"Lucy" Levy whines from the other room. I just roll my eyes, leaning back towards the mirror to finish applying my mascara. With each flick, my lashes grow fuller and darker, contrasting my dark brown eyes. Pulling back, I look over myself one last time, before winking at myself. With a twirl, I leave my bathroom, my overly large shirt billowing around me.

Levy glances at my from my bed, where she is sprawled out like a starfish. "Love the outfit Lu, not your normal style. Why the change?"

"Oh I saw it while out with him the other day and he bought it for me." I finger soft material. The shirt is a large quarter sleeve dark navy blue, paired with grey tights and beige shorts.

"And who is him?" She sings.

"Not telling!" I sing back at her, browsing my shoes in my closet.

"Woman it's been five months! Why are you still seeing him!? There is something suspicious about him, I'm telling you."

"Because I like him, Levy. Please respect that we don't tell everybody about our relationship." My patience wearing a little thin. I decide on ankle boots, balancing as I put them on.

"Lucy, it's not that I don't respect that...It's just that.." She pauses, I hear her take a deep breath behind me. " I don't want you to get hurt if he turns out to be a complete and utter jerk." Standing up and face her once again. I can hear her unspoken words hanging in the air, bad memories starting to resurface.

"I won't let that happen to you again."

"Levy, thank you for caring so much." I give her a quick hug before leaving the room.

"I mean what guy asks his girlfriend not to mention so much as his name or looks to her friends!? A creepy one that who!" With a snort at my best friends behavior, I leave her to her ranting. I know she's trying to lighten the mood, but even she can't find humor in this hated situation.

"How do I look?" I interrupt her speech, her arms stopped mid wave. She barely looks at me before jumping off the bed, her blue locks barely pulled back by a headband.

"You look fine, I already told you that. See you later, have fun on your date"

"No following!" I call after her, the only response is the sound of my door closing. I snicker, already knowing she is planning on 'following me'. With just a glance out my window, Levy is trying and failing to hide behind the tree outside my apartment building. That girl is too easy to predict.

"She won't even see him coming" I giggle, watching Natsu walk right past her, both of them oblivious to the other. He is dressed like he always is, hat over his hair, and dark glasses over his very handsome eyes. I sigh a little, lips twitching into a smile.

Dancing across my apartment and into my kitchen, more like a small hole in the wall. It has a small fridge and only two stove top burners. It has that old style and love to it. My whole apartment building is one of the oldest in Mongolia, and the city has decreed it never be renovated. I love it. Crown molding, hardwood floors, creaky doors, everything.

I quickly reheat all the food I had made earlier that morning, used to Natsu's extensive appetite at this point. I throw up some t.v trays, every available surface quickly filled with food. Just as I place the last bowl, there is a knock at my door.

"Lucy? You home babe?" Plue starts yapping up a storm. I say yap because the sounds that he makes can't even be called a bark. It would be an insult to dogs everywhere. "Plue it's just me geeze."

Glancing around the wall, Natsu stands by the door, shedding his jacket, his muscles flexing beneath his black t shirt. Even after all this time I still get flustered and red faced. He looks up at me, his crooked grin growing over his face.

"Theres my girl. How was your day?" He crosses the room in three long strides, arms snaking around my waist. "And you're wearing the shirt I bought you how sweet."

"Of course, it is cute after all." Standing on my tippy toes, my lips meet his cheek in a quick, but love filled kiss. "My day was good," I worm out of his arms. " Levy was over for a little while,"

"Bugging you like usual I assume." He quickly moves to the table, eyeing the food with lust filled eyes and wet lips. Laughing I sit across from him, letting him enjoy the meal. We had worked out a system; I talk, he eats. I try to talk about topics that take little to no words on his part, so he can just listen.

"She originally came over to complain about something Gajeel did again. It was nothing, and she's just being emotional."

"I would like to meet her someday." His words are garbled.

"I know she would agree, she thinks you're either married or have many girlfriends, and that's why you won't let me tell them anything about you." The words leave a bad taste in my mouth, but I push past them. Hadn't I moved on from that by now.

"That's just ridiculous, You're the only girl for me." He doesn't miss a beat in his response, his eyes gazing into mine. I can't help but wonder why he thinks such a thing about me, about us.

"Do you really mean that Natsu? Why me? The girl you meet at a grocery store." He puts his fork down, body language conveying his understanding of the seriousness of the conversations direction.

"Because your the girl from the grocery store." I tilt my head in confusion, which makes him laugh.

"Lucy, my life is anything but normal. You're a school teacher, you aren't into technology. You are the most wonderful and normal thing in my life. You don't care about what I do for a living and see me for me."

"Na-" He continues to speak over me, his index finger resting on my lips.

"You like to travel, you live in this old place, you-you." He drifts off, a goofy smile on his face. "You are simply amazing." My heart pounds in my chest, stomach twisting into excited knotts, mouth open in wonder. He leans across the table, hand on the back of my head, and kisses my forehead, lips lingering longer than they need to.

We both jump when there is a knock at my door, both of our eyes widening in worry. "You weren't expecting anyone were you?"

"No, I'll be right back." Pushing myself up from the table, I join Plue at the door. I open it to find Levy standing there scowling. Her arms are crossed and she is tapping her foot.

"Why haven't you left on your date yet?" She openly demands, upset she hasn't been able to follow me.

"Levy, I don't have to leave for awhile." I pray she will just leave, but they are ignored as she pushes her way inside. She starts marching all over the place, looking behind my couch, curtains, even under pillows. I watch her as she searches my apartment.

