Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1

“You want me to what?”

            Amity sighed, and reached out to massage her temples when she felt her head throb. Her thoughts were strewn about, unorganized for the first time in a while. Wisps of green hair stuck to her face because of the humid air in the eccentric café, her choker and wrist accessories tightening around her skin as she suppressed the irritation at the question.

            But at the same time, she knew she had no right to feel that way; her companion sat from across her, currently unhelpful in their predicament.

            Luz Noceda stared at her as if she had grown a second head. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and an unwelcoming frown was plastered on her lips, all while her arms were crossed. The infuriating bomber jacket she often wore was hanging on the chair. But she still wore the stupid beanie Amity wanted to burn so much, on her head, despite the stuffy air in the muggy café. Who would wear a beanie inside a warm café? Why do that to yourself? Luz patiently waited for an answer that Amity took her time in giving.

Serves her right for her odd fashion sense.

            “Clean your ears, Noceda, I said I want you to…date me.” Amity gritted her teeth as a shiver ran down her spine. A blank look appeared on Luz’s face, as if the girl with dyed hair spoke to her in an alien language.

            Earlier that day, Amity had had the last straw. Her mother asked her to attend another dinner party with their “friend” from work. She had seen it as another guise to set her up with one of the many stuck-up, rich, male suitors her parents were inviting over for the past three months. Amity attended most of the unpleasant events and made sure to gross them out as much as possible, or at least silently glare at them just as much for them to back away. She would get quite a scolding from her mother afterwards, something about “unbecoming” of a Blight, but it was worth more to go through that than to find herself stuck with someone unpleasant for life.

            Certainly, Amity would have already committed arson if those narcissistic men had lived closer. But no, of course they just had to have large hectares of unused land out of the valley and lived off on them.

            Now here she was, sitting in The Owl House where apparently, they did not fry up owls. While the coziness was undeniable, with the color hues of the café giving off a homey vibe, Amity would not have come here if Luz had not been so insistent. She was vaguely aware that the owner was an interesting woman in her forties, who served up weird combinations that, to Amity’s shock, had been much, much better than the ones her parents’ hired cooks had conjured in all her years in the Blight Manor. She had no complaints eating here. In addition, none from her forcedly made clique would ever step inside the rusty shack-like diner. It was more than enough to get Amity to agree.

            “First, you ask me out to dinner. Not to our usual parking lot fights,” Luz started out slowly, and while she played with the black ring on her finger and tapped it loudly against the polished, wooden table Amity sat helplessly and observed the gears that turned in the other girl’s head. Before she spoke up with an astounded amount of assurance, going, “Are you sure, you’re not going soft on me, Blight?”

            Of all the conclusions she could come up with, this was uncalled for. Amity scowled and waved her off, opting to change her earlier statement, “I’ll correct myself. I want you to fake date me. For six months.”

            Her plan was flawlessly brilliant. Surely, her parents would be startled with her sudden streak of rebellion. Amity thought that six months of pretending to be in love with a girl and then breaking-up would get them off her back no matter if it were temporary. At least, there would be a period where they would leave her alone as if to give her space to move on from a relationship with not so much emotional attachments. At this point, Amity was willing to do anything if it meant a few months of peace.

She hoped so, anyway. She had the feeling that Luz Noceda and peace would not work well together.

            When she explained it to Luz, she expected questions. There would always be questions in business, and this was purely business. Luz listened in amusement as she sipped a strangely blue drink. Amity passed it off as blue lemonade. The Dominican-American coughed afterwards, and tried not to burst into laughter, which made Amity’s ears flare up in embarrassment.

“Look here, Blight. We’re sort of enemies sometimes friends. Why did you ask me of all people? Why not Boscha? Or one of your dumb friends? Did I mention Boscha?”

            Amity wrinkled her nose, shooting Luz her infamous Blight glare. Luz raised her hands in surrender, the playful smile on her face still unwavering. She offered up her strange drink as a peace offering which Amity would have flicked away if it were not in a glass cup.

            “Hey, you’re the one asking help from me. Also, stop trying to kill me with your looks, Blight. It doesn’t work on me.” Luz continued sipping from the straw, eyebrows raised mockingly.

            “Ugh. One, ew. I will not date Boscha. She’s hardly my friend. I am not that desperate. Even if I did, it’ll just boost her arrogance and she'll just show me off like an object. I didn't attend Hexside and worked this hard only to become a trophy wife, Noceda. The thought that it would make my parents happy and make them more insufferable than before is unbearable. I would still be playing their games.”

Just imagining the scenario filled Amity with disgust. She shook her head, eyes locked with Luz, who listened intensely and without disinterest in return. The hairs on her arm stood as Amity went over her plan once more in her head; There was no one else she could count on in her circle. So logically, she had to search for someone outside of it.

            “I hate to say this, but it has to be you, Noceda. They wouldn't see this coming. Besides being a girl and the fact that they won’t be expecting me to…not be straight after having straight A’s and being top student, you made a lot of changes in school policy just by transferring in. They abhor that. In addition, it could be believable since Hexside students are kind of familiar with our fights already and making up the cover story would take lesser effort. It would definitely reach my parents and cut me some slack.” Amity admitted, fingers unconsciously fiddling with the hem of her pink dress.

            “It-It’ll just be for six months. Surely, that would be enough time for them to give up or at least get them off my back…” Her voice faltered as she became more uncertain by the minute, the bundle of nerves leaving her palms clammy.

            Amity tuned out the background noise of the café, where the crowd bustled around, and conversations were exchanged. The table fell eerily silent and all Amity could hear was the pounding of her heart against her chest. Her heart sank when she considered the fact that Luz was going to say no. But she did not expect Luz to say yes either; they were not exactly emotionally close. The closeness they had was physical, where they would fight until their bodies were covered in bruises and then bandage each other up afterewards, doing each other’s make up to keep their little secret before going to school. It was a mutual agreement implied so they would not be involved in ridiculous nonsense conjured up by passing students. Which, the prestigious girl notes, was needed now.

Amity would never admit it out loud, but those were her favorite nights. She did not need to be Little Miss Perfect nor did she have to pretend to be able to speak so eloquently to the point she bet no one else understood what she was saying and were only nodding along.

“Okay.”

The answer snapped her out of her depreciating thoughts. She looked at her companion, wide-eyed and mouth agape-another unbefitting reaction from a Blight. But Amity stopped caring about what she looked like in front of Luz because the latter had once told her that she was ugly no matter what. (At some point, that got her a black eye from Amity.)

            However, Amity had never seen Luz looked as serious as she was now; even during their play fights, Luz had the tendency to joke around verbally even though she had never held back against the heiress.

            “I’ll do it, but I have to set my conditions.” Luz leaned back in her chair, the stupid beanie still clinging to her head, even as brown strands started sticking out chaotically. Amity was not surprised. Of course, Luz wanted to offer her own terms. She was basically rejecting Amity’s earlier offer and turned things around-now Amity had the power to say yes or no. Unfortunately for her, she had to accept the potestative condition and the consequences even if they would be unequitable. Nothing could beat the terrible fate of being Boscha’s girlfriend or being a trophy wife. Or both.

“Absolutely no lip kisses.”

            Amity blinked.

Huh?

“See here, Blight. I have no time for dating, much less, fake date you now.” Luz sighed, hand rubbing her nape. “But I will. I want you to throw away any expectations because I am not going to make out with you, neither will I take your first kiss because I am a hundred percent sure that you haven’t had that yet. I will not give you mine and force you either. That’s all I want, kapeesh?”

While she had the sudden urge to hit the girl for being certain that she has not kissed anyone yet even if it was factual, Amity had not thought about kissing. She forgot all about that. Oh, dear God, how could she have forgotten an essential part of dating? It must have shown on her face because Luz looked at her in disbelief.

“You didn’t think about kissing, did you?”

“I did not.”

Luz snorted and tried not to slam her fist on the table as she seemed to find the whole thing hilarious. “Blight, be glad you’re asking me. If it were anyone else, they would have surely kissed you without permission and you wouldn’t even have time to process it! Heck, you might have even punched them and the whole plan would fail a few minutes after you introduce them to your parents.”

Amity clenched her fists, face flushed. She hissed at the other girl, helplessly trying to step on her foot underneath the table.

“Shut up, Noceda!”

Luz did just the opposite, she howled with laughter, kicking Amity back. Amity sputtered curses and threats that did not reach the former’s ears, sadly. They were making so much noise that attracted onlookers who watched the debacle as Amity had snatched the half-empty blue drink and was trying to pour it over Luz’s head. Luz grabbed both of Amity’s wrists, making them look more foolish than Amity had thought possible.

“Okay, okay! I give! Does this mean you agree then?”

Amity paused, shooting the giggling girl a suspicious look. It was a favorable condition to both parties and Luz seemed genuine enough. Amity may not have known much of her personal life, but she has heard about how honest Luz was with her friends and had not exactly deceived anyone yet. Not to Amity’s head knowledge anyway.

She had one question, however. What made Luz agree?

It was either she was bad at masking her expressions or Luz caught on quickly, because she answered even before Amity had voiced out her thoughts.

“You should really work on your negotiating skills, Blight. Speak in my language! Give me the benefits I’ll be receiving. If you’re wondering why I put up no fight, I think the greatest reward is seeing your reactions after you experience my amazing girlfriend skills. It’s a win-win for me!” Luz had said so sweetly it made Amity’s stomach flip for no good reason.

She gave Luz a deadpanned look. “Pray I won’t break-up with you after three days.”

Luz shrugged and stuck out her tongue childishly. “You need me, princesa.”

Before Amity could reply about when they started to be on a nickname basis, Eda, the owner, had come up to them and laid the bill down in front of Amity. Eda gave her a once-over and crossed her arms over an apron with the sown words, “30 and Flirty,” in messy font style. She tried to look menacing, but all Amity could focus on was the golden tooth that stuck out in the corner of her red lips.

“This kid bothering you, Luz? Do I need to scam her? Make her pay more?” Amity should take offense to that and point out that telling the victim what one planned to do would render it ineffective and that this person can go to jail for raising a proposal of committing a crime, but Luz only shook her head and smiled at Amity-or smirk, (most likely the latter), resting her chin in her palm.

“Nah, Eda. My girlfriend and I were just playing footsie.”

            What in the world is footsie?

Amity stiffened in her seat; a bit shocked at the words that came out of her-friend? Girlfriend? Enemy?- her person’s mouth. Something fluttered in her chest, as a surge of sudden warmth coursed throughout her whole body, giving color to her pale skin. It was absolutely foreign to her. There was a tug on the corner of Luz’s lips and Amity swore she could feel the enjoyment radiating from the girl as she stared the heiress down.

She had the inkling that Luz would not be as miserable as Amity in pretending for the next six months. Eda looked startled at the news before shrugging it off. “What is up with kids these days and their show of affection.” She muttered to herself, walking away as a small, black dog that Amity did not notice before, trailed behind her.

“So Blight, do you like flowers?”

When she turned back to gaze at Luz in spite, the girl was unfazed and was wiggling her brows in a teasing way. Amity felt a lump forming in her throat as she sighed. Maybe she should have thought this over for the thirty-eighth time.

“Oh, by the way, you should get used to Spanish.”

Chapter Text

2

_

Amity woke up with a sense of dread when she found her siblings banging against her bedroom door at six-thirty in the morning on a Tuesday. She sat up groggily, brows knitted in annoyance. The youngest Blight yawned and dragged her feet across the room. When she reached the door and opened it, she was greeted by her siblings, Edric and Emira, who both looked too excited. They were still in their matching pajamas, green hair unkempt, as if they were not planning to go to their university today.

Amity was certain it was too early to be happy.

“Mittens! You didn’t tell us your girlfriend was here to pick you up-” Edric started, jumping like a little kid. Emira pushed him aside and squealed, “You didn’t tell us you were dating Luz! So, all those times you were sneaking out at night-”

Edric shoved her and pushed himself up too close to Amity’s face, continuing the phrase, “-you were seeing her, weren’t you?!”

It took a bit of time before Amity’s eyes fluttered opened as she processed the twins’ words. Girlfriend? Luz? She slammed the door in their faces before she ran to her window, her mouth forming a surprised, ‘O.’ Her nostrils flared in recognition at the fiery, red beanie that stuck out like a sore thumb. No one else would own such a hideous thing.

Luz stood afar off in front of their large gates, whistling to herself. She looked bored. Behind her, she brought a red hatchback. Her bomber jacket was tied around her waist, hands in her pants’ pocket as she leaned on the car door. Coincidentally, she had looked up straight at the window just as Amity almost let out an undignified squeak. When Luz saw her, her eyes lit up and she waved.

“Yo! You aren’t ready yet?” She shouted shamelessly.

Amity did not sign up for this.

Well, she did but she thought none of it when Luz had asked her what time she went to school. Amity answered nonchalantly before Luz had insisted walking her home to the gothic manor that sat on a hill outside the city.

Amity recalled rejecting Luz’s offer because she had brought her car and was relieved that the dinner had been cancelled as her parents were called for an urgent business trip in the neighboring town. She remembered passing out in exhaustion without a care in the world.

She should have known Luz would start a plan the next day without her input.

Not even answering back, Amity closed her windows and pulled the curtains over it. She was going to be late.

Fifteen minutes later, she came down hurriedly, clad in a pink dress, as her siblings hollered behind her. Luz was still there, apparently not a figment of Amity’s imagination. She was on her phone, concentrated on a game, Amity assumes. When the gate closed behind her, that was when Luz put her phone away and grinned.

“We didn’t discuss this-” As soon as Amity opened her mouth, Luz had covered it with her hand. “Hold that thought, Blight.” She replied, turning away from Amity and pulling out something from inside the car. She hummed as she did so, and Amity tried looking over the other girl’s shoulder to see what was important enough to be interrupted for, only to see a white tulip come into view.

“This is for you, mi novia.”

She turned back to face Amity and handed out the flower cheekily, probably enjoying the way the girl’s eyes widened. Somehow, so many things happened all at once. Her siblings had taken over the speaker above the front gates, spitting out teasing words that Amity ignored. She was so surprised that Luz ended up grabbing her by the arm and dropping the flower in her palm.

Huh?

Amity was startled.

Huh?

This was new. Luz had never been sweet to her and neither had Amity received anything from Luz; if she was on the receiving end of something from the girl, it was punches and kicks, maybe a few band aids. She stared at the tulips quizzically before gazing at Luz, confused.

“What’s this for?”

“…Is this your first time getting flowers?” Luz said in amusement.

Amity squinted at her. “I received plenty of bouquets but not a single flower. Much less, from you.”

Luz rolled her eyes and shrugged. She stepped aside and opened the passenger seat, prompting Amity to go inside. “Of course, baby Blight has received the most expensive stuff. It’s why I settled for a single flower that symbolizes purity and respect. After that kiss comment last night, I thought it fits.”

Her siblings who were listening in exploded into what they thought were ‘smooching sounds,’ and Luz found it funny enough to pucker her lips and wink at the girl. Amity would have thrown the tulip back at her, but she held on it tightly and kicked Luz’s exposed shin instead.

The smile instantly disappeared as Luz groaned and grabbed her by the shoulder, frowning.

“Easy, Blight. I can’t exactly drive you with a broken leg, can I?”

“You’ve got two!”

Amity replied haughtily, stepping inside the vehicle. If Luz noticed that Amity had not even let go of the flower, she said nothing and if she heard the small ‘Thank you,’ Amity had mumbled, Luz’s smile was not the indication thereof.

_

“You’re kidding me.”

“Blight, stop being a tsundere.”

She did not know what that meant; but Luz asking for them to hold hands when they get out of the car for the whole school to see was absurd. After they arrived in the parking lot, Luz had reached out to her explaining that that was what couples do, to which Amity scooted away from, horrified by the idea of physical affection that not even her parents showed.

“Blight.” Luz warned, her expression morphing into something that said, ‘I’m literally doing my job here, stop making it hard.’

“It’s weird!”

“Oh my God, stop being a baby!”

Luz grabbed her free hand and laced their fingers together, pulling Amity from across the seat. She looked down at their fingers, something prickling at her skin when she realized that Luz had started rubbing her thumb over her palm in a comforting manner.

Too intimate.

Too much.

Amity experienced something swell inside her when she glanced up to protest, only to be met by Luz’s chocolate brown eyes. She had seen them plenty of times, but today it was without the usual murderous intent. Her body tensed when Luz leaned in only to grab the bag in her lap.

“There, was that so hard? Now give me your bag.”

“No-”

“Blight-Just give me that-The door’s lock, dumbass!”

Amity had no doubt that someone was bound to report to her parents after this. When the two had walked through the doors, hands intertwined, Luz holding both their bags in the other, the students quieted down. The sight of the top student holding hands with a well-known delinquent would be some juicy gossip, after all.

Luz paid no heed to this as she walked towards two of her friends at the end of the hall, tugging Amity along with her. “What are you doing?” She hissed under her breath, panic flooding her as they passed her circle of “friends”, whose eyes were fixed on the two. Amity glanced forward, only to be greeted by the familiar faces Luz always hung around with.

“Introducing you to my friends.” Luz said simply.

“But I already know-”

“Woah! Did someone put superglue on your hands or something?”

A boy with curly hair and dark skin glanced at their hands curiously, eyes holding genuine wonder. Amity remembers his name to be Augustus. A smart kid who had skipped some grades and was in some of Amity’s classes. Amity acknowledged his quick wits, but he should really work on his discernment.

“Gus, please tell me you don’t actually think that.”

Willow raised a brow, eyes also focused on their hands. She gave Amity a knowing look and Amity was not even aware what Willow knows at all. Although when Luz released her hand, shifting to balance the bags she carried, Amity was raddled at the wave of disappointment washing over her.

But it soon disappeared when she felt Luz gently wrap her arm around her shoulders, keeping her on her toes. Despite the initial squeak she had let slip out of her mouth and Luz’s chuckle, Amity stayed silent when she became mindful of where they were. Luz’s friends were still waiting, probably for something they-or at least one of them-knows already. Amity was puzzled to find herself leaning into the touch when Luz pulled her close enough to be pressed against her side. It felt nice. No, Amity was uncomfortable. Yes, that was definitely it.

“Guys, this is Amity. Mi amor.” Luz’s voice was loud and proud, boastful, and absolutely not blissful to Amity’s perked ears.

The reactions were instantaneous.

Gus’ mouth fell open, Willow looked surprised as her hands dropped to her side and Amity whipped her head to stare at Luz in shock. Amity might have been terrible at Spanish, but she understood what those two words meant, by accidentally listening to Spanish songs in passing. No thanks to Dora. The sudden declaration left Amity flabbergasted and Luz was a good enough actress to even dare look sheepish!  She was so casual about it that Amity almost believed her.

“She’s what?”

I’m what-oh right, I am.

Some silly students who were eavesdropping paused in doing whatever they were supposed to do and gaped at the two. Amity could not blame them; the possibility of superglue was more plausible than them dating. Supposedly. After what it seemed like an eternity of background noises, Willow coughed to gain their attention.

“Why is Amity so surprised?” Willow questioned slowly.

            The two-or more like everybody at this point-turned to scrutinize the young Blight. While Amity had been used to attention since she was a kid, she was not prepared to announce something part of her nonexistent love life. She was going to repay Luz later for this chaos.

“I-Yes.” She stuttered, trying to gain back her composure. She felt a slight squeeze on her shoulder and was immediately reminded that Luz was still holding her confidently. “N-Luz. Luz is my…my person. I just…didn’t expect her to tell the whole school so soon.”

She did not need to look at Luz to know that she was trying not to laugh again. Amity will deal with her later. For now, she mentally scolded herself. My person? What kind of human being says that?! And I stuttered! How would that be convincing?!

Thankfully, Divine Providence had heard her pleading prayers as the bell shrieked, signaling the start of first period. Amity excused herself, not wanting to answer any more personal questions and because she was about to risk losing her top student status.

“Wait!”

For the nth time that morning, Luz grabbed her hand and Amity frowned, already in a broody mood.

“Noce-Luz whatever you’re going to say, tell me later, I need to get to class-” She was cut off as Luz leaned in and winked. Her confusion at what it meant quickly turned into shock as she felt something moist press against her cheek, freezing her in her place. Luz took her time, enjoying the way the students erupted into loud murmurings while Amity’s mind went haywire, the lessons she had studied in advance from weeks prior saying goodbye and leaving her head empty.

She kissed me.

Her face flared up at the realization.

“I’m sorry for not asking first but I didn’t want you to be unnaturally tenser than you already are, Blight. And really? Your person? Give me a better nickname, princesa.” Luz whispered in her ear, before stepping away, a smug smile on her face.

“Good luck, hermosa. I’ll pick you up after classes.”

Amity was about to have a heart attack because of that.

She forced a smile before waving goodbye and half-jogged away from everyone else, towards her classroom in the far corner. She ignored the way phones flashed left and right and pretended her face was flushed because of anger.

By now, she was sure there was no need to say anything else.

_

Amity should not have jinxed that.

True to her word earlier that day, Luz waited for Amity outside of the science laboratory, which was her last class. Gus and Willow were nowhere to be found and Luz was holding a water bottle which she had pushed into Amity’s face as soon as she came out of the room.

“I thought you’d be thirsty, mi reina.”

She would have to search whatever those things meant when she got home. Amity was not sure what charade Luz was playing with her right now, but she was sort of grateful because she had a stressful day, and a water bottle was welcome.

But certainly, nothing is for free. When she took the bottle from Luz’s hand, a genuine ‘thank you,’ on her tongue, Luz had looked at her expectantly. Amity’s sensitive ears picked up on some of the whispers from the students that surrounded them once again and it dawned on her what the other girl wanted.

“I am not kissing you.” She whispered, the knots in her stomach tightening.

“People are watching, Blight.” Luz whispered back.

Amity’s face flared up when she saw the mischievous glint in Luz’s eyes as she bent down slightly. She swallowed the lump in her throat, hand twitching with the urge to give Luz another black eye. Amity scowled inwardly and mulled over how she was going to get her revenge for this. She leaned in with her still red face to give Luz a quick peck on her cheek. The sounds of gasps were on que and it irritated her.

Do these people not have any lives of their own?

“Thanks.” She muttered.

Luz had that dumb grin on her face again. It made Amity want to pull her hair. She sucked in a sharp breath and swiftly turned around to flee the scene, a mix of irritation and unknown feelings swirling inside of her. She did not have to look back to know that Luz followed like a happy puppy.

Amity kissed her.

Well, it was just a peck-

I still kissed her!

As soon as they turned a few more corners and finally got out of the public’s eyes, Amity bared her teeth and attacked Luz.

Chapter Text

3

The following week was no better.

It was the annual rugby season where Hexside went toe-to-toe with their rival school. The halls were decorated with posters and signs of support for The Banshees, printed photos of popular players’ faces greeting you as soon as you step inside. Last year, Amity Blight was one of the stars that Hexside took pride in, the face used in their propagandas until she decided to quit their last game.

Amity and Luz were in the cafeteria, arguing back and forth about how sharing a tray of food was stupid and dumb, and not sweet and cute, as Willow and Gus ate quietly, entertained at the fight happening in front of them. They argued just as much as they did before Luz had unceremoniously announced them dating.

“They literally have the ability to feed themselves, why do you need to feed me?!”

“I’m trying to be sweet here!”

While Amity did not usually have lunch because of unbearable companions or that she would rather be in the library during that time, Luz cussed at her and said that it simply would not do; thus, she had dragged her to eat with Gus and Willow. On the third day of trying to shove away the food Luz insisted on feeding her, Amity’s old coach, Lilith Clawthorne, approached their table. She was a tall woman with raven hair and piercing blue eyes, carrying an air of intimidation as she towered over them, abruptly stopping the arguments. Behind her, two of Amity’s old teammates appeared.

Amity had an inkling she was not about to like where this was going; Boscha and Skara were not exactly keen on approaching Amity when the latter had ditched them. Lilith Clawthorne was well-known for her dislike of interacting with people unless they were for professional reasons.

“Miss Blight, we have a favor to ask you.”

She proceeded to go on about a player being injured because of drunk driving and was placed in a time out. Unfortunately, Amity already knew what they wanted even if they did not say so directly. The school was very picky about who made the team or not which now raised the problem of having no substitutes to take the injured player’s place.

She gave them a half-hearted answer that spoke of no promises, which had noticeably made them upset. Amity sighed heavily and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. It made her forget that she had company until there was a gentle nudge on her side which made her bristle. She peeked over her shoulder to see Luz offering her a piece of apple pie. Not feeling up for another bicker, she opened her mouth to accept it. Luz let out an audible sound of contentment and repeated the gesture which once again, Amity accepted, albeit a little bit embarrassed.

“I’m about to bite your hand off, Noceda.” Amity warned, catching a glimpse of Luz smiling at her.

Underneath the table, Luz grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together which Amity was still having a hard time getting used to even after a week. But she was a bit relieved to find that her body had relaxed a little and that there were even times she had reciprocated the gesture, telling herself that it was good enough to avoid suspicion from the crowds. This was one of those times.

“You should do it.” Luz encouraged softly, rubbing circles on Amity’s hand.

Amity eyed her wearily at the statement. Gus and Willow had excused themselves earlier, talking about overthrowing a mole that had infiltrated the boy’s club and Amity expected Luz to go with them, but she sat through the dirty looks her old friends had given her. Lilith had ignored Luz entirely, including the jokes she had chipped in, as an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Why?” Amity pursed her lips.

“Because I want to see my girlfriend burn the other team to the ground!” The statement was said nonchalantly but at the same time, a fire burned within the taller girl’s brown eyes. Luz raised her fist in the air, other hand squeezing Amity’s in comfort as she talked incomprehensibly about ‘ka-booms!’ and ‘ka-pows!’ She chattered about game plans and ‘sweet revenge’ for something shady she most likely was involved in and Amity had no clue about it. But the only words she managed to hear before her brain became mush was the ‘girlfriend’ word.

 If she was drinking something, she would have choked. Luz had been calling her terms of endearments that made it harder to concentrate on anything whenever she did so, like how she was yelling about it right now, drawing the attention of other students. It was funny, the way people were giving her weird looks, which should have bothered her but it did not.

Amity felt a tug on the corner of her lips, a smile gracing her lips. She flipped her hair, making sure it hit Luz in the face.

“I do not condone violence.”

Luz scoffed at the obvious lie, slapping her hair away and pointing a finger on her chest, exclaiming, “You’re a fucking arsonist, Blight, stop hiding it!”

Amity had to admit, it was not the most conventional way to convince her and no one has ever taken her off guard with words, but Luz had always tried pushing her buttons to see what works. I must say, she’s becoming an expert at that. When she relayed her agreement to Lilith, she was given the green light with almost no delay, to lead the team, Boscha begrudgingly backing out as team captain.

Luz had disappeared from her side in the days that followed, and Amity only saw her whenever they finished their evening practices. She would spot the annoying beanie in the bleachers, where Luz slept soundly, a plastic bag in her lap. She found out what was in it when she approached to wake her the first evening. Luz would offer a meat bun which she insisted was a good source of nutrition especially after Amity felt spent over the practice games.

She had learned to just accept whatever it was Luz gave, triple-checking if she was trying to poison her or not. She tasted some of them for the first time which she was more than inclined to welcome, seeing as her parents preferred being served delicate dishes that Amity had become more than sick of after years of living a sheltered life in the manor. This was one of those rare moments where she could eat anything she wanted without being chastised.

“I might be late for your game,” Luz frowned and stated three days before the game.

Amity had been anxious about it and even though Lilith offered to give her the day off, she preferred to practice overtime. When Luz waited in the car, wondering about why she still has not appeared when she saw Boscha and Skara already leave minutes prior, she went to the fields to discover Amity just standing in the middle, spaced out as she held a ball in her hands. The taller girl had placed her jacket on Amity’s shoulders, jolting her out of her mental turmoil.

“Want to go home?” She suggested patiently. Amity nodded as Luz led her to the locker rooms, their hands occupied by each other.

Amity was half-awake in the passenger seat, freshly showered and using Luz’s jacket as a blanket when Luz muttered something about plans, occasionally glancing at Amity as she drove back to the Blight Manor.

“You’re going to attend the game?” Amity mumbled, trying her best to listen even as her body ached enough to break her concentration. Why Luz felt the need to attend, Amity did not know. But thinking over it again, it was probably because they were fake dating and it would not be good for either of them if she was not there.

“’Course, I am. I’ve attended your games before, and I relish in seeing the other schools lose,” Luz boasted as if she were one of the players who had achieved countless victories. Amity chuckled to herself, before confusion took hold of her. She never saw Luz in the crowds, not like she was looking for her specifically back then.

“So supportive.”

Luz quieted down after that. The city lights faded behind them as barks of trees greeted Amity’s half-lidded eyes and rustling leaves filled her ears. The breeze that slipped in from the rolled-down window left her colder by the passing minute. She pulled the jacket over her and snuggled in it, catching a whiff of pine trees and lavender soap. It was a large contrast from when she would be overwhelmed by the combination of the stench of blood and sweat after they beat each other up.

The radio played out a country song she barely recognized and the last thing she heard before falling into deep slumber was, “I’ve always supported you, idiot. People need to notice your hard work and that’s what I’m here for.”

Huh. Amity should chide her at that but maybe when she was more awake. Right now, sleep called after her and she was willing to follow.

            When she woke up the next day, her siblings showed her photos of Luz making a peace sign next to her bed, a marker in hand. Fortunately, the mustache she had drawn on the girl with wild hair washed off quickly. The unfortunate thing was that Amity had not seen her the following day, leaving her sitting with her old teammates and being forced to join talks about Penstagram and pedicures. She was starting to remember why she stopped eating lunch long ago. She poked at the cafeteria food which oddly resembled spider legs mushed in a yellowish sauce. How her rival slash fake girlfriend was able to eat this without gagging, Amity will never know. She scowled at the thought of the missing person. She would usually be bursting inside the cafeteria by now, shouting nonsense.

No one was brave enough to ask her why she treated people sourly more than usual, but Amity heard some gossips attributing it to Luz’s absence. She neither denied nor confirmed it, but her aggressive behavior during the practice game mortified her teammates which made them secretly wish Luz would be on the bleachers like she normally was. Amity could have directed all the anger at her, sparing her teammates from the stress.

“You totally miss her.” Boscha sneered during one of their water breaks. Amity responded by accidentally hitting her head harder than intended.

            She drove alone that day, angry at the rumors she heard and considered leaving more bruises the next time she saw the girl with the stupid beanie. She will not be bringing band aids too.

_

When the day of the championship arrived and the middle of the game was already in tow, Luz was still nowhere to be found. Amity was on the field, calling out for a half-time. The Hexside sports' uniform felt uncomfortably tight around her figure and she wondered if it was due to the nerves or if it was because of every junk food Luz had fed her days before. She walked back and forth near the benches, muttering strategies to herself. A glimpse up at the scoreboard where they were only a few points away from catching up to Glandus High made her extremely jittery. They could win if time was on their side, but she herself was at her physical limits. She cannot recall the last time she had been this tired but she maybe did not regret leaving the team after her body felt the repercussions of going back.

Her teammates were gathered in the corner, wiping sweat and hydrating themselves. As much as Amity wanted to join them, the anxiety was getting to her and the irritation at the fact that the person who encouraged her to play was still missing. The nerve. Amity paused at that thought. She did not need Luz to win, that was uncalled for. Amity hesitated, irked at the loud cheers from the rival school which threatened to overwhelm her.

“This isn’t looking good.” Amity muttered to herself.

Before she became more frustrated with herself and her inability to turn things around, a megaphone resounded throughout the field, with an all too familiar voice screaming, “OUT OF THE WAY, ASSHOLES!”

Surprisingly, people parted and grew silent, finally getting Amity’s attention. She whipped her hair back, eyes wide and mouth falling open in shock. Gus and Willow stumbled to the front of the bleachers, carrying a large, folded cloth. They wore Hexside-colored sweaters and caps, smirks on their faces. Amity squinted, searching for the third person in the group, wanting to give her a piece of her mind for being unreasonably late, absent, and stupidly just gone without a word, making everyone doubt that they were on good terms and were still dating.

Oh my God.

            The crowd was still paved as the yelling continued, even distracting the rival team and their fans. A mop of brown hair popped out from behind the folded tarp and Amity paled. Luz appeared to have ditched her striped shirt and ripped jeans in favor of a gold and blue sweater with AMITY BLIGHT printed on the chest, paired with a cheerleading skirt and-

Were those pom-poms?!

            The beanie Amity hated with all her being was gone, showing off Luz’s brown locks where shorter strands spiked out messily behind her ears. Her legs were patched in colorful band aids, no doubt from their recent fight and despite the cold, the tall girl looked unbothered. If Amity thought she had already been rendered speechless, as soon as Luz noticed her looking, she waved enthusiastically and turned the megaphone on.

“AMITY! You don’t know how long this took me!” She complained before digressing into another cheer, “GO BANSHEES, AMITY GO KICK THEIR ASSES! Or wait, is that grammatically correct-? Whatever, GO WIN THIS GAME, MI NOVIA!” She looked back at the shocked crowd and growled loudly into the megaphone. She moved away momentarily from the megaphone and said something to Willow who had given her a red bat in return. As soon as Luz looked satisfied she turned back to the stunned crowd.

