at her two friends and could only breathe tiredly, "We wait and see…"
Sitting comfortably at a coffee shop, Natsu worked diligently on his laptop while his tea cooled down. It was a Sunday afternoon and Natsu had plenty of rest that morning. So, now, Natsu was keeping himself busy with work again.
Whenever he traveled to other cities for work, he barely gave time to site-see. He always reasoned that the quicker he finishes work, the faster he gets to go home. But Lilia city was not a foreign place to him. It was once his home when he needed one.
"Natsu-san," a woman calls him, making Natsu look up from his laptop. He then gave a small smile as he stood up to greet the blue-haired woman.
"Hey, Juvia," Natsu greeted with an embrace when the woman stood in front of him. As they pulled away, the woman quickly gave a skeptical look at him.
"It's Sunday, Natsu-san. Don't tell me you're still working?" Juvia then chuckles as Natsu gave sheepish smile.
"You busted me," Natsu then chuckles along with the woman. He then gestures to her to take the seat in front of him as he takes his seat again, "It's been a long time,"
"Hai," Juvia smiles back at the pinkette as she settles on her chair, "It's been a long time since Juvia saw you around Lilia City. How was your travel here?"
"It was fine, just came in last night," Natsu then raised a hand, calling the attention of a waiter. He gave instructions for a new cup of iced coffee and a plate of burnt cheesecake.
When the waiter left, Natsu looked back at Juvia, "What?"
"Nothing," Juvia smiled trivially as she was amused with the man in front of her.
"Don't tell me you're having a crush on me now," Natsu teased, making the blunette ogle back at him.
Juvia and Natsu had been friends for a time now. They had met back in college through a mutual friend. In the beginning, the two didn't get along as they both felt differently towards their mutual friend. Juvia had a deep affection for their friend, while Natsu had a friend-enemy kind of relationship. Juvia had always threatened Natsu whenever he and Gray would fight.
"Excuse you, Natsu-san, no one can replace Gray-sama in Juvia's heart," Juvia then grinned at the pinkette, who only snorts at her comment.
"Sure, that's why you and ice popsicle are finally dating," Natsu teased back, making Juvia furrow her brows in annoyance.
"Gray-sama is just busy. No time for love life," Juvia then huffs as she leans back in her chair and crosses her arms.
"Right, of course," Natsu then rolls his eyes at the blunette's grumbling, "Whatever makes you sleep at night,"
"You're getting mean," Juvia retorts back with a raised brow.
"Okay, sorry…" Natsu then leans forward to tap at the woman's arms, "I didn't mean to be brutally honest,"
Juvia rolls her eyes at the pinkette again. Of course, Juvia wasn't really hurt as she is completely aware of those facts. It was just sometimes irritating to be reminded of things she already knew. But she knew better. Gray and she have a certain kind of understanding that no one understood. They didn't have to explain it to people.
"Anyways, so, what's your itinerary for Lilia City?" Juvia changes the topic, which Natsu didn't mind.
"I've got none," Natsu said in a matter-of-fact tone, before looking back at his open document, "There's just too much business dealing to finish and close,"
Juvia grunts, "Oh come on. You come to this city once in a blue moon. You've got to visit the new tourist spots in the city,"
"New tourist spots?" Natsu curiously asks, "Really? There are new sites built?"
"Yeah, there is even a new heritage being taken care of. A lot of people are visiting it," Juvia then stops as their previous waiter arrives and places down the plate of dessert and coffee.
"Have you gone there?" Natsu asked as he watched the blunette take a bite of the cake.
"Actually no, Juvia hasn't been there. Although Juvia wants to," Juvia then beams as she thought about the city's heritage. It was known for leaving your prayers and wishes that deities granted if they found it pure.
"Well, we can go there," Natsu then suggests, making the blunette grin in excitement.
Before Juvia could react, a man suddenly spoke, catching the attention of the two, "Where do you plan to take her?"
Juvia and Natsu turn to face the approaching man. The woman immediately stood up in thrill as she sees Gray Fullbuster. The raven-haired man adored a typical dark blue polo shirt tucked under his khaki pants, a casual attire compared to the suits he wears at work.
"Gray-sama! I thought you weren't coming?" Juvia then embraces the man, who quickly wraps an arm around her waist.
