Chapter 15
It has been days since the news article was published about Lucy and Natsu ending it and labeling it as a fling only. Media still attaches her name to Loke and perceives her as someone who hasn't moved on yet. With the absence of Natsu to contradict the article, it was a challenge for the two. Lucy was continuously followed and is assumed to be single, while Natsu, was barely photographed, given the stricter security following him around.
A crew from the Eclipse Beauty brand peeks inside the built-in booth for the actress and smiled at her, "Hi Ms. Ashley, be ready in 15 minutes, you'll be heading to the stage soon,"
"All right, thank you," Lucy replies looking at the crew through the mirror while her hairdresser continued to adjust her braided hair.
When the crew disappears after the curtain was dropped, Lucy looked back at her gadget, showing the current internet news about her. Similar story, different writer. Media always ended their article with the question if she and Loke would ever still get back. Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes as she knew to herself, she was totally over with Loke and was actually happy to be single.
"There you go," the hairstylist suddenly mutters, making Lucy snap out of her thoughts. Looking up at the mirror and turning her head to the side to check her hair, Lucy smiled at her hairstylist.
"You're the best, Kora, I love it,"
"Now, you look way younger than usual," Kora then chuckles as Lucy snorts at the compliment.
"Thanks, I'll tell Eclipse Beauty you're a wonderful endorser than I am," The two then laughs as Lucy stood from her seat. When she placed her gadget on the table, Kora quickly glimpses the article she was reading.
"Is that still troubling you?" The stylist suddenly asks as she steps back from the actress and begins to fix the things she has used.
Lucy looked up at the older woman and then at the tablet. Sighing in exasperation, she gave a gentle smile to Kora before lightly shaking her head.
"No, I'm just annoyed that the media still insist that Loke and I would ever get back together or that I am still in love with Loke. I mean, why me? Why don't I see articles about Loke not getting over me? I broke up with him…" Lucy then sighs again as she disbelievingly shook her head. "Why does it always have to be the woman who looks pathetic and chasing the guy after a breakup?"
"You know that media can be ridiculous and biased," the stylist then pushes herself off the table she was leaning on and stood behind the blonde, "I mean just because you are not seen around your real boyfriend it means you are not over with Loke. Loke is so old news,"
Lucy then chuckles as she thought the same with the woman, "How I wish they'd catch up to that fact."
Before the stylist could respond, another crew lifted the curtains and called on the blonde. Soon, Mirajane excused herself inside the booth and walked up to the actress.
"Ready?" Mira asks and Lucy smiles at her manager.
"Yeah," Lucy then walks along with Mira as they stepped out of the tent. As they were heading toward the stage, Mira could see Lucy fumbling with her hands.
"You'll do great out there, Lucy," Mira then smiled at the blonde who looked back at her with a stunned look. She then grabbed Lucy's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I know that the media had been a nuisance to you lately, and being out there in public in front of the camera allows them to question things. But don't worry, I reminded them that they will focus only on the brand and product, nothing else,"
"Thanks, Mira…" Lucy sighs in relief. She was dreading this event as she knew that the media can be relentless and insistent in asking questions unrelated to the event. The least she wanted was to talk about her personal life, given then Grandine's side had remained silent despite the numerous articles coming up.
Soon enough, Lucy slowly walked up the stage after her name was called by the two emcees. A loud chant was heard, cheering Lucy's name as they waited for her appearance. It has been weeks after the end of her series, and this is Lucy's first official public appearance since then, making her fans even more excited.
Lucy! Pretty Lucy!
Our princess! Lucy!
We love you, Lucy!
"Hi, everyone," Lucy greets as soon as she was halfway through the stage and waved at the audience before her.
Ahhh! Lucy Ashley! We love you!
Lucy! Our series princess!
"Ms. Lucy Ashley, it's so great to see you!" A brown-haired woman greets the actress with open arms.
"Thank you for having me here as Eclipse Beauty Ambassador," Lucy answers as she bows her head before the media and fans gathered at the endorsement event.
"All right, let's take our seats!" Another emcee said.
Soon the trio sat down at their respective seats, with Lucy sitting on the middle plush chair while the two emcees sat at both sides of the actress.
"So, Lucy, how have you been?" Yoja, the brown-haired emcee asks the actress.
"I'm good," Lucy replies with a bright smile, "After the last shooting I had for 'The Secrets' I'm able to take some break and relax from all the daily tapings I had,"
"Oh, that's nice," Jia, the other emcee comments, "It must have been hectic and tiring after doing the series,"
"Yeah, like every series that I make, you know, it takes so much energy, and a lot of my days are spent in tapings with different call times. In the series, I've done a lot of stunts, so there is also that continuous physical training, so it has been quite a draining but fulfilling experience,"
"Well, then you deserve a lot of breaks," Jia replies, and then the two hosts chuckle as Lucy smiling shrugs her shoulder while she nods her head. "So, what have been your activities since your break?"
