I came back to my apartment that night and I was cursing alone in my room. I was grateful for not having anything in there that I could possibly break or someone would hear it and think I was crazy.

"Shit! Dammit! What the hell just happened?"

The previous moment I had with Natsu was stuck in my head. I had no idea what had happened or why. If I hadn't backed away, he would've probably kiss me. How could I kiss my boss and why was I thinking about it so much? I had Sting! I had a boyfriend and he was waiting for me to come back home. I had to think about him and not a random kiss that almost happened between me and Natsu. Why did he even do that? Was it the heat of the moment? Was he attracted to me? I sure was attracted to him, how could I not? Dammit! That's not what I should be thinking! Sting and I were dating since college, this was a simple distraction that was making me doubt my mind but I wasn't gonna let that happen. Sting was the love of my life and Natsu... was just a man who happens to be my boss and is extremely attractive, but that's it!

"Get it together, Lucy! Natsu is your boss and he is used to having every woman he wants around him. He was just messing with you, stop thinking about it!" I was talking to myself at that point, I was surely going crazy, "Sting loves you, you went through so much together and you're just tired and confused because of all the work you've been doing."

I looked at my phone and I grabbed it without thinking twice. I dialed Sting's number and waited for him to pick it up. When he finally did, I was relieved to hear his voice again but I also felt guilty because he had no idea what had happened before. I tried to remain calm and answered back to him.

"Hey, babe! I couldn't wait to hear your voice." I said.

"Me too... So, when are you coming back?"

"Do you miss me that much?" I smiled, even though I knew he couldn't see it.

"Don't you? Am I already getting dumped?"

I knew he was joking, but somehow, given the previous event there was something in my stomach that felt more like a punch.

"Don't be silly!" I giggled, "I don't know, I'm waiting for some free time at work to be able to go there."

"Well, when you do, I'll be waiting. Who knows? Maybe you'll be here sooner than you expect."

"I doubt that... Anyway, how's everything there?"

"Good, what about you? Are you enjoying your job?"

"Yes, even though sometimes I wish I didn't have so much to do."

"Once you get here, I'll make sure you won't be thinking about any of that." I smiled at his words, "I want you to come back to me, I miss you."

That hurt me. I wanted to tell him everything, but I knew that I couldn't, especially since I didn't even know what was going on myself. I tried to find the strenght to answer him.

"Me too... I want to come back. I'll be there soon."

I felt a tear dropping down my face when we finally hung up. I laid on my bed, my head was spinning around. I was so confused with everything. I couldn't let myself fall into Natsu's trap, whatever it was. I knew that something weird was going on, I wasn't going to fall for it. I had no idea what he wanted with me, what his intentions were but I wouldn't care. I would avoid thinking about it as much as I could. I knew it was hard to ignore it, since I would see him everyday at the office, but I had to do something to stop. After forgetting about what had happened at the sunset for a while, I was finally able to fall asleep.

Levy was waiting for me at the usual coffee shop we went to every weekend. I ordered my latte and sat down next to her. I had called her the previous day after what happened with Natsu and told her that I needed to talk to her about everything. As soon as the words of yesterday's events came out of my mouth, Levy widened her eyes and looked at me.

"He did what?!" she was just as surprised as I had expected her to be.

"Shhh! Please, keep it down. You don't want to tell the whole coffee shop what happened, do you?"

"I'm sorry, it's just- I'm so shocked! I wasn't expecting that, how do you want me to react?" she gave me a big smile, "I can't believe he tried to kiss you! I was right after all, you don't need to thank me, I know that I'm awesome."

"It's not like that, Levy! There's nothing between us to be right about." I drank a bit of my coffee, "Besides, I'm sure I'm just another woman who he likes to play with and gets bored the next hour."

"Well, I wouldn't really believe that..."

"Plus, how many times are you going to forget that I have a boyfriend? I love Sting."

"Do you? I mean, you barely talk about him that it's not even a surprise the fact that I forget about him." she laughed and I pushed her.

