18. Love

"I love you…" she whispered again, while giving the man she loves yet another kiss on the lips.

Nami just couldn't separate from Sanji, fearing, that this was just a dream and the she would wake up the moment, when she left his arms. And yet she knew, that she was already going to be late and that Vivi would be going crazy, as soon, as she would arrive.

"You need to leave…" he whispered, yet holding onto her even tighter, returning her soft, little butterfly kisses. "Vivi is waiting for you and you need to get ready, too. You are her first bridesmaid, after all! She is relying on you…"

"I know…" Nami answered remorsefully, before hugging her boyfriend for one last time, sighing happily and inhaling his scent of aftershave and cigarette smoke.

"I am looking forward to see you in that bridesmaid dress of yours. And to sneak a few kisses of you. And make sure to catch the flowers-"

"Ha-ha!" Nami mockingly laughed, rolling her eyes at his adorableness. "I won't even try. I let those girls go first, who are desperate in getting that ring on their finger. I don't want to get into a fight, just because of a few flowers. Also, I am happy the way it is now…"

He smiled widely at her words, pressing on last kiss on her forehead.

"Please have some fun on the wedding. I will be watching you, after all!"

"Without you it is just half the fun…maybe even less than that."

"Don't worry about me, my beloved princess. It is my job after all. And the shitty geezer is right after all – if I want to have a restaurant of my own one day, then I must be able to lead those cooks to prepare all these meals. For so many people… And it is probably for the better, if Zeff stays in bed, while he is that sick."

Nami nodded, before – sadly sighing while doing so – turning towards her car, opening it, very well knowing, that she needed to go.

"I still wish, you would be there – with me… But I still hope, that you enjoy your duties and your work."

"As you will enjoy the wedding…" he said, reaching for her hand, while she sits in her car, kissing her knuckles.

"I love you…" he whispered, one last time with a sad smile on his handsome features, before closing the car door.

With one last look at him, she returned his sad smile, waving sadly, before starting the engine, finally leaving the spot where she had parked her car overnight. But Nami smiled, now happier than before, when she still saw him waving after her, until she turned around the next corner.

"Yeah…I love you, too…", she whispered, yet so unable to realize, that those words were really meant for this wonderful man, she had known for so long.

Finally she turned to radio on, being unable to listen to the silence and her thoughts, crazing around the young, blonde man.

But as she did so, she could see the time.

"Fuck…", she whispered to herself, panicking and knowing, that she really was coming late – far too late, to be exactly.

"Oh shit! What is taking her so long?!" Vivi said, mumbling more to herself than to the people surrounding her, pacing fore and back in her room, while wearing her white bathing robe, tightly wrapped around her body.

"She should have been here over one hour ago! What is taking her so long?! What if she had an accident?! Or if she didn't want to be my bridesmaid anymore! What if she does not know the way?!"

"Calm down a little, my dear!" Terracotta, a large, blonde woman with curly hair said, patting the young and nervous woman on the shoulder, when Vivi finally stopped pacing. She was an old friend of Vivi's family and a great seamstress "Your friend may have slept in. She will surely will come. Don't worry about that! How about we get you ready for your wedding!"

"I suppose that she has a few man-problems…" Robin said calmly and in a joking manner, while sitting on a chair by the bed, reading something about archeology.

"Man-problems?!", Terracotta asked shocked, while trying to convince the young, blue-haired woman to get into her wedding dress. "Aren't you a little too young for that? In my days, we handled stuff like that differently!"

"A little young? It is my wedding day…", Vivi answered, now sounding even more nervous. "And my first bridesmaid is missing!"

"Don't you worry – the wedding can also go on without her-"

Just before Terracotta could finish her sentence, the door opened with a loud BANG!, followed by a heavily breathing, disheveled orange-haired woman, entering the room.

"Thanks lord, she is here!" the big woman said, even happier about Nami's appearance than the bride-to-be.