Lucy then starts talking about her workout and the activities she had been engaging in. In these kinds of events, Lucy is used to talking about routines that she supposedly does. But if she would be honest, half of the things she says are the ideal things she wishes she does. For instance, she does workout, but incorporating martial arts in her workout happens once a month, not daily. But she's got to sell to people that she's an active person.
She knows how many false and ideal things she had to say in these events. As much as possible, she tries to be authentic, but some companies try to sell her story too much, making her too idealistic. And that's part of her work that she hates. Everything around her leads her to fake a lot about her life.
Soon enough, Lucy begins to talk about the product, which she is proud to use given that the product was a legit beauty enhancer. She's always been told that she is beautiful, but being a beauty brand ambassador was like a next-level beauty.
Within the hour of the event, Lucy begins to engage with fans who were encouraged to experience using the product. It was a fun activity for Lucy as it was the closest interaction she could have with her fans. Being with her supportive fans, who continuously express their happiness for meeting her, Lucy couldn't help but be grateful.
When the event was over, Lucy was escorted into a media-press room. Various media were waiting for her to ask questions.
As Lucy sits down in front of rows of microphones on the table, she beamingly smiles at the camera and the press despite the growing anxiety she felt.
"Hi, Ms. Ashley, I'm Jenna from Fiore Entertainment Media," Lucy then nods to her, "So, can you tell us about what we can expect from you with Eclipse Beauty?"
"Uh, yeah, I'll probably do some promotional events around Fiore since the beauty brand has opened various stores and I'm excited about that."
"That's great, are there any upcoming plans and projects?" the press asked.
Lucy widens her smile at the press, "Well, as of now, um, I plan to take a break and just enjoy some vacation first before taking on new projects. But, yeah, there are series and movie projects that I look forward to working on. But right now, I'd like to have some vacation first,"
"Are you planning to travel out of the country and where exactly do you plan to take a break?" another media press asks, to which Lucy searched before answering.
"I'd love to travel in a different country but with my schedule that sometimes changes in a day I can't afford to leave Fiore. So, maybe just traveling to provincial places with beaches and nature would be good," Lucy ends with a smile on her face.
As the third reporter then begins to ask, "Whom do you plan to take a vacation with? With your alleged boyfriend?"
Lucy was then startled at the quick turn of questioning. She then glances at Mira, who was astounded as well. The white-haired manager quickly stood up from her seat and looked like she was ready to reprimand the press. Lucy suddenly realized it was the perfect timing to counter the running articles about her and Natsu breaking up.
"Um, yeah," Lucy quickly answers, making Mira halt from her steps and gawk at the blonde. But Lucy ignored it and continued, "Well, um, I'd love to. But with our career, it's sort of difficult to spend so much time together. So, when it permits, we'd love to have a vacation together,"
Without warning, another reporter asks the actress, "Is that the only reason why Natsu Dragneel isn't spotted around with you?"
"He's a businessman, so yeah, he's busy." Lucy then chuckles to make her look nonchalant.
"What do you think about the rumors running around the internet about you and Natsu Dragneel breaking up because of Loke?"
Lucy then smirks as this was the moment she was waiting for, "Well it's absurd. The last time I checked, I'm still going out with Natsu, and we are completely happy together. I mean, what's the point of including an ex in the picture,"
Lucy then sees Mira talking to the events planner, and the manager seemed to be annoyed with the line of questions being thrown.
"So, your relationship with Mr. Dragneel is not some fling? Or rebound?"
Lucy sternly looked at the reporter, "No, that is not true,"
"Ms. Lucy—" a reporter starts but was quickly interrupted.
"Okay, everyone," Mirajane says after she taps the microphone, "we'd appreciate it if you ask questions regarding Lucy's endorsement for Eclipse Beauty rather than asking about her personal life," She then stares deadly at the press who evidently exhaled in disappointment.
"Well, if there are no more questions regarding Lucy's endorsement, we will end this press conference," Mira glares at the media before turning to her talent and encouraging Lucy to stand and leave the stage.
Driving away from the venue of the event, Mira silently observed the actress. Lucy sat down quietly as well, but it seemed that the actress was at ease.
"I'm sorry that the media got out of hand again,"
Lucy turns to look at her manager, "It's fine. I took advantage of it,"
Mira shrugs her shoulders, "I noticed. But I thought we were not going to talk about this in front of the media?"
"I had to do something about it," Lucy then sighs as she thought about the various rumors coming up. She knows that commenting about it can reach Grandine. It may not be the best move, but at least she stirred the pot and gets a little action from the blue-haired mother.
"What if Natsu's side comments?" Mira then leans closer to the blonde, "What if Grandine says something?"
"We just have to anticipate—" Lucy then bites her lip as she nearly spills her secret about the contract, "Um, Grandine is not quite fond of me yet. But at least, she'll know that I am serious about being with Natsu,"
Mira then smiles in contentment, "Well then, that went well."
