𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛, 𝙻𝚊𝚠𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎

𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛, 𝙻𝚊𝚠𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 ; 𝟽 ; 𝙰 𝚁𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝

I know these first chapters have been slow, but it'll get faster when we get out of the first week and the character building <3

𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛, 𝙻𝚊𝚠𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 ; 𝟽 ; 𝙰 𝚁𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝙽𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝

Dear, Lawrence                          November 22, 1887

I am proud of you. I know I've said it before, that I believed you could do more, but seeing how they speak about you, how you hear that talk so often and yet you're still so positive. You're a baker. You stayed a baker.. I never realized it before, but you did do what you were destined to. You did what you wanted and you didn't care about them or what they said. I mean I always told you both how you could do anything as long as you were happy, and I didn't follow that rule at all. I took this job from Mister Lace because of its opportunities and the title and the money...  I am now a foreman between Mister Lace and many engineers and construction personnel working on his buildings. Mister Lace is of course an architect and makes many many building plans, he lets me help on the buildings often. Of course I don't hate it, but I'd much rather be pursuing music...
But here's where my life starts to get icky. You, Presley, and suitors.... because the more time I spend with you Lavender the more nervous I get about marrying Presley. I'm sure it's just nerves though, I don't see what else it could possibly be. In hopes those nerves go away,

Yours truly, Tate

𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸

I smile as I walk in, running up to Columbin who is very obviously struggling in the kitchen. He has an apron on, but it's put on a little weird, and I laugh, pulling him in for a hug.
"Hun you have it on wrong!" I laugh, going behind him and retying the laces. Tate walks in the door behind me, leaning against the countertop.
This house was beautiful, it was mostly white with large windows and beautiful columns, and Tate's servants were amazing at cleaning. They always had the place spotless.
"And you still won't wife dear Lavender, Columbin! She's perfect for your dumb ass!" He says and Columbin rolls his eyes, "You know I love Renny but I have my own lady already, and she can find a much more handsome man than me."
I turn red, fiddling with his hair from behind him jokingly "No I can't Columbin." I say with a chuckle, waving my hand at Tate and Avery. "Go and head upstairs, I'll help your brother, we've cooked many times together before. Now go work or whatever!"
Tate smiles shyly, "I'll come down again soon, Darling.." he mumbles, looking me in the eyes deeply before walking up the stairs with Avery by his side, talking something about work and women or the architecture of a new home down the street.
I sigh, washing my hand before getting together some dough for a bread. "What are you making Columbin?" I ask, wondering what I will have to help with.
"Beans... meat... milk?"
I laugh lightly, "I can retrieve some milk from the cows outside and of make some meat if you heat up the beans?"
He smiles, "You're too good at this." 
I blush, "oh don't flatter me!" I say, giving him a small hug as he kisses the top of my head.
I smile, leaning in and kissing his cheek, he was like my brother and I was like his sister, I know that for sure. "I'll be right back, get started Columbin."

;

𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟹, 𝟷𝟾𝟾𝟽
𝙰𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 & 𝙻𝚊𝚠𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎'𝚜 𝙱𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚍𝚊𝚢