“All of you start shouting your support or I’m going to bash your heads with my bat.”

            It did not take long for her words to sink in, which then elicited a surge of loud shouts and soon enough, Hexolios were all standing and jumping around, infected by Luz’s energy (or probably her threats) while the cheerleader ran around frantically in front, pulling people up from their seats.

            “Oh my God…” Amity blurted out, face turning tomato red when she heard the coos and squeals behind her. Boscha’s obnoxious laughter rang in her ears and Amity could not have been more embarrassed until Luz motioned her friends to open the cloth they were holding.

            They threw it forward and Amity let out another strangled sound which was a cross between a gasp and a sigh. It was a banner, with some of her rugby pictures last year, organized in a collage. But what took up more space, were the big, black letters that read, “GO AMITY BLIGHT, MY PRETTY PINK CHIHUAHUA! AMOR SEXY!”

            As if it was not enough, Luz shouted out the written words. The jock could hear the glee in her voice as she yelled, expressly enjoying the thing she had most likely planned for the past few days. Amity cannot believe Principal Bump was not putting a stop to this. She cannot believe Luz just called her a dog. She absolutely cannot believe each word to be printed and shown for the whole school-soon-to-be-world to take photos of!

            “I’ll give you more kisses if you win this!” The ooh’s echoed around the field, the crowd cheering louder than when the game began. Some of Amity’s teammates slapped her back and ruffled her chaotic hair, voices tinge with teasing.

            Amity was going to kill her.

She was going to straight-up commit murder by arson and burn that banner along with the beanie and Luz.

There was a sudden boost of energy from within her, and the captain was unsure if it was because of the sudden shot of adrenaline about what just happened or she just had a secret, physical reserve. The whole thing was so ridiculous and dumb and stupid, and it placed a devilish grin on her face when she entertained the thought of beating up the cheerleader. Her body was pulsing hot and she assured herself that the blush on her face was because of the pent-up anger she was going to unleash.

            “Girls,” she called out calmly, cracking her knuckles as her mind recalculated the strategies she had conjured for the perfect game plan. Amity scanned the fields, several ideas and their probabilities popping up in her mental chart. She narrowed them down to find the most practical and possible game plan with how stretched-out the time was.

She was a Blight. Her plans were flawless, well-mapped and merciless. Amity Blight does not lose. Especially not after that show that flaunted a needless amount of effort on Luz’s part.

“Listen up. We’re going to beat them to a pulp.”

In the next few minutes, Amity was unstoppable on the field. She tackled larger opponents with a strengthened physique and she was relieved to find that having street fights actually did her good. She shouted orders left and right with no room for arguments, highly aware how Luz was stepping over the bars, Willow and Gus trying their best to hold her back before she fell. It would have been a hilarious sight other than being a distraction. Hexolios were on the edge of their seats, holding their breath until Amity could score trys from when Amelia had passed her the ball while they ran.

“YEAH! BEAT THEM UP LIKE YOU DID ME!”

“She really wants those kisses, huh.”

She really wanted to behead the cheerleader.

            When the long whistle sounded and Hexside erupted into cheers, it dawned on Amity that they had won after her last shot. Her teammates ran up to her and wrapped the captain in hugs. The blaring lights that captured the whole field in its view was directed painfully at her face as they hoisted her up, deafening cheers findings its way to her ears.

They won.

“What a week...” She muttered to herself as exhaustion caught up to her, leaving her in a dizzy fit. She dropped her helmet to the ground and sighed in relief.

When the banshees decided to offer the trophy to Amity as a gift after the award ceremony, Luz finally jumped over the bleachers and ran across the field, dropping her pom-poms somewhere on the way before lifting Amity off her feet. Amity automatically wrapped her arms around the other girl’s neck to balance herself, eyes widening when Luz kissed her on the cheek for all eyes to see.

Amity swore the applauds were louder than when she scored and she felt oddly bitter about that but Luz genuinely spinning her around distracted her from her competitive nature. Inwardly, Amity was happy too, but she had a reputation to keep. So, she snatched the trophy from Boscha and whacked it on Luz’s head repeatedly.

“Ow! Why so hurtful, hermosa?!” Luz huffed, still not letting Amity down and if it was possible, she tightened her hold on her, pulling the player closer to her chest.

“For disappearing, not taking me home, being late and being so ridiculously dumb!” Amity recounted and tugged on the cheerleader’s sweater. Luz snickered and leaned in which made the Amity’s face erupt into flames. There was an intensity to Luz’s gaze as she inched closer and for some apparent reason, Amity’s eyes were almost about to flutter to a close when Luz kissed her nose.

“Missed me, much, princesa?”

She only received another whack in return.

_

Luz had taken her home, only to have seen her parents at the doors of the large manor. Apparently, an instructor who had been tasked to watch over her in the hallways and the game, sent photos to the Blight parents which prompted them to go home from another business trip. The posts on Penstagram trended around the student body of the school, but as for Amity’s mental schedule, it reached her parents slower than she thought.

Luz walked her to the door, wearing her bomber jacket this time, covering up the scratches Amity sneaked in when they were alone in the parking lot. Usually, Amity shooed her off, but she did not have the heart this time as soon as they reached the door after the silent walk. Her father and mother loomed over the two, a condescending look on both of their faces; although she was quite sure that her mother’s icy glare was much more prominent than the solemn gaze her father held.

Her parents were livid.

Perhaps that was an understatement.

When Luz introduced herself, hand outstretched for a handshake, Amity’s face fell when her parents ignored it, leaving Luz awkwardly standing there like an idiot. She should have expected that but it was still unnerving nonetheless. Time moved excruciatingly slow when her parents bade their time in sizing up the girl next to their daughter. It always took forever when Amity was alone, this was no exception.

“You can’t be serious, Amity,” Her mother started, sharp and bone-chilling.

She shot a disgusted smile at Luz who frowned in return but stood upright in her spot. The teen had the ‘I’m not backing down!’ expression written all over her face and Amity managed to not let out a nervous chuckle at that. When Amity started to say something in return, her mother’s fake smile turned into a deep frown that forewarn danger. The red lights in Amity’s head rang which made her shut up, an urge to vomit forming in the pits of her stomach.

Of course, there was no need for them to hear more because they already know everything that has transpired. They always did. If it were not for their intel, it was probably due to other things Amity would rather not now.

“You can do better than this. In fact, I have already arranged dinner with the heir of Belos industries tomorrow, which you will be attending.”

Something habitual clawed at Amity’s throat as she struggled to speak back. Before panic rose inside of her which would make her mechanically answer in affirmative, she felt a familiar brush of skin, which enveloped her whole palm. Luz had taken her hand, to all the Blights’ astonishment. She stepped forward beside Amity, back straight and face blank. Amity had seen her companion’s misplaced confidence many times, but these were not the times she thought Luz would show this particular side of her.

“With all due respect, Mr. and Mrs. Blight, but your daughter can’t see anyone else now.”

Luz’s voice was careful, calculating, and devoid of its usual quirkiness. But it was also firm and confident.

Amity saw her mother’s jaw slacken which quickly turned into a glower. Before she could speak, her father raised a hand and Amity flinched, thinking he was about to hit either of them. Her grip tightened around Luz hand and she squeezed back just as hard. Her mother stopped mid-sentence of spilling threats; attention quickly captured by her husband and she waited, tapping her foot against the pavement impatiently, golden eyes narrowed sharply.

He did not say anything for a while; instead, he examined his daughter under a scrutinizing gaze, making Amity feel smaller than usual. The air was thick with tension when his eyes shifted to the stranger between the four.

“Luz Noceda, was it? If we told you we would still hold dinner with Amity’s suitors, what would you do?”

His voice was low but nerve-wracking, somehow scarier than his wife’s.

Luz took a deep breath and Amity felt her palm becoming clammy. It did not deter her from having a solid and unyielding hold on her hand, however. The action was not left unnoticed by her parents, who frowned disapprovingly. The young Blight avoided their piercing eyes and checked on the girl beside her, who seemed to have calmed down. Luz gave her an encouraging wink and turned back to face her father and mother. Amity really hoped she would think about the answer or it would cost her all the hard work they have gotten done in the past few weeks.

Without missing a beat, Luz grinned and answered, “I would crash the dinner party, sir.”

Amity almost snorted. The mix between being respectful and cheeky was definitely one of Luz’s unexpected traits. Her mother looked absolutely stupefied at the answer and Amity was reminded just how much of an idiot Luz could be at times (if not all the time), but it was what made things fun. Her father bristled and frowned, deeming the answer unfit, Amity knew.

He continued with the questions, quietly.

“And if we stopped you from seeing our daughter indefinitely, can you do anything about it?”

At that, Amity’s breath hitched. Her father’s voice was calm and patient but held promises of a successful threat. She did not want to go through another round of stupid boys showing off their parents’ wealth. She could not possibly survive that emotionally again. If they disallowed her from seeing Luz, then that also meant no more of their late-night fights. She was going to be stuck in the stuffed mansion and the fear of the realization made her body tremble.

Luz, on the other hand, was unfazed as she answered the heiress’ father, something Amity could not possibly do in an immediate endeavor.

“The question is not if I can, sir. I will do something about it.”

“Alador, you cannot possibly condone this behavior.”

Alador sighed heavily, eyes leaving the two and staring at his wife down. His hands were back to positioning themselves behind his back, her mother glaring back at him menacingly so.

“We have had suitors over whom Amity had clearly rejected. Now we know why,” He grimaced, “Our name is already tarnished by Amity’s continuous behavior during her dinner dates with the past courters. Do you want another repeat of that?”

“To explain that is easy, honey,” A chill ran down through Amity’s spine at the vicious tone that came out of her mother’s mouth. She continued while staring down at Luz, saying, “She has been spending time with the wrong crowd. We just need to get rid of her. Then we can fix the mess she caused.”

Amity felt the fear turned into something cold at her mother’s words. Her mind flashed back to the times where she had to do every little thing her parents told her to do, like cutting off her friends and having to be forced to spend time with people they chose for her; forcing her to bully innocent people and having special treatment by bribing professionals with her last name. She felt the fear turn into suppressed anger boil inside of her, something that has piled up for a long time now. 

No. Not again.

“You can’t!” Amity blurted out, earning her parents’ undivided attention. Even Luz did not expect the outburst.

“Luz may not meet your standards, mother. But if your standards mean that I must hang around or marry a person who clearly does not care about my well-being and only wants to take away your wealth, then I think that you should be the one doing better.”

Amity was expecting a slap for such a shameful act of dishonoring the person who gave birth to her. But it never came, and what did, was a flash of green when Luz suddenly stepped in front of her. Startled, Amity moved back only to have caught a glimpse of Odalia raising her hand in rage.

Her father, almost expectant, had lifted his arm in disdain, “I think we’ve heard enough, Odalia,” Alador said quietly, but almost venomously to his wife. They turned away from the two teenagers and had a silent but heated argument.

Luz turned on her heel and grabbed Amity by her shoulders. The taller girl examined her face worriedly while her parents continued whisper-shouting for a decision to be made. She mouthed, ‘Are you okay?’ to which Amity only shook her head at. Luz, not knowing what else to do, had settled for a forehead kiss before a frustrated click of a tongue got their attention.

As if to signal that the conversation was over, her mother stormed in the manor, anger evident in every step.

How unbefitting of a Blight.

A few minutes of deafening silence fell on the three and Amity held her breath. Beside her, Luz stiffened but she held Amity close by the shoulders for reasons unknown to the latter. Her father lingered in the entrance of the manor, seemingly to be in deep thought until he stepped in the mansion to follow his wife, with not even a turn of a head. But when he was about five steps in, he paused and called out to the two coldly.

“Amity, you’re old enough to make your own judgement. We will not interfere this time but you have better not regret this one.”

When the door closed with a click! and Amity was sure her father had actually left, she fell to the ground, fingers shaking like tremors of an earthquake. Her eyes glistened with tears, the inevitable confrontation with her parents taking its toll on her. She did everything they asked her to do and weeks prior to this, she was filled to the brim with a rebellious streak that they had taken out just by speaking for a few minutes.

She had done it. She raised her voice against her parents and said something contradicting them. Whether she had done it out of trauma or because Luz’s presence made her feel braver because of their fights before, Amity did not know.

Luz knelt alongside her, jacket removed and placed on Amity’s shoulders.

“You okay?”

They would often say those words after a fight. Amity never imagined hearing it twice while she was on the ground in front of her house.

“Yes.”

She wondered if her parents locked her out and if she had to climb to the window on the floor above. Or maybe she could call one of the twins to open it for her just in case, assuming that they were not out partying at another college student’s house. While she contemplated the choices she had, she felt a hesitant hand on her back just as Luz coughed.

“It’s uh…cold outside. Body contact helps give warmth, right?” Her voice was odd, and Amity thought it was because no one would know what to say in this situation and that she was just trying to sound optimistic.

“Noceda, your hand can hardly be considered body contact.”

“Oh, is that an invitation?”

Before Amity could reply, Luz pulled the girl towards her and wrapped her arms around Amity’s smaller frame. The familiar scent of pinecones greeted her nose and Amity sighed, shifting her position to make herself comfortable. Luz buried her face in the girl’s green hair and nuzzled as if she were hugging a fluffy teddy bear. Amity felt like she should have pushed her away, but it was cold and body contact was indeed, warm and needed.

They sat there on the pavement for what seemed like an hour, intimately and deliberately too close, as Amity caught her breath. She watched as Luz fiddled with the black ring on her finger in front of her and paused.

“I have a statement to make though,” Luz started; voice almost muffled by Amity’s locks.

“You always have statements to make in the worst times,” The shorter girl scoffed.

Luz hummed, not dignifying her words with a response.

“I bet you your mother can’t win in a street fight against me.”

The night was cold and unyielding. But something light bubbled inside Amity at the image of her mother, with her frilly dress, fists up and screaming bloody murder against Luz and her bat. It was enough to send her on her knees, body shaking for a different reason, laughter filling up the open air.

Luz was going to be the death of her.

As revenge, Amity was going to keep the jacket.

Chapter Text

4

She never returned the jacket even when Luz challenged her to another fist fight in the park a few blocks away from the police station. Thankfully, the influx of suitors every week had abruptly stopped but Amity had a sinking suspicion that her parents were still monitoring her every move. However, she would forget about it as soon as she saw the familiar red beanie outside of their tall gates at six-thirty in the morning.

The two soon fell into a comfortable pattern. Luz would pick her up from school for the following weeks, a flower or sweet treat in her hand. Last week she received different colors of roses; another week she had been gifted a pack of different flavored jellybeans.

A shadow passed Amity’s face when she reminisced those days. Luz thought it would be fun to send Amity into a Russian roulette where she could either get a good jellybean or a stinky gym sock flavored one. Unfortunately, Amity had the worse luck ever. They went home with more bruises and scratch marks that night.

The only thing different was how Luz had parked outside of the manor sign where her mother could not bother pestering them with more depreciating and snarky comments when she drove Amity home.

Another time they argued about how Amity’s BMW had just been sitting in the garage, looking pretty and that Amity should also pick her up at times, but Luz refused, as if she did not want Amity to know where she lived. Amity had the resources to make an investigation for that, but asking Luz directly took lesser effort and Amity would rather not be pushy. In the end, they agreed to use it twice a week. Luz does not get to drive it though.

Amity learned during one of their car trips that Luz liked it better when her food was dyed blue.

“You have got to be kidding me, Noceda.”

“Blue food is a delicacy, Blight! Your high-class tongue will never understand!”

Amity wanted to tell her that everything would taste the same, but they would swirl into another argument to her distress. Luz was in the passenger seat of the BMW, looking out the window as they were stuck in traffic.

“If you were sick and I gave you tablets that aren’t blue, would you drink them?”

Luz leaned back on the comfy seat, almost raising her legs up before Amity shot her a dirty look. She rolled her eyes and slid down the seat before replying, cheeks puffed.

“First of all, bold of you to assume I’d accept medicine from you. Second, no. If they weren’t blue, I wouldn’t.”

“You’d die.”

“I can pin you for homicide.”

They continued bickering until the two arrived in The Owl House Café where Luz insisted to be dropped off every time. Before she left, she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over to kiss Amity’s forehead, a gesture she had become familiar with.

“Now you have to kiss me back.”

Amity responded with what seemed to be an alien sound.

“But nobody is watching!”

Luz did not move from where she was, eyebrows raised, still far too close for Amity’s comfort. She pointed behind her, eyes still locked with girl. The café was packed with unfamiliar faces, but the driver understood what that meant. More publicity. She sighed, her grip on the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles turned white.

Luz turned slightly as if offering her cheek and all Amity wanted to do was bite it out of spite. It did not take long for her to weigh the options; Luz must have been doing this so Amity would become much more comfortable doing it in public.

“Bye, Amity, make sure to not be distracted when you get home.”

That was hard to do since Luz kept invading her thoughts. Later, in her room, she started recounting the times Luz had called her Amity instead of Blight.

The young heiress still found herself perplexed with Luz’s random kisses before she goes to class or when they meet up afterwards. It annoyed the green-haired teen how her body now subconsciously leaned in every time Luz did too. But mentally, her thoughts would short-circuit, and Amity would be left ignorant of what to feel after. The lack of physical contact over the years must have left her wanting more, not that she would admit it out loud; she just wondered when she should return the show of affection and which time was appropriate to do so or not.

These questions plagued her thoughts on a Saturday morning where she had the day for herself. Her siblings were out doing whatever it was, her parents were called for business meetings and stressful projects and Amity gets to relax and goof around without the pressure of studying.

But now she was stressed over conflicted feelings.

‘Oh, Mittens, just do what feels natural!’ The imaginary Emira she created piped in, interrupting Amity’s self-reflection.

Goodness, she thought to herself, Life is much easier without a girlfriend. Fake or not.

Until her phone beeped.

She glanced at the screen, checking to see if it was Penstagram or if it was another fake lottery ticket that said she won. Luz stole her phone one time during lunch and changed both the lockscreen and wallpaper to her face. Amity stared at it for a moment. In the photo, Luz had taken a selfie, finger gunning at the camera. Her beanie was lopsided, brown eyes half-lidded and pearly white teeth shown in a teasing smile. The phone owner just thought that it would be a hassle to change it back, so she left it like that. Besides, Luz would just steal it back again if she had the chance.

It vibrated again, signaling another message from her fake girlfriend.

Jerky Noceda: Ami. Open ur big ass gates or I’m climbing in. 9:33 a.m.

Jerky Noceda: K, guess I’m climbing in. 9:36 a.m.

Amity raised a brow at that before she stood up from her bed, where she had laid past her usual eight o’clock routine. She blew a brown strand of her disheveled hair out of her face, noting that her mother would most likely make her dye it in a few more months or so. But her thoughts were quickly interrupted when she reached her window.

Oh, dear.

As soon as she saw Luz climbing their gates, she scrambled out of her room and quickly made her way through the front yard of the Blight Estate.

“What the hell are you doing, Noceda?!” She shouted in bewilderment.

“Your butler wouldn’t open the gates, princesa, what do you think I meant when I said I will do anything to sneak into your house? Also, to get in your room and grab my favorite jacket back. Maybe a few blackmail thingies too!”

There it was again, the warmth enveloping Amity’s cheeks at Luz’s words. She felt conscious of her unruly, green hair and suddenly she was very aware of the fact that she was still in her night gown. She fidgeted uncomfortably before shouting back as Luz yelped, almost getting herself tangled with the bars.

“This is hardly sneaking, idiot! You are literally wearing another green jacket and I could see your beanie from my window and-Get down from there!”

“Catch me then!”

“Dumbass, bold of you to assume I will!”

Luz’s lips jutted into a pout and her brows furrowed in mock anger. She was almost on the other side of the gate but Amity rather she not set the alarms off or her parents would surely come driving home, uncaring of speed limits. Luz stopped, crouched down as if she was in prison.

“Fine. I’ve always wanted to try climbing a rich girl’s gates, though.”

She jumped down, almost stumbling in the process as she did so. As she dusted herself off, Amity noticed how well-built Luz was from where she stood. It was not particularly obvious most of the time, due to the oversized shirt she always wore, tucked in ripped jeans. Her legs were slightly toned, and Amity wondered if she did some kind of exercise other than punching and kicking people in the faces.  But she chided herself for such thought when she remembered how Luz could not even carry more than two grocery bags a month ago when they had to go pick up Eda’s grocery list for some apparent reason.

‘My weak nerd arms!’ She wailed.

She barely registered Luz’s words until she noticed her mouth moving. Amity blinked, wiping the smile off her face when she saw how Luz tilted her head in puzzlement when Amity has not responded.

“Wait, what?”

“Dress up in something warm, we’re going to the ice rink!”

_

Amity had half the mind that Luz deliberately brought them here because Amity had told her once that she was never allowed to do something “fun.” The other half was her knowing that Luz just wanted to see her fail at something.

Three months into this fake relationship and she still could not work out Luz’s thinking. She blamed the beanie. It was some sort of magical artifact that kept Amity from figuring the girl out. Someday she will find a way to burn it without Luz noticing, lest she burn the girl with it.

When they arrived at the ice rink, Amity decided to leave her jacket in the car, rebelling against Luz’s warning that it was going to be colder inside. It was not because Amity was hoping to expand her Blight collection of Noceda jackets.

Okay, maybe that too. But Luz had many bomber jackets, no one else would notice the difference.

“Geez, Blight. For a top student, you aren’t that bright, are you?”

The temperature dropped when they set foot inside the rink, waiting in line for a pair of rented ice skates as the employee gave each person different skates. Amity sported a plain, white tee, tucked in black jeans and brown combat boots. Luz on the one hand, had gone for her favorite, purple-striped shirt and ripped jeans.

“I-Just give me that jacket on your waist since you seem so unaffected!” Amity huffed, hugging herself to keep warmer. She sniffled and tried her best to look less colder than she actually felt.

Luz rolled her eyes but verbally refused to give up another jacket that Amity was not (was) going to add to her collection. She forgot about it however, when she realized she got something better. Finally, finally, Luz took the ridiculous beanie off her head which elated the girl, thinking that Luz just took it off to fix the ridiculously unkempt hair of hers. Amity cheered internally, as she stared at the short locks of brown hair and grinned, forgetting her past problem of being cold.

 “Jesus, yes, you finally took it off-”

Her happiness was cut short, however, when Luz had placed the beanie on her head. Amity was simply say, horrified. Luz pulled it tight over her ears, taking advantage of the shock she was currently in.

“Look here, princesa. Be a good girl and maybe you’ll get another jacket. Covering your ears is an effective way to get rid of the cold so this one is better.”

“I’m supposed to believe you-”

“Mami said it.”

That shut Amity up. Luz chattered so much that Amity had started to know Camila Noceda through her and from the stories alone, she already liked her mother. What she learned from Luz was that whatever her mother’s words were, Luz must treat it as absolute law. Amity had shrugged it off and played along. Anyone who could keep that girl in a leash is good in her book.

When they got their pair of ice skates, Luz stopped her from putting them on.

“Hold on, mi novia, wear this.”

There it was again, the strange but endearing nickname she has called Amity with for the past few months. Amity tried not to get used to it, reminding herself that Luz was just clowning her and will go back to calling her insults after another three months. The realization of having settled into one sweet thing with no underlying meaning and getting harshly hit by the truth made her want to throw up, heart aching at the thought. She did not usually allow herself to feel that way because if she let every word that people throw at her affect her; she would not have survived this long. So, she chose to ignore everything she thought before.

“Isn’t wearing your terrible beanie enough?” Amity crossed her arms childishly.

Luz scowled before she flicked Amity’s nose and went back to rummaging through her bag before they leave it on the baggage counter. She made a small sound of victory before pulling out something. When she showed it to Amity, something in the latter snapped.

“No.”

“But Amity-”

“Noceda, you will not make me wear kitten-printed socks.”

“No one would see!”

Amity tried slapping away the dangling socks, inching away from the girl who was very confident in her negotiating skills. Luz only followed suit and shimmied closer, eyes glistening with fake tears as she made her lips quiver. Amity wanted to slap both of her cheeks in retaliation.

“What would make you wear these socks?”

She was not going to lie; the socks were adorable. It was pink, with hues of red kittens printed around it. But Amity had a reputation to uphold and her name was well-known throughout the city, she cannot possibly be seen wearing cute socks-

“I’ll give you two more of my favorite jackets.”

No, Amity was not going to fall for such atrocious, unequitable deal-

“I’ll take the beanie off for a week.”

“Give me those stupid socks!” She basically snatched them from Luz’s hands, leaving the girl cackling on the marble floor.

They spent the first half of Saturday, which was supposed to be only Amity’s day, in the ice rink, where Amity had a difficult time not falling down face-first in the cold, unforgiving ground. Luz made sure to hold her hand the whole time, cheekily grinning as she did so and also giving her an approving look every time she glanced down at the printed socks. Amity just flipped her off even though she was having fun purposely shoving Luz and betting which person fell more than the other.

“I’m pretty sure I won by a margin,” Luz placed her hands on her waist and puffed out her chest proudly. Her nose was somewhat tinted red from the temperature and Amity reached out to pull at the jacket, making Luz sway at the slight force as she zipped it up.

“Luz, doing a split with your ass just centimeters away from the ground does not give you a point, nitwit.”

They spent a decent amount of time warming themselves after Luz started shivering in the rink, before heading over to the mall up the hill, where Luz suggested to watch the new Good Witch Azura movie in the theaters after she found out that Amity had never, in her whole “unblemished” life, stepped inside a movie theater.

“What do you mean you haven’t seen a movie in theaters?!” Her hands flailed around so much that it left Amity dizzy.

“My parents don’t exactly want to, and I quote, ‘waste time in a terribly smelling theater where they are prone to local germs, while immature teens made out instead of watching.’ Basically, they think it’s a waste of money and resources.”

“Pfft. Okay, princesa, I’ll make sure to disinfect the seats for you and waste my money instead.”

            She had grabbed popcorn on the way, her other hand occupied by Amity’s own. In the end, she had triumphantly won the jacket that now hang limply on her shoulders when the owner claimed that it was becoming warmer because of the ‘afternoon’ haze of the sun.

While she slipped her arms in the large sleeves, Luz continued to rant about her personal theories regarding the series they both liked (which they found out about just recently after Luz went to school with a worn-out Azura printed shirt). Sometimes, Amity would engage and voice out her own suggestions which surprised Luz but made her look even more excited, literally bouncing in her seat.

“I thought you’d have watched it as soon as it came out though,” Amity wondered out loud when they settled into their seats, the popcorn settled in Luz’s laps and their fingers still laced. She felt Luz tensed slightly, eyes darting anywhere else other than Amity’s face.

Amity could always wait for it to come out in Netflix or something, but she remembered the nervous tinge in Luz’s voice when she had said that “It was a school night and she couldn’t watch it.”

Huh.

While it was a terrible excuse seeing as they had their parking lot fist fights during school nights, Amity waved it off. If Luz did not want to talk about it, she has the right to keep secrets.

“Besides, I don’t really have someone to watch this with me,” Luz mumbled while Amity stayed mummed, doubtful of how to respond to that. Instead, she made sure to sit near the corner of the theater seat and tried to get as close to Luz as much as possible. Amity was not big with words, but she could at least offer an awkward sort of ‘comforting’ action. She hesitantly laid her hand atop Luz’s larger one. She assumed that Luz understood when the latter flashed her pearly white teeth at her when the theater lights darkened.

Amity then stopped her mind from wandering for the rest of the movie where she soon found her head nestled on Luz’s shoulders, Luz automatically resting hers on top. She had her arm around her this time which Amity immediately melted into. While the girl still had her reservations of personal space, her girlfriend did not seem to mind when Amity initiated the contact.

They were both so engrossed in the movie, simultaneously gasping at unexpected scenes, and silently debating about what were to happen next. Amity did not have to look at Luz to know that her eyes were twinkling because her own face mirrored the same joy. Seeing a movie in the manor, through the flat screen television set in one large room with nothing but one sofa was vastly different from the bigger one flashing before her eyes in the theater.

It was breathtaking and she did not know if it was because this was the first time she has been here, or it was because this was the first time she was watching a movie that showcased a series she loved, also with someone who loved it just as much. Or both. She was not going to pick because Luz’s presence was tolerable, and this was the most comfortable she has been through every outing she has been to. In the back of her mind, she was curious if this was what girlfriends normally did together.

The word did not bother her until they were back in the car where she had blacked out in the passenger seat as Luz quietly drove them back home. With heavy eyes and drifting thoughts, Amity vaguely remembered her consciousness telling her that she had just called Luz her girlfriend for the first time until she could not think anymore.

“Princesa, wake up.”

Amity opened her eyes to see the front gates of her large house. She was far too tired to recall the time or how long she had slumbered, or if they had just arrived and Luz wanted to get her out of the car as quickly as possible. Luz shook her softly as she tried to blink the sleep away from her eyes. Amity’s sight was blurry, and she squinted to see Luz who appeared to have been staring at her fondly.

Or maybe that was just the exhaustion making her hallucinate.

She stretched, back arched as she let out a yawn. Luz eyed her from the side, her face resting in between her arms placed on the steering wheel and it dawned on Amity that the engine had been turned off for a while now, judging by how cool it was getting in the car.

“You’re forgetting something, Amity,” Luz spoke playfully when Amity judged herself to be sober enough. Oh, right. Without a word, Amity half-stumbled towards the driver, hand settling on her leg, before she placed a kiss near the corner of Luz’s lips, dubitably convincing herself it was a cheek kiss.

Luz was stunned for a moment, stiffening under the contact, which made Amity pull back to tilt her head in question.

“What?”

They stared at each other, chocolate brown clashing with golden orbs. For a moment, Luz was pensive and appeared to be contemplating something. She bit on her lower lip as Amity sat still, filter still turned off and coherent thoughts long gone. Something felt off but Amity could not place a finger on what exactly was out of place. It was as if they were waiting for something but both of them were unaware of who should do what. She had an inkling that it could decide what happens after all this is over. It was as if they were stuck inside a bubble and one movement could pop the whole thing and leave them falling into an abyss.

Or, Her mind started.

You could crash into a roadblock since you’re in the car.

Shut up, smartass.

You’re literally me, me!

After what felt like hours, her person's lips broke out into a smile as she leaned forward, hands hovering on both sides of the pale girl’s face. She caressed her cheeks, Amity’s eyes closing as she sighed in contentment. I feel so tired and this is nice. It was the equivalent of bedtime stories and someone singing her off to sleep. Luz gently tilted Amity’s chin up and Amity was inclined to follow, leaning in as a pair of lips made contact against her forehead. She sensed something falling off her head but she brushed it off, deeming it unimportant.

She did not know if it was her imagination, but she could have sworn that Luz took at least a second longer than she usually did before pulling away and with her, something red, leaving Amity’s hair messier than before, green strands sticking to the side of her face.

Amity realized too late that Luz had asked for the beanie back.

When she found herself in her bed the next morning, still wearing the kitten-printed socks and a single memory of a lingering kiss on her forehead, the sound of laughter resounding in her ears, she decided that yesterday was easily the best Saturday she has had in a long while.

Chapter Text

5

            When morning comes, bringing with it the chilly breeze through the open windows of Amity’s room, she expected nothing but to have a delighted time for sleeping in. Her body dipped in the comforts of her blankets, face nuzzled in purple and pink pillows, vaguely aware of the beams of sunlight that covered the large room in a whitish glow.

Sometimes, Amity stressed, she should just keep the descriptions to herself.

            There was a loud noise, with a door bursting open and slamming against the wall, creaking and hinges nearly popping out at the force. Thank goodness she had nothing placed behind the door or else it would have shattered.

            Edric and Emira stumbled inside, shrieking and speaking too fast. They shocked her awake with the sound of confetti and somehow accompanied by those poppers that they sound at birthday parties, jolting the Youngest Blight off her king-sized bed. Not wanting to deal with them, Amity ignored them, crawled back under the covers without so much a glance at her visitors and grabbed one of her pillows to cover her ears. It did not lessen the noise per se, only making them muffled, but more bearable.

That is, until she could make out the twins congratulating her for something, and a word embedded itself in her mind. She peeked, hands grasping the edges of the purple pillow. Edric was wearing a party hat adding to Amity’s annoyance. Emira was holding up a paper with a Congratulations! printed in hot pink.

Then Amity heard it loud and clear.

            “Anniversary?”

            “Mittens, don’t tell me you forgot that it’s your fourth month anniversary!” Emira gave her a disbelieving look. She crumpled up the paper and threw it on the floor, before putting her hands on her waist.

The audacity of littering in my room.

            First, they greeted her, congratulating her for something her barely awake mind could comprehend. It was not until they mentioned Luz that she had started to wrack her brain again. It was almost too difficult to bear being awake so early in the morning. She took in her siblings’ dilemma again, searching in her mental dictionary for that unrecognizable word that she never really had the use for.

            “Anniversary?” Amity repeated.

            She rubbed her eye, head aching at having to think during a weekend where surprisingly, her brother and sister were not out of the ghostly manor. She sat up, resisting the magnetic pull of her bed.

