Author's Notes: Hello, everyone! First of all, I want to apologize for taking SO LONG to update this. I've been very busy lately and realized that it has been months since I posted the last chapter. I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting for this long awaited moment that many of you wanted to read. Without further do, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for all the feedback!

I was completely lost in his question. I had no idea what he wanted, that was one of my biggest problems since I had started working for him. He kept looking at me in a penetrating way that made me shiver from head to toe. His approach was enough to leave me without any kind of reaction, but eventually I found the words.

"Is that supposed to be a riddle?"

"Only if you want it to be."

"I don't know what that means, but I don't think I understand anything about our conversations either way."

"You still haven't answered me."

"That's because I have no answer for what I don't know."

"That's the problem, Lucy. I think you know, you just don't want to say it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, that seems to be a recurring problem." he smiled and glanced at my lips and then at my eyes, "Why is it so hard for you to tell me what's going on in your head?"

"That's funny, considering you're the one who hasn't told me what you want from me yet."

We were close now at a distance that allowed me to feel and hear his breathing. Every second it seemed that his breathing increased and I couldn't understand why, but after I noticed my own breathing, I could tell that I was in the same state as he was. Both of his arms kept me from leaving quickly if I wanted to and I felt my heart beating faster.

"Is it really that hard to figure out what I want?" he looked into my eyes and suddenly I felt his hand slowly running across my face. He put his hand on my chin and lifted it, "Lucy, what I want is-"

Suddenly, a voice caused the two of us to break away from the moment. It was Levy's voice, I could recognize it anywhere. I took that moment to get out of his arms and when he realized I was trying to leave, he grabbed my wrist and made me walk backwards.

"It's Levy, I have to go to her."

"Why are you running away again, Lucy?"

"I'm not running away from anything, I'm just worried about her and I had no idea where she was."

"Do you really think I believe that? Just like I believed what you told me about the day you came back?"

"That was... different. I really have to go, I'm sorry."

I left his hand grip and headed toward the party again to find Levy as quickly as possible and leave. I wasn't going to be able to be at that party anymore after what had happened. I wasn't going to be able to be in his presence anymore. When I reached at the place where the voice was coming from, I heard Levy speak again.

"What did you call me? Say it again!"

"I can't hear you from this height, shorty. Try to grow a little more and maybe your voice will be heard."

"You idiot, come back here immediately! I'm not done talking to you yet!"

When I got to the salon, Levy was furiously yelling at the same man with the piercings we had met earlier. How and why was he attending this event? Before I could reach Levy, she unexpectedly grabbed one of her shoes and threw it in the direction the big man was going.

"Levy! Hey, what happened? Where have you been all this time?"

"Not now, Lu-chan. I'm a little busy! That brute is going to learn that he can't mess with me and get away with it."

"Take it easy, what the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain later, now I have to go before he manages to leave and thinks I'm not capable of standing up to him."

Before I could say anything else, Levy ran towards the man and I lost sight of her again. I turned around and noticed that Natsu was coming back from the balcony and laid his eyes on me. Before he could take a step towards me, he was interrupted by Lisanna who stood in front of him slowly and turned his face so he could look at her. The two of them stood chatting, though he didn't take his eyes off me, and I took the opportunity to walk toward the exit door of the hall.

As I headed toward the stairs leading downstairs, I found Levy sitting on the floor with a pained expression and hurried over to her.

"Levy, what the hell-"

"Don't even tell me anything! It's bad enough that I slipped and am in this embarrassing state, I don't need you to say anything else." I couldn't hold back a laugh, "What did I just say?"

"I'm sorry, but it's just too funny to have found you here like this. What the hell were you thinking anyway?"

"I was running after that damn guy and ended up slipping on the stairs. My butt hurts like hell, Lu-chan! I need some help getting up."

"Well? Weren't you the one who could take on that big man all by yourself? I think you can stand up perfectly well," I smiled.

"That's funny, Lu-chan. I'm tired of laughing, now help me up like the good friend you are."

I grabbed her arm and with all the strength I still had, I lifted her off the floor, even though I still couldn't contain the laughter that was stuck in my throat. Levy was just the kind of person who could end up in these kinds of situations and I was grateful to have a friend like her who was able to make me laugh on any occasion. After she straightened up and cleaned her dress, she looked at me and frowned.

"Where's your date?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't be silly, I know you disappeared after the dance with your boss friend."

"We didn't...we're not friends."

"Yes, right. You can try to fool anyone you want, but I don't think I've ever had a boss look at me the way yours looks at you, and I don't think it's just a professional look. Anyway, where is he?"

