Day 56- At long last...He confesses!

"Erza, there's still nine days left for the wedding...we can still talk to your mom about you and Jellal and I'm sure she will listen and understand you," Gray's voice passed through my ears like air. I was hearing him out but at the same time, I wasn't. His words were jumbling in my mind and all I could think of at the moment was about Jellal. "What is he doing right now?", "Is he angry with me?", "Doesn't he miss me?", "Did he eat yet?".

After all that has happened, yet, I don't know why I still care about him. My anger has died down and I'm longing to see him face. As expected of me...There's no way I could hate him. Something about him just pulls me to him like a magnetic force. I have held back my tears but I don't know if I can hold them back any longer.

"Erza, you listening to me?" He asked. He knelt across me. Worried sick about me since he thinks I would do something rash. But, I'm not the type to do something that I would regret so at least no one has to worry about that for me. Gray has been consoling me the whole time. He says he too doesn't want to marry me because he already made his mind to let go of me. I know he still loves me but he also realized that my love for Jellal has grown into a tree that was imperishable. Maybe that's why it was easy for him to bury his own feelings. Maybe that's why it's hard for me to forget about Jellal.

Suddenly, my phone rang. The tune played for mere seconds and then got disconnected.

Gray sighed and instead, took my phone, "Oh!" He suddenly uttered and I glanced at him, "It's him!"

My eyes gradually widened when I heard the word, him. My heart thumped and perhaps a slight smile shone on my face.

"You should talk to him! This is your chance, Erza! Don't miss it! You can leave your mom to me. I will not give up until she accepts you and Jellal. I promise you that so please, call him back."

I don't know how Gray can be so supportive all of a sudden but his solace meant everything to me. It's a pity, though, that I couldn't meet such an indulgent guy before I fell in love with Jellal.

Eventually taking the phone from his hand, I hesitantly called Jellal back. I was having doubts whether he would pick up the call or not but to my surprise he did.

"Scarlet," His voice echoed in my ears and I could feel my heart rate going straight up. I was smiling, I knew that.

"Oi, you there?" And I was imagining his face right now. The dully impassive face of his that makes me want to utter jokes to him so that I could see his laugh and the cute little things I have to do just to see him make a face. Any expression but an expression.

"Yes..."

"I need to talk to you."

"Eh?"

"Where are you right now?"

I glanced at Gray but he was busy flipping through pages of my fashion magazines. Seriously, boys will be boys. I can even see a smirk on his face...gosh, what is he thinking...?

"Where else will I be?"

"Answer properly."

"At my house," I pouted.

"Meet me at the park at 4."

"Why should I? Do you want another slap from me?"

"Shut up and come on time."

"I don't want to...I can't show you my face right now..."

"Like I care how you look."

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Huh?"

"You don't love me then why do you want to meet me?"

"If you come then maybe I can tell you that."

"I don't want to come..."

"If you don't then I wouldn't have a choice but to come to your house myself and drag you from there."

"That's too rough..."

"That's why."

"I will think about it."

"Ok. I give you three seconds."

"What? three seconds--?"

"Time's up."

"That's not fair."

"Park at 4."

"Fine..."

"Bye."

"Bye..."

And he hung up.

I took a deep breath and locked my phone before throwing it back on the bed.

"What did he say?" Gray asked.

"He wants to meet me."

"Meet you? That's great!" He closed the magazine and looked at me, "You should go then!"

"But--"

"No buts. Maybe he's going to confess. Maybe he finally realized he loves you after you gifted him that slap of yours," He laughed.

"It's not funny, Gray..." I frowned.

"I know but I can't help it. Man, I should have been there at the time to see his expression!"

"He was expressionless," I said.

"Wow, even after you slapped him?"

I nodded.

"What is he? An alien?"

"I have to meet him at the part at 4."

"Oh, then get ready then! You only have two hours left."

"Hm..."