            What the hell do couples do in anniversaries? Why did she have to celebrate it when it was not even a milestone?

            Edric sighed dramatically, falling over his twin who leaned back which made him hit the floor.  The girls snickered at the sight of their brother hitting his forehead. With a groan, he raised his head, brushed his hair to the side, and held up four fingers directed to Amity.

“It’s the fourth month since you asked Luz out, Mittens. Do something special for once.”

            Something in his sentence made Amity’s eyes flutter awake, an indignant gasp escaping her lips when she went over it again. Process complete.

“Wha-who said I asked her out?!” She shouted, eye twitching at how riled up she was at an ungodly hour.

            Why she ought to give Luz harder punches.

She fumed, imagining how steams must have been coming out of her ears with the terrified look Edric was giving her as he stuttered out an apology and correcting his fictious (not) words, also disregarding the fact that Emira was just giggling at the sidelines. Amity sighed and fell back to her pillows, wrapping her arms around one of her pillow pets. This took less effort than dealing with the twins right now.

“C’mon, Mittens, paying for gas is hardly something special. A couple naturally owns conjugal property so you can’t make that an excuse!”

She wanted to point out that she and Luz did not have conjugal property unless they were married or made written promises to offer them as such. A person as wise as Amity should know that making promises that would bite her back should be avoided at all cost.

“I payfh forhg foodsh,” She replied, remembering how Luz wanted to try whatever food she finds or sees. This always stopped them from reaching their destinations on time, even if Amity would join her in eating those odd dishes and regret some of it afterwards.

“Yes. That’s part of being in a relationship,” Emira said sassily, “You have her jackets; she still brings you flowers every morning and kisses you before and after class. Some of our contacts say-I mean, we saw that you rarely kiss her back when she does. So this brings up the question, what have you done, exactly?”

Was there actually a requirement to return effort that Amity was unaware of?

Jokes aside, now she felt bad.

The youngest pursed her lips at her sister’s accusations. As much as she hated it when her siblings-or rather, Emira-was right, the good points they shoot out like searing arrows to the heart were to be taken not just with a grain of salt. She groaned into the sheets, guilt clawing up her throat. It was true, money was not everything and now she felt like a jerk for accepting Luz’s gifts to the point that it was now second nature to her. Give her thanks, kiss her on the cheek when no one is around instead of being in the public’s eye, then step inside the vehicle before heading to school.

There were times Luz would tuck the flower in her hair, and other times, Amity would carefully keep it in a purple vase on her desk near the large windows in her room. If it were sweets, she would refuse to share the chocolates with her siblings, to Luz’s amusement.

But what did Amity do for her?

“Okay, so what do you guys supposed I do?” She replied in defeat.

When she got up, she was greeted by the devilish smirks of her siblings which made Amity’s heart stop. Each of the twins grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up and about, the unexpected action making Amity stumble, nearly hitting the furry carpet face-first.

_

Overthinking should be illegal.

Her heart stuttered in her chest, knees shaking in nervousness as she went over the plan one more time. It was Sunday; and while Amity and Luz usually texted on the weekends after the girl kept bombarding her phone with random memes until she finally answered. The thing is, this was the first time she took the initiative to ask her out, lest Luz once again climb the gates, (nearly getting caught by her father a few times) and disturb Amity’s peace and quiet.

Not that it was never fun.

Her siblings introduced her to two people yesterday, when they discussed what to do and how to execute it today. One of them was a girl just their age who goes by the name, Viney. She had dark hair tied into a tight bun and apparently was good at planning wild parties (which freaked the youngest out). One of her ears were pierced with what looked like a fishhook, but Amity decided not to ask about it and dismissed it as a fashion sense. The other individual was a tall guy named Jerbo who seemed pretty normal enough; his brows were furrowed slightly, eyes deep and calculating but at the same time gentle and paying attention. His hair was naturally messy and he had a high-pitched voice, taking Amity back when he addressed her. Edric said he could combine the weirdest stuff together and make it aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.

After all, what is a little chaos in Amity’s charts, right?

“We’ll be in charge of the preparations,” Emira assured.

“Yeah, mittens. You gave us all the things we need so you just go spend the day with Luz until evening!” Edric fist bumped.

She was glad to have been parked on the side of the road, with how unfocused she was today. It was not until a knock on her window snapped her out of her thoughts. Luz waved at her from the sidewalk, grinning from ear-to-ear. Somehow, the sight calmed her down and she unlocked the passenger seat.

“Where are we heading? You dressed up so fancy.”

Luz relaxed in her seat, glancing over at Amity who kept her eyes on the road. Amity had texted her, asking if she was free that day to which Luz had immediately replied that she was. She was glad that Luz was free or else all her blueprints and charts about today would have been for naught. She picked her up a few blocks away from the neighborhood, just near the gates with the printed words, Bonesborough Subdivision.

It dawned on her a few minutes in their drive that for the first time in a while, Luz did not have anything in her hands.

“I didn’t have time to go to the shop and buy flowers,” Luz chuckled when she caught Amity’s questioning gaze.

She frowned at the answer, just realizing that Luz went through so much trouble just to get her stuff, not to mention so early in the morning. The sun was still hidden in the faraway valleys, the sky lightening up as it slowly rose. Amity planned the day perfectly and it really needed to go the way she liked it and hope Luz would enjoy even though Amity did not consult with her the things she liked to do.

But the texting and the few months before helped. She learned that Luz had a wide range, from liking books and libraries, to making things explode and picking fights. There were a few times when Amity would get a call while she was studying; Luz would be out of breath, running away from something and was demanding the green-haired girl to pick her up. Amity would, getting into the thrill of being chased by an angry mob of people.

            For the occasion, she ditched her comfort clothes for a black, off shoulder tunic, held by a black belt on her waist. The magenta pendant she wore sat snuggly on her chest, glowing faintly in the darkness of the car. In contrast, Luz had sported her usual beanie and another purple-striped shirt. The only thing new about this one is that it had a chest pocket. Her jacket was thrown in the backseat, even though it was a bit cold today.

“Is that a new shirt?”

Luz was taken back, as if she did not think Amity was paying attention. She nodded slowly, rubbing the nape of her neck nervously. Her eyes darted from her shirt to the driver, face scrunching up uncomfortably.

“Yeah, I didn’t think you’d notice.”

Amity frowned at the stiff reply.

“We’ve been fighting since sophomore year, Luz. Of course, I’d notice. I still recall your weird combination of crop top hoodies, shorts and leggings, you know,” She snorted.

Luz’s ears flushed and for a second Amity thought she was going to challenge her to another fight, but Luz breaking into a grin was not one of the outcomes she had hoped for.

“Aw, baby Blight pays attention to me? So sweet.”

It hurt Amity’s pride that she had fallen prey to her own trap.

She made a sharp turn to the left, Luz falling forward to the dashboard and hitting the glass. Serves her right for not wearing a seatbelt. She slowed down when she saw the familiar sight of The Owl House sign blinking in the darkness.

She tried her best to look casual as they passed, Luz glancing out the window curiously. If she noticed something strange, she did not say anything. Luz occupied herself with the radio instead, connecting her phone to the speakers and started blaring out one of her poppy song choices. Amity listened, noting down how in the past few months, Luz would let her hear a mixture of English, Spanish, Japanese and-

Oh?

“Is that Korean pop?”

Luz laughed at the face she made, but Amity could not help but be stunned. She expected the Japanese really, with how Luz liked to flaunt her anime shirts in social events. It was not the first time Luz would play her songs in the car; Amity gave up on scolding her on her third try. There were songs that Amity had collected in her own playlist, so it was not all that bad.

Her companion turned her whole body to her, literally bouncing in her seat. She nodded vigorously before raising her hands and forming finger guns.

“You got me feeling like a psycho!” She sang along, voice cracking in the process.

Amity gasped mockingly, placing a hand on her chest. She did not understand the other lyrics, but she enjoyed how carefree Luz was in expressing…whatever psychotic thing the song was referring to, and it did not matter because Luz’s air guitar riffs were exhilarating to watch.

The next thing they knew, they arrived at the high-end arcade located at the edge of the west side where both lived. It was a humble (going by her parents’ definitions) structure that stretched out in the open, quite different from the buildings the Blights built that could almost be called as skyscrapers.

“Woah, woah, woah, how come I’ve only known about this now?!” Luz exclaimed, gawking as soon as Amity parked the car in the front. Someone came rushing out of the place, waving at her enthusiastically.

“That’s because it isn’t usually open to the public,” Amity grimaced, eyes trailing on the figure that was getting closer. Luz squinted and realized that the color of silver belonged to someone they both knew. Amity urged the girl to get out of the car as she did so, just in time for Skara to tackle her into a hug.

“Amity! I was just thinking that you forgot how to get here!” She said so cheerfully.

After the rugby match they had a while ago, Skara started warming up to her and the idea of Amity spending more time away from them for the sake of spending time with Luz. Amity thought it was a double win, really; she was finally out of the toxicity brought by her group and Luz made them distance themselves which lessened the stress on Amity’s shoulders.

The said girl stood on the other side of the car, arms crossed and watching them with an unreadable expression. Her demeanor spoke how distrustful she still was, though. Luz eyed the other rugby player, lips frowning. Amity shook her head, giving her a warning look.

“Skara and her family allowed us to stick around here a bit. We’re getting this place all to ourselves-” Amit explained, startled at the snort Skara let out, interrupting her. She focused on her, brows raised and gesturing her to speak up. Skara rubbed the nape of her neck before grinning back sheepishly, glancing at Luz before turning back to her and coughing.

“Yes, wouldn’t you guys like that?”

It was like the world stopped at that short discontinuity.

The grin on her face was replaced by a smug look.

For a second, Amity was confused until Luz started snickering. Her ears turned red and she cussed at them when the implication of that teasing question finally got to her. It took another few minutes before Skara calmed down. Luz, however, still had a lopsided smile on her face, winking when Amity stuck her tongue out at her.

“Easy there, Ames. You wouldn’t want to make signs in front of your friend, do you?” She said dryly.

Amity groaned when Skara burst out into another fit of laughter, hands clutching her stomach and tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Amity stared at them like they were both insane and they probably were, and she lost count of how long they have been standing there for, but she had had enough. She marched over to her person, grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to the entrance.

Behind her, Skara hollered, “There are cameras everywhere except the restroom, so it’ll be safe for you! It’s really clean-”

“Oh my God, shut up! Go away!” Amity shouted back, face hot and heart hammering against her chest. She muttered curses to herself, almost regretting the fact that she asked Skara instead of her father, where she could have avoided the embarrassment from the teasing that Luz was joining in.

“Amity,” Luz called out, still following behind, grasping her hand as tight as Amity did with hers. They stopped in the middle of the wide-spaced arcade, just in front of the fighting games Amity did not know the name of. Claw machines were lined up in the far side of the room, the ball games placed in a separate room from their right. There was an assortment of things that Amity never got the chance to even touch as she grew up, so she was mildly uncomfortable at the strange sight.

“Yes?” She answered angrily, even though she was not actually mad.

Luz surveyed the place with evident awe in her brown eyes, thumb rubbing against the back of Amity’s hand. Despite not being dressed in the colors of the retro-like gaming center, Luz seemed to fit in quite well.

Luz let go of Amity’s hand, but immediately latched onto her wrist, before bringing it up to her lips and gently nipping the edge of her palm. Amity blinked at the newfound feeling, even though at the same time the action seemed to be have as much affection as a cheek kiss held.

“What are you doing?”

“Showing you that I can bite!” Luz growled lowly, hilariously trying to look intimidating. Amity scoffed before pulling her hand back to her chest. The taller girl pouted in response which only earned her an eyeroll.

“That’s hardly a bite.”

“Seriously, Blight? No reaction? Not even any tension? You foil my plan,” Luz complained as she wrapped her hand around Amity’s shouldered, tugging her closer. Amity deliberately stepped on her sneakers and innocently looked up at the girl who tightened her hold.

“Whatever do you mean, Noceda?” Her voice was tinted with fake sweetness.

“I’m gonna choke you.”

“Try me!” Amity huffed and struggled to untangle herself from her person who clicked her tongue and shouted, Challenge accepted! Amity squealed when she felt herself being lifted and she kicked and flailed, both arms prying away the darker ones. They wrestled for dominance, screaming against each other, and momentarily forgetting that they were in an untouched arcade; but to Amity’s opinion, this was much more fun.

“Um, guys? I honestly wouldn’t mind if you started choking each other in the restroom, but at least play the games first-” The speaker hung up in the corner announced, voice booming throughout the almost empty place.

“SKARA, GET OUT!” Amity screamed just as Luz half-dragged, half-carried her to the shooting games before she goes to the room her friend had secluded herself in.

_

            Amity won a large, pink bunny and Luz had not.

            She called him Otabin, triumphantly shoving it in front of Luz’s face. Not long before they got there, they started a competition of who can win more tickets and plushies from the claw game and even though it was Amity’s first time, it took her only three tries before she got the hang of it, openly observing Luz’s secrets that she boasted about.

After all, the best kept secrets are the ones you never tell.

They both have an equal amount of plushies on their side and Otabin became the deciding toy. Luz whined and stomped her foot like a child and Amity reveled in her defeat. They soon stopped little scuffle and before they commit more libelous statements, they collected their prizes, placing them in a bag Amity grabbed from the bag hanger near entrance.

“You know, if you give me Otabin, you’d have a bigger space for more plushies…” Luz faltered, eyes trailed on Amity hopefully. Amity smirked, shaking her head. She nuzzled Otabin, preventing herself from squealing loudly at the softness of its pink fur.

“Luz, that might work on some kid in a birthday party-”

“I only bribed the kid one time!”

“-Still a child! Either way, it won’t work on me, dumbass.”

“Why can’t we take turn in having him? And damn it, Amity, you’re the jock between us, why can’t you hold more?” They shuffled towards the entrance, bags carried by Luz. There were two each hanging on both shoulders, contrasting from two Amity held in one hand and Otabin in the other.

“Noceda, if I let go of Otabin for even just a second, you will surely drop everything else and take him from me!” If possible, Amity hugged the plushie tighter. She continued, “And really? What are we, a divorced couple?”

“Nah, we don’t have the papers,” Luz answered without any hesitation. She purposely bumped into Amity on the way out, the latter returning the favor. They did this a couple of times until they reached the car, placing the bags in the backseat along with the unused jacket. When Luz opened the front door, she slumped against Amity’s perfectly clean seat. She removed her beanie and used it as a fan just as sweat trickled down her exhausted face.

Amity wrinkled her nose.

“I swear if you don’t get rid of that, you’re going to get head lice.”

She was expecting Luz to retaliate, instead the girl nodded and made a thinking gesture with her hand under her chin. Her eyes darted from the red beanie to her head, assuming she could see through her bangs. Amity noticed that she needed a haircut if she wanted to still see in front of her.

“Maybe you’re right. But until I can afford one to replace this worn out, sentimental piece of clothing, you just have to get used to it. Like, really, Ames. You still can’t get used to it even after years?”

“You didn’t wear that back then and gods yes, if it’s been years, it absolutely needs to be replaced!” Amity pointed out, turning the key, the engine roaring back to life. Luz batted her eyelashes as if she was the prettiest girl in the world.

Ha! She must beat us for that.

Since when we’re we competitors? Amity scowled at her consciousness.

“Querida, It’s hard to find something fitting for my head. It has to feel right, you know?” She nudged Amity’s side. It would have been endearing if it was not for the sudden churn in the pits of her stomach, which kept her from replying.

“So? Where we headed now?”

Luz turned back to see the silhouette of the arcade until it became only a dot in the distance, covered by the fog of the forest, completely hiding it from people.

“Dinner.” Amity answered curtly, the anxiety she had experienced that morning coming back in full force.

_

Luz seemed to have a sinking suspicion as to where they were headed when the fog cleared and soon they were back in city streets, passing by familiar landmarks.

“I’m surprised you’re not sick of the food yet.”

“Eda knows how to reel in customers and make them stay.” Amity replied, parallel parking in front of the Owl House café. Luz gazed at the diner in deep thought as Amity unbuckled and opened the car door. She inhaled a sharp breath, rubbing her hands together, evidently perturbed.

She hoped Luz liked the surprise.

“You threw me a party?” Luz guessed when she realized that there were no customers in sight even though it was just early into the evening.

Well, not exactly. Amity went there last night and rented the whole café for this evening, which Eda was glad to have done so as Amity had paid for it. She might or might not have used a lot of her savings to compensate for the profits Eda might have lost today. It was not as if her parents were going to see where she spends her allowance anyway.

The inside of the Owl House was, simply say, shining, shimmering and splendid. The candles that were used for face display were all lit, and unlike how it was littered around the room in the past, they almost formed a heart.

Luz stared in awe at the fairy lights that Edric and Emira hung up that afternoon, giving the café a softer glow. If the candles’ fire were fierce and sharp, the lights were dimmer and calmer to the eyes.

Now that it was empty, Amity noticed the polished wooden floors, the weird posters that depicted Eda and King as some kind of rulers (or criminals, Amity had an inkling it was the latter) in one wall corner, and her siblings kept the drapes that hung from above where a large painted owl shone. The eatery was somehow cleaner and wider than usual. The junks Eda deemed was great for display was out of sight, Amity attributing the action to Jerbo and Viney, because her brother and sister would rather play with them rather than put them away.

Smoke was coming out of the next room, accompanied by a loud voice. A small window showed Eda rummaging around the kitchen, with King sleeping on a pillow in one corner. A bluish color covered some of the counters, and it might be because Amity had overly mentioned to make all the food blue.

Eda just stared at her like she was crazy.

Most of the tables were cleared out, leaving only one in the middle of the large room, covered with a red tablecloth and a scented candle in the middle. Hesitantly, Amity took Luz’s hand and led her to one of the seats, where Luz was happy to follow. The pigment of her skin was turning warm, making her pale skin feel like on fire just as they sat down across from each other where Luz quickly intertwined their fingers over the table like it was the most natural thing to do.

“What’s all this for?”

Cheerleader played softly in the background and Amity once again recalled how terrible she was at explaining grand gestures. She was slightly reminded of how fitting the song was for the girl she was with. Luz laughed to herself when she heard the song, probably thinking of the same thing. Thankfully, Eda came out at that moment, which stopped them from spiraling into an unneeded bickering. She rolled out trays of blue food that Amity grimaced at. She was still against food coloring, and maybe Eda was right when she thought Amity was crazy.

Luz though, lit up at the sight of the owner, who set the food down on their table.

Eda ran her hand through her hair, eyeing the green-haired girl who shrunk under her gaze. Amity hoped she would not be saying anything tantalizing her in front of the Dominican.

“Look, kid. Little Blight came here even before I was awake, just so she could ask me specifically to make blue food,” This prompted Amity to put up a brave face when all eyes turned to stare at her. Even King was wagging his tail on her left, staring up at her in wonder.

“She was also very deliberate in choosing what songs to play-like really? Cheerleader?-so can you make this worth my while since I had to close today because of her? She spared no expense, trust me.” With that, she strutted back inside the kitchen, complaining about how much she needed the nap. King barked and Amity swore the dog was saying, ‘Me too!’ before he ran to the back, trailing after the woman.

Amity swallowed at the agonizing silence that followed. The sound of brass filled the air as soon as Eda left them alone and not a word left Luz’s lips since then. She internally debated with herself, terrified that Luz may not have liked the prospect of Amity using her family’s money to this extent.

“You did this for me?”

Amity’s ears perked up at the soft tone. Luz appeared to be enjoying herself, unable to wipe the smile off her face. The prestige girl gulping as she shied away from the eyes that seemed to bore into her soul. She nodded and looked back down.

“I-uh…Happy anniversary?” She squeaked out, reprimanding herself for such uncertainty. Just earlier today, she was full of confidence and a taunting attitude; now it was drained out as she faced a pensive Luz.

What if it was too much? What if Luz laughs at her face? What if she did not like any of these things? What if it was too cheesy and it was not her style? It does not matter which one, it would all make her feel absolutely awful.

But Luz discontinued her thoughts when she beamed so brightly, that Amity felt blindsided.

“¿Quién hubiera pensado que mi novia era tan dulce?!” She exclaimed to herself but Amity only caught the words, “my girlfriend” before she dug in the food. With a mouthful of something that resembled chicken wings, she winked at Amity and raised her hands to finger gun. Amity blinked, the exasperation she felt against herself dissipating in the presence of Luz’s silly antics.

“You even remembered the blue food!”

Amity should have been disgusted how Luz was speaking with her mouth full, but the sight of the girl being so full of joy was just so infectious that it made her smile return.

            How could she ever forget?

            Every time they went out to get some food to eat, the first question that comes out of her mouth was, ‘Do you have blue food?’ much to the restaurants’ puzzlement. They eventually came back to the Owl House because Eda had no problem making her food blue.

Luz continued to ask her questions, about the decorations and if that was all Amity was up to the whole weekend, which she humbly declined, although she did mention that the plans and charts were hers after bringing up how her siblings were the ones to be thanked, for executing it flawlessly. Luz begged to differ, saying that none of it could have been brought to life if she did not make a mental image of what she wanted, which turned into another argument about how Amity would have been good at decorating. Luz counted the things Amity had done that she herself could barely recall.

“Well, you have good fashion sense,” Luz offered, swallowing a chunk of blue brownie.

“That makes one of us,” Amity grinned, making Luz throw a piece of brown plastic at her.

Speaking about fashion…

“I have one more thing to give you, actually…” Amity faltered, agitation coming back in full force. Luz immediately stopped, mid-swallowing before she gestured for the former to go on, eyes twinkling in excitement. The sight was so endearing, Amity could not help but break into a chuckle.

She can be so stupid.

She crouched down from her seat and pulled out the box she had Viney hide under the table earlier that day, inspecting it to see if it was still intact. She raised her head to see the other girl smiling cheekily at her, like a ten-year old child on Christmas. She reached out to grab the box, hands closing and opening in a, ’Give me, Give me! Gesture. Amity handed it over reluctantly before going back to her seat, Luz shouting out, ‘Dios mío!’ as she unwrapped it quickly as she got it in her possession.

Amity wanted to protest and have her open it when she arrived home, but she was too late as Luz had gasped and pulled out a purple beanie. There were stars in her eyes as she did so, startling the shorter girl when she took off her own infuriating beanie and replacing it with the gift. It was a perfect fit, not too big and not too short that it could fall off or be unable to hide the chaotic strands of brown hair that fell to the front of Luz’s face.

Amity did not have a hard time deciding what to give the girl. As soon as Emira asked her about gift-giving, Amity had no doubt, wanted to replace the worn-out beanie Luz had been wearing since Junior year. When she brought it up earlier and Luz was thinking of replacing it, she was simultaneously relieved and worried. Relieved because that means Luz might like her gift, and worried because Luz might not like the fit and color.

She was not worried about the price; more on the quality so it could survive if ever Luz decided to take a dive into hot lava or something. But now that she mentioned it, her sheltered life did not exactly give her a wide choice of locations to shop in. Emira drove her to one of the most prestigious malls known to the aristocrats in the area, assuring Amity that Luz was worth it. Amity agreed with her, but what troubled the girl was that if those prestigious clothing shops sold beanies.

Luz ran her fingers through the fabric as if she was trying to guess how much Amity spent on it. It was a good thing Amity tore off the price tag and threw away the bag while her siblings dressed up the café. She repeated the action twice or thrice, Amity lost count but she was staring long enough to purse her lips and clench her fists in anticipation.

“I love this!” Luz chirped and Amity ignored the way her heart skipped a beat.

“You-You do?” Amity asked, still unsure. What if she was just saying that to appease her? What if-

“Ami, I haven’t received much from you, but I know you put effort in everything you do. Why do you think you’re top student? You work harder than anyone else. Heck, you don’t even pull your punches!”

Luz tucked the stray hairs back under her beanie before reaching over the table and placing the hideous red one on Amity’s head.

 “There, now we have a couple thing!”

These were the times Amity just wished the hat was made of magic and that it would swallow her alive. At this point it was as if it had just possessed her as she went just as red its color.

Luz patted the beanie before she stood up from her seat and in the next second, Amity was lifted in the air for the second time that day and was spun around. She was mindful of the large presence of the beanie stuck stubbornly on her head, consciously placing one hand on it to keep it from flying off. Not long after, Luz loosened her hold on her waist, letting her down enough to just reach out and swiftly peck the girl on both cheeks. Amity’s legs turned into jelly when she found herself back on the ground.

Oh, geez.

Luz did not stop, both hands pressed against Amity’s reddened cheeks and peppered her face with more kisses which elicited embarrassing sounds from the heiress as she tried to push the taller girl away. She felt one on her brow, on her nose, and her ears could not possibly have heated more than it already has. She felt like a walking, ticking, time bomb.

In the past few months, Luz initiated many of the physical contacts they have had, but without the warning, Amity would always get surprised and stiff whenever Luz would pull her close and wrap her in a hug, like how she was doing now. Her grip was so firm to the point Amity wondered if Luz was planning to let go eventually. In the end, she hugged her back, tracing the rough patterns she found on Luz’s jacket, hearing her soft breathing near her ear.

“Now your beanie matches the purple stripes on your shirt,” Amity mumbled, hoping her voice did not tickle Luz’s ears. The latter snickered and tightened her hold. They stood there longer than intended and soon Amity realized a full song finished when the music introduced a new, slow beat.

Thereafter, they found themselves slow dancing to Mess by Noah Kahan, Luz playfully making her spin around before holding her back closely.

“Spin, spin, spin!” She chanted and even though she wanted to press how a slow dance does not include chanting as if they were about to drink, Amity could give her this one night just because it was their supposed anniversary and she had not witnessed Luz smiling as much as she did now.

Amity made a mental note of thanking the twins and their friends later, for now, she buried her face in Luz’s chest partly exhausted and partly because her face was flushed, becoming all too familiar with the scent of fresh pinecones. Luz hummed along the lyrics, hand going through Amity’s messy locks as the latter huffed her approval.

It's not what I had hoped

Now I find comfort in the cold.

When Amity found herself wishing the night could have gone on forever, she dreaded the fact when it hit her like a truck. The times she felt sick whenever Luz would bring her stuff, the butterflies in her stomach when Luz would do something so stupid, and the way her heart stung when she realized Luz was just faking all of it.

Afterwards, she looked up the lyrics to the ‘Psycho’ song Luz played in the car that morning as soon as they went home. She thought it was quite fitting and wondered if Luz put it up intentionally. Because if she did not, then it just heightened Amity’s dreadful feelings about her actualizations-

Amity always considered herself as wise; wiser than her siblings in making decisions and getting the favorable side of the deals she makes with people, which was also why her parents wanted her to take over despite being the youngest. Plus, this time no one else can be blamed except for the one who made the deal in the first place.

She was certain that she was at a disadvantage. Amity was absolutely doomed. 

In simpler terms, she was fucked. 

Chapter Text

6

Just when Amity thought she was out of the closet, nobody told her that she would find herself back in there soon. Ha. Never in her life would she have expected this.

To start off, the space was cramped, and she could barely stand without hitting her head. Her legs were strained from slightly bending forward and for some strange reason, this activity felt longer than it was supposed to be. One of her hands reached out to grab something, only to find nothing else but rough walls to keep herself steady. That is to say, if she removed the other part of the equation, which was her companion, within this compartment.

She tried not to panic, she really did, but every time she shifted, she would accidentally elbow the other person in the dark, which heightened her worries.. She held her breath and tried to step back with the slightest movements possible, but she raised her head too quickly and hit the person’s chin. A grunt echoed around them and Amity felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, which pulled her forward until she found her head nestled in her partner’s chest.

“Amity, stay still.”

She was silently thankful that the two of them were basically blinded by the dark, because her face turned beet red and the beating of her heart sped up. She was slightly ashamed because something she recognized all too well bubbled in the pits of her stomach, accompanied by a giddy feeling that blossomed in her chest, which she had learned to welcome even though another part of her was afraid that the other person could hear how her heart stuttered in her chest.

Why in the world did she agree to do this with Luz Noceda?

Luz turned her around gently, so that Amity’s back was pressed firmly against the former’s front. Her head spun, unable to form any coherent thought, which only made it clear to her that Luz was something poisonous; because she always made it harder to think. Amity sent a silent prayer to the sky, thankful that they were not in any class together, lest her grades plummet to the ground.

Luz’s hands hovered near Amity’s sides and by the gods, every brush of her fingers-every contact it made with her skin, prompted an electrifying feeling to course through from her head down to her toes. It was tingly and Amity swore she saw stars.

Which shouldn’t be possible because we’re in a locked closet.

“Work with me now,” Luz breathed in her ear and tugged at her.

Slowly, Luz slid down to a more comfortable position and Amity relented, her legs giving out, as she gingerly followed the motion. She froze in place when she realized that the position, she was in was something akin to being cuddled and certainly, there could never have been anything else more embarrassing than this.

Amity’s evening was not supposed to start like this.

The fourth month was ending, and for the past few weeks, she had had sleepless nights because she chose that to be the exact time to debate with herself about feelings and emotions. When she came to the realization that she might have had a crush on her fake girlfriend, she decided to test the hypothesis in the days that followed. Although, to be honest (not), she was rooting for the large possibility that she has not fallen.

After all, what was left of her if she fell of her well-guarded throne?

Err-

Not so well-guarded after all.

Amity denied it to the last detail, even though she was sure that a heart monitor could tell her that the stupid organ in her chest has been beating rapidly every time that Luz came close or winked at her, even blowing a kiss a few times. Of course, to other people it would be a natural event, seeing the Blight red in the face whenever her person would show some sort of affection in public space.

On the one hand, Luz started to think that she was always mad, bringing up how Edric mentioned before during their Sophomore year that Amity being flushed, should immediately be correlated to anger. Unfortunately for her, she was in no position to confirm or deny it because she was sure the teasing would heighten if ever Luz figured out that she was embarrassed, or just plain over-the-moon happy at what has been happening.

Scratch that.

If Luz ever found out, Amity would never hear the end of it; the taller girl might even laugh in her face. Teasing or laughing, both would feel like a searing arrow shot through the heart: Excruciatingly painful.

“Willow’s throwing a small party today, you’re coming with.”

The invitation came when both were sitting on the bleachers, eyes trailed upon the rugby players that were practicing in the fields. Amity bought cookies from a nearby bakery earlier, tossing an extra bag to her partner and claimed that it was a buy one, take one day.

Luz seemed to believe her.

“Of course, I am, even if it’s weird that she’s throwing one on a Tuesday,” Amity replied dryly, picking up what seemed to be a raisin cookie.

In the corner of her eye, she observed the way Luz’s face scrunched up at the taste of raisins. When she teased her earlier about the food not being blue, Amity swatted her hand away and remarked how Luz was going to need trips to the hospital if she continued eating the unhealthy food coloring.

            “You’ll take me there, of course,” Luz replied cheekily.

Amity rolled her eyes and puffed her cheeks, going back to stuffing her face with the cookies as if it were the best thing she has eaten in the whole world. She ignored the way Luz took off the purple beanie and inspected it thoroughly; when she deemed it clean enough, she placed it in between them and patted it.

The beanie was getting more attention than her again. But since it did not look like a fire hazard misplaced on a brunette, unlike the red one Amity threw (carefully placed on a stand) in her closet, she despised it less.

“Can’t get this dirty or you’re gonna punch me in the face,” Luz shrugged before shoving her hand in the pastry bag.

Yes. I would definitely do that.

“Then I’ll pick you up at the manor?” Luz glanced at her, before she took out another cookie-chocoloate-and bit in it.

Amity’s heart fluttered in her chest and she reprimanded herself for her stupid body urges. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded in response, terrified that her voice might sound small if she used it.

Ever since the anniversary gift she prepped for her person, Amity had become paranoid. Strong feelings surfaced in her mind, which enveloped her whole body in something she simultaneously loved and hated, and it threatened to overtake her, where she would have to give in soon. Of course, she also considered the possibility that she was just confusing these feelings with something else, or maybe it could have been ‘dislike’ even.

The puzzlement made her angry with herself, not knowing if it was because this was such a stupid situation she placed herself in, or because she will never admit the obvious out loud. Either one would lead to several problems and she was not ready for all of that.

Though, the anger disappeared as soon as she thought back on the past few months. It turned into a feeling that made her giddy and lovestruck, where butterflies invaded her stomach and had her accidentally stab the pie the chefs served at the table the other night, because she thought of cooking for the other girl, so randomly, that her parents stared at her like she was crazy.

Amity internally groaned at the knowledge that she was not well-versed in this kind of thing; when the plan first came to her, she never thought of the consequences she was going to go through. After all, she was supposed to be the receiver of a favorable deal. Unfortunately, when one entered a deal, it would have been understood that they are also prepared to take the consequences of their actions, both good and bad.

It then became a nightly routine for her to drag her feet up to her room, where she buried her face in the comforts of her covers before she started screaming into her pillows, which would be the only ones who will know of her dilemma. This progressively turned into something that depressed her-

Because she began to openly cling onto Luz’s arm as they walked through the halls, glaring at nothing in particular, or just everyone in range. Amity began to be very aware of the stares she stopped bothering with months prior. She cringed at the memory, betting that the Amity from four months ago would have been giving her a disgusted look right about now. She has accepted that she liked-loved-it when Luz was physically close, physically giving her attention and it made her uneasy when the day ends, and she is left with nothing else but loneliness.