"I don't know... We went out on the balcony, but when I heard your voice I came to see what was going on with you. Where have you been so far? I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Ugh, don't even remind me... I was so fine trying every kind of food that was on that table when suddenly that brute came at me again! I have no idea why he's even here."

"Neither do I... I've never seen him around here before, maybe he was invited by some company worker."

"I just know I never want to see him in front of me again and I sure hope this was the last one! That asshole had the nerve to call me short again, can you believe it?"

I again let out a smile for imagining that whole situation while I was away. Once we got back to the lounge, Natsu was still in the company of a few other associates who were chatting with them. He crossed his gaze with me and I felt a shiver run down my spine again. He probably thought I had already left.

Suddenly, I felt someone nudge my shoulder before I looked over and saw the person walking next to me. Lisanna. She glanced at me and let out a small laugh before turning her attention forward and going on her way.

"Every time I see that woman, I get horrible feelings. I'm not superstitious at all, but there's something about her that doesn't convey confidence to me." Levy said before I could speak.

"You have good reasons for that."

"What do you mean?" she frowned.

"I'm not sure how to say this because even I don't know what's going on, but... I overheard a conversation of hers while I was in the bathroom-"

"Lu-chan! It's not nice to spy on people!" she laughed and I realized she was just joking.

"I didn't even really understand what I heard, but something tells me she's planning something bad and it has to do with Natsu."

"With your boss? What the hell does she have to do with him?"

"She's... his secretary."

She noticed my odd tone of voice and frowned again, "Are you sure? From the tone of your voice, it sounds to me like there's something else you're not telling me. Wait... Don't tell me that they-"

"That doesn't matter now. The thing is, I heard her talking to someone and it sounded like they were talking about something important, but I have no idea what it was, so I don't even know if I should say anything to Natsu."

"Well, I've always heard that we shouldn't meddle in matters that don't concern us. And honestly, I've never really liked meddling in rich people's problems. Maybe you'd better not do anything, Lu-chan. It might end badly for your side."

"Yes... Maybe you're right." I looked at her to make sure she was okay, "Do you think you're pulled together enough to be able to walk straight back to the party?"

"When am I not ready to continue a party?" she smiled.

When we reached the entrance of the salon, the sound of the crowd being impressed by something was heard. When I looked, people were making a wheel around something or someone. Levy and I looked at each other confused and went closer to investigate, since we were both curious to know what had happened.

In the middle of the circle of the crowd was just a girl sitting on the ground, apparently she had fallen and was now looking at all the people around her with an embarrassed look on her face.

Even in the middle of that mess, I couldn't help but notice the color of her hair. It was blue, but not the same dark shade as Levy's hair. The tone of the girl's hair was much lighter and softer. The way her hair was wavy, it was reminiscent of the waves of the sea and it was really beautiful.

"What a klutz you are!" a man next to us laughed as he spoke to the girl, "Who knew you were so beautiful, but so bad at dancing."

I was furious at that man's comments. He started laughing, as did two men next to him who were supposed to be his friends. I didn't like his attitude at all, and when I looked at the girl who was getting light-eyed and with tears forming, I got even more in the mood to hit that man.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to-"

"Save your apologies, dear. Everyone's already been able to see that you're a bad foot, you might as well devote yourself to something else before you end up with your ass on the floor again."

The man went back to laughing with his friends and I looked around. Some people were trying to force themselves to hold back their laughter with their hands in front of their mouths, while others just looked at the girl with a pitying look as I did. I looked at Levy and she was also looking at the man with an angry look and I knew she must be thinking the same as me.

Seeing that no one was moving, I stepped forward and walked over to the girl, who looked at me with a confused look when I held out my hand for her to take.

"It's okay, I'll help you up," I smiled.

She was a few seconds suspicious not knowing if she should take my hand, but she did. When she finished getting up, I put my hand on her back and tried to give her some support while Levy came over to us and spoke to the girl.

"Are you okay, do you need help with anything?"

"N-No... Juvia is fine, her butt is just a little sore."

Levy laughed, "I know what that's like, I had the same bad luck today too." she grabbed one of the girl's arms, "Come on, we'll go with you to the bathroom to help you pull yourself together."

"No, Juvia doesn't need-"

"We insist." I said and smiled, "We're not leaving you here in the middle of these idiots, don't give them the satisfaction."

Eventually the girl nodded and thanked me once again. When we got to the bathroom, the girl looked in the mirror to check that everything was in order with her makeup and after a few seconds, the tears she tried to hold back while standing in the middle of the hall, ended up falling uncontrollably.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Juvia has been through her biggest embarrassment! She should never have agreed to dance with that man, on top of that it wasn't even him that Juvia wanted to dance with! All Juvia wanted was to impress Gray-sama and I ended up embarrassing myself even more!"

