2How Can I Help You?
SUMMARY: "You may not believe it now, or ever for that matter, but if I don't see you again after today and we meet again in a few years, you'll think back to this day and you'll understand that maybe being with another lonely person is the only cure for loneliness."
WARNING: This chapter may cause a trigger.
DISCLAIMER: Kleia does not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does. (And I just got this idea from a story I read on Wattpad. All credit goes to the original author.)
His eyes couldn't leave that little black dress ever since she entered the tiny fancy restaurant where he worked.
She was beautiful, he would give her that. Unlike the other girls, who wore expensive brands of makeup and would take hours and hours of applying it on their faces, he could tell with the many times he'd been glancing at her that she had worn nothing but lip gloss and a simple swoop of mascara. There was something about her that would make him eye her from time to time.
Perhaps it was her soft blonde hair, curled just as softly. Perhaps it was her big brown eyes coated in light mascara. Perhaps it was her rosy cheeks and pink lips. Perhaps it was her simple disposition. She showed nothing but humility the moment she walked in the room and took a seat at the table at the far corner of the room.
Or perhaps it was the soft sniffles and silent tears being shed every now and then. It was the gentle wiping away of the tears off her eyes every time a waiter would approach her for her order, afraid that she might ruin her simple makeup, which probably took a lot of doubts and redox until she was satisfied. It was the discreet insecure glances at the other happy couples around her. It was the sighs of lost hope and a broken heart. For he guessed that the boy she was expecting to turn up, made her feel as if she wasn't worth it. When it fact, she is. He could tell.
Once again for the past forty-five minutes, she glanced around the room, eyes filled with a pinch of hope, two scoops of insecurity, and a cup of loneliness.
Until her gaze finally flickered to meet his.
He looked away, not before he could catch a glimpse of the saddest smile he has ever seen so far.
He abruptly turned around and continued on with his job; waiting tables and getting orders from other pompous people. Some looked at him with obvious pity, while some treated him indifferently. These looks he receives was of the norm ever since he was a trainee in this small restaurant. He knew why. People always acknowledged his looks, as well as his talent in art. But apparently, his career never brought him anywhere. He quit his job but never gave up on his passion. It was the only thing keeping him company in this lonely life he was living.
Then he remembered the nameless girl who has been sitting there alone for almost an hour now, waiting and waiting and waiting for someone who won't show up. But the image of her staring at him, smiling painfully, was burned at the backs of his onyx eyes. And he was unable to shake off the beautiful sight of a sad blonde girl, who, unlike the rest of the people in this tiny room, was alone tonight. This girl, whose name was unknown, is an abandoned soul, who merely needed a friend.
He walked out of the kitchen with four plates on his arms, which started to wobble as soon as he realised he was walking over to her direction. The plates were to be served at table ten, the table next to his mysterious blond beaut. They shared yet another smile as he sauntered over to her direction. The rare feeling of happiness were like vines wrapping him around, causing him to stumble and his heart to momentarily stop beating as he caught the plates that were about to fall.
The chiming of the bells which was her laughter filled a small space in his empty heart, as he grinned rather goofily at her, for the sheer fact that he was the one making her smile, making her laugh, making her temporarily happy in this black and white world.
He served the family in table number ten before making a very bold move.
He turned around, fished the small notebook out of his pocket, looked her straight in the eyes, and asked, "How can I help you?"
She rolled her eyes with a playful smile lingering on her glossy lips. "I can't be helped," was her answer, and he almost frowned. Her words were laced with a tinge of bitterness and sarcasm, which were poured out of her lips and into the ether.
"You may not want it, but by the tears in your eyes and the rosiness of your cheeks, I would say that you can be helped, but you choose not to be." He answered, smiling triumphantly at himself for sounding so smart.
She looked up at him thoughtfully, and said, "I'd like to see you try. I can guarantee that you will fail in this voluntary task you've put yourself in, for there has been nobody in the past who has been able to help me, and that includes that person who was supposed to meet me here tonight. So try to help me if you must, but don't blame me if your heart gets broken in the process."
He laughed lightly at her acrimony. "I'm not a fool. I know how it feels to have a broken heart. I know how it feels to be alone. Right now, you look as lonely as I feel. So let me help you. Surely, two is better than one." He offered, and she looked away, a small smile curling up her lips.
"Bring me two of your best dishes and drinks."