"Lavender" somebody whispers and I groan, shifting in my bed lightly. For the past day or two Tate has been sleeping in my bed, and it feels different...
We know it's not good, and that if anybody outside our families knew then I would be in immense trouble, but it feels worth it. I can finally sleep in peace, no insomnia and no stupid dreams.
His body is so far away from mine most of the time, but over the night he slowly pulls me in. As though his subconscious needs me near him. His hand always wraps around my waist,'and most of the time I lay on top of him, my head digging into his chest.
His hand made me feel jittery. It never failed to electrify me, and his warmth next to me made me nervous, but not nervous to the degree where I'm stuttering, just what I'm like every time he touches me. I'm like him, I get all red and I swallow really hard and I nervously laugh...
He doesn't do the same with me though, and right now I don't feel his hand on my waist. I open one eye a little bit, to see him standing in front of me with a candle illuminating his face.
"Hey darling..." he mumbles lightly, moving my hair off of my face as he whispers, "Get up, I have a surprise for you."
I groan lightly, "What time is it Tate.."
"It's birthday time." He says with a small smirk, mumbling "six a.m." under his breath a she shuffles with something.
I open both my eyes, and his lips slowly turn into a smile. I don't know how to explain it, but it felt so good to see him smiling like that at me. It felt like he was happy that I opened my eyes, and was getting up with him, which I guess in the common sense is the bare minimum... but I feel like I'm not enjoyable a lot of the time.
     He grabs my hand lightly, pulling me up and grabbing the candle, tip toeing us down the stairs to not wake anybody up. "What are we doing, Tate?" I ask and he shushes me, "Quiet darling!"
     He looks around and takes me off to the deck in the backyard, setting down the candle and grabbing both of my hands. "Well, you are turning 21 today Lavender, and Avery is too, so I've set something up for us down at the old train station... and maybe while we are there I can tell you more about my present for Avery and Presley and all of my work stuff and tell you some of my adventures!?" He pokes my stomach playfully with a smile and I laugh. My present was him.
     He knows what i've always wanted.
     "Let's go." I say happily, grabbing his hand and walking down the steps to the field, rushing down and holding up my night dress with one hand.
     "Lavender!" He scolds, but his smile on his face ruins his supposed anger. "What!? Don't get me excited if you don't want the consequences Tate!" I say.
     I giggle, letting go of his hands and jumping on the back of the train, into the open and abandoned travel carton. There are a few cobwebs in the corners, but me and Tate have been going here for years. He cleans it for me when it gets bad.
     Whenever he got in an argument with his parents or Avery or he was stressed he went here. We rarely come together, but we always do eventually. More recently now.
     I loved it here, blankets lined the bottom with a bunch of flat pillows. Cloths hung on the walls to make it cozier, and a small oil lamp was in the corner, ready to be lit.
     He climbs in and stares at me as I enter, turning on the lamp before he crawls over to me. He smirks lightly, pushing me down onto tne pillow flooring and crawling over me.
     "I'm happy I'm finally back Lawrence.. just in time for your birthday." He mumbles, leaning in and kissing my cheek, lightly, his breath ricocheting off of my skin. I feel him linger. His body heating mine up, fully awakening me from my slumber.
     He lingers there for a second before sitting down, further away this time, leaning against a pillow and smiling as we watch the sun coming up in the distance.
     He waits a moment, before beginning to speak, "You know you mean the world to me right Lawrence?" He asks, in complete seriousness.
     I look at the sunset and he looks down at me, his stare not once moving. I cuddle up to him, his cheeks slowly turning pink-tinged. I don't think anything of it though, Tate never gets red from my touch.
     I lean my head on his shoulder and his hand slowly sets down on my waist nervously. "Well I know I'm important to you enough, kind of like your little sister if you had one... but I'm not sure if I mean the world-"
     "You mean the world to me, Lavender. I never used to tell you how much I appreciated you, because I just didn't realize, but ever since we could talk you always were the sweetest. I'm just... I'm so proud of you. You did exactly what I wanted you to... you became what you wanted and you don't need a stupid suitor to save you."
     "Thank you Tate..." I mumble, smirking and wrapping my arm around him. "I'm proud of you too... you've come so so far and you're such a handsome man. Truly any woman would be lucky to have you, and of all women I'm glad it will be Pres..."
     At least he's in my life, but part of me wonders if it would be better to not watch him fall for another girl, wondering if anything will make my feelings faulter, or if I will have to continue to ignore them.
     "Me too.." he mumbles lightly, staring down at me with the heat of his gaze scorching the top of my head.
     He brings his hand up and runs his soft fingers through my hair, "I got you a present Lavender..." he mumbles, and I look up at him. "Really?!" I ask, he nods, smiling happily. "I thought it was just you!"
     He laughs. shaking his head with a silencing gaze before reaching behind his barrier of pillows and pulling out a small box.