"I hope so,"
Dragneel Mansion
10:46 PM
On that Friday night, Grandine sits down by her computer and stares at the online article sent by Erza. The redhead had been sending Grandine various media articles about Lucy and Natsu. It was a bit of a surprise that Natsu had been involved immediately with the blonde actress. The communications team in Belserion Security Agency had been blocking all news articles but that article from the showbiz entertainment channel slipped past them.
Groaning with impatience, Grandine scrolls down the article and sees a photo of Lucy and Natsu at the charity ball. The two looked great in the photo, but Grandine couldn't help but feel irked. She just had this lingering feeling that something was odd. She then scrolls down further and sees another photo of Lucy with Loke De Leon.
Grabbing her phone, Grandine quickly dials Erza's number.
"Mrs. Dragneel?"
"Hi, Erza," Grandine monotonously greets, "I saw all the articles you sent me, and I've noticed a name keeps on appearing,"
"Uh, yes. Loke De Leon."
"Find out about him. I want to know the extent of his relationship with Lucy,"
"I will. Any other specific information you want to know?"
Grandine thought for a second when she suddenly thought about Natsu and Lucy's story of getting to know one another. "Timeline. I want to see how accurate Natsu and Lucy's story is, inserting this man's relationship with the actress."
"Noted, ma'am. I'll get back to you as soon as possible."
Grandine then pulls her phone away and ends the call. As she turns her phone down on the table, the blue-haired mother couldn't help but sigh for the nth time.
"How's your little project doing?" a voice suddenly spoke, making the blue-haired woman jump in her seat. As she turns to look at the person, she quickly grumbles at him and looks away.
"If you're here to annoy me, Iggy, just head to bed and sleep," Grandine then sits up and closes all the tabs on her computer.
Igneel suddenly chuckles as he figures that the news Grandine was looking into was not pleasant, "I get that you don't like what you're reading,"
"And what do you know about what I'm reading?"
"I know things," Igneel smirks as Grandine rolls her eyes at her husband.
She slams her computer down and pushed her chair back. It was obvious that the woman was having a terrible night and Igneel couldn't help but want to blame the investigation his wife has been doing. But voicing this out wasn't going to make things better.
"Why do you even do this, Dine? I mean, you're looking for things to annoy yourself,"
Grandine turns to look at her husband with a raised brow, "Do you think I enjoy doing this?"
"No," Igneel shook his head, "But I don't understand why you have to do this. No one is obligating you to scrutinize your son's relationship,"
Grandine tiredly heaves, "If I don't, who does?"
"No one,"
"Exactly," Grandine widens her eyes in emphasis of her point, "No one will look after this sketchy relationship,"
"Sketchy?" Igneel questioned before he chuckles, "Dine, you've seen the two. They seem to be in love, well, in love as possible in their short time of getting to know one another,"
"In love?" Grandine scoffs before she slowly laughs in disbelief, "You foolish man. You think that Natsu and that actress are in love?"
"And why not believe it?" Igneel exhales deeply as he steps closer to his wife and grasps her arms. He gently squeezes her arms before running his hands up and down, "Honey, you've got to notch down on the skepticism. I know you mean well for your son. But you've got to trust him,"
Grandine looks at Igneel in his eyes and she sees the genuine concern of her husband. She knows that she can be a little hysterical and distrusting of people. But after what Natsu had gone through and how Natsu was manipulated into things, Grandine couldn't shake off the feeling that the world is out to get his son for being too trusting.
"I just don't want things to repeat," Grandine then sighs as she wraps her arms around Igneel's waist and lays her head on his chest, "There are people out there who want Natsu out of the position. There are people out there who want to manipulate Natsu. I can't just watch my son deal with this on his own,"
Igneel tightens his hold on his wife before he caresses her back in a soothing pattern, "Natsu's big boy. He knows his own battles and he's doing great. Having Lucy is a plus for him,"
Grandine pulls back a bit and gave a questioning look, "How is that woman a plus to your son? Jude Heartfilia could be planning his way into our lives,"
"Okay, Jude is a different story, which I believe we should be cautious about. But that doesn't mean we have to be skeptical of Lucy as well. She may be the daughter, but I think Lucy is someone who doesn't like being controlled,"
Grandine rolls her eyes as she drops her hold and steps back, "I can't. I can't separate her from her father. If I know, they are working together,"
"Dine,"
"Igneel, no. You can be the trusting person, I'll be skeptical." Grandine then shook her head and turns away to leave her office, "Come on, time for bed,"
Sitting by the window in a nearby café, Natsu continued to type away on his laptop as a blue-haired woman came strutting towards him. Without getting the attention of the pink-haired president, the woman sat in front of him and grinned widely.
"It's Saturday and yet, Natsu-san is busy sitting here doing his work," the woman then sits up straight as she stared at the busy man.
