L'Arte dell'Amore (Not Edited)

V

Lavender was tidying her small flat. It may have not been the biggest, but at least she could clean it up some.

Scrubbing continuously at a stain, she felt overwhelmed and frustrated. Lavender's arm ached from being held up too long. The bleach she was using made her cough vigorously. After her coughing fit, she felt light headed. Lavender grabbed a glass, and filled it with the tap water.

After a while she decided on going out. Lavender looked through her entire closet for her thick winter jacket. She had only been wearing sweaters and thin jackets. But Lavender knew the harsh winter was coming.

Her leggings were thinner than she would have hoped for, but it would be fine. She was not working weekends, and did not want to go to the store, feeling as if she was a burden for the sweet old man.

Instead she decided the campus library would be a good spot.

She walked quickly into the warm building, Lavender hoped she didn't smell of bleach, even after taking a shower, a cold one, again.

The small girl's eyes roamed the interior of the hallway. Panicking slightly when a group of people were walking her way. She wasn't good with people.

Lowering her gaze to the pretty tile as she passed the group.

Breathe, Lavender.

She finally stopped holding her breath. Her fingernails were digging into her soft hands leaving crescent shaped marks behind.

Lavender had forgotten there was a little cafe before the library. She smiled big, as her eyes looked at the array of sweets. Lavender had a huge sweet tooth, but lately she's been holding back, trying to save for essential food.

She pouted as she sat down and began to read her book.

Her hunger was relative, she hadn't had a full meal since Professor Vincent bought her and Victoria dinner.

She bit her lip as she wiggled in her seat a bit. Lavender tended to act awkward at times. Developing strange little habits to cope with her anxiety.

Lavender continued to fuss with her thumb, biting the skin around it.

—————

Vincent had yet to speak with Lavender. It had been a couple days.

He needed to grab a book from the campus library. It was a special edition, and apparently the only copy around here was located in that library.

A sweet smell of intoxicating sugar filled his nostrils as he passed the cafe.

Entering the library he headed straight to the historical literature section. Once he found the book, he inspected the spine of the book, his long fingers ran along the jagged edge.

Shaking his head at the state of the book. He continued to browse the library.

He turned towards the tables that aligned with the bookshelves. Once he caught the slightest sight of the pure angel, he watched slowly.

Lavender bite at her nails as she stared at the math homework in front of her.

Vincent watched as she struggled with some kind of work. Did she ever take a break? He thought. His eyes narrowed as he watched the way she messed with her thumb. Holding it to her lip before fussing with it again.

Vincent made his way to the table.

Why was he nervous?

Lavender gasped in surprise as he took the chair in front of her and sat down. His legs parted slowly as he rested his eyes upon his student. Her heart was beating erratically in her small chest, her social anxiety was incredibly hard at times.

"We need to talk." Professor Vincent got straight to the point.

She did not understand. What did they need to talk about. Lavender's lips parted, but her thumb was still at her lips, picking.

Vincent wanted to tell her to stop that. That her finger was already bleeding around her nail and didn't need to be fussed with anymore.

"About w-what?" Lavenders finally managed to push out in a whispered tone. He looked down at her work, it was math. Though he majored in mostly historical literature and art, he minored in mathematics and data analysis.

"Are you busy?" The question escaped his mouth without second thought.

She blew out a raspberry of a breath. "I'm not really busy, I just can't figure any of it out." Lavender bit her lip harshly and explained.

Vincent watched as frustration coaxed her face.

"It's okay, I just want to talk to you about the project in my course." He stated. Lavender nodded nervously, waiting for him to continue.

Her anxiety was making it hard for her to breathe. She could barely talk to the professor with Victoria by her side. It was extremely hard for her right now.

Breathe, Lavender. She reminded herself in her head.

Vincent watched her for a second before continuing. "I need to make sure you understand you are to work with Victoria for this assignment.  This is also to be done for the most part during special lecture days." He didn't want her working herself too harshly.

She nodded and swallowed the lump of panic building in her throat.

Is he mad at me? The poor girl's head was rushing with thoughts. She disappointed him, she bit her lip as she turned towards her homework.

"Do you understand what I told you?" He asked the overly nervous girl sitting in front of him.

"Yes sir." She mumbled, before blushing a bright red at the sound her stomach made. She looked down and pretended to read the question for the hundredth time.

Professor Vincent didn't hear her stomach and wondered why she was acting so strange all of a sudden.

Though throughout their little talk, he watched as her gaze fell upon the cafe, the strawberry cheesecake is what he thought she was looking at.

He excused himself with a quick farewell.

Lavender still felt as if she disappointed him. Why do you even care? She thought. He is just her professor, she shouldn't, but she did.

Her lip was scummed to the painfully anxious biting.

She heard her stomach again, and was glad nobody was around to hear it. Lavender had finally started understanding the process of the mathematical question.

She bit her lip harder in embarrassment, when her tummy rumbled again.

Lavender grumbled before she realized someone was beside her. She watched as the woman from the cafe register placed a little box in front of her.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

She didn't order anything.

"It's from the man who just left, he told me to give it to you after he left." The nice lady explained before turning and walking back to the cafe.

Lavender's heart was pounding. Her eyes were almost watering. She blossomed under kindness, and this was one of the nicest things someone had done for her.

Maybe he did hear her stomach rumbling. Even though Vincent hadn't, because if he had, he wouldn't have just sent the cheesecake.

She blushed as the heavenly scent filled the air around her. Truly an angelic sight to be seen. As if Lavender's smile couldn't get bigger, she finally caught a glimpse of the sweet treat.

A strawberry cheesecake.