My Lady & Her Guards

It finally happened.

Ten years of panic attacks, sweat, and tears.

Angelia was finally a licensed therapist.

At twenty-six years of age, she had accomplished far more than she’d ever thought she’d be capable of doing. And that included walking the graduation stage just yesterday for her master’s degree while her family cheered in the crowd.

Most of her studies were completed online, but she’d had to go out for her supervised sessions to gain her master’s. It hadn’t been easy, but it had worked, and she was beyond proud of herself.

They’d all spent the day yesterday in tears and in each other’s arms, until Avasynn got the ick from all the mushiness and put a stop to their foolishness.

But, as a reward for her hard work, Angelia was sleeping in on her first day of freedom, listening to the delicate chirps of the birds on the Briar estate.

Well… that was supposed to be what she was doing.

But life couldn’t be that easy for Angelia.

Not when she had a gremlin for a younger sibling.

She kept her eyes closed, her hands curling into weak fists under her duvet as she listened to the giggling little imp sitting on her bed.

Gentle brushes and soft pats fluttered all over her face, letting Angelia know that Yuna was once more lost in her passion for makeup. Her passion for putting it on Angelia’s face, to be precise.

She sighed, lips barely moving as she drowsily murmured. “Out of my room.”

“Aww, Lia,” Yuna whined.

“Out, or I’m yelling for Ava.”

Yuna gasped, her bob swaying as her head turned to glance nervously at the door. “Wait, don’t! She saw the hoodie I turned into a crop top; she’ll kill me when she catches me.”

Sighing, Angelia opened her eyes and turned tiredly to look at Yuna.

The sixteen-year-old grinned, a single dimple dipping in on her left cheek as her pretty brown eyes sparkled. Her brown hair, cut into a stylish bob, shone with gloss like it was competing with her lips for who could glisten the most.

“Yuna.”

“Yes, Angelia?”

Angelia stared tiredly at her, failing to find the strength to get mad. Whenever she tried to get mad at Yuna, all she could see was the tiny little toddler who wriggled in her arms once upon a time, giggling herself weak.

Batting her lashes in full awareness of Angelia’s weakness for her smile, Yuna held up a wand of lip gloss. “I’m nearly done. You look fab! Do you wanna sit up?”

Staring at her, Angelia slowly drew in a deep breath and then let it out in a shout. “Avasynn!”

The girl gasped, scrambling off the bed and racing out of the room.

Lips twitching in amusement, Angelia finally sat up and swung her feet over the side of the bed.

With a sigh, she slowly stood and pushed open the curtains to gaze out at the pretty bushes on this side of the yard.

It had been ten years since they’d moved back into her childhood home. Angelia hadn’t regretted the decision once during their stay.

Hannah had gotten the house completely changed, but now Lia could have the joy of seeing her parents again, even if it was just in photographs.

The first few days hadn’t been easy. Her nightmares had tried to make a comeback, but all she’d had to do was meditate each day and focus on the positive memories.

A few months into their stay, she was doing better than ever. Much to Hannah’s relief.

And, speaking of Hannah…

Slipping on her slippers, Angelia tied up her long hair and finally left the room. She was starving.

She caught her reflection in the mirror near the door and halted, gasping. Yuna had made her look like she was going to the Oscars, a look that was outrageous when you had an oversized t-shirt on, paired with shorts and a messy bun.

Vowing to tell Ava where Yuna had hidden the hoodies she’d stolen from her closet, she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face and freshen up.

Ashwood village had changed incredibly since their childhood. They were away for ten years and had been back for another ten years, so it was twenty years since the death of Angelia’s parents.

Avasynn, hands in her pockets, sauntered casually across the parking lot toward the local convenience store.

Despite their house’s dark history, she was still glad they’d returned and that it had been Lia’s choice to do so. Ashwood Fall was the most peaceful town Ava had ever lived in; she’d always enjoyed coming over as a child.

Beautiful woods hiding pretty creeks and their gentle waterfalls, coupled with the tranquility of the place. A place where she was free to go for a walk or a run without people gawking at her because she was a little more jacked than other women. Not that many of them even thought she was a woman; most thought she was just a really pretty guy, something that made her giggle whenever Ava thought about it.

The town itself was very quiet, and neighbors were far and few, but nearby was Ashwood village with a denser population and a slightly more exciting atmosphere.

The good news was that even in the village, where there were more crowds, Ava still didn’t get any looks.

She smirked, pausing as she caught her reflection in the glass along the wall. She wore a black, skin-tight compression t-shirt, tucked into thick, grey sweatpants. Her hair, although long enough to brush her shoulders and forehead now, was still platinum blond like it had been when she was a rebellious seventeen-year-old.

She was addicted to the color.

Glancing around at the lot, she checked to make sure it was empty before raising one arm, curling it, and watching as her reflection bulged with muscle.

Pride burst inside her and, practically skipping with joy at her body’s progress, she made her way into the store.

She’d just finished another one of her runs and needed electrolytes before breakfast.

The convenience store part-timer raised his head at her entrance. His eyes lit up. “Hey, Synn!”

“How’re you doing, Caleb?” she greeted, striding past the till toward the beverages.

“Great!” Caleb enthusiastically answered, his curly black hair bouncing as he scrambled around the counter to follow her. “I st-started that routine you told me about! Did five sets of eight and then a set till failure!”