This is just temporary.

I should stop this now that I know.

Being conscious of the turmoil inside of her solidified her decision of preventing it from escalating further. For the thought of getting hurt, of being shattered by these new things, and many more that were not originally the prospects of the deal, terrified the crap out of her.

How could she have made a deal that could damage the parties emotionally?

Or maybe Amity was having high hopes because the only one crashing is her.

Wow, you’re becoming more of an idiot every time, Her mind started out dryly and Amity could imagine the mental image of conscious Amity shaking her head at her.

Shush. You can tell me off when you decide to grow balls, dumbass.

Ew-

You know what I meant!

She took longer showers, because she zoned out more than she has ever done in years and no amount of bathing could wash the feelings away. News flash, Amity cannot run away from her problems. She found out the hard way when she began to drown herself in hobbies in order to be deliberately distracted from the girl that quickly took over her mind, which only led to an  infuriating failure.

Everything backfired and she messed up things like food ingredients (because the colors reminded her of dark skin and bomber jackets), chemistry (because one could like the other and she could hate it, but they know how to compromise and fit together like a glove), or plain walking (because damn it all, everything blue just pushed themselves up to her face).

She had slipped on a banana for heavens’ sake.

So the thought of going out tonight appealed to her.

But here she was in her first house party, wrinkling her nose at the distasteful smell of alcohol in the air. How people could stand going around when every part of their surroundings reeked of disgusting things, Amity does not care to understand.

She avoided the kitchen, where an assortment of drinks and food were displayed, weary of the fact that some of them might be spiked because even if she was acquainted Willow, she bet not everyone at the party knew each other well enough to say that no one would do it.

Music blared out from the large speakers in the living room, as teenagers howled in drunken cheers. Irritated, Amity retreated to the sofa in corner, eyes darting around to see where Luz had gone. She interrupted the couple that made out on the couch and chased them off, relieved that there were no stains on furniture when she sat down. The unwelcoming aura that radiated from her drove away anyone else who wanted to take the couch and use it for any other purpose than what it was made for.

Earlier, when the party started, Luz parked the red hatchback a few blocks away from the house. While Amity purposely stopped bringing her own jackets, she made sure to wear one of her favorite pink sweater tonight, though that did not stop Luz from placing her jacket on Amity’s shoulder. She waved her hand and said it was a force of habit but Amity was never going to say no to that.  

After she did that, Luz immediately laced their fingers together, which comforted the heiress from the nervous jitters that came from a number of reasons Amity delved into more than she could count. They barely got to the entrance when Luz pecked her on the cheek before drunk strangers blocked them in the front yard of the bungalow, and they talked loudly, directing the conversation to her person because they seemed to know Luz. One of them even shuffled forward and ruffled her head.

The action offended Amity because they were drunk, and they were getting their grimy hands all over the perfect beanie that Amity had gotten her person. Luz shrugged their hands off but laughed in kind with them, and before Amity knew it, they extracted the former from her hold and dragged her away. When it finally processed in her mind that she was left alone and the protest in her throat died, she let out a frustrated growl.

Amity already regretted her life choices. Way to add another to the list.

“I’m guessing you’re not having fun,” Willow plopped down on the couch beside her, eyebrows raised. Her pixie cut stuck out in different directions, but Amity ignored the urge to ask her about it. She sighed and shook her head, a shadow falling over her features.

“No, I want to go home,” Amity deadpanned.

It was normal for people around her to back off when they spot an icy glare pointed at them. But the combination of overthinking for the past few days, coupled with the pangs that she felt inside, made her mood drop and she did not even have half the energy to turn the room cold.

She could just walk home; sort out her thoughts and even have an unimaginable time alone. Amity was not obligated to wait for Luz after all, though she duly regretted not using her car for this one event. But when she thought over it again, Amity did not want to be left alone again with nothing but the nagging in her mind as company.

Willow eyed her from the sidelines. She looked like she wanted to say something, and Amity would let her because she would do almost anything to keep her ears sane and unfocused on the loud beating of the drums.

“Luz was looking for you,” Willow started carefully and deliberately as if she wanted to force Amity to reply to that specific statement. It seemed to be something she did often, if the green-haired girl were to judge the playful smirk that tugged on the corner of the other girl’s lips.

Amity bristled in response. To make it less obvious, she crossed her legs, golden eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint appearing in her pupils. She clicked her tongue as she fired back with an aggressive tone.

“Oh, really? thought she was having fun on her own.”

            Anger boiled inside of her, and Amity tried to remain calm, because despite wanting to stab Luz Noceda with a pencil, she did not want to cause a ruckus. If she saw red, then she might do something improper and break whatever fake relationship they already had.

The conversation was short and abrupt, but Amity would not have it any other way. She sighed, being rendered unapproachable by the irritation that threatened to explode within of her. She was supposed to feel better after what she heard, but it only reminded her of what transpired this evening: being left alone and forcedly having to roam around the house, pretending she was bored because that feeling was terrible.

Willow shot her a crooked smile; which Amity raised her brows at. It was as if a challenge was thrown at her, but she had no plans to humor the girl. So she redirected her attention to the juniors in front, who shoved each other clumsily as their legs wobbled in obvious drunkenness.

The knowing look registered a little later than intended in Amity’s brain, when she saw Luz amongst the crowd, walking around with a deep frown on her face. She looked sober and clean, which Amity preferred. She could easily tell the girl apart, for how long she has been associated with her. Luz walked like she was a lazy gangster, with dragged feet and back slouched slightly, hands stuffed in her pants’ pockets. The beanie on her head was lopsided, almost falling to show tangled brown strands of hair.

Amity could spot her from blocks away if she had to.

Suddenly, the music was jarring in the ears, and some idiot had the audacity to have turned it up to maximum volume. Amity resisted the urge to chuck a piece of broken glass at everyone in the premises and rather, considered the alternative of committing arson and excuse it for a rogue bonfire. Maybe she could pour oil on the irritating people and throw Luz in there before lighting it up. The idea appealed more than being stuck here without having fun. Maybe Willow would not mind.

She watched as Luz passed by a few people who greeted her innocently and Amity flinched, looking down, only to have realized that her nails dug in pale skin, the marks turning red quickly. She was undoubtedly about to hurl her lunch, ruminating about the sense of discomfort that squeezed her insides. She drank nothing since the party started hours ago, so it must have been because of the intoxicated smell that stuck to walls and floors of the house.

Maybe if she punched Luz in the face, she would feel better.

Or the guys from the entrance a few hours ago, that could work.

She could also put some scratches on the giggling girls that greeted her person earlier, preferably on their faces.

As Amity muttered some stuff that could have horrified other people, Willow chuckled from her side, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She nudged the girl, but Amity ignored the action, eyes focused blankly to the sight in front of her. This amused Willow, and Amity barely noticed how she leaned back on the couch, watching the scene unfold with piqued interest.

One of the girls Luz was speaking to reached out and offered her a shot glass, so insistently and she was too close that before she knew it, Amity was furious and already up and about on the couch, nearly marching over if not for the hand that grabbed her wrist.

“Keep watching, Amity,” Willow voiced out.

Her voice was steady and unyielding. The face she made warned Amity that she would regret anything that would happen if she joined the crowd about now, with cameras flashing left and right. She recalled the first time they were caught on camera, with how her parents were absolutely mad and threatened to get rid of the other girl.

Amity’s last name aggravated her the more she reflected on how heavy it weighed, and she pondered on it for a few seconds more, before decidedly, she sat down, a massive burden on her heart.

She observed as Luz shook her head, evidently annoyed at the forceful gesture of the drunk teenager. Amity sneered at the action of the other party, her eyebrow twitching and mind still formulating murderous plans as she gazed begrudgingly at the exchange. Luz sighed in defeat and took the glass, which raised the hostility Amity was about to unleash. Willow placed her arm in front, blocking Amity from standing and forced her to keep watching. With absolute resentment, Amity did, and after a beat, was glad she did so.

Luz shouted something in Spanish, which vaguely sounded something along the lines of, Take no for an answer, perra! before she raised the glass and threw it on the floor. It garnered attention from the others, but they only whooped in support for something they probably did not even know about. The action also elicited a pleasurable sound from Amity, accidentally, she told herself, hands clenched into fists as Luz headed off in the opposite direction from where Willow and Amity were.

A sense of relief filled the heiress and the adrenaline from earlier wore her down to the point that she was about to lay on the sofa and drift to sleep, until she thought against it (because how many people have sat down since the party started? Amity was meticulous in case she messed up her well-kept hair).

“See? No need to get possessive over your girl. Although, I’ll have to make her clean that up and pay for it. You wouldn’t mind, would you?” Willow noted and chuckled.

The gears in her head turned slowly as she took in Willow’s words, but when it clicked, Amity’s eyes widened in shock at the realization and she whipped her head to stare at the girl, her mouth falling agape. She sat stiffly, going over the words again and checked for signs on whether Willow was kidding or not, and even if she had a playful smirk on her face, Amity could tell she was quite serious about her earlier statement.

Seriously though, when can Amity catch a break from thinking?

If she denied it, the conversation would not end and might even spiral into an argument and she was not dumb enough to do that to herself, knowing that Willow would have sound points against her.

On the other hand, if she accepted it, Amity would have lost the internal battle she had been having with herself and with Luz for the past few days.

Or months.

She pursed her lips and facepalmed, lamenting the conclusion Willow revealed to her. If only she drank something, she could have passed it off on the alcohol, but she was clearly as analytical as she usually was. The loss of appetite, the fury that antagonized her whole being and concussion she thought of giving to the people earlier; there was no physical reason to explain how all those things wove into just one word and one logical explanation.

The deduction Willow had led Amity into peeved her and clawed at her throat and made her want to rip out something.

Ah.

She was jealous.

“Amity!”

Amity snapped out of her deliberation on whether she was going to commit serious physical injuries or attempted murder(s), thoughts going out of the window, when the familiar voice called her from the other side of the room. The green-haired girl blinked before she turned and saw Luz pushed past some of the drunk bastards, and shoved some with unneeded force, then it dawned on Amity slowly, that Luz was headed this way. Towards her.

Amity was not ready to face that person just when her insides twisted into messy knots.

“Well, now you don’t have to feel jealous, Blight.”

Willow grinned victoriously, before she got up and dusted herself off. She paused for a bit before pointing a finger upward. She coughed and said, “By the way, your siblings came by a while ago and now we’re going to play games upstairs. If you want a secluded space, you and Luz follow whenever.”

The fruitful results of Amity’s thesis on Luz Noceda and fake dating messed her up badly, and she preferred to avoid the girl tonight as much as possible. Panic rose inside of her along with fear and her lips quivered at the cogitation of rejection.

“Wait, hold on, I’m coming now-”

Apparently, fate was out to get her because just when she was about to bolt out and follow as soon as Willow left, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and sat her back down.

“Woah, are you leaving?” Luz panted, alarmed. She knelt in front of Amity, hands moving down to still Amity’s squirming legs. Amity was certain that Luz acted quickly as a stumbling block so she would not be able to escape.

The squirming startled Luz but she went still and held Amity down, even when the latter pummeled her shoulders.

“Look- Amity, listen- I tried to get away as soon as they dragged me to a playful fight in the backyard but then they mentioned that there was a prize-Ow! Hermosa, hear me out- I thought you might have liked it-Fuck, stop that- Ugh! You know what?” She waived her hands animatedly and glared through her lashes.

 “Never mind, I was an asshole, okay? Fine! I get where you’re coming from and I have no excuses. But I really am sorry I left you behind.”

Amity took in a sharp breath when Luz faltered on her last word, her brows furrowed exasperatedly, a frown etched on her lips. She breathed heavily, eyes half-lidded while her hands balled into fists, the knuckles turning white.

“Look…Look, it was a dick move on my part, I get it, but I promise you that the prize was really good and I honestly did it because I thought you’d like it.”

Call her sensitive, but Amity deserved every apology there was to give after earlier. However, even though Luz stuttered out more apologies that people might call as spoiling, even though she pulled out something glittering and black from her chest pocket that Amity really should have listened to know about, she tuned out involuntarily. For some reason, her concentration diverted into examining what seemed to be a faint scar that cut through her person’s right eyebrow. Amity stared at it, searching in her mind for a specific fight, as her free hand reached out subconsciously until her thumb brushed against it.

Luz flinched in surprise and stopped talking immediately. Amity focused on how the girl sat frozen under her touch, lips in a thin line as she egged the green-haired girl on to say something but the shorter girl knew that if she looked down straight into a pool of brown, she was going to blow up. So instead, she pressed her thumb against the faded scar firmly, breathing out, “It’s okay.”

Because Amity had done a number of unspeakable things to Luz as well, and yet, is able to count the times she apologized.

She noticed how Luz’s ears twitched at the action and assumed she was relieved when her shoulders relaxed. The knots in Amity’s own back loosened up and she sighed before she pressed a finger nail harder into Luz’s face, which elicited an audible whine from her. There was a surge of confidence and calmness within her as she allowed her golden pupils to bore into brown eyes.

“I get to hit you first in our next fight,” Amity murmured.

Luz swallowed thickly and nodded slowly.

“I guess I deserve that…”

She softened her gaze and pulled away in exhaustion. She honestly did not believe anything could be worth leaving someone alone at an unfamiliar party during her first time. But this was Luz; the unimportant things could have been different for her and Amity understood that, with how every flower given to her has been given meaning, as Luz discussed it eagerly with her. The care portrayed in that alone told Amity a lot, just like now, where Luz examined her face, until she was sure that the former was not mad anymore.

“Okay, now that you’ve forgiven me, I have to show you this-”

Luz shimmied up to one knee and raised the small, ebony box up to Amity’s face. A nervous laugh slipped from her mouth as she opened it with a hand that trembled. She coughed loudly and intentionally brought attention to the two.

Amity should have never mentally defended her and said that every action was well thought of.

She was crazy.

Thoughtless.

Luz was absolutely thoughtless.

Just like Luz wanted, every drunk gaze in the nearby area were on them, and the sight of Luz on one knee gained such an uproar with how people gasped and cheered. Some of them dropped their drinks-which by the way, will make Willow livid- and clapped sloppily. Amity’s jaw dropped at the cheeky grin that appeared on Luz’s lips and it was as if the temperature in the room rose with how warm Amity’s cheeks grew.

“Amity Blight, Mi Amor,” Luz began, and raised the box which made some people squeal.

Crap, crap, crap! What is she going to do?!

What are we going to do?! Amity hissed.

STOP HER, STOP HER NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE, DUMBASS!

Sometimes it paid well to listen to one’s conscience. When Luz was about to open the box, the whoops got louder, and Amity’s instincts kicked in. She threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around Luz’s neck and resisted the urge of strangling her. She buried her face in the crook of Luz’s neck, and bit on her lower lip hard, else she sunk her fangs on the other girl through her shirt.

This made Luz pause.

“What…are you doing?” She whispered, puzzled.

Yes, what are we doing?

You told me to do something!

We weren’t supposed to hug her! Just go with it!

So then, Amity loosened her hold and pulled back, her ears flushed red. Luz stared at her in concern before her hands found her waist and held her there hesitantly. The crowd grew silent, save for the music that blasted out Katy Perry’s music a decade ago. Amity just wanted to get out of there, so she grasped on the edges of Luz’s shirt and tugged on her, eyes pleading.

She caught a glimpse of some people trying to listen in behind Luz. A few of them hiccupped and leaned forward. Their faces were green as they stumbled and fell on the floor, but their ears perked up in anticipation. Amity almost rolled her eyes at the blatant disrespect of privacy, but was at the same time, amused at their tolerance. The display calmed her down slightly and she took in a deep breath before she gazed back into confused eyes. She raised her voice and relished in seeing how Luz’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets and gawked like a fish.

“Want to go upstairs?”

_

            How many more things is Amity going to regret today?

            The shock on Luz’s face was priceless, that much Amity agreed with. Her face flushed at the implication, because for all Amity knew, according to Luz, was that the only thing upstairs were multiple empty rooms and they had to go to each one to find Willow and her siblings.

When people heard what she said, they howled and slapped Luz on the back. They giggled nonstop while Luz stayed frozen, still kneeling. It was not until Amity called her insistently and shoved off the hands on her back that she snapped out of it. Luz straightened her back and with a serious face, she tucked the black box back inside her pockets and placed one arm under Amity’s legs, and the other on her back.

She muttered hang tight and without any other warning, made a firm hold on her legs and stood, with Amity lifted off the floor and suddenly snugged against Luz’s chest. She pivoted and made a beeline towards the stairs as Amity squeaked and wrapped her arms around her person’s neck because of the speed she was going at.

Oh, God, what have I done?

They found Willow and the others when Luz kicked the door open to the supposedly unoccupied room in the corner of the second floor. The seniors (with the addition of Edric and Emira) were on the carpeted floor, and a bottle in the middle. Both parties were startled at the sight of each other, but Willow was the first one to recover as she snorted and patted her side which was most likely reserved for either of them.

Luz said nothing during all of this, which worried Amity. She was afraid that she deduced wrongly and the flush that dusted Luz’s cheeks and the edge of her ears were because she was high or drunk and only cleaned herself before she went to find the heiress. She dropped Amity on the ground and headed over to sit next to Edric who waved at her and spared no glance behind her. On her brother’s other side, sat Willow and then another empty space.

“We’re playing seven minutes in heaven,” Edric explained and wiggled his brows. He winked randomly around the circle and Amity scoffed at the palpable blushes on some of the strangers’ faces. Emira let out an audible laugh before she did the same as their brother, just as Amity settled down awkwardly next to Luz’s best friend.

Amity recalled how Luz spun the bottle on the wooden floor as tension filled the air. Everyone agreed that since there were newcomers, they were going to start a new game and have them play first.

Because it’ll fun! Emira exclaimed.

You just gotta hope it’s you, Mittens! Edric said.

Amity was not having fun.

She knew, and was very aware that she and Luz were not dating for real; so it should not have bothered her when her siblings implied that she might not be the one stuck with Luz in a closet for seven minutes. But she was also apprehensive because whoever the damn bottle chooses, will get to know Luz for several minutes.

But most of the time, these games led to a get-to-know each other through physical means.

There was a day back in their junior year, during the rainy month of June, where Luz came to school wearing the bisexual-colored flag. It was not out of the ordinary in Hexside per se, but Amity remembered how she pitied the poor person who would have had a crush on Luz and her stupid, red beanie.

Ah, well, good luck with competing with everybody! Is what she gleefully planned to tell the unfortunate person who would fall.

Oh, how she was being punished now. Such irony.

Amity trusted Luz; she believed her to have her back in random fights, she would sleep well in the passenger seat with Luz as a driver, and to support her when her parents were being jerks.

But she cannot force the other girl to not be attracted to anyone she wanted to. The heart wanted what it wanted, and if Luz decided that she liked the person she would be thrown in with, then Amity would bow her head and retreat. They had no actual label and Amity felt defeated by all the sound reasoning against her.

All she wanted was to not get hurt.

Her heart sunk as she watched the bottle gradually stop just as it passed by her, towards a blonde she did not know the name of. The stranger had a pink streak going through her hair, coupled with calm, blue eyes. Amity recognized her to be one of the Hexside cheerleaders, well-known for her skills and being the captain that won a lot of first place trophies.

Ah, well, look on the bright side! Our suffering doesn’t have to be extended to two more months! Her mind cheerfully plugged in.

Everyone released bated breaths just as the bottle was barely moving and was about to stop on the cheerleader, who had a smug look on her face. Amity paled and tried to look calm but her nervous went haywire. She struggled to accept defeat and prepared her fragile heart to give way.

But something unexpected happened then. Emira, who sat beside the blonde, reached out and pulled on Amity’s wild mane of green hair, then yanked her forward. Amity screamed at the sudden sting from her scalp and she stumbled, hands frantically looking for something to grasp.

When she recovered, she sat back up and clutched the front of Emira’s shirt. With a ferocious growl, she tugged her forward and cussed, “What the actual fuck?!”

Emira beamed at her, the same golden eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Amity wanted to ask her why, but only after she punched her sister’s face until she broke her nose. Emira gently wrapped her hands around the younger girl’s wrists and signaled the her look down. Amity had speculated that the twins always laid out plans and cheats in games, but this was something she could not figure out even with the conspicuous undertaking of said plan. She snapped her fingers which only confused Amity further, not until someone spoke up in the shocked silence.

“Alright, Amity and Luz in the closet!” Edric cheered from across the room.

It was then that Amity caught on to what her sister had done; she looked down and found herself positioned in front of the blonde, a startled look on both of their faces. Her pupils dilated as she turned back to check on the older teen, who winked at her.

“Wait, but that’s not fair!”

The blonde, which Amity did not have a care to learn the name of, was the first to recover from the circle and she protested angrily. Amity seriously wanted to kick her exposed shins, but she herself was mortified and did not know how to react with the teamwork the twins manifested. One thing was for sure though, Amity did not want to see what Luz looked like as she felt stares that were most likely zeroed on her back.

“The bottle chose fairly and it just so happened that Amity’s the winner here. Do you really want to be a wrench in an official relationship?” Willow chirped in, voice hardened like stone. She spun a pen in her hand and tried to look bored and uninterested in what happened, but the finality in her tone showed that she was in on the foolery the twins committed.

Before the cheerleader poured out more dumb words and made herself less dignified, Luz stood up from her seat and separated Amity from her sister. She had an unreadable look on her face but in a heartbeat, she hauled Amity up and dragged her to the closet in the other room.

_

In hindsight, it was clear that there were alternatives to what had transpired. But none of that mattered because she was in the closet, being cuddled by Luz Noceda, just as Willow wrapped a chain on the handles of the closet and padlocked it.

“Seven minutes!” She called out before her footsteps faded away to nothing.

She steadied her breathing when Luz nuzzled the side of her face and pressed their cheeks together while the arms on her waist hugged her tighter. The taller girl was in deep thought; Amity inferred it from the utter silence that was thick with an uncomfortable tension. Amity thought Luz may have been perturbed by the events that led to this.  Frankly, this worried the Blight because she was frightened that she crossed a line.

She wondered if their time was nearly up, if they had to pretend none of the very intimate things ever happened and she considered how Luz might not want to continue with this kind of treatment.

Will she distance herself?

What was Amity supposed to do?

She never dated anyone before, much less stayed with a person this long. She spent all her free time with Luz and always enjoyed whatever it was the girl wanted to do for that specific day. This was the first time that she was being given the silent treatment and it made her body shook, her eyes glistening with tears in the dark.

One of Luz’s dark hands left her waist, which only furthered her disappointment at herself. Luz shifted slightly and pulled out something, which was probably the box earlier, where Amity interrupted her. It was not as if she was hopeful that it was not some kind of big joke, and maybe she did not trust Luz as deep as she thought before, because she was scared the girl would embarrass her in front of a crowd.

But if it was actually serious-or at least, a fake display serious, then Amity would have said yes, whatever question Luz popped, and Amity hated herself for it.

            Luz placed the box gently inside Amity’s hands, where her darker ones engulfed it in a warm hold. She adjusted their position and rested her chin on Amity’s shoulders before she rubbed the back of the latter’s hands in the same comforting manner she always had.

“Open it, Ami,” Luz encouraged, before she placed a kiss on the slope of Amity’s jaw. She proceeded upward and left another kiss on the back of her ear which sent chills down the green-haired girl’s spine.

So with shaky fingers, she did as told and she squinted, trying to let her eyes adjust to the dark. When she opened it with a pop!, something pointed glinted in the dim room, and Amity marveled at the strange thing. She traced the shape and felt the rough leather under her fingers.

It was a bracelet, with spikes decorating it like diamonds.

Amity removed it from the box and inspected it closer. Her heart wanted to leap out of her chest with how much it hammered against her ribcage. It was well-made, that much she could tell; the spikes were not created to cause injuries and was mostly decorative. Without a word, Luz took it from her hands, albeit had a bit of difficulty with how she relied on the outline of Amity’s arms in order to find it.

She wrapped it around Amity’s left wrist with ease and clasped it. She muttered softly about beating up the guy in case it did not fit and was delighted when it perfectly hugged Amity’s wrist, seamlessly balanced and outright cool.

“Ah! It fits!” Luz chirped happily.

Amity’s eyes watered and ah, this made her happy. Luz was so elated as well, that she pulled her closer and ran her hand through green hair, making Amity purr at the touch. Luz evidently enjoyed that and repeated the gesture, before she settled on twirling the wavy curl at the very end.

“So you left me to fend for myself just for a bracelet?” Amity blurted out, utterly ridiculed.

Luz paused in her ministrations before she huffed against Amity’s neck, her breath tickling the nape.

“Well…now that you say it like that…But hey, this was like, free and had good quality! You can’t expect me to buy a branded armband from Versace!”

By now Amity was sure that Luz could give her a can of worms and she would accept it and make it a good fertilizer or something. The She wondered how many minutes have passed already, but the more Luz chattered, the greater the urge gnawed at Amity to turn around and face her.

So she did.

She untangled herself from Luz’s arms and flipped herself over. She came face-to-face with Luz and pressed her forehead against dark strands of hair, searching for brown eyes that peeked under long eyelashes. She watched as they widen and felt Luz snake her hands back around her waist, with feather-light touches. Their noses brushed against each other and Amity held her breath.

“Thank you,” Amity whispered.

She wanted to say more, become specific, where she enumerated everything Luz had done for her and with her for the past few months. Thank her for the boundaries she set up to protect the both of them from doing something they were going to regret after high school, for knowing how much things meant to Amity, how important things were to her.

So she poured it out on those two words and hoped that her eyes communicated enough that Luz should understand whatever she meant. Her hands that were on Luz’s shoulders earlier, wrapped themselves around the other girl’s neck. The closet was cramped and uncomfortable, but Amity adjusted into a sitting position and felt Luz’s legs closed in on both her sides.

Amity’s eyes flickered downward, to soft lips, which were pursed, and she swallowed nervously. Has it been five minutes? How many more minutes do they have? This activity felt like an eternity long when they stared at each other, a swirl of emotions pounding through Amity’s blood. Just a bit more, and their lips would be touching, and the thought made her itch.

So then she listened to it, because ah, she wanted to do it.

She desperately wanted to close the gap.

She observed Luz’s demeanor and how she pulled Amity closer, as if there was still space to pull her in. But no, there was no more room and their bodies were pressed against each other firmly, saved for their faces. There was an unreadable look in the dark girl’s eyes as Amity leaned in with excruciating slowness, giving Luz time to pull away.

And she realized Luz was going to let her.

Amity felt suffocated even though her lips were parted. She stopped a few centimeters away from Luz, and raised one of her hands to run through the chaotic cut of hair behind the delinquent’s ear, pushing it under the purple beanie and had it linger there.

“Luz,” She whispered again and Luz stiffened under her touch when she moved her hand from under the beanie and traced the girl’s jawline. Luz answered with barely audible, yeah?

She inhaled sharply and struggled to breathe. There was a longing inside of her, but if her restraints around it broke, Amity knew that it would take all the air within her so she would not be left passed out in a worn-out closet.

Her head was clearer than it ever was since their anniversary, and with all the terrible realizations today, along with the good ones, Amity was overcome with peace. She relished in the contact of their bodies and how she had probably always looked at Luz. It was as if she was some sort of unexplored galaxy and Amity trudged forward to determine if the person she had fought for years, was truly the sweetest person who showed Amity a picturesque meaning of what the statement ‘she meant the world’ meant.

But she avoided those three particular words that every other couple would say so casually and instead, settled for the feeling that Luz has given her multiple times. She translated those three words into something else; something that could more or less be similar to it.

Because Amity was not ready to say it only to never hear it back.

“I can’t breathe.”

Back when she was unconcerned of what Luz felt, she would have taken the kiss out of spite and left her to suffer a future where something she treasured dearly was stolen, which she could never get back. The animosity between them would have skyrocketed and Amity would have done something irreparable and be forced to live with the consequence of that one simple action that others were able to give so freely.

But now she cared too much that she would not dare break the boundary that brought them to four months later. So, she balled her hands into fists and released her hold, gently untangling herself from the arms that wrapped around her and she leaned back while Luz just watched.

The jock was once again thankful for the dark, for keeping Luz’s facial expressions hidden now that she sat on the other corner of the closet.  Amity cleared her throat and waved her hands around, conjuring up an excuse on the tip of her tongue.

“Lip pats.”

Amity had an inkling that seven minutes have already passed, and she wished it had because the silence that followed her sorry excuse was terrible and she swore she messed up badly this time. There was no way Luz could be stupid enough to believe that.

But she gave her too much credit.

Her eyes fluttered close where a void of darkness greeted her and was momentarily puzzled at the sound of shuffling and Luz’s long legs disappeared from where both her sides.

Soon, she felt a rough thumb on her lips, and she gasped on reflex which made Luz stop. She moved forward just like what her fake girlfriend did earlier. Their gazes locked fixedly against each other and Amity swore she heard a silent chuckle. The aura Luz emanated was awkward but light, as the top student judged from the way her thumb traced the crevice of her lips musingly.

Amity stopped herself from biting on her lower lip when Luz leaned back with a satisfied hum. The young Blight was about to release a sigh of relief as well, before Luz surged forward again, placing three of her fingers back on her lips. It did not linger and instead, she felt the dark fingers tapped against her lips thrice, robotically.

Ah.

“…I honestly don’t know why you want lip pats instead of head pats, but we’re way past the judging phase,” Luz worded carefully.

Great, Amity groaned. The moment to save face already passed and she just dug herself further into a pit in the aftermath. Luz gave her a few more pats that Amity forced herself to like (which was not that hard) before she brushed the back of her hand on one of her cheeks, which inclined her to lean into the touch. This close, she was able to see Luz fixing her beanie into place before she inched closer, on her knees and that must have been painful, but it was either Luz ignored it or her body was as dense as her head.

Whatever it was, it did not help to prepare Amity when she felt the same pair of lips she had been wanting to pat, on her forehead. As if it was a habit, Amity’s cold hands drifted to the front of Luz’s oversized shirt and caught the hem, clutching it tightly.

Something swelled within her and her eyes watered because she gave the simple kiss several meanings with how Luz took her time and pressed more on the on the corner of her eyebrows and the hollow of her cheeks.

One more.

There was a fiery fire that lit up in her heart that spurred her to say those words out loud. It was preposterous to think that Luz can read minds, but when she took a short break, with her tentative eyes observing the way Amity reached up to brush a stray hair from in front of her person’s face, she felt exposed. As if Luz knew every secret she kept hidden and the fear made her breath hitch.

“Can you breathe now?” Luz whispered softly, her voice low and laced with an understanding Amity did not want to comprehend.

No.

It would probably take a long time before she does.

“I still can’t breathe…” Amity chuckled sadly before she buried her face in her hands and inhaled.

Both of them stayed muted after that as Luz went back and rested her back against the other side of the closet, her arms crossed. Amity fiddled with the bracelet disappointedly, considering how the kisses probably meant three things.

I understand, but I can’t return your feelings.

I know, and I feel the same way.

I’m sorry.

When Willow opened the closet door, she claimed that they lost track of time and ended up leaving them in there for ten minutes, indubitably unaware of the rift that formed between the two. Luz offered to take her home way past midnight, which she had never done before.

She never asked permission.

So Amity declined and borrowed one of her siblings’ car and went home on her own, turning a blind eye to how Luz walked her out and stayed on the sidewalk, a crestfallen look on her face. She pretended not to have noticed herself to be downcast, how her heart seemed to only be held together by strings that fell apart.

As soon as she passed through the manor gates, her lips quivered, eyes blurred and moist. It did not even take her two steps out of the car before she cried, for the first time in years.

Today was the beginning of their fifth month.

Chapter Text

7

Amity was sure that her parents were not completely terrible. They provided for her and her siblings, sure, they also set them up for life and despite how they have always reminded her, the youngest, to be the epitome of perfection she needed to reach, they were there when they needed to be.

That is to say, when the Blight family name was at stake.

The weeks after the party did not go too well for the teenage couple. They were much more awkward, with the sweet gestures turning reluctant and lukewarm, with golden eyes being unable to stare into confused brown ones and with nursed frustration, the fights followed.

They bickered back and forth, heated words on their tongues and it always ended with Amity stepping out of the cafeteria, Luz in tow. Willow and Gus decidedly did not interfere but were a bit surprised to have witnessed the dripping resentment from Amity’s hoarse voice. It was also quite obvious to the people around them that Amity had not been doing emotionally well, considering the fact that she was more aggressive and snarkier than usual.

It only doubled when Amity stopped waiting for Luz to come around the manor every morning before school. She avoided her out of the public’s eye but played her part as well as she could in school or when she had a feeling that she was being watched closely.

She hoped that Luz would understand how difficult it was to supposedly fake something that has already turned quite real to the heiress. The emotions were raw and new and if she were being honest, Amity was sure she would do something rash if given the chance.  