"Good morning to you too, Juvia," Natsu mumbles without looking back at the blunette.
"You know, it would be politer if you greet a person while looking at them," Juvia then grins when Natsu groans and stops typing before looking back at her.
"Good morning, Juvia," Natsu repeats, making the blunette chuckle and nod her head in satisfaction.
"That's better. So, it's a Saturday, what are your plans for today?"
Natsu began to work again, "Well, I just have to polish this contract and then send it to Gray. Then probably—"
"No," Juvia cuts off and Natsu curiously looks back at her, "Natsu-san, no. You are not going to spend your weekend polishing a contract. You polished that days ago and like what Gray-sama said, it's good. So, stop fretting about that document and get your butt out of this café and do something fun,"
Natsu was stunned for a moment, unsure what to reply. When Juvia slowly pushes his laptop close with a stern look, the pinkette didn't move to stop her.
"Now," Juvia smiles sweetly, "What is your plan for today?"
"Um…" Natsu trails off before he admits, "Nothing,"
Juvia then sighs as she thought so, "Okay, Juvia will offer her service. Juvia will tour you around Lilia City and you will take tons of photos to show your girlfriend,"
Natsu paused for a second before he shook his head, "No, Lucy's um…busy. She wouldn't be interested in seeing photos,"
"Nonsense!" Juvia then stands up and encourages the man to pack up and leave, "Lucy Ashley likes sightseeing,"
"And how do you know that?" Natsu questioned as he slowly puts his laptop back in his bag.
"Well, on her social media account, she has a lot of photos of nature and places that are tourist spots. She likes traveling,"
"And I hate traveling," Natsu mumbles to himself.
"What's that?" Juvia leans down to the pinkette, making him startled a little.
"Nothing," Natsu quickly counters as he stands up and carries his laptop bag, "So, where do we head to?"
…|…||…|…
As Natsu and Juvia arrive at the heritage site for the said Magical Narra Tree, Juvia quickly smiles widely as she sees Gray standing by the entrance of the park.
"Sorry, we're late," Juvia beams as she wraps an arm around Gray's offered arm.
"I thought this was a date?" Gray whispered to the blunette, who only grimaced in guilt.
"Juvia couldn't let Natsu work on a weekend," Juvia sheepishly looks at the raven-haired man before glancing over her shoulder to look at the pinkette. She then looks back at the man, "So, Juvia asked him to come,"
"Technically, you didn't ask me to come. You just dragged my ass out of the café and brought me to your date with Ice Princess," Natsu then gave a tight-lipped smile at the couple, "Hey, Gray, hope you don't mind me third wheeling,"
Gray just chuckles at the thought, "Well, I prefer that you don't tag along but do whatever you want,"
Natsu just rolls his eyes at the raven-haired man before he sighs in defeat. Soon enough, the couple began their strolling, with Juvia occasionally explaining to the pinkette the background story of the park.
The main attraction of the place was the tree, but there were various sculptures displayed in the park that various tourists loved to take photos with. As Juvia sees one of her favorite statues, she eagerly pulled Gray towards it and asked Natsu to take a picture of them. After doing so, she quickly pushed Natsu toward the statue.
"Now it's your turn!" Juvia happily stood in front of the pinkette and position the phone to capture a picture, "Smile!"
"Come on, Juvia. I-I don't really like taking pictures," Natsu shyly stood in front of the statue. Seeing Gray chuckle by the side made him feel more embarrassed.
"Come on, ash-brain. It's a picture for your girlfriend," Gray then gestures a wide smile on his face, "You haven't taken any pictures of the place,"
"I don't really have to because I've been to this place numerous times," Natsu then crosses his arms.
"Natsu-san!" Juvia suddenly exclaims, making the two men stiffly stand up straight, "This isn't for you! It's for Lucy Ashley."
Natsu's eyes grew wide a little at the sudden shouting. There were a lot of people in the park and the last thing he wants is to let the public hear that someone was dating Lucy Ashley.
"Okay-okay!" Natsu then clears his throat as he looks around, trying to see if someone took notice. But then nobody was paying attention to them. He then sighs as he thought people probably saw them as tourists as well. "Just…just don't shout her name. We don't want attention,"
"No one is paying attention to us," Gray then crosses his arms as he watched the pinkette stand awkwardly, "Smile, baka,"
"Say cheese!" Juvia bellows as she stares at the phone waiting for the pinkette to do a pose before clicking the screen.
As the trio headed further into the park, they finally reached the infamous tree. Juvia beamed at the two men before looking back at the wishing tree. She giddily ran into it and stood amusingly before it.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Juvia asked in enthrallment as she kept her attention on the tree and then watched the floating flowers dance in the air.
"Yeah, sure…" Natsu replies softly as he stood behind the couple, who seemed to be lost in their own world.
