Love Me Not (Gale) {Fairy Tail FF}

Chapter Twenty-Six--Final

After being released from the hospital, and putting on the orange tank top and beige shorts someone had brought for me, I was ushered back to the guildhall by everyone. Apparently, Master Makarov had been planning a party since Jet told him I had awoken. I was glad to be leaving the hospital, though it was still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I had been asleep for six weeks.

I wonder where Gajeel is? I hadn't seen him since he and Lily left earlier that day. I sighed, disappointed that he hadn't come back. From what the others said, Gajeel has been with me since I was admitted into the hospital. So, why isn't he here now that I'm awake? I was afraid it had something to do with my kissing him before.

I shook those thoughts from my head. I can't think about that right now. If I start worrying about if avoiding me is his way of rejecting me, then I'll never get up the courage to tell him how I feel!

"Levy, are you feeling alright?" Lucy asked, hooking her arm around mine as we walked to Fairy Tail.

"Yeah," I smiled, "just thinking. I'm still a little in shock that I was asleep for so long. It must have been hard on everyone."

"You're awake and well now, so that's all that matters," Erza said.

"She's right. We're all happy that you're finally coming home from the hospital," Wendy added.

When we entered the guildhall, I was met with cheers, congratulations, and cries of relief. I must have really worried everyone. I was asleep for six weeks, so they must have begun to think the worst.

"Levy, my dear girl, welcome home," Master Makarov smiled, getting everyone to quiet down.

"Thank you, Master," I blushed.

"Now that the guest of honor is here, let's welcome her home!" He announced, holding up a mug full of beer.

"Welcome home!" Everyone shouted, holding up their own drinks. The party went on for several hours before I finally excused myself. All of the commotion had me feeling a little weak, but I didn't want anyone to notice and worry. Instead, I told everyone that I needed some rest, and convinced them to let me leave early. There was a lot of protest, considering it was my party, but they let me go. Once outside, I took a deep breath of the fresh night air. It was cool and crisp, filling my lungs with icy clarity.

Neither Gajeel nor Lily had come to the guildhall for the celebration, so I couldn't help but feel a little put-out. He was the person I had wanted to see the most, yet he was nowhere to be found. Maybe he really is avoiding me. I sighed, meandering slowly in the direction of Fairy Hills. Instead of going there, however, my feet seemed to have another destination in mind. I soon found myself sitting under the cherry blossom tree in Magnolia. I knew it should have held only bad memories for me since it was the very tree Gajeel had hung me from as a message to Fairy Tail during the war with Phantom Lord, but I couldn't think of it in that way. The tree was too beautiful to hate. And any thought of Gajeel is a good one.

"I must be crazy," I sighed to myself. I had fallen in love the man who had tried to kill me the first time we met, and who had shown nothing but disinterest towards me since he joined Fairy Tail. He was a brute most of the time, and hated for anyone to get close to him, but I think that only made me fall in love with him more. He showed me how caring he could truly be by protecting me even when it put his own life at risk. "Where are you, Gajeel?"

"Shrimp?"

"Gajeel!" I squeaked, surprised. I hadn't noticed Gajeel standing directly in front of where I sat on the ground.

"What're you doing down there?" He asked, frowning curiously at me.

"N-nothing," I said, getting quickly to my feet, "I was only resting a bit. The guild threw a party, and I just now managed to free myself."