She was undeserving of that though, because after all, Amity only used her to keep her parents off her back.

Luz had her fun already. She saw the way Amity’s face flushed a dozen of times, she enjoyed playing her part as the supportive girlfriend, she even got her fair share of fights for enjoyment’s sake any time she wanted. Besides, she was the one who declared herself too busy to be in a relationship. If that was the case, then Amity will let her be; no more of taking her time away during the weekends, no more of her driving them around to places and no more of those fake smiles and fond looks she shot Amity. She was free to do whatever and Amity was going to learn how not to care about it.

So that was what it was going to be; no more of the needless private kisses or dates no one was going to see. No more of the handholding she sought when she was with Luz; she was going to have to get used to restraining herself from linking their arms or lacing their fingers together.

She should have preserved that for someone she actually liked.

Amity wanted to be selfish, she really did. But Luz had given her so much already that it would be unfair to her if Amity forced what she preferred, over what Luz actually desired. The heiress was a stickler for rules; So what kind of inheritor was she going to be if she could not even bother going by the ones she made for herself?

When she finally exploded, with a finger pointed to Luz’s chest and fangs bared as she snarled out things she did not mean, Luz stopped her by grabbing Amity’s reached out hand, before she raised her own to run her fingers through green locks until she held the back of Amity’s head. Luz shoved her into her chest, with an implication that the girl should shut up. Amity almost choked when Luz muttered comforting words even though she was oblivious as to what was going through the girl’s heart.

Afterwards, she made excuses not to face the girl, even going so far as to ask some of her classmates to tell the person waiting outside for her that she was busy, while she snuck out through the window. She did not want to yell at Luz anymore and frankly, Amity was tired of feeling and all she wanted to do was to crawl into a pile of blankets and sleep forever.

Heartbreak had never been so terrible.

“What is your problem?” Luz whispered.

The clock ticked away, and lunch was nearly coming to an end, when Luz dragged Amity through the hallways, towards the restroom and pinned her to the back of the door, hands slamming inches away from the shorter girl’s face.

Luz was furious, that much was certain. Her eyes glared down at the green-haired girl, brows furrowed deeply, as she loomed over her. Both of them knew she did not deserve the additional hostility her fake girlfriend displayed all week, but Amity could not help it. She did it to protect herself and Luz from something they would both regret. She looked into those helpless brown eyes and mustered up a blank look on her face even though her emotions were a liquidated mess. She pursed her lips and ducked under the girl’s dark arms and forced herself to move forward without answering.

She does not want to see her right now, even if all she wanted to do was to trace the contour of Luz’s face, place her hand under the beanie and let it go through soft, brown locks, and rest her forehead against hers, with breaths mingling together at such proximity. She just wanted to kiss her, hug her tightly as if she were afraid that if she did not, Luz would disappear. Amity just wanted to do all of those without being scared that the delinquent she thought out to be did not feel the same way and end a relationship before it began.

She was not allowed to do any of that.

It was harder to put them into actions.

The only person stopping you is yourself, dummy.

Yeah, and that’s your fault too.

Before she went through the door, with her pale hand gripping the doorknob tightly, Luz called out from behind her, voice cracking in the process.

“Amity, did I do something wrong? Is it still because I left you back at the party?”

There was some sort of exasperation in there, but Amity stopped reading into what Luz meant, what her actions were supposed to tell her and how to respond. Though, it broke her heart when she heard the desperation in the other girl’s voice, as if Luz had been thinking about what Amity had been doing and it did not help that the heiress avoided her like a plague.

But she hated stressing people out; she despised asking for help and she most of all, was afraid to burden someone else with her problems.

“No, it’s just…” She faltered with her words, not knowing if she was to be blamed or if Luz would be satisfied with her answer. So, without further deliberation, she turned her head back slightly, eyes still averted so as not to see what Luz’s expression was at her words.

I can’t breathe. I just can’t breathe.

“Let’s just get these months over with. We’re almost done so you don’t have to waste more unnecessary efforts.”

She forced the words out of her mouth and felt sorry afterwards. She regretted saying them when Luz stiffened in the corner of her eyes. Her hands fell limply to her sides and it only made the hole in Amity’s heart bigger. But she trudged on, ignoring the pangs in her heart and how her eyes stung with tears. Amity pretended not to notice that Luz went the other way, with steps just as heavy.

Luz looked exhausted after the start of the second week. Amity believed that after she ditched her every morning, her fake girlfriend stopped driving to the manor and started heading to school without so much a thought. If Edric and Emira realized that there was something wrong, they were respectful enough not to pry although the looks of concern they shot Amity’s way irked the youngest.

She was anxious and doubtful, with how distant Luz seemed after the continuous show of affection at school. Her hope of reconciliation was shattered when she waited a few more minutes in front of the Blight manor only to find no red hatchback in sight. The twins offered her a ride to school without any jokes or pranks laced in their words, and so Amity accepted it with lowered pride and a broken heart.

For the next few days, she played with the armband given to her, deep in thought. As per agreement, they did not tell anyone about fake dating in case it would jeopardize their standing in public or it would somehow come to their parents’ attention. But that also meant that she could not talk to anyone about this and she was already full to the brim; she was worried that any second now, she was going to explode and spill out stuff that would haunt her for the rest of her days.

This is okay, Amity told herself.

She can do it if she tried.

Though Amity was more rational than that; she delved into things headfirst, not with her heart. Even if she told herself she could do it, that she could keep everything bottled up without it ever spilling, there were always bumps on the way, ready to throw her off. But still, trying was enough. It should have been enough.

If only they did not place the unnecessary effort in this fake relationship.

It was how they should have started and gone, anyway.

It did not help when on Monday, as she opened her locker, an envelope that contained pictures fell to her feet. Amity wished she never opened it, but curiosity got the better of her and led the Blight to discover images of Luz in different places.

But that was not the problem.

Her heart almost dropped dead in her chest, startled at what she saw that she almost crumpled the edge of the printed photos. Her person-no-Luz was with someone else. They were grinning from ear-to-ear and she had stars in her eyes. Her lips were quirked, and she looked like she was having so much fun. One showed her to be sitting inside the Owl House, making finger guns with her hands to a blonde Amity recognized to be the girl from the party.

Oh.

Luz never looked at her like that.

She stared at it for a few more moments before she calmly placed it back into the envelope and looked at it blankly in her hands. She resisted the urge to tear the photos apart in lieu of needed empirical evidence in case she went livid and did something terrible. She could excuse her actions as self-defense seeing as whoever sent this to her desired a provocation. Even though she knew that, her brain stopped functioning and Amity’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. She was glad that her back was faced to the students that bustled around, or else someone could tell something was wrong with how her shoulders shook to the point she nearly gasped for air.

The thought of Luz not being with her suddenly washed over her like ice cold water. It dawned on her that it was not okay. It just never occurred to her until recently that Luz could be with someone else and that terrified Amity.

Because she was unaware that it hurt so much that it was as if her lungs had cut off the air and she shook to the core at the realization.

“Amity.”

She bit on her lower lip hard and closed her eyes. With deep breaths, she calmed herself down and turned to see Luz who was watching her closely. The purple beanie sat neatly on her head, with strands of brown hair brushed to the side of her face. Her chocolate eyes were narrowed, accompanied by jutted lips and a stiff jaw. She seemed a bit surprise, and Amity wondered what she looked like right now; but it passed quickly, and a grimace took its place.

“We need to talk.”

She sounded gravely serious, but Amity found it hard to listen. Was this it? Were they going to break it off a month earlier? Was she going to have to cry in front of everyone and be saddened by the fact that Luz would not know that she would sob for real?

She let out a bitter laugh which made Luz pause. Amity should be happy; they were going to go back to their lives before she messed everything up. Amity was going to go back to her old clique and sit through conversations she hated; her parents were going to tell her that she made terrible decisions and proceed to rub the wounds in by sending more boastful, foolish suitors her way.

But Luz was going to be happy. Amity would not be able to hold her down anymore, she could go back to just chilling with Willow and Gus. Maybe even get herself a girlfriend or boyfriend-she could have anyone she ached for; people who were so much better than Amity Blight in aspects she knew she was weak in. The only downside was that she and Amity will not be able to fight anymore because who was she kidding-

The heiress would not have a face to show after all of this.

The background noise grew louder in Amity’s ears and her heart hammered in her chest. Blood pounded through her veins, so much it might tip over and Amity might have to make a trip to the hospital. Everything was so vivid and earsplitting that Amity could not take it anymore. She pushed herself forward, into Luz’s chest and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, pulling her down. Amity inhaled sharply and glared through tears.

“Noceda, listen…” She started, voice barely above a whisper.

To others, it would seem like she was about to kiss her. It would be a normal sight, with a couple having made up after fighting for some particular reason. Luz looked as if she sensed that something was wrong and her hands started to wander towards Amity’s waist, as if to comfort her, but the warning that flashed through Amity’s golden eyes made her think against it. Instead, Luz slowly wrapped her fingers gently around Amity’s wrist, where the armband was in full display. Brown eyes flickered to it before she nodded, urging Amity to continue with her words.

As Amity struggled to speak, she examined Luz’s face with renowned vigor in order to make sure she had to say what was supposed to be said. She took in the sight of dark and smooth skin, long eyelashes that hid chocolate brown eyes which glinted with mischief and optimism, then there were her soft lips, formed into a thin line as she waited patiently and respectfully for what Amity was about to say. She inhaled and dropped her head low, forehead landing softly on Luz’s chest. She caught the familiar scent of cookie dough sweetness mixed with pine, as if Luz had just returned from the Owl House café and it made her tighten her grip around her fake girlfriend’s collar. Soon, Luz soothed her by rubbing circles on her wrist, which made the shorter girl sigh in contentment.

No. Luz was not the kind of person who would cheat. Even if technically it would not have been cheating, Amity knew for a fact, that after all these years, Luz Noceda was honest enough to tell her if she messed up or if she wanted to break off this engagement.

They stood there in silence, even as the bell threatened to ring any moment. Some of the students pushed past them, which made Amity’s hold on Luz’s shirt tighten as she tried to get a grip of the world around them and the situation they were in. She was not certain about when Luz wrapped her in a warm hug, or when she had pressed a kiss on the side of Amity’s face, but she relished in it and whimpered when Luz tightened her hold around her, with fingers tracing her back and hand holding her waist as close and firm as possible.

Amity did not want this to end.

But the more she prolonged it, the greater the pain would be, so she did her best to speak up.

“If you…If you find someone you like, you’re free to tell me to stop all of this. I don’t want to have the burden of being the stumbling block in case you want to be with them.”

She uttered those words in a purple-striped shirt, hoping that it was muffled enough so that Luz could not hear. The envelope she held earlier fell to the ground, forgotten as she pushed herself further inward and breathed in the scent, trying to memorize it so that she would not have to miss it when Luz leaves.

Amity was selfish. She wished that Luz did not hear it so that she could stay even if it was just for a little bit more. So that Amity could still call her her person.

“Mi Amor,” Luz murmured breathlessly and left another kiss on Amity’s eyebrow, before she continued with a leveled voice and said, “That wasn’t the apology I was expecting but…”

She stepped back with a determined look on her face and a question on her lips. Her eyes trailed down until Amity realized that she was looking at the envelope she just had in her grip a while ago. Before she panicked and went to grab it, Luz got to it first and she tore it open immediately, as if she already knew the contents.

At this point, Amity would not have cared if the bell rang to signal the start of classes; she would not have cared if she were to be late. Her breath hitched and she was terrified of being said to have snooped around when it was none of her business. Not only that, but she never should have found out how Luz was already in love with someone.

Not while they were still together even if it was all just a false pretense.

At first, Luz stood there, with no evident reaction of being caught, on her face. Instead, she studied the photos with analytically sharp eyes and a deep frown. Amity felt a lump in her throat, and she swallowed nervously, breaths turning ragged. Then Luz turned to her with an unreadable expression, as she slipped the photos back inside the crumpled envelope, having no indication of giving it back.

“Mi reina, do you trust me?”

Amity’s shoulders slumped as fear made its way up to her mind. Did she trust Luz? Yes, she did. She searched those brown eyes for a lie, or an honest statement, and Luz’s demeanor softened entirely. She bit her lower lip before she reached out to brush her hand against Amity’s cheek. She waited for an answer, something Amity was afraid to give, even as her eye fluttered close when Luz inched in to peck the bridge of her nose.

“Is this why you’ve been mad at me?”

No, but partly now, yes.

Light, feathery touches brushed against her jawline until it settled just below Amity’s chin, as Luz tilted her head to face her. Amity opened her eyes to stare at the girl with fondness she did not know she had.

Why had she been avoiding her all this week?

She could have just drowned in these touches that, although she felt were forbidden, was hers to have until after all of this is over. She took in the sight of Luz whose attention was only on her for now, and Amity knew that no one else was lurking in the other girl’s head. So with newfound bravery, she leaned in and laced her fingers in-between Luz’s free hand, while she grabbed the one under her chin and kissed the knuckles of the hand she loved to hold.

“Yes.” She breathed out, with fingers burning at the tips. She gazed into her person’s face, hoping that she conveyed the truth-the actual truth.

That she can’t breathe.

Before she could say more, Luz cupped her face, brushed a brown strand away from the front of her eyes and placed a kiss near the corner of her lips, which made the latter jerk back in surprise. But Luz did not linger long enough for Amity to process what just happened as she felt hot breath tickling her ear, when Luz leaned in just close enough to pass by her face, nuzzling it.

“Eso es lo que quería escuchar mi amor,” She answered with a voluptuous voice that turned Amity’s ears red.

Well, shit.

There goes my heart.

Amity felt absolutely scandalized.

Before she could ask what those words meant, Luz walked away, just as quickly as she got there, each step lighter than it ever was since the past few days. Amity watched as her silhouette grew smaller until she was completely engulfed by the other students in sight, confused by how they went from fighting and clawing at each other’s throats, to leaving lingering kisses in front of the whole school to see.

Overwhelmed by a sudden calmness in her, Amity chose to trust the taller girl with whatever she was going to do, as she herself got a clearer picture of what she wanted, and who she was going to see after this.

When she walked away, with heart softer than before, she realized that Luz took off with the envelope filled with photo evidence.

_

Being away from Luz after that small, public scene they have caused felt like an eternity for the young Blight. Her car was hollow and empty, as she cleaned up every trace Luz left behind, like some of her wristbands and rings and kept them in a locked drawer located in a hidden section of her closet. Her days were also too long to bear that Amity spent her free time sleeping, just to avoid the continuous pangs in her chest.

It was as if she only rebuilt her heart for it to be torn down in the next moment.

But it was also nice, in a way-she was given the chance to examine things more thoroughly than when Luz always took up her time. She thought of quirky smiles and how her heart jumped at the small and playful hm Luz would let out whenever Amity demanded something. Amity did not mean to whine, but she did it quite often that now when she recalled all those times, she wanted to throw a punch at her person and then bury herself six feet under the ground.

“Kid, are you sure you aren’t planning to burn my kitchen down?”

It did not even take three full days for Amity to register that she wanted to do something nice after the way she treated the stupid, dense girl with the beanie who sprayed some kind of artistic graffiti on Boscha’s locker yesterday. For fun. The jock was livid when she saw it and Amity understood that she might have played a part with how Luz had been committing more atrocities in school lately. How Principal Bump could afford not expelling her, Amity would not know, but he approached her earlier that week, with eyes narrowed and wrinkles deepening.

“Ms. Blight, while I am glad Ms. Noceda is trying out new things, please keep her troubles outside of school property.”

Amity resisted the urge to tell him that she would have joined her in committing those pranks as a principal in the act. She nodded in response and waved it off, suppressing the giddiness that came from being labeled as Luz Noceda’s girlfriend, to whom she would listen to. Joy bubbled in the pits of her stomach at that, but before she could relish in it, Boscha’s crass tongue snapped her out of her daze and brought her back to the reality of the situation.

“Fix your damn problem with your girlfriend or so help me, Blight, I will destroy her!” Boscha growled, exasperatedly while Skara and Amity only looked at her bemusedly. She pointed a finger at Amity’s chest and shot her a dirty look as she muttered curses that Amity found funny.

She glanced at her person, who had been staying away from her for the past few days. Luz messaged her that she had things to do but did not tell Amity exactly what they were, and instead, had left her on read for the whole weekend.

She was across the hallway, arms crossed, and eyebrows creased, teeth gritted and whole body unrelaxed. Her chaotic hair was unkempt under the lopsided beanie and the back of her shirt was not neatly tucked in like it used to be. It was not even ironed and the small crinkles in the purple tee perturbed Amity and made the hair on the back of her arms stand up. It was apparent for the whole school, that something has been going on and Amity herself who was involved, was not aware of what it was.

Luz must have felt how she was being watched, because she turned just in time to see Amity gazing at her. She blinked dazedly, before she quirked a forced smile and waved. There were heavy bags under her dark eyes, and it pained Amity to see how badly she seemed to be doing. Hesitantly, Amity waved back, with a frown. Luz was as pensive as she could be, because she was about to walk towards her when she received a call and the relief on her face was washed away and replaced with a dejected expression. She picked up immediately and her frown turned into an unpleasant scowl; this urged Amity to go up to her and take the phone, but before she could, Luz mouthed an apology and left in an angry fit.

Amity had an inkling that what happened had something to do with the photos of Luz and she was not certain if it had circulated around the area, but since she found nothing of the sorts, it must have been something else. A part of her brain told her that Luz must have been breaking it off with whoever it was, while the other part of her countered that Luz was not the kind of person who would do that while she was in a relationship, even if it was fake.

God, this was confusing.

Sure, everything still hurt, and was still fresh and nagging at the back of Amity’s mind; but she decided that if this was going to be over soon, then all she could do was make the most out of it. Luz told her to trust her so she was going to do that, and since she seemed to need some sort of support this time, Amity will bow and push her problems away to be the best girlfriend Luz would have.

Not that they were actually together and that she had any competition she knew of.

But supposedly, this should not have entailed her to linger in the kitchen, where she stared blankly at the disformed dough that was most likely over kneaded.

Sure, the dough was an issue, but it was not exactly the core of her problem-

It was why she was making it.

She shooed away the chefs earlier, who offered their help, but no, Amity just had to rely on Google more than people who studied the art of food-making. She thought she could do it, after all, she was impeccable in all other fields of study, so baking should have been a piece of cake (ha) for her.

So then why, again, was her cookies burnt in the oven?

Why was the oven letting out smoke?!

Amity forgot to turn it off, almost setting the kitchen on fire and setting the alarms off. She only remembered to turn the knob when she started smelling something like burnt rubber in the air.

This was way too different from her original plan.

Make cookies for Luz (and friends) to thank them for the lovely company she has had in all her life, apologize for being an asshole when her reasons were valid (but they did not know that so apologies it is) and getting kissed after, no big deal, after all that was not her goal. It was also not because Eda mentioned in passing that Amity’s person was obsessed with blue cookies, which could get her brownie points. Not that she aimed for that in particular.

Emira was fond of cooking so Amity could have asked her for help, but no, Amity found that she could not. Her siblings went missing after they talked about sleepovers with their friends. They did not even bother picking up their phones which pissed the youngest off.

See how they like it when mother and father picked up on what they have been doing. Amity thought smugly.

So then she changed strategies; Amity could call the chefs back in, but she did not really want to embarrass herself in front of them. She was not close to Willow and Gus enough to have them over; which leaves one person because Amity can only count the people she talks to (and the people who knows how to cook), on her fingers.

By now, Amity was pretty sure that Eda was about to throw her in an asylum. She waited for the café to close, before showing up to the front door when Eda was about to swing the door shut. The woman yelped at the sight of her, because Amity did not bother changing out of her nightgown, with an apron in front, hair disheveled and golden eyes half-lidded and evidently tired. Eda was a hair away from ordering King to have her bitten, Amity was sure of it.

Then she might actually turn into a chihuahua.

Thankfully Eda let her in when she opened the paper bag she had with her, showing the jarring sight of charred pieces of food that nearly resembled coals. The woman muttered a Dear God before she reluctantly agreed in letting the heiress inside.

“Please tell me you’re not giving this to someone,” Eda began just as she lifted a piece of a burnt cookie. She squinted at it, examining it closely and fell silent but it was indisputable that she was holding her crass tongue. For sure, the teenager shall be adding more strands of white on the restaurant owner’s wild hair after tonight.

“I was uh…making it for myself…” Amity lied, undoubtedly turning red when Eda let out a cross between a snort and a teasing laugh. She dropped the inedible pastry and clutched her stomach like she was holding on for dear life.

Already, Amity regretted her life choices more and more.

It was the dead of the night when Eda forced her to go to the seven eleven near the corner of the street, in her nightgown. Eda gave her a list of ingredients, but did not tell Amity if she was going to be baking the same recipe for the cookies or not, because she definitely brought extra ingredients but Eda only wrinkled her nose at it and kicked her out, shouting ‘Be back in thirty minutes or so long, sucker!’

“Eda, why is there cheese in the list?”

Eda sighed through the phone as Amity browsed through the set of cheese in the aisle. The speaker from above her played out a lofi playlist and she had an inkling that the person managing the store was already asleep, judging from the loud snores that echoed throughout the empty shop.

“Should I get cream cheese? Quark? Ricotta?” She listed it off one by one as she eyed them but it only elicited a snort from the older woman.

“Kid, you are one careful fellow, I can tell you that. Luz would have just gotten the first thing she sees!”

Of course, she would.

When Eda did not answer directly what cheese she had to get, Amity decided to scoop all the available types in her arms and dropped them off the counter, where the employee was startled and jumped in his seat. He blinked groggily at the heiress, who only crossed her arms impatiently.

Luz better be worth all these cheeses.

But you already know she is.

When she got back, Eda was already lying on the worn-out couch in the corner of the café. Amity sighed and set it down in front of her, the plastic’s sound bouncing off the cozy walls. Eda only opened one eye before she sat up with excruciating slowness, as if testing the Blight’s patience and how long she was going to keep up with being ordered around.

Well, Amity thought, it was definitely wearing thin.

“So why did I need to buy all of it when the recipe didn’t tell me anything about adding cheese?” Amity prompted, hands on her waist. Eda grunted in return, and let out a yawn. She ran her hand through grey locks and shrugged it off.

“I didn’t say it was for your google recipe. I just needed cheese for tomorrow’s food. Thanks for paying, by the way.”

Amity almost spouted a string of curses that she was sure she had never done in the entirety of her life, as Eda muttered how she never told Amity to buy all the available types of cheese. She restrained herself for the sake of hoping to be welcomed back to the café in the future because Eda could kick her out tonight and never let her back in if Amity did throw her dignity out the window, so she held her tongue.

Eda grinned at her triumphantly as if she knew that, and Amity realized just how sharp and smart the older woman was, in spite not looking as professional as her sister (she found out recently) in Hexside. She led Amity to the kitchen and watched the teenager unwrap all the ingredients her chefs allowed her to get from the pantry, and Amity felt mildly uncomfortable about the fact that Eda was just leaning on the doorway that connected the kitchen and the living room slash main room of the café, with a mug of apple juice (she called it blood) in one hand.

Amity pondered on the reason she came here in the first place, when Eda was doing nothing to help her, only shooting unreasonable comments when she made a mistake. Amity did not even check how long she had been there, because she was mostly focused on trying to throw the owner off by making sure her mistakes were as subtle as possible. Her competitive nature gave her an idea to put on a façade of confidence and cockiness, expecting to make Eda believe her.

“Nice try, kiddo, hide the process all you want, your results will uncover them all anyway.”

That stopped Amity from almost over kneading her third dough. She stuck out her tongue in concentration and tried to make sure she did it how Eda drilled in her earlier. Her mind was curious about the innocent words Eda spouted, because ironically, it was a very fitting statement for the predicament she was in.

She and Luz could hide whatever they needed to hide, but sooner or later the outcome would bloom and they would find out either way, and would have the responsibility to stick to the consequences their actions have brought.

“So, do you and my kid have problems or what?”

Amity nearly jumped out of her skin when she found Eda peeking on the dough from her side. Her eyes spoke of seriousness, coupled with a frown plastered on her red lips the golden tooth jutting out in the corner of her mouth. From behind Amity, King barked as if he had the same question and Amity wondered if the small dog actually had a mind of its own; if he did, then people might let him overtake the world because of how adorable he was.

Amity pulled a face as she was unquestionably cornered by the two and she hesitantly answered, with a lowered gaze. Sure, she convinced herself that she came her to make apology cookies for her person, but judging by the looks of it, it was not a reason that would convince the shop owner.

“What makes you say that?”

She tried to make her expression as vacant as possible, but Eda only scoffed at her and narrowed her eyes. From below, King growled as if he sensed how she was deliberately redirecting the topic and she sighed in frustration and waved her hands vigorously in defeat.

“Okay! Okay, fine! These cookies are for Luz because I’ve been a total jerk,” she faltered and sucked in a sharp breath as Eda glanced at her wearily from the side as she drank her apple blood, as if she were saying, Really?

Amity had a suspicion that Eda could rival her mother in their deducement and it would be a fight that would sell. She would set up a stand and give out tickets to nearby people, while Luz could have shouted and advertised in front of the stall, saying Fight of the century, folks! Get your tickets!

She almost smiled at the thought of Luz in a mascot as she held up a photo of Eda and Odalia and the image would have sent her chuckling, if she did not catch the knowing look on her current mentor’s face.

“Uh-huh. Okay, kid, here’s the thing,” She set the mug down on the counter and shooed Amity away from counter, which Amity was more than glad to obliged. She stepped away as Eda eyed it meticulously, as if she were listing down the steps on how to fix the mistakes Amity had been making. Amity noticed how she glanced at the teenager’s fingers, which she had clumsily bandaged up earlier that day after she kept forgetting that the oven was not to be touched without mittens.

“Luz has been stressed out by something for the past few days,” Eda shuffled around and rummaged around the kitchen, coming back with what Amity recognized as cookie cutters. She focused on Eda’s words as the latter handed her heart-shaped ones, before she continued, “You haven’t been in my café for a while and usually if she’s here, you’re here with her too.”

She instructed Amity to start rolling out the dough and ready the cutters afterwards, but Amity only tilted her head in uncertainty. She raised her brow at the statement as she caught the worry hidden underneath the raspy voice. She heard a snore behind her and found King atop her bag, as if he had marked it with finality as his royal pillow bed.

“You mean...She hasn’t been here with anyone else?”

Amity would not blame the older woman if she would lie in order to be on Luz’s side. Some adults did that for their children, and it was not as if Amity condoned it, but it could have been rational. While she did settle on trying to be the best girlfriend she could be, she still struggled to accept the part where Luz could fall in love with someone else. It was a huge possibility, and while it also was a big thorn on Amity’s side, Luz was free to do that and she knew that Amity could not tie her down. The green-haired girl would not blame her because she was not exactly the most likeable student in Hexside, much less a girlfriend.

A slight sense of guilt hit her when she recalled the times Luz was being sweet and she countered with being snarky and ungrateful. It was clear to her that Luz deserved more, and it there were just more people available who could top Amity Blight’s attitude.

Eda made a face at her question before she whipped her head to see her, genuine confusion written in her eyes. Amity laced her fingers together nervously and looked down, feeling the familiar flush of her ears coming up as she pursed her lips. There were no words to describe the embarrassment she felt, at the likelihood that Luz could have fallen for whoever it was, because it would prove just how unlikeable she was.

After all, her father did say that she had made a mess of their reputation with the suitors they prepared for her to meet.

“No. Baby Blight, I would have told you myself if she did, heck, I’d beat up my own kid if I caught her!” She scowled, her hands flailing around as she exclaimed the audacity if Luz would have dared to do such actions in her presence. It made Amity’s heart skip a beat as hope blossomed in her chest.

Maybe she could ask her.

“You mean...Luz isn’t in love with anyone, right?” She said it quietly, as if she were afraid of the answer she sought. Frankly, she really was, but just when she realized what she had blurted out, it was too late to take it back because Eda stopped ranting and turned to her, giving her full attention. To avoid the inevitable confrontation regarding her question, Amity averted her eyes and decided to press the heart-shaped cutter onto the rolled-out dough, silently judging the thickness of the thing she created.

Eda grew eerily silent at her question. She placed the rolling pin and cutters down on the counter and leaned on it and it made Amity feel like a deer caught in the headlights. Her skin grew warmer and she hoped she was not going to be sweating buckets under the scrutinizing eye of the owl lady.

“Of course, she is,” Eda replied simply, directing Amity to oil the tray and place it in the oven. This time, Amity did not forget to put on the mittens, which hid her bandaged fingers as she picked it up and walked towards the preheated oven across the kitchen. Apparently, Eda had been paying attention to what she had been doing because everything was already set and ready and all she needed to do was just place the abominations she created inside and voila, hopefully they were good tasting cookies, never mind the blob shapes. During all of these, her heart sank as she sauntered from one corner to another, trying to conceal the disappointed expression on her face.

But just as she finished with the tasks at hand, Eda called out from the back, slightly surprising Amity with the surety in her voice as she said, “She has you, doesn’t she?”

Amity contemplated on that assertion.

Eda did not know that Luz and Amity were just fake dating. But what if Luz entered the obligations Amity had set for her, with feelings? She had no doubt that Eda was right to defend Luz if the heiress doubted her, because Eda knew her person more than Amity did.

So no matter where she went or who she asked, Amity already knew the answer to her question; she just needed someone to confirm that those photo evidences taken within the Owl House were fake.

It filled Amity with relief and it felt like a burden was completely and forcedly removed from within her.

 The adult wrinkled her nose at the softness in her voice and as if to cover up her blunder, she yawned and stretched out her arms, feigning sleepiness. Amity flinched at the small cracks she heard, as if Eda had not moved so much even though she actually did as she was more hands-on than the chefs Amity had come to know in the different hotels her family has visited over the years. She waved a hand while she stuffed the other in her long skirt’s when she turned around and shifted out of the room, mumbling about how she never asked to be a counselor for teenagers.

“Blight, I assure you that Luz hasn’t been here with anyone else other than with her mom. Sometimes King and I keep her company while my staff settle things around here. If you suspect something, then I suggest that as her girlfriend, you should trust her. Now clean up here when you’re done, I’m going to sleep.”

Amity lingered in the center of the kitchen, King still nestled comfortably on top of her bag as he breathed slowly and softly. The girl pondered on those words for a while more, fingers subconsciously rubbing against the colorful bandages on the burns that have become more obvious on her skin. She was slightly glad for all the times she and Luz had physically fought each other, because it taught her to pocket some packs of colorful, animal-printed bandages. When Luz found out, she grinned so wide when she whipped out an almost similar kind of pink and purple bandages.

While she was deep in thought, her phone rang and she immediately ran over to the oven, with mittens in hands as she clumsily opened the handle and excitedly checked for the blue cookies.

Eda was right when she said that the results did show the things that she tried hiding away; the blue cookies were a bit disformed but still appeared similar to hearts and stars instead of the blobs she was expecting.

But for someone like Luz, they were absolutely perfect.

Because there were always stars in the girl’s eyes, which at first, had infuriated Amity because she wanted to punch those lights out. There was always something tugging at the corner of Luz’s lips which is why she was always smiling-even if it was taunting at times-her demeanor was infectious enough to have pulled Amity in and made her laugh genuinely.

She did not want this with anyone else.

She wanted those smiles and secret glances and knowing looks to be with that girl.

She hummed at the ideas as she placed them in a small, pink box with a black striped cutting through the middle. Amity hoped it reminded Luz of mint hair, goth looks and a fiery fire that wanted to burn for an eternity. She took pride in her work and leaped around the room, taking the startled dog off the table and whipping him around. He blinked at her, confused, but Amity did not care because she was successful in her work.

But of course, just when everything was perfect, the day refused to conform with the idea of making Amity happy.

Her phone rang again, this time with an urgent call as Luz’s face appeared on the screen.

_

“What were you thinking?!” Amity grabbed her by the shoulders angrily.

She suppressed the worry in her after wrapping the bandages around Luz’s forearms, muttering words of comfort as she checked for external injuries. She shot Luz an irritated look while the latter focused on anything but her face.

Just when Amity finished wrapping the apology gift, she was jolted awake and away from exhaustion at nearly one in the morning when her phone rang continuously. Luz had called her, with rasp breathing and pain evident in her tone as she asked whether Amity could give her a lift. Without ending the call, Amity had rushed out of the shop, slamming the door behind her which she was sure to have an earful from Eda the next time she came to visit. She was clad in one of Luz’s oversized jackets she found in the backseat of her car and while she drove anxiously, she made sure Luz was still conscious on the other side of the phone by talking about mundane things while she stepped on the accelerator hurriedly, only to find her person all beaten up in a narrow alley behind a bookstore. She had gotten into a fight with some drunk students that were making a riot in a nearby bar while she was on a midnight walk.

Or at least, that was the explanation given to her.

It was uncertain if this was Luz’s first time to do those walks or if she had done it way before they started fighting or fake dating, but what mattered was that not even she had beaten Luz the point she might have had a broken rib that could also have punctured her lungs, and Amity swore that there were no words to describe just how worried she was.

It was beyond human comprehension.