Staring at the two, Natsu suddenly fell into thinking. Gray and Juvia had been extremely close back in college and now, they were nearly like a real couple, except for the label. For some reason, he finds it odd how he's being perceived to have a real girlfriend, when in fact, he was the pretending one. Meanwhile, the two who seemed to be really in love with one another wouldn't make it official.
Being a third-wheeler of a couple on a date was obviously awkward. He was being forced to watch them all lovey-dovey. He thought he should probably act jealous that they had each other while his supposed girlfriend is in Magnolia. But he couldn't bring himself to act jealous. It just felt weird.
But then again, if Natsu was going, to be honest with himself, he did wish he was with someone special to spend the day. The place felt magical and beautiful. It was a waste for someone like him who was pretending to be in a relationship.
"Hey, Natsu-san, do you want a picture here?" Juvia suddenly asks, snapping Natsu out of his thoughts.
He shook his head as he shoves his hands in his pockets, "Nah, I'm good. I'll probably just take a picture of the tree,"
Juvia then smiles at the thought, "All right. Don't forget to make a wish,"
"A wish?" Natsu repeats with curiosity in his voice.
"Yeah. This narra tree is said to grant wishes of people with pure intentions," Gray then points at a group of people praying before the tree before pinning their wishes onto a string wrapped around the tree.
"Did you wish here?" Natsu curiously asks. The couple then looks at one another before looking back at the pinkette.
"I don't need to wish," Gray suddenly had a smile on his face, almost like he was enticed by something magical, "I've got my wish,"
Natsu suddenly snorts seeing how love-struck his best friend looks. "Well then, good for you,"
"How about you, Natsu-san? Why don't you make a wish?" Juvia then turns to grab a piece of paper and handed it to the pinkette.
The young president just stared at the paper for a moment before shaking his head at the blunette.
"I don't have to. I've gotten my wish too,"
Juvia and Gray then look at one another before looking back at the pinkette. "Then it's great. We have everything we need,"
Fairy Tail Club
10:49 PM
Sitting alone in a booth, Erza rocked her glass of whiskey over the table as she watched the people across from her. They were loud, flirtatious, and drunk. The women at the table were explicitly touchy, which the men did not mind. They were enjoying the touches. Erza couldn't help but groan in annoyance.
"Hey," a low husky voice suddenly spoke. Erza slowly looked at the man standing in front of her, blocking her view. "Why is a lady like you all alone? Do you care for company?" the man mischievously smiles at the redhead.
"No. Please leave," Erza then looks away and sighs before sipping her drink. When the man scoffs and leaves, Erza moved further inside her booth to hide in the shadows. She then kept her gaze on the orange-haired actor.
After that call with Grandine, Erza immediately researched Loke De Leon. He has been an actor since a young boy. He was considered the golden boy, having the looks, charm, and talent for acting. Nonetheless, he had been involved in various entertainment news, such as being a womanizer, cheater, and alcoholic.
Erza scoffs as she stares at the drunken actor across from her. He was boisterous and liked to splurge his money on expensive alcohol. He made out with the green-haired woman a few times already, but he seemed unsatisfied.
"I don't want to dance, babe, sorry," Loke says as the green-haired woman pulls him to stand.
"Oh, come on, babe. Just one. I love this music and I want to sway my hips like this," the woman then starts moving and twirls her hips very suggestively as if to tempt the orange-haired man. But the actor just chuckles and kisses her square on the lips.
"Dance with Riko. She likes dancing too, you'll both have fun," Loke then pulled the other woman to stand and encouraged them to head towards the dance floor.
When his other friends left the table to get drinks, the orange-haired actor slumps onto the plush couch and sighs. Erza saw that as her chance to talk to the man. She quickly drinks her remaining whiskey and scooted out of her booth.
Erza stood tall and kept her tight dress end above her mid-thigh. Her long white legs were a sight to see. So as soon as she struts to the actor's table, she saw him lock eyes with her and sat up straight.
"Hi," Erza greets with a higher pitch voice. She then leans on one leg and crosses her arms, amplifying her impressive chest. "I've noticed that you don't seem to be enjoying your night,"
Loke stared for a moment before he chuckles and smiles, "And why would you think that?"
"I don't know," Erza tilts her head as she shrugs her shoulders, "You didn't join your friends dancing, or even stopped kissing her and preferred to drink,"
Loke was stunned at her comment. It was odd to be watched but for some reason, it was exciting, "You've been watching?"
"Couldn't help it," Erza then gave a sly smile as she slowly walked closer and sat next to the man, "I was intrigued by you,"
"Me?" Loke had a knowing smile, thrilled to know that the woman before was outwardly showing her interest in him while being out of reach. "And what made you interested? Because I'm a famous actor?"
Hmm, egotistic.
"Yes," Erza then trails a finger over his tie, "But more than that, you look way too handsome to be alone and left unsatisfied,"
Loke heartily laughs and throws his head back. When he looks back at her, the redhead kept her flirtatious smile, and her eyes were gleaming with anticipation.
