Twenty-Four Days {NaLu Christmas Au}

10

Lucy's POV
"It's the twenty fourth, I should leave today, for college that is." I said to my mother in her hospital bed. God, she looks so different that she did before, she looked so tired. She nods her head in response. "Well, I'll see you in a while okay, you hang on until then, I love you." I kissed her forehead and left the room.
I walked back to my dorm, it wasn't that far away from there but I should of asked Juvia or something to drive me in wasting time and my train leaves at four. It's one right now.
I get back to my dorm and Juvia is sitting there. I keep forgetting that after my accident she's been staying with me.
"So you're just gonna leave right?" She asked looking down at her feet.
"Juvia I have to leave otherwise they won't accept me"
"So you'll leave and keep living your lie? For what?"
"What lie?"
"I know that you remember Natsu!"
I gasped, and I felt my heartbeat beat uncontrollably.
"How would you know that!"
"Because you haven't told him you were leaving yet, you wanted him to get over you so that no one could get in you're way" she looked up at me and stood up. The stormed over to me and grabbed my shoulders "Well I say to hell with that!" She screams. Hot tears ran down my face.
"I can't, I just can't Juvia," I wept.
"Why?" She looked at me with sympathetic eyes.
"I do like him, I do, but I've. Ever fallen so hard, so quickly for someone, I feel like if I continue this then I'll only end up heartbroken." I sobbed onto her shoulder she tried comforting me, but then she shoved me off.
"So what?" She still was enraged.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I mean, so what? If you like him then you do, you can't change that, you'll only regret doing this to yourself and doing this to him! Think about how he feels!" She screamed.
I sank back feeling inferior.
"I-" I wept, I sank to the floor and held my knees to my chest. "I'm sorry"
"Don't be, now go to him." She helped me up and she dragged me to her car. I half resisted, I can't just tell him that I half faked my amnesia. To be honest at first I had completely forgotten about a lot but I remember everything in a couple days. I kept pushing Natsu away from me. I felt a pain in my chest.
She drove me over where Natsu was staying and practically kicked me out of the car. She dragged me over to the door and knocked on it, but when we did the door opened. We looked inside and no one was there.
"Wow I guess you really did ward him off." She sighed and turned back around "you should be happy you got what what you wanted." She started back to her car.
The pain in my chest was unbearable, it felt like it was on fire and being stabbed at the same time.
"No," I said through sobs
"What?"
"No! No no no!" I ran inside the dorm and searched the place "Natsu?" I called out. "Natsu?" After searching the whole place looking for him to no avail. I sank down.
"Lucy let's go, he probably went back to Sabertooth."
"Then let's go there!"
"What no! C'mon it's Christmas Eve and that's at least three hours away with light traffic." She sighed and helped me up. "I guess this is just how it has to be, we're too late." We went back to her car and drove back to my dorm. My empty, boring dorm.
"Juvia will help you pack" she said as we entered.
"Thank you Juvia, but I just want to be alone right now." I said.
"But Lucy"
"Please"
"Okay, I don't know when I'll see you next, but I hope it's sometime soon." She gave me a hug then left.
I always new my dorm felt cold but right now it's colder that it has ever been before. I guess it because it's winter and it's colder at this time of year. Duh.
I packed up all my things and left my dorm, I mentally said goodbye to all my friends and I made my way to the train station.
I bought a ticket and some snacks for the ride over. It's hella crowded there. I'm guessing some people are going to reunite with their loved ones, than there's me, pushing away the ones I care about and love and hell i'm even leaving my mom and she has cancer!
I'm such a terrible person. But it's not like I can do anything now, I can't stop a moving train full of anxious passengers.
Once I arrive at my new college I went to their office and gave them my acceptance letter. They directed me to a dorm.
On my way over I saw Levy I waved at her, she was with Gajeel.
"Lucy what are you doing here?" She asked.
"I got accepted remember." I laughed.
"But it's Christmas Eve. You should be with your friends and family"
"Well I uh-" I backed away.