Luz was leaning against the dirty, graffitied walls, her jacket discarded, exposing the bruises she had gotten from the earlier street fight. Her shirt was slightly lifted, showing off a nebula which horrified the top student. The purple beanie Amity had given her a month ago was lying next to her, slightly stained with what Amity hoped was not Luz’s blood. She breathed, trying to calm herself down even though her eyes brimmed with tears. Her heart beat erratically in her chest as she tried not to panic because it would do them no good.

“You should have called me earlier, stupid! Who in their right mind would fight three people without a weapon? What if they had a weapon? Do you want to die? You don’t know how much I want to strangle you right now-”

“They did it!” Luz slammed her hand against the ground, a growl escaping her throat. She had never looked so angry before and fortunately, never directed that anger towards Amity. She ran a bruised hand through her messy hair, looking so helpless as if having to fight them back was not enough as payback for things that have been done. Her teeth were gritted, eyes sharp and dangerously red. Her nose was broken, knuckles bruised as she weakly tugged at the pajamas Amity wore. She flinched as if moving hurt and Amity prayed that it was not as bad as it looked.

“They sent you the photos. The photoshopped ones! You were so down about it that I didn’t know how to make you believe I wouldn’t do that.”

The toughness in her voice disappeared as she gasped and clawed at her throat. In the blink of an eye, Amity was in front of her, cupping her face in distraught, eyes wildly darting all over her body.

She chewed on her bottom lip, as anger boiled inside her and she growled. While it was true that she might have believed those photos because of her own self-depreciating thoughts, it was only but a moment and now she regretted trusting Luz not to do something rash.

Of course, she would do something rash. Amity should not have left her alone.

“They sent me photos of you too...” Luz continued softly, blinking through her bangs and squinting at Amity as if she had a hard time focusing and staying awake. Amity’s lips formed a thin line, expression softening at the sound of Luz coughing.

“I didn’t want them to get it out because even though I knew you wouldn’t do that, you had a reputation to keep and I didn’t want them to ruin it. So I did what they told me to do and stayed away...I gave the evidence to Principal Bump and the police, but you see, I don’t have the money to actually make things happen.”

The frustration in Luz’s voice broke Amity’s heart; her lips quivered in resentment and Amity believed her. She always did. Suddenly, everything felt warm as Amity clicked her tongue. She was going to talk to her parents about this, that was certain. Luz should not have taken the downfall for false accusations and it pained Amity to see her try to solve all of this on her own.

“Luz, look at me.” She pinched one of Luz’s uninjured cheek, making her flinch, and she continued saying, “I’ve experienced people putting down my family all my life. I had my fair share of fake things and I had them taken care of. You should have told me!” Amity exclaimed You shouldn’t get into a fight because of that, ”Amity already speculated the protest when Luz opened her mouth, so she placed a finger on those chapped lips, and glowered,

“Or at least let me join you, idiot.”

 A dangerous glint flashed in those all too familiar brown eyes as she replied with a stubborn grunt, “I made them eat their words, that’s for sure. All I need to do is make sure the photos don’t go around or I’m actually going to commit homicide.”

“Luz…” Amity warned albeit not genuinely. She was going to do something about that later.

“Let me see your back, please.”

Luz muttered a weak agreement and groaned when she turned slightly as Amity inspected every side to check if she had missed anything and assessed just how bad the wounds were. She hoped there was no internal bleeding because Amity was going to do more than ruin those pricks’ lives. Luz skimmed her surroundings, hand moving to grab something which was turned out to be a beanie. She sighed in relief when Amity offered it to her, and Luz carefully wore it over her head and patted it in place. Amity watched the action, a bit surprised at how much Luz seemed to treasure the beanie, which, to her relief, was also in one piece.

“Did you at least win?”

Luz raised a thumbs-up.

Amity sighed and sat next to the injured girl. She made a face as soon as her back made contact with the dirty cement. As if she was too tired to move, Luz laid her head on Amity’s lap, mumbling something about staying like that for a minute.

“You can scold me tomorrow.”

Unfortunately for Luz, Amity was not about to stay in a dirty alley that smelled like people had peed on it recently. She dragged the other girl in her car, spreading the bomber jacket on the seats behind and laid Luz on it. She saw the box in the passenger seat and exhaled, knowing that it was not the right time to give it to the broken girl.

Her parents would kill her when they check the cameras but right now, Amity only cared about taking Luz to the hospital. She turned the key and the engine roared back to life. She checked her phone to see the nearest hospital present and mumbled curses to herself for still having trouble finding areas. Being a Blight had its disadvantages, like having family doctors coming to their doorstep instead of making trips to the hospital.

The fabric rustled behind her and Amity glanced at the mirror to see Luz struggling to sit up. She turned to scold her, but she had plopped back down on the makeshift bed, letting out a shuddering breath. After Amity made sure she was still awake, Luz let out an airy laugh.

“By the way, that’s my jacket.”

Perhaps Luz was okay enough if she had enough energy to grin and mutter that statement. But just to make sure, Amity would have her checked.

Just to be sure.

_

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

Luz bounced nervously in the passenger seat, with new bandages and a clearer head. The doctor said that she was going to be fine but Amity could take her back in case she observed her person to have any other symptoms that would show more worrying matters. They argued in the white room about how Luz insisted on going home only to be countered with the fact that her mom was going to find out and she was going to be insanely mad.

Mama Noceda wins. Amity snorted, taking it to be her win as well.

Amity almost threw the box to the backseat when Luz settled in the front. She waited as Luz took her jacket in the back and when she closed the door, that was when Amity slid the box in the now empty seat.

It was only starting to hit Amity hard when they arrived at the Blight Manor and she had to figure out how to sneak Luz in without being seen by the cameras. She sent a text to the twins, wishing that they were awake so they could turn the cameras off temporarily in the control room and as she waited, she leaned back on the driver’s seat and breathed.

Luz was going to be the death of her.

“Yes,” She answered even if in truth, her parents would probably kick her out. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Luz shifted around uncomfortably and winced when she hit a particularly sore spot. Concerned, Amity automatically laid her hand atop Luz’s and leaned in to inspect the girl closely.

“Are you sure you can sleep tonight?”

Luz let out a quiet laugh and smiled. She turned her hand and intertwined their hands together.It probably took three rapid heartbeats, when she scanned Amity’s face in the darkness.

A pause.

“No, maybe not today.”

They settled in a comfortable silence, staring at each other with such intensity that if Amity had not been running on adrenaline, she would have melted. It was then that it dawned on her that they have not spoken about the party and about the photos. At least not in an orderly fashion.

There was a sense of trepidation between them, and Luz’s eyes glowed in the dark. Amity could barely see the whole of her face, as the dim lights in the garage lit up her side and her breath hitched when Luz leaned in to rest her forehead against the driver. The proximity made Amity lightheaded as she could feel Luz’s hot breath on her lips.

“You know it’s funny,” She whispered.

Amity gulped and squeezed her hold on Luz’s hand. There were sparks that went through from her finger tips to her body and she wondered if it was one of Luz’s charms to have made her shudder with the desire to pull her closer, until no space was left between them.

“What is?” She said back, highly aware that they could close the gap any moment and it was so tempting, too tempting, to do, that Amity’s free hand gripped the edge of her seat tightly, until her knuckles turned white.

“This is the most you’ve touched me,” Luz quirked a smile which made Amity’s heart skip a beat.

She missed this. She missed the intimate closeness they shared, where they were the only ones in a fragile bubble that could be popped any moment. They could have discussed all the logic and intention behind the fake photos and the rationality of their actions in the closet weeks ago, they really could have done that.

Maybe on another day, they could have, or maybe it had already been settled because they had already solved all the doubts and shot each other knowing smiles. Instead, Amity switched tactics, simultaneously annoyed and thankful that she had pressed her lips to the side of Luz’s face, placing a kiss on her uninjured cheek, instead of breaking the agreement that held her back, not because of her pride, but because she respected Luz’s conditions enough to obey them.

Then her mind reeled back to the first few days before.

Amity had kissed her. Deliberately and willingly this time.

She was enamored with the way Luz leaned into her touch, leaving her hand that was on the armrest as she cupped Amity’s face. Amity was uncertain if what flashed through Luz’s eyes was similar to what she yearned for, but before her person could speak, Amity’s phone vibrated. This jolted them out of the bubble and untangled themselves, Amity’s face flushed red as Luz rubbed her nape sheepishly.

Edric: Mittens, u have 10 minutes to do whatever it is before the cmaeras turn back matic. 3:32 a.m.

Amity heaved a frustrated sigh and quickly grabbed Luz’s hand, muttering how they had to go, and go fast. She grabbed the box from behind, almost forgetting that she had it, and with fast steps, they swerved left and right within the manor, as Amity knew the paths like the back of her hand. There were times Luz stumbled and groaned quietly and as much as Amity felt bad dragging her when she was injured, she was more remorseful about what her parents would do if they caught the two of them heading towards her room.

As soon as opened her door and pushed Luz in it, she flung it shut quickly, pressing her ear against the wood and heard the power turn back on. Just in time.

From behind her, Luz let out a wail and when Amity turned her head, she saw that the girl had stumbled backward to her bed, beanie flying off when she fell. Frightened, Amity ran towards her and sputtered out apologies.

“You know, Blight, I know you’ve always been the rough type of girl but please go easy on me today.”

That earned her a light punch on the shoulder. Luz scoffed and huffed a meanie under her breath. Amity ignored her as she was more occupied with how Luz was wearing a dirty, stained white shirt and muddy pants, on her clean, pink sheets.

This would not do.

She opened her closet as Luz closed her eyes to rest, and Amity pulled out an oversized undershirt and a pair of blue shorts. It would do Luz better if the scrapes and wounds on her legs could breathe and she had to clean it as well since she refused to show it to the hospital, insisting that they were not dangerous enough to be infected.

“Luz, get your ass over here pronto.”

While she knew that the girl heard her, Luz opted to stuff her face into purple pillows, turning her back on the owner of the room. Amity threw them on the bed and impatiently urged the girl to change while she took a much-needed shower.

“If you don’t change, I’m going to throw you out my window,” Amity threatened, injecting as much malice as she could in her words. It worked because Luz murmured an involuntary yes and turned again, plopping herself on her back.

“Okay, captain, you’re the boss,” Luz replied sarcastically and got up just as Amity rolled her eyes and went in her built-in bathroom. She thought none of it when the warm water hit the bareness of her skin and all Amity could think about was scrubbing away the smell of alley pee and sweat. It was only when another groan echoed from behind her bathroom door that her mind drifted back to her fake girlfriend and Amity blinked, the steam of the hot water turning the temperature up high.

Luz is in my room.

“Ames? Where do you want me to put my unclean clothes, your highness?” There was a bitterness in that low voice of hers, but Amity paid no heed to it as her ears perked up at the nickname she longed to hear for a while now.

“Leave it, I’ll place it here later,” She squeaked out, face flushing when her imagination broke out and although it was not the implication she knew it to be, the thought of being in one space with Luz was exhilarating. The notion of sleeping in one room, and taking turns in the bathroom was something so mundane but it made Amity’s heard leap in her chest.

She wanted that.

She was sure of it now, that it was something she desired with Luz and her alone.

Amity buried her face in her hands and hid the smile that threatened to overtake her lips, when Luz exclaimed back an Okay, mi novia. Nothing could have been better than this; sharing something with another person and being conscious of the fact that they were going to end the day together.

Then again, Luz never did have the same ideas as hers.

When she came out, with mint hair damped and sticking out in all sorts of directions and a towel around her pale neck, Luz was sitting near the window, already changed, and holding the box that Amity threw in with the girl earlier. She was still wearing the messed-up beanie and at that, Amity’s eyes softened. She would have to wash it later.

“Ames, I saw you tuck this in the back earlier, what is it?” She asked, patiently and keenly.

So Amity did what she was best at, lest she buried herself alive when Luz stared at her, the gears turning in her head when her eyes settled on the new bandages that hugged Amity’s fingertips. Quickly, Amity placed her hands behind her back and swallowed nervously and answered too enthusiastically.

“My love for you!” She replied.

Luz stared at her in disbelief and scoffed to the side, eyes going back to checking the different corners of the box that looked like mini-Amity.

“...Are these coals? Will you be using it to light up that fiery love you have for me?”

At the unneeded sarcasm, Amity glowered and crossed her arms. The audacity to have insulted her when she worked hard to have it resemble cookies instead of coals.

“You know what? Give them back, you don’t deserve my love.”

She marched towards the girl and nearly snatched the box out of her hands but Luz pulled away just in time, agitated at the gravity in Amity’s sharp voice. She opened it clumsily and stuttered out an “I’m kidding!” as Amity climbed onto her and tried to reach for the sweets that Luz did not deserve to eat.

She was not worth spending the amount of cheese for Eda, no she was not.

“Stop, I want to eat it, I swear, let me open it!” Luz exclaimed and panicked, her legs flailing as Amity shoved her arms under the other girl’s armpits and tried to gauge the box from Luz’s hands, unknowingly pressing herself against the other girl and it only took Amity a second too late to comprehend the situation when her face was thrust forward into Luz’s chest and the scent of lavender filled her nostrils.

Instantly, Amity halted, eyes widening in shock at what she had done. She sat sprucely in Luz’s lap, legs hugging the taller girl’s sides and her jaw dropped when in that moment of surprise, Luz let out a Ha! And wrapped one of her arms around the room owner’s waist, pulling her forward. She came face-to-face with Luz, who beamed at her victoriously, a bandaged-up nose brushing against Amity’s pale one.

“¡Yo gano!” She chirped.

But Amity was apathetic at the way she lost, because the way Luz was looking at her now was heart-stopping and it took all of her willpower to not faint right there and then. Subtly and without breaking her gaze away, Luz pushed open the box and picked up one of the blue cookies, the hold on Amity’s waist unyielding. Her heart did summersaults in her chest and Amity trembled slightly with the propinquity, and she was terrified that it would lead her to a temptation she wanted oh so much to drown in.

“You made this for me?”

The playfulness was gone from those fiery brown eyes that bore into Amity’s golden ones, and it was as if there was an electrifying shock as Luz peered down at her. Amity swallowed when she felt dark fingers press into her side and it tickled, which made her let out a small squeal.

“I-Yes...It’s my first time making them, as you’ve noticed earlier...” Amity breathed out heavily, a bit disgruntled at the action which put a smirk on the other girl’s lips. At first, Luz seemed dissatisfied with the answer and her eyes roamed around the room, surveying it as if she was planning something. She raised the blue cookie that had long lost its warmth from how long they have been out and she studied it, which made Amity shrink back, as if she was back in elementary school, waiting for the critique of her professor at her attempt to make sweets.

“...I’m not the first person you’ve invited into this room, am I?” Her words were careful, but the question disoriented the Blight. She blinked at Luz distractedly, before the other girl pressed her fingers into her side again and she let out an involuntary laugh.

“I-No, you’re not...”

Luz was not upset per se, but she frowned at the answer as disappointment flashed on her face. Before Amity could ask what was wrong, she stiffened instead, when she felt Luz tuck her hand under the back of her shirt and laid her chin atop Amity’s shoulder, breath tickling the shorter girl’s flushed ear. Her fingers lingered at her lower back, tracing circles as she waited for Amity’s breathing to steady.

And it was hard.

With the way Luz pushed her closer to her body, fingers rubbing comfortingly on her back as she murmured sweet nothings Amity did not understand. She clutched Luz’s exposed shoulders, and reclined, face flushed so red that Amity was sure Luz would have known by now. Before she could however, Luz resisted and angled her head to press a kiss on Amity’s jawline, which made the latter gulped.

“You’ve received kisses from your suitors before?”

There was something unfamiliar in Luz’s husky voice. Something she has not heard for so long and in lieu of so many things happening at once, with her mind burning everything blank at the soft touches and hug that Luz was giving her, she tried her best not to stutter.

“Y-Yes, but why-”

“I’m holding you right now,” Luz pressed forward, brows creased in concentration and lips forming a thin line, and Amity’s heart sped up, her consciousness screaming at her to get away from the predator’s eyes.

Amity was always the predator, never the prey.

“Will I be the first to hold and pepper your faces with kisses in this room?”

Her eyes widened at the possessiveness that dripped from those words and her mouth fell open, startled at the sudden question. The blue cookie that was in Luz’s other hand was forgotten as she dropped it back inside the box and she immediately ran it through Amity’s damp locks. She should have scolded the girl for probably getting crumbs into her newly washed mint hair, but she was rendered frozen under Luz’s warning gaze.

“Would I be the first?”

Screw it.

“Yes,” Amity answered hoarsely. Her legs felt like jelly and she lurched forward, energy drained as she rested her head on Luz’s shoulders, ears flushed to the tips and she hated herself for giving in, for not punching Luz back, but the fact that Luz asked her all those questions just to find out if she was the first to do that had Amity’s heart do backflips.

Luz chuckled and hugged her, pressing kisses on the side of her face. She cradled Amity close and the latter could not help but wrap her arms around Luz’s broader back, hands slipping under the shirt she gave and she contemplated on the thought of leaving scratch marks on her back, but waved it off when she remembered that her person was injured and she might end up making it worse. They stayed like that for a little longer, and Amity felt one of Luz’s hands leave her waist and coming back with the blue cookie. Amity turned her head slightly and tiredly, to see Luz bite into it gingerly, a thoughtful look on her face.

Amity closed her eyes and adored the sound of Luz enjoying the cookies she made, which filled the quiet of the room. She was long past the denial phase of how she would have said that she disliked what Luz had done, but now she was unable to; Amity was infatuated with the possessiveness in the darker girl’s voice and she relished in it, with her heart stuttering and fingers shaking at the tips.

It was only after Luz finished the cookie when she spoke again, albeit quiet and apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Ames.”

At that, Amity tilted her head and watched Luz through half-lidded eyes. She furrowed her brows in question as Luz smiled at her sadly, the arms on her waist loosening as she brought up a hand to cradle Amity’s pale face.

“I’m sorry for not telling you that I was going to beat them up. It’s not that I think you’re weak, but I just wanted to protect you this time around even if I knew you could protect yourself.”

Amity shook her head and clicked her tongue. Tomorrow, those little boys would find themselves expelled from Hexside and while Amity was not cruel enough to make their families’ lives hard, she was set on threatening them to eradicate whatever photos they faked and to blackmail them afterwards.

Her parents on the other hand, would be doing far worst and after what they have done to the two teenagers, Amity doubted if she was going to stop her father and mother.

“It’s fine.”

Her tone left no room for arguments and Luz was wise enough not to press the matter further. Instead, she lifted Amity up but almost tripped in her steps towards the soft bed when she flinched at the sudden spark of pain that shot through her upper body. Amity frowned and hauled her forward to land on the bed, with their weights making it dip slightly and soon, Amity found herself snuggled back within Luz’s arms, the blankets covering their flushed bodies.

Before she was swallowed by the exhaustion and slumber, Amity remembered cupping Luz’s face and pressing a kiss under her eye, before she nestled her head underneath the girl’s chin, catching a whiff of fresh pines mixed with Amity’s own scent of lavenders.

She was vaguely aware of how Luz peered at her, fingers tangled in mint green hair as she played with it gently, mumbling about how she loved the brown strands that fell forward into Amity’s sleepy face.

But what she was not sure about, was the words that came out of Luz’s voice, sweet and emotional as she planted a kiss on her forehead. An understanding dawned on her face as Amity felt her tighten her hold around her waist, with legs tangled together in need of more warmth. In the morning, her siblings would find them wrapped around each other, slumbering the weekend away and take photos of them, but what plagued Amity's head, was the illusion she was not sure she herself conjured up.

Because she could have sworn that the last thing she heard was-

“Amity? I don’t think I can breathe either.”

Chapter Text

8

            “What was your name again?”

Look, if Amity knew days earlier that she was going to meet the most terrifying person on earth today, she would have come prepared, printing out her resume that included all her achievements from when she was five until now, and she would have worn more proper clothing and not, for King’s sake, the style her girlfriend had picked out for her, which was a pink and white crop top and a short, pink skirt.

In the past few months, Amity had made more blunders than she had ever done in her whole life-courtesy of Luz Noceda-and while she might have regretted some of them and enjoyed most of them, this was still something she deliberated on: whether not fake dating and not refusing her suitors was much better than going through this right now.

She felt miserable.

Her palms were clammy as she sat with her legs crossed under the table, fingers shaking as they tapped against her bare skin, and although the windows were closed, the room was chilly. Beside her, Luz fidgeted nervously, and Amity was sure that her hands were clasped together on her lap even without looking down at it.

Under the pressure of being stared down by sharp, brown eyes that belonged to a much older woman, Amity was given the choice to change her mind and say that she can breathe, then she could leave this place alive, with her dignity intact and with Luz mauled alive.

From across the two, Edalyn Clawthorne looked at them bemusedly as she chugged down a glass of apple blood, and no, Amity was not anxious or wary (okay, maybe a little bit) around the woman, but there was no doubt that she was currently high-spiked queasy and uptight with their other company.

It was at this moment that Amity found out someone could radiate more fear in their aura alone- more than her mother, Odalia Blight, could.

What freaked her out even more was that the food served at the table was normal, unlike that weirdly blue food Luz kept on insisting to have when they were together. Her person made no complaints and Amity swore that her face was deathly pale. There was a thick tension over the table and a knife seemed like it would not be able to cut through it.

In the first place, how did she end up sitting in the dining table with Eda and the Nocedas?

No one spoke, which made the silence deafening for the guest. Save for Eda, no one else dared to touch the food, even though the dishes’ appetizing scent filled Amity’s nostrils and made her stomach rumble. She sat frozen because of the calculating look on Camila Noceda’s face as she took the teenager in, and Amity was afraid that if she made the slightest movements, the former would flip the table over and scream her disapproval at her.

Luz, Amity hissed mentally and cursed the girl, I’m going to burn you alive if I live through this.

            Amity never would have thought this meeting to be possible. Well, six months was a lot of time and while she did consider the possibility that Luz’s family would find out, she did not think that she would be introduced after being caught in a misunderstanding that would lead to her doom.

            “Now, explain to me why I caught my own daughter…” Camila started slowly in a lower octave which sent chills down Amity’s back, before she continued, eyeing the teenagers as she said, “on top of you, in her room, in her bed, earlier?”

Whenever her mother would scold her, or when her siblings would prank her when she was younger, Amity Blight never cried. When they first lost a game in rugby or she got a lower grade than last quarter, she still held her head high. When she first realized that she was most likely probably, having the biggest crush on her fake girlfriend, it made her heart skipped a beat and she was angry at herself for letting her ‘impeccable’ plan backfire in her face.

But God, this was probably the most humiliating thing that has ever happened. She stayed mummed as both adults’ eyes were focused on them and Amity cursed the day she agreed to this. Her mind reeled back to just yesterday, when she voiced out that she was okay with the idea and was then directed to the situation at hand.

_

“My mami wants to meet you.”

Amity almost spat out the ice cream.

Two weeks had passed since the incident happened and Amity woke up being spooned by her person. She remembered the bliss on Luz’s face and the way they were nestled together in the middle of the bed. Sunlight pierced through her windows, and she was glad that her back was turned or else she would have never been able to sleep so unperturbed. On the one hand, it painted Luz’s brown locks in rich gold, with the messy tips sticking out everywhere, glittering. She recalled tracing Luz’s jawline, with painted nails brushing against uninjured dark skin, dancing lightly atop the rough edges of the bandages. Luz sighed in content under her touch, the hand settled in Amity’s hair pushing her forward into her chest and the shorter girl let it happen, face buried comfortably in the crook of Luz’s neck.

Amity’s face warmed up at the memory of when she wrapped her arms around a broader back, with hand slipping under Luz’s undershirt and skimming over it softly, careful not to hit any sensitive spots or the blue and purple bruises that she could not see, unlike the visible ones that decorated one of Luz’s arms.

They stayed like that for the rest of the morning, with limbs tangled under thick blankets. The scent of pines mixed with lavender filled the bed, which reminded Amity of how they slept together, all bundled up and uncaringly so. She had her eyes closed but kept herself up until she heard Luz’s steady breathing and a small yawn slipped out of her chapped lips.

Luz stirred, eyes darting around slowly before it dawned on her that she was not in her room, Amity supposed. The hand on her head stilled for a moment, before Luz continued with her now conscious ministrations of running her dark fingers through Amity’s mint hair gently, letting her know that she was already awake.

Then, giddiness overtook her; Amity looked up to watch Luz through half-lidded eyes, and something tugged at her lips to smile, while the strings of her heart were strummed into a tune that was probably so cheesy the past her would have facepalmed. Luz blinked at her, as if to say, Oh, you were awake?

Amity had no idea if it was because she had just woken up, or if she could place the blame on what had happened in the past few months, because a sudden surge of confidence filled the heiress and she ended up cupping Luz’s face and placing a kiss on her nose. Luz squinted, with cheeks squished together by Amity’s hands and all she wanted to do was just continue to squeeze.

So she did.

It was funny for some reason because Amity giggled at the way Luz’s face was just mashed in-between her hands. She was unsure about where the sudden affection came from, but she could either attribute it to being so early in the morning and her filter was still turned off, or because it had been way too long since she had received any kind of touch from her person.

Both.

Amity starved for the physical affection the other girl had gotten her used to and she should have been mad at that but that can be a problem for future Amity.

They stared at each other in contemplation, with brows raised and amusement evident on their faces. This went on for a while until Luz shifted, her hands going up to repeat the same gesture, with warm palms pressing against each pale cheek and squeezing gently. The action made Amity’s brows furrow and she glared into brown eyes that held mischief in its midst.

Cheeky.

Amity growled silently as she shot Luz an annoyed look, which the girl returned with a playful grin. She vaguely remembered what happened last night, or how they ended up too close, with bodies comfortably pressed against each other. There was a time that Amity wondered about timing and if she had the obligation to return the sweet gestures, all the while she worried about being too intimate with her person and what others would have said about her. She might have messed up her reputation with the courters her parents had set her up with, but it was not like it mattered to Amity what they thought.

She was not going to be the heir of a prestigious business only to sit still and try to be pleasant to someone she obviously disliked. Amity worked her hardest to be the best student she could be and gave her all in even the littlest things given to her.  Unlike her brother or sister who were naturally talented, she was the type to have attained things by her own hands and through hard work, despite her parents’ influences and offers to give her the world.

That does not mean that she had not used the influence before when the situation called for it.

Luz was distinguishable from the people who shoved their wealth in Amity’s face and told her that a girl’s typical norm was to be uninvolved, and to only sit still and look pretty. The former did not mind her snarky tongue. She even told her not to suck it up because Amity could complain if she wanted to, since that was much better than being forced to like something she did not, and Luz understood that pretty well, being true to her words months later.

So, to lessen the stress she had been keeping which would most likely strain her body, Amity chose to stop asking questions on what she should do and started feeling instead.

You won’t forget to take me with you now, would you? Her mind cooed.

Of course not, Amity replied, I can’t lose my head unfortunately.

Hey!

After the teenagers bickered back and forth, which then morphed into them wrestling and Amity winning by throwing her prized pillows on Luz’s face and keeping her there, she made sure to take Luz to the hospital in the afternoon, but not without the expected whining and trying to drag the girl out of bed.

Because she did not want to tell Luz where she hid the former’s stolen clothing (Ha! They were Amity’s now), she lent the taller girl the baggiest clothes she could find (which was funny because Luz would have to wear something unfitting for her figure since they were literally not in the same height class) but fortunately for her, Amity found an unused purple hoodie and grey sweatpants.

“I look like a dad,” Luz complained but Amity only snorted and reached out to pinch her cheek.

She was starting to love this; there was just something about lending Luz her clothes and waiting for her to finish getting ready before they head out. It felt like absolute bliss and it embedded itself in her mind, how she preferred to live like this with someone and being able to have their own safe space.

It was just ironic to think that the person she spent her days with for the past few months was with someone unlikely. She watched as Luz surveyed herself in the vanity mirror before settling on crossing her arms and eyeing Amity suspiciously. Amity stared back, concentrated on the purple beanie atop her person’s head, with blotches of red stains dotting it. Without hesitance, the petite girl reached out and swiped it off damp, brown hair, much to Luz’s dismay.

“Yes, but you’re a whiny baby,” Amity replied as she sauntered off, leaving the girl huffing behind her as she placed the purple beanie in the wash bin. She would have to notify the maids not to have it washed as Amity was going to do it herself.

When she brought Luz to the hospital, they were tended to quickly as soon as Amity had spoken her name to the registrar. It was by accident that she had revealed it so, which her father had asked her about the day after, when they received intel that a Blight was at a hospital. He was not so empathetic at hearing her explanation, but she received not much of a sign of disapproval unlike from her mother who only had a hardened frown on her face at the news.

She might have mentioned the cause of the injuries a few more times than necessary and Odalia rolled her eyes but waved her off. This assured Amity that they were going to do something about those “meddlesome boys” that dared to ruin the Blight family name.

Luz was deemed fine and was certainly going to live when Amity had repeatedly asked for confirmation. She watched them replace the bandages and made tests after a few more hours, dedicatedly checking everything which made Luz slightly uncomfortable while Amity enjoyed watching from the side, listening as the taller girl groaned and complained that the prissy boys from school had ruined her clothes (most likely pertaining to the beanie).

Although she did have an inkling that the doctor lied when he said Luz needed to stay. While she concluded that it was for the money, it would not hurt to listen to him regarding Luz’s conditions. They transferred her to a suitable room for one person, where the two teens had fought over because a regular white room would have sufficed for the former, but Amity was stubborn and had paid even before Luz voiced out her disagreement.

Again, why did she ever think that she and Luz could agree on something?

“Just let me pay you back!” Luz exclaimed, almost frustratedly at the green-haired teen.

Amity bit back her tongue and replied in a calm demeanor, even though her glare was enough of a warning to her wounded person that there was no room for discussion.

“Luz, you can do whatever you want, I don’t care but we are not arguing about this,” Amity declared with finality.

However, as much as being a Blight had its privileges, rules were rules and they ushered Amity out afterwards so as to call on a family member to care for the wounded teen. Luz asked them to let her stay, but when the doctor replied that Amity had to be tired and it was nearly evening when everything was finished, she shut up. Most likely, Luz felt bad about calling her at one in the morning the night before and Amity would not have denied that she was exhausted, but she would have stayed, nevertheless. She texted Luz’s rough-looking phone and asked the girl to inform her when she was ready to leave the hospital instead.

Jerky Noceda: You do know I hate it when you spend stuff on me, right? 6:43 p.m.

6:45 p.m. We literally just finished talking about this. Pay me back with ice cream, whatever.

Jerky Noceda: That’s not even a comparable price! 6:50 p.m.

6:52 p.m. Fine! Take me out to dinner or something, do what you want!

Fast forward, Luz was a lot better now. The color returned to her face, brown skin showing no indication that she had been battered and bruised weeks prior. Her eyes shone brightly, as if it held an unexplored galaxy, but instead of scaring Amity, it drew her in as if she were an adventurer excited to make mysteries known to her.

God, when did she become such a sap?

They were hanging out in the park, after Luz popped back in the Manor, this time, with a ladder to aid her in climbing the Manor gate. When the alarms shot off, Amity was thankful that her parents were out for the day just as soon as she caught Luz outside her window, a flower in hand.  The ladder was barely holding up and Luz was gripping on the windowsill tightly, with eyes nervously flickering down to her feet.

Amity was not amused.

Luz insisted they spend the Saturday off and reluctantly (more like eagerly) the Blight agreed after she pulled the girl in her room, along with the ladder.

Over the past few days, Amity dared to notice, that they were much clingier than they were before the photo mishap. She returned just as much physical affection as Luz did and there seemed to have been an unspoken competition between them when they did so. Whenever Luz would try to sneak in a kiss or hold her closer in front of people, Amity, who did not want to lose, preferred to wrap her arms around the other girl and snuggle closer, a smirk on her face at the reactions they get (although personally, she was trying to get a reaction out of Luz more than anyone else).

There was even a time that Willow looked at them in mock(genuine) disgust while Gus stared at them as if they were strangers.

The couple sat on a free bench that oversaw the park, snickering and talking about the couples that passed by and making up their own scenarios as to what was currently transpiring in their minds. They were in the middle of arguing about how atrocious it was to propose to someone in McDonald’s without even getting together first (and of course Luz would disagree), when Luz brought up the thing about her mom, which immediately sent Amity short-circuiting.

“She what?”

            In all honesty, Amity did not think she was important enough to be mentioned, but Luz must have just talked about her in passing. After all, the heiress never did ask Luz about how often her mom let her out, seeing as she left her home early in order to be at the manor in time for both of them not to be late.  Then there were the weekend dates they had, which lasted mostly the whole day.

Luz licked the chocolate off her lips before reaching over to chomp off a large piece of Amity’s mint ice cream. She made a disgusted noise and pushed Luz’s face away as if to say, this is mine!

            “Oh, c’mon, Mittens! I paid for it!” Luz inched closer as Amity struggled to shove her off.

“Don’t call me that, stupid, you aren’t my sibling!” Even just the thought of having Luz as a sibling made her sick. She much rather preferred the Spanish endearments than being called mittens by her person.