The girl continued to cry and I looked at Levy, both of us not understanding what the girl meant by all that. We didn't know who the man she was talking about was, but still what I could do was put my hands on her back to try to comfort her.

"Don't worry, I'm sure no one else will remember this. That man is going to have an even bigger embarrassment, believe me. Karma will do its work."

"You really think so? You really think Gray-sama won't remember the shame Juvia went through?"

"Umm, I don't know who Gray is. However, I am absolutely certain that all the importance you are giving this situation is not necessary. Tomorrow no one will be thinking about this anymore. Isn't that right, Levy?"

"That's right! Don't worry, I've been through worse embarrassments and no one remembered my misery but myself." she smiled.

"O-Oh, thank you!"

"By the way, just out of curiosity, who is this Gray you talk so much about?"

"You guys don't know Gray-sama?!" she widened her eyes.

"Nope, never heard of him." the Levy replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"He is the most handsome and charming man Juvia has ever seen! That hair, those eyes! Oh and those- Uh- That body!"

"That what?!" Levy asked in amazement.

"Umm, ignoring that last part..." I coughed, "Who exactly is he?"

"He's a very successful businessman, that's why he was invited to this party. I'm surprised you've never heard of a man as gorgeous as he is!"

"Lucy here is more interested in another businessman." Levy looked at me and winked.

"Don't listen to what she says, most of the time it doesn't make any sense," I smiled.

"Maybe your boss knows him."

"Who is your boss? If Juvia can ask."

"It's Natsu." I was surprised by how informally I said his name, and Levy noticed it too.

"I apologize for Lucy, she has now gotten into the habit of calling her boss by his first name because of the closeness the two of them have."

"That's not true!"

"Your boss is Natsu? Natsu Dragneel?" I nodded, "He and Gray-sama have known each other for many years! They are business partners now, but Juvia knows that they were once very close when they were little, they are practically childhood friends."

"Well, what do you know! This is quite a coincidence. The more we know, right?" Levy smiled, "Speaking of which, I'd now like to know more about that earlier conversation where you said something about his body-"

"Levy!" I looked at her with a shocked look.

"What? I'm just curious, let me have some fun!"

"Why do you want to know about Gray-sama's body? Are you interested in him?"

"No, you just... you mentioned it just now and I just wanted to know how you know that information, that's all." the Levy replied, a little concerned.

"Juvia doesn't like having rivals in love! It took me a long time to get Gray-sama to finally notice me."

She seemed to speak without even hearing what Levy had said and continued to talk awkwardly, while I just looked at Levy to see the reaction on her face, which was just as confused as mine.

"You don't have to worry about that, what I have least time for is putting up with men." she smiled.

"I thought you liked to have fun once in a while or isn't that what you just said a few seconds ago?" I asked her and frowned.

Levy just gave me a little nudge with her arm to alert me that I should change the subject. The blue-haired girl continued to stare at us not understanding absolutely anything of our conversation, but I could tell that Levy probably didn't want to go any deeper because of the girl's reaction. There was something strange about her, even though I couldn't point out what.

"Well..." the girl sighed, "I think it's time for Juvia to leave." she turned and looked in the mirror one last time as she fixed her hair, "Gray-sama is probably still out there somewhere, I just hope he didn't see anything that happened."

"I'm sure he didn't even notice anything," I smiled.

"Juvia thanks you for your help. I hope to see you soon again." she smiled and we did the same.

"I'm sure we will." I said.

The girl headed toward the bathroom exit and Levy looked at me with a confused but relieved look.

"There's something weird about that one, don't you think?"

"I think everyone I've encountered since coming to this city is strange."

"Hey, thanks for the part that concerns me!" she smiled.

As we exited the bathroom and went back to the salon. I looked at Levy to try to continue the conversation, but she had her attention focused on one of the men in the middle of the dance floor, who was looking back at Levy with a charming smile. She looked at me and winked.

"I'm sorry, but I think there's someone who's giving me an invitation that's pretty hard to refuse, and given what I've already had to put up with tonight..."

She looked at me as a plea for permission to go away and not leave me alone. I nodded.

"Go on... I think you need a little fun today. After all, that's exactly what I invited you for."

"You're the greatest, Lu-chan! I promise I'll be back soon... I think." she smiled and I did the same.

As soon as Levy grabbed the man's hand, I looked back toward Natsu and he was no longer in the same place. I tried to scan the rest of the room for his presence and was completely taken aback when I heard his voice behind me.

