Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Stellar Mistakes
By : Rhov
Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail
Views: 14748 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor do I make money from this fanfic.
Chapter List
- 33
- 34
- 35
Chapter 34
Cold Comfort
Through the rest of that week, Lucy did not see Gray at work. He also did not text her, except when, after barely saying a word to her through Tuesday's team meeting, she texted him at work, figuring it was safe to say his presentation about the filming went well. He wrote back only "Thanks" and nothing else. She began to wonder if he was not as interested in her as he had seemed to be earlier, so she held back on texting anything more. Wednesday and Thursday passed with not a single word, and her worries grew. Then on Friday morning, he texted her to meet him for lunch.
When Cana, Levy, and Natsu all came to her desk around noon, Lucy felt her cheeks blush.
"Oh, I … I'm eating lunch with someone."
"Who?" Levy asked in excitement.
Lucy began to stutter, but just then Gray stopped by her cubicle.
"Oh good, I didn't miss you," he said with a beaming smile. "I was thinking we could go to a bistro down the street."
Cana grabbed Lucy's arm and whispered, "Damn, girl, when you move on, you pick 'em hot."
Lucy frantically tried to hush her.
Meanwhile, Natsu stomped up right in front of Gray. "What's a cold bastard like you planning to do to her?"
Gray's eyes narrowed. "Do to her? We're going to eat lunch, you flame-headed idiot."
Natsu pointed his finger into Gray's chest. "If you break her heart as well—"
"Natsu!" Lucy cried out, worried he might let something slip about her and Loke. "Gray and I have been working closely on the commercial shoots, so obviously we need time to talk outside of our duties here at work."
Cana leaned in with excitement. "Are you two dating yet?"
Lucy gasped at her boldness.
"Well, that depends," Gray said, smiling at Lucy. "It sounds like I have to win my hockey game tomorrow if I want a date with her."
Natsu muttered under his breath, "Maybe I should set your hockey stick on fire."
Lucy smacked his arm to be quiet and walked away from the group with Gray.
Levy sighed, "She's finally happy again. That's good."
Natsu grumbled, "Another guy from work!"
Cana looked over at him. "Another? Then do you know about her and you-know-who?"
Natsu did not answer, but by his face, it was obvious he knew.
Outside, Lucy and Gray went to a small café just down the street. Lucy saw other people from work eating there and at the surrounding restaurants. After placing her order, she finally released the tension in her shoulders.
"I apologize for Natsu."
Gray merely shrugged. "I've worked with him before. We simply don't get along. Polar opposites, y'know." He glanced across the table at her. "You two were childhood friends, right?"
Lucy nodded. "Natsu's always been protective, but sometimes he overdoes things."
Just then, a waitress came up with their food. They both hungrily took bites of sandwiches, and Lucy was amazing to find that it tasted really good.
Gray went on. "Natsu said, if you break her heart as well. I'm assuming your little complicated issue is over, and it ended badly."
Lucy felt a stab to her heart. "Yeah, it's over," she whispered, feeling empty inside as she said it. "I wouldn't say it ended badly. It was my choice to end it—I'm simply not good at dealing with complicated—but it's still not easy. I'm still getting over things."
He reached over and patted her arm consolingly. "I understand. If you need time, just let me know. Like I said, I think you'd be fun to hang out with, but I'm not the sort of guy who's going to expect anything in return. I hate guys like that! I think you'd be fun company, that's all."
"Fun? Even though I'm dealing with this?"
Gray shrugged laconically. "We're all dealing with some crappy thing in our lives. At the very least, I can be there if you wanna talk about it."
How could she possibly talk about it to Gray, though? He worked with Loke, same as her. Lucy set her sandwich down. "What is it that you want, then?"
"Want?" Gray gave her a casual shrug. "Whatever feels right. I don't want to be a rebound, but I'm not going to shove you aside just because you're dealing with something personal. If you need time, I'm not in any rush. Of course, I think you're really cute, I wouldn't mind a romantic relationship, but I know we're both focused on winning the GMG account. I need a break from always thinking about work, and I can tell that you do, too."
"So, you just want me around to … to take a break from things?"
"Sure, have some fun. If that means looking at bookstores together, I'm cool with that, and if it means more … well, we'll see when we get there."
"And longterm?"
Gray laughed awkwardly. "I try not to think about longterm. That's how I get my hopes crushed."
Lucy hummed and looked out at the traffic zooming past. "I think hanging out as friends would be really nice, but I'll be honest. I've thought about it all week, and … I'm not sure if I'm ready for dating again. Or whatever," she muttered, realizing she and Loke had not really been dating. "I need to get my life back in order, and that's not going to happen until after we win this account."
"Fair enough," Gray decided. "Afterward, if you're still not ready … I'm being honest, if romance happens, that's great, but if not, I still want to hang out as friends."