Although Amity might be the stronger person between the two, Luz was quicker, taller and faster, unfortunately. She tried to reach over for the ice cream, probably for the sake of competition than actually liking the flavor, and with an impulsively brilliant idea, Amity pushed Luz away and opted to lick the totality of the ice cream which she hoped would gross her person out enough for her to give up. It was not childish per se, but her parents could have considered that possibility if they saw her right now.

            When she felt Luz pause, Amity turned her head back to her and gave her a triumphant look, a grin plastered on her soft lips. Luz stared at her for a second, as if she was deliberating something before it looked like the gears in her head turned and finally clicked. Amity’s face morphed into one of horror when Luz grabbed her wrist and bit off a chunk of her mint ice cream.

That she just finished licking.

“Noceda, that’s gross as hell!”

            Luz scoffed, smacking her lips to savor the taste. This elicited an internal scream from the heiress, with her ears turning hot at the tips as she felt her heart dropped dead in her chest. She whipped her head back and averted her gaze while Luz most definitely made intended noise with her mouth.

God, Amity prayed, Please help me stop myself from putting a stone in her mouth.

            When her mind began to suggest how placing her lips on Luz was much easier than finding a stone big enough to fit that dirty mouth, Amity tuned out (with a lot of struggle) and focused on the silhouettes of ducks in the faraway lake instead. Her leg bounced impatiently as her eyes darted around restlessly, just to distract herself from Luz who was most likely enjoying the teasing.

“You should work on your ice cream taste, Blight. Or maybe try not to lick it before I get to taste it. It might have messed up the taste and you know; it might have tasted better separately.”

Was she flirting right now?

No, this was Luz.

She did not even need to check the girl beside her to know that a shit-eating grin appeared on those lips that will soon bleed if she did not shut up. Before Amity could decide if she wanted to shove the rest of the ice cream down Luz’s pants, her person continued the earlier topic.

“So I’ve been wearing the beanie you gave me, like a ton of time-”

“By now, I think you mean all the time. I hope you wash it at least twice a week because I could have sworn the red one was-” Amity interrupted but was immediately cut off when Luz flicked her forehead.

“-whatever, Blight-she was wondering about it and Eda told her we were dating…And she might have searched for your name when the hospital told her that a Blight brought me in.” Her voice turned into a whisper at the last part.

Amity replayed the sentence spoken to her and paled when a bunch of worries bombarded her mind and plagued her thoughts regarding Camila Noceda’s perception of her, especially that now, as she reminisced on the many bruises she had given Luz over the years.

She’s going to hate me.

Would it matter though?

Luz must have sensed her uneasiness because she coughed and once again interlaced their fingers together, her thumb rubbing circles over Amity’s hand in a comforting manner. Amity wrinkled her nose at the stickiness that coated those dark fingers which had held a melting ice cream cone a few seconds ago, but did not pull away and instead, turned her hand to meet Luz’s larger one, palm to palm.

This made Luz chuckle as Amity gazed at her uncertainly, a frown on her lips. This erased the slight smile from the former’s face and she grimaced, opening her mouth to speak hesitantly.

            “Hey, I-I know it’ll be over in a month and it’s okay if you don’t want to-”

“Are you sure?” Amity cut her off.

Trepidation filled her lungs when she thought Oh right, their agreement was going to end in another month or so. She feared the fact that Luz kept it in mind more than she had, which made her anxious of how the other girl felt about all of what transpired. Just when she was learning to accept that she has indeed liked it this way; loved the way how Luz had brightened her world in comparison to the dullness of her environment before, it was ending quickly so soon.

Since Luz crashed into her life and existed more prominently than before, Amity would lay awake at night, knowing that she could act more freely than she ever has around people and had become more knowledgeable about what she liked and disliked without always pretending. She had a difficult time reimagining the days without the fluttering kisses and lingering touches that turned into laced fingers and tight hugs.

So of course, Amity wanted to. There were just so many things at stake; Firstly, what would become of them after this meet-the-parents thing? Nothing has been set in stone for the aftermath and Amity was not sure if she wanted to even think about it while she was holding an unfinished ice cream in her hand.  Second, why is Luz giving her a choice here, when she could introduce someone else for all she knew? It was not necessary to meet her mom, that was for sure, unlike the mandated parental meeting with the Blights, but everything was being made complicated. Third, what would Camila Noceda think of her? Oh, for King’s sake that was the worst of it all and there could only be one direct cause:

It was all because Amity wanted to meet the woman who held so much importance in Luz’s life, as a girlfriend.

Often, she disregarded the agreement in favor of focusing on the present even though at the end of the day, it was all she could think about. Then she thought to herself, that the word that must have gone through Luz’s mind when she first encountered Amity’s parents was Mierda.

Mierda this scenario she created for herself.

Luz stopped in her ministrations. She blinked twice, mouth gaping like a fish. Amity bit her lower lip and looked down at their fingers, the cold metal of Luz’s ring pressed against hers. She had become way too used to all of these things for the past few months; Luz had done more than Amity asked her for in their agreement. She only asked to pretend in front of the public, she thought they would just have their regularly scheduled street fights and then ignore each other before their breaks in school. But of course, Luz would not cooperate, of course she would have given it her best shot even though Amity did not ask her to do stupid gestures like sharing food, supporting her in games and picking her up or taking her out for dinner and movies then kissing her good night. The last thing she needed was a serenade which she was one hundred percent sure was something Luz would do.

But despite all those unnecessary measures, it had been…fun. Amity had fun.

She gained more than she could ever ask for.

“Of course, I’m sure.”

            She swallowed thickly at the unhesitant reply.

Luz cupped her cheek and forced her to look into chocolate brown eyes and spoke softly, saying, “We’ve known each other since freshmen year and you haven’t…you haven’t been formally introduced to my mom, but she is aware that we were uh, sort of, barely friends. I should be asking you if it’s alright because you have the power here, Amity.  You always had the power.”

            Luz kissed her knuckles, ice cream melting all over her fingers that held the cone. She really should have cringe at the stickiness her person had basically wiped onto her hand, but she could deal with that later.

Power. Amity zoned out at that word.

            Luz was right. In every deal Amity went through with, she had the upper hand because everything was set in her terms. It was favorable for the parties involved, yes, albeit much more advantageous for her. She knew what she was doing because she had been trained to do so for years, that it became natural for her to offer up things on the table as she handpicked the takers who would have been good enough not to disappoint her.

Power.

She pursed her lips and examined Luz’s face. Amity did not starve for getting more than she bargained for, but she was reluctant to share the particular power Luz had mentioned. Sharing placed things at risk and it scared her to share the choice with the girl staring back at her, patiently waiting for an answer. Amity could choose to go with the original plan and keep them both safe and at a distance, with no more emotional turmoil and probably reducing the costs her person had chipped off her budget, or she could tell her at some point in the remaining weeks they have with each other, which will give her some sort of closure because Luz could turn her down gently.

Then again, Amity would never let down her pride willingly and knowingly when Luz was just going to shatter her heart.

            Her mind drifted to the agreement they had months ago.

            Besides being top student, Amity can count on her hand the rules that she has broken in all her life. She was especially careful with the rules she set up for herself; she was oriented with her parents’ business and the laws on obligations and contracts. But speaking to a bunch of businessmen in a meeting room could not possibly compare to the idea of meeting Luz’s mom. Her parents would bribe the former if they did not like whatever Amity’s opinion was, but they would never succeed in scaring Camila Noceda, which was why it was frightening.

            “Ami, if you can face your mom every day, I assure you, this is nothing, okay?”

            That was somehow the problem. Amity knew exactly how to act in front of her mother, but not in front of someone Luz talks about so fondly. If the teenager had inherited her stubbornness from her mom, then Amity preferred making an enemy out of Odalia Blight than the former.

Luz squeezed her hand and placed a kiss on her temple in comfort.

            “Why are you afraid?”

            Why are you not afraid? Amity wanted to retort but bit her tongue. Even when Luz eventually came face-to-face with her parents, she showed no sign of stepping away; neither did she back down when she fought three hooligans all at the same time, Amity dreaded the fact that she might have a run-in with the police someday and she would have to bail her out, assuming Luz would call her first again. As she went over all those things, she replied with sarcasm.

            “Gee, I don’t know, Noceda. You make your mom sound terrifying because you rebel against teachers, you get into fights with drunkards, you stand up to my parents, but you respect your mom so much it’s unnerving. So how can I not be afraid?” Amity muttered. She wiped her hand on Luz’s bomber jacket which made Luz pull on her hair tie and smack her from behind.

            “Well, true, true. But knowing you and how much you overthink, I perfectly know your weaknesses!” Luz puffed out her chest as if she were proud of that fact.

Amity rolled her eyes and jibed, “Sure, Luz. It’s not as if I know that you fall on your knees when you see animals.”

            Those words colored Luz’s cheeks and she waved it off, mumbling about having to make herself more secretive. It was not like Amity made her own observations so she could get to know the person she had to spend a large amount of time with, that is a nada, nope, nope, fine, yes. So Amity saw Luz coo at a cat once, claiming it looked like the petite girl, then there was an incident when she suggested to bring a stray corgi (with a collar) home before Amity called the number on its tag, and there was also the time Luz tried to steal the bat from a cinema after they came out from watching an apocalyptic movie.

Amity shivered at the thought. If Edric had gone with them, Luz might have succeeded and would have forced Amity to be the other parent of the creature of the night, seeing as she called the green-haired heiress their kind. Luz waived her hands frantically to cover up the embarrassment etched on her face as she continued with a squeakier voice.

“I mean to say that you like to do everything perfectly. You’re thinking that you need to be good enough in front of my mom like how your mother asks you to,” She ruffled Amity’s hair as if she were a child and seriously, the girl was a blink away from literally shoving the melting ice cream in unspeakable places. She only stopped a second away from executing the plan at Luz’s next words.

            “Look, if you weren’t good enough, I wouldn’t have agreed to spending the past few months with you and suffer hours of seeing your pretty face. You’re worth my time, and you’re worth showing off to my mom, got it?”

Luz pouted, raising her hand and snapping her fingers in front of the heiress, as if to say, Got that, girl?

Oh.

Wait.

Wait.

            Amity stared at her, trying to grasp Luz’s strings of sentences altogether in its context. But all her stupid brain could process was the fact that Luz called her pretty.

            This was fairly new; Amity kind of made them up to be the couple that do not give out pretty compliments as much as they jabbed at each other. Depending on the compliment, it would either take her off guard or leave her astounded at the audacity of how Luz could possibly say that in front of a large crowd of people.

Like really, pretty pink chihuahua was the best she could come up with when there was so many else Luz could have complimented, from her physique to her status or even her attitude but no, she just had to be compared to a small dog that had a raging temper. She mentally rolled her eyes at that.

But then it hit her what Luz stated during their first meeting and that made her heart beat faster, as she gasped at the realization.

That means she was lying when she said that I was ugly!

            It might have been a simple hate comment from her friend slash enemy before, and it did not mean much to her other than to have given Luz a broken nose, but when she started to feel something different, the effect of those words had completely changed and it made her feel more pathetic than Luz intended it.

Like, seriously, imagine being told by your crush that you are not as appealing as people made you out to be, Amity had valid reasons to rejoice after the change of heart. So, the moment she was able to process that Luz had indeed unknowingly taken back her comment from before, a sinister grin appeared on her face, which disturbed Luz.

The girl backed away from Amity worriedly, the determined look on her face disappearing as she did so and obviously, she was not expecting Amity to lean forward as she moved back to the point that she almost fell off the edge of the wooden bench. From the looks of it, the expression on the heiress’ face must have been pretty terrifying for Luz to have turned a shade lighter.

“Why are you grinning?”

She smirked and mustered up the most flirtatious look on her face, lashes falling over her eyes as she came close enough to watch as Luz’s lips quivered, struggling to form a defense on her tongue about that left her puzzled, but froze completely when her eyes flickered down over to Amity who innocently licked her lips.

“You called me pretty.”

            Luz looked like a deer caught in the headlights. This spurred Amity’s teasing further, and oh, how she somehow loved that she was on the other side of the spectrum now, where she could make the other girl flustered until she turned into a tomato.

Oh, oh, oh! Her mind chanted cheerily.

“Oh, you’re falling for me, aren’t you?” She whispered, heart pounding in her chest as she did so because this was the first time she was trying to get back at her and it was really something she could not describe-she felt elated but simultaneously nervous at how Luz would have returned the banter. She pushed the actual truth in those word to the far back of her mind and convinced herself that it was playful bickering and that she was not looking for an answer. Her teasing proved to be worth it as Amity cackled and leaned back, enjoying the way Luz’s skin flushed red as she frantically waved her arms, drops of ice cream flying around as Luz stuttered out incoherent words.

Her laughter was cut off abruptly when Luz swiped a chunk of ice cream from her cone and wiped it on Amity’s nose and cheeks. Needless to say, Amity did not hesitate in shoving the ice cream straight to that grinning mouth, unaware that their excited shouts had drawn attention to themselves, and the couples that they watched before were now the observers of the ice cream war Luz started.

            In the end, Amity agreed to meet her mom and was satisfied with the utter look of regret on Luz’s face when she teased her all the way back to the manor after they washed off the ice cream that melted between their fingers.

_

            “What do you mean I don’t need to wear a dress?”

            Just like the first day of their being fake girlfriends, Luz stared at her weirdly, as if she had already committed murder (Scratch that, she would have feigned surprised if that happened. Apparently this was weirder). Amity dragged her to the department store her parents had always brought her to when she was younger and when Luz asked why, Amity reasoned out that she needed to wear something extravagant to the dinner that evening.

            “Amity, you’re meeting my mom at my house. Not a world-class CEO who rented out a whole hotel for this dinner.”

            “Well, she might as well be!” Amity exclaimed, going over the dresses that the employee brought them. When her mother heard the news, she had given Amity an exclusive card to specific malls that they held in high regard, to her daughter’s disbelief.

            ‘You are a Blight, dear. You must establish that you are above them as soon as you step in their house.’

            She should have expected that from her mother, but Amity was grateful nonetheless, because she did not have to worry just how much it would cost her to meet a person whom her mother deemed regular, but she herself held in the highest regard. She took this as a sign that her parents have accepted the fake relationship, even though in the future they would most likely struggle to accept a marriage proposal.

            The girl stopped browsing momentarily, ignoring the complaints from Luz behind her. She ran her thumb through the silky, purple fabric presented to her, mindlessly. It was a strapless gown that spoke of elegance and royalty; but Amity already lost her focus. For most of her life, she had never cared about marriage, neither did she find any interest in being the one wedded. The fact that she had planned a schedule to temporarily date someone in order to have a few months of peace should have been enough proof that she did not exactly want to settle down.

But now that assured future seemed bleak.

She bit her lower lip. It was not as if she had thought about getting a hamster named Malingale and maybe a cat that she could train to attack Luz when she would come home late during a particularly hard day at work. No, the thought of cuddling up on the couch while watching all the Good Witch Azura movies Amity had missed as a child was not something that crossed her mind often. It was probably the adrenaline talking.

            Oh, who was she kidding-When had denial ever work?

Ever since the time Luz got injured, Amity wanted to always keep her in her line of sight. There were no words to describe just how terrified Amity was, to have lost sleep while waiting for Luz to text her back about her health. Her plan had already backfired on her and this was not the time to be berating herself because maybe it went deeper than a dumb crush, and Amity had only discovered the stupid feelings a few weeks ago.

Maybe even longer than that?

Don’t push it. Amity warned herself. The less attached she was, the less this would hurt. Inwardly, she scoffed at that; she was probably more than attached to the hip by now.

            “Amity?”

            She blinked before looking over to see that Luz was inspecting the thing in her hands, concern written all over her face. Amity’s eyes softened. Luz took the dress in her hands, muttering something about how expensive it was for such design, or maybe it was because of the brand, but Amity only watched as the taller girl debated with herself about the cost. Amity chirped in about how it was worth it for a meet-the-parents kind of event only to be countered by how Luz had met the Blights with a worn-out shirt and a bomber jacket.

“See, they approved of me! That means it wasn’t the clothes!”

Oh, it was definitely the clothes that gave you minus points.

Instead of saying that, Amity just hummed nonchalantly and shook her head at the way Luz’s ears twitched in a prideful way when she grinned and showed off her pearly whites. They lingered in the dress aisle a bit more for the reason that Amity was still quite hesitant in not being able to pick one which made Luz facepalm.

“How about I pick an outfit for you?” Luz finally offered after they browsed through the different clothing section, both grimacing at the prices. Her family might have been rich, but Amity preferred not to spend money on wants. She categorized Camila Noceda as a need because she needed to be her best self when meeting the mysterious mother, but still-

Why spend so much on something she was probably going to wear once and then shove it in her closet where it was never going to see the light of day again, afterwards?

So the thought of Luz picking out her outfit made Amity doubtful; yet at the same time, this was her mom that she was meeting so if there was anyone who knew what the adult wanted, it was her daughter.

But then again, this was also Luz they were talking about.

She chewed her lips and raised a brow at the suggestion, distrusting of her person’s choices.

“Okay, fine. But no hats.” Amity hissed, defeatedly.

Luz was truly unexpectable that even if one tried to guess what she would do, nobody would get it right, Amity was certainly correct in her observation because Luz insisted they leave the mall without buying anything only to head to the manor.

Amity should have known Luz would have shopped in her closet.

“You’re kidding me…” Amity mumbled to herself as she led Luz through the large halls, devoid of any other human beings. Large frames hung on the walls, with each member of the Blight family having their own spaces to be displayed on, while chandeliers glittered on the ceilings above. Luz was in awe that even as she walked behind Amity, her eyes trailed around each and every corner as if it was taking everything her memory could keep.

“I know I’ve been here before but I was carrying your dumb ass to your room with your siblings, then the last time, it was all dark. I’ve climbed your window more than I’ve actually set foot here. Now that I got a good look, geez, Blight. I knew you were rich, but this is like, what the fuck rich,” Luz stopped in her tracks to poke at a large and polished vase below one of Edric and Emira’s childhood photos. Amity turned back to grab her hand, panic falling over her face at the possible accidents her parents could frame her for.

In the corner of her eye, she caught the zooming of a camera she knew all too well. Luz seemed to understand this when she followed to look at where Amity’s eyes fell upon. She shrugged it off and allowed the girl to drag her up to the second floor, blabbering something about Amity’s mother and father owning hidden nuclear weapons that Amity decided not to deny.

“Oh my God, so they do?!” Luz exclaimed to herself. The way she freaked out made Amity roll her eyes, feigning annoyance even though the smile on her face said otherwise. When they reached her room, Luz strode in as if she owned the place and started opening doors-the door to her personalized bathroom, closet doors and gawking each time she did so.

“I don’t understand why you wanted to shop when you have a closet the size of my room! I bet you haven’t worn half of these.”

Luz scanned her folded shirts and pants that she had organized by color in the forefront of the room, while Amity hung in the back stricken at how Luz explored her wardrobe happily. She knelt beside her shoe stands, where sparkling heels that Amity was forced to use during one of her parents’ large parties stood out. Though Luz was right when she said that Amity had not even worn many of the clothes here since her mother liked to restock it every two weeks, discarding some that Amity had not even a chance to wear.

“Yes, well, can we actually find something your mom would like?” Amity huffed.

She approached the girl who lingered in front of Amity’s priced collection, err, Luz’s jackets which she hung up in the secluded corner, where it had more free space than the other ones that looked stuffed and forced to fit together.

“I already had an idea that you kept my clothes somewhere when I slept over but...” Luz gestured to her-Amity’s-jackets, brows raised teasingly, “to think you made space to add more for your collection, I am absolutely speechless, Amity.”

Before the familiar heat of her skin could reach her face, Amity reached to snatch the purple beanie off Luz’s head only to throw it somewhere behind her. She reveled in how Luz groaned and pushed her out of the way to retake her prized possession, muttering about how Amity should take more care about a gift she gave. She only rolled her eyes at that.

It took them awhile, Amity just sitting comfortably on her king-sized bed, as Luz rummaged through her casual shirts, which, to be fair, was as deep as the way to Narnia.  Kudos to her, she was putting the ‘rejected’ clothes back to where they were, which showed some semblance of discipline (or Amity might have threatened her, either way, it was a pleasant sight).

“This is taking forever,” the heiress sighed, falling backwards on the comforts of her blankets, and staring up at the gothic ceiling. Luz left her unanswered and instead, dug deeper, as if the closet was gradually swallowing her whole. She hoped that Luz was not collecting her (Amity’s) clothes. But even if she did, her person did not bring any bag with her to aid in taking it out of the mansion.

“Well, not all of us have tons of clothing, Ah-mity,” Luz chirped after popping out for what seemed like hours later, Amity nearly falling asleep at the (almost) uninterrupted silence. She sat up, eyes drooping and sight blurring as she made out the figure of Luz walking towards her, carrying something she most likely has not worn yet.

“What time is it?” Amity yawned just as Luz threw a white crop top beside her, leaving her question unanswered. The end of the sleeves were colored pink and the taller girl had paired the top with a short, pink skirt. She gawked at it incredulously. As if it was that unbelievable, she fixed her attention on Luz who gazed at her seriously, with arms crossed and sneakers tapping impatiently against the carpeted floor.

She was...not aware that this style of clothing was something Luz preferred, given that she liked to go out in striped shirts, green jacket, ripped jeans and combat boots most of the time. Regarding the other times-

Amity shivered at the memory of how Luz came to prom night last year, wearing an otter costume and getting immediately kicked out as soon as Principal Bump caught her stealing multiple snacks on the food table. Before the girl got out, she saw Amity holding in her laughter and had challenged her to a fight, screaming bloody murder but the former prom queen could not take her seriously back then, which led Luz to literally breaking her leg on the dance floor.

Her brows knitted in puzzlement when she held up the top. Luz hummed in approval and sat next to her, observing the exchange between Amity and her top. Half of the girl thought that this was some kind of joke because Luz wanted her to go to dinner, with her mother, in something not so formal and literally allows the frostbit of the breezy night to hug her from head to toe.

In weighing the pros, it would allow Amity to have an excuse in stealing more jackets; she could even open the closet in Luz’s room for that. On the other hand, Amity may have owned crop tops, but that did not mean that she has worn them. She just felt mildly uncomfortable whenever it would hike up, exposing her stomach and the cold would hit her bare skin. The same goes the short skirt.

“You want me to go to dinner with you. In this.”

“I think you’ll look really pretty in that,” Luz grinned, and finger gunned. She smiled comfortingly afterwards when she saw the unsure expression on Amity’s face and she laid a hand on the girl’s shoulder and said, “But it’s okay if you don’t like it, Ames. I mean, really, what’s the essence of wearing something you don’t like, am I right?”

Amity clicked her tongue and rubbed her thumb over the cotton fabric, doubts filling up her head. She was not only worried about how she would look, even though her mother had bought this outfit thinking it suited her, but what if Camila Noceda thought she was trying too hard?

She must have thought that aloud because Luz chuckled and sat beside her, amused.

“Amity, don’t you think my mother would find you trying too hard if you went with the designer gown we saw earlier?”

Touché.

Against her better judgement, Amity ended up trusting Luz’s intuition and went with it. Plus, it was far too late to go buy something new to wear for dinner, since the sun was nearly setting down behind the hills in the distance. After all, it probably will not be that bad seeing as she went to see Eda in the dead of the night in her pajamas, right?

Right?

_

In hindsight, it was partly Amity’s fault.

After Luz’s insistence that Amity did not need to buy a whole flower shop to present to her mom, they headed towards the former’s neighborhood, arriving at her house earlier than the parent Amity was supposed to meet. A forest stretched behind the houses on the streets, and it might have been peaceful during the day but the sun was going to sleep soon and the same plants and trees have darkened, radiating an eerie feeling as if it was a night in Halloween.

Luz convinced her to take the hatchback instead of her car and Amity was more than inclined to follow because she was too out of focus to drive anyway and it opened a window of opportunity as she immediately claimed another bomber jacket to cover her legs in the passenger seat as her person drove.

As soon as Luz pulled into the driveway of a bungalow, Amity stepped out cautiously, brushing her skirt straight as she did so and tilted her head in awe at the house. Ever since she was young, she perceived the Blight Manor to be a waste since there were only five of them encompassing the space. For the youngest, it was cold and empty, and the fact that her family did not see each other as often as other people did because they were all locked up in their room, started to show with how nervous she was in talking to someone else’s family. This one may have appeared smaller than her parents’ mansion, but it gave off a cozy sensation. The roof was rusted and got worn-out from the rain, so unlike the often repaired and rejuvenated covers of the manor, and even the bushes that surrounded the house, although untrimmed, were welcoming.

She stayed silent even when Luz intertwined their fingers and pulled her into the house excitedly, Amity struggling to run with her. The taller girl chattered endlessly as the guest listened, trying to match the same level of enthusiasm her girlfriend showed while the latter led her to the kitchen.

“Ah, I almost forgot but we’ll be doing preparations first, and Eda will be arriving in an hour to cook the dishes!”

Ah, Amity thought miserably, I never agreed to this.

Luz handed her an apron and she accepted it reluctantly, watching as Luz brought out some vegetables out of the fridge. The girl walked up to the counter and dropped it there and Amity followed suit, staring curiously at the ingredients laid out in front of them. She did not have enough time to consider the jitters and butterflies in her stomach at how domestic they were being because Luz handed her the knife and asked her to slice the vegetables. Though at the same time it was kind of difficult for her to process Luz’s words as she stared blankly at the utensil in her hand.

“What are we supposed to make?” Amity pursed her lips.

“Curry!” Luz answered cheerfully and stuck out her tongue as she gestured for the petite girl to examine which vegetables they were supposed to prepare.

The shorter girl took out her phone, scrolling through the recipes Google showed her, in case she needed to cut it into some kind of shape or something. She clicked randomly on the results in the first page of her phone, frowning when she saw that some of the stuff were different from what they currently had.

How does one follow a recipe when they did not have the exact ingredients available?

Note to self, let Luz do all the cooking if Google is unavailable or unhelpful.

Luz apparently had abandoned her ignored example as she plopped her chin above Amity’s head, which was too much if she was just going to peek at her screen. Amity could feel every movement when Luz opened her mouth and she bit her lower lip, palms turning clammy. As if the rub it in, Luz raised her hands and grabbed her by the shoulders, her fingers tapping against it in a rhythmic manner. She hummed an unfamiliar song and the vibration washed over Amity like a warm, knitted blanket.

“What are you doing?” Amity rolled her eyes in response.

“You’re small. This is comfy.”

 Amity replied by bending her knees and jumping, hitting Luz’s chin hard with the top of her head, as intended.

Luz fell back slightly, groaning in response. She shot Amity a dirty look. Luz rubbed her chin, wincing slightly from the pain, and the green-haired girl sighed, before pulling out a band aid from her skirt pocket as if she expected this to happen. Well, no, she did not mean to hurt the girl, but by this point both of them had some extra bandages stuffed in their clothing in case something occurred, and they needed it. Luz took it with a huff and stepped back to slap the band aid on her reddening skin.

It took Amity a few more tries before she got the hang of it, or at least, is what told herself. It was not exactly as quick as Luz had done with the carrots, nor as thin sliced, but it was a start and at least she did not accidentally cut herself this time, unlike how she burnt her fingers on the stove multiple times in her last endeavor in the kitchen. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Luz was observing her, a playful smile on her face which doused Amity’s skin in flaming red, and she hoped that it was more from embarrassment. It was harder to act if she was a flustered mess because of the person next to her.

Hopefully, things would not go like this throughout dinner or Amity was going to be in deep trouble.

It took them over thirty minutes to finish with the preparations before Luz sighed and stretched her arms out, a yawn escaping her lips. Amity checked the time on her phone and found that they had some spare time before Camila came home from a shift at the hospital. Well, kitchen duty seemed quite effective seeing as the beating of her heart slowed down a ton. She wondered if that was Luz’s intention and if she had sensed how the nerves were getting to her, because if it was, then that meant that she was not as dense as Amity made her out to be.

Soon enough, the kitchen was engulfed in gradual darkness as the sun had completely set, the light from the window dimming until they found themselves in a barely lit room. Amity let her eyes wander, catching vague glimpses of picture frames in the living room as Luz tirelessly tugged her around the house. Before she realized, they were heading upstairs where a bunch of closed doors decorated the corners. Her wedges stepped on carpeted floor while Luz asked her questions, arm reaching out for a doorknob at the very end but became hesitant to open it.

“Hey, since I accidentally invaded your room multiple times, you want to see mine?”

Luz did not mean to put any weight behind that simple suggestion, but it only made Amity realize that they were not in any of her comfort zones. The walls were an unfamiliar teal, and the house had traces of Luz all over, with frames displayed in a lot of corners, the kitchen utensils recently sharpened and used, and the scent of pines hit her like a strong gust of wind.

The thought of being able to step in Luz’s room made her feel suffocated, but not in a bad way; she was going to choose some jackets to bring home after all, but other than that, it just felt somewhat personal. While her room was a typical design her mother had chosen for her, devoid of her personal preferences other than her bedsheets and hidden closet doors, she still had nothing to hide from Luz whenever she snuck in. But her intuition told her that the girl she was with was the opposite of her.

“Okay.” She agreed, wholeheartedly, even when her heart fluttered relentlessly in her chest, as it came up with different scenarios as it screamed Luz’s room, Luz’s room, Luz’s room repeatedly.

Luz’s room, Luz’s room, Luz’s room! Her mind followed.

Shut up! Is what Amity told them both, because of all the times her heart and mind could agree with each other, it was for this particular thing.

She swallowed thickly when Luz shifted in the dark and shuffled towards her, hand searching for her own. Amity stiffened when the girl let out a thoughtful hum, fingers brushing against her bare arm, which sent an electrifying shock throughout Amity’s body, until Luz found and grabbed her hand, and geez, she really hoped the taller would ignore the obvious trembling of a flushed palm against hers.

When Luz’s other hand turned the knob, and she gently pulled Amity inside the dark room, the girl squinted, trying to get her eyes to adjust, seeing as a pair of dark curtains covered the entirety of the only window within Luz's room, making her completely blind. There was a sudden flash and the room was basked in floral white, making Amity yelp in surprise. Soon, purple walls covered in posters of different fandoms greeted her, along with neatly folded clothes placed on a wooden study desk. Her eyes roamed the room and scanned every inch, feeling some kind of warmth blooming in her chest at the sight of the different colored notes pinned on a board above the desk, coupled with some books on the floor near it as if they were recently just opened.

It was not as neat as Amity preferred it to be, but it also was not that messy. It was just really, homey even when one should take in the fact that Luz mostly spent her time outside of the house.

In the corner of the room, Amity noticed something drilled on the wall. She raised her brow before her sight trailed down to see some weights placed in an orderly fashion. Amity blinked before she turned her head to gaze at Luz who was watching her every reaction.

“You lift?” Amity asked in disbelief.

Somehow, she had forgotten that Luz’s lanky arms had lifted her up plenty of times over the months they had been fake dating. It was not as toned as her legs nor was it visible seeing as they were always covered by the sleeves of her bomber jackets, but it would make sense; after all, Luz would not have started street fights if she were not physically fit enough to do so.

“Yes. Not all of us are jocks, y’know,” Luz reached out and tapped her finger against Amity’s forehead as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Amity puffed her cheeks in response and swatted her hand away before she walked closer to inspect the equipment. It was definitely not new. The color of the curl bar was faded, the edges already chipped off. While she was impressed, she kept her face disinterested even though her conscience was celebrating.

Girl, she works out, we score!

If Amity could beat up her mind, she probably would have done it a long time ago. Her brain was supposed to be rational, but now it had been unbecoming of it. Amity was well aware of how Luz lingered a few inches near her, curiously checking to see what the petite girl found amusing within her room, and they exchanged playful jabs as they went on. There was a purple mat situated below Luz’s bed, and Amity ran her hand through the rough texture and whistled teasingly.

“Are you sure you didn’t just drill it in yesterday, knowing that I was coming over?” Amity asked dryly, a smirk playing on her lips.

Luz scoffed at that and crossed her arms, mocking offense as Amity plopped herself down on the purple sheets that could only hold one person. She sighed at the softness of the mattress as it dipped because of her weight while her girlfriend stood in front of her ranting about how she had a routine she followed every day and Amity listened intently, chin resting in her hand as she crossed her arms.

“Seriously, princesa, I gotta keep up my physique, you know? I have to pick you up really early so I do my push-ups by night-”

“You do push-ups at night?” Amity interrupted, lips turned up in amusement.

Luz paused and stared at her challengingly. She stepped forward as Amity leaned back to raise her head to lock gazes with fiery, brown eyes. Amity did not mean to, really and she was not one to judge (well, she was, and they were way passed that phase), but for the heiress, doing push-ups at night was unheard of. It was most likely because she was a jock and their practices used to be set so early in the morning that her body had gotten used to that instead.

But still...

“You got a problem with that, chica?” Luz clicked her tongue and bent forward, and Amity had the urge to smack her face back. But she was not one to back down and she preferred asserting her dominance this time, recalling how Luz had rendered her completely speechless in her own room. Now was the time for revenge, so she leaned closer, hand reaching out to cup Luz’s bandaged chin, her nose brushing against Luz, who jolted in surprise.