"How long are you going to keep avoiding me?"

"I'm not- You scared me! What makes you think that?"

"Ever since you ran off the balcony, you've been trying your best to deflect eye contact with me and are constantly pacing back and forth. What am I supposed to think?"

"I had to check on Levy, that's all."

"From what I can see, your friend is quite capable of taking care of herself." he gestured toward Levy as she danced, "You still haven't answered my question."

"I told you... I don't have an answer for what I don't know."

He grabbed my hand when I wasn't expecting and I was caught by surprise when he pulled me to a corner where the people in the salon couldn't see us. I stared at him in disbelief and he put one of his arm next to my face while he kept me in place with his other hand.

"You see, Lucy, this is what I can't understand... You come back from Japan, and without any kind of reason, you come to the office to see me. The only thing I don't understand is why, and you still can't tell me."

"I don't... I don't have any reason."

"I don't believe that and I have some doubts that you do." he slowly brought his face closer to mine, "Why did you run away when you saw me in the office with Lisanna?"

"I told you before... I didn't mean to interrupt-"

"There was nothing to interrupt." I looked at him wide-eyed, though I tried to hide my amazement, "Nothing like what you're thinking happened." he pulled away and raised his face, causing me to shiver by the way he looked at me intensely, "And even if it had happened... Why would you care?"

Before I could answer, I was taken aback by a familiar voice that spoke next to us unexpectedly.

"There you are, I was wondering where the hell you had gone!"

"L-Levy! Are you done with your dance?"

"If I have to be honest, I think that was more of a disaster than a dance." she directed her attention to Natsu and smiled, "Mr. Dragneel, what a surprise to finally see you. I was figuring I wouldn't be able to see the boss in charge of this party for the night."

"What can I say? I'm a very busy man." he looked at me and smiled, but I tried to ignore it, "I heard you caused quite a party earlier."

"Ugh, tell me about it... That brute will still get what he deserves any day now. I couldn't have been more unlucky than to find him here."

"Gajeel is a hard man to put up with. I have some conflicts with him myself."

"Gajeel? That's his name?" she laughed, "How do you know him and why is he attending this event?"

"You could say he works for me occasionally. Gajeel is the one who usually recommends some prospective partners to me to conduct business and he is good at what he does, despite his somewhat... aggressive personality."

"It seems to me that he thinks he's better than everyone! The day I see him again, he won't lose by the delay."

"I wish you luck with that." he smiled and looked at me again.

"I... I have to go, I'm sorry." I said in the middle of their conversation.

I started walking before Levy grabbed me by the wrist and I noticed the intense look Natsu gave me.

"Where are you going, Lu-chan? The party's not over yet."

"I'm not feeling very well..." I lied, "I think that shrimp had a worse reaction on me than I was expected. I just need to go home and rest."

"I'll go with you."

"No, you don't have to! Stay, you deserve to have fun enjoying the rest of the event. I don't want to be a killjoy for you."

"Are you sure?" she frowned and I nodded.

"Do you need me to walk you to the entrance, Miss Heartfilia?"

"No... I think I'm still able to find it on my own, thank you." I smiled in the kindest way I could manage at the time.

"Get home safely, Lu-chan. Be sure to let me know as soon as you're home!"

I nodded and after taking one last look at Natsu, I turned and headed toward the exit of the hall. I got into the elevator and let myself finally take a deep breath after all that had happened on that balcony. It was getting harder and harder to control myself around him. The way he looked at me and the cold touch on my skin from his hand were enough to make me completely lose control and sense of what was going on. What the hell was happening to me? I couldn't deny the charm and intensity I felt when I was next to him, but... I couldn't... I couldn't be attracted to Natsu. Not now. Not after what had happened with Sting, I couldn't let myself be attracted to anyone else, especially not my boss.

My head was a mess. It was as if the only thing that could make me think straight and forget all the questions in my head was to get out of there as quickly as possible. My body was moving without any control on my part. My legs kept moving towards the door of the building and as soon as I got out, I stopped for a few seconds to breathe in the fresh night air. I took a deep breath and put a hand to my head as I tried to forget everything that had happened on that balcony. I put my hand to my chest and it wasn't just my breathing that was strange, it was the beating of my heart as well. My heart was beating too fast and I knew why, even though I didn't want to admit it.

I thought about calling a cab to go home, but that would probably give Natsu enough time to find me on the street, if he was still following me. I shook my head and as I took another deep breath, I started walking towards my apartment without looking back once. I couldn't go back. The pounding in my chest was enough for me to realize what would probably happen if I went back and I didn't want to take that risk. The only thing I could and had to do was to go home and think of something different.

