Compliments

Chapter 14-Running from Nothing

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima

Natsu and I walked out the front door of Gray’s house, waving goodbye as we did so. Natsu had his arm around me, and the front door soon shut behind us.

“Well, what’d you think?” Natsu asked me, shifting his gaze onto me comfortably.

“What? The party?”

“Yeah the party, weirdo. What else would I be talking about?” he asked, and I gave him a look glazed with a heavy amount of annoyance.

“It was fun,” I said with a smile. “But I didn’t like when you threw me in the pool!” I scolded, and he looked down at me sheepishly.

“C’mon, was it really that bad?” I crossed my arms across my chest with a huff.

“Yes, it was that bad, thank you,” I retorted, and then realization hit me. Natsu had seen the scars. Even worse, I had let him. I quickly jerked out from under his arm, and he threw me a look of alarm.

“Luce?”

“I have to go! I-I’ll see you later Natsu!” I cried, before sprinting as if my life depended on it down the road towards my apartment. I head him running after me, shouting my name, telling me to stop, but I kept going. After all, running was what I was best at. I finally got to my front door, and I fished for my keys in my pocket. When I felt nothing but emptiness in the fabric, panic washed over me, and the memory of leaving my keys in the bathroom struck me like a slap in the face. So, what else could I do, other than bang on the door, screaming for my landlady to let me in?

“Lucy!” His voice bounced off of the dark streets, and it fueled my fists to pound faster on the door. Just as Natsu was approaching the front door fast, said door swung open, and I stumbled inside, shouted a panicked “thanks” to my strict landlady, stomped up the steps, and slammed my door shut so hard it shook. With shaky hands, I locked the door. Apparently the owner of my small apartment hadn’t tried to stop Natsu, for I heard his heavy footsteps on the stairs, and pounds on the door equivalent to my previous ones.

“Lucy what’s wrong? What’s going on?” he shouted to me through the thick wood, but I kept my lips sealed. Not a sound escaped my room that entire night, but I knew he was still there. Even when I silently climbed into bed, I knew he was still on the other side of the door. Why did he care so much?