When Juvia pulled back, Gray kept his hand on her small back and whispered to her, "And what? Leave you two alone?"
Juvia raises a brow at the man's sudden jealous-like remark. Without stopping, the blunette slowly smiles at the raven-haired man, who only rolls his eyes at her before pulling his hand away from her.
Gray finally stood in front of the pinkette and gave a fist bump, "Still working?"
"Yeah, unlike you, who don't" Natsu smirks at the man, who snorts back.
"Well, unlike you, I know when to rest," Gray then takes a seat next to the blunette and scoots his chair closer to her, "It's a Sunday, you prick,"
"That's what Juvia has been telling him," Juvia then pushes the plate of cheesecake to the man, offering a bite, "Juvia told him about the new heritage site. And Juvia suggested that we should go there,"
"The Narra tree?" Gray looked at the blue-haired woman as if he was hurt, "I thought we were going there,"
Natsu suddenly scoffs at the two, who looked like they were on the verge of having a lover's quarrel. When Gray and Juvia looked back at him, Natsu quickly stopped laughing and raised his hands.
"Sorry," Natsu muttered before smirking at the two, "Please, continue with your lover's quarrel,"
"We're not lovers," Gray and Juvia quickly counter at the same time, and this only made Natsu scoff.
"Sure, you guys. If you say so," Natsu then returns to his laptop and started typing away.
When Juvia and Gray rolled their eyes at the pinkette for the nth time, the woman finally had enough and commented.
"So, why exactly did we meet up if you're busy working?" Juvia looked at the pinkette with a questioning look.
Natsu glanced up at the two, "Well, I was hoping we could have an early discussion before we meet up with your board members tomorrow,"
Gray groans in annoyance as he figured that Natsu would be doing this. He is currently the Marketing Director of Ice Castle Industry, while Juvia is the Sales and Communication head. The two worked hand-in-hand in business deal contracts. Natsu came down to Lilia City to discuss a joint project between the two companies. Natsu had made some good proposals on how to exemplify the Ice Castle Industry through real estate. It's going to be a shot in the dark, but knowing Natsu, Gray knew that man wasn't going to back down easily.
"Fine, we'll have this unofficial business meeting," Gray then scrunches his face when Natsu grinned mischievously, "But, Juvia and I are here not as admins of Ice Castle but as your friends. We'll just give you advice about concerns that the board might raise,"
"Yosh!" Natsu made a subtle fist pump, making the blue-haired woman chortle at Natsu's antics. Gray hid his smile as well. It's been a long time since he saw Natsu all fired up. "Great! Now, let's get started,"
The trio then discussed the project efficiently. Juvia and Gray raised various key points that the board members might question and gave suggestions. Natsu came prepared with various data and solutions for anything Gray and Juvia would throw at him. The duo of Ice Castle wouldn't deny that they are impressed with Natsu's work ethic and preparedness. But for some reason, they felt wretched knowing that Natsu pushes himself to the limit because the pinkette wanted to prove something.
"All right, last thing—"
"Juvia's tired," the woman interjects immediately as she saw that Natsu was digging up more papers out of his briefcase. Exchanging looks with the raven-haired man, the two came to an agreement that they have to stop Natsu from working already. It's past six in the evening already.
"You heard the woman, flame-brain," Gray then stood up and grabbed Juvia's hand as she followed after, "Time to end it."
"But—"
"Dinner?" Juvia smiled at the pinkette sweetly before turning to look at Gray and direct the question to him, "What do you say? Let's have dinner at Ramen Yushoken. Juvia's craving for some comfort food,"
"Sure," Gray, habitually, then wraps an arm around her waist. He then looked at Natsu, who had a revolting look, "What?"
"I'm not going to be a third wheel to your date," Natsu then stood up as he shivered in repulse.
"We're not going on a date," Gray knits his brows, "It's just dinner,"
Natsu scoffs at the excuse, "Yeah, sure. It's not a date between two lovers. Just dinner among three friends, in which two of them are acting lovey-dovey," Natsu then pulls a face sarcastically and looked down at Gray's arm.
Juvia and Gray then blushed as the man drops his arm to his side.