I was so distracted along the way that when I unexpectedly saw a figure in the distance coming towards me, my heart suddenly stopped. I tried not to think anything negative, but as the figure approached, I noticed that it was a rather strange looking man. He was definitely drunk as he looked at me and smiled mischievously. I stopped and tried to take a step back, but when I turned around, I noticed that there was another man coming towards me. Nerves on the edge of my skin began to rise.

The frowning men started walking towards me. I saw that one of them had a sharp pointed object in his left hand. I felt a chill run down my spine when I realized that it was a knife or some sort of dagger. I tried to run, but I was so nervous that my hesitation gave one of the men enough time to grab my arms. I tried to scream, but my fear was so big that my voice choked on my throat. The bearded man, who had the dagger, put the cold, pointed object into my throat.

"Stay still, dear. I promise we'll be gentle with you." he smiled and I could see his yellowish teeth.

He took the dagger and ran it across my face. He was doing it to scare me and was being super effective. He played with the dagger, passing it around my neck until it reached my chest.

"What a beautiful woman." the other man said.

He pulled me close to him, wrapped his arm around my neck and grabbed it with his hand. I closed my eyes, trying to take my mind away from the situation.

"Make it easy for us, honey. You don't want your pretty little face bruised, do ya? If you play it nice, it'll be fine."

The man who had the knife next to my face started to approach the wall and I felt completely cornered. My body was shaking with nerves from not knowing what to do. There was no way I could fight them both off and if I screamed, probably no one would be able to hear me.

"What a nice dress you have on..." he looked down slowly and up again.

Before I could respond or do anything to fight back, if only a push, one of the men suddenly turned his attention away from me and spoke to someone else.

"There's nothing to see here, get lost!"

"Leave her."

That voice was familiar the very moment I heard it. Natsu?

"What did you say, punk? Do you want to say it again?"

"You heard me right. I said leave her."

The man who had the knife pressed against my face pulled away a little to get a look at Natsu and I could suddenly see him. He was looking angry and intimidating, I had to confess that I felt a shiver myself as soon as his eyes met mine before he looked back at the men.

"Do you have a death wish? Go away before this ends badly for you and the girl. If you don't want to end up on the ground somewhere, get the hell out of here now!"

"What was the part I said you didn't understand?" he smiled mischievously as he looked at the men and it was almost strange to see him like that. He rolled up the sleeves of his suit, "I'm just going to say it one more time... Leave her."

In the moments that followed, I could not understand anything that had happened. The man let go of me and turned his attention to Natsu, who was now face to face with his partner. Natsu was too fast for the man to get any kind of reaction and without any hesitation, Natsu's fist hit him in the face. The man almost fell backwards, but managed to stay on his feet long enough to try to fight back. The man with the knife was still trying to keep me in the same place glued to the wall and while he was too distracted looking at the fight, I took the opportunity to try to escape and went at him. He tried to grab me and although I managed to get away for a few seconds, he grabbed my arm and put me back next to the wall.

The rest of the fight didn't take long before the man's partner was on the ground. The man with the knife tried his best to think of a solution to keep me from leaving the place, but he had no choice when Natsu approached and removed him from my face by pulling the collar of his clothes. The man ended up blocking Natsu's punch, but he quickly dodged the blow that was to follow. The two continued in their fight and Natsu always seemed to have the greater advantage. It was the first time I was seeing him in that state and fighting someone like that. It seemed that nothing and no one could stop him at that moment.

It was at that moment that I noticed the knife that the man still had in his hand. My nerves were on edge and I was afraid that I would do something sudden that would distract Natsu. They were still fighting and his suit was getting all dirty from the blows they were both hitting the wall and the blood that was pouring from the man's nose. When Natsu punched him in the face, the man got off balance and fell to the side. Natsu looked at him to make sure he was unconscious and it was then that he looked at me with an angry, but concerned look at the same time.

I was too nervous to be able to say anything. He started walking slowly towards me and seemed to reach out to grab me, but at that moment I looked behind him and saw the man standing up again. My eyes widened and I only had time to yell for him to notice the man's presence and when Natsu turned around, it wasn't enough to prevent the man from striking him in the chest with the knife. I put my hand to my mouth with shock and Natsu just turned to the man and grabbed him hard enough not to move and punched him again that took him to the ground for good.

When he turned towards me again, I could see the blow caused by the man on his chest. He had a blood stain on his chest and his shirt was open, giving me permission to see the wound he had on his skin. I took a nervous step towards him and my hands were still shaking, despite my efforts to stop them.

"I-I'm sorry..." a whisper came out of my mouth, "I'm so sorry!"