"I don't like to talk about my relationship, that's all."

"Mm-hmm." she teased me, "I think you should really think about it. I mean, it's not like you can't admit that you have a crush on him."

"Levy, I barely even know him. He's my boss and that's it, we don't have anything."

"If you say so... I still think it's only the begining."

Levy's words still echoed in my mind, even though I knew that there was nothing going on. It was just something that had happened in the heat of the moment and I needed to forget about it or I would get hurt. Besides, I would also hurt Sting and I didn't want that to happen. I had to preserve my relationship and remember that there was a man waiting for me back home, I couldn't get distracted by something like this.

It was monday again and time to go back to work. As soon as I got there, I was told by Lisanna that Natsu wasn't there and he wouldn't come back for a few days. I was surprised by that information. I had no idea that he was about to travel, especially right now. I felt a bit disappointed because I wanted to talk to him about what happened and get things straight, but I also knew that he was my boss and it was not like he had to tell me about these things.

I had to admit that the next week went by pretty slowly the days that Natsu wasn't there. It was the same thing everyday. The same kind of work, the same papers I was asked by Lisanna to deliver in due time. The same routine, it was kinda boring. After a week doing the same thing over and over and still no sign of Natsu, he finally came back from his business trip. When he arrived at the office, everyone stood up, including me. I looked at him as if I hadn't seen him in weeks, which was weird.

As he walked in, he looked at everyone but didn't even care about looking in my direction. Something inside me made me feel uncomfortable. He looked at Lisanna and asked her to come with him to his office. She gave him a big smile and followed after him, while I simply stood there without even understanding what the heck was going on. I admit that I was bothered by Sesshoumaru's sudden trip.

I sat down on my desk again and shook my head. I wasn't gonna let him distract me, I wasn't gonna let anything distract me from my work and what really mattered to me. After a few hours, Lisanna approaches my desk and gets my attention. She told my that Natsu wanted to see me at his office to do something important. Of course, as those words came out of her mouth, her face was as blank as it could get.

I got up and followed her to his office. When I arrived there, he gestured Lisanna to close the door and leave. Before she could do that, she gave me a stare and finally closed the door.

"You can come closer, you know?" he said.

I realized that I still standing next to the door as if I was too afraid to walk closer to his desk. I did as he asked and waited for him to tell me what he wanted.

"I need you to write down an important report from a meeting I'll be having soon." he gave me some papers, "I need that done as soon as the meeting ends."

"Umm, when is this meeting happening?"

"In two days. Make sure you have it ready for me."

I nodded and since he wasn't going to say anything else, I turned around and walked to the door. I grabbed the knob, but before I could open it, I turned around to face him again and spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I have the feeling that I did something to bother you."

He raised his head and an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Ever since... That day, when we went to see the sunset, I can't stop thinking that I might've done something to bother you."

"You didn't bother me with anything. Why would you assume that?"

"Why? Are you- I mean, how can you ask me that?" he raised his eyebrow again, "We almost... I told I had a boyfriend and you didn't say anything on the way back."

"Did you want me to say anything?"

"That's not the point!" he was surprised with my tone, "I'm sorry... It's just that, I can't stop wondering if I said something wrong."

"There's nothing wrong. You have a boyfriend and that's not a problem. Let's just say the heat of the moment got the best of me, I don't really care if you're in a relationship or not 'cause we don't have anything. I'm your boss, right? The problem is that I misread things and made a mistake, that's all."

"No, that's not what-"

I was interrupted by someone who suddenly opened the door. Lisanna walked over to his side and said something on his ear that I couldn't hear and looked at me after with the same expression as always. Natsu nodded his head after hearing what Lisanna told him and looked back at me again.

"You can leave now. I have some things I need to attend to now."

I tried to remain there, hoping he would say something more, but I knew it wouldn't happen. Lisanna simply stared at me and gestured for me to leave, as if I was deaf and didn't hear what my boss had told me to do. I tried to find the courage to speak again but I knew that it was worthless, so I left the office and went back to my desk to finish whatever I needed to do.