“Oh, yeah?” Ava pulled open the fridge, grabbing her favorite drink. “How did it feel?”

“Well, I thought I was going to die. But I feel great! Look at this.” He yanked up his sleeve and curled his arm, straining to tense up his bicep.

“Hell yeah,” Ava said, grinning. “I totally see the progress, Caleb, well done!”

He puffed out his chest, cheeks going red. “Thanks for inspiring me to work out, Synn.”

“Aww, you’re welcome, buddy.” She chuckled, ruffling his hair, only for his blush to darken.

He was a good kid, and Ava enjoyed encouraging his interest in fitness. He was probably about twenty years old and definitely on the socially awkward side, so she tried her best to be nice to him.

“You know,” Caleb started. “My muscles have—”

Before he could go any further, a throat was loudly cleared, interrupting their conversation.

Ava raised a brow, turning to see whose way she was standing in. When she finally faced the man behind her, she paused.

A wicked smile slowly curved her lips, and her green eyes sparkled like those of a cat who’d just spotted a mouse.

He didn’t make eye contact. He never did.

Her long-time nemesis.

Did she say nobody in Ashwood ever gave her looks for being beefier than other girls? Well, one person did.

Him.

She didn’t know his name, but for the past year or so, they’d had a strange tradition of bumping into each other in this convenience store. The first few times, he’d blatantly gawked at her chest and arms like she was some alien, and that had been enough to cement him on Ava’s list of enemies.

So, she’d started returning his rudeness with minor inconveniences. Parking in his favorite spot, buying up all of his favorite items, openly flexing to deepen his horror of her muscles. Anything she could do to make him uncomfortable, she did.

He was pretty lean himself, but she couldn’t properly tell through the shirts and sweaters he always wore. He was probably East Asian, from her guess, but she couldn’t be sure. Black hair, always parted on the side and combed perfectly—he could’ve been a model if his clothes weren’t so simple.

She crossed her arms, felt them budge, and noticed his gaze flicker toward them before turning uncomfortably away. He visibly straightened his shoulders then, as though he was summoning courage.

And, as was his habit, he adjusted his spectacles. “Excuse me… miss. You’re standing in the way. I have to get to the sweets.”

“That so?” Avasynn glanced over at the sweets on the counter next to the beverages. Her gaze zeroed in on the box of Jammies. His favorite sweets.

There was one left in the box. She grinned and turned back to face him. “My bad, go ahead.”

He tensed. Like he didn’t trust her passiveness today, he cautiously slipped by. No flexing?

Breathing a sigh of relief, he continued toward the sweets.

Holding his basket in one hand, he reached with the other to grab the last sweet in the box.

It happened in a flash. He blinked, and the whole box was gone.

“Caleb, my guy,” Ava said, walking toward the counter with her drink in one hand and the last Jammies in the other. “Ring me up, please.”

“Yes, ma’am!” said Caleb, assuming his position.

Her nemesis hadn’t moved an inch, so Ava threw a glance over at him. She nearly burst out laughing.

Standing stiffly by the sweets, he was glaring at the empty spot on the counter so hotly, it seemed like flames would burst out of his eyes.

She turned away, stifling a smile, and heard him huff with indignation.

In a show of outrage, he dropped his basket and, abandoning the snacks he’d been asked to get, stormed out of the store.

He didn’t stop walking until he got to his car, which he’d successfully parked in his favorite spot today since she wasn’t there to steal that too!

With muttered complaints, he got in his car and started it, reversing out of the lot and making his way from the store.

At one point, he glanced in the rearview mirror and spotted her watching his car from outside the convenience store.

Celebrating her victory, was she? That bully!

He huffed, trying to focus on the road despite his knuckles turning white from how tightly he was clutching the wheel.

He quickly arrived and parked his car, getting out and slamming the door closed before marching into the brown building before him.

The noises of the police station rushed into his ears as he walked, but he didn’t stop until he finally reached a brown door and, throwing it open, he marched in and slammed a hand on the table. “I’ve had enough!”

Everybody stopped.

There were two men seated at the table.

They took one look at him and released twin sighs of exasperation.

“Seriously, Tony?” said the first cop. “Not again.”

Anthony blinked rapidly behind his glasses, trying to clear the tears of frustration in his eyes. “I’m… I’m trying, Chase.”

“Are you?” the other cop asked, the disappointment in his deep voice piercing Anthony like a poison dart. “You’re being bullied by a chick, Tony.”

Swallowing hard, Anthony dragged in a calming breath and bitterly studied the man before him.

Large-bodied and tatted up, the poster boy for unfuckwithable.

He scoffed. “First of all, Rhett… It’s easy for you to say, you’re built like a tank. You’ve never seen her. She’s bigger than me.”

Detective Nicholas Rhett crossed his muscled arms over his chest. “Is she taller than you?”

Anthony blinked. “Well… no. But, her body… is just…” He trailed off, heat slowly crawling up his neck.

Nick narrowed his eyes. “Is that a blush?”

“No!”

“Oh, God, he likes it,” Chase murmured in horror. “Doesn’t he, Nick?”

“I do not!” roared Anthony.

“You sure, buddy?” asked Nick.

“Dead sure! She picks on me like we’re in middle school. Why would I like that?!”

“Yeah?” Nicholas tilted his head. “Well, prove it. By standing up to her.”

Struggling to steady his breathing, Anthony nervously adjusted his spectacles. “Fine. I… I will.”