(Y/N) laid in her small bed while looking up at the ceiling, feeling time pass by her like little waves of anguish. Just a week ago she and her Mother were celebrating the birth of a new nation. They sang songs in the streets and laughed with the towns folk as they watched the British troops march onto a boat headed to England.

But now, her mother was dead. Her heart just stopped and she left her daughter with nothing but sorrow. Her funeral was held the day before and nobody from the town showed up. (Y/N) had to burry her mother all by herself. Dried tears formed at (Y/N)'s cheeks as she felt more helpless at the second.

She inhaled and relaxed her body, feeling as if she would melt into the bed.

Just then, a knock at the door echoed throughout the small house. (Y/N) let it be, not wanting any company. But the knock came again and this time she got up. She slowly got of the bed and straightened herself out. She walked through her house and opened the door slowly.

A young man stood at the doorway. His black curly hair was tied into a bun and he reeked of alcohol and bread. He held a small basket to the side of him which was covered with a white cloth. "He's probably french." (Y/N) thought to herself as she opened he door wider.

"Are you miss (L/N)?" The man asked in a charming French accent. "Yes, I am." The young woman answered, her voice sounding more hoarse than expected. "Hello mademoiselle, my name is Lafayette." He said while revealing his hand for a shake.

(Y/N) looked at the man tiredly, not wanting any pity at the moment. "My name is (Y/N). Now if you would, I would like to be left alone. I need some time to be by myself." She said while getting ready to close the door.

Just as it was about to shut, Lafayette stopped it with his hand. "Wait, I heard about your mothers passing and that you guys are Italian. So I did some research and found that making food for people that recently lost someone is a kind Italian gesture. S'il te plaît take this." He said sympathetically as he handed her the basket full of food.

(Y/N)'s cheeks became tinted with crimson as she happily took the basket. "Thank you." She whispered cheerfully, for no one showed this sign of gratitude before. "Why don't I stay and cook for you. It seems that you haven't eaten in days." Lafayette said as he led the woman to her couch. It was true what he said, she hasn't eaten in a few days. Her mother was the one always cooking, not her.

The smell of sauce came from the kitchen as Lafayette cooked up some spaghetti. (Y/N) was now laying on the couch, drifting off to sleep. When Lafayette was done, he walked out of the kitchen with 2 bowls of spaghetti in his hands. But (Y/N) was already asleep on the couch. He sighed and sat down next to her, admiring the way she slept. Little did she know that Lafayette saw her in town before and always seemed to have a little crush on her since then.

He softly nudged her to wake her up. She stirred for a moment before opening her eyes to see Lafayette sitting next to her. "Here, take this." He said while handing her the bowl. "Thank you." She whispered while her face started to turn red. She happily took the bowl and smiled. They both started to eat in silence until Lafayette had an idea:

"Now, why don't I get you outside mademoiselle. I want you to meet some of my friends."

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>Time flew by as (Y/N) met 2 men that were friends of Lafayette. One was named Alex as the other was name Hercules. They drank together at a bar as she got to know them better.

Alex was married and had a son, he was expecting a daughter soon while Hercules had an apprenticeship with a tailor.

Everything was moving along smoothly until Alex raised his shot glass in the air. "To John." He announced as he took a large gulp of the whisky. "Who's John?" (Y/N) asked after taking a sip of wine. The whole table went quiet, as if each of them hoping not to be the one to answer. The only sounds were the laughter of drunk men ordering more shots around them.

"Wow! Look at the time. I guess I'd better walk (Y/N) home." Lafayette said while breaking the silence. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the bar, not even allowing her to finish her wine.

"I didn't even say goodbye!" (Y/N) whined as they made it to the dirt streets.

"Je suis désolée....it's just sad to talk about John." He answered while looking down at his feet. "I don't even know who that is!" (Y/N) shot back while throwing her hands in the air. Lafayette sighed, knowing the story he had to tell.

After a couple of minutes of walking and talking about John, they made it front of

(Y/N)'s house. "He sadly died in war up in South Carolina." Lafayette finished, sniffling a little too. (Y/N) was struck with grief and sadness for she knew what Lafayette went through.

"I'm sorry." She managed to squeeze out. The soft September breeze blew through her hair, making her cheeks red from the cold. "It's ok." He said quietly.

Silence surrounded to two for both of them were too scared to speak. Yet, (Y/N) had the urge to do something.

She stood on her tippy toes and kissed Lafayette on the cheek. His whole face turned bright red as he tensed up. "Thanks for that great night." (Y/N) said as she walked into her house, shutting the door behind her.

Lafayette was still outside, rethinking what just happened over and over again. He managed to smile and jump into the air like a little girl. He looked at the sky and let out a sigh.

"Thanks John."

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