As I sat down, someone arrived next to me and I looked in their direction, noticing a gorgeous red hair and knew exactly who it belonged to. Erza stood there, smiling at me and joined both her hands together before speaking.

"I'm so sorry, I truly am!"

I frowned, "What are you talking about, Erza?"

"I'm sorry I took your papers before and showed them to Natsu."

"W-What?! It was you?" I widened my eyes as I heard her words.

"Yeah... I'm sorry, Lucy! I read your report and I had to show it to him, it was too good to be lying around here." she pointed at my desk.

"But... How- Why?"

"I told you before, didn't I? You need to have more confidence on you, you need to realize that you're good and the boss needs to know that!"

"T-Thanks...? But I still don't get it... How did you-"

"I'm so sorry, but I really need to go now. I have some business to attend to, but I promise we'll talk more later!" she smiled at me and left without giving me a chance to answer.

I was so shocked and confused by what had just happened. I had so many questions in my head. How did she give my report to Natsu? How could she even do that and why? I didn't know anything about Erza, to be honest. I didn't even know what she usually does at the company, I barely even see her at the office. How did she even have contact with Natsu, especially to talk about something that had been made by me? Was she... one of his assistants too? I was so confused that my head was spinning.

After another day of work and as soon as I arrived home, I sat on my couch and tried to relax. I still couldn't stop thinking about everything. What had happened with Natsu at the cliff and especially at the office. His words were so weird and complicated to understand. What exactly was he telling me? That it didn't mean anything and he was simply caught up in the moment? That it was a simple distraction and it wasn't that important? Somehow, his distant words made me feel a bit sad, as if all of a sudden he was that mysterious person again that I didn't know anything about. Everything was too complex for me to able to understand. After all, I barely knew him, let alone what he really felt or thought at that moment. I was probably making a big deal out of something that it was... nothing. I put my hands in my face and lied down. A few minutes passed and since I was so tired, I fell asleep on the couch.

Four days had passed and things were still the same. Things were still weird and distant between me and Natsu. Even though he said that what happened that day didn't mean anything else, he was acting in a way that was very complicated for me to understand. He barely spoke to me and didn't call me to his office anymore. The meeting had happened two days ago and I was almost finishing my report to deliver it to him. I got a call from Levy that day, asking me to go to the coffee shop to spend some time with her, since I had been very busy with the report.

Once I got there, Levy was at the entrance and gave me a tight hug as soon as she saw me.

"There she is! Where have you been?"

"What do you mean? You know where I've been."

"I know, I'm just messing with you." she smiled, "Are you really that busy that I couldn't even enjoy your company the past few days?"

"You know how it is... Work stuff that doesn't let me stop for a moment."

"Umm, now that I think about it... I'm not so sure if I'd want your job anymore." she giggled.

When we were about to get in, a figure stops our way and we take a step back. I look at whoever was in front of us and that's when I noticed the pink spiky hair. Levy noticed his presence as well as the first thing she does is look at me. I knew what she was trying to tell me with her eyes, but I also knew that seeing him again only made me feel weird with everything that was going on.

"Excuse me."

That's all he said before walking past us. He stopped at the entrance and turned around, but not to look at us. He was looking at the door, as if he was waiting for someone to come out. It was that moment that another familiar figure came out of the coffee shop, holding two coffee cups in her hands. Her white hair flew with the wind coming from outside and as soon as she noticed our presence, she gave me the usual look.

"Good morning." she said, before walking past us as well.

Before the two of them could leave, he turned around in our direction and to my surprise, spoke once again.

"Are you working on that report I requested?" I nodded, "Good, I want it in my office first thing tomorrow morning."

After that, Lisanna grabbed his arm and they walked away in the opposite direction. I couldn't help but admit that all that distance and coldness was making me extremely confused and uncomfortable. There was something about him that I couldn't understand and with each passing day, it was getting harder and harder. Why the hell had he been so nice and different to me a while ago and now he was acting that way? I couldn't understand why he was behaving like that just because of a misunderstanding. Something inside me made me feel bad about it. I wasn't enjoying his attitude towards me for something that I wasn't even to blame.