     I unwrap the small rope tie around the edges and take off the lid, a couple of books sitting inside. I pull them out, my face bright before I look up at him.
     "Really!? Thank you so much Tate!" I scream, and he smiles, "there is more."
    "Oh gosh I can't take this!" I say, pulling out a nicely folded piece of clothing at the bottom of the box and seeing a sage green, lavender, and white day dress, with embroidered flowers near the edges.
     "I'm not sure if those are the right shades you like because I couldn't get an exact, but I chose all the fabrics and had my old dressmaking friend make it. It's just a day dress but I thought you'd like that more than a fancy dress in need of an underskirt and a hat since you've always hated hats and I-"
     I pounce on him, straddling his lap and kisssing his forehead with a smile. "I love it I love it I love it! It's perfect! I'll try it on right now!"
     "Now?!" He says with a shocked smile.
     I nod, "if I catch you peeking I'll scream at the top of my lungs, don't try me Tate." I growl, turning around and pulling my arms out of my night dress.
     I kind of wished he would feel the need to peer his eyes in my direction, whether it be just for a second or for many. I wanted him to want to look at me, though knowing him he could barely do such a thing.He'd probably turn red in the face and stumble over his words and his own feet, it'd be hilarious. It'd be cute....
    I pull my white silk spaghetti strapped night dress over my head, and slip into the dress he had made, buttoning up the front clasps as I hear a rustling behind me.
     "Don't go breaking things Tate, I promise I'll cry if you burn down my birthday present."
     He chuckles lightly. "I'll try not to.."
     I sigh, rubbing the imaginary dirt off my hands. "Turn around Tate.." I mumble, jumping out of the cart and into the sunrise, orange and light blue spilling over me.
     I twirl, my dress spinning with me before I giggle and jump back in the carton. "Look, Tate! It's darling!"
     I giggle, jumping onto him as he laughs and sets his hand lightly down on my waist. "I think that means you like it..." he laughs, leaning down and kissing my cheek again, the corners of his lips oh so close to mine that I wish they'd move just a centimeter over so I could get the adrenaline rush of him kissing me.
     Push it down Lawrence. Push it down.
     He ties the extra bows in the back, his calloused fingers delicately grazing my skin and pulling my hair away from his acts.
     "I love it Tate.." I smile, walking away from jim and back onto the soft floors, staring at the roof with a smile.
     "Were so old now.." I laugh lightly, "Remember when I was like eight and couldn't get anybody's attention ever, so I'd always run over to your house and play piano with you?" I ask.
     He laughs, "Even after all these years you still suck at piano too..."
    I growl jokingly, "Well it's your fault, Tate! You try teach me better!"
     "You're impossible to teach!" He pleas with a laugh.
     I fake gasp, grabbing the fabric on my chest to dramatize my false hurt.
   "Well you're impossible to get to listen!"
    He smirks at me, "I have listened to everything you've said, Lawrence. Quiz me."
     Oh I'm ready.
    "Who was the first guy I liked, Tate?" I quiz.     
     "Vincent Williams, you were in the tenth grade, he was in the eleventh."
      "Wrong." I say bluntly.
      He furrows his eyebrows, "Don't lie to me, you'd talk about him all the time! Your mom was setting you up to be his bride!" I roll my eyes at the thought of weirdo williams, the kid who picked his nose and wiped it on walls.
     "Yeah but my first fancy was you Tate!" I say, smirking at my own question, one that I knew he wouldn't be able to answer, even if he knew deep down. 
     "What!?" he gasps.
     "It had been from grade school, Tate. Before.. you know."
     "I can't believe you liked me that long."
     I laugh, "You've been the closest guy to me since I was born, of course it was you. Nobody could compare."
     He looks off into the distance for a second, an awkward silence filling the space as he runs his tongue along his top set of teeth, stuck in his own preposterous thoughts.
     "Well give me better questions that I can actually answer and then I'll see how good of a listener you've been miss perfect." He says with this cute little spark of excitement in his eyes.
     "Okay okay okay... what's my favorite book?"
     "Pride and prejudice, you've made me read it to you thousands of times while you lie in bed.."
     I smile, "Correct... what's my favorite instrument?"
     He laughs and rolls his eyes, "Trick question, you don't play music. You're too stubborn to spend more than fifteen minutes trying to learn an instrument."
     I laugh, "I'll get there!"
    He rolls his eyes, leaning back in his interlocked hands, "Sure..."
    I sit up, leaning against the back wall on my side and watching him while he stares out into the distance with a smile from his victory.
     "Well I'm sad to report that you are wrong Tate."
     He furrows his eyebrows, quickly turning to me, "You hate music!"
     "I Love the sound of Cello!" I proclaim.
     "Why?!" He asks, still confused.
     "Cause you play it! And you're amazing at it, so I love hearing it."
     "I've tried to teach you so many times and you deny-"
     "Because I don't want to play it I wanna watch you play it." I say, and his face grows softer than before as his lips turn into a smile.
     "You're too nice..."
     I roll my eyes, "Back to it, Tate. Who's my favorite sibling?"
     "Easy, Avery."
     I laugh and nod, "Whats my favorite letter you wrote to me while you were gone?"
     "Letter 35, from October 17." He says.
     I smile... "Correct."