Still The Queen

Lakehouse

It was already evening.

With her shorts and white loose shirt, Lucy stared at the ceiling of her room as she lay down on her bed. She couldn’t seem to forget about their encounter that day.

She thought of him. Natsu.

Lucy knew he was the captain of the basketball team at her old school, but she still went and watched the game anyway. She didn’t want to see him for she knew it would be harder to forget him. But a part of her wanted to. A huge part of her.

Even if she lied to herself, she knew the truth. She missed him. A lot. The way he looked at her, touched her, kissed her…everything about him was still freshly stored in her memory.

A rustling noise beyond the glass window interfered with her train of thoughts. Lucy’s room was at the second floor. Thinking that it was probably just the tree branch that happened to be right beside the glass, she ignored it.

But the rustling didn’t stop.

And she started to feel uneasy.

Deciding to check whatever it was, she stood up from the bed and hesitantly walked to the window.

Her breathing was unsteady as she slowly reached to open it.

Gathering what little courage she had, she slid the window open in a very fast motion.

As soon as it finally opened, something jumped in and landed smoothly on the room’s cream-tiled floor. Something…or someone.

Reacting to the sudden invasion of her privacy, Lucy backed away with her eyes shut and her hands stretched in front of her. Like she was shielding herself from the uninvited guest.

She was expecting an attack of some kind, but nothing happened.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes and turned to see who or what it was. The moment she turned her head, her eyes widened as she looked at another pair of eyes that stared back at her.

Him again.

Standing there so coolly and calmly like he didn’t just break into someone’s room.

“W-wha…” Lucy murmured. She couldn’t make out a word.

She was unprepared. Not ready.

Not expecting to see him.

“Thought I’d let myself in,” Natsu said simply.

“How did you…How did you find me?”

He started to move around the room, touching whatever he sees.

Then he leaned against the white wall and stared back at her, his hands in his black jean’s pockets.

“Let’s just say I have my ways.”

She sighed. The look of shock leaving her face.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she crossed her arms in front of her, “This place has security for a reason.”

“Then I thank the tree for assisting.”

Silence.

They stared at each other’s faces, the soft sound of the AC filled the room.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” Natsu asked. His voice was different. It was gentle.

Lucy averted her eyes and looked at the side.

Of course she misses him. So much. But being the coward that she is, she couldn’t say it. She won’t say it. Aside from being a coward, she had a reason.

Realizing that she wasn’t going to give him an answer, Natsu sighed in defeat and pushed himself off of the wall and straightened up.

“Summer starts five days from now,” he said, “Why don’t you hang out with me and the boys…like old times?”

Now she looked back to him.

“At the cabin beside the lake” he added.  

The Lakehouse owned by the Dragneels.

Lucy missed that place. They used to hang out there during spring breaks, summer breaks…but not anymore after their break.

She wanted to go. But if she agreed to it, that would mean seeing more of him. Not that she didn’t want to see him, but because she knew she wouldn’t be able to endure it and apparently would want to get back together with him.

“No.”

He continued to look at her. Natsu was never one to have ‘no’ as an answer.

“You can bring your friends with you,” he said.

“No.”

One thing about her was that she was stubborn.

But unfortunately, Natsu was definitely at another level of stubbornness. He always finds a way to make her change her mind. Hopefully, he could use that talent to make Lucy change her mind about their relationship.

“If you don’t,” he started, “That means you still have feelings for me.”

She knew he was trying to corner her.

Crafty.

Lucy sighed and let her arms fall to the sides. She was defeated.