Levy was still standing next to me, completely lost and confused by what had just happened. I knew that she was probably confused by the fact that Natsu had spoken to me in such a formal way as if I were a stranger.

"What just happened here?"

"I'll explain everything. It's too complicated that even I can't understand."

"You know... I didn't really like that woman. She didn't give a good vibe."

I laughed at her words, "Tell me about it."

The next day, I got ready to go to work. Before I left home, I turned on my computer and made sure that everything was in order with the report so that I could hand it in as soon as I got to the office. I walked there and went to my desk to see what needed to be done during the day. I kept hoping I would run into Erza again, I had too many questions to ask her, but something told me I wouldn't be seeing her for a while. She was one of the people in the company I knew the least about, and she was too strange.

I sat working, waiting for someone to call me to come to Natsu's office and give him what he had asked for, but no one did. There was no sign of Lisanna or any of his assistants coming to call me. I was confused and looked around to see if I could ask anyone if Natsu was even at the office or if he would be arriving any time, but everyone was too focused on their work that I didn't even want to interrupt. I just stayed in my seat and waited.

The morning went by quickly and there was no sign of Natsu. During the lunch hour I asked at the reception where he would be and the man just told me that he would be arriving at the office later and that he would not be receiving any visits from the employees for the day. With nothing else to do, I went back to my workplace and did whatever I needed to do for the rest of the afternoon. It was almost time to leave and finally, Natsu arrived at the office and when he passed me, he just looked at me suddenly and walked back towards his room. I looked around and there was no one left in the office but me. I stood up and was about to get ready to pack up and go home after a few minutes, but it was at that moment that one of the assistants came up to me and informed me that Natsu wanted to see me.

I went there, closed the door and handed him the report before he could say anything.

"That fast? I haven't even told you why I called you here."

"You said you wanted the report early in the morning. I thought that was the subject."

"It is, I'm just surprised by your intuition." he took the papers and read it a bit, "It doesn't look bad so far. I'll take a look at it after work. If it's to your liking, I want you to attend the next meeting about the future of the company."

"Excuse me?"

"Your ideas may not be perfect, but they're interesting. I think your opinion could be important when decisions about the company need to be made and I want you to be at the meeting to help."

"S-Sure! I'll... make sure to be prepared."

At that moment, after I had delivered what he asked, I was about to get ready to leave and go home before he spoke again.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Umm..."

"There's tea too, if that's more to your liking. My partners from Japan love our tea, it was impossible for us not to have it."

"No, coffee is fine... Sorry, did you say Japan?"

"Yes, we have some partners there. I know that's where you came from, it's an amazing place."

"You've... been there?"

"Sure, how could I not? Anyone who has that opportunity should take it." he gets a coffee for me and him, and frowns, "Don't you prefer to sit down?"

He points again to the chair in front of the desk and I sit down. Something inside me caused me to have a strange feeling again. That moment was coming back into my head, it felt like I had gone back weeks ago where everything was normal and there wasn't so much confusion.

"So... What are the plans for the company?"

"I'm not sure yet. That's why I need the opinion of some of my associates and anyone who is qualified to give me good ideas."

"Is that why you chose me? I don't know if I'm exactly the best choice in that matter."

He paused for a while and continued, "What is your ambition, Miss Heartfilia?"

"E-Excuse me?"

"What are your plans? What are your ambitions for this job? Don't you want to be recognized for your work?"

"Of course I do-"

"You don't seem very convinced."

"I don't... I'm not used to my work being recognized in this way."

"Don't you have anyone to support you in that regard? Doesn't your boyfriend encourage you?"

It was at that moment that I felt a tightness in my chest again. That question had been asked so simply, without any intention, but after what had happened I couldn't hear it in the same way and almost had difficulty in answering.

"He's... far away. He's not here with me, he's in Japan working. We talk sometimes, but I don't... tell him everything that goes on at my work."