"Thought so," Natsu then rolls his eyes as he grabbed his things, "Come on, let's have dinner,"
The restaurant was bustling with patrons and Natsu, Gray, and Juvia were settled inside at a small table. The home restaurant was a famous place in the city, to which many tourists always try their infamous Shoyu and Tan Tan Men ramen. Just like many tourists, the trio decides to eat the famous ramen noodles. They easily fell into casual conversation, reminded of their days back in college when they had little money left for the week. It would always be ramen their last meal as it was the cheapest they could afford.
"Do you remember that time, Gray-sama, that you lost your wallet when you had that bad habit of yours?" Juvia then laughs wholeheartedly, throwing her head back in enthusiasm. "You couldn't afford to eat dinner because your last money was in your pants and you lost your pants,"
"I'll never understand why you had such a habit," Natsu comments as he watches the raven-haired man glare at the woman, who still laughed. "I mean you have a stripping habit,"
"Excuse you, it's 'had'. I don't strip my clothes anymore…randomly," Gray then shook his head when Natsu chuckles back at him.
"I wouldn't say you're over with that habit. Just look at your polo shirt, it's tucked out and soon enough, that will fly somewhere," Natsu chortles as Gray looks down at his polo and saw that Natsu was right. Seeing that, Juvia chuckles at the man as well.
"Oh, Gray-sama…" Juvia bumps the shoulder of the man before sitting upright. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that your clothes will stick to your body,"
"Well, I didn't need to hear that," Natsu quickly comments as his face grimaces at the thought of Juvia and Gray being a little touchy with each other.
Gray and Juvia both look back at the pinkette and laughs at the man's displeasure. When the topic had ended, Gray suddenly nudged Natsu's foot to open a new topic.
"So, I heard, ash-brain, you finally have a girlfriend?"
Natsu looks up at the raven-haired man with a little surprise on his face. But he quickly fixes his look and raised a brow at him, "And since when were you a nosy sissy, ice-princess?"
"Is it true, Natsu-san?" Juvia suddenly asks with glee in her voice and face.
Natsu looks at the woman, "What is?"
"Oh, come on! Don't pretend that you don't understand Juvia's question. Is it true? Do you really have a girlfriend again?" Juvia then leans over the table, lessening her distance to the pinkette, as if that would squeeze the truth out of the man. But Natsu just leaned back and quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Too nosy," Natsu comments, making the bluenette roll her eyes back at him.
"Seriously, flame-brain, just answer the question. We're just curious," Gray then shook his head as he sees the usual defensive mode of the pinkette.
For the past two years, Gray knew that Natsu had been going out on dates that had been set up by Grandine. Natsu doesn't always complain or ranted at Gray, but when he did the raven-haired man always took note of information. Gray knew that Natsu had found a way to avoid going on those dates usually. He always made used work as an excuse. But when he heard that Natsu was in a relationship, he couldn't help but wonder how it had happened.
Gray feels like there's something odd about the sudden circumstance.
"Unless you're hiding something," Gray adds.
Natsu looked at the man with a questioning look, making Juvia bashful for Gray's accusation. Juvia suddenly raised her hand and waved it as if to disperse the thought.
"No-no-no. Gray-sama doesn't mean to insinuate anything. It's just that…it's news for us," Juvia then elbows the man, causing him to grunt at the sudden ribbing. "That is why Juvia and Gray are asking…"
Natsu sighs in exasperation as he sees and realizes that his friends are not going to drop the topic anytime soon. He knew that at some point, over the course of his stay in Lilia City, the two would hear about his relationship with Lucy. He just didn't expect they'd know it before he'd arrived.
"Fine, yes. I do have a girlfriend now," Natsu then shook his head in annoyance and kept his head low. He ate his ramen quietly, knowing that eyes were on him. "Can you stop staring now?"
"Ow," Gray whines again, making the pinkette look up. "I wasn't staring," Gray defensively states while Juvia groans in frustration.
"How did you know anyways?" Natsu questioned as he sat up straight and crossed his arms, "We haven't even come out yet in the public,"
"You have a loose-lipped cousin," Gray suddenly smirks when Natsu gawked at the news, "And besides, Juvia saw some paparazzi photos of a pink-haired man that looks just like you,"
"Are you really dating Lucy Ashley? The actress?!" Juvia beamed while she scooted her seat closer to the table, "How on Earthland did you meet her?!"
Natsu suddenly smiles at the woman's excited expression, "You watched her shows?" Natsu curiously asks the bluenette, who enthusiastically nodded her head in reply.