"Just friends?" she challenged. "You don't want to get close just to sleep with me?"
Gray looked slightly disgusted at the idea. "Okay, I think we need an honest moment here. I find you very attractive, but I don't want to sleep with you right now."
That stunned her, and Lucy was left with her mouth hanging open.
"I think you're a lovely woman, I admire your talent and hard work, but I don't sleep with someone I don't fit with. Do you understand what I mean? I need to know that there's more than just a physical attraction; there has to be an emotional and spiritual connection there, or else I'm simply not interested."
"Okay, I understand that. No one-night-stands," she said, realizing that was how she used to think before her incident with Loke. "So, are you getting close to me just to see if you want to sleep with me?"
"That depends. I want to know if there's more to this, but there might not be, and I'm okay with that. Even if there is more on my behalf, if you decide you're not interested in me that way, it's called being friends. I, for one, am not the sort of person who believes a man and a woman cannot have a friendship without sexual attraction getting in the way."
Lucy was truly impressed by his answer. "You're a rare breed, Gray."
"Respecting a woman shouldn't be so rare."
"If only!" she sighed.
"Was your last boyfriend that sort of prick?"
"No," she whispered. "No, he respected my wishes. Even when I wanted to break up, he didn't try to fight to win me back."
Gray looked down and drummed his fingers on the table. "Is it okay if I ask what it was about him that made you decide to call it off? It sounds like you really respected him, and he respected you."
"There was another woman."
"Ah," he said awkwardly.
"No! Not like he was cheating on me. He wasn't sleeping around. It's just … he … you see, his family … it's complicated," she sighed.
"I don't need gritty details. Like I said before, I've done complicated. It wasn't fun."
"Well, we can start our completely platonic friendship by me watching your hockey game tomorrow."
"Are you seriously planning to go?" he asked, looking stunned by that.
She shrugged. "It sounds like fun, and you're right, I need a break. This account has consumed me, and I end up thinking about it even on weekends. My brain needs a rest from all of this."
He reached across the table, took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. "Nothing freezes your worries away like playing on the ice. I'll have to make sure the game is interesting for you."
Lucy giggled and felt herself blushing, which made Gray smile with a gentle gaze.
Lucy knew she had to be honest with him up front. Leaving Loke had hurt, and she needed time. She had fallen deeply in love, and it would not be fair to Gray if he was merely a rebound. Also, her heart still drifted to Loke's sensual touches late at night. She knew she was not ready for anything intimate when all she could think about were those long fingers and the softness of his lips.
Hanging out as friends, though, sounded like fun. If something developed between them, then it had to be at a pace she wanted. This time, she was going to do things in the right order, and she was going to get to know Gray first before doing anything she might regret as a mistake.
In a fancy restaurant across the street, Loke sat with Makarov Dreyar. They were talking about offers already coming in at merely the rumor that Fairy Tail was a contender for the Grand Magic Games commercial. However, instead of focusing on a lucrative soda ad to be aired during the Games, Loke's eyes were out the window, seeing Lucy blushing while Gray held her hand and gazing at her with tenderness.
"Loke?" Makarov said, realizing his Creative Director was spacing out.
Loke let out a sigh and looked away. "Sorry. A storyline was running through my head, one I missed out on."
Makarov wondered what he meant by that, but he knew that sometimes these creative sorts said odd things. "I heard you spoke to the king again last night…"
"Sorry, sir, but I don't wish to ruin my appetite," Loke said with a scowl on his regal face.
The old CEO pouted at the harshness in those narrow, green eyes. "I know you made a promise to me, but don't ruin your life just to keep it. Fairy Tail will become number one, of that I have no doubt. Whether if it's under my leadership or my grandson's, the talent to make that happen already exists, you included." Makarov looked at him firmly. "Don't ruin your life for your job."
"My life is my job, sir," Loke muttered. "Or, it has been for so long, I barely know what my life even is anymore. A home near my job, a car to get me to my job, clothes that are all for my job, relationships…" He paused, and his face looked miserable for a brief moment before shoving the emotions down. "As I said, I barely know how to have a life that isn't entwined with work. Doing this, creating ads, was my way of rebelling against the life my family wanted, deciding for myself what my life was going to be. It was against their wishes and threatened my stand with them. So in a way, this actually is the life I chose: doing a job I love and pursuing my own ambitions."
Makarov shook his head. "Then be certain you save a drop of happiness that's only for you, Loke."
"Happiness?" His gaze flicked out the window to the view of blond hair and a bright smile. "It seems that's one thing I have no talent for, sir."
- 33
- 34
- 35
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Stellar Mistakes	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 14748 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor do I make money from this fanfic.

Stellar Mistakes