He brought his hands to the injured spot and touched it on top of his shirt.

"Don't worry, Lucy... It's just a scratch."

"No, it isn't! You... You're hurt and it's my fault!"

"Lucy... Calm down."

"How can I calm down after what- You're hurt and I-"

My hands kept shaking. I didn't know if it was just from the fear that the whole situation had caused or if it was from the fact that my boss was hurt because of me. I was feeling a maze of emotions inside me that I couldn't control and I was getting more and more scared. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to say. He noticed how nervous I was and tried to reach for my trembling hands, but I took a step back to stop him.

"Lucy..." he sighed, "It's okay now."

"No... They... They followed me and I- I didn't want to-"

The words cost more and more to come out and my voice was as shaky as my hands. I was in a state that was almost impossible to control. The shock of the events were too much for me to keep calm and every time I looked at the wound in his chest, it was even harder.

Before I had any other choice, he came up to me and grabbed my wrists to keep me in place. He was squeezing them just hard enough for me to feel safe.

"You are safe now. No one will hurt you, I promise."

My chin trembled slightly. I nodded in agreement and tried not to allow myself to cry. He had been hurt and it was because of me. Because of my foolishness. I stared at him in absolute silence, not knowing what to say to make it better, and I only spoke again when I looked back at the place where he had been hurt.

"D-Does it hurt?"

"A bit." he smirked, "Nothing I can't handle. I've been through worse."

I had no idea what he meant by that, but I couldn't stop looking at the wound. I had to take care of it or it would become worse. I approached him, making a point of examining the wound more closely, but he stopped my hand from moving any further and I looked slowly at him.

"I need to take care of it... If I don't-"

"What you need is to get home and rest. You don't need to worry about me."

"Y-Yes... We should come to my-"

"I'll leave you home and then I'll go. As long as you're safe, there's nothing for you to worry about."

"N-No! You are hurt because of me, I have to take a look at it." I stared at him with determination, "At least, let me take a look at it... Please."

He nodded and before I could make a move, he removed his grip from my wrists and removed his blazer. He gave it to me and gestured for me to put it around my back. I was freezing or anything, but maybe he thought I would feel safer if I had that on me. I grabbed it and did as he asked. He looked at me one last time before turning around and we both started walking toward my apartment.

The way to my apartment was accompanied with silence. I couldn't find any words, and he probably tried not to talk to me so as not to make me even more uncomfortable. As soon as we arrived, I took his blazer off my back and placed it on the table. I quickly went to my bathroom while he stood waiting for me, even though I still felt my body shaking with nerves, and went to get the first aid box.

"This apartment is nice. I could have sworn it could be worse."

"I don't know if I should take that as an insult or a compliment." I smiled slightly when I came back to the living room with the box in my hand, "It works for now for what I need, at least." I walked over to the kitchen counter and looked at him, "Are you hungry? I can get you something to eat while I tend to that wound."

"No, thanks." he smiled, "I had enough to eat during the party."

I wasn't exactly hungry either after what had happened. I was just trying to calm the mood and do or say something that might make the events of the evening better, but I knew it was useless because the guilt I felt wasn't going to go away that quickly.

"Sit down, please. I need to take a look at that wound or you'll get an infection."

"I can assure you that I've been in worse situations than this. I'm sure I'm capable of handling a little scratch like this."

"Still, you'd better check it out. I don't want anything else bad to happen because of me."

He didn't protest further and sat down as I asked him to. I opened the box and grabbed the things I needed. I slowly sat down next to him on the couch, far enough away to be able to tend to his wound and not feel like we would be too close.

"Can you..." I paused and he looked at me confused, "Can you remove your shirt a little so I can see the wound?"

He obeyed and started to remove the first few buttons of his shirt, but stopped halfway through. I frowned and looked at him to try to figure out what was going on.

"I always have a problem removing buttons. They're a hassle."

"Well, if you don't do it, I won't be able to take care of that wound."

He tried again to unbutton his shirt, but this time he did it at a slower and slower pace. I was confused by his attitude, but after looking at his face, I noticed that he had the corners of his mouth slightly raised and I could tell that he was doing it on purpose. I didn't know the reason, but when he looked at me and continued to smile, I realized that maybe he was doing it to make me laugh and distract me from what had happened.

"See? They really are a lot of work."

"Are you pretending to be a jerk to make me laugh?"

"It worked, didn't it?"

"I guess it did." I lowered my head, "You don't have to, anyway. What happened was my fault, you don't have to feel an obligation to make me laugh."

"What happened wasn't your fault, you need to stop saying that. Besides, I do it because I want to."

