Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Luz paced back and forth anxiously alongside the benches of the train station, glancing down at her watch for what must have been the third time in the last minute. 11:30 A.M. The train was late. Luz didn’t know that much about trains now that she thought about it. Did they get delayed for hours at a time as planes did? Would Amity have to get on a different one? Gus, her friend, and roommate looked up at her from the book he was reading on the bench, an ethnography for his anthropology class.

“Luz,” he called to her as she came to a stop and looked over at him. “You gotta calm down. Sometimes trains are late five or ten minutes. If there was a real issue, I’m sure Amity would have called or texted you to let you know.” Luz sighed as she sat down beside him, leaning forward with her hands on her knees as she tried to take a deep breath as another bout of nerves suddenly flowed through her, leaving behind a lingering feeling of nausea.

“It feels like somebody swapped the soy in my coffee for dairy,” she lamented to Gus as he leaned over and comfortingly patted her on the back. “What if this is a mistake?” she asked Gus as she slowly sat back up. “What if Amity doesn’t even like me in person?” Gus firmly closed his book and slid it back into his bag.

“That’s ridiculous!” he told her. “The two of you have been talking online, every day, for four months. I’m sure Amity is going to love you. Heck, she’s probably feeling just as nervous as you are right now!”

It was hard for Luz to believe that it had been only four months since she had met Amity on the Good Witch Azura subreddit. As an aspiring writer studying creative writing, Luz often perused the forum of one of her favorite fantasy series, occasionally posting a work of fan art or two. One particular drawing of Azura and Hectate arm in arm had warranted a comment from the user u/LiteBlight2000. Luz had responded, thanking her for the compliment and praising some of the drawings that she had posted as well. Luz wasn’t sure how it happened, but the next thing she knew, she and this girl had been messaging back and forth until nearly three in the morning. Luz learned that the girl’s name was Amity and that she was studying biology at a prestigious university several states over from Luz’s smaller state college. Luz had fallen asleep with her phone in her hand, feeling a giddiness that she hadn’t felt in years. Waking up the following day, Luz had briefly wondered if it had all been some kind of fever dream. Seeing a notification of a message from Amity quickly dissuaded her of that.

After that first night, the two of them had become inseparable, messaging every day and even eventually exchanging phone numbers so that they could call as well. Luz had agonized over the first picture she sent to Amity, even going as far as to try and solicit Gus’ advice. Eventually, she had settled on one where she was wearing her favorite hoodie along with her beanie underneath a tree with full a range of fall colors on display. Amity’s response was that she looked cute. She also attached a photo of herself as well. Luz still had it saved and favorited on her phone. Amity: head tilted to the side, a cup of tea in one hand, a shy smile on her face. Luz had felt herself starting to fall and getting attached, so she tried to subtly figure out if Amity liked girls before she got in too deep. Well, as subtly as Luz could manage. Other people surely would have come up with a better way than randomly blurting out, “Do you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend, if you know, you’re into them…” during a phone call. Luz’s mortification increased further as the silence stretched out through the call, making her wonder if it had dropped. After a long moment, Amity had responded saying that she was single. Luz attempted to do damage control and quickly changed the conversation to something else. It seemed to have worked as Amity had let the subject drop. As they were saying their goodbyes and about to hang up the call, Amity told Luz that if she were looking to date, it would definitely be for a girlfriend. Luz waited for the call to end before rolling over to her pillow and letting out such a happy squeal that it warranted Gus knocking on her door to ask if everything was alright.

The next big hurdle Luz found herself facing was the video call. It was one thing to know the sound of her voice and what she looked like in theory. But somehow putting the two of them together was incredibly nerve-wracking. And then there was the sneaking suspicion in the back of Luz’s mind that this was too good to be true, that Amity wasn’t really who she said she was. Luz was the one that proposed that they try skyping each other, and yet as the time drew nearer, she found herself almost dreading it. She was already so happy talking to Amity. Luz had always had trouble making friends growing up, though that had gotten better over time, it still left her feeling insecure about new relationships. Up until now, Amity had only seen pieces of her at a time. What if she didn’t like the whole package? As she had pressed the call button on her laptop, Luz’s heart was beating so hard that she was worried that she was going to pass out. The screen flickered black for several moments before revealing Amity sitting at her desk. A sense of relief washed through Luz that, nonetheless, did little to alleviate her nervousness. Despite texting and calling daily for over a month, the two of them felt so awkward that they couldn’t even look at each other in the eye. Panicking, Luz tried to get up from her chair and somehow managed to trip, falling heavily to the floor. Amity had called out in concern, and Luz’s heart skipped a beat. Luz slowly got back to her feet as a fit of nervous giggles threatened to overwhelm her. She had made some cheesy joke about Amity making her fall for her. Just like that, the ice had been broken, and Amity was laughing alongside her. By the end of the week, Luz had asked Amity to be her girlfriend, and she had said yes.

Which brought them to today at the train station, meeting in person for the first time. Gus was tagging along for moral support. And the fact that he had a car and Luz didn’t, which was also helpful. An announcement came in over the loudspeakers announcing the arrival of the next train. At the mention of the number of the train, Luz’s heart felt like it was going to fall out of her chest. It was Amity’s train. Luz shot to her feet as she tried to smooth out unseen wrinkles from her clothes. She knew she had planned on saying something to Amity when she saw her in person, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember it. Blood pounding so hard she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, Luz turned to Gus.

“How do I look?” she asked him. Gus considered her for a moment.

“Like a nervous wreck,” he admitted honestly. “But I’m sure she’ll think it’s cute and flattering,” Gus said positively. A sea of people had begun to pour out of the gate that led down to the actual train yard. Luz began bouncing on her feet in an attempt to expend the nervous energy that was pooling up in her and threatening to spill over. She anxiously scanned every single person amongst the crowd. Each person that wasn’t Amity was a disappointment, only to be replaced with hope as the next person walked through. Then immediately replaced with disappointment once more. Just as Luz was beginning to worry that something terrible must have happened, she spotted a flash of green hair in the crowd. A family of three stepped to the side, and Luz froze as she got her first proper look at her girlfriend in person. Amity hadn’t spotted her yet and was anxiously scanning the crowd. Luz’s webcam didn’t do her justice; Amity was stunning, wearing a flannel shirt with a light scarf loosely wrapped around her neck, and a stylish set of boots. Luz began walking forward, her feet moving of their own accord. Her heart began to swell and felt like it was about to burst.

“Amity!” Luz called out as she threaded her way through the crowd. Amity turned around, locking eyes with Luz. A pleasant shudder ran through Luz as Amity smiled and began to run toward her, pulling her small wheeled suitcase behind her. A few feet apart from each other, Luz opened her arms and Amity collided with her. She was really real. The thought kept running through Luz’s head on repeat as she savored Amity’s warmth against her, tightening her grip on her, pulling the two of them even closer together. Luz nuzzled further into Amity and just breathed her in: sweet, flowery, and her new favorite thing in the world. One of them was shaking, but for the life of her, Luz could not tell which one of them it was. Maybe it was both. Luz loosened her embrace ever so slightly so that she could take a proper look at Amity.

“Hi,” Luz said gently, her voice nearly cracking from a combination of excitement and emotion. Amity was gazing at her with an almost incredulous dazed look on her face.

“You’re even cuter in person,” Amity said as if she were talking to herself. Realizing that she had just voiced that thought aloud, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth as her cheeks flushed red. Luz couldn’t help the smile that threatened to completely take over her face. While she had always loved Amity’s voice, it sounded so much better in person without being filtered through a phone. She needed to hear it again.

“So are you!” Luz told her happily as she reached down to take both of Amity’s hands into her own, marveling at how such a simple touch could send such a pleasant jolt down her spine. Amity’s hands were so warm, and Luz swore she could have just melted into a puddle right then and there when she gently squeezed Amity’s hands and her girlfriend returned the gesture immediately. “I can’t believe you’re really here!” Amity shifted her hands so she could intertwine her fingers with Luz’s, her black nail polish standing out in stark contrast against Luz’s unpainted nails.

“Here I am,” Amity said affectionately. Somebody accidentally bumped into Amity’s shoulder and it was at that point that the two girls realized that they were sort of blocking the entryway. Luz went over to grab Amity’s suitcase, despite her protests that she could carry her own luggage. Luz was insistent. Emerging from the crowd of people, Luz spotted Gus giving her two big thumbs up which she would have returned if her hands weren’t already preoccupied.

“See!” Gus said to Luz as the two walked over to him. “You were worried about nothing!” Gus turned to Amity and extended his hand. After a moment of hesitation, Amity shook it. “Hi, I’m Gus,” he said introducing himself, “Luz’s roommate. It’s nice to meet you. Luz has already told me so much about you.” Amity glanced over at Luz who was grinning sheepishly at her.

“Good things, I hope.”

“Of course good things!” Luz reassured her. “I had to brag to someone about how smart and talented my girlfriend is.” Gus nodded in agreement.

“It’s actually getting kind of annoying at this point. Luz can’t go 10 minutes without mentioning how-” Luz let go of the handle of Amity’s suitcase to lean over and put a hand over Gus’s mouth to muffle his next few words. Amity watched the exchange in silence for a few moments before giggling and looking at Luz in such a way that it made her knees go weak. In fact, Luz was so distracted that she forgot that her hand was still on Gus’ mouth until he gently pried it off. “You two ready to get going?” Gus asked. “I can drop you off in town if you wanna get lunch while I run some errands. Then I can pick you up after, and we can head home.” It was at this point that Luz’s stomach rumbled so loudly that the others could hear it. Luz awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. She had been so nervous in the morning that she hadn’t been able to eat breakfast.

“I could definitely eat,” Amity said squeezing Luz’s hand. Luz shot her a grateful look. The three of them left the train station and headed to the parking lot. The whole walk to the car, Luz still had trouble letting it all sink in. Amity was here. Amity was holding her hand. Amity was so damn beautiful. As they walked past several buildings with a series of windows, Luz glanced over at their reflections walking hand in hand, verifiable third-party proof that this was actually happening. Luz was so lost in her thoughts that she tripped over an uneven bit of sidewalk and would have fallen if Amity’s firm grip hadn’t caught her.

“Sorry!” Luz apologized as Amity helped her back to her feet. “I was… the sidewalk…” Luz trailed off as Amity reached forward to straighten Luz’s beanie, the tips of her fingers just barely grazing her face, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. Before today, Luz had worried whether their online chemistry would translate physically in person. What if they met and there just wasn’t a spark? She could safely put that worry to bed, and they hadn’t even kissed yet! That particular thought must have crossed Amity’s mind as well as she realized just how close their two faces were. Luz’s mouth felt incredibly dry as she attempted to swallow as Amity’s fingers lingered for several more seconds.

“Luz…” Amity murmured gently. Luz realized that this was the first time Amity had said her name in person. She vowed that it would be the first of many.

“Hey! Are you two lovebirds coming along or not?” Gus called ahead at his car, breaking the two of them out of their reverie. Amity immediately dropped her hands to her side as her face turned red, and Luz couldn’t help but grin at how adorable she was.

“Yeah, yeah! We’re coming!” Luz called ahead to him. Turning back to Amity, Luz offered her her hand. “Come on Amity, I know this really good diner that has the best milkshakes you’ve ever had. Scout’s honor.” Amity gratefully took Luz’s hand as she regained her composure, and they walked to the car.

“You were a girl scout?” Amity smirked as they hopped into the back of the car. “How is this the first time that I’m hearing about this?” Luz shrugged as she closed the car door and put on her seatbelt.

“It may have only been for a week or so,” Luz admitted as Gus started the engine, and they began the drive back to their college. “The first merit badge I was trying to get was for wildlife appreciation. Unfortunately, it turns out snapping turtles are really good at clawing and biting their way through a cardboard box. There were a lot of stitches involved.” And that was how they spent the rest of the drive to town, swapping stories while Gus would occasionally interject or point out a notable landmark. At last, they pulled into their college’s town. Gus let them out at the town square and told them to text him when they were done, and he would pick them up at the same spot. Luz waved goodbye to him as he drove away.