He raised a brow as he jotted down her order. "Ah, I believe you still have some hope left in you?" He glanced at her.
She shook her head and laughed through her nose. "The other dish is for you. We'll see just how helpful you can be," she challenged him, but she didn't know he was a sucker for those. Her eyes landed on his nameplate, her smile growing. "Natsu."
Time went by. Natsu brought his nameless customer her meal, and told her he would drop by when the numbers died down. She smiled, nodded lightly, and started to nibble on her chicken and rice that he had brought for her.
Soon enough, people started to leave, some thanking them on their way out and some strutting out without a care in the world. Only a few were left when Natsu walked to her table, his share of the dish and a bottle of wine hand. He made himself comfortable in the seat opposite of the strange girl, forgetting the fact that he was breaking one of their rules, but a sad soul comes before pointless rules.
"How do you like to be called?" He asked.
She looked up from her plate, which she found so interesting at that moment. "Lucy," she answered after a few moments of silence.
Finally, he thought. There was a name for this lovely girl. He couldn't help but smile.
"What made you want to help me?" Lucy asked, minutes after their shared silence. She looked up at him from underneath her lashes before one again gazing down at her plate.
Why did he help her?
"I don't know," he shrugged. "I guess it's because I empathise with you. I know how you're feeling. I can feel it all over the room ever since we both figured out that maybe he wasn't coming after all. So," he planted his elbows on the table an rested his chin at the joints of his fingers, eyes half-open as he smiled lopsidedly. "Enlighten me, Lucy. What brings you here on this cold night?"
She shrugged as well. "It was supposed to be a first date with a guy from the university that I really liked," she said, the bitterness evident in her voice as she placed her elbow on the table and laid her chin on the palm of her hand. She looked out the window beside them, causing Natsu to imitate her. She sighed through her nose. "I should've known it was too good to be true when I saw him with a bunch of other boys laughing at silly things, letterman jackets on and whatnot. I should've known that he'd never look at me the way I looked at him."
He listened to her sad story as he watched the people walking outside the restaurant, some in a rush, while some were taking their time to go to wherever they want to go. There are so many different stories in each person… so many different lives in this world, he thought profoundly, blinking with heavy eyes.
"He's probably out there, drinking and laughing at how gullible I am. I made a complete fool out of myself… I should've known," she then looked at him, an ocean of melancholy swimming in her chocolate eyes. She smiled slightly, and Natsu immediately knew it was a smile of self-pity. "I'm stupid, am I not?"
And in that second, Natsu realised that he knew next to nothing about unrequited love. He slowly put down his arms and let them rest on the table. "You know in the movies, they tell you that loving someone while they don't love you back sucks, but one day, unexpectedly, someone will come around and love you the way you loved the other person."
She beamed at him. "Movies aren't real. Books aren't real. They're filled with cliches and pointless 'I love you's. I don't believe in soul mates or 'the ones.' I don't expect the unexpected, because they're overrated. I expect the truth, I expect reality, and the reality of the situation is that we're just two lonely people sitting together for the sake of not being alone."
Somehow, in that moment, she made him feel more lonely than ever before. As if he was watching in the sidelines as the other person fought all the monsters and demons. He felt as if he was the stupid one, the foolish one, out of both of them.
She wore a knowing smirk as she continued on eating the meal he specially prepared for her.
He leaned back on his chair, resisting the urge to frown. She really was a hard nut to crack. "If that's how you feel, then so be it. But I believe that we were meant to be alone here tonight. You may not believe it now, or ever for that matter, but if I don't see you again after today and we meet again in a few years, you'll think back to this day and you'll understand that maybe being with another lonely person is the only cure for loneliness."
Eventually, the two finished their dinner, and the few people who remained had gradually left. Natsu was finally alone with this cryptic girl who seemed so hellbent on keeping her life a secret. Yet still she asked, "It's your turn. Tell me your story. Why do you think you're so alone in this world? Aren't there people who'd wish to be there for you?"
It was then when Natsu finally understood that he was not as alone as he previously thought. He had other friends, too; friends who go out with him, have fun with him, be there with him… but they've never been there for him. He didn't know what was wrong; if he was pushing them away or they were the ones leaving. The first few years of his friendship with everyone was definitely memorable, until something shifted between both worlds. He was out with them, but he still felt this indescribable hole in his heart. He was merely lonely.
