"Lucy, your lack of a love life is starting to get concerning," Erza set her drink down as Levy nodded in agreement from her seat beside the redhead.

"She has a point Lu-chan. You need to open yourself back up!" Levy sighed and twirled her straw in her scotch. "You won't even look at other guys. Wait a minute, are you a lesbian?! Is that what you've been hiding?" She suddenly exclaims, looking at me with wide eyes.

I shake my head quickly as my cheeks flush. "No Lev, I'm not a lesbian, I am straight... I just don't have any interest in anyone else right now."

"What about that Dragneel guy you've befriended recently? Anything going on there?" Erza lifted her eyebrow and I looked away.

"No. Most definitely not, and even if there was it probably wouldn't mean a thing. He's not interested in commitment," I mutter as I wipe down a glass.

"So you've talked about it..." Levy laughs softly.

"It just came up in conversation!"

"You mean to tell me you haven't made a move on a guy like him? Even if it's for one night only?" Erza takes a swig of her drink.

"Not one," I say firmly.

"I, for one, find that hard to believe," Ezra remarks and I groan softly.

"Okay! Okay, look. I shouldn't say anything at all but... Some things have happened. Nothing major, but enough for him to tell me that no one can find out." I look at them sharply. "You're dead if you let it leak."

Erza grinned and Levy laughed. "That's my Lu-chan!" I relaxed slightly and gave them both a small smile.

"But I'm serious about him having a thing against commitment, he's a one night stand type of guy," I sigh and lean on the bar countertop.

"Who, me?" I snap my head in the direction of the door and see Natsu standing there, grinning.

"What other playboy do I know?" I raise my eyebrow at him and he chuckles as he walks towards me and my friends.

"Making me out to be a major douche to your friends, hm? Lucy, I thought you liked me more than that," he sat beside them and I saw Levy and Erza looking between us like we where the latest edition of Magnolia Times.

"That's pretty easy to do when you are one. Anyway, Levy, Erza, this is Natsu. Natsu, these are my lovely friends Levy and Erza," I gesture between them and they exchange pleasantries while I attend another customer.

"We where just talking to Lucy about how lacking her life has been in the romance department," I hear Erza say to Natsu and I whip around to face them.

"Hey, don't tell him that!" I pout as my face heats up again.

"I already picked up on that much, she gets all flustered when I mention boyfriends, especially in my case," he tells my friends and they look over at me with questioning eyes.

"He's constantly talking about his past flings is what he means. Of course I get flustered, it's uncomfortable," I tell my friends quickly.

"Oh Lucy..." Levy sighs.

"She's hopeless," Erza holds her forehead.

"What? What do you guys mean?!" I exclaim as I look between my best friends and then at Natsu with confusion. He just shrugged with his typical smirk on his face. I roll my eyes as my friends share a look and laugh.

"Well, I need to get going. I have work early tomorrow so I need to get home to get ready," Erza pushes her empty glass my way.

"And she's my ride so I'll be going too. I had fun Lu-chan," she smiles and hops down from her stool. My friends leave the bar and I sigh with relief.

"You shouldn't let your guard down just yet babe," Natsu's voice makes me jump and I look at him unamused.

"And you shouldn't terrorize me on the job," I retort shortly.

"I can't help it, you're always on my mind," Natsu says and I shake my head.

"As if, now order a drink or get out," I put one hand on my hip and the other on the counter of glasses before me.

"Get me some bourbon, and I'm serious Lucy. I'm curious now, about your love life. You certainly know about mine," Natsu leans on the bar and I step back to get his drink. When I come back and set it before him I clear my throat.

"I've had a tough run with guys. I usually get caught up with some low-life just out to use me, all while under the impression he actually gives a fuck about me," I laugh bitterly. "You would think I'd learn but here I am."

"You think I'm just like one of them...don't you?" Natsu's voice is low.

"I don't know. You're not a low-life or anything, but I can't be sure you care about me either. I'm just a sex buddy, so I don't have high expectations," I shrug.

"I see, so you won't be like other girls when things come to an end?" Natsu asks and I stop for a moment. Things have to end eventually, you knew this from the start. Stop feeling disappointed!

"Nope. I know when I'm not wanted," I tell him tersely and turn to take stock of the bottles of alcohol behind me.

"Who says you won't be wanted?"

"If I learned anything from my past boyfriends, it's that once a guy is done with what he wants you for, you have no purpose in his life anymore," I tap my pen on my lip as I count the bottles and mark the numbers on the pad of paper I had pulled out.

"Not all guys are like that though," Natsu argues and I sigh as I shake my head, my ponytail swinging with the slight motion, the hairs flicking across the delicate skin of my neck.

"Everyone is like that Natsu, you and I both know that," I mutter and set the pad down for the people on the next shift.

"No. Not everyone is Luce," I hear Natsu say lowly and I turn to face him. "I might be, and your exes might have been... but not everyone is like that."

"Yeah, well they're real hard to come by," I head towards the back room to take off my apron and clock out. When I got outside Natsu was leaned against his car, and when I tried to ignore him and walk past him her grabbed my arm.

"Let go, I'm going home," I sigh.

"We haven't finished our conversation."

"Really? I thought we had," I quip and he rolls his eyes.

"Just get in the damn car..." He shakes his head and I slowly get in. As soon as I'm buckled and settled in he pulls out onto the road. "So, Lucy, what happened to make you distrust everyone?"

I look out the window with my arm resting on the ledge. My eyes dart between the passing buildings and I don't respond for a reasonable amount of time, drawing out the silence. I finally draw a deep breath and release it, breaking the silence that filled the car.

"His name was Sting..."