“Gus seems really nice,” Amity commented to Luz, who in turn nodded happily.

“He is! Super smart too. Skipped a bunch of grades. Only 17 and already a sophomore. And,” Luz said proudly, “I was the one that came up with his nickname. Augustus is fine only if you’re an emperor, or if you fall in a chocolate river in a candy factory.” Amity laughed.

“Sounds like he still has a ways to go then,” she said. “Now, how good exactly are these milkshakes?” Amity asked with a smile. Luz grabbed her by the hand and started to lead her down the street.

“The best!” Luz exclaimed over her shoulder.

The bell rang as Luz held the door open for Amity as they entered the diner. The pleasant aroma of coffee, pancakes, and eggs wafted over Luz’s nose, and she decided that maybe skipping breakfast was worth it if she could double down on a big lunch here. Amity frowned slightly at the hodgepodge mismatched sign that hung above the counter.

“The Owl House,” she read aloud. She turned to Luz. “Do they fry owls here?” Luz laughed as she led them over to her favorite booth, the one with the best window for people watching.

“Don’t worry,” Luz said as she slid into the booth and took a seat. “It just says that on the menu. It’s actually fried chicken. I think.” Amity had just taken a seat when Luz let out a gasp followed by a series of cooing. A black cat with a white upper face had jumped into her lap, demanding pets and cuddles. “Oh hello there, King!” Luz gushed. “Did somebody miss me?” she asked as she scratched behind his ear and rubbed his belly. Luz turned to Amity and held up the cat. “Amity, meet King, the official mascot of The Owl House.” Amity reached out and held out her hand cautiously. After several cursory sniffs and licks, King seemed to have deemed her worthy. He walked across the table to settle into Amity’s lap.

“Did I pass the test?” Amity asked as she gently patted his head.

“With flying colors, Blight,” Luz replied as she passed her a menu. Luz already knew what she wanted to order, but she took the opportunity to hide behind the menu and to savor this moment. She was on a date. And it seemed to be going well so far. The boys and girls hadn’t been exactly breaking down her door back in high school. And while she had made more friends in college, there hadn’t been anyone who seemed interested in her. Not until Amity.

“Hey kid, you ready to order yet?”

Luz looked up from her menu to see the owner of the diner looking down at her expectantly.

“Hey, Eda!” Luz said brightly. “I’ll have the everything omelet and the tater tots.” Luz turned to Amity who was still studying the menu. “What about you, Amity?” Eda noticed that King was curled up in Amity’s lap, and she frowned slightly.

“Hey Luz,” Eda asked nonchalantly, “she’s not a health inspector, is she?” Luz shook her head.

“Nope, this is my girlfriend, Amity. Amity, this is Eda, owner of The Owl House.”

“And cook, waitress, dishwasher, cashier, handyman, and general jack of all trades master of none,” Eda intoned proudly as she shook Amity’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I just had to check,” she said as she picked up King from Amity’s lap and hoisted him onto her shoulder. “There are so many rules when it comes to cat cafes. And honestly, they focus too much on the cat part and not on the cafe. So I’m not even bothering to fill out any paperwork. I usually keep this little troublemaker,” Eda gestured to the cat who was attempting to burrow his way into her thick mane of gray hair, “in the back. But whenever Luz comes in, he always shoots out of there like a bat out of hell.” Amity reached across the table and held Luz’s hand

“I understand the feeling,” she said warmly. Eda let out a grimace.

“Your love is both beautiful and disgusting,” she said as she took out a notepad, pen in hand. “So what will it be, Little Miss Mint?” Amity narrowed her eyes as she scanned the rather odd assortment of menu items.

“I guess I’ll have the… cyclops burger? Is that with an egg or an onion ring?” Amity asked as Eda wrote down the order and collected their menus.

“Well…” Eda began as she poured the two of them glasses of water, “Usually that depends on what I happen to have in stock. But since you’re Luz’s sweetheart, I’ll give you the works. I’ll whip them right up, you let me know if you need anything else.” And with that Eda left the two of them on their date as she headed back to the kitchen.

“You come here a lot, I take it?” Amity said after taking a sip from her water. Luz nodded enthusiastically.

“Yup! I do a lot of studying and writing here. Eda’s the best too. When I’m studying for exams she lets me drink coffee for free.” Suddenly, Amity’s phone began to ring. She took it out of her pocket and glanced down at the screen and her brow furrowed.

“Shit!” Amity muttered under her breath.

“Is everything alright?” Luz asked, cocking her head to the side. Amity nodded.

“Yes, I just promised my sister that I’d give her a call when I got here safely. I was so happy to see you that I forgot…” Amity trailed off as she got up from her seat. “Is it alright if I just step outside to take this call real quick? Em just wants to make sure that you’re not an ax murderer.”

“Of course! And let her know that I don’t bring out the ax until the third date anyway,” Luz joked as Amity gave her a small smile. With one last lingering look at Luz, Amity headed out the door of the diner and out onto the sidewalk of the street. So many times Luz had sat in this very booth wondering what it would be like to finally meet Amity. And now here she was, gazing out the window at her girlfriend talking very animatedly on her phone. Which reminded her… Luz took out her own phone and sent her mom a quick text letting her know that Amity’s visit was going well. The reply was that she was very happy and excited for her. And she demanded a picture of the two of them as soon as possible. After a few more minutes Amity came back inside just as Eda was bringing their food to the table. “Everything good?” Luz asked Amity as she sat back down.

“Yup, everything is fine,” Amity nodded. “My siblings are just a little overprotective sometimes.”

“I think it’s sweet,” Luz said as Eda placed her omelet and tater tots in front of her. Normally she would have shoveled the food straight into her mouth, but seeing as she wanted to make a good first impression, Luz settled for squirting a hefty squeeze of ketchup on her plate before dipping her tot in it with a fork and taking a bite. “You’re a lifesaver, Eda!” Luz exclaimed as Eda set Amity’s burger in front of her. Eda waved the compliment off with her hand.

“Thank you, Luz. But I haven’t saved an actual human life for a good decade or so. Word of the wise, kid,” Eda said leaning conspiratorially towards Amity, “Measuring twice and cutting once is for more than just cutting a piece of wood.” Another customer entered the Owl House, and Eda went off to greet and welcome them.

“I kinda wanna be her when I grow up,” Luz commented to Amity as they watched the older woman walk away.

“She certainly does have a strong sense of who she is,” Amity observed. Then the conversation slowed for a while as the two girls eagerly dug into their food, Luz doing her best to exercise some kind of restraint in front of her girlfriend. After Amity took several huge bites of her burger that caused Luz to pause mid tater tot, Amity admitted that she had also been too nervous to eat breakfast that morning. Luz’s response was to offer half of her tater tots, which Amity graciously accepted. Soon both their plates were empty, and Luz couldn’t remember a time she had felt this content. Leaning back with her eyes half-closed gazing at Amity, Luz knew she must have looked like a lovesick idiot. And she didn’t care one bit, not when Amity returned the look with such a tender smile. Eda came back over to their booth and asked them if they wanted anything else.

“Luz said you make the best milkshakes?” Amity inquired. Eda snapped her fingers and grinned wide, showing off her golden canine.

“You’re darn tooting I do!” she exclaimed. “I even make a special variation for the dairy bigot over there,” she said gesturing to Luz.

“Hey!” Luz protested. “I don’t have a problem with dairy, dairy has a problem with me! Specifically my stomach.”

“Same difference,” Eda said dismissively. “I trust you want the usual?” Luz nodded happily.

“Do you have strawberry?” Amity asked.

“Sure do, coming right up,” Eda said as she turned to leave.

“Oh, wait up, Eda!” Luz got up from her seat and handed her phone to her. “Do you mind taking a picture of the two of us?” Luz turned to Amity. “That is, if you don’t mind, Amity. My mom kinda wants a picture of the two of us.” Amity stood up from the booth, her face slightly flushed.

“Of course!” Amity replied too quickly. “There are tons of photos of the two of us. I mean, the two of us separately, not together. So we should definitely take one to fix that! I mean I’d like one a lot so…” At that point Amity realized and she had been talking too long and just trailed off into silence. Luz walked over to her and guided her over to her side of the booth, sitting down and putting her arm around Amity’s shoulder.

“Is this okay?” Luz asked her quietly. Amity nodded and once again Luz marveled at just how much warmth seemed to just radiate off of her. Eda held up Luz’s phone and backed up slightly to get the two girls in the frame.

“Alright you two,” Eda instructed, “normally I’d say act like you two like each other, but that much is obvious to anyone within a three-mile radius. So just smile and say cheese.” Amity’s hand sought out Luz’s free one, giving it a gentle squeeze as Eda took several pictures of the two of them. Eda handed Luz back her phone and went off to prepare the milkshakes. Luz eagerly opened up her photo app and scrolled through the new photos.

“Amity, you are so cute in these!” Luz exclaimed as she held out her phone for Amity to see.

“We’re pretty cute,” Amity gently corrected her. “And make sure you send them to me as well.” After sending the photos both to her mom and Amity, Eda returned to the table with their milkshakes.

“How is it?” Luz asked Amity after she watched her girlfriend take an experimental sip through the straw. Amity’s face broke out into a huge smile.

“It’s really good!” Amity confirmed. Luz laughed.

“I’d ask if I could try some but I’d rather spend time with you than in the bathroom,” Luz joked.

“I’m glad that between the choices of indigestion and being with me, I’m the one that comes out on top,” Amity teased her.

“You don’t ever have to worry about me not choosing you, Amity,” Luz said softly. And then she did a gesture that she hoped she would never get tired of and reached out to intertwine her fingers with Amity. “This feels like a dream. I’m so happy you’re here.”

“Me too,” Amity agreed warmly. “I could barely sleep last night; I was so anxious. I was worried that… Well, just worried about a lot of things, I guess,” Amity said as she glanced away. Luz gave her a hand a gentle squeeze, and Amity turned back to meet Luz’s eyes once more.

“Worried about what?” Luz asked reassuringly. Amity was silent for a moment, trying to find the right words.

“That I’m not good enough,” Amity finally admitted. “That everything we’ve built together these past few months wouldn’t hold up in person. That you could do better.” Luz paused for a moment as she took in this information.

“Amity Blight,” Luz said suddenly. “Do you remember when I asked you to be my girlfriend?” Amity’s eyes widened.

“Of course I do! How could I forget something like that?” Luz nodded as she began to run her thumb up and down the knuckles of Amity’s hand.

“And do you remember my exact words?” Amity's face flushed, and she bit her lip, slightly embarrassed at the memory.

“You said, ‘I really like you a lot. And I want to lock this in before someone else comes along and scoops you off your feet. Will you be my girlfriend?’” Luz lifted Amity’s hand up and leaned forward to press a kiss to it, looking up at her tenderly afterward. Amity’s face had gone completely red by this point.

“Amity, you’re an incredible woman. You’re smart, driven, hardworking, kind, and you want to help people. I know your childhood wasn’t the best, but in spite of that or maybe because of it, you didn’t let it turn you bitter,” Luz told her proudly. “You’re going to make the world a better place, and anyone would be happy to have you in their life. I know I am. I am really happy that you commented on my Azura and Hectate fan art,” Luz finished. Tears had begun to well up in Amity’s eyes, and she let go of Luz’s hand to wipe them away. Luz began to worry that she had somehow messed up. She didn’t have much personal experience when it came to going on dates, but she was pretty sure that you weren’t supposed to make your date cry. “Oh shit,” Luz muttered. “Amity! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

But whatever Luz was about to say was quickly erased from her brain as Amity leaned across the table, placed her hands on Luz’s shoulders, and kissed her. Luz had been kissed before. There had been a high school play and a party the year before. But neither one of them had felt like this. Heat erupted throughout her body as an overwhelming feeling of euphoria and rightness cascaded down to her very bones. Amity was so soft and warm, and just a hint of strawberry from the milkshake she had been drinking. After what must’ve been just a handful of seconds, though Luz couldn’t say for sure, Amity parted from Luz’s lips.