"Yes! Of course, Juvia does! Juvia even watches her current series," she then sighs in satisfaction and mumbles, "Who knew Juvia has a friend that dates an actress?"
Natsu couldn't help himself chuckle at the dreamy look of the bluenette. He knows that he has a small group of friends. If you'd exclude family, he probably had less than ten friends. So, it is understandable if his friends wondered how he'd meet an actress, especially knowing the fact that he doesn't even watch television.
"You make it sound like it's impossible to meet an actress anytime," Natsu then shook his head, "Your company uses tv personalities to do endorsements. How is this surprising?"
"Well, work is different from personal stuff, Natsu-san. Just because we worked with them once, doesn't mean we're friends personally already. Juvia hasn't met Lucy Ashley in person, but we've worked with Yukino Agria, and they belong to the same talent agency,"
"Really?" Gray states and nods his head in amazement at the information, "What agency?"
"Fiore United Artist Agency," Juvia says in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Fiore United…" Gray then trails off before looking back at Natsu. He looked at the pinkette with seriousness on his face, "Isn't that the agency of Mirajane Strauss?"
"Yeah, it is," Natsu replies with sternness on his face as well. He knew why Gray was looking at him with such intensity and he was getting a little frustrated with the notion. But he also knew that to keep his secret safe, he needs to make it certain to the raven-haired man that this was something he is aware of and that there is nothing to be worried about. "If you're worried, I assure you, this has nothing to do with her,"
Juvia then looks at Gray, who was still seriously staring at the pink-haired president. She then glances at the man and realizes what Natsu meant and why Gray was dead-on staring. She knows about the past of Natsu and Erra and how that relationship ended. It wasn't a pleasant memory, particularly in the aftermath of that breakup.
"Don't worry, Gray-sama, Mirajane Strauss doesn't handle international artists. Remember, she doesn't live in Fiore anymore?"
There was a pregnant pause and silence among the three before Gray sighs in defeat, "Who said I'm worried," he then scoffs as he breaks eye contact with the man and focused on his food instead.
Soon enough, the trio drops the topic of Lucy and Mira. They all knew that delving into the past was going to bring out unnecessary thoughts and attitudes, especially for the pinkette. Natsu knows that he can't afford to be distracted as work was more important.
After nearly two hours, the trio finally stood up from their table and left the place. They had their share of dessert already, thanks to Juvia before they left. Now, it was time to call it a night. So, Natsu immediately bid them goodbye as he reminded them that they'd see him again in the office. Soon enough, Gray and Juvia were left alone while Natsu headed back to his hotel.
While walking the streets of Juvia's neighborhood, the raven-haired man kept silent. It wasn't odd for the man to be quiet, but Juvia knew that something was bothering the man.
"Penny for your thoughts, Gray-sama?" Juvia asks as she leans a little closer to the man, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, uh…" Gray locked eyes with the blunette before sighing in defeat, "Just didn't expect that Natsu's girlfriend is still affiliated with Mirajane, the same woman who introduced Erra to Natsu,"
"It's just a coincidence, Gray-sama—"
"Coincidence? You believe that?" Gray shook his head as he shoves his hands into his pants pockets, "I say, something is not right,"
"Why Gray-sama? Would you rather believe that Mirajane Strauss is conspiring against Natsu?" Juvia sighs as well when Gray looked at her guiltily, "Juvia doesn't think that Mirajane Strauss even knew Erra would be such a person. We all knew that she was nice and caring for Natsu, only to find out that she was doing that to get something out of him,"
"Okay, I get your point," Gray depletes as he lost his case, "I just don't want to repeat what happened,"
Juvia slowly smiles at the man, "Don't worry Gray-sama, I don't think it will repeat,"
"How can you be sure?" Gray questioned, looking back at her.
"With the way Natsu smiled when Juvia said that she watches Lucy Ashley's shows, Juvia knew that this woman is someone different for Natsu-san,"
"Natsu's smile?" Gray bafflingly shook his head as he couldn't picture what Juvia was telling, "How can you tell?"
"Juvia hasn't seen Natsu smile like that for years. He was just genuinely happy to hear someone gushing over his girlfriend's work. Like a proud boyfriend," Juvia then loops her arm to Gray, "It's sweet,"
With that thought, Gray tried to recall how Natsu had looked and reacted while talking about Lucy Ashley. If he'd be honest, he's not convinced. But with Juvia's hopeful assessment, he thought he'd give it a chance.
