PUTTING OUT FIRE

Putting Out Fire_7

She slid off her helmet and gave it back to Natsu, but he refused with an excuse that it already belongs to her. It made her feel giddy and special. She wanted to say something, to prolong the nice and cozy afternoon. There's the mutual desire to stay longer, even for a minute. The silence, however, was broken by Gia, who is watching them by the porch. There's a hint of discomfort in her features, but manages to hide it well. Lucy felt the gush of shame flooding her senses. Afterall, she is her son's girlfriend.

"Hey Natsu, stay over for dinner," Gia said in an inviting and sweet tone. It's almost impossible to believe that there are no silent thoughts bothering the three of them.

They helped Gia in preparing their dinner, although what Lucy mostly did is to hand over what she calls for. Sometimes, she messed up. It was thanks to Natsu's keen observance that she was able to switch the rosemary thyme that she thought was oregano in time. She was decent enough to mouth a thank you, to which he secretly grinned while shaking his head.

She prepared the table and is in the middle of putting spoons when Gia asked Natsu about Lisanna.

"You've been together for almost all your life." There is comfort in the way she talked.

"Almost all his life?" Lucy asked in fake nonchalance. That new found information heightened her senses.

It isn't easy to ask for information no matter how much she wanted to know more about Natsu. It's a good thing the topic has been opened by other people.

"They have known each other since Natsu moved in here, after he was adopted – "

"Adopted?" she exclaimed. She turned to Natsu, who just opened his eyes.

His eyes immediately found Lucy's. "Yes, Lucy. I am adopted."

As much as that piece of news shocked her, it was nothing compared to the flood of information Gia provided. Natsu doesn't seem too concerned that they were talking about his life over dinner. Since their parents died, they used to live in an orphanage, him and Zeref. A Dragneel, a man with red hair and a built oozing with authority and dignity, decided to adopt them.

No one really wanted the adoption, but as young as they both were, too broken over the loss of their parents, and thanks to Zeref's so-called pragmatic thinking, the adoption papers were processed in about a short time.

In his young self, he is still grieving and Lisanna was there as a friend.

"I really thought it will be the two of you together in the end. She even followed you in the city." Lucy felt a heavy lump in her chest.

"I thought so, too." Natsu really did think Lisanna is the most ideal woman to marry, not until she met a man in the city.

What started as a brief meeting was followed by a series of lunch dates screened by business meetings. He couldn't have known. The man is a real estate developer and Lisanna is a broker. Who could have known?

"You spent almost all your life together, but still didn't end up together." Lucy whispered. She tried her best to sound interested, to sound sympathetic, to sound sad. But the last was never even fake, maybe she is sadder than that.

She feels like what they had is nothing compared to the bond the two childhood friends had. They had it longer than they did and still broke up. What chances that - the operative word is 'if ever' - if she really ever thought of accepting and accommodating her tiny feelings, that what they will have would last?

"I guess it is not really about the length of the relationship. It's the strength that matters." Gia held both their hands, and Lucy was the first to pull back. Gia gave her an inquiring look, but she dismissed her with a humble shook of her head as she drink down all her thoughts with water.