What was supposed to be just a simple sit-down with Thiago turned into something way bigger. Erza overheard Thiago talking about food and kind of self-invited herself along with Jellal, who kept giving me an apologetic look but I laughed it off.

Then by the end of practice, the entire squad was invited. Great...

Mr. Yajima is going to have a blast hosting the entirety of the Fairy Tail FC.

It took almost all my confidence I gained throughout that afternoon practicing to approach Lisanna and invite her along with Natsu.

I was ready to flinch away from any thing her sharp tongue can throw my way but she just nodded and walked away. Huh, that's weird.

Only yesterday she wanted to bite my head off and now she's just accepting dinner invites from me. I just hope she doesn't try to pull anything. Thiago might be a calm and chill individual but what I learned is he truly does care about his friends. If Lisanna pulled the same shit she did during lunch, he's going to cause a scene.

That's something we're not trying to have happen, now are we?

"Lucy! You better not be hogging all the hot water!" Speaking of.

I switched the dial off and as efficiently as I could, dried my body. I threw on the simple white tank-top with a pink and black plaid shirt. I was able to fasten the button on my jean shorts just as the bathroom door swung open; exposing a shirtless Thiago with nothing but a towel around his hip.

I looked him deep in the eyes because well, everything else is distracting and I'm still a woman, alright? I love Natsu but we're not together and there's this delicious milk chocolate man right in front of me.

Such a perv. Yes, yes, yes I know! I have issues.

"Why?" was all I can manage.

It's not the first time I've seen him in this condition. However, that doesn't make each time better.

"I really need to pee and take that shower. Your Fiore heat is no joke." He ushered me out before I could even take my towel off my head.

Why are all my friends crazy? Even the ones that aren't in Fairy Tail have this personality to them that could make them fit right in. It just hurts my sanity whenever I'm around them.

"You look like you're ready to go." And there goes my front door.

Erza and Jellal stood by it.

"H-how? Never mind." What's the point of locks when I'm pretty sure Erza was able to bribe my landlady with some tickets to our games for a spare key.

That's gotta be illegal somewhere.

"Thiago just jumped in the shower." I sighed, grabbing my purse.

Erza glanced at the door before looking back at me. "I can see why the press was so confused about you two being together." She took a seat next to Jellal on the floor, her legs extended underneath her blue skirt. "You guys practically act like a couple."

"I was confused myself." Jellal admitted. "Erza had to explain how everything between you two are all platonic."

I shrugged, sitting right in front of my two friends. "He's like a brother to me."

"You said that about Liam, remember?"

"Yeah and he really was. Same thing with Thiago. He was there for me like Lisanna was there for Natsu. Only I don't have feelings for him like she does so we just stayed really good friends."

Jellal seemed like he understood. His fiancee, however, looked like she was almost disappointed that there was nothing juicy behind it.

"I believe you when you say that's he's only a friend to YOU." Jellal sighed. "But the way that man looks at you..."

I blinked. "Huh?"

Jellal and Erza exchanged a look.

"You mean, you think....Pfft no, no, no, no, no, no." I waved my hands.

That's ridiculous! Thiago might act more affectionate than what people here are used to but that's how he was raised. I almost slapped him the first time he came up to me for the greeting kiss.

He knows his boundaries.

Or he should.

"Oh guests!" Thiago's voice filled my studio. We all turned to him, still wearing a towel and dripping from his shower. "I apologize Mr. Fernandez, Ms. Scarlet. I'll throw some clothes on right away." 

He sent me an embarrassed smile before grabbing some clothes out of his luggage and bounced back into the bathroom, shutting the door.

"Well, I didn't expect that." Erza cleated her throat, a little pink from the encounter.

Jellal only laughed. "He's got manners."

"He's not a bad guy nor is he anything more than a good friend of mines. I'm going to prove it at the dinner, I promise!"

~

Okay.

When I said I'd prove Thiago is nothing more than just a friend, I honestly meant it. We'd just act the way we usually do etc. etc.

That was the easy part.

The hard part...

Well, let's just say there was some sort of seating assignment Erza mentally made which sat me not only at the same table as Natsu and Lisanna...

But between Natsu and Thiago with Lisanna on the other side of Natsu.

This is the only time I will say this, quietly of course but fuck you, Erza!

Luckily though, she sat Gajeel, Levy, Mira, Herself, Jellal, Gray and Juvia at the same table so I was left completely alone.

Thiago was making fast friends with Gajeel which is shocking. I never expected that mix but then again, he knew how to befriend everybody. So it's not hard for him to soften the usually steel-hearted defender sitting in his other side.