A few days have passed since Lucy and the girls met in the restaurant. As they all have agreed, Levy and Lisanna would keep themselves low profile. Lisanna would refrain from posting any pictures on one of her social media accounts, while Levy made sure to keep herself busy at work to avoid any unexpected encounter with the red-haired investigator.
As for Lucy, she also limited her outings. The least she wants is to give Erza another opportunity to make a casual meet-up. Although, she still chatted with Erza, to keep up with the appearance that she isn't bothered by her. She doesn't want Erza to figure out that she knows who she is already. Aside from her, Lucy has been limiting her interaction with Mira. After Lisanna confessed that she had outed her and Natsu's relationship with Mira, Lucy had been anticipating a confrontation from her manager. But it had been days since Mira knew it.
As Thursday hits, Lucy woke up extra early to do her morning jog instead of going to the café. She couldn't trust going there again and meeting Erza. So, instead, she did her usual jogging routine, ran from her condo building to the nearest park, and then ran back to her place. Despite the early hours, Lucy still spotted a few paparazzi loitering around.
She had noticed that ever since that day that paparazzi bombarded her building, she saw a few cameras always on standby to catch any famous face coming in or out of the building. It was annoying but she was grateful that Natsu wasn't around to be caught. At least, they didn't have to deal with unwanted rumors running around. Media still didn't confirm Natsu's connection to her. And she prefers it like that. In that way, she wasn't getting any attention from Grandine.
As Lucy returns to her unit and settles down at her kitchen island table, she tiredly drank her water as she opened her phone. Scrolling her phone, nothing was unusual. Natsu still didn't message her, aside from the confirmation and reiteration that she should keep a low profile to avoid the redhead. Until her phone rang and a message came from Mira.
7:32 AM
Mira Strauss: Care to explain this?
Lucy suddenly stopped drinking and put down her bottle as her eyes grew wide. This was it, she thought. This was the time that Mira chose to confront her. She has a photo shoot with a beauty brand today and Mira is going to be there. Mira chose this day.
"Shit," Lucy mumbles to herself as she stared franticly at Mira's message. When another message came but it was a link for an article. She then clicks it and was redirected to the webpage.
Showbiz Entertainment Channel
ARTICLE TITLE: Lucy Ashley and Natsu Dragneel, only a quick fling?
Lucy Ashley had been spotted numerous times with a new boyfriend for the past few weeks. This new boyfriend of hers was kept mysterious as no one could figure out who he was. Not until recently, Natsu Dragneel was spotted coming into the condominium building of 'The Secret' series actress. This has brought a lot of attention from the media, causing numerous media outlets to try to confirm the relationship between Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Ashley. Unfortunately, nothing was confirmed. However, recently, a photo circulated on social media, wherein Lucy Ashley was pictured with Natsu Dragneel at the infamous Annual Charity Ball of the Dragon Empire Group. This annual charity ball was held last May 25th, gathering all elite businessmen, businesswomen, philanthropists, and celebrities. The event was a private-invitational party, which made it impossible to identify the guest list. Although, having this photo taken simply suggests that the two famous individuals know each other more than the public would know. Natsu Dragneel is the current CEO of the Dragon Empire Group (DEG), which is one of the leading corporations in Fiore. DEG is the real estate corporation responsible for many famous buildings and sites in Magnolia.
As of recently, Lucy Ashley and Natsu Dragneel had not been spotted around each other again. The two seemed to click together based on their sightings of them during the shooting days of the series Princess. However, when the series had wrapped up, their public display had ceased as well. This led to the speculation that the relationship between the actress and the CEO is only a brief fling. Could it be true that Lucy Ashley rejected the businessman as she is still not over with Loke De Leon?
"Really?!" Lucy suddenly bellows as she finishes reading the article. She then goes back to her messaging app and read Mira's text.
7:40 AM
Mira Strauss: Before you could even tell me that you and Natsu are together, you have broken up?
7:41 AM
Mira Strauss: We have to talk.
Lucy groans in annoyance but she understood the point. She needs to discuss this with her manager. And like what Lisanna had said before, Mira could help. But it would depend on how the conversation would go. She then started typing.
