BLEACHED

93: cozy Life, Even with nothing.

"This is the only place I could place you in, out of reach of everyone." The investigator says as he pulls up into a black metal gate. "I can't go in since I've been requested to head back. Your mother is worried for you, you might want to tell her you are alright."

Domen sighs as he glances down at Lavender who has fallen asleep nearly half an hour ago.

They were now far from the city, about an hour drive to get back. Luckily enough, it's one of the many houses Domen had built just to take a breather from everyone.

No one will find them any time soon.

"Just tell her I'm fine." Domen says as he taps Lavender's cheeks, getting her to groan as she peels her eyes open.

"They can't know we were together." He says and Domen rolls his eyes as he takes Lavender's hand and steps out of the car with her.

"Fine. I'll consider it. But I have one more request, I need you to bring me someone. It's important." He says as he lets go of Lavender's hand and walks over to the investigator's mirror. "It's important for what I have to do. Bring them tomorrow morning. I'll send the details."

"You're a man of suicide. But very well, sir, I shall do as told." He nods his head and closes the window before driving off.

Domen clenches his fists as he watches the car disappear in a distance with Lavender staring up at him instead.

Unsure what he means by something important.

She knows he clearly wants her out of it, otherwise he'd have told her.

As long as I don't lose anything.

Lavender presses her lips together and drops her gaze to the floor.

I've lost Walter... He's barely spoken to me since then... And Evette....

Well, our relationship is standing on a needle.

"Come on, let's go in." Domen says as he walks over to her and gently laces their fingers together. "There's a lot of nasty mosquitos out here. I hate this place."

He chuckles as he watches her glance up to meet his eyes while he takes her into the gate.

"I built this house a while back, when I was still in university. I'd come here after leaving school just to run away from all the responsibility for a while." Domen explains as he closes the gate once they are in and takes her hand again, leading her towards the house. "Sometimes I can't put up with the things they want me to be... It's a lot of pressure."

Lavender only looks up at him as he explains, knowing she's also had her fair share of hardship, but she didn't know Domen also felt pressured by his life.

Other than the perfectionism, Domen lived a very good life.

"As strange as it may sound, I almost cried at one point when I was nine." He chuckles as he glances back down at Lavender, the walk to the house taking more time that it's supposed to, since he bought such a huge area with the house placed in the center of it all.

"How is that strange? You were nine." She chuckles and he shrugs his shoulders as he lets go of her hand and wraps his arms around her neck, bringing her closer to him.

"Not to my grandmother and my father at the time. They said a man didn't have to show any weakness, crying was something like a forbidden thing to them." He says as they can now see the house after a few minutes of walking. "Especially if you were a male. But they've never raised any females, so I wouldn't be sure."

"Your grandmother seems to be really brutal for a woman her age." Lavender frowns as she glances up at the house. "Doesn't she want people to like her?"