Those words made me feel better than I was expecting, I couldn't lie. Still, I felt bad for everything that had happened and for causing him to end up hurt. I looked at him and seeing his face in just the small light from my living room lamp made him look mysterious and charming. It wasn't the first time I had been able to see him like that, but there was something about the way he looked at me at that moment that made me wish I would never leave. I lightened my voice and moved a little closer to him.

"Since the buttons are giving you so much trouble..." I smiled, "May I?"

I pointed to the shirt and he understood my question. He nodded and even though I was the one asking that question, I wasn't quite sure how to proceed next. I already felt like I was too close and that act seemed a bit... intimate. Still, after he gave me permission, I hurried up to finish it and hope for the night to end soon. He watched me unbutton his shirt and I was feeling embarrassed. My hands tried to pull the fabric enough for me to be able to see the severity of his wound better. Although I couldn't see much of his skin, I could already tell that he had very well defined muscles. It was hard to keep my attention on the wound for a second, so I tried to snap out of it and concentrate on where he was hurt again.

"This may sting a bit. Let me know if it hurts a lot, okay?" he laughed before I could touch the wound, "Did I say something funny?"

"Sort of. If you knew the things I've had to endure, you wouldn't be worried about a little scratch. You can do whatever you want, I'm fine."

"Well, sorry for warning you then."

As soon as the cloth touched his skin, I could feel him shudder a little and part of me let out a small smile as I noticed that reaction. I didn't know if it was from the sudden pain that he wasn't expecting or if it was from the cold temperature of the cloth.

"You've put up with worse things, huh?" I smiled.

"That was just a sudden reaction, no big deal. I'm ready for another one." I looked at him with a judgmental look, although I didn't even notice it once I did, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"You are the worst person ever to try to make a situation better. Don't say those things, please."

"Relax, Lucy. I'm just kidding, you don't have to think about what happened anymore. It's just some of life's bad luck."

"Unfortunately, bad luck is my middle name." I tried to smile and he did the same, "Just be quiet for a while so I can finish this."

I continued to touch the wound with the liquid hoping that it would make it better or that at least he wouldn't get an infection from that wound. I felt sick just looking at the wound. Even though it wasn't my fault that those men had shown up, it was because he had followed me that he ended up getting hurt and I knew that I wouldn't be able to forget what had happened so soon. As soon as I was done, I put the things back in the box and turned to him.

"You're done. I'm not really sure what to do next, but I think that's safe for now."

"Are you sure? I won't grow an arm or something?"

"I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I think I can still read the instructions for medicine."

As he prepared to lower his shirt, I looked again at his abdomen and noticed a scar that I hadn't noticed the first time. Not having control over my head, I spoke before I could process my thoughts.

"What's that?" I pointed to his belly.

He was confused and looked in the same direction, "Oh, this? It's not a big deal. It's just a scar that I've had for quite a few years now. Let's just say that when we're young we do all kinds of crazy things that can end up having consequences that get stuck on our body."

"Did you do that in a fight or something?"

"Do I look like I have a habit of getting into fights?" he smiled and I knew he wasn't expecting me to answer, "Nah, this was just a little accident. Honestly, I can't even remember all the details anymore, it was so long ago. It's nothing big that you need to worry about."

"What could I possibly do? It's a scar, that's not going to go away anymore, no matter how hard you try." I looked at my abdomen again, "Does it hurt?"

"Does it? You don't even feel it, sometimes I even forget it's here." I continued to stare at the scar not knowing what to say, "Do you want to touch it?"

"Huh? Don't be silly, why would I do that?"

"You're so surprised looking at it, it's kind of confusing to me. It's just a question, do you want to touch it?"

"It's just that I've never seen one like that before. No need, it would be weird-"

Before I could finish the sentence, he shifted position and looked at me as if he was about to ask me something. He stretched one of his hands toward me.

"May I?"

He directed his hand toward mine and I just nodded, even though it was almost an automatic movement. My body had been reacting too many times without my thoughts being able to keep up. As soon as he took my hand, the warmth of his hand threw various sensations through my stomach that were hard to explain. He slowly directed my hand to the scar and as soon as I touched it, he let go of my hand and just let me feel the texture.

The feeling was strange, it was as if it was a part of our skin that will never come back and will stay in that state forever. It was as if a part of our body had experienced horrible things during our life and it was a way to show it off, even though it wasn't in the most beautiful way.

Without me realizing it, my hand started to go all over the scar and I was too close to it. It was starting to feel like an overly intimate moment that made me nervous. I ended up getting so lost in that moment as I ran my hand over the scar that I only came back to my thoughts when I heard his voice.