"Where have you been?!" Vivi demanded to know, before Nami even had the chance to apologize, turning towards her, while holding the beautiful, white dress to her body, while Terracotta did the binding on her back. "I got a little nervous here, that you wouldn't be able to make it in time…"

"Only a little nervous…", Robin agreed with a little hint of sarcasm, while finally looking up from her book, earning a dark glare from the blue-haired woman.

But the waiting eyes and the demands for answers didn't suppress the happiness that Nami was feeling, while smiling widely. She only walked over to assist Terracotta with the difficult bands on Vivi's back.

Yes, it was a strange behavior for her, but the orange haired woman just couldn't handle herself, and to not act like a teenager, which was madly in love for the first time.

Well – and at that thought Nami blushed heavily, especially when she saw her swollen lips and her disheveled hair in the big mirror in front of her – after all she felt something like that for the first time. Yes, Nami had a few boyfriends in the past and to a few she had also said 'I love you' – but it had never felt like this. Not one of them made her feel, like Sanji did now, which was somehow frightening, also very exiting and made the butterflies in her stomach soar even more.

So…, this was real love?

Yes, she had thought about it very often in the past few months, finding that there must be a few meanings behind her feelings, if the just didn't want to disappear. And since Sanji was always stuck in her mind and everything reminding her of him made it impossible to not step forward to embrace the thought, that she really and absolutely was in love with him, and that neither his lies about Viola, nor her selfish actions would change that in any way. Her decision didn't even change, whenever she reminded herself, that he had been one of her friends for so long. Yes – she was still a little worried about the way their male friends would react, if they found out…, but she had Robin's and Vivi's approval of their relationship after all…and that wasn't a bad sign, was it?

And how could be something wrong, if it felt so right? Loving him felt very right in her eyes.

Hell, how could she not have taken this step, to embrace a relationship with him?

"Erm…Nami? Is everything alright… You look quite sick. Are you feeling hot?"

Vivi's nervousness was gone by now, while worry started to rise, watching her friend closely in the mirror, while Nami was lost in her thoughts.

"No…, don't worry. I feel wonderful!", she sighed happily, before handing Terracotta the lacy veil.

"Wonderful?" Robin asked, rising her eyebrow and walking even closer to her friend. "I have witnessed the past few months, in which you were mourning the fact, that you didn't give in, to be together with Sanji. And suddenly you feel 'Wonderful'?!"

"Oh, please don't tell me, that you slept with another guy…", Vivi mumbled, before flinching since Terracotta was tugging at her hair, combing through it. The elder woman on the other hand cleared her throat, not wanting to her about stuff like that.

Nami shook her head, also starting to change in her bridesmaid dress, while Robin helped her with the zipper.

"Did you murder somebody?" the black-haired woman asked in her dark humor, while she did so.

Again, the young woman shook her head, turning towards her friend, gleaming happily.

"No, Robin… I went to see him. To talk to him. And we kissed. And I stayed with him for the night. And we made lo-"

Terracotta cleared her throat again, before Nami could finish the summery of the past night, still flushing at the memory of it. Yet, Vivi and Robin were very much looking at her in anticipation.

"I am with Sanji. He is my boyfriend and I am really in love with him!"

It did not feel strange to say those words. Not anymore. It was the truth after all and it was the first time, that she admitted her feeling that openly to her two friends. No more denying. No more sadness and worrying. No more fears and anger. She was glad, that she made this decision, made this step to surprise him and to talk to him. Nobody but Zeff knew about it, after all.

But she was glad, that it had worked out for them.

Vivi squealed happily, clapping her hands together, while Robin smirked, nudging with her elbow in Nami's side.

"About time, don't you think?"

And Nami nodded.

"Yeah, You are right. And I am glad, that it worked out the way, it did… I really love him, after all…"

A/N: Hi there! Thanks to all of you, who commented and faved and added this story to their alarms! I am sorry, that it had been taking me so long again, but I hope, that you enjoy this little, simple chapter! Just a little bit a lovey-dovey-ness and Nami being happy about her love for Sanji.

I hope to write more soon!

:D