"C'mon you can spend Christmas with us." Levy said, Gajeel looked kind of annoyed but what can you do.
We went back to their house which was carefully decorated with various tinsel and hanging lights. Levy led me to her living room. Where a large Christmas tree sat.
"Wow your place is really nice Levy, Gajeel."
"Thanks" they said at the same time.
"Hey Gajeel in going to make some Cocoa, why don't you keep Lucy company?" Levy said with a smile.
"Eh? Why me?" He said confused.
She nudged him playfully and went off to another room.
"Hey there, Lucy." He said trying to be happy about his current situation. It's not that he doesn't like me, we've known each other almost as long as they have known each other, but I'm pretty sure he wanted to spend his time with Levy and not me.
"Where's your restroom?" I asked, he pointed over his shoulder.
I went in that same direction towards the bathroom.
On my way over I could hear Levy talking to someone on the phone.
"I don't know why! Just come here okay! Trust me, this'll work" I don't want to eavesdrop so I continued on my way to the bathroom.
The whole evening we watched Christmas movies, I was pretty much a third wheel because they were snuggled up close to each other under a blanket while I sat there sipping my hot cocoa.
Later Levy made dinner, which was ham, mashed potatoes and jello.
After we ate Levy had noticed that it was snowing outside so she dragged me and Gajeel outside to play in the snow.
"Let's make snow angels!" She said as she fell down onto the freshly fallen snow and started waving her hands and moving her legs, making a snow angel. GAJEEL had to pick her up out of the snow so that she wouldn't get too cold.
"Thank you too so much for everything, but I really think I should get back to my dorm now" I said to them, they both looked sort of shocked, Levy had gotten a text and she looked down at her phone.
"Oh okay Lucy, have a Merry Christmas." She gave me a hug and when she did I noticed she was still cold so I whispered to her.
"Now you and Gajeel can go and warm up" I backed away and winked at her. She looked completely flustered and I laughed.
"Merry Christmas Levy!" I walking back to my dorm. "Merry Christmas Gajeel!" I picked up the pace towards my dorm.
It's going to feel weird being alone for Christmas, but tomorrow I guess I'll just go out on the town and shop.
I looked up at my dorm number 'B-H-13' it read. I carefully unlocked the door.
When I opened the door it was warm and smelled nice. I completely opened the door and noticed garland and tinsel around.
I didn't do this? Did I have a roommate who stayed during the holidays?
I stepped inside and took off my damp shoes. I walked into my dorm and noticed a Christmas tree fully decorated.
What's going on?
"Lucy?" I heard a familiar voice, I turned around to see him, Natsu. My eyes widened. I felt my stomach turn.
"Lucy! You're not getting any younger! What are you waiting for? Go out there and find someone, you know, love doesn't have a schedule, It comes and goes whenever it wants."
I heard levy's words in my head. Over and over. I felt myself drawn to him.
"I'm so sorry, I know you don't remember me and that this seem completely creepy and stalkerish I-" he started. It I walked over and hugged him. He hugged back after a while.
"It should be me apologizing, I drove you away because I have remembered you I just didn't want anyone messing with my plans of me leaving, especially since it was on a holiday."  He stood back and held onto my shoulders.
"Lucy, I don't care what your motives are, I just want to be by your side" he said, I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his around my waist.
"Shall we?" He said with a cute little smirk.
"We shall" I said as he gently leaned in and kissed me.
His lips were about chapped and rough but I didn't care, I just wanted to be with him right now, I just didn't want to be alone.
I stepped back from the kiss.
"I love you Natsu Dragneel." I said looking into his black eyes.
"I love you too Lucy Heartfilia." He said and he leaned back in for another kiss.
I didn't want to leave this spot with him, I wanted to stay by his side, If not now than when? I know I'm my heart that sometimes you have to be impractical so that you can enjoy life. I thought of the words Natsu told me on our first date.
"I didn't want to just be so dead set on something that it made me block out all the other things life has to offer"
I know now that sometimes you have to look away from what you're focussed on to sense the true beauty of life.
And that for me,
was him.