“I wanted to do that all day,” Amity explained, her breathing coming quickly. “After everything you said, it seemed appropriate. I hope that was okay.” Luz felt almost light-headed like she was floating. Heart racing, she broke out into a huge smile.

“I dunno,” Luz said giddily. “Let me check,” and with that she gently cupped Amity’s cheeks and kissed her slowly, savoring the sensation and trying her best to engrave the feeling on her heart so she would never forget it. Breaking apart once more, Luz rested her forehead against Amity’s as her girlfriend slowly blinked her eyes open. “That was the most okay thing that has ever happened to me,” Luz informed her.

“Me too,” Amity agreed. The ringing of the bell as a family of four entered The Owl House broke the spell, and Luz and Amity quickly sat back down in their booth seats, flustered but unable to stop smiling at each other.

“We should probably finish our milkshakes before they completely melt,” Luz pointed out.

“Good idea,”

The two of them finished their milkshakes in comfortable silence. The fact the two of them had kissed was like sharing the best secret or the funniest inside joke that only the two of them knew. With each look they exchanged, Luz knew Amity was thinking the same thing. They finished their milkshakes, and Luz made sure to leave Eda an extra big tip along with a hug before they headed out the door. Luz sent Gus a text letting him know that they were ready to be picked up, and linking her arm with Amity’s, they started walking, Luz pointing out little shops and points of interest to Amity along the way. The two girls found Gus loading some groceries into the trunk of his car as they walked up to him.

“How was lunch?” he asked the two of them as they all got into the car. Amity glanced at Luz for a moment before replying.

“Best milkshake I’ve ever had,” she said as she squeezed Luz’s hand, who in turn squeezed back, a knowing grin on her lips

“The Owl House does do a pretty good shake,” Gus acknowledged as he started the car and they pulled out from the parking spot. “Though I did find something rather questionable at the bottom of my glass one time. Eda just said it was just roughage, but still…”

About five minutes later they pulled into the student housing parking lot. One of the perks of being sophomores was that Luz and Gus got to live in a pseudo apartment complex of sorts instead of a dorm. While it wasn’t the most spacious of housing, they both got their own rooms along with a shared living area and kitchen nook. As they helped Gus carry the groceries up to their place, Luz began to feel a little apprehensive. It certainly wasn’t anything like Amity was probably used to. Luz hesitated for a moment at the door before sliding the key in and turning the handle.

“Now I know things are probably a lot fancier at your university,” Luz said as a means of preparing Amity as she reached over to turn the lights on, “but it’s home.” Luz was immediately glad that she and Gus had taken the time to thoroughly clean the place the day before. Amity placed a hand on Luz’s shoulder.

“Luz, I don’t need a five-star hotel,” she reassured her. “You could live in a tent for all I care. All I need is you.” Gus made an over-exaggerated gagging sound from the kitchen where he was carefully taking fruit out of a grocery bag and stacking it into a bowl.

“The two of you are just going act all sappy and gross all weekend, aren’t you?” He teased them. Luz flashed him a grin and a thumbs up.

“That’s the plan!” she said joyfully as she led Amity over to her room, opening the door and setting Amity’s small suitcase to the side. “Welcome to Casa de Luz!” she announced as she flipped the light switch on. The light illuminated a gallery of The Good Witch Azura posters adorning her walls. Her bookshelf was filled with books, comics, and manga with figurines and miniatures decorating the top shelf. Luz realized that she had forgotten to make her bed that morning and hastily tucked the sheets in and rearranged the pillows before turning back to face Amity, who was regarding her with an amused expression on her face. “So, what do you think?” Luz asked as she sat down at the end of her bed. Amity bent down to begin undoing the laces of her boots, glancing up at Luz as she slid the first boot off.

“It certainly matches what you’ve shown me on camera,” she said as slid off the other boot and set them by the door before coming over to sit down next to Luz. “So many times I wished I could just reach out through the screen of a computer or my phone and be here,” Amity said looking around the room before her gaze settled on Luz. “With you,” she finished quietly. Luz’s stomach was flip-flopping as she reached out for Amity’s hand only to feel her girlfriend stiffen and pull away slightly. Luz let go slowly, a sense of unease and uncertainty flowing through her. Luz bit her lip as she looked away.

“If I’m ever doing anything that makes you uncomfortable, or if we’re moving too fast…”

“No! It’s not that!” Amity said shaking her head vehemently. “It’s just that… I don’t know why I’m so nervous all of a sudden.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re finally alone together?” Luz suggested. Amity looked down at her hands, folding them into her lap.

“Maybe…” Amity finally admitted. “It’s just… my parents weren’t very affectionate when I was growing up. Emotionally or physically. These last few months with you…” Amity paused for a moment to brush a lock of hair from Luz’s forehead. “Have been amazing. Just a little overwhelming. Especially today.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Luz said gently nudging Amity with her elbow. “Waiting for you at the train station, I was so anxious I thought I was going to throw up.” Amity playfully gave Luz a gentle push, which she hammed up as she fell backward onto her bed.

“You sure know how to make a girl feel special, Noceda,” Amity said looking down at her girlfriend.

“Only for you, querida,” Luz said sincerely. The term of endearment seemed to have caught Amity off guard for a moment. She seemed to mull something over in her mind for a moment before shifting down onto the bed, crawling so she was nearly on top of Luz. Luz never realized how sweaty her palms could be until that very moment. She was also lamenting the fact that she hadn’t had a mint after lunch. Amity was so close to her that a strand of her hair brushed against Luz’s cheek, and all she could think of was Amity and how fast her heart was beating.

“I really want to kiss you,” Amity whispered.

“Yeah?” Luz breathed.

“Yeah.” Amity leaned down, so close that Luz could practically taste her breath. Luz wanted nothing more than to lean upward and crash against her and lose herself. But she had to be sure.

“Wait,” Luz said as she reached out to cup Amity’s face gently. Amity’s warm eyes looked at her questioningly. Luz took a deep breath as she attempted to gather some sort of sense of composure. “I meant what I said earlier about pushing yourself.” Amity gave Luz a small smile as she reached up to hold one of the hands that Luz was using to cup her face.

“I know you did, Luz. And it means the world to me,” Amity said as she leaned forward until the only thing that filled Luz's senses was her.

“Just as long as we’re clear…” Luz muttered, her eyes sliding shut before Amity kissed her so fervently that Luz couldn’t help the sound that welled up from the back of her throat.

One heated make-out session later, Luz lay in her bed, her fingers slowly combing through Amity’s hair as her girlfriend curled up into her, nuzzling against Luz’s neck. Luz couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but judging from her window, the sun seemed to be significantly lower in the sky than it had been before. She was pretty sure that she never wanted to move again, not with how she could feel every single breath that Amity took, or the way her warmth just seemed to seep into her and relieved tension Luz hadn’t even known she was carrying.

“I feel like a teenager,” Luz said aloud. Amity opened one eye to look up at her, and Luz could feel her smirk against her skin.

“Luz, you’re 20,” Amity mumbled. “You were literally a teenager a year ago.”

“Well, yeah,” Luz admitted as she gently ruffled Amity’s hair. “But I wasn’t dating you a year ago, now was I?” she said, planting a kiss on her forehead. “I want to carve our initials into a tree. I want to ask you to a school dance in a convoluted and public way. I want to kiss you in the backseat of my car.” Amity shifted slightly so that they were face to face.

“I’ll tell you what,” Amity said. “The next time we get a milkshake, we can share it with two straws. That corny enough for you?” Amity asked, gently brushing Luz’s nose with her own.

“Can the straws be crazy straws that form a heart together?” Luz asked hopefully. Amity rolled off of Luz laughing.

“How did I end up dating such a huge dork?” Amity wondered aloud. Luz curled up behind Amity, spooning her as her arm slid around her waist.

“But I’m your dork, right?” Luz whispered into her ear. Amity turned over to look at Luz.

“You are.” And with what seemed to be more and more of a pattern, they were kissing again. A knock at the door disrupted their kiss.

“Hey guys,” Gus called through the door. “What do you want to do for dinner?” Luz coughed several times before sitting up and replying.

“Be out in a minute.” Helping Amity sit up on the bed, Luz glanced down at her watch and did a double-take: 5:30 P.M. She turned to Amity with an incredulous look. “That was only 20 minutes, right?” she asked seeking reassurance. “We didn’t just make out and cuddle for three hours, did we?”

“That would explain why I really have to go the bathroom,” Amity admitted sheepishly. Luz laughed.

“We should probably head out there and help with the cooking,” she said as she went to the door.

“We should,” Amity agreed, but she reached out and grabbed Luz’s hand. Luz stopped and looked at her questioningly. “Just one more minute?” Amity asked hopefully.

“How am I supposed to say no to that?” Luz asked as she pulled Amity in for a hug. “You’re just a big softy, aren’t you, Blight?” Luz teased the other girl.

“It’s not my fault; you’re the one making me melt, Noceda,” Amity countered.

“Should I just go ahead and put a sock on the doorknob as a warning to Gus?” Luz joked as she released Amity from the hug. Amity bit her lip, and the sultry look she was giving Luz made her skin flush and her mind wander to more intimate embraces.

“We’ve got the whole weekend to work our way up to that, don’t we?” Amity insinuated, clearly enjoying the effect she was having on Luz. Words had seemed to have failed her, so Luz merely nodded with fluster before she opened the door, and they stepped out of the room. “Which way is the bathroom?” Amity asked. Luz pointed down the hall, and Amity headed toward it, stopping to give Luz a wink before opening the door and slipping inside. Luz walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cabinet. Gus was dicing an onion on a cutting board. He stopped his chopping as Luz went over to the sink, filled the glass to the top with water, and drank it all in one go. Luz leaned against the counter as she tried to collect herself.

“Your hair is all messed up,” Gus commented as he finished dicing the onion. Luz hastily attempted to smooth out her unruly hair by combing her fingers through it. Gus reached over for a pepper, cut it in half, and began scooping out the seeds. “And you have about three hickeys that you might want to cover up if you go outside.” Luz looked down at the reflection of herself in her empty glass and sure enough, there were the telltale signs of love bites. She put the glass down as she frowned and tried to be annoyed at Gus.

“Now you’re just having fun,” Luz accused him.

“Obviously not as much fun as you,” Gus replied as he completed removing the seeds from the pepper.

“I’m just glad things are going so well,” Luz admitted. If Amity were a drug, Luz was still riding high off of her. It almost felt like she could still feel, taste, and smell Amity, like the moment when you first wake up from a dream and it still lingers on your senses. Luz walked over to Gus as he placed a pot of water on the stovetop and turned the burner on. “What are you making?” Luz inquired curiously. “Do you need any help?”

“I was thinking sauteed peppers and onions with some pasta,” Gus answered as she reached into a grocery bag and took out a box of pasta. “You wanna be on pan duty?”

“Just call me the bell pepper of the ball!” Luz declared as she retrieved the frying pan from its place hanging on the wall.

“What’s this about balls?” Amity asked as she walked into the kitchen. Luz poured a generous helping of olive oil onto the pan before turning the heat towards the medium setting.

“Just gonna cook up the best home-cooked meal, you’ve ever had,” Luz responded. Amity raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, color me intrigued. Since when do you cook, Luz?” Panicking slightly, Luz went over to Amity and took her by the hand as she led her over to the stove.

“Since right now, which is why I could use your help. What do you say?” Luz posing the question with a warm smile.

“I say let’s get cooking,” Amity said, taking the cutting board and scooping the peppers and onions onto the pan where they began to sizzle.