"Loke De Leon," He then offers his hand.
"Farah Cerise," Erza then shakes his hand and squeezes it a bit before letting go. "So, tell me about you?"
Loke raised a brow at the woman before he brushes off his doubt, "Well, I'm an actor,"
Erza scoffs as she rolls her eyes at the grinning man, "Tell me something that the public hasn't read on the internet," Erza suddenly leans closer to the orange-haired man and pulls his tie, making him lean closer as well, "I want to know whom I'm fantasizing about," she then bites her lower lip.
Seeing the redheaded woman look so alluring, Loke couldn't help but swallow hard and feel that tingling anticipation to kiss her, "I just got off a relationship,"
Erza hums in acknowledgment as she runs her hand over his coat.
"A long-term relationship," Loke swallows again as he kept his gaze on Erza's red lips, "Just a month ago,"
"Oh, really?" Erza looks back at the actor with amusement in her eyes, "You must be sad about it…" She then trances his jawline with her finger, "No wonder nothing seems to satisfy you,"
"She broke up with me," Loke adds to his sad story as he watches the redhead admire him, "Saying I was a cheater,"
"Are you?" Erza whispers as she moves closer to the man.
"No, of course not," Loke gulps again as he locks eyes with the woman, "Women tend to be too affectionate to me and I'm just a little too charming for my own good,"
Erza chortles, indeed, a womanizer.
Erza then leans close to his ear and whispers, "Has she gotten over you already?"
"Yeah," Loke replies. "She's sleeping with a businessman,"
"Are you jealous about it?" Erza asks as she pulls back to look straight at the fuming actor, "You seemed to be cheated on,"
"If I know, before we even broke up, she might have been sleeping with him already. Trying to look like the damsel in distress. Men like a woman to save,"
Erza raises a brow at him, "Is that a hunch or fact?"
"Hunch," Loke then wets his lip as he stares at her lips again, "But knowing Lucy, she can get any man she wants. In fact, she can get anything she wants, given who her daddy is,"
"Ohh," Erza then smirks, "Then I guess you're not fit for her,"
Loke snorts at the comment before cupping the jaw of the redhead, "Well, no one is. Her dad makes sure that whomever she dates is someone worthy,"
Erza stares sternly at the orange-haired man, "And you've been subjected to this?"
Loke sniggers again, "Tell me who hasn't? And I'm pretty sure that the only reason they haven't broken up is because daddy approved that Dragneel boy,"
"Well then, her loss. You're way better than any man I've seen," Erza then leans close to the actor's ear and whispered seductively, "Loke."
Loke then turns his head to kiss the redhead, but then the woman quickly pulls back and chuckles at his attempt.
"Slow down there, lover boy. Why don't you get us some drinks? I like whiskey,"
Loke's eyes brighten in excitement before he scoots out of the booth, "All right, don't move! I'll be right back,"
Erza chuckles, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere until I get that whiskey and kiss. Go along, make it quick,"
Loke then dashes off and heads toward the bar. When the actor had disappeared within the crowd, Erza quickly stood up and pulled her dress lower. She looked around and tried to see if anyone was looking but to her relief, everyone on their floor was too drunk to notice her. And so, she exits the club through the back door.
As Sunday morning came, Lucy woke up early more than usual. Despite being a weekend, she didn't feel like working out. She'd done it yesterday, and today was her cheat day. So quickly, Lucy took a shower and dressed herself casually.
As she grabs her denim jacket and slings her purse over her shoulder, Lucy walked over to her bookshelf to find herself a book to read. She had recently purchased books online and it came in yesterday. She's been excited to spend some time with her first love, books.
Once ready, Lucy quickly heads toward her door and swings it open, only to be startled by someone standing in front of her.
"Woah!"
"Oh god!" Lucy exclaimed as she stumbled back and clutches her book over her chest. When she opened her eyes, she immediately gawks at her unexpected guest. "Natsu? What are you doing here?"
"Did I surprise you?" Natsu bashfully scratches his head as he stares back at the stunned blonde, "Sorry, I just…" he then pulled up a paper bag and handed it to the blonde, "For you,"
"Oh," Lucy's cheeks warmed at the gift, "Thanks…what's this?"
"It's a…souvenir from Lilia City," Natsu then rubs his neck in nervousness, "Juvia told me to give it to my girlfriend,"
Lucy looked back at the pinkette with a little surprise. He was randomly throwing the term girlfriend and she didn't anticipate that. "Girlfriend?"