7:43 AM
Me: I know. Later at the shoot.
When the message was sent, Lucy sighed in defeat. She accessed the online article again and she couldn't help but scowl. She knew that the article was a bait story, to make her team and Natsu's group react. That's what the media wants, to make them comment about it and she can't let that happen. Even for Natsu's side, they probably wouldn't attempt to react to this. After all, Grandine doesn't want to involve her son with her just yet in the public.
Lucy went on with her day. Within the next hour, Laki arrives at her place and started prepping her things. She's heading towards her photo shoot for Eclipse Beauty, a beauty brand she has been endorsing for the past two years. She has been the ambassador of the brand ever since she was named one of the top ten beautiful faces of Ishgar. She's even grateful for the company that they hadn't pulled out of their contract despite the running rumors she has been involved with. They assured her, they looked beyond tabloid dramas.
When Lucy arrived at the set of the photo shoot, she was immediately ushered to the makeup area. She saw Mira was already there and she had a stern look on her face. For some reason, Lucy was nervous. She didn't know how she was going to talk about the relationship with Mira. She was conflicted if she should tell the truth and ask for her help or keep the façade that she and Natsu had just spontaneously met because of Lisanna, and they just fell in love.
Seated on her makeup chair, Lucy tried to avoid eye contact with the white-haired woman. She kept her phone in her hand, scrolling through her social media.
"Ehem,"
Lucy looked up from her phone and was startled at the sudden appearance of her manager. Mira raised a brow at her, making the blonde actress sheepishly laugh.
"So, we can have that talk now," Mira said, keeping a dubious look on her face.
"Right," Lucy says nodding her head while she tried to think of what to say next. "So, yeah…Um, Natsu and I—"
"Oh, I know that already. You and Natsu are dating, Lisanna told me," Mira then pulls a chair close to the blonde and gave a serious look at the actress, "What I don't understand is—why didn't you tell me?"
Lucy was quiet for a moment, contemplating whether to let the manager into the secret. She wants to, just like what Lisanna said, her sister could be a big help. But she needed to know first, what are her thoughts about it.
"I wanted to make sure," Lucy nods her head as Mira kept her attention on her, "I didn't want you to worry about me being involved with a businessman,"
"Lucy," Mira then sighs, her shoulders dropping in defeat, "I'm your friend. I'll worry in all ways possible. You told me about your dad, and I know the implication of being with Natsu. He's not an ordinary businessman. He's a Dragneel, he comes from a dramatic family,"
Lucy chuckles at Mira's words as she couldn't agree more. The manager then chuckles along, seeing that Lucy knew what she meant.
"You know what I mean. And…" Mira then bites her lower lip, feeling the sudden guilt she had felt before, "besides, Natsu has a complicated past—"
"I know," Lucy reassures, "Erra Ito, the model that he used to date and was supposed to propose to. I know what I got myself into,"
Mira was silent. She didn't expect that Lucy would immediately know about Erra. She may have underestimated Lucy and Natsu's relationship. Maybe their relationship was deeper than she thought.
"Well then, I guess you should know that I was the reason why Natsu met Erra,"
"I also know that already, Mira," Lucy then takes Mira's hand and gave it a squeeze, "Look, I know that you think Natsu, and I have just met and it's impossible that we are in love. But…we are,"
"Oh, no doubt. I don't question that," Mira then beams a smile that Lucy didn't expect. She then tilts her head in wonder.
"You don't?" Lucy pulls back a little but still held her manager's hand, "Why?"
"Well, look at you," Mira grins mischievously, "You're blooming, you're always smiling. You have this spark in your eyes, especially when you talk about your boyfriend. Now, knowing it's Natsu, it just makes sense."
"Makes sense, how?" Lucy was baffled as she couldn't figure out how Mira wasn't picking up any hint that she and Natsu are just pretending.
"The fact that you know Natsu's history and that he'd opened up to you, I think that's just a lot of trust. Lisanna told me that his family knows your real last name. That just tells everything. You trust him and he trusts you. How can you say that you both don't love each other?"
Lucy suddenly lets out an awkward laugh, making Mira raise an amused brow. The actress wanted to laugh her guts out and admit to the white-haired woman that the only reason that she and Natsu knew about each other's backstories is that they needed to know what they were working on. It may not have been part of the contract, but they knew it was essential to know family and personal histories.