"Lucy." I slowly looked up at him, though I kept my hand in the same place, and noticed that we were too close, "We didn't finish our conversation from before."

"I don't want to talk about it again-"

"Why not? Is it so bad for you to tell me the truth?"

I removed my hand from the scar and positioned myself back on the couch so that we were further apart, "I already told you! You were busy that night and I didn't want to bother anyone."

"And I already answered you to that. Does it bother you that much that I was with Lisanna when you got back? Is that the problem? Because it seems to me that it bothers you that I was with a woman when you got back to the office."

"Of course not! Don't be ridiculous! Why should I be bothered? It's nothing new to me that you have the company of women several times and that you could be with any woman you wanted at the moment. It's not like it's something you're not used to."

"If it wasn't a problem for you, why didn't you go back to the office as soon as she left? From your conversation, I don't know what you think happened and I don't have to justify it to you either, but whatever you think happened that night you're wrong. There was nothing to interrupt."

I was completely silent after his words. I had gotten a completely wrong idea of what had happened between them that night in the office. The only thing I had managed to do was to go home and not think about it anymore. I didn't know why I was so upset, but every time I thought about it I felt an unpleasant sensation. I got up from the couch and sighed, not knowing what to answer. As I turned on my back and closed my eyes to think about my next words, I heard him get up from the couch.

"I understand what your problem was. The only thing I can't understand is why it bothers you so much, since it's no surprise."

"I never said it bothered me!"

"And I already told you that you are a terrible liar, that's why I knew you were lying from the day you got back from your trip."

"So what?"

"So," he continued as he walked toward me, "If it bothers you that much it's for a reason. I want you to tell me what it is."

"There's nothing that bothers me."

"Then why did you keep avoiding me after that night?" I was left with no answer and he continued, getting closer and closer to me, "You wanted to know what I wanted, right?"

"And what is that?"

He kept walking until I realized that I was getting closer and closer to one of my walls and couldn't walk any further back. He got closer and closer to me and I could only look into his eyes, which made it hard to think properly.

"What do you think, Lucy?"

He looked subtly at my lips and a shiver ran down my spine. I knew perfectly well what he was trying to say and I was left with no reaction. I was completely mesmerized by his eyes and the way he was looking back at me. I was starting to get lost and my body was having a hard time responding. It was having a hard time thinking logically.

He moved forward again, as no words were coming out of my mouth and I was just longing for him to come closer and closer. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but something in me was no longer looking to resist that moment, it seemed that everything around me had disappeared and I could only look at him.

"Natsu... I-"

"Tell me to stop, Lucy."

I was in a completely paralyzed state. He was so close to me that I could feel his breath and thinking straight was out of the picture. I had no idea what to say or how to react to his words. Before I could have any reaction, he stepped forward and kissed me unexpectedly. I couldn't explain the sensations that coursed through my body in the following seconds. I felt a tingling in my stomach as soon as his mouth met mine and it felt as if the world around me had disappeared. The way he kissed me seemed to have both a mixture of passion and desire and at that moment, I felt my body shudder and give up completely, not resisting any longer. I almost fell off balance when he suddenly moved forward and tried to grab onto his shirt as he quickly grabbed my face with one hand and placed the other almost near my waist, which made me feel all the nerves coursing through my body with the sensation of that unexpected touch.

As we were still kissing, he put the arm completely around my waist to grab me, while the other arm suddenly went around my leg and lifted it so as to try to support my weight, and as soon as I realized, I was caught between the wall and his body. I felt one of my thighs being grabbed and then he squeezed it tightly, sending me shivers through my entire body because of the unexpected feeling. My breathing was getting heavier with every second that passed and we were in that state.

In between kisses, I opened my mouth wider to give him more access without being able to resist any longer the desire I unexpectedly had inside me to feel him so close like that. The way my body was reacting to every touch and every kiss was unexpected and I realized at that moment that I had longed to be so close to him like this for a long time. The kisses became more and more intense and full of desire, it was getting hard to get my mind under control. I could no longer think of anything else but his body pressing mine against the wall.

I sighed with pleasure at his touch, which caught me by surprise when I felt his hand on my tight again and an unexpected low moan came out of my mouth. I pulled his face close to mine as our bodies sank closer and closer. Suddenly, my mind was completely empty. It seemed that the only thing that mattered was just that moment. I felt so strange, but so complete at the same time that it was frightening my reaction to everything that was happening. I tried to pull myself together and come back to reality, but it was completely impossible. In my head, the only thing I could understand was that I was strongly attracted to Natsu and feeling his touch was enough to make me lose myself completely.