A Chance at Your Heart

Chapter 20

Without Luffy's knowing, Nami decided to be a tad more honest with her feelings.

Immediately after lunch with the little time left, Luffy wanted to play soccer but the guys had other engagements. So when Nami grabbed the ball out his grasp with a finger pointed in the direction of the open field and a playful smile, Luffy gaped at her. His heart beating with excitement. She even raced him there. He played goal keep and was impressed with her footwork.

When the bell rang it was time for them to say goodbye.  Nami's uniform was slick against her back and she keeled over trying to catch her breath.  She played hard.  Luffy didn't go easy on her but she did manage to score one goal.  Luffy even taught her a thing or two.

He approached her for the routine hug. Instead of the quick 3 second hug, Nami held onto him for a whole 10. Naturally, he wondered if something was wrong but his words caught in his throat when she pulled away and stared into his eyes with this twinkle and kissed him on the cheek.

She hurried off to class shortly after leaving Luffy alone to get his bearings again. He couldn't wrap his mind around what the heck just happened.

Nami really liked being close to him especially when it came to hugging. The hugs were gettiing shorter by the day and Nami had a hard time being okay with that so she took what she wanted without an ounce of regret.

She also liked spending time with him so she took whatever opportunity she could get even if it meant taking a few steps out of her comfort zone. Having a share in some of his hobbies was the first step and she loved how bright his face got whenever she volunteered.

Like that time he invited her to watch a mecha movie- one that he and the guys have waited months for- and she surprisingly said yes. Nami he knew always rolled her eyes at anything mechanical involving robots or transformation but she came along without a second thought. And even though it was lame and cringy in her eyes, there were parts which she thoroughly enjoyed in the film only to fall asleep halfway through with her head leaning on Luffy and her arm hooked securely around his.

Normally Luffy would have used the chance to eat her leftover snacks but was caught up by her snoozing face and the warm puffs of air on his neck. He couldn't peel his eyes away from her cuteness and inevitably missed the movie's climax, the big reveal and the ending. Watching Nami snooze away on his shoulder was far more important.

He liked the same things she liked: being close and spending time together and decided that this 'more mentality' business his brothers were on about wasn't so bad.

However Nami didn't always sell herself short. Giving Luffy more attention was nice and all but she had a life of her own to live choosing sometimes to walk home with her friends and doing the things she liked on her own every now and then. Without a doubt this made Luffy want to be by her side even more so he treasured his time with her.

They were of course times where they didn't get along. In fact they argued a lot. A lot more than in the beginning of their relationship. They were two imperfect people who were fierce on the idea of being themselves but their care for each other dominated that. Every argument, every disagreement was quickly resolved all for the sake of a smile, a warm hand to hold... I guess that a lot has to be compromised for that special someone in your life even though they tend to drive you literally insane sometimes.

Looking back on the conversation Luffy had with his brothers concerning he and Nami's strange relationship, they ultimately knew nothing.

Nami needed someone to take charge in her life?

Little did they know that one of the things Nami admires most about her boyfriend is his natural ability to lead. Though carefree and irresponsible, Luffy managed to steal the hearts of almost every person he came in contact with. His friendly, positive energy and strong will allowed him to gain the respect of many. Hers included.