So he decided to not answer her question.
Time had passed and Natsu had cleared up everything else and took the things to the back, where he put them away, even thought it wasn't his job. Lucy and he didn't talk much other than avoiding the topic of what was to happen once they both walk out of the twin glass doors.
Over the long haul, they had to face the inevitability of leaving the restaurant, for it was past midnight and they had to close. So Lucy waited patiently as Natsu turned all the lights out and locked the two doors, his vest slung on his arm. He could sense she was nervous; as if being with him wasn't right. Well, he wouldn't object the thought, though. They barely knew each other, and here they were, standing outside the closed restaurant, finding the view of the city lights mesmerising.
"Allow me to walk you home," he offered genteelly, making Lucy smile. "Anyway, we might not see each other in a matter of days. Or years."
"I still have intact legs. That won't be necessary, Natsu," she politely objected, making him laugh at the fact that she had mentioned his name for the second time this night. (And yes, he was counting.)
He presented his arm for her to hold on to. "Society is corrupted. I don't want a pretty one like you getting hurt at this hour."
She looked up at him with a small smirk dancing on her lips. "I'll have you know that I walk this lane every night and I'm still here, alive and kicking," she said, taking hold of his arm anyway. They started walking, and after a few minutes of silence, she muttered, "We make up society. We are the corrupted ones."
This made Natsu blink and glance down at her in awe. There was something about this enigmatic girl that always seems to catch him off-guard. She always outsmarted him with her outlook on life. Tonight, she had made him feel so inferior. It was as if he knew nothing about life and its reality. This girl was something else. And he had underestimated her.
He turned his head back to the road ahead of him. It was a rather chilly night as they both strolled towards Lucy's house in a completely comfortable silence. The rustling of the leaves, the occasional passing by of the cars, and the clicking of her heels she had specially worn for this boy were the symphonies played by their surroundings.
Thinking back to his very noble deed back in the restaurant, Natsu felt as if he could make one more courageous move before everything will go back to the way it was. It was inevitable; the fact that maybe she won't come back to the restaurant and they won't have an encounter ever again. All of this will merely be a happening in their lives. A passing of memorable events. A friendship shared overnight. No matter how painful it sounded, it was the reality; two people spending their time together for the night, for the sake of not being alone. So he wanted to talk to her. To get to know her more, and not just the girl who got stood up by a guy she didn't deserve.
And so then, he said, "Hey, I have a request,"
"What is it?" She looked up at him, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"Tell me three little things about yourself. Just three little things."
"And why would I?"
He shrugged. "Years from now, when you might not remember me and your face will be just a blur in my memories, I still want to this back to this night. I want to remember these moments. I want to think, 'Ah I once walked home with a lovely girl who liked this and that,'" he looked down at her and grinned toothily. "We don't get to walk home with a beautiful stranger everyday, do we?"
Lucy blinked at his small blabber and gazed at her feet. Her golden hair brushed over her shoulders, hiding her face painted with pink and red. "You won't find me playing video games, rather, I spend all my love and time on books. Playing the piano and singing soothes me. Maybe one day, you'll be fortunate enough to hear me," she paused for a short moment, and Natsu could see the sad smile etched on her lips. "I know how it feels to have loved, though I can't say that I know how it feels to have been loved."
She didn't need to say anything else for Natsu to realise that he wanted her to know how it feels to be loved.
But instead he looked down upon her and smiled a small one. "Well you're an introvert, huh?" He clasped his hands behind his head, his vest balanced in between his folded arms as Lucy removed her hand which held onto him.
"I guess you can say so."
Another moment of silence was exchanged before Natsu asked, "Have you ever thought of running away? Getting away from this hectic place?"
He has considered that for a long, long time: flying away into a new city, a new country or even continent. Yet something always seems to stop him. Perhaps it was his invisible attachment to this black and white city. Or perhaps he was just scared to take the risk of running away.
She laughed. It was light, filled with so much bitterness that he swore he tasted it in his tongue. He frowned. "I've thought about it. Hell, I've tried. But there was always something that seems to be stopping me. I've tried it too many times and I'm still here."
He was just about to tell her how he feels the same way, until something clicked inside of him and in that moment, he had realised that she wasn't even talking about flying or moving away. She meant another thing entirely.
She wanted to leave the world.