He looked at me in a way as if he realized what I was talking about. That conversation was back on the track that had caused him to act distant towards me and I was afraid that it would happen again.

"I see... In that case, I think you should realize for yourself that you have merit and it should be recognized."

Involuntarily, I smiled, "Thank you. It's nice to hear those words."

"How's the coffee?"

"It's pretty good, actually." he got up to get another for himself, "So... When we were at that restaurant a few weeks ago... You talked about your father." he turned to me and got a confused expression on his face, "You said he owned the company and built it himself. How did he do it?"

"With hard work and dedication." I looked at him wanting more details, "At least that's what he always told me over the years, although I know it wasn't quite like that. My father always had a love and appreciation for this company, it was all he wanted to build. He was just too ambitious... Sometimes I wondered if he valued this company more or... his family."

His words carried weight at that moment and I knew I was probably asking about something delicate and personal. As he uttered those words, he looked down and stared at his coffee as he swung the cup with his hand.

"Does he... still work at the company?" I asked.

"He still owns it, yes. However, he doesn't work in it anymore. I took over his place and followed all the steps he taught me. I stayed in this company, even though that is not what I always wanted. I guess... I took this position more as an obligation in following my family's legacy."

"At least you make your father proud... I wish I could do the same for my mother someday."

He stared at me for a moment. I didn't know what he might be thinking, it was always hard to read him.

"You seem like a person who cares a lot about your mother."

"Yes... She has always helped me throughout my life. What I want the most is to be able to do the same for her. I want her to one day look at me and feel so proud that she won't be able to stop smiling." I looked at him at that moment and I could notice a small smile coming from him, which surprised me, "At least that's what I hope... I wish I had the chance to give her back everything she's ever given me in my life."

"That sounds like a big ambition. It wasn't hard for you to find one after all." I smiled at his words, "That's great. Caring about family is important."

Something at that moment made me think he might've been referring to his father again. I had no idea what might have happened, but I knew he was carrying some weight by the worried and sad expression he now had on his face.

"I'm sorry, but... Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, I wouldn't be a good boss if my employees couldn't be honest with me."

"These past few weeks... I haven't been able to stop thinking about what happened on that hill."

"Do we really need to talk about it again? I thought I had already cleared it up for you."

"I know, but still..."

"You don't have to think about it. I didn't want to go into it any further because Lisanna arrived the other day and it wasn't the time to talk about it. What happened that day...was a mistake. A mistake on my part and I apologize for it. It was the first time I had ever taken someone to a place that is important to me and I got carried away in the moment. I got caught up in... some business stuff I had to attend, that's why I didn't spoke to you anymore after that day. You don't have to worry, it was nothing more than that. I'm sorry if I bothered you."

At that moment, I didn't know whether to be relieved at those words or disappointed. I felt my body shudder after hearing what he had just said as if they were not the words I wanted to hear. I didn't know what was wrong with me.

"You didn't...bother me. I just got nervous and didn't know what to think. I apologize for the misunderstanding, it was not what I meant."

"I accept your apology if you accept mine." he smiled and I did the same.

"Deal."

"And one more condition... From now on, you call me Natsu. I see no reason why you should continue to speak to me so formally."

"Only if you call me Lucy. 'Miss Heartfilia' makes me feel too old."

He chuckled and nodded, "Deal."

At that moment I realized that I had finished drinking my coffee and so had he. He got ready to get up and I noticed that it was already dinner time. The time had passed too fast and I hadn't even noticed. I did the same as him and got up, putting on my coat.

"Do you need a ride home?"

"No need, thank you. I'll still have to stop by some restaurant and pick up my dinner."

"In that case, why don't you have dinner with me?" I looked at him with a confused expression and he understood why, "Relax, it's just dinner between... business colleagues, if you prefer."

"Fine, but only because I'm starving."

We both headed toward the door and he was the first to open it. He stepped aside and gave me enough space so that I could get out.

"After you, Lucy." he smiled and I did the same.

"Thank you, Natsu."