Dinner actually turned out surprisingly good. Gus was the much better cook of the two of them, which is why Luz usually stuck to much simpler recipes. But with Amity’s help, the dinner was a big success. They ate at their small kitchen table, telling stories and laughing. And if Gus had happened to notice that Luz and Amity’s fingers were intertwined underneath the table, he didn’t say a word. Afterward, they moved to the living area, playing several rounds of one of the many board games that Luz and Gus kept stocked in their small cupboard. After a crushing defeat on Gus’s part, he retired to his room to study, saying that he wanted to prepare for an anthropology exam he was taking on Monday. Luz and Amity moved to the futon, and Luz put on one of their favorite Azura movies to watch. The two of them must have watched it a least a dozen times before, but never had they watched it together like this. Amity curled up into Luz, resting her head against her shoulder. After a while, Amity realized that Luz had stopped watching the movie and instead was watching her.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Amity asked as she snaked her arm around Luz’s waist to bring the two of them closer together.

“It’s funny,” Luz simply responded.

“What is?”

“I just realized that this is the longest I’ve gone without calling or texting you,” Luz explained, placing a kiss to the side of Amity’s head. “I don’t need to because you right here.”

“It is a funny feeling not checking my phone to see if you’ve sent me something,” Amity agreed.

“Also, Gus noticed the hickeys earlier…” Luz said slightly embarrassed. Amity scooted away from Luz on the futon, hiding her face in her hands as she let out a little groan. After a moment she peered at Luz through her fingers.

“I’m sorry, Luz! I guess I got a little carried away earlier…” Amity confessed, frowning slightly. Luz shifted closer to Amity, placing her hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder reassuringly.

“He was a pretty good sport about it,” Luz clarified. “And I actually don’t mind,” she admitted as she gingerly pressed her fingers to them. “They’re like a little reminder that I’m your girlfriend.” Amity gave a little laugh and snorted.

“I think most couples exchange pieces of jewelry to get that point across,” Amity pointed out.

“That’s nice too,” Luz conceded, “But putting on a necklace or a ring doesn’t feel as good.” Amity picked up a throw pillow and tossed it at Luz, who caught it before Amity lunged forward to land on top of Luz.

“You’re insatiable,” Amity accused her. Luz merely grinned as she wrapped her arms around Amity’s back.

“Says the girl that can’t stop giving me love bites,” Luz joked. Amity hid her face against Luz’s chest.

“See if I ever give you one again,” she grumbled.

“We both know you don’t mean that,” Luz gently chided her. Amity took a deep breath before seemingly making a decision.

“I’ll make sure that they’re not so obvious going forward.”

“I can live with that,” Luz told her as they turned their attention back to the movie. As the movie neared the end, Luz couldn’t help but nearly fall asleep. She was just so comfortable, and it had been such a long roller coaster of a day. Looking down at Amity in her arms, Luz could tell the green-haired girl was barely able to keep her eyes open, especially when she tried to hold back her yawns. Once the credits began to roll, Luz helped a groggy Amity to her feet as they got ready for bed. Luz let Amity have the bathroom first as she went back to her room to change into her pajamas before joining Amity, who had also changed, to brush her teeth. Luz couldn’t help the happiness that seemed to radiate throughout her as she looked into the bathroom mirror at the two of them with their toothbrushes. It was just so domestic. One of those little things that non-distance couples got to experience so often that it became mundane. Though the two of them did hit a little snag when it came time to actually go to bed.

“Ouch,” Amity muttered as Luz shifted in an attempt to get more comfortable. In hindsight, her bed wasn’t exactly built for two.

“Sorry, sorry,” Luz apologized as she shifted a blanket to allow Amity more room. Sleeping arrangement logistics never seemed to be so hard in all the books she read. “I thought we were supposed to fit together like two interlocking puzzle pieces that were finally united.” Amity rolled over and looked at Luz with an amused smile on her face.

“What sappy books have you been reading lately?”, Amity asked, fluffing her pillow and turning it over to rest her head on it.

“Sappy books and sappy fanfiction,” Luz corrected her.

“I never really shared a bed with some else before,” Amity confessed quietly. Luz reached out and took Amity’s hand into her own. Despite how often she had done it throughout the day, the novelty was nowhere close to wearing off yet. She marveled at how much smaller Amity’s hand was compared to her own, and yet they seemed to fit together perfectly.

“I haven’t really either,” Luz told her. “Not since I was a little girl with my mom.” There was silence for several moments.

“Well, then there’s bound to be some learning curves then,” Amity concluded. “But I think we’ve done a pretty good job at tackling them today.” Luz squeezed her hand.

“We have. And we’ll keep doing it tomorrow, and the day after, and as for long as you’ll have me,” Luz said as she shifted to spoon Amity from the side.

“I like the sound of that,” Amity half yawned. The two girls shifted around several more times until they found the position that was just right.

“Better?” Luz asked.

“Much,” Amity replied sleepily.

“Good night, Amity.”

“Night Luz.”

There had been many a night before where Luz and Amity had stayed up so late on a phone call that they ended up falling asleep together. Or they would make a conscious effort to plan on it, leaving up their skype call so that if they happened to wake up during the night, they could see the other one asleep next to them, so close but so far away. Luz definitely preferred actually having Amity in her arms by far, which was her last thought before she drifted off to sleep.

The rest of the weekend to Luz flew by like a big happy blur. Giving Amity a tour around campus, proudly showing off her girlfriend to each friend they happened across on the way. Heck, Luz even went as far as to introduce Amity to acquaintances she barely knew from some of her classes, which Luz quickly stopped doing after a few as she noticed how embarrassed it made Amity. They went to Luz’s favorite thrift store to pick out outfits for each other to try on, combed the shelves of Luz’s preferred bookstore, and went a way out of town to go stargazing. Before Luz knew it, it was Sunday afternoon, and Gus was driving them back to the train station. The drive back was much more subdued. Luz looked across the backseat at Amity, and her heart ached at the thought of her leaving. It wasn’t fair. Amity had just gotten here, and it was already time for her to leave. She knew it would be hard to say goodbye, but knowing it and feeling it were two separate things. Amity looked up from the car window and noticed Luz looking at her. She gave Luz a small, sad smile and reached out across the back seats, hooking her pinky finger against Luz’s. The small bit of contact provoked a lump to form in Luz’s throat, and she attempted to return a shaky smile to Amity as she squeezed her pinky finger.

When they arrived at the station, Gus went off to the newsstand to give them some privacy to say goodbye. Luz and Amity sat on a bench, Luz’s arm on Amity’s shoulder as the minutes to when Amity’s train would arrive ticked by.

“I’m going to miss so you much,” Luz said, trying her best to hold back her tears. Amity was less successful, tears were already running down her cheeks, and Luz pulled her into a hug, her hand rubbing small, comforting circles against her back as Luz could feel tiny sobs rack her body.

“Not as much as I’m going to miss you,” Amity choked out into Luz’s shoulder.

“It’s not a contest, querida,” Luz attempted to tease her. “Besides, this isn’t goodbye forever, I’m going to come to visit you as soon as it’s a good time for you. I look forward to the Amity Blight tour.” Amity leaned back from the embrace. Her eyes were red, her nose was running, and Luz had never seen anyone more beautiful.

“Is next weekend too soon?” Amity sniffed. Luz was hit with such a rush of affection towards her girlfriend that she opened her mouth several times but words refused to come out. Instead, she reached out and gently brushed away Amity's tears with her thumbs.

“Next weekend isn’t soon enough, Amity,” Luz replied hoarsely with emotion, finally finding her voice. “As soon as you hop on that train, I’m buying a ticket.” And as if merely mentioning the train was enough to conjure it into existence, an announcement rang out over the loudspeaker signaling that it was time for Amity to board her train. They both stood up from the bench, and Amity clung to Luz as if she was the only safe harbor for miles and miles. “Thank you for the best weekend I’ve ever had,” Luz murmured into the other girl’s ear.

“I feel like I’m the most myself when I am with you,” Amity confessed.

“Amity…” Luz choked out, and she couldn’t hold back her tears one second more as she tightened her grip. Luz looked down at Amity and kissed her. It was messy, salty, and desperate. They kissed like it was to be their last breath of air before the waves pulled them back under the surface of the water. Afterward, they were both trembling, and they surely must’ve been quite a sight to any onlooker, but Luz didn’t care. She picked up Amity’s suitcase and walked her over to the gate of her train. Luz told her to let her know when she got back safely. And with one more hug and kiss, Amity passed through the door to board her train, stopping momentarily to look back at Luz. Luz mustered the best smile she could as she waved goodbye. Amity did the same, and then she was gone.

Luz slowly walked over to a bench and sat down, trying to process how she was feeling. She hadn’t known she was capable of feeling so full and then so empty. But despite how down and sad she felt at this very moment, Luz couldn’t help a small smile. She only felt this way because what she and Amity had was real. Amity felt just as strongly about her as she did about Amity. Luz looked up at the clock and the station wall; Amity’s train was about to depart. She should probably go find Gus. She took a deep breath and stood up when her phone began to ring in her pocket. Luz took it out, her eyes widening as she realized that it was Amity calling her. She unlocked her phone and answered it.

“Amity?”

“Hey Luz,” Amity’s voice filtered through her phone. Thoughts began to race through her head as Luz began to wonder why she had called.

“Is everything alright?” she asked. “Oh shoot! Did you forget something at my place? I could always ship it to you or bring it with me when-”

“I didn’t forget anything,” Amity interrupted her. “It’s just that… Well, it’s a four-hour train ride. And I mean, if you’re not sick of me after this weekend…” Amity trailed off. Luz cradled the phone against her face as she back down on the bench.

“Sick of you?” Luz exclaimed incredulously. “Amity, I’m crazy about you! In case that wasn't evident from this weekend.”

“It was,” Amity conceded. “I just like hearing it I guess. And I understand if you’re busy or got things to do.” Luz violently shook her head. And then remembered that Amity couldn’t see her because it was a phone call.

“I’d love to keep you company,” Luz vocalized.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Luz went off to find Gus, explaining that she was going to talk to Amity during her train ride back home. Gus’ response was to call dibs on being the best man at the wedding, much to Luz’s chagrin and Amity’s amusement. On the car ride home, Luz was feeling better, helped by the sound of Amity’s voice in her ear. A long-distance relationship was going to be hard. There was going to be plenty of peaks and valleys, good days and bad days. But Amity was worth it, and Luz was nothing if not stubborn when it came to pursuing what she wanted. Somehow the two of them had been able to find each other across the internet. They had gotten so incredibly lucky. After making a particularly bad pun to make Amity laugh, Luz pulled up a photo of the two of them on her phone. It was from that morning. Luz was wide awake and Amity was half asleep, her hair messy with bed head, her hand clutching at Luz’s shirt as she entreated Luz to go back to sleep. Luz was pretty sure that Amity hadn’t realized she had taken a photo, and her theory was proved correct from Amity’s half-hearted response of outrage when Luz forwarded her the picture. As Amity demanded that she delete it immediately, and Luz coyly protested, Luz knew that the two of them would be alright.

Chapter Text

The formulas on the page in front of Amity seemed to shiver and wiggle, like radiant heat on a sidewalk during a hot summer day. She turned the page and took another sip of her coffee, wincing when she realized it had gone cold. She could have sworn she had just brewed it. Amity let out a small groan of frustration as she lowered her head to her desk and closed her eyes for just a moment. Normally Amity was the type of person that took great pride in a well-kept appearance. But just a mere glance around her room would seem to suggest otherwise: an unmade bed, a wastebasket filled and overflowing, clothes strewn across the floor that made it halfway to the hamper. Finals week was one of the few times that Amity let all other considerations slide in order to focus more heavily on studying. Her parents expected nothing less than perfection from their children, and Amity certainly was no exception. While she had always excelled at and enjoyed biology, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go to medical school like her parents wanted to. The Blights came from a long line of doctors, and the expectation was that Amity would continue that legacy, the legacy that had thus far culminated in a wing of a hospital being named after her late grandfather. Amity was to go on to graduate with honors, get into a good medical school, and then complete her residency at the hospital her parents worked at. What came after that, Amity had no idea. Sometimes the only thing that kept her from going crazy was to just focus on the problem immediately in front of her.