It caused anger to flow through his veins like molten lava and hot liquid over the idea that this lovely and innocent girl has thought about something as dark and deep as suicide. The sheer thought of her having the need to waste every second of her life before it even begun pained him in every level. And it took every fibre in his being to resist holding her close; this girl who made him feel like he could live forever.
Silence had clouded them afterwards, and had the circumstances been different, he would've asked her if she wanted to see him again. However, he got the sense that that wouldn't be the case. He got the sense that he was just a waiter in a restaurant where pretty girls go on dates with assholes.
There was no reason for Lucy to want to date a nobody like him, when she can have anybody she wanted.
"So,"
But what he wanted?
Whether it was a friendship or companionship or relationship he wanted, he couldn't bring himself to let her go the moment they stepped foot in front of her door. He forced himself to look at her smiling face as she said the words he dreaded to hear, the words that might turn out as a lie out of courtesy, "I'll see you around." She fitted her key in the lock.
"Yeah, see you 'round." He said, inwardly beating himself for sounding so dejected.
She unlocked the door and pulled the key out.
He stood there, finding the process interesting.
She opened the door, and his legs were still stuck on the concrete ground.
He didn't want this moment to end. Not when he started to feel alive.
But he turned around, and walked away from where he stood. Walked away from what could've been the best choice he's ever made. The moment was lost, and the chances of seeing her again were minimal.
"Thank you,"
He turned around to the sound of her voice. A sound he could never hear again, in a matter of years.
"You've been wonderful tonight. You were right," she called out, "not many people would go out of their way to help a lost soul like me."
He smiled sadly, slowly turning away. "Well, it's not often that a lost soul meets another lost soul."
She became shy, and waved him one last goodbye. He reciprocated the gesture, and called over his shoulder, "You know where to find me if you ever need me."
Lucy didn't need him.
After that one night, he didn't see her again. She didn't come back, even after all the waiting he has done. And now, in this very moment, he wondered how she was doing, if she ever continued 'escaping' this horrid world again. And if she succeeded.
His heart pained at the thought as he laughed bitterly at his foolish emotions. He doubted she would remember him. After all, they only knew each other for hours. But why does he still remember her? Her face, her wisdom, and her voice?
But maybe it was a good thing; the fact that she didn't come back after that night. It meant that she lived a good life. It meant that nobody was treating her as if she was worthless. Because she wasn't. He only knew her for a couple of hours, but he knew for sure that she was worth every single piece of happiness and love, to him at least.
It has been exactly six years and he still works in the little restaurant in the middle of the city. Tonight was the night he caught her sobbing silently, in a little black dress, in that corner by the window where a happy couple comfortably sat in. It wasn't a hectic night, but still a few people sat around, engaged in conversations that were no more interesting than politics. He waited tables and balanced plates on his arms as he sets them down on the tables where men wore business suits and women in jewellery worth more than the self-respect they held for themselves.
He never expected to see her walk through the doors with a man who looked like he could buy all of the world, and two beautiful children who had no idea how lucky they were to have a mother like her.
She saw him and flashed him a smile that made all the memories come back together like a film being replayed. She recognised him, she remembered that one special night they shared six years ago, she remembered him. And oh, did his heart ache. How she smiled a smile that told him how happy she was in this life she had chosen for herself. A life she chose to be lived without him. She chose not to need him even if she knew where to find him.
She chose to not see him again. And the result was happiness with a man and two kids.
But he guessed it was a good thing. Even if his heart was shattering. Torn between feeling happy and despaired. Between congratulating her or telling her that it should be him, Natsu.
He guessed it was a good thing.
She was happy.
And that's all that mattered.
With each step he took towards their table, a piece of him shatters. He was made of glass, and now he cracks cracks cracks.
If he hadn't spoken to her that night, if they hadn't shared all those memories; would she still be happy today?
She probably wouldn't.
He smiled to himself as that thought glued all of his pieces back together. He could live with that thought, even if he isn't the one who showed her the feeling of being loved.
Without a second of hesitation, he did what he wanted to do if she ever returned.
He stood by her table.
Smiled politely.
And asked, "How can I help you?"
A/N: Cheers to my first ever NaLu story! Yay! Once again, I just based it off a story from Wattpad. I don't remember the author, but the story was just too good. (All credit goes to him/her.) So, yeah, hope you enjoyed this fic! Love lots!