"Oh, um, Juvia and Gray know that I have a girlfriend because of my cousins. They blabbed about it, so I had to go along,"
"Right," Lucy exhales in understanding. She then realizes they have been standing at the doorway for quite some time, so she stepped back and offered the pinkette to enter. "So, when did you arrive? It's pretty early,"
"I just came in this morning," Natsu replies as he puts down his jacket on the couch and sits down, "Straight from the airport,"
"From the airport?" Lucy stunned looked at the pinkette as she puts down her jacket as well and sits down on the plush chair, "Aren't you tired? Shouldn't you head home or something?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. I was planning to," Natsu then chuckles, "But then I thought that I should drop that off to you first before heading home. I'll probably forget about that if I didn't give it immediately,"
Lucy sniggers at the high possibility of the pinkette forgetting. When they remained silent, Lucy suddenly felt her hunger.
"So, I was heading out for breakfast," Lucy stared at the confused look of the pinkette, "Are you hungry? Do you want to join me?"
"Um, sure. If you don't mind," Natsu smiled at the blonde, who smiles back at him.
"Come on, it's my cheat day and I want to eat something hearty," Lucy then grabs their jacket and hands over Natsu's.
Soon enough, the two were settled inside a diner that served various Asian food. It was one of the unique places in Magnolia that Natsu and Lucy hasn't tried. But after seeing it in one of the food magazines, Lucy decided to try it. She promised herself she'd try something different the moment she gets to have her break.
As they waited for their order to arrive, Lucy skeptically watched the pinkette. The actress couldn't figure out why Natsu would come all of a sudden to her place. The man seemed to be unbothered as he kept his attention on his phone.
"You know, someday I will probably melt in your stare," Natsu muttered as he slowly puts down his phone on the table and glance up at the blonde.
Lucy jumped a little at the sudden comment and quickly looked away. Clearing her throat, she looked back at him and said, "Just so you know, I wasn't staring because I was admiring you or something," she then tried to look nonchalant by crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.
"I didn't think you were admiring or something," Natsu counters back with a grin on his face before coping the blonde.
They became silent for a moment but kept their eyes on one another as if playing a game of who was going to blink first. The longer they stared, the more Lucy felt agitated.
"Okay, quit it!" Lucy softly bellows as she waves her hands, "Are you drunk or something?"
"What?" Natsu laughs at the accusation, "Why would I be drunk?"
"I don't know…" Lucy whines as she furrows her brows and pouts, "You seem odd today,"
"Odd?" Natsu sniggers at the actress, "You're the one who's acting weird,"
"No, I'm not," Lucy then grumbles as she looks away. When the pinkette didn't answer back, she made a brief glance at the man and watched him smile before her. "Why are you smiling?"
"Nothing," Natsu continues to smile as he watches the blonde raise her brow even higher if it was even possible, "I'm just thinking that you probably just missed me."
Lucy scoffed before she starts laughing. "Me? Missing you?" she said pointing to herself, "Mr. Dragneel, I think you got it all wrong. If I were to assume, I think you're the one who missed me,"
Natsu matches the smile of the blonde, "And what gives you the impression that I missed you?"
"You came to my place instead of going home to sleep." Lucy mischievously grins at the pinkette, who was slowly blushing at her point, "You were just on a business trip. People usually prefer to go home rather than go somewhere just to hand a souvenir,"
Natsu watched the blonde for a moment, making the woman feel a little at the edge by the intensity of his gaze. But the young president bashfully smiles as he nods his probably.
"You're probably right,"
Before Lucy could even react, a waiter finally arrives and places down their meal. As usual, Natsu ordered more than one plate for himself and began devouring it as soon as Lucy had her own food.
Just like before, Lucy was amazed by the amount of food Natsu could eat. He was eating two cups of garlic rice with beef tapa, which was like beef jerky, and two pieces of egg. He even had a salted egg salad, which looked way too delicious that she wants to try it herself.
"Are you that hungry?" Lucy questioned the man as she picks up her utensils, "Didn't you eat on the plane?"
"Couldn't eat on the plane," Natsu replies with his mouth full, making the blonde grimace in disgust. He then realized how that looked so he swallows his food first before he continues. "I have motion sickness,"
Lucy was struck for a second, baffled, because she knew how Natsu often flew to different places. "Motion sickness? But when you drive—"
"I'm fine when I drive the vehicle. But when someone drives for me, I get nauseous," Natsu then shoves a full spoon of rice, "So, when I fly, I usually can't eat because it's either I'm knocked out throughout the flight or I'm spilling my guts out,"
"Oh…" Lucy suddenly felt tired hearing him say that. She could only imagine how discomforting it was, "Well, then, eat up," she then softly smiles at him before she began to eat her own breakfast.
The two fell into a comfortable chatter over their meal. Lucy was cradling her warm chocolate malt drink, while Natsu sipped his black coffee. They talked about what they have been doing in their own time. To his surprise, Natsu even showed the pictures to Lucy that Juvia took of him. Lucy laughed at how Natsu looked stiff in the photo and Natsu had to defend himself that he wasn't exactly prepared for the picture.
"I've got to meet Juvia," Lucy sniggeringly says as she hands over Natsu's phone back, "She's like someone I can see myself befriending,"
Natsu rolls his eyes but his smirk gave him away, "If you become friends with her, you both are going to taunt me, endlessly,"
"Exactly the point," Lucy then chuckles, to which Natsu did as well.