Amity opened her eyes, her gaze lighting upon a framed photo at the corner of her desk. Well, maybe there was one other thing that kept her grounded. A small smile tugged at her lips as she picked up the photo, her thumb gently rubbing against it. The photo was of her six month anniversary with Luz, the two of them curled up together underneath a tree. It had been a picnic by the lake at sunset, complete with a bottle of wine that Edric had gotten for her because Amity had still been a couple of months short of turning 21. Luz had been trying to guess what the surprise was all day, but no amount of pleading or puppy dog eyes had broken Amity’s resolve, although it had wavered from time to time. Amity reached up to her throat to feel the comforting coolness of the metal of the necklace Luz had given her that day. It was custom made, a star with their initials engraved upon it. Amity wore it every day, and she was pretty sure Luz did the same with her matching one.

A lump began to form in Amity’s throat at the thought of her girlfriend, and she carefully placed the photo back down on her desk. It had been over two months since they had last been able to see each other. Both of their semesters had suddenly gotten very busy, and one trip had to be canceled, and the rescheduling had fallen through. Amity took a deep breath as she attempted to hold back the tears that were threatening to well up. She missed Luz so much that she ached. Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night still groggy and reach over for Luz before realizing that she had only been dreaming. Every time that she saw a happy couple walking through the streets, Amity couldn’t help the pang of jealously that rang out through her. The distance was hard. Amity worried that at some point it would grow to be too much for Luz, that she would grow tired of her. That Luz deserved to be with someone she could see every day, and not just through her phone. When she had the voiced these fears to Luz, her girlfriend had reassured her that she was worth it. That the two of them would keep talking about the issue if they needed to, and if something needed to change, they would go from there together. It was comforting to know that despite all of the things the two of them couldn’t control, their relationship was one that they could shape together.

Amity’s phone suddenly vibrated along the edge of her desk, nearly falling to the floor before she reached and out and caught it. Turning the phone over, she saw that it was Luz calling her. Despite having been dating for nearly a year, Amity’s heart still gave a little flutter as she answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey there, querida,” Luz said happily through the phone. “Miss me?” Amity leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, almost willing to pretend that if she just focused on the sound of Luz’s voice it would be enough to will her to the bedroom of her apartment.

“That’s a rhetorical question, right? I miss you like crazy,” Amity told her, unable to keep the slight tremble from her voice.

“Oh, Amity…” Luz’s voice came through the phone quietly. “I miss you too as if a part of me was taken away.” Amity sniffed quietly as a few tears began to run down her cheeks.

“I wish you were here,” Amity confessed. “Or I was there. Or we were somewhere else together.”

“We’ll be together again real soon, I promise,” Luz responded. Amity began to wipe away her tears.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I love you, Amity.” No matter how many times Luz told her those words, Amity couldn’t help the incredulous joy that seemed to bubble up in her chest.

“I love you too,” Amity replied in kind as she got up from her chair to sit at the end of her bed. A comfortable silence enveloped the two of them for a little while.

“How are you holding up exam wise?” Luz asked her. “I know how overboard you get sometimes when it comes to studying for them.” Amity bit her lip guiltily as she looked around her messy room. She glanced down at her shirt and couldn’t remember what day she had put it on.

“Um…” Amity trailed off, simultaneously not wanting to lie to her girlfriend or worry her. She could hear Luz sigh over the phone.

“What was the last thing you ate?” Amity stood up from her bed and walked over to her desk. She picked up a plastic fork and poked at a half-eaten portion of Easy Mac. The cheese had congealed and gone cold. Amity picked it up and put it on top of her large trash pile, balancing it carefully.

“Some macaroni… from last night,” she finished reluctantly.

“Amity…” Luz chided her over the phone. Amity winced at the tone of her voice. “You can’t keeping doing this,” Luz scolded her. “Burning the candle at both ends of the stick. It’s not healthy. You’ll get sick, and I’ll be four hours away and not able to do anything to help you. Do I want to know how you’ve been sleeping?” Amity picked up her coffee and finished it one big swig before placing the mug back down on the desk.

“Well, I’m officially out of coffee,” Amity said trying to lighten the mood. “So I’ll be sleeping a lot better going forward.” Luz didn’t take the bait. “You’re upset,” Amity said after a long moment. It was more of a statement than a question.

“If our positions were reversed, wouldn’t you be?” Luz asked.

“Yes…” Amity admitted.

“Then please take of yourself,” Luz implored her. “For both of our sakes. I hate seeing you run yourself into the ground like this.” Luz was right of course. She usually was when it came to this sort of thing, which was part of the reason Amity felt so lucky to have her in her life. Something to balance out the incredible pressure that she and her family put on herself. Someone who cared about and loved Amity regardless of whether or not she was on the Dean’s List that semester or not.

“Okay,” Amity replied, cradling the phone against her ear. “I’ll rein it back in.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Good!” Luz said happily. “And it just so happens that I sent you a little care package because I had a feeling you might be doing this.”

“You know me so well, don’t you, Noceda?” Amity teased her girlfriend.

“Like the back of my hand, Blight,” Luz retorted. “According to the tracking information, it should’ve just been dropped off at your apartment. Why don’t you head down and check?” Amity reached underneath her bed for her slippers and put them on before grabbing her keys and heading out of her bedroom.

“Eager to surprise me, aren’t you?” Amity asked as she locked her apartment door behind and descended down the flight of stairs to the ground floor.

“I just have a feeling you’ll really like this one. That’s all.’ Amity’s mind began to wander over all the possibilities. She learned that when you were dating someone like Luz you could never fully anticipate what they would surprise you with. You could narrow in on some themes though. Amity was mulling over what kind of baked goods Luz might have sent as she opened the front door. But there wasn’t a care package waiting for her. It was Luz, a small suitcase at her feet, a single purple tulip in her hand. Amity froze in shock. Luz smiled at her a little nervously.

“Hey, Amity.” Amity was speechless for several moments, her mind trying to process what was in front of her.

“Luz… What… How?”

“I know we normally plan these visits out ahead of time,” Luz began. “And I know you have your exams coming up, but I wanted to surprise you. I understand if you don’t-” Luz never got a chance to finish that line of thought because Amity rushed forward to hug her so hard that Luz took several steps backward as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. She was here. She was really here. All the little things that Amity slowly forgot over the time that they were apart came flooding back. The way Luz smelled, the way her body fit against her… Luz cupped Amity’s cheeks and kissed her so sweetly that it made Amity’s knees nearly buckle. And oh yes, the way kissing her felt. Coming up for air, Amity pressed her forehead against Luz’s. “Happy to see me?” Luz asked.

“Ecstatic,” Amity murmured, gazing into Luz’s warm brown eyes. It was then that Amity realized how she must look. She was lucky if she had gotten eight hours of sleep over the last three days, her hair was a mess, and as for a shower… Amity placed her hands on Luz’s shoulders and gently pushed her away. “I look absolutely awful,” she said self consciously as an explanation to Luz’s confused expression. Luz’s face shifted from confused to amused as she reached back towards Amity, pulling her back for another embrace, her fingers combing through green locks.

“Amity,” Luz said gently against her ear, “I haven’t seen you in person for two months. You could be completely covered in mud, and I wouldn’t care.” Luz paused for a moment. “You’re lucky that I don’t mind morning breath though,” she teased Amity. “Do I want to know why you have that at four in the afternoon?” Amity tried to muster up a sense of indignation, but that was pretty hard to do when you were nuzzling against your girlfriend’s neck.

“See if I ever kiss you again,” Amity muttered. Luz only tightened her hold on Amity in response and giggled.

“You love writing checks that’ll never be cashed.” The two of them just stood there outside of Amity’s apartment building, holding each other as they slowly acclimated to being together in person once more. Normally Amity would have had days of anticipation and nerves before seeing Luz. Having it suddenly sprung on her in a matter of seconds was completely overwhelming. After another minute or so, Amity loosened her hold on Luz and took her by the hand as she led her through the apartment building’s door. A sudden thought occurred to Amity as they walked up the stairs to her apartment’s floor.

“Hold on a minute,” Amity said as she turned to Luz who was dragging her suitcase up the steps. “Don’t you have final exams too?” Luz flashed her a toothy grin.

“One of the perks of being a writing major is that I don’t really have exams. I’ve got final papers, essays, and projects, which I can work on and turn in from anywhere. So I was hoping I could work on them while spending time with you,” Luz finished hopefully. They reached her apartment door, and Amity unlocked it, letting the two of them inside.

“I don’t know how much you’ll enjoy spending time with a stressed-out ball of nerves,” Amity said as she set Luz’s suitcase by her bedroom door. Luz slid her arms around Amity’s waist from behind, kissing the side of her head affectionately.

“Then it’s a good thing that I’m an expert in thoroughly destressing Amity Blight.” And then as if to prove her point, Luz gently turned Amity around and kissed her heatedly, pinning her against her bedroom door. Heat flooded throughout Amity’s body as she tangled her hands in Luz’s hair and moaned something approximating her girlfriend’s name. Then suddenly Luz stopped kissing her. Amity opened her eyes, slightly dazed. Luz was looking down at her warmly. “Go take a shower while I make you something to eat.”

“It’s going to be a cold shower after that stunt you just pulled,” Amity huffed, but she couldn’t help the grin tugging at her lips. Luz laughed and leaned forward to peck her on the lips.

“Don’t torture yourself with that, take a hot one. I’ll make it up to you later,” Luz told her huskily. Amity grinned as she headed towards her bathroom.

“You better!” she called out from over her shoulder.

“Oh no! My incredibly hot girlfriend is really twisting my arm with this one,” Luz retorted wryly with a smile. Amity shut the bathroom door and turned on the shower. Soon steam begin to fill the room, and she stepped into the shower, the hot water began to coursing over her. As she worked the shampoo into a lather in her hair, Amity once again marveled how Luz could so drastically change how her day was going. Sure, the two of them would try to stay in touch as much as possible when they were apart. But in person, Luz’s physical presence was like an overwhelming overdose, something she would grow used to over the next several days. But Amity felt guilty about letting her daily calls with Luz fall to the wayside over the last week or so in favor of studying more. Was that partly the reason that Luz had come to visit her? Feeling cleaner and more relaxed than she had all week, Amity stepped out of the shower, grabbing her towel to dry off before putting on her bathrobe. Opening the door, she smelled something that made her mouth begin to salivate. Following her nose to the kitchen, she found Luz scooping a heaping pile of scrambled eggs onto a pile of toast on a plate, a steaming cup of chamomile tea resting beside it.

“Is all that for me?” Amity asked as she pulled out a chair and took a seat at the table. Luz smiled and handed her a knife and fork.

“You bet!” she replied taking the seat opposite Amity, watching her expectantly. Amity’s stomach growled ferociously, and for a moment she felt that hunger pang that left one feeling almost slightly nauseous. Pushing through the feeling, she got about three or four bites into her food before pausing and looking up at Luz who was watching her contently. Feeling slightly self-conscious, Amity carefully swallowed before speaking.

“You’re not going to have any?” she asked, pushing the plate towards the other girl. Luz shook her head and pushed the plate back towards Amity.

“I’m fine; I ate on my way here.” Amity cut off a corner of toast before spearing it along with a bit of egg and popping it into her mouth.

“You’re just gonna sit there? Watching me eat?” Amity asked, blowing on the tea before taking a sip.

“I just like taking care of you is all,” Luz answered simply. Oh. Amity placed the mug carefully back on the table, her food momentarily forgotten. “And I know you’d say that I do plenty of that even when we’re apart,” Luz continued, fidgeting in her chair. “But it’s also different when I can do something for you in person.” Amity reached across the table for Luz’s hand, lacing their fingers together, her thumb rubbing small little circles against Luz’s.

“What did I do to deserve you?” Amity wondered aloud. Luz squeezed her hand in response.