"Right…" Lucy finally pulls away, having enough of the unexpected comment from her manager. What she had expected from Mira was calling her out for the bluff she has been making. But apparently, her manager is convinced that she and Natsu were really in love. She then turns to Mira and considers telling the truth.
"So, if I tell you that this is just a hoax, between me and Natsu. Would you believe it?" Lucy challenged.
"Hm, no," Mira says shaking her head. She then stood up from her chair when she suddenly spots the makeup artist, "How can your body lie about being in love with someone? I mean, yes, you're an actress. But being genuinely happy and content with someone in your life cannot be imitated by acting,"
Mira then taps the blonde's shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll vouch for you to Grandine. Although, having me as your character reference doesn't put you in a good light. She's picky about Natsu's girlfriend after Erra. But we got you," She then smiled widely at her talent before turning away and heading out.
It has been nearly more than two weeks since Natsu left Magnolia for business trips. He's still in Lilia City, completing a business deal. It wasn't really taxing given that he's working with his friends. But he couldn't deny that he was starting to miss home.
Sitting comfortably on his hotel bed, with his back resting on the headboard and legs up, Natsu sighed in relief after having that dreadful long dinner meeting with the board members of the Ice Castle Industry. Natsu is just grateful enough to have Gray and Juvia around to keep his boredom at ease. But still, he feels tired. He still has a few more days to stay in Lilia City before he returns to Magnolia.
He misses the people in Magnolia. Surprisingly, a particular blonde actress.
"What is up to these people?" Natsu suddenly mutters to himself as he felt longing for his family and friends. He then reaches out for his bag and pulled out his iPad. Within minutes, he is already scanning all the photos posted by his loved ones.
As he kept his attention on his gadget, Natsu suddenly felt the room was too quiet. So, he turns on the television and lets the sound fill the room. He kept the volume low, just to keep the room from being too silent. As he was scrolling, Natsu suddenly tumbles upon a showbiz online article. The title caught his attention. But before he could open it, he hears Lucy's name making him look up and stare at the tv.
Clips of Lucy's tv series were showing and a narrator spoke over the video.
"The drama The Secrets officially ended last Wednesday with a very heartbreaking ending. Lucy Ashley's character, Mia Satsuki ends the show with a tear-jerking line about falling and rising from the challenges of life. How relatable is this to the actress, Lucy?
Lucy Ashley had been involved in various rumors with her past boyfriend, Loke De Leon, even speculation of receiving restraining orders. But as of late, the secret actress has been spotted with a new fling and was thought to have moved on. During the last shooting weeks of the actress, she was publicly seen around with a new boyfriend, who happens to be Natsu Dragneel—"
Natsu's eyes suddenly grew wide as he hears his name being dropped and a photo of him entering the building of Lucy's condo. This is the first time he has heard his name being mentioned along with Lucy's. As far as he knows, he hasn't been outed yet despite the ruckus that the paparazzi did on Lucy's building. Although maybe it was a matter of time before the media caught up to them. He just didn't know why the media would jump to a conclusion immediately. It was too petty to conclude that he and Lucy were involved when they weren't spotted leaving the condominium together.
Natsu then looks down at his phone and clicked the article.
Showbiz Entertainment Channel
ARTICLE TITLE: Lucy Ashley and Natsu Dragneel, only a quick fling?
As Natsu read the article, he couldn't help but scowl at the material he was reading. It was absurd and obviously, a bait story to make him and Lucy comment. He isn't going to fall for this, he thought, then he remembered his mother.
"Mom's not going to like this," Natsu mumbles to himself as he shook his head. He then exits the article and presses his contact list. He then presses his phone to his ear and waited for the call to be answered.
"Hello?" a sweet voice, he had unexpectedly missed, spoke.
"Hey, Luce," Natsu then paused and kept quiet, unsure how to proceed, "Um, how are ya?"
"You called," Lucy replies, with a hint of a smile on her face that Natsu couldn't see.
"Uh, yeah. I saw you on the news and…an article," Natsu then winces as he thought that he sounded so impassive.
"Oh," Lucy sighs over the line, making Natsu grimace even more, "Uh, yeah. Apparently, you've downgraded as my fling since we're not spotted together anymore, and I'm possibly still in love with my ex,"
Natsu suddenly chuckles at the sarcasm in Lucy's voice. He could only imagine her rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of the article he had read.
