Chapter 19: Calm

Buzz. Buzz.

Gajeel's phone was vibrating insistently on the coffee table. He groaned, reaching out from under his blanket and felt around until his hand closed around his phone. He pulled it back and sat up as he answered it, rubbing his eyes sleepily. The time on the display read 3:34 AM.

"Hello?" He answered, in a soft tone.

"Hey…it's me."

"Rosaline," he stated.

"Yeah. Sorry if I woke you, I just…I needed someone to talk to."

"That's okay," he replied, yawning. "How are you?"

"Not too good. I texted Jeremy again, and he hasn't responded. It's been a couple days. I don't think he's going to."

"You need to let him go," Gajeel urged. "If he wanted to talk to you, he would've by now."

Evidently this wasn't exactly what Rosaline wanted to hear, because he could hear the beginning of a sob forming on the other end of the phone. "It's his loss, though," he added on quickly, praying that Rosaline wasn't going to start crying. "Seriously. You deserve better."

"Really?"

"Really."

And so it went, for another hour or so. They talked about everything—the weather, school, Rosaline's grandmother, Jeremy, TV shows…even Levy.

"How's your roommate?"

Gajeel thought of the Christmas party and the twisty feeling and he could feel his cheeks heating up. "She's fine," he said gruffly. "Chirpy as ever."

Rosaline laughed. "She does seem like that kind of person."

He didn't feel comfortable talking about the shorty with Rosaline, for some reason. He changed the topic as fast as he could, and he could tell that Rosaline knew what he was doing, but she played along. At around 4:55, he told her that he had to sleep.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but I've got class tomorrow. I really have to sleep."

"Gajeel going to class?" She teased. "That's a new one."

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," he retorted, but his lips curved into a smile. "Goodnight, Rosaline."

"Goodnight, Gajeel. And thanks again, you know, for talking to me. Sorry I've been calling so much these past few weeks."

"Anytime," he replied, his eyes already closing. This was really messing with his sleep schedule, if he was honest. But he couldn't just turn her down when she had nobody else. She just needed a friend, and that was what Gajeel would be.

There was a beep, and his phone slipped out of his hand and into a crevice in the couch. But Gajeel didn't care—he was already asleep.

Levy yawned as she stepped out of her room, reaching gratefully for the cup of coffee on the counter. Then she frowned as she saw Gajeel, still slumped on the couch. Doesn't he have class?

"Hey, Gajeel," she prodded, shaking him gently. "Wake up."

It took another couple minutes and more vigorous shaking for him to open his eyes. "Wha-?"

"Class," she reminded him. "Are you okay? You're not usually so tired."

He sat up jerkily, blinking away his drowsiness. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied gruffly, not meeting her eyes. "Just didn't sleep too well last night. Don't worry about me."

"Okay," she said, hesitantly. He seemed a little odd, but it was probably nothing. Besides, she had a quiz to worry about. "See you later, then."

"Later," he mumbled, already falling back into the cushions.

Ping. Levy scrambled to find her phone, lost in one of the various pockets of her large overcoat. Pulling it out, she was surprised to see Freed's name attached to the text.

He hadn't texted her in a year. She swiped open the message, unsure of how to feel.

Hey, Levy. I'm in town for a couple of days, and I remembered that I left my scarf at your place last year. If you still have it, could I swing by and pick it up?

Levy let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Wow," she muttered softly. She was waiting for the onslaught of anger and sadness and loneliness to hit her, the way it used to when she thought about him. When she thought about how he used her, about how he had never loved her and was just lying to her face the entire time, that sweet smile and velvet tongue fooling her so easily.

It didn't come.

Yeah, sure. I still live in the same place. Stop by any time after 3 this afternoon.

She felt herself smiling. Something about this felt like a victory, a final brushing off of something that had been haunting her. She felt…happy.

She realized she honestly hadn't even thought about Freed these past few months. And perhaps that had something to do with the advent of a red-eyed, grumpy being in her living room, but whatever the case, she headed to the grocery store with a content expression on her face.

What should I make for dinner?

"I'm home!" Levy called out, almost distractedly as she balanced two large paper bags, filled to the brim with the food that was to be consumed for the next week.

No response. She peeked out from her full arms to quickly survey the living room, which was empty. Gajeel had folded his blanket neatly and left it on the arm of the couch, and there didn't seem to be any signs of life.

Scratch that. Lily slinked out from under the coffee table and watched her with a snubbish expression. She stuck her tongue out at the black cat affectionately, chastising him for not helping her with the groceries.

She set them down and began sorting them into the pantry and the fridge. "Where's Gajeel, Lily?" She asked the feline at her feet.

Lily meowed. She giggled and gave him a scrap of tuna, which made his eyes light up.

That was when she spotted the note on the message board above the sink.

Hey shrimp, I've gone to the hospital with Rosaline. Emergency. Not sure when I'll be back—don't wait up.

It was unsigned, but obviously, there was only one person who could've left it.

Something odd was happening in Levy's chest, especially when she skimmed over Rosaline's name. Something that caused her heart to bang especially hard against her ribcage.

Her phone buzzed, startling her out of the trance she had gone into, staring at Gajeel's note. She fumbled for her phone and saw that it was Freed.

Turns out I have something to do tonight, but is it okay if I come by tomorrow instead? Perhaps around 5?

And there it was, all over again, the hurt and the pain and the humiliation, everything she thought she had shed that afternoon. It hit her like a sack of fucking bricks, whereas before she had felt so, so light. What had changed?

Her heart was crawling into her stomach and her throat was dangerously close to closing up as she replied, Yeah, sure.

She looked outside. The clouds were swelling, darkening by the minute. It wasn't storming yet, but the calm before the storm was just as frightening.

Hey loves, I'm back (the frequency with which I say this is alarming, unfortunately.) Thank you so much for your reviews and favorites and follows-they keep me going and also make me smile like crazy. Thanks to anybody who's stuck with this story despite my inability to update regularly.

HOWEVER! It is summer now, and you know what that means! (Faster updates, that's what.)

-Love, M