“You being you is enough,” Luz explained quietly. “Love isn’t some point system where you progress up the skill tree and unlock a new ability. It’s just…” Luz trailed off for a minute as she tried to collect her thoughts. Amity waited patiently. “You being happy makes me so incredibly happy,” Luz finally explained. “But the me being happy part is almost a secondary afterthought in comparison.” Luz cocked her head to the side. “Does that make any sense?” she asked. Amity lifted Luz’s hand to her lips, kissing each one of her knuckles gently before lowering it back to the table, giving Luz such a tender expression of affection that her girlfriend’s cheeks slightly flushed.

“Makes perfect sense to me,” Amity affirmed, reluctantly letting go of Luz’s hand to pick up her knife and fork to continue eating her eggs before they got cold. While Amity finished her meal, Luz regaled her with the various misadventures she experienced on her journey to Amity. Such highlights included fending off a crow from taking her sandwich, nearly hopping on the wrong train, and trying three flower shops before finding one that had purple tulips, the aforementioned flower now resting in a small vase of water in her living room.

“You didn’t have to go through all trouble just to get me a flower,” Amity told her, attempting to take her dishes to the sink to wash them, but Luz firmly took them from her hands with a shake of her head.

“But they’re your favorite!” Luz insisted as she turned on the water and began to scrub away at the plate. “I can’t not show up in a grand romantic gesture without a flower in hand,” Luz explained, grinning at Amity from over her shoulder. “It goes against years of ingrained books, movies, anime, and fanfiction.”

“I am dating a hopeless romantic,” Amity agreed, picking up a dish towel to dry the plate Luz handed her.

“Hey, I was a hopeless romantic before I met you,” Luz corrected Amity, playfully bumping her hip against her. “Now I’m just a romantic.” Amity set the plate aside before wrapping her arms around Luz’s neck, locking eyes with her.

“I suppose you are,” she whispered, before leaning up to kiss Luz. What started as just a small spark between the two of them quickly found kindling and began to ignite. Breaking apart and breathing heavily, Luz attempted to speak first.

“If you’re tired we don’t have to…” she trailed off as Amity fixed her with a burning look.

“You did say you would make it up to me later, right?” Amity reiterated, fingers combing the back of Luz’s head. Luz nodded. “Why do you think I put on the robe instead of getting dressed?” she explained deviously. Luz broke out into a huge smile.

“I like the way you think!” And with that Luz scooped up her girlfriend bridal style, evoking a small shriek of surprise from Amity as Luz carried her to the bedroom.

Afterward, the two of them lay together in bed, limbs tangled together catching their breath. Amity felt lighter than she had in weeks. She nuzzled her way closer to Luz, savoring the warmth and feel of her girlfriend pressed against her. Luz reached out and gently brushed a stray bit of hair from Amity’s face, causing her to wrinkle her nose slightly.

“You okay?” Luz asked her as she shifted in the bed to a more comfortable position. Amity nodded.

“Yeah, just give me a minute to reform from the pile of jello you turned me into,” she breathed. Luz broke out in laughter, leaning forward to press a kiss to Amity’s cheek.

“Sorry, I really missed you is all.” Amity couldn’t help but giggle at the understatement.

“I could tell,” Amity told her, sliding down to rest her head in Luz’s lap, her girlfriend’s arms curling around her securely. “And don’t be. That was incredible.” Why couldn’t every day be like this? Why did the two of them always have to try and steal those moments together when other couples got dozens of them a day? Amity never regretted meeting Luz online, she just wished that the two of them lived closer together. Or even in the same state. Right now they were in a secure little bubble that was college, but what came after that? The distance between where their two families lived made their current four-hour separation look like just a mild inconvenience. Amity stared down at her bed, gripping the sheet subconsciously as she dared to voice what had been going through her head for some time now. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do after we graduate next year?” Luz had been gently running her fingers through Amity’s hair, but she stopped as she pondered the question.

“I’ve been looking into applying to a few different internships,” Luz said finally. “What about you? Still planning on going to med school?” Amity shifted uncomfortably at the mention of it. She sighed and closed her eyes, turning slightly away from Luz.

“It’s what my parents want,” Amity stated as if that was all there was to the matter. Luz hummed for a moment as she considered that answer.

“Well,” she began as she soothingly rubbed Amity arm, “the last time I checked I wasn’t laying naked in bed with your parents, now am I?”

“Luz!” Amity abruptly sat up with a jolt at the mere suggestion of such an awful visual. She picked up one of her pillows and chucked it at Luz who swatted it away, her chuckling filling the room. Amity let out a groan as she mentally locked that idea up to never see the light again. “I don’t even want to entertain that idea.” Luz reached out and took Amity’s hand in her own, squeezing gently.

“Okay, okay,” Luz conceded. “I’m sorry. I will never speak again of such unspeakable things,” she said jokingly. That irrefutable smile of hers was working its magic once again because Amity felt the corner of her lips curling upward.

“Okay then.”

“But seriously, Luz said scooting closer to Amity, “Your parents aren’t the ones that are going to be living your life. That’s going to be you. What do you want, Amity?” Amity had always lived a life of structure and order. While the rules and expectations may have been strict and unyielding, at least she knew where she had stood. There was a certain comfort in knowing exactly what you were supposed to do and what your goal was. Maybe it was a part of growing up. Maybe it was realizing that your parents weren’t these all-powerful godlike figures, but flawed people just like everyone else. Or maybe it was because she had met Luz. But Amity Blight was uncertain, and it scared her.

“I’m not sure anymore,” Amity admitted quietly, almost ashamed. Luz curiously cocked her head to the side.

“And that’s okay,” Luz reassured her. Amity looked up at her, eyes widening at how Luz could so easily go up against something that had kept her up many a night.

“It is?” Amity asked, a little embarrassed by how her voice wavered as she posed the question. Luz leaned forward and pulled Amity into a hug.

“Of course it is,” she murmured into her ear. “I’d love and support you whether you were a top neurosurgeon or a barista.” Amity laughed as she buried her nose into Luz’s hair, breathing in her soothing scent.

“Those are the first two you came up with, huh?” Luz leaned back and planted a kiss on Amity’s forehead, and Amity swore she felt warmth radiate from her head all the way down to her toes.

“Well, I think you’d look cute in scrubs or in an apron with a name tag,” Luz informed her with a wink. Amity mulled over and tried to process what Luz had just told her. For the longest time, Amity felt that she could only truly rely on herself. Even after nearly a year of being with Luz, she still had some trouble breaking out of that particular mindset. But suddenly the future didn’t seem quite so intimidating knowing that Luz would be there whatever shape it took.

“You really mean it though?” Amity asked hopefully.

“The outfits or supporting you?” Luz quipped. Amity playfully gave a Luz a small shove, smiling widely.

“The second one obviously. You big dork,” she finished affectionately.

“Of course I do, querida!” Luz replied immediately without even a hint of hesitation. Amity leaned forward and kissed her, trying her best to convey how grateful she was. It must’ve worked because Luz was flushed and gazing at her with an almost awestruck look after.

“Thank you, Luz,” Amity told her on the off chance she hadn’t been clear enough.

“You’re very welcome.” Suddenly Luz’s demeanor changed. She dropped her gaze from Amity, looking down at her lap as she nervously fiddled with her fingers. Taking a deep breath, Luz looked back up at Amity. “And I know graduation is more than a year off,” she started, “And we both don’t know what will happen between now and then or where we’ll end up…” Luz seemed to lose steam and trailed off, but Amity nodded encouragingly, reaching out and gently squeezing her hand. “But wherever that is,” she continued, “I want it to be with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning.”

“You want to move in together?” Amity asked for clarification as her mind began to race. Of course, she had toyed with the idea in her head before, but she had never spoken up about it with Luz. They were both still so young, and it was their first serious relationship. And as much as it pained her to consider it, the distance might even widen further after they graduated and tried to start their careers. And yet… Amity wanted it desperately. She wanted to come home and know that Luz would be waiting there for her. She wanted her things and Luz’s thing to become their “things” instead of them being constantly shipped back and forth between visits via suitcases. Amity wanted a random phone call in the middle of the day just to say, “I love you,” to be a treat, not the only way for them to interact that day. Luz got up out of the bed and began to pace around the room wringing her hands anxiously.

“Like I said, it’s still a while away,” she said, pointedly looking everywhere but where Amity sat at the end of her bed. “And I understand if too soon or if we’re moving too fast-”

“But that would still be a year off, right?” Amity repeated, interrupting Luz’s pacing by getting up and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Right…” Luz agreed, uncertainty evident in her voice. Amity closed her eyes briefly to steel herself. So many things in her future were uncertain. But there was one constant that she would fight to keep in it. And if Luz was brave enough to ask, Amity was certainly brave enough to answer. She opened her eyes, locking her gaze with Luz’s soft brown eyes.

“So if wanted to close the distance between us as soon as possible right now,” Amity admitted, “it stands to reason I would still want to do it next year, right?” Luz blinked at her like a deer caught in headlights.

“Is that a yes?” she asked hopefully. Amity grinned as she pulled Luz into such a tight hug that the other girl squeaked in surprise.

“It is very much a yes,” Amity confirmed, a tear welling up in her one eye that she hoped Luz didn’t see. Luz’s response was a gleeful cheer that culminated in her lifting Amity up in the air and spinning her around. After several rotations, Luz placed a slightly dizzy Amity back on the ground. “You know, it’s not fair that you’re the only of us that can do that,” Amity complained halfheartedly. She actually loved it when Luz would scoop her up like she weighed nothing. Luz rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

“What can I say? You’ve got the weak nerd arms in the relationship.” Amity had a witty comeback on the tip of her tongue when she was struck by such a sudden wave of fatigue that she couldn’t help the yawn that threatened to overwhelm her. She took several steps back to sit heavily on her bed. “You look like you’re about to fall over,” Luz observed, concern leaking into her voice. “Why don’t you get some sleep?” Amity shook her head stubbornly as all the events of the day suddenly seemed to catch up to her all at once.

“But you just got here,” Amity protested as she fought through another yawn. “It’s not even six ‘o’clock yet.” Luz hopped into the bed, pulling back the blanket invitingly.

“Come on,” Luz said encouragingly. “I’ll let you snuggle up with me.” The offer certainly was tempting. Tempting enough for Amity crawl into bed, and for Luz to spoon her.

“Promise me you’ll still be here when I wake up,” Amity demanded drowsily. Amity felt more than heard Luz giggle in response.

“I promise.” A promise. A promise that they would be together every day like this one day. A promise that all the lonely nights apart were worth with it in the end. A promise that they could handle anything the future could throw at them as long as they were together.

“Love you, Luz,” Amity uttered sleepily as she began to drift off to sleep.”

“Te amo, Amity,” Luz echoed in kind.

Chapter Text

Luz drummed her fingers against the steering wheel of her car. She reached over and fiddled with the radio, tuning to several different stations before finally turning it off. She briefly considered turning on her windshield wipers but resisted the impulse, her gaze lighting upon the time on her dashboard. She turned off her engine, undid her seatbelt, and hopped out of the car, restlessly pacing up and down the parking lot of the apartment complex. Luz continued this process uninterrupted for a couple of minutes before she turned around at the sound of another car door being shut to see her mother coming over to her with an amused expression on her face.

“Mija, you’re going to wear out the parking lot if you keep pacing like that,” she halfheartedly scolded her, a smile on her lips. Luz came to a stop, balling her fists at her side before shoving them in her pockets and taking a deep breath.

“Lo Siento, Mami,” she said as she walked back towards her mother. “I’m just nervous,” she offered as an explanation. Camila Noceda cocked her head to the side.

“It is a big step,” she admitted to her daughter. “But what are you so worried about specifically?” Luz shrugged her shoulders as she attempted to put into words the way she was feeling. Today was the day. The day that she and Amity were finally moving in together.

“It’s just… we wanted this for so long,” Luz explained. “And now that it’s finally here, I’m scared that something is somehow going to snatch it away from us.” Luz’s fingers subconsciously rose to her throat, her fingers grazing against the cool metal of her necklace, a perfect match for the one that she had given Amity. “Or what if our relationship only works in small doses?” Luz wondered, much quieter this time. Camila walked forward and placed her hand gently on Luz’s shoulder, prompting Luz to look up at her.