“Yes, are you sure, you were doing push-ups, Noceda?” Amity started, snickering. She gestured to the bed, golden eyes glancing back arduously at Luz, where a blank expression had taken up her features. Amity’s heart pounded in her chest and for a second she thought that she had crossed a line, until Luz’s eyes narrowed, and her lips jutted out into a pout.

“I’m being serious, Ames.”

Amity could feel every breath Luz exhaled, which raised the alarms in her head, making all of it go off at once. The pouty statement encouraged Amity to prob further, internally relieved that she had not pissed her person off because that was the last thing she wanted to do and it would do her no good if she had done that in Luz’s house, where she would not be able to hide.

“Okay, so maybe you are doing actual push-ups...But I can’t help think that you might just be doing it on the bed so wouldn’t that be ineffective because it isn’t the ideal place to exercise? Wouldn’t it be really tempting to fall asleep-” She patted the covers and grinned mischievously, “I wouldn’t blame you if you were just trying to impress me, Noceda. You don’t have to lie though-”

Her teasing was cut short when Luz suddenly lunged forward and tackled her, making Amity fall on her back with a squeal, and her immediate instinct was to shove Luz off as soon as her head hit the pillows. They struggled against each other, hands pushing whatever they could touch as Amity’s legs flailed underneath her person and when her light punches failed to faze the other girl, she placed her hands on Luz’s broad shoulders and held it in a vice grip, manicured nails digging into the fabric of the white shirt which elicited a hiss from the girl on top of her.

Wait.

Wait, what-

Amity froze when larger hand placed themselves on both sides of her face, eyes widened as Luz hovered over her, a pained expression on her face. The heiress’ jaw dropped and her grip on the dark girl’s shoulders loosened, which the latter took advantage of as she shrugged them off and grabbed Amity’s smaller hands, before she set them down again, completely and effectively pinning the girl beneath her.

Luz smiled smugly down at her, ears twitching in approval as she saw her handiwork. Amity did not speak up even as Luz bent down and brushed her lips against her flushed cheek, making her eyes flutter to a close. Luz shifted and the sheets below them rustled because of her movements and Amity felt as if her lungs were constricted and that there was no more room to breathe.

“Ames, if you wanted me to do push-ups on the bed that bad, you could have just said so,” Luz whispered in her ear, which made Amity redden all the more. Luz opened her balled-up fists and laced their fingers together and it would have been romantic, it really would have, if only Amity was not panicking, because her heart was indubitably about to burst out of her chest as her mind screamed without a care in the world.

This wasn’t supposed to end like this!

Yes, yes, yes, yes, it’s better though!

She mentally flipped herself off.

Amity laid flat on the bed, unable to even fold her legs seeing as she had not removed the wedges and was still very picky about leaving footprints onto the seemingly clean sheets that did not belong to her. She squeaked as Luz left another kiss on her jawline and she prayed that Luz would not go any lower than her face or she was going to combust. Unconsciously, her hands squeezed back on the firm grip of her person, the action making Luz chuckle and soon, she was back in Amity’s face, an irritating smirk on her soft, looking lips.

Amity just wanted to kiss the stupid, irritating grin off her lips.

“Believe me now?”

But Amity was not letting it go just yet, she could still salvage this situation and be in control; she opened her mouth and spat back a hopefully not that hoarse and pathetic of a reply.

“Why should I? Pushing me down doesn’t mean you did a push-up, stupid.”

This must have been the dumbest thing Amity had ever done in her life. Luz squeezed her hand harder than earlier as the smirk disappeared from her face. Her eyebrows were slanted in mock anger and she pressed her palm flat against Amity’s before she raised her body, the legs that pressed against Amity’s sides unfolded and stiffly spread out and the position was as if Luz was about to do a push-up right on top of the Blight.

Apparently, that was the plan.

Luz gazed at her hotly, brown eyes daring and dark. Suddenly, Amity’s throat dried up when her girlfriend let herself down slowly, the heavy pressure on pale hands making the flushed girl wrap her fingers around the open palms. Luz stopped just short of a few centimeters between their faces, eyes locked with widened, golden ones. Amity’s lips quivered and she swallowed when Luz repeated the motion a few more times than necessary, her hips slightly lowered and almost brushing against Amity’s own.

That should have been an automatic fail in Amity’s book, but she froze under the heated gaze as Luz puffed out a few more breaths as if the action strained her body, and Amity being right underneath her was not helping at all in their predicament. Her hands became heavier within Amity’s grip, which hinted to the green-haired girl that Luz was getting tired, although she had an inkling that the taller girl would not stop until she proved to Amity that she was wrong.

The air in the room was humid as Amity stared up at her in awe, enamored by how Luz bit her lower lip and continued with fervor even though her legs were already shaking with every push-up, and every time she lowered herself, the longer her trembling legs nudged against Amity’s. Sweat started to form on her forehead, as the beanie on top of her head slipped off towards the side. Maybe doing push-ups on the bed was harder than Amity originally thought it would be. Guilt suddenly flooded her as she realized that Luz must not have appreciated the teasing as much as she thought it would if she was this desperate to make Amity believe her.

Amity sighed and slipped her hand out of the slack hold and cupped Luz’s face, seeing how she blinked out of her dazed push-ups as she brought back her concentration on Amity’s softened expression. The girl paused and leaned into the touch as Amity stroked her cheek, and she tried not to squirm when Luz hoisted herself up on one hand and laid the other one on Amity’s shoulder gently, as if she were afraid if she pressed any harder, it would hurt.

“You can stop now, Luz,” Amity assured and almost immediately, as if her words were made of magic, Luz let out the breath she was holding and collapsed right on top of Amity, and the weight of the two made the bed dip even more. She cringed as Luz face planted right into the crook of her neck and she could feel the dampness of the sweat on her face even through the fabric of the pink top. She wrapped her hands around Luz’s back, giving it an awkward pat as the girl caught her breath, her chest heaving as she did so.

It was silent for a few more minutes until Luz maneuvered her head and Amity adjusted as Luz stared at her boastfully, a grin on her sweaty face. Amity scoffed to the side at the hopeful expression and shook her head when Luz leaned in and left a kiss on her neck.

“So, did you count how many I did?”

No, I was too distracted.

“Yes. None of it were successful push-ups so you get a zero,” Amity snorted.

“Alright, that’s it-”

Evidently having the last straw, Luz clicked her tongue and hoisted herself up quickly leaving Amity confused. It did not last long though as Luz looped her hands around Amity’s exposed midriff which made her gasp when the former pressed warm fingertips into her sides and made her jolt involuntarily, hands coiling around Luz’s wrists.

“What are you-Eeep!” She shrieked when Luz started tickling her and she wheezed, legs kicking up from under her person and she was more or less conscious of the fact that her shoes went flying off somewhere in the room with a resounding thud!

Luz peered at her fascinatedly when she thrashed around, bursting into a fit of giggles as the former pawed her bare skin and Amity tightened her grasp on Luz’s wrists. Her face was tomato red as she fought to remove the blazing touches on her skin and she failed to notice that Luz leaned down wearily, a bit afraid that if she had not done it cautiously, Amity might whip her head without warning and cause injuries.

“Me alegra que te hayas puesto este top,” Luz hummed torridly before she placed a chaste kiss on Amity’s cheek.

Did she just say she liked our top?

I don’t fucking know! Amity screamed back.

Oh, then tell her that you like how she's on top right now-

Unfortunately for Luz, Amity was far too distracted to consider snapping her neck right then and there. When her breath turned into difficult stutters, Luz slowed down and rubbed her skin in a soothing manner. Amity panted and she was pretty sure that sweat had formed on the top of her brow. While she appreciated the fact that Luz paused to give her time to breathe, she glared through glistening tears from laughing too much and Luz chuckled at the action, fingers playfully squeezing her skin.

“No-Stop, I can’t breathe!” Amity squealed, hands leaving Luz’s reddening wrists as she grabbed a handful of Luz’s sweaty shirt and tugged on it relentlessly. Her words finally made Luz pause and soon enough, Amity was staring right into brown eyes as she let out rasp breaths. She jerked Luz forward, which startled the girl until they were face to face once again and she was confident that they were close enough for her person to figure out the source of the blush on her pale face.

Luz fixed her eyes on her in a ruminative manner, her palms still warm against Amity’s skin as they both took a deep breath. When Amity’s mind cleared up and her words finally registered, she gaped like a fish. As panic rose inside of her, she propped herself on her elbows and tried to get up, but Luz held her firmly in place, and despite not meaning those words in that way, it made Amity wonder if Luz finally caught up to what it meant because of how she was looking at her right now.

“...It’s okay.” Luz replied pensively.

Amity flinched at the answer and wished that Luz had not solved what those words hid because she preferred a misunderstanding rather than a solid, It’s okay which could signify Luz avoiding hurting Amity’s feelings. At least if it was a mistake, there would be no relatable implication to what those three words insinuate and then it would really be okay.

By now, she recognized how deep those words meant than when she first said it. It did not just connote the way Luz made her feel, but was also a safe place for Amity to hide behind because of how terrified she was of slipping the actual words out. At least even with just I can’t breathe, she could have already expressed all the things she wanted to. Amity did not have to worry about Luz returning the ones she longed to hear, afraid that she would be brushed off, nor did she have to struggle with the sadness of having to ask Luz to say it back even when she probably could because it was not part of their agreement.

Only to have faked it.

Amity wanted none of that.

Her thoughts were duly interrupted when Luz moved her hand again, lingering just below the hem of her top. Amity snapped out of her daze as Luz kissed her forehead apologetically and she squeezed her eyes shut, having no desire to know what the apology was for. Instead, she wrapped her shaking arms around Luz’s neck and pulled her downward into a hug as an expression of her regrettable teasing for earlier and under her hold, Luz shuffled around and slightly eased her position, weight gently pressed against the shorter girl. She completely looped her arms around her midriff and Amity arched her back to let her, sighing in contentment.

“Sorry...” Luz mumbled into the crook of her neck which tickled her, but she only tightened the hug and returned the words, me too. Courageously, Amity turned her head and pressed her lips on the side of Luz’s damp face who for some particular reason had buried herself deeper in her neck, placing a chaste kiss on it as she rubbed circles on Amity’s skin.

They stayed there, completely lost in their world as Luz trailed up kisses towards her face, and in exchange, Amity ran her manicured nails through brown locks, untangling the knotted edges of her hair. She raised her legs up to the edge of the bed as the taller girl made herself comfortable in-between.

It started as an innocent push-and-pull before Luz asked a purposefully vague permission which Amity reluctantly nodded to; the shoving turned into a tickle fight almost instantly and not wanting to fall behind, Amity hiked up Luz’s shirt only to clumsily move her fingers and prod around in an attempt to make Luz burst out in laughter as much as she had done earlier that evening.

Soon, they were at the edge of tumbling off the bed, screaming bloody murder at each other and Amity was about to win the war (of course she was being biased) by turning them over, only to be stopped short of doing so when they heard a voice from the doorway which turned their bodies rigid.

“¡¿Hija, pero qué carajo estás haciendo?!”

Camila Noceda stood in the doorway, flabbergasted at the scandalous sight of them. Her eyes zoned in on the hands that were still situated under Amity’s crop top, while Amity’s own were on Luz’s back, which that in itself would not have been a problem if one did not count the fact that it was under Luz’s shirt, on bare skin.

So much for a good first impression.

In a flash, Luz was off  her, shouting, “I can explain!”

_

“So you’re telling me...that Luz was doing push-ups on the bed?”

The sentence was said so ludicrously that even Amity would not have believed that explanation if someone told her. She would have just assumed that the couple was about to do it and waved it off, enough said. But boy, does she want for Camila Noceda to believe the strings of sentences that came out of her mouth in this very moment.

I know what you’re going to say, that that’s completely a lie, completely unbelievable, but we’re talking about Luz here- was what Amity wanted to point out.

Amity did not mind her unruly green hair, or how her clothes were wrinkled from the catastrophe that happened in Luz’s room, when she was in that situation. But now that she came face-to-face with the owner of the house, as a guest, she was afraid that it only aided in giving the wrong impression.

Eda bursted into a fit of giggles, her snorts being the only audible sound on the table, other than King drinking water off his bowl in the corner. For some reason, Amity wished she had kept her mouth shut because now she could be labeled as a liar with how illogical her argument was; Luz kept herself small beside her as her mom stared both of them down with calculating eyes. She did not seem to mind the noises Eda was making as she scooped up some food and decidedly ate before anyone else did.

There were bags under Camila’s eyes and it must have been because of the constant shifts she had at the hospital she worked in. She was still in a desaturated sky-blue uniform, most likely not having the time to change after that little show Amity and Luz put on earlier. This was a time where Amity chose to use what her own mother had taught her; pretend to be confident by straightening her back and looking at Camila dead in the eyes.

Except those eyes were narrowed nearly into slits and Amity could not help but wonder if she was furious, because if she was, then the teenager was ready to dart out of the front door and leave Luz to her own demise. Amity felt bad because the adult must have been exhausted from work only to come home to see her daughter in a compromising position with a complete stranger.

Instead of lashing out like what Amity initially thought, Camila sighed and massaged her temples, shooting a stern look at her daughter who only let out a meep.

Amity did not know whether to be relieved that the attention had been shifted from her to Luz or whether to be more worried than before because just one look at her person assured her that she was going to send both of them to hell.

“Mija, I can’t verify anything if you don’t speak up.”

Please don't speak up, Noceda.

Luz gaped like a fish out of water as she avoided looking straight at her mom. This was the first time Amity witnessed her person overcome with nerves. Usually, she was the one searching for trouble between the two of them and Amity would go along with it, to cause more trouble (because where was the fun in stopping a troublesome kid from getting into their field of expertise).

Amity took no offense at the hint that Camila could not take her word for it. Underneath the table, she kicked Luz and stepped on the girl's white sneakers which from the corner of her eye, worked as the girl straightened in her seat and swallowed the lump in her throat. She nodded furiously, with teeth gritted and eyes wide alert.

"I-Yes, mami. We were talking about exercising and I started to do push-ups-"

“-Mija, what kind of push-ups would need Amity here under you? Why on the bed?"

Well, they did not have an explanation for that. Luz quickly kept her mouth shut as Amity's lips formed a thin line. This was no time to turn to her side and say I told you so which would worsen the situation but even without saying it verbally, the grimace on Luz's face was enough indication for Amity to figure out that the same thing crossed her mind.

That statement, even with its context, made Eda double over in laughter, and Amity secretly hoped she would choke for not helping them right now. Then again, it was not as if Eda was there during the whole fiasco. At this point, Amity remained silent and watched the debacle as Luz tried to prove herself-and Amity-innocent. She shot off into a fast-paced explanation in Spanish, which Camila returned with ease. Amity's gaze fell back on the food which was going to grow cold soon and wondered how they ended up surviving the whole cooking process when Camila ordered them to sit in the living room, with the corresponding distance as the adult watched them like a hawk.

Unfortunately, Amity's Spanish vocabulary had not expanded beyond the endearments Luz called her because she could not interpret the conversation between the Nocedas even if she tried. She could turn on Google translate but Amity was quite certain that there would not even be a fifty percent chance for it to convert the arguments into English correctly.

So for the first time in a long time,

Amity had given up.

She did not care anymore with what they bickered back and forth for Eda's amusement, so she picked up the fork and stabbed the well-cooked meat, unaware that the mother and daughter pair stopped and stared at her as she raised it to her mouth and bit into it. She savored the taste which proved to be fresher and better than what Eda served at the Owl House, and it was most likely because she was eating this one. Under the table, Luz reached out for her hand which made her eyes flutter open and Amity glanced at her questioningly as she chewed.

"Ames, help me out here."

Just tell your mother she’s right and get this over with.

She would, if they had not exhausted all the arguments available. Amity swallowed and tilted her head. There was a plea in those chocolate brown eyes and if this was any other day, she would have stepped up and laid down a solid defense or at least have a very convincing reason.

But see here, how could she possibly escape this mess with what was left of her dignity?

Best to just go with it.

Scratch that.

People could take away whatever it was that belonged to her, but her pride in being an honest woman was not something she was going to have destroyed.

“Mrs. Noceda," Amity started slowly, leveling her gaze with that of the adult who analyzed her actively. Luz's hand atop hers was comforting and with all her integrity, she summoned the guiltiest expression on her face and bowed her head slightly, as soon as Camila gave her the go signal to speak.

"Luz had been the most wonderful person to me for the past few months," she paused and let that sink in, "and she loves you so much that it made me want to meet you as well. I know we don't know each other, but I'm sure Eda," que the not so dirty look to the woman who blinked back at her, a fish fillet in her mouth, "could testify that I respect your daughter and most definitely, hold you as her mother in high regard. I sincerely apologize for what happened earlier and I really meant it when I said that Luz only did push-ups after I teased her...and we just had a tickle fight afterwards..."

Amity was glad her mother had placed her in those grueling business administration classes for extra credit because she could use the extensive knowledge on negotiating in sporadic moments such as this; at least the stress was worth it.

At first, Camila stared at her as if she was looking for some semblance of a lie and Amity had no doubt that she was good at seeing through one as she worked with different kinds of people every day, but that did not leave the teen in distraught as she had nothing to hide. For a second, she thought her comment had backfired when Camila readied to shoot her another question but finally, thank King the dog, finally, Eda laid a hand on the nurse's shoulder and cleared her throat.

"Okay, okay, that's enough," she declared albeit with less authority than she had when they were in the Owl House; though Amity could not blame her because Camila could throw both of them out into the frosty cold of the night and Amity did not bring her car.

She made a mental note of duplicating Luz's keys tomorrow.

"Camila, Amity here is a good kid, believe me, she's too good for Luz," Eda waived Luz off when she started to protest, while Amity beamed, ears perking at the compliment, even though deep inside her, she was well-aware Luz deserved someone who would meet her halfway and she tried her hardest to be that person in the present.

“By this, I mean who the hell knocks on your door in the middle of the night just to ask you to help her bake cookies for her girlfriend? Obviously, Minty here is as crazy as Luz."

Great, Amity thought. Sometimes she wondered if Eda was out to get her every time she brought that up. She had the urge to mention how she bought almost every type of available cheese for the café out of her own pocket but she stilled her tongue and hoped instead that Eda was going somewhere good with this.

Eda eyed her, a smirk tugging at her red lips as if she was trying to gauge a reaction from her and when Camila was distracted, Amity stuck her tongue out childishly. Luz chuckled, and the heiress almost forgot that the taller girl held her hand under the table until she felt the cold metal of a ring tapping against her pale fingers.

As if she was satisfied, Eda went on and enumerated the times she observed the two whenever they would stop by the Owl House and frankly, Amity was enamored by the fact that she remembered every little detail which was surprising because she thought the owner was too busy to pay attention to two teenagers sitting in an almost secluded table.

“-I even have photos from my hidden cam of the time she gave the purple beanie to Luz, and I gotta hand it to you, she really picked out the best one-”

Did Eda just say she had a hidden camera?

Was everyone just spying on us?

“Wait, you gave my daughter the beanie?” Camila cut Eda off, her hand raised to stop her as if she had heard enough.

Amity was startled at the sudden attention and she inhaled sharply before she nodded. Camila’s brows were raised but her eyes were no longer wary; the frown disappeared from her lips and it was apparent that she was much more interested in the stranger than she let on a moment ago.

Luz may not have said anything during the exchange, but their intertwined hands was a huge reminder of her presence next to the heiress. Amity guessed that she did not need a jacket after all because of how warm her body felt as the nerves were getting to her. Camila did not particularly sound as if she was ridiculing the gift, but it did not sound as if she kind of liked it either.

While she kept her attention on Camila, she carefully raised her fork, hoping it was not considered rude to eat because she did not want the food to go to waste if it went cold. Camila did not seem to mind as Luz did the same encouragingly, though that just reminded her of how she said that Amity had nothing to be afraid of.

Amity had countless reasons to be afraid of.

Because for all she knew, Camila’s silence can be taken as her kindness to let Amity finish her food before she gets kicked out, or at the very least, was already a sign of disapproval seeing as silence, as the saying went, meant yes.

Why did she always have to think of the worst-case scenarios?

The conversation was still hung up in the air as they continued to eat and it did not take very long for the adults to notice how the couple were only using one of each of their hands. Amity cursed Luz under her breath, annoyed by how every time she tried to remove her hand, Luz would keep it pinned on her lap and all Amity wanted to do was just scold her, because this was not the time to try being a romantic, especially not in front of the person who, Amity believed, to have known different ways on how to bury a body without being detected by authorities.

It was when the food on the table was gone, when Camila finally spoke again, but in a softer tone.

“Dios mío,” Camila sighed.

This is it. Amity’s heart hammered in her chest and for her own comfort, she tried to remind herself that this was not real and she did not have to get this person to like her.

Except she wanted her to.

“Querida, Amity,” Amity braced herself, turning numb at how Luz squeezed her hand, also looking worried and the former swore that after this, the other teen was going to blame herself for it not working, and they would get into another argument of who was more at fault and-

“Don’t take this the wrong way, I do like you.”

-and Amity was just going to go home to sob in her pillow-wait, what?

Her mouth dropped open, and she gawked at the adult. Luz and Eda seemed just as surprised, when Camila gave her a softer smile this time, which bore no malice or any false pretense. It made Amity’s heart flutter at the familiarity of the turning lips, as the butterflies in her stomach flew around wildly until she felt a bit sick.

Camila raised her hands in defense, unaffected by how shook the three people in the room were, then she ran a hand through brown locks, which, although not as vibrant as Luz’s chaotic, almost red strands of hair, was quite similar in nature when the bun was disregarded. Her eyes darted from her daughter than to Amity, as she continued,

“This hasn’t been the best...possible meeting we could have, and all I could say is that I was shocked to have walked in on something, after I’ve heard great things about you,” She paused when Luz snorted, and Amity was about to claw at her wrist when the adult continued, “so even before we’ve physically met, I believe my daughter and Eda in what they see in you and if you say that you respect me enough not to do it in my household-”

Amity and Luz flinched at that.

“Then I believe you.”

It was a good thing that the heiress was sitting down or else she would have passed out. Her lips quivered slightly as the realization dawned on her; she never really thought about what other parents perceived her to be, because in the Blight family, they could care less about what others say since all those strangers cared about is their wealth.

They would love you as long as you were wealthy.

Camila’s words were light and simple, but to Amity, she treated it as if the world was placed in the palm of her hands. The acceptance was different from how her father had treated the fake relationship a few months ago and Amity still struggled with their gradual but also unclear pondering on what they made Luz out to be, because all those months could be for naught or could prove to be successful.

It was as if the tension dissipated right after those words and Amity knew that she was not the only one relieved.

She opened up more after that, enjoying her chat with the adult regarding the common topic they knew all too well, which was her daughter. Luz joined in from time to time, loud and insistent in her protests whenever the girl admitted that her person had done stupid things which did not come as a surprise for the parent. Eda chirped in a few jokes which made both Camila and Amity shake their heads while Luz supported the former with a grin and a few thumbs-up.

While the topics turned random, Eda got up and went to the fridge, only to bring out homemade ice cream the Nocedas chilled the night before. Camila passed out some small bowls to them, before she headed towards the hanging cabinet, muttering spoons, when Luz tapped Amity on the shoulder.

Amity turned to her, confused and slightly startled when the girl tugged on their intertwined hands, placing a chaste kiss on the back of her hand. They must have laced their fingers long enough because she could feel both of them turning clammy, which repulsed the heiress, but it was either she pulled away or she basked in the affectionate gesture that could not escalate into anything more. Luz winked at her but Amity only rolled her eyes, not even making the effort to hide the relieved smile on her face as they shared a knowing look.

“Mija, keep your mouth to yourself.”

That made them untangle themselves. Certainly, if Amity had to choose between the two options aforementioned, she was going to pick a third one because like what Luz repeated before, Mami’s words are the law and Amity was going to obey.

Although as much as she believed that they were out of the woods yet, appreciating the taste of cookies and cream, and as much as she did not notice how close she and Luz sat together, with legs glued side-by-side, it appeared that Camila was not finished.

“Right. I’ve talked about this with plenty of my patients before,” Camila placed the empty cup back on the table and moved it aside, clasping her hands as she did so.

“But not with my own daughter since I had to wait for her to bring someone home before I did."

Oh.

Oh.

Oh no-

 "Mija, Amity, we’ve got to talk about the birds and the bees.”

Amity choked.

_

"Well, that was just the worst, wasn't it?"

Not really, Amity wanted to say.

When Luz offered to give her a ride back home, which was supposedly the original plan, Camila still had her reservations and it showed when she asked Eda to drop her home instead. Luz shot her an apologetic look and mouthed Call you later!

At first, they were on the verge of quarreling before Eda pointed out the fact that Amity owed her for the save. Instead of spiraling into another argument, she let the adult have her fun and settled for listening in the passenger seat when Eda started to talk about how she, by all accounts, knew Amity's parents.

This felt like she was listening to How I Met Your Mother except it was not a romantic story and all the red hearts that signified love actually meant gore. She bade her goodbye when she was dropped off at the manor gates, but not without Eda yelling something about her mother to the speaker at the gates, and Amity was never going to see Odalia the same way ever again.

That was also when the regret of wearing a skirt sunk in. The jacket she had not stolen-as Camila pestered her daughter to give her-may have been long, but it was not enough to cover the whole of her body, so she sped walk to the front doors that loomed over her and tiptoed through the dim halls. She was positive that the cameras already caught her, but hopefully her parents were going to be distracted by watching Eda through the lenses when they checked the footage.

It was when she was back in her room, with a set of pink pajamas and newly-washed hair that Luz called. She took her time burying herself under the covers and staring at the icon before she answered and was greeted straight away by a petulant whine.

“I mean it went slightly better than when you met my parents,” Amity answered truthfully.

There was a grunt and an image of a grumpy Luz flashed through her mind. She heard the rustling of sheets which indicated that the girl was in bed just like her. Unconsciously, Amity reached for one of her pillows and hugged it tight, burying her face in it. This was not the first time Luz called her but they did not exactly stay on it very long since it would lead to them going out together a few minutes after she answered.

“See, I told you she’ll like you.” Luz called out in a whisper and Amity wondered if she was still under surveillance, or if the walls were very thin that Camila could listen into the conversation. It was more than likely that she was after what had happened and Amity would not blame her if she did so, plus it made things interesting especially since she was not going to be in the limelight as she was far from the Noceda household.

Amity hummed.

She played with the hem of the blanket mindlessly, while Luz continued to talk gingerly, as if she was being careful not to ruin Amity’s eardrum if she happened to be close enough to the phone speaker, or maybe because it was past midnight and most things were delicately quiet at night.

“Hey, why do you think they call it birds and the bees?”

While Amity was knowledgeable about the origins of those words, and on any other occasion she might have explained it, but as she remembered the disastrous event as to why they had to have The Talk, she sputtered and her face grew hot.

She sat through the conversation earlier, thoughts unable to drift away when Luz argued about how it would not have applied to them, and just plainly implied the possibility that they were going to do whatever couples did which sent Amity’s heart into doing somersaults painfully in her chest.

“Luz, some things aren’t meant to be thought about,” Amity hissed just as gently.

Her sentence left a pang in her chest when it dawned on her that it could mean something else other than the light banter they were having.

The past two days have been hectic; it was as if something had changed when she brought Luz out of the hospital back then, but she could not quite name what it was. She reflected on how they have become sweeter, albeit it puzzled her if that really was the case, about how things were sweeter only when the end was near.

Everything happened so fast that she did not even get a chance to meditate on the dinner earlier and what it meant as it was finished. These things were always on Amity’s mind, and she repeated episodes endlessly, placing the things that she could have gone different about, and critiquing herself for the way she acted. But even if she changed one part or the other about it, at the end of the day, she still came down to one miserable conclusion regarding the aftermath of each incident.

She was in too deep and involved to say that there would not be any tears when they have to pull apart and then go back to their lives of when they never spoke or addressed each other publicly, maybe shoot a dirty look or two randomly, and once again, be forced to hang out with a clique that was not quite suited to Amity’s style, and probably having to endure the glares Luz’s friends were going to shoot her way.

What stressed her out even more was that she and Luz did not talk about how it would end.

And Amity was too afraid to bring it up.

“Ames?” Luz stretched out her name and oh, Amity had not said anything for a while.

She made a patent choice to pretend to be asleep and neglected the question. Luz paused from the other side of the phone and Amity neared herself to it, drawn to the sound of how the girl seemed to have propped herself up while also humming an accompanying tune.

“Pfft, sleep is for the weak,” Luz chuckled and Amity had a sinking feeling that the girl was only testing her if she really had fallen asleep. Amity rolled her eyes at that, even though a smile played on her lips when ironically, Luz let out an audible yawn.

It had been way past two when Luz’s voice died down and turned into slow, quiet breathing. Amity listened attentively, imagining how Luz’s chest rose as she inhaled, relaxed and unguarded. The mic must have been near her mouth because the heiress could hear it loud and clear, albeit she was a bit astonished that Luz did not end the call promptly after she concluded that Amity had fallen asleep.

At the same time, her heart skipped a beat.

The fact that Luz continued to talk to her about nonsensical stories, conspiracy theories she kept to herself, and how her person did not bother ending the call until she slept, made Amity happy.

Her breath hitched as a burst of flutters and unexplainable things filled her chest, and she listened a bit more to Luz’s calm breathing. She opened her mouth, accompanied with a blush on her face when she petulantly let some of the emotions she stashed in a mental compartment, out.

“Luz?” She croaked, and her voice broke.

No answer.

According to Google, past surveys have shown that men wait just eighty-eight days or under three months, before they say those three little words to their partner for the first time. As for women, it had been shown to have taken one hundred and thirty-four days before they spoke those cherished, precious words.

Amity was not an ordinary person, that much can be said. She believed no one embodied the term ordinary, as everyone was uniquely quirky in their own way. However, she preferred to think that the survey was inapplicable to her because she was the kind of person who would never tell someone such important words under just a few months.

At least, she thought, so long as the exact words never come out of her mouth, she could escape being part of the percentage those surveys talked about. Other people could have called her dramatic, they could have said many other things if they were not in her shoes, and they might have rolled their eyes at her refusal to accept those three words, but it was the only thing that kept her sane and made her certain that they were still going through with the plan. If she does not say it out loud, then she could still say that she had a lesser attachment than she actually had and there were no worries about the problems that would come knocking at her doorstep.

But the emotions screamed at her loudly, pounding at her head because she already understood a few days ago that I can’t breathe would never have been enough to express the feelings that have grown way past the things that that turn of phrase encompassed.

“I-”

She longed to say it. There was a yearning in her heart that she was unable to suppress or relieve herself of just by saying I can’t breathe.

But Amity can be a coward at times, right?

So she settled for the next best thing and chose to abandon the assumptions she had come up with, by picking the safest option possible.

“I like you a lot.”

It was refreshing, that much Amity was certain. She was never good with words or being as straightforward as Luz was; she did not flaunt anything so much as she kept things locked up, but she did have a habit of doing more through actions, rather than through talking.

With that in mind, she fell asleep to the steady breathing of her person, phone situated near her ear, and she established the fact that if this were some kind of musical piece, she would have listened to it every night.

When morning came, Camila was startled to find Amity on her doorstep, carrying too many flowers than her body could have hoped to hold. The bubbly laugh that came out of the adult was enough to wake her daughter up and Luz scrambled to open the window above them, peeking to see what was going on. Much to her dismay, Amity apparently did not take her words to heart.

Well-

Technically, Amity did not buy the whole flower shop.

Chapter Text

9

It started when Amity had a bad week.

Huh. She usually had one with no good intervals, but this was different. If there was one question that crossed Amity’s mind more often than necessary, she could think of only one that stuck out like a sore thumb.

Why does it feel like she got into more trouble than she asked for?

It was prominent enough seeing as Amity was not the only one involved in this particular question, unlike the hundreds she had where she was the main character of mundane situations, or where she even dreamed of solving world problems by becoming UNESCO’s leader.

Amity had to admit, a leader does get things done by becoming part of the situation, rather than watching it from the sidelines and giving orders; but she did not actually want to rule over the world in the shadows, and between her and her person, the green-haired girl was skeptic about the world falling into peace rather than chaos if they took over.

But that was not what she meant.

Today was the last day of the sixth month.

One would assume it to be a day with less trouble, if any at all, compared to any other day since they knew what was going to happen. They meet up, maybe talk about serious stuff, and then separate on good terms.

It was that easy.

Right?

Obviously not, since everything Amity planned up to this point kept being foiled by the person who was the subject of those very same plans.

Maybe it was Amity’s fault for not being able to predict the unpredictable.

She raised a brow in amusement as Luz drew deep and random circles in the dirt around them. For some reason, she was able to rope Amity into joining her after the fourth circle. The heiress’ fingers were wrapped tightly around a stick that she used to draw the patterns that came from a book Luz had deliberately pulled out from her bag, and she must have dug for quite a while as she noticed that her leggings were already covered in dirt from kneeling. This was probably the second time