"Levy what are you doing?"

"He's here Lu and I will finally meet him." She holds a pillow high over her head as she glares at the corner of the couch, almost like she can scare him out of its depths.

"Levy be reasonable, he's not hiding in the couch cushions." Sadly Natsu finds this hilarious, his boisterous laugh coming from my closed bedroom door. Levy with the triumphant sound of figurative trumpets, marches towards the door.

I cry a little inside at the sound the door make when it connects with the wall, one of my pictures tilting to the left. With a scream she runs into the room. I case after her, worried, only to find an empty room and one open window next to a fire escape. She grips the windowsill, watching a figure run past the alley and out of sight.

"Gah there he goes, I will catch him Lucy!" As quickly as she came she went. I decide not to tell her that the person she saw was not Natsu, but a random jogger. For his sake I hope she doesn't catch him.

"She has a lot of energy." Arms tighten around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"Yes she does, and you sir are gutsy. She could have checked the bathroom you know."

"But she didn't. How about I eat quickly and we can leave on our date?"

"Sounds good to me" He pulls me back to the kitchen, his hand tight around mine.

The sounds of the bowling alley echo and bang on my eardrums. I sit on the bench, watching the people mill around me. It was mostly couples at the bowling alley today, even some on double dates. Natsu is at the counter, renting the lane and shoes, ever the gentleman never letting me pay for anything.

"Here ya go Luce, ready for me to kick your butt?" He bops me on the nose before sitting down to tie his shoes.

"What are you talking about? I always win mister." I shove him a little, laughing as he tries to regain his balance, one leg bent, hands around the laces. He glares at me.

"Not aaaall of them, I did win that one. The score is ten to one, F.Y.I"

"Oh I know, and after today it will be eleven to one." I jump up, hands on my hips ready to bowl. "Common Mister, I have a game to win" I glance at him over my shoulder, my heart stopping. He is leaning forward, arms on his knees. There he goes smiling that goofy grin of his again. His eyes are lidded, melting me from the inside out. What is he feeling? Admiration? No. My eyes widen as he stands up, the look never leaving his face. Love?

"Oh you're on Miss" He swaggers past me, choosing his 'lucky' bowling ball and heading to the lane. The one game he had won, had been when he couldn't use that specific bowling ball. He refuses to believe his own silly superstitious contradictions. Giggling I start to follow only to stop short.

I feel chills run up my spine, almost like I'm being watched. Turning around I scan the lobby, people coming and going from the arcade and front doors. I continue to scan the room, feeling unnerved. I jump, spinning to meet Natsu's very confused face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing..I think. It just felt like I was being watched. Weird right?" He laughs loudly, too loudly. He scratches the back of his head, steering me away from the lobby.

"Ya weird! Lets bowl Luce!" He snatches his hat back from his jacket, slamming it back on his head. Shaking my head at his odd behavior, I pick a ball and join him at the lane. Just by glancing at the screen I once again roll my eyes at the names he picked.

"Weirdo really?"

"Yup because you are the weirdest weirdo."

"That makes no sense"

"Oh I apologize my English Queen." He bows, his weight awkward because of the bowling ball in his left hand. I push past him, placing myself at the entrance of the lane. Aiming the bowling ball, I eye the lane and pins, adjusting my throw accordingly. With a crash they connect and all the pins go down.

I laugh, waving my hands just egging him into the game. "That's right I'm the Queen." Grumbling we switch places, and he sticks his tongue out at me. I know his attitude is all good natured though, after all this is our game. We come here often enough it has become a special place for us.

The bowling alley is towards the edge of town, not well known or as updated as its competitors. It smells like cigarettes and beer on one end, and greasy pizza on the other. The arcade is full of beat up graffitied games and stained carpet. The some lanes are warped, while others the pins aren't always placed right.

Despite all the obvious flaws, it is so special, and full of so many memories. I remember the first time Natsu had taken me out bowling, that saturday three months ago. It was the date I agreed to be his girlfriend.

He had picked me up outside my apartment, on a motorcycle no less. I giggle to myself as I watch Natsu aim at the pins. It had taken a lot of convincing on his part to get me on the bike, almost five minutes. I don't regret it at all.

The ride had been freeing and terrifying at the same time. However Natsu was, well, graceful on the bike. Weaving through traffic, and not in such a way that would piss other drivers off.

He then surprised me by the condition of this dump. Yes it has a lot of memories but it is a dump. He throws the ball now, his tongue poking out between his fang like incisors, eyes hopeful. I cackle as he only hits the two pins on the end before the ball slides into the gutter.

"How is it someone so hand coordinated for martial arts can't bowl?" I had said the same thing to him on our second date, surprised and suspicious at his lack of skill. I had thought he was just letting me win, the thorough gentleman and all. Honestly he just sucked. His best score was seventy.

"You say that every time Luce, and I promise I'm getting better each game."

We bowl through one game, Natsu demanding a rematch as soon as he throws his last ball. The difference in score was so drastic, it's kind of sad.

"See I told you I would do better! Seventy-two. Beat my own record."

"You did great babe." I kiss him on the cheek before heading towards the bathrooms. "Be right back, go ahead and buy another game!" With a skip to my step and glow to my heart I quickly make my way to the bathroom, with no desire to be away long.

Here is the next chapter...and the plot thickens! What do you guys think is going to happen? I'm truly curious. Sorry for the wait!