“Luz, it’s normal to feel a little anxious or nervous about a big life change,” her mother explained to her. “I was worried when you moved out to go to college,” she admitted. “But I knew it was the right step for you, and I’m sure this one is too.” Her mother suddenly smirked. “And as far as small doses go, the two of you are glued to the hip in a way that shouldn’t be possible living hundreds of miles apart from each other.” Luz laughed as she leaned in to give her mom a hug. Somehow just talking to her mom always had a way of helping put her fears to rest.

“I think you’re exaggerating a little bit, Mom,” Luz mumbled as her mother hugged her back.

“Oh?” Camila replied. “So the two of you weren’t playing footsie under the table at dinner last month?” Luz ended the hug, her face flushed with embarrassment as she took several steps back from her mother.

“You noticed that?” Luz asked incredulously. Amity was not going to be happy if she found about this. Camila laughed.

“I notice a lot of things. Like the way that Amity looks at you. It’s the same way you look at her. That girl loves you dearly.” Luz rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as she looked down at the pavement.

“Well yeah,” she began, “but-”

“No buts, Luz,” her mother objected, interrupting her. Camila placed both hands on Luz’s shoulder, and Luz looked up at her. “Every relationship has a beginning and an end if for no other reason that life is short and precious.” Her mother paused for a long moment, collecting her thoughts. “Don’t let what could be prevented from you enjoying what is.” Luz looked up at her and smiled.

“How did you get so wise?” she asked in a teasing tone. Camila laughed as she stepped forward and ruffled Luz’s hair affectionately.

“Live long enough and it’ll come to you as well,” she reassured her. Camilla bit her lip and turned slightly away from Luz. “Seeing the two of you so happy and in love… Reminds me of your father and me at your age.” Luz stiffened in surprise. Her mother didn’t speak often about her father. Even after all these years, Luz could still tell that the loss ran deep and that even the happy memories still carried a melancholy that never truly went away. As she had gotten older, time and distance seemed to have helped as Camila told Luz more about her father. Apparently, she had inherited quite a bit of his reckless zest for life and questionable self-preservation instincts.

“Do… Do you think Dad would have liked Amity?” Luz asked, breaking the silence that enveloped the two of them. Her mother nodded.

“He would have adored her, Mija,” Camila affirmed. “When he got sick…” she trailed off for a moment before swallowing to continue. “He wished so dearly that he could have had the chance to see you grow up and be happy.” Luz felt the prickling of a tear in the corner of her eye, but she didn’t dare move to rub it away, lest it distracted her mother. “He would’ve liked anyone that made you happy and cared so deeply for you. And I think Amity fits that bill, don’t you?”

“Definitely,” Luz agreed as she walked back over to her car, leaning against its hood. “You know…” Luz began as her mother followed her over to where they had parked their cars, “Amity was actually really nervous when she first met you.” Camila’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Was she? I thought she was just tired from the trip. What stories did you fill her head with?” she wondered suspiciously, hands going to her hips. Luz laughed and placed her hand on her mother’s shoulder.

“Only good ones, Mami, I promise. It’s just… you know she hasn’t had the best relationship with her parents. Especially recently, so we both appreciate you being so welcoming.” That was putting it rather mildly. Amity’s parents had been absolutely livid when their daughter had announced that she wasn’t going to attend med school as they had planned, but rather to give teaching a try. Amity had taken several education classes and found that she really enjoyed them. She had always been good with kids and it turned out that a lot of school districts didn’t need certification for their substitute teachers as long as they had earned a bachelor’s degree. She could get some experience to see if it was something that she wanted to fully pursue and from there she could work towards getting certified. Luz had made many a joke that it was a dream come true dating a science teacher because she had had a crush on Ms. Frizzle growing up. Luz on the other hand had accepted a position at the publishing company that she had interned at the previous summer. They specialized in publishing young adult novels, and Luz was ecstatic to be starting her job as an editorial assistant there.

“Of course. She’s a lovely girl. And she wasn’t the only one that wanted to make a first good impression. I want to be on good terms with my future daughter-in-law,” her mother finished with a wink. Luz’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“Mom!” she protested vehemently

“Yes?” Camila replied with a coy smile. Luz began to sputter as words and ideas collided in her head and got tangled on the way out of her mouth.

“We… I mean… We’re only 22. And it’s only been a couple of years…” Her mother chuckled as she pulled her mortified daughter in for another hug.

“I’m just teasing you, Mija,” Camila soothed her, and Luz began to relax and return the hug. “There’s no need to rush. Or even get married at all if you don’t want to. Just be there for each other, talk to each other, love each other, and you’ll be fine.”

“I mean it’s not like I wouldn’t want to marry her… one day…” Luz mumbled into her mother’s shoulder. Luz looked up at the sound of two cars approaching the parking lot. Her heart gave a little flutter as she recognized one of them as Amity’s. The cars parked at the ending of the parking lot and Luz was nearly bouncing up and down with excitement as she watched her girlfriend unbuckle her seatbelt and open her car door. Amity had barely closed the driver's door behind her when Luz ran up to her and hugged her.

“Luz!” Amity exclaimed as Luz’s embrace nearly toppled the two of them against her car. “You know you’re going to be seeing a lot of more of me nowadays, right?” she explained as Luz squeezed her tight. “And we saw each other only a couple of weeks ago,” Amity gently chided her but made no effort of pulling away from the embrace. If anything she returned it just as eagerly as Luz did.

“Old habits?” Luz offered as an explanation before leaning in to plant a brief peck on Amity’s lips. “Maybe it’ll sink in after a few months?”

“I look forward to finding out,” Amity replied before pulling Luz back in for another kiss.

“I’d say the two of you should probably get a room…” a male voice from behind them said.

“But that’s kind of why we’re here in the first place,” a female voice finished. Luz opened her eyes and saw stepping out of the car parked next to Amity were Amity’s twin older siblings: Edric and Emira. Amity’s cheeks reddened, but Luz merely smiled and waved happily as the two of them walked over.

“Nice to see you again, Ed and Em!” Luz called out.

“You too, cutie!” Emira replied while Edric shot Luz a wink. Amity grumbled as she pulled Luz a little closer reflexively. Edric and Emira were naturally flirtatious. Unfortunately, that extended to nearly everyone, including their younger sister’s girlfriend.

“Don’t worry, querida,” Luz whispered into Amity’s ear, “You’re the only Blight for me,” she reassured her before pressing a brief kiss to the side of her head. Amity released Luz from her embrace, but she still sought out her girlfriend’s hand and gave it a squeeze, shooting her one of the small smiles that Luz knew was only meant for her.

“I know,” Amity said quietly as she turned to greet Luz’s mother as she walked over to them. Luz couldn’t help but giggle as Camilla bypassed Amity’s offer of a handshake by pulling her into a big hug.

“The drive wasn’t too bad, was it?” Camilla asked Amity, maternal concern leaking into her voice. Flustered and not quite certain how to react, Amity nodded quickly several times.

“It was fine.”

“Speak for yourself!” Edric proclaimed dramatically, his hand draped over his forehead. “You three weren’t trapped in the car with her for three hours,” he said, indicating Emira. “She wouldn’t let me touch the radio at all. It was just Ted Talk after Ted Talk.”

“Maybe you finally learned something, Ed,” Emira replied cheekily as she took out her car keys and pressed the button to pop open the trunk of her car. “Now how about we move these two lovebirds into their first love nest?” she announced with a big grin on her face. Amity groaned as she turned to Luz.

“We totally could’ve moved in just fine with three cars, couldn’t have we?”

“Maybe if one of them was a van or a truck,” Luz answered shrugging her shoulders. “Besides, we both know I’d end up doing a lot of the heavy lifting.”

“I would have helped…” Amity muttered as they went back to their cars and began to plan the most effective way to move all of their belongings in. Luz had picked up the keys the week before when she had gone to finalize the paperwork and sign the lease. Their apartment was on the fourth floor, but luckily the building had an elevator. And that’s how Luz found herself in the elevator loading a bookshelf in with Edric and Emira while Amity went up the stairs with her mother and the set of keys to inspect the apartment. They had just enough room to wedge in a dresser before they hit the up button of the elevator and its doors slowly began to close

“Take care of her, Luz,” Emira said from her position leaning against the bookshelf.

“Yeah,” Edric chimed in from his spot sitting on the floor as the elevator began to ascend. “You know how she gets. She’d work herself to the bone if you let her.”

“But she’s been doing that less since she met you, which we really appreciate,” Emira told Luz warmly.

“Turns out all Mittens needed this whole time,” Edric said as he slowly stood up, “was a cute girlfriend.”

“She’s been much more bearable,” Emira agreed. Seeing Luz frown slightly at this admission, Emira added, “And happy! Happy being the key and operative word.”

“Well, she makes me really happy too,” Luz replied as the elevator neared their floor. “And thank you two for being there for her. I know things have been… rougher with your parents lately,” Luz admitted, rubbing her arm. Amity put on a brave face around her, but Luz knew how much her parents’ disappointment and anger upset her. You couldn’t just undo an entire childhood of pressure and expectation at the drop of a hat. Sometimes Luz felt guilty as the indirect catalyst for the increased friction between Amity and her parents. The one time she had voiced those fears Amity had firmly sat her down and reassured Luz that she made her happier than she ever thought possible. That it had nothing to do with Luz, that her parents would have been unhappy with anyone dating their daughter that they hadn’t handpicked themselves. When Luz attempted to protest, Amity turned one of her own secret weapons against her, asking what she would say if their positions were reversed. Luz hadn’t had a good answer to that one.

“Don’t worry about old mom and dad,” Edric consoled Luz as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slowly began to open. “They were going to realize sooner or later that Amity wasn’t always going to be the perfect little girl that they could put up on a pedestal for display.” They slowly began to move the furniture from the elevator into the hallway.

“Besides,” Emira added as she moved a box next to the dresser. “You should have heard how excited Amity was when she first called us to let us know you had asked her to be your girlfriend. You would have thought you were a knight in shining armor.”

“Emira! You don’t have to tell Luz all of that!” Amity and Luz’s mother had come up from behind them, an embarrassed look on Amity's face and an amused one on Camila’s. Luz walked over to Amity, a grin on her lips.

“Knight in shining armor, huh?” Luz gently teased her which just caused Amity’s cheeks to flush even redder.

“The phrase may have come up just the once…” Amity admitted quietly, evoking a small bout of laugher from her brother and sister. Amity tried to shoot them a glare but Luz could tell that she didn’t mean it as Edric reached over to affectionately ruffle her hair. Even though they frequently got on each other’s nerves, it was clear that that the Blight siblings did love each other. The first time Luz had met them, Amity had been so nervous, simultaneously wanting them to like her girlfriend and for them not to embarrass her. Amity was successful in the former but not the latter; Luz got along with Edric and Emira just fine, and the twins had come prepared with pictures from Amity’s childhood.

“How’s the apartment look?” Luz asked her mother.

“It looks like the landlord reached out to the building superintendent to get that window sealed properly,” Camila answered. “It’s going to get colder in a couple of months, and I’ll rest easier knowing the two of you will be safe and warm.”

“I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Emira commented as she and Edric began to carry the bookshelf down the hall to Luz and Amity’s apartment.

“You sure you don’t have any more wonderful, single Nocedas hidden away somewhere?” Edric joked as they brought the bookshelf through the doorway and into the apartment.

“No, I only have Luz,” Camila laughed. “And her heart belongs to your sister.” Amity’s cheeks flushed red at the comment. And with that Luz, Amity, and her mother began to carry the dresser down the hall and carefully worked it into the apartment. The rest of the morning flew by with many a trip up through the elevator to carry more furniture and boxes into the apartment. Amity had been fairly thorough in creating a list of the things they would need for the two of them to start their lives together properly, but even she hadn’t anticipated some of the things Camila had insisted on buying and packing for them.

“Mom, do we really need three pasta colanders?” Luz asked as they began to sort pots, pans, and other cooking apparatuses into the kitchen cabinets.