…|…||…|…
Unknown to them, a few photographers were wandering around the place. They had caught Natsu Dragneel entering the building again early that morning. Now, the paparazzi were more committed to catching the pink-haired president dating the series princess. As the couple is now caught together again, photos of them eating and laughing together were sent immediately to various media outlets. The Paparazzi were earning big jewels today.
On the other hand, Kagura and Meredy were back to following the pinkette again. They had been anticipating him back at the airport and they thought their job was going to be easy. They had assumed that the man would go straight home. But to their surprise, they were back in the condo building of the actress.
From then on, the two followed the couple discreetly. They blended within the crowd and settled in a minimart, pretending to drink cheap coffee. As they kept a watchful eye on the couple, Kagura immediately notices the number of photographers coming in.
"You've got to call the agency," Kagura mumbles as she pulls back from her camera. She then glanced at the pink-haired agent, "They will be swarmed in no time,"
"I got it," Meredy replies as she finishes typing on her tablet, "I've alerted the security, and Mrs. Dragneel had been informed,"
Kagura nods at her partner before looking back at the diner. She pulls out her binoculars and watches the couple unaware of their surroundings.
…|…||…|…
Kring! Kring! Kring!
"Oh, that's me," Natsu then leans back as he turns his phone to read his screen.
Answer Call…
Mom
Natsu suddenly drops his smile as he sat up straight and swiped his finger across his phone, "Hi, Mom,"
"Hi dear, how's your flight? I'm guessing your back in Magnolia already,"
"I am," Natsu then looked at Lucy, who was suddenly tight-lipped listening to him, "Um, I'm just eating my breakfast in a diner,"
"Breakfast? Alone?"
Natsu paused, calculating his move if he should bring up Lucy into this. He knew he couldn't lie to his mother, knowing that she probably have eyes around the place. Creepy, but he has no choice. He just doesn't like doing this early on.
"No, I'm with Lucy,"
Lucy suddenly gawks at the pinkette at the mention of her name. She then silently mouthed to the man why was she being brought up. But Natsu just scrunched his face and shook his head.
"I went straight to her place to surprise her,"
"Well, that's adorable of you. You missed her that much?"
"I did. I wasn't able to kiss for more than two weeks, so…"
Lucy then slaps the pinkette on the arm, making the man wince. The actress couldn't help but blush a little, hearing the pinkette say it out loud and people around the diner could hear it.
"Oh, Natsu. I didn't have to know that. Anyways, How was your business trip? Everything settled?"
"Yeah, it's good. Contracts had been sent to Dad for his signature then everything will be settled on our side," Natsu then sighs in relief at the sudden change of topic.
"Okay, good. Now, since you and Lucy are together at the moment, why don't you both come to the manor?"
"What?" Natsu suddenly looked alert, making the blonde stiff at the sudden change of expression of the man, "Um, I just got back. Maybe we can do this some other time, Mom?"
"You can rest here. You have your room. I'll accompany Lucy in the meantime while you take your sleep. I'm a good host," Grandine then chuckles over the line.
"Um…" Natsu was starting to get a little rattled as he didn't know how to counter his mother without looking suspicious, "But Lucy probably had some things to do. So—"
"Let me talk to her,"
"Mom—"
"Hand the phone to Lucy," Grandine sternly says, making Natsu wince in defeat before looking back at the blonde. He then hands the phone to the blonde.
"She wants to talk to you," Natsu whispered to Lucy, causing her to panic.
"What?!" Lucy quietly bellows as she shook her head, "I don't want to talk to her,"
"Take it," Natsu grits his teeth as he shoves his phone closer to the blonde.
Left with no choice, Lucy grabs the phone and glares at the pinkette, "Hello?"
"Hi, Lucy. It's me, Grandine, Natsu's mom?"
"Uh, yes. Mrs. Dragneel, how are you?" Lucy then mumbles a curse to the pinkette who only grimaced at their poor situation.
"I'm good. So, I asked Natsu if he could come to the manor with you. He said you might be busy. I hope you're not because I really would like to have lunch with the two of you,"
Lucy then groans internally as Grandine seems to be leaving her with no option but to agree. "Um, I do actually have things to do—"
"Oh, you could probably adjust your schedule. I heard you're on a break. You don't have projects lined up right now so, I'm sure you have a few hours to spare for me,"
Lucy gulps as she couldn't help but feel like she was being overcrowded. Did Grandine know her schedule or was just that a good guess?
"Uhm…sure, I can adjust my schedule today," Lucy replies as she stares nervously at the pinkette, "Great, see you soon…"
Lucy then pulls the phone away and exasperatedly sighs in defeat. She slowly pushed the phone back to Natsu and mumbled, "I guess we're going to the manor for lunch."
To be continued…