Picture Perfect: a Gray and Erza lovestory

CHAPTER 19: SHE IS BACK

Steel Dragon's guitarist went home around 3:00 at dawn. He went through the dark corridors of the building where he rents his apartment. As he was trying to open the door, he noticed a shadow watching him. "What are you doing here? I told you to go home already".

The woman stepped out of the shadows, "I was right, you still live in this beat down apartment".

"Its nice and cozy, I like this place. I never thought that a star like Juvia Loxar would go to a place like this. What do you want anyway?"

Juvia looked at him seriously, "I need you to do something".

Gajeel raised his eyebrow, "And why would I want to help you?"

"You owe me...a lot. And I want you to do this as payment and as a favor for a friend".

"Hmp! What is it anyway?" Juvia came in closer and whispered something. Gajeel's eye grew big and shouted "What?!?! Hell no Juvia, I dont want to!"

Juvia started shout, "Even if you get three jobs and work your ass so much. It will never be enough to pay what you owe me! If you do what I want, we are even!"

They argued and argued. Gajeel did not want to do what Juvia is asking of him. 'Never' he said. But until Juvia started to weep in from of him, even knelt down just for him to agree. Gajeel gave in.

-----

Monday came fast. Gray and Erza are getting aling vert well, this morning he picked her up to get breakfast before they go to work. They went to a diner near where they work. As they finished, they went straight to work. Before they enter the building, they noticed that all employees are tense, stressed, and very busy. It was too early in the morning, and this is not the usual scene they see everyday.

They saw Lucy as they entered, "hey you guys might want to stop the sweetness with each other for a while".

Gray and Erza looked at each other and blushed, "We are not being sweet with each other!" Erza proclaimed eventhough her face is as red as her hair, "what is going on here anyway?"

"She is back!" Lucy said with fear in her eyes, "I think the vacation did not go well.. She is very very grumpy since she came in".

"What?! Is she in her office? I'll go talk to her", Erza told them, "the two of you better get back to work".

"Hey be careful!" Gray shouted as Erza went up. Lucy was looking at him, he turned to her, "What? I heard that the boss turns into a demon when she's...angry".

"Lets just hope Erza can calm her down, I dont want to see all hell break loose!"

-----

Erza went to Mira's office. Levy is standing in front of the door, worried because Mira was acting weird. Erza closed the door as she entered, Mira stayed busy writing something.

"I did not expect you to be back this soon", Erza said as she approached her.

Mira stopped what she was doing and looked at Erza, "He... he asked me to marry him", Mira said and covered her face with her palms, "and I rejected him".

Erza was speechless for about a minute or so. "Well, I uh..." she hesitated because she didn't know how to handle a situation like this, "It seems to me that you regret doing that?"

"Oh God!" Mira screemed, "I dont understand Erza! I wanted to say yes, but it was too soon... am I right?"

Erza sighed, "Mira you know I dont have the experience to tell you this but I think you should have done what you FEEL is right and not what you THINK is right", Erza simply said, Mira started to sob, "should I call Lucy? She is the more experience one regarding matters like this".

"Thank you Erza, but I will be fine...I just need time to think".

"You should go home and rest, you look like you have a jetlag", Erza told her. "Just come back tomorrow or the next day or whenever you feel ok...I'll handle things around here for a while".

Mira smiled, "Thank you so much!"

-----

Erza was very busy that day. There was a board meeting, that's why she was not able to have her lunch. At 5:00 the employees are about to go home. Erza is still at the office reviewing an article. Their deadline for next issue is in friday so they are rushing. Gray went to the office.

"You're still working?" Gray said as he leaned on the door.

Erza was startled and looked at him, "Oh hey. I'm just finishing this".

Gray sat at the sofa and waited, he was staring at her, 'she is really beautiful, and smart and hardworking'. He smiled at his thought. Erza caught him staring and looking at her at the same time, she raised her eyebrows, 'why is he staring like that?' she thought. She couldn't hepl but blush. She just focused on her reading to avoid noticing his stares.

After about 30 minutes, she finished. "Yey I'm done!" she said happily

Gray stood up and approached her, "so Miss Scarlet, since you finished your work and had an overtime. Lets go get dinner...my treat!"

Erza smiled at him as she turned off the laptop, "we can have dinner but lets just pay for ourselves, I dont want you to waste your salary in treating me allthe time".

"Tch! None sense... Did you know that I've spent a lot in having a dinner with someone who I really dont like?" He was pertaining about his costly dinner with Juvia. Erza chuckled. "I think it would be better if I spend my money for someone I DO like..."

Erza smiled more and approached Gray. She put her hands around Gray's nape as he wrapped his hands around her waist. "Well then, let's have dinner at the night market. It's delicious and it's cheap. And I havent been there for a while now".

"Ok", Gray said as he pecked a kiss on Erza's lips.