"Sorry,"
"What for?" Lucy asked.
"Well, I can't do my part as your fake boyfriend and assure the public that we're together," Natsu was then silent as he tried to read Lucy's silence. He then adds, "It's surprising that they had concluded already that I'm your boyfriend,"
"Yeah, I know. A photo leaked from the ball, which makes our situation more complicated," Lucy then sighs, making Natsu a little bothered.
"And why is that?" Natsu questioned as he settles on his bed more comfortably.
"Hm, my papa. I just hope that he'll brush this off," Lucy then bites her lower lip in habit of worry, "I'm sure he doesn't watch tv, but who knows who might tell him about his missing daughter dating a Dragneel,"
Natsu slightly smiles, thinking about how he felt a little nervous knowing that Jude Heartfilia might one day come up to him to talk about their relationship. But he quickly shook his head as he thought that it was too ridiculous to think like that.
"Don't worry, we'll handle that if that ever happens," Natsu assures the blonde, who sighs in relief. Lucy needed to know that he can be depended on and that they were partners in this.
"Thanks…" Lucy mutters softly.
The two were then silent, but it felt comfortable. There wasn't a rush to speak and hearing them breathe on the other end of the line was sufficient.
"How are you by the way? It's been days since I last heard from you,"
"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. I've just been really busy and couldn't keep in touch. Whenever I get back to my hotel, I just drop dead and fall asleep," Natsu then chuckles at himself and hears the blonde laugh as well.
"Well, I know how that feels," Lucy replies, "But I hope you're taking care of yourself. You should rest and eat,"
Natsu smiles at the concern of the blonde, "I do eat…Juvia's been always feeding me. That woman wouldn't let a day without me eating,"
Lucy was then silent for a moment. It was a first for Natsu to mention a woman's name that she didn't know. She didn't know what to think.
"Juvia?" Lucy repeats with a tinge of hesitation in her voice.
"Yeah, Juvia Lockser. She's a college friend who works at Ice Castle Industry. She's the Sales and Communication Head of the company, so basically, I work with her…and Gray, another college friend,"
"Ahh…she must be taking care of you so well," Lucy then scrunches her face as she hated how she had said that.
"She does…" Natsu then pauses as he thought about Lucy's tone. It was odd that he felt like he needed to make sure Lucy knew what kind of relationship he had with the blunette, "But not the way how she cares for Gray. They're like a couple but not really. Well, I don't know. They just flirt right in front of me and make me feel like a third wheel every time,"
Lucy suddenly chortles at the thought of Natsu being a third wheel on a date. All of a sudden, the blonde felt a little at ease.
"Well, then, I have to meet them," Lucy smirks over the phone, which Natsu could sense given her playful tone.
"Why?" Natsu bemusedly asked but he had a smile on his face as well.
"So, that we could have a double date and you wouldn't end up as the third wheel again. I can put on a show, remember?" Lucy then grins when she hears Natsu laugh.
"Of course," Natsu slows down from his laughter, but his smile never falters, "I'll try to be back as soon as possible,"
"Don't worry about me, Mr. Dragneel. I can manage," Lucy answers with a tone of softness but with conviction. Natsu knew that Lucy was capable. But he knew he just needed to let Lucy know that he cares.
"I know…but I just want to make sure that I'm there when shit happens,"
"Why? So, you could tease me?" Lucy jokingly asks.
"Not really," Natsu softly smiles, "I just want to make sure you'll be okay. Mom can be unconventional and overstepping. Just like Erza…"
"Well, it's a lesson learned. Your mom's not taking this easy and she's a tough nut to break," Lucy exhales deeply as she thinks about the certain blue-haired mother, "She just started and now, we just have to anticipate,"
"Yeah, we do. But you won't be alone," Natsu sighs in defeat as well, "I promise,"
"I know…"
Silence then lingered between them again. It was surprisingly comforting for Lucy, as she had felt more assured that Natsu was there. They may be a few cities apart, but Lucy feels more grounded, now that Natsu reiterates to her she's not on her own.
"Sleep tight, Natsu," Lucy whispers.
"Night, Luce," Natsu replies back with a ghost of a smile on his lips.
"Bye," they both muttered at the same time before they pulled their phones away from their ear and ended the call.
To be continued…