“One of them is for smaller pasta dishes, and the other is a backup for when the other one needs to be washed,” Camila answered as she continued to put knives, forks, and spoons away into a drawer. Luz merely shrugged.

“Or I could always just wash the colander right away after using it.”

Amity giggled as she leaned past Luz to carefully set several glasses up on a kitchen shelf.

“Oh really now?” Amity cut in with a playful smirk on her lips. “From all the time times I visited you and Gus at your school, the dishes seemed to have fallen to the wayside more often than not.”

“That was different,” Luz protested, taking the glasses that Amity passed her to place them up on the highest shelf of the cabinet. “I was a college kid just trying to survive. Now I’m a bona fide adult moving into her own place with her girlfriend.”

“Plus we have a dishwasher now,” Amity pointed out, indicating the small machine located adjacent to the kitchen sink. Luz leaned down to press a kiss to Amity’s forehead.

“Plus we have a dishwasher now,” Luz agreed happily.

The four of them took a break for lunch after they had set up enough chairs and a table in the small dining nook just off from the kitchen. As her mother handed her a sandwich that she had packed, Luz thanked her and took in the sight in front of her. Edric was hungrily tucking into his sandwich while Emira laughed and held out her phone to her brother in order to show him something she found funny. Camila got up to fill glasses of water for everyone. And of course, Amity was sitting at Luz’s side. Luz didn’t even have to look. She merely lowered her hand underneath the table, and as if drawn together like magnets, her hand curled up against Amity’s.

“Something on your mind?” Amity asked quietly squeezing her hand gently.

“I was just thinking how nice this is,” Luz explained, turning to face her. “I know it’s a bit of a drive, but we should have everyone over again sometime once we’re all settled in. Have our family over,” she emphasized. Amity’s eyes widened in surprise and her grip on Luz’s hand tightened.

“Do… do you mean that?” Amity asked, her voice quavering just a bit. Luz smiled.

“Of course! My mom would totally adopt you if it weren’t for the fact that it would make our relationship very weird.”

“What’s this about adoption?” Camila asked as she came back from the kitchen handing Luz and Amity each a glass of water before taking two over to the twins. “Don’t tell me you’ve already found a stray cat to rescue, Mija,” her mother teased her. Luz took a big bite out of her sandwich out before replying.

“I’ll have you know, Mami, that I already checked ahead of time, and the building does allow pets.” Camila took her seat at the table.

“That’s good to know.” Her mother turned to the twins. “When Luz was a little girl, I can’t tell you the number of times I had to check her backpack, under her bed, or in her closet for whatever animal she decided to take in. I swear, sometimes it felt like I was checking for invasive species at customs.”

“Aw!” Emira cooed. “Mittens always wanted a cat, but our parents never allowed us to have anything besides fish.” Edric finished the last bite of his sandwich before taking a sip from his water.

“And fish aren’t exactly the most affectionate of pets,” he commented. “I mean sure, they perk up when you open the lid of the tank to feed them, but that’s about it.”

“Reminds me a bit of you, Ed,” Amity joked, evoking a round of laughter from around the table.

“I’m a growing boy!” he protested indignantly. Edric turned to Luz’s mother. “And Mrs. Noceda your sandwich was delicious. I can only imagine how good the rest of your cooking must be.”

They finished their lunch, and then the five of them finished moving the last of the boxes and inside the apartment and unpacking them. Before Luz knew it, it was time for her mother and Amity’s siblings to say their goodbyes. Luz hugged her mother extra tight as she said goodbye.

“A job, your own apartment, a girlfriend… You really are all grown up, Mija,” Camila murmured.

“Maybe a bit,” Luz admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop needing you as my mom. Just that it’ll be different, and that’s okay.” Her mother chuckled as she released Luz from the hug.

“If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from being your mother, it’s that being different is very okay,” she told Luz affectionately. Luz watched her mom go over to hug Amity goodbye, and Luz was pleased to see that Amity didn’t even bother to attempt a handshake this time around. Luz felt a hand on her shoulder; she turned around to see that it was Edric and Emira.

“We kind of said what we wanted to say on the elevator,” Edric admitted sheepishly.

“But all the same, the two of you will be fine as long as you have each other,” Emira told her as she pulled her in for a hug. With their goodbyes finished, Edric raced out the door in order to claim control of the radio for the drive back while Emira chased after him. Camila’s departure was decidedly less frenetic. She merely pulled the two girls in for one final hug, telling them that if they ever needed anything, all they had to do was call. Luz and Amity both promised to do so. Camila headed out, closing the door behind her and leaving the two girls alone in their apartment.

“I’m going to got put the kettle on for some tea, do you want any?” Amity asked.

“Yes please!” Luz answered, leaning down to nuzzle her nose against Amity’s. Luz began to pull away, but Amity gently grabbed Luz by the collar of her shirt and brought her in for a kiss. Luz hummed happily as her eye slid shut and she focused all of her attention on Amity. Luz half-opened her eyes as the kiss ended, seeing that Amity had done the same. For the umpteenth time, Luz found her breath hitching as she took in the sight of the girl before her, knowing how incredibly lucky she was to love and be loved by Amity. Amity reached up to affectionately pinch Luz’s cheek before heading into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Luz stood by herself in the empty room for a long moment, the events of the day suddenly washing over her. It was just now hitting her that they had finally crossed the threshold, going from a long-distance couple to just a couple. Going forward there would always be a “before” and an “after” distinction describing their relationship. And hopefully, there would come a time when the “after” would begin to outweigh the “before” and continue to grow and grow. It was a little scary and unsettling, going from something so familiar and comfortable to something… Well, not unfamiliar, but different. But most importantly, no more long goodbyes. Every time Luz had found herself saying goodbye to Amity after a visit, it felt like a little piece of her heart was being taken as well.

“Let’s see…” Amity said as she turned the corner from the kitchen. “We have green tea, chamomile, pretty sure we’ve got some black tea somewhere around… Luz! What’s wrong?” Amity’s concerned voice broke Luz from her reminiscing. Luz looked over at Amity only for her girlfriend to appear blurry and out of focus. Luz reached up to rub her eyes and only when her fingers became wet did she realize that she was crying, tears slowly running down her cheeks.

“Northing’s wrong, Amity,” Luz tried to reassure her as Amity quickly walked over to Luz and gently cradled her face, her thumbs gently wiping away the tears as Luz had so often done for her. “In fact, it’s the opposite, everything is very right. I think everything is finally just sinking in. That in a few days, you’re still going to be here.” Amity let out a sigh of relief.

“More than just a few days. I’d say you’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future”

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘stuck’”, Luz said as she let out a little sniff, “but the rest sounds perfect to me.”

You’re not… having any second thoughts?” Amity asked, her eyes cast downward. Luz froze for a moment. And then she gently nudged Amity’s chin to make eye contact with her once more.

“Amity,” Luz began softly, “about this day… I’ve been nervous, anxious, a little scared, and looking forward to it. But the one thing I’ve never doubted is how I feel about you.” Amity gave her a small smile and pulled Luz into a hug, nuzzling into her neck.

“I can’t believe it’s finally happened,” Amity spoke quietly. “I’m afraid that I’m going to wake up any minute in my bed, and you won’t be in it.” Luz looped one of her arms around Amity’s waist, her other hand reaching up to gently comb through her hair, Amity letting out a contented little murmur in response.

“No more your bed or my bed. Just our bed.”

“I like the sound of that.”

The two of them just stood like that for a little while, holding each other in their new apartment. Luz ended the embrace taking a step back from Amity but reaching down to take hold of both of her hands and squeezing gently.

“You know… sometimes I think how different my life would be if you hadn’t commented on my Azura post,” Luz informed her girlfriend. Amity laughed as she tugged Luz by the hand and led her into their kitchen. The kettle had just finished boiling.

“I suppose it’s not the typical meet-cute story,” Amity admitted as she opened a cabinet and took out two mugs. “But we had plenty of that when we met in person.”

“Is that what you call it?” Luz asked as she took a mug from Amity, sat down at the table, and placed her teabag in it. “Because I seem to recall having to drag you out from my bedroom, Amity,” Luz teased her.

“I wanted to make up for lost time,” Amity replied with a mustered sense of dignity as she poured the hot water into Luz’s mug. “You certainly weren’t complaining as I remember.”

“Hard to file a complaint with your tongue in my mouth,” Luz retorted wickedly.

“It is kind of crazy how we’re able to have sex whenever we want now,” Amity observed as she took the seat opposite of Luz, pouring water into her mug and letting her teabag steep.

“True,” Luz agreed. “But I am going to miss you awkwardly setting up your webcam.”

“Luz!” Amity exclaimed indignantly, her face flushing red. Luz couldn’t help the giggle that spilled out from her. No matter how many times it happened, she would never get tired of seeing Amity flustered. It was too cute.

“What? You know I love bloopers!” Luz offered as an explanation.

“You’re lucky you’re cute, Noceda,” Amity muttered, tugging at her teabag, but Luz could still see the small smile on her lips

“I see you’re finally getting used to my mom’s hugs,” Luz pointed out happily. Amity nodded.

“I see where you get it from.” Luz got up from the table and walked over to the fridge and opened it. She whistled as she took in the sight of pre-made meals and just general food staples. Luz turned to look at Amity.

“She packed us so much food that we won’t have to grocery shopping for a week,” Luz said, closing the fridge and rejoining Amity at the table. Amity removed her teabag from her mug and took a tentative sip.

“I can only imagine what it was like when she dropped you off at college,” Amity remarked. Luz let out a low groan and then took a sip of her own tea.

“Oh, it was quite a sight,” Luz said wincing. “Every year it was a struggle to convince her that I didn’t need all the things she wanted to give me. I think she felt like she had permission to go overboard since there’s the two of us living here.”

“Did the twins say something to you?” Amity asked suddenly. “They weren’t weird, were they?” Luz shook her head and waved her hand dismissively.

“Nope, not weird at all. Just promised to love and cherish you, which was my plan all along,” Luz pointed out. “They really do care about you, Amity.”

“I know,” Amity conceded. “It’s just that sometimes they have a funny way of showing it.” Luz reached across the table and laced her fingers with Amity’s.

“No objections to how I show it?” Luz asked rhetorically.

“None,” Amity answered warmly.

“Good,” Luz said nodding happily. “Because I love you, Amity. I love you in a way that I’ve only ever read about before in books before I met you. And there’s nobody I’d rather share my life with than you. I’m so glad that we never have to be apart again.” Tears began to well up in the corners of Amity’s eyes.

“I love you so much, Luz,” Amity was able to choke out before she leaned across the table and kissed Luz so tenderly and lovingly that all Luz could do was tremble and bring herself as close to Amity as humanly possible. Air soon became a problem, but as soon as they had parted to catch a breath of air, they were inexorably drawn back to each other once more. Giddily, Luz realized that their tea must certainly be getting cold, but she found that she didn’t care in the slightest, not when she held the woman she loved more than anyone else in the world like this. Luz got up from her chair and nuzzled against Amity’s neck, planting a series of kisses as she did so.

“Luz,” Amity rasped out. “You can’t leave a mark, I’ve got work on Monday.” Luz pulled away and planted a kiss against Amity’s nose.

“No marks, no problem, querida,” Luz agreed.

“I wouldn’t say no marks at all,” Amity clarified through heavy breathing. “Just no visible ones. They’ll have to be lower.” Luz’s heart skipped a beat, and her skin felt like it was on fire.

“Wanna try out our new bed?” Luz asked hopefully.

“I’d love to,” Amity said breathlessly tugging at Luz’s arm.

As they all but ran to their bedroom, Luz once again appreciated how fortunate it was that she and Amity found each other. That through all the miles and days that separated them from each other, they came out the other end stronger than ever. That their relationship, each other, and their love was worth fighting for. Worth cultivating and growing. And as Amity fell back onto the bed while pulling Luz on top of her, Luz knew that they were apart no longer. And they never would be again.