Natsu barely glanced at me for most of the first half of the night and I didn't mind. I busted myself in conversation with the rest of my teammates. Lisanna, who was mainly ignoring my existence but surprisingly, isn't taking any pokes or punches at me so that's an evolution right there.

That didn't stop me from taking little tabs on the man next to me.

He smelled good, Natsu I mean. He had ordered a steak, rice and a salad. I noticed he still didn't really like carrots and how he was taking the time to pick it out of his food. His steak is rare and untouched, probably because he was waiting for the additional sauce Mr. Yakima's restaurant offered. He wouldn't eat the meat without it.

Natsu still looked good. His hair was still a little damp from an obvious shower just a half hour before. He wore the Fairy Tail warm-up and the black soccer sweats that came with it. And he isn't Natsu without that white scarf around his neck.

It's nice.

Even though he's not talking to me but for us to be able to sit like this, with our team to enjoy a dinner together.

It was nice.

Until...

"Bunny Girl!" Gajeel was laughing when he shouted my awful nickname.

I turned to him and his little red eyes were bubbling with some intense joy. "I swear, you better marry this guy."

I choked on my own salad.

"W-whaa?"

"No fucker has ever made me laugh as hard as he has!" And he started laughing again.

Oh great.

I didn't need to touch Natsu to feel his body tense up.

Levy then added to the fire. "Yeah, even I can't make him laugh this hard. If you like him so much, why don't you marry him instead of me?"

"I ain't gay." Gajeel swallowed. "Don't mean I don't want him around, huh Gray? What do you think?"

Gray was smiling brightly as well. "Yeah, he'd fit right in."

Thiago turned to me with a wink. "Hey, I'm available."

Well, there goes my entire plan of proving how platonic we can be.

"Oh come on, Lucy!" Gray continued. "You're single so go on, mingle."

"Uh-"

"If you like him so much, why don't you marry him, Stripper?" Natsu finally piped up.

Great. Just great.

I stole one more look at my ex but his attention was focused on his rival. Gray met his gaze with the same amount of intensity. He wasn't backing down from this. He's standing up to Natsu.

This isn't going to end well. Even with Erza sitting at the table with us.

"Because he's for Lucy and not for anybody else, ashwipe." Gray challenged, his bare forearm tensing as well.

"Wait, that's not -"

"Lucy is her own damn person. She doesn't need anyone especially made for her, dickward!" Natsu snapped back. 

Hold on.

Did Natsu just attempt to say I'm independent? 

That statement alone is enough to get my emotions into a frenzy and I really don't like. The impact he still had over me is unbearable and I don't think it's supposed to be like this. I should really not be so affected but I can't help it. I'm in love with this asshole no matter how much he lived up to his nickname lately.

"I'm not saying Lucy can't be independent without a man but it would be nice to have one by her side that appreciates her for all that she does." Gray continued.

Natsu laughed, humorlessly. "That's rich. She's always been known for that."

And right back to the asshole part of him. Well it was nice while it lasted.

"When are you gonna fucking let that go?" Gray growled. "She had a life ahead of her and she decided to follow it. You should've been happy for her and blame poor timing."

"Babe, hey calm down." Juvia grabbed her lover's arm in an attempt to ask him to back down.

He wasn't finished though. If anything, he's just as fired up as Natsu is at this very moment.

Then Gray thought it would be the greatest thing in the world to say the following statement.

Discretion: it made things go from 2 to 100 in a matter of a single heartbeat.

"It's like you never loved her."

Oh.

No.

That's all he needed to say.

"Gray..." I began, warning him to watch his words but it was already too late. 

I know he's trying his best to look after me especially with such a bitter ex but what he just said crossed a line. He knows that our relationship was all about love. We were passionate and the fire never died. 

So why would he say something like that?

Those very words sent Natsu upwards in a fit of fury. I was almost knocked off balance.

"You have no fucking idea what you're saying!" the volume of his voice was enough to catch everybody's attention; including the unwanted ones of the other poor customers eating at a secluded part of the restaurant. 

"You..." Natsu was suddenly breathless, his hand immediately reaching up to grasp the place of his heart.

As much as I wanted to hear him say what he has to say, a different emotion was settling into my body.

Utter fear.

"N-Natsu?" I gulped. 

The fear was strong enough for me to reach out and grab his arm. The surge of electricity was there but I ignored it completely. Now is not the time to be focused in that.

"Hey, Natsu!" I called again but he just stood there, his face distorted with pain.

Oh no.

"Someone! Quickly, 311 right now!"