Gray's POV

"Yes, yes! I win, yeah!" I exclaimed excitedly, not caring about the others looking at me as if I'm a weirdo or someone who just got out of the mental hospital.

I'm still in the cafe. Natsu and Lucy left me when I was about to say something else and so, I have no choice but to wait for Juvia after all. It's 6:30 P.M already. Her shift's about to end so it's fine.

My eyes darted to the blue haired girl who's cleaning the table thoroughly but when someone called for her, she immediately went to the customers and smiled as she took their orders. In this kind of view, she looked nothing like the Juvia that I know. She looked like a girl who is pale and helpless but kind and generous.

Ugh, I sound like a girl for thinking about this.

Right after she took their orders, her eyes suddenly met mine. I startled and looked away. Damn, she caught me watching her.

She shook her head and went inside the kitchen room. I sighed in relief and went back to my phone and started playing rules of survival. I'm pretty addicted to this.

Just then, a glass of water was placed in front of me. I looked up and saw a white-haired lady with a smile. She looked innocent for me.

"Are you waiting for Juvia?"

I scratched my head as I thought about how I should answer that. "Uh... Yeah, I guess so."

"Are you, perhaps... Juvia's boyfriend?" She asked and her eyes glimmered with stars just now.

"No," I bluntly said.

She laughs and replied, "Oh, I'm so sorry. Now that I've thought about it, Juvia doesn't have any boyfriend right now. So I'm suspecting, you're a close friend of hers?"

"Still no. My friends left me here and told me that I should walk her home so I stayed." I explained and took the glass of water she placed in front of me earlier.

"No? Why?" She asked. "Juvia's a nice girl."

Nice...

Okay.

"We just don't get along with each other. That's all." I said and I suddenly saw her getting out from the room and going back to the table from earlier.

"Ah, you must be talking about her violent side." She said and a drop of sweat appeared on her forehead. "I guess you don't like her..."

"You could say that."

"But you wouldn't have stayed and waited for her if you didn't like her, right?"

I blinked my eyes twice and moved them back to the white-haired girl I'm talking to. "Like? As in, a crush or something?"

She shrugs and smiles. "Who knows?"

I'm getting a bad feeling about this. I don't even know what she's talking about.

***

It's 7:14 P.M and finally, Juvia's shift was done. She was wearing a new pair of clothes that made her look emo.

Her eyes squinted at me when she saw me outside, waiting for her. Well, the cafe closed at 7 so I had to leave and wait outside. I saw her sighing and started walking to her right, which was opposite from my direction.

My mouth agaped but I closed it and ran towards her. "Hey Juvia!"

"Don't follow me, you idiot."

This girl...

I started walking at the same pace as she did when I caught up to her. "Hey, I did wait for you so I should at least do my job and walk you home, just as Natsu and Lucy said."

"It's not a job and you don't have to force yourself, you know." She bluntly said.

"I'm not forcing myself."

"Suit yourself. It's not like I'm going to let you enter my condo or something." She said and gave me a glance.

I twitched my eyes and controlled myself. It's not like I want to enter her condo. I put my hands on my pocket as we both walked together, side by side.

It felt awkward, walking with someone you're not close with and at this time...

"... I heard from Natsu and Lucy that you work there to pay for school and your condo." I said.

"What?? Those two have noisy mouths, ugh." She said and rolled her eyes at me.

"Where are your parents?" I asked.

"It's none of your business. Unlike you, I'm an independent woman. I don't need parents to support me and help me with my needs." She said and somehow, her words meant something.

Her parents must be on another country or something.

"I'm just trying to have a casual talk." I said. "And you looked very different earlier. I could barely recognize you, because of how you act and smile."

"Well, it's because anyone can wear a perfect but fake smile, Gray." She said and glanced at me again.

"What's with that?"

"... Nothing." She faked a cough and looked away from me.

"You're weird." I commented.

"Back to you, Gray." She replied and sighed afterwards. "Of all people, why should I walk with you towards my home?"

"I should say the same thing." I said irritatingly.

"As I said earlier, you shouldn't have forced yourself." She said and rolled her eyes at me again.

This will be a long night.

***

Her condo was a medium sized one, perfect for two-three people. She lives in a rather, nice place. It's far from what I had in mind earlier.

I was about to go and leave earlier but then, she made me come in and said that she wanted to thank me.

"Uh... It's kinda late but if you don't mind, why don't you go inside with me and have dinner?" She asked as she avoided eye contact with me. "... It's to express my thanks."

At first, I thought that she was joking but her eyes told me that she wasn't so here I am now. What's bad is that, the rain suddenly started pouring when we both entered her condo.

I smell bad luck.

"You can sit anywhere. I'll just prepare food." She said as she ties her hair up to a high ponytail and left some of her curls on her sides.

I sat on the white couch. In front of it was the television and the kitchen. "Should I help? I do know how to cook at the very least."

"No need. I'm fast at cooking." She said and rejected my offer.

I didn't say anything else and just watched her do her thing. Her image from earlier returned to me. It didn't look natural for her. She juststarted cutting up ingredients and mixing food. She looked like a different girl in my perspective.

And before I knew it, food was prepared on the table.

"You eat mapo tofu and gyudon, right?" She asked as she places the plates and the chopsticks.

I stared in awe at the food she prepared. It looked like it came from a fast food restaurant. Her cooking skills are better than mine. Did she really cook this?

I gulped when she smirked at me. She folds her arms across her chest and said, "I bet you're surprised that I could cook good, aren't you?"

"I-I'm not." I said and avoided making eye contact with her because I know that she's going to tease me. I just sat on the chair near me while she sat on the chair opposite from mine.

I grabbed the chopsticks and tasted her food. Okay, damn. This just tastes great. What did she put in here that made them taste so good?

"It's yummy, right?" She asked and gave me an innocent smile that scares me.

"N-No, it isn't. It tasted salty." I lied.

"You're a liar, Gray." She said and giggles a little. She started eating too and I continued too.

"... Fine, it tastes great." I said and felt my cheeks heating up a little due to embarassment.

"Well, thank you." She said and had a confident smile on her face. "I didn't think that you'd honestly say your answer here."

"Now you know." I shrugged and continued on eating.

We ate in silent and after eating, I helped her wash the dishes, which was pretty much easy. But, we fought on who's better at cleaning and who's not, even at cooking. I got annoyed at her at that part.

I sighed and said, "Well, I better get going. It's late already."

"It's raining hard." She commented as she stared at the rain through her condo's windows. "I heard that this would last for hours because of a typhoon."

"Huh? Really?"

"Someone texted me about it."

Oh, damn. I don't have any umbrella with me right now.

"By the way, before you go," She said and looked at me in the eyes. "Did Mira say anything to you earlier at the cafe?"

"Wait, who's Mira?" I asked. I never heard that name.

Her eyes squinted and said, "She's the girl you were talking to earlier. You know, the one who's pretty and have white hair."

An image popped into my mind. "Ah... So her name's Mira."

"Well? Did she say anything weird?" She asked and looked worried.

"But you wouldn't have stayed and waited for her if you didn't like her, right?"

"Er... Nothing, it's nothing weird." I said. Damn it, why did her words suddenly appeared in my mind?

"Mira has a habit of exposing my secrets so you better tell me now or else," She said as she started glaring at me. "... Another fight will be held at school."

"Sheesh, calm down. As I said, it's nothing weird." I said and didn't flinch at her threat. Why would I be scared of a girl?

"Okay, fine." She said and ran her hand across her hair. "I guess you need to go because it's too late and you look like someone who doesn't bring any umbrella with him. If you want, I could lend you one."

"I'll take that offer." I said.

She walks into one of the cabinets near the kitchen and grabbed a blue folding umbrella. She walks towards me and gave me the umbrella. "Here, you should return it to me though."

"Of course I will." I said and sighed. What does she take me for, a beggar? "I really appreciate the dinner you made."

"Ah, just so you know, it's a one-time offer so it means that, it won't repeat again." She said and winks at me.

Sheesh.

"Whatever. I'm going." I said.

Just then, a drum roll of thunder came loud. It did surprise me but I didn't flinch because I'm kind of used to thunder sounds because of the movies I watch.

I guess, what Juvia said earlier was true. There must be a typhoon going on right now and that's why we have a terrible weather at this time.

"Well, that's a loud one. Hope you didn't get scared by it, Juv—"

I widened my eyes when she suddenly ran towards me and wrapped her arms around my neck as she hugs me tightly.

I was too surprised to move. Never have I ever thought about hugging a girl, unless she's my girlfriend but now, a girl I don't like is hugging me tightly and it's a bit awkward.

But I heard her sniffles.

"J-Juvia?"

"G-Gray... I-I'm sorry but could you stay a little l-longer just until the rain s-stops?" She asked in between her sniffles.

What?!

***

Published: July 28, 2018