"Don't think too much now! Just think positive and hope for the best. You need not concern yourself with the matters in hand because I'm there to take care of it," Gray got up, walked towards me with an assuring smile and placed both his hands on both my shoulders, "And you also need not worry about me because I'm over you. I'm not lying and you would have caught me already if I was since I'm a bad liar," He chuckled, "But I can still say that I love you because this is the truth and to make you happy...if it means to let you go then I'm ready to do that. And I already did so..."

I chuckled and tried to avert his innocent looking eyes.

"Now go before it gets too late. You don't want to miss the chance of your lifetime. This moment, your choice will only unlock the route to your future so don't think too much and play the game, Erza Scarlet."

Gray's words somehow turned too deep. It pierced right through my heart like a thunder bolt striking through the clouds. I wonder...if a heart break matures people...or is it just the realization.

--

I stopped near a tree at the entrance of the park and saw Jellal sitting on the bench with his head low. His hands were in his pant pockets and he suddenly looked up, directly contacting my eyes like he sensed me from so far away immediately.

I was a bit startled but I walked ahead anyway.

"Hey..." I said softly and he replied, "Hey."

I sat beside him, not too close but not too far either and kept silent. Since he called me he should be the one to speak first, right?

"How are you?"

"Fine. And you?"

"I was thinking a lot of things after you slapped me," He suddenly said but I didn't respond, "Things like, 'Do I like you? or do I love you?', 'Should I confess to you?', 'Should I marry you?' or, 'Should I just let you go?'."

Finally, Jellal was letting out his feelings. His thoughts and I could clearly see his emotions in his eyes. Not on the face yet, but that's a start.

"And I couldn't sleep at all last night. My cheek still hurts, though. Didn't know you were such a strong woman."

And I chuckled lightly on his sudden disclosure.

"And my heart was aching. Aching so badly that I thought I was going to die," He looked up at the sky and sighed, "And then it hit me. Hit me real hard like a hammer hitting a nail. Maybe hiding my feelings was the worst mistake that I ever made in my life. What would have happened if I had accepted your feelings the day we first met? Would I have been happy? Would you have been happy?"

He glanced at me deeply and then spoke, "I guess the time has come for me to finally say those words huh?"

Those words...does he mean—

"Scarlet, I--"

My heart...I don't think I can contain the happiness anymore!

"Love you."

And for a fraction of moment, everything froze in its place. It was just like a dream. No...for me it was a dream. A dream that had at long last come tr—

"Erza! Erza wake up!"

Huh...why am I feeling so dizzy?

"Erza! Damnit wake up!" This voice...

Why is my body shaking so—

When suddenly my eyes shot open and I was greeted by my plain yellow ceiling.

What happened...? Why am I in my room...? Was that all—really a dream?

I glanced to my side and saw Gray worriedly looking at me but then sighing in relief after he saw me getting up from the bed.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"W-why am I here? I went to the park right? To meet Jellal..."

"Yeah you did, but Jellal said you fainted right before you approached him."

"I fainted?" That means...the other half of the conversation was just my imagination? But why does it feel so real? As though he was saying it directly to me...

"Yeah, he gave you a piggyback ride home."

"He brought me home?" I asked widening my eyes a little, "Is he still here?"

"Unfortunately...," Gray shook his head, "He actually told me to tell you something, Erza."

"Tell me something? What?"

But why did I faint? It must have been stress and lack of sleep...

"I don't know how you will react to this but...he said he's leaving Tokyo."

What?

Leaving Tokyo?

He can't be serious...right?

Is that why he called me to the park?

To tell me this heart breaking news?

What is he thinking?

He's definitely lying...

"He said his flight is—was two hours ago and he might have already departed since you slept for three hours straight...And yeah, that's why he called you at the park. To give you a proper farewell but—"

"Please...please tell me that's not true!"

"I'm sorry, Erza," Gray inclined his head apologetically.

No.

No.

No.

No...this can't be happening.

He can't just leave me like this.

He must have an explanation, right?

There's no way he could possible just leave me hanging.

Maybe he went to meet someone and he will be back, right?

You will be back, right Fernandes?

tio�yt�{D