Falling Too Far - Gruvia

Chapter 23

'You left so suddenly... Is everything okay?' - Lucy, 06:52.

'Hey, Juvia. Lucy told me that you left the dorms at around midnight yesterday. I'm just checking if you're okay.' - Erza, 08:37.

'Thanks for helping with Wendy again. Why did you have to go in such a hurry? You good?' - Gajeel, 10:15.

'Lucy saw you leave at like one in the morning, what's up?' - Natsu, 11:23.

'I hate how we left things... Again. But I care about you. Word got around that you left in the middle of the night. Are you okay?' - Unregistered contact, 22:45.

Eleven at night. I'm sleepless. I lay under piles of blankets in my childhood bedroom. Staring at a screen and reading messages from my comrades. Anyone I could've responded to, and I chose the unregistered contact, as I have a feeling who it might be.

Obviously, I double check.

'Who's this?"

Not a minute later, I get a response.

'Gray.'

I wonder who spoke to him...

'If you're that interested, I'm not.'

'Where are you?'

'My parents house.'

I slip out of my covers, heading over to the built in couch against the wall, a floor to ceiling window beside it. The lighting of the full moon glimmers inside my bedroom. I leant my back against the white wall, sitting on top of the pastel green cushions, patterns of butterflies roaming around them. My conversation with Gray still open.

'Is it okay for me to call you?'

Hearing his voice... It strikes nerves, yet I know I need to hear him.

'Sure.'

One second later, he rings me. After two ringings of silent thinking, I answer.

"Hi..." My voice is weak.

"Hey," I catch his breath from the other side, "You wanna tell me what's up?"

I sniffle. Holding my phone closer to my ear. I missed the sound of his voice. What I missed most was when he'd whisper sweet nothings into my ear when the two of us were in that mood.

It takes me a moment to get the words out. I hadn't let the information sink in yet. So unexpected, tragic, and infuriating me with guilt.

"My... Uh- M-My dad," A drop of bitterness escapes my eyes, "he was in a car accident." More flows of depressive teardrops trickle down my cheeks.

"Shit... Is he okay?"

I sniff before answering, attempting to control my emotions. It's impossible. "No."

He's silent. Quickly gathering what I meant in such a blunt response.

"Fuck, Juvia. I'm so sorry."

I grunt. I didn't need apologies.

It'd been less than twenty four hours since he'd passed. In such agony as I had to witness his death. I ended things months back with my father on poor terms, on my own birthday. If the small thought passed through my thick headed mind that something like this would be his life's conclusion, I wouldn't have been so spoilt. 

"By that you don't want apologies?" I grunt once more, "Yeah, I didn't either, with my mum 'n everything."

Now that I thought about it, picking Gray to talk to was my best option. He's suffered a loss of a parent, so I'm not alone in this. As much as I feel like it.