Heart Of A Fighter

Small Worlds

Being engulfed by softness was a great way to wake up. Lavender snuggled closer to the fluffy comforter, noticing that her belongings weren't lying around. Confused, she sat up to take in her surroundings.

The bright room was sky blue and white with enough windows to keep the room airy. Beside the bed and in front of a window was a white wooden nightstand with a lavender lamp. A few inches away from the bed, in the corner was a matching chair and footstool with small lavender flowers. Lavender silently laughed to herself.

Well, this is awkward.

Her eyes traveled across the room, landing on a door to her right. The comfort of the bed silently begged her to stay, but she tapped the bed with a sad smile and whispered, "Next time. I promise."

Entering the bathroom, she fiddled out of her clothes. Her eyes skipped over the black and wooden themed bathroom with enough sunlight pouring through the large window. There were two mirrors; one over the face bowl and the other in the walk in shower.

At her old place, she didn't have the luxury of choosing what temperature she wanted her water to be. The water was always cold, so she took a long comfortable bath.

Cleaned and refreshed, she pulled on the underwear from the night before that she had hand-washed to dry in the bathroom along with the same outfit that she came with.

Lavender exited through a door in front of the bed, following the scent of food while her stomach complained, reminding her that the last time she ate was breakfast before Liam left.

She frowned, remembering her younger years when her mother made sure she ate on time although food was scarce. Her father would work double shifts just to provide them with food. They were both hardworking folks, a character trait that Lavender herself inherited.

She continued walking, pushing the memories away until she saw Damien and an elderly lady who looked oddly familiar.

Damien sat on a stool by the counter, eyes deep in his phone and a large slice of watermelon near his mouth, chewing slowly. The liquid from the watermelon was dripping from his mouth, whatever on the screen taking up all his attention.

The lady grabbed a napkin to wipe up the liquid from the watermelon off of Damien's mouth with an eye roll. Lavender walked closer, her presence still unknown to both Damien and the lady.

As if on cue, dull grey inquisitive eyes met Lavender's dark brown ones. Lavender and the woman slowly walked up to each other. The closer they got, the more Lavender was certain that she and the woman had met.

Within a foot away from each other, Lavender stopped. Those wise grey eyes were hard to forget. "It's...you?"

Damien finally decided to place his phone down, grunting. He stared in curiosity at the grey-eyed woman whose face broke into a grin.

The lady stepped back, throwing the napkin over her shoulder. "Yes, it's me. Great seeing you again, darling."

"How do you know each other?" Damien asked, tucking his phone in his pocket.

The woman rested her hand on Damien's shoulder. "She's the one I was telling you about. The one who saved me from that hippie."

"Hmm, small world. Thanks for helping Anjelica by the way," Damien said as he stood up.

Lavender shrugged, "No biggie. Thanks too Anjelica, but you seriously didn't have to pay me."

"Oh hush child and come eat. Good works should always be rewarded."

"Anjelica's family. She's more of a mother than my own mother could ever be." Damien was leaning against the door frame with his hands in his pockets. He stared at Anjelica with such admiration.

Then Damien glanced over to Lavender as if he told her too much and his face went back to normal.

Damien cleared his throat, sitting down, and started eating with his eyes on his phone again.

"Damien's never brought anyone home before. What're you to him?" Anjelica asked Lavender.

Lavender was about to open her stuffed mouth to respond, but Damien beat her to it. "Not now, Angie. I'll tell you myself, later."

Anjelica winked at Lavender, who continued diving into her breakfast. It wasn't every day that Lavender had a variety of food to choose from. It wasn't even every day that Lavender had breakfast to eat in the morning. Like they say enjoy it while it lasts, and Lavender did just that.

A few moments in, a teenage boy joined them.

"Good morning, my beautiful fam," he happily chirped with a smile, his eyes still roaming across the screen of his iPhone. He looked up and his smile dropped immediately.

Without his smile, he had a similar facial structure with Damien but with eyes so green and intimidating that they pulled you in and spit you right back out.

"Who's she?" he asked.

Lavender answered for herself as she tried to figure out his accent. "The name's Lavender."

"What're you doing here, Lavender?"

Lavender pointed at the food on the table that looked more like a buffet table. "Eating."

The boy scratched the bridge of his nose in annoyance; "Not that. What're you doing here, here."

"Slept over," she shrugged, now figuring out his Jersey accent. "Don't worry, I'll leave your palace as soon as I'm done, your highness."

Damien finally looked up from his phone; "No, you're not leaving. You stay here."

Anjelica and the boy's heads both snapped to Damien, staring at him in shock.

Lavender pierced her lips together; "No, I won't."

"Yes, you will," Damien growled in irritation.

Lavender was an obstinate person who wasn't necessarily used to being told what to do and she didn't want to start now. She lifted her chin stubbornly; "I said no. I'm apt to leave whenever I please, Damien."

Damien ran his hand down his face, resting his phone down. "You have to finish what you started. I want you to stay, Lavender and we have a deal."

With her chin still stubbornly up, she slowly took a look at his arm from the corner of her eye. "Well, I suppose I can stay until Liam returns."

The boy sat down in disbelief with his eyes also on Damien's arm. "Cut the crap, Damien. We both know that Anjelica can do that for you."

Damien slammed his stitched arm on the table. When his hand connected with the table he sucked in some air as if that would relieve the pain. He closed his eyes, clenching his jaw.

Lavender crossed her arms across her chest, sinking lower into the chair and muttered; "Stupid".

Damien blinked a few times, letting out the air he was holding. He finally spoke up, glaring at the boy. "Anjelica doesn't stay here 24/7. Why are you behaving like this anyways? You're not usually like this, Jacob."

"Damien, I'm seventeen not stupid. You can literally count the people that you keep close to you on one hand, so why screw that up by inviting a stranger into our home? You could be dining with the devil."

"There's a first for everything, little brother."

Jacob kept his eyes on his brother.

Damien sighed; "I can assure you that Lavender's no devil. Remember, I've dined with the devil himself, so I'll know one if I see one."

Jacob bitterly smiled into his omelet; "No you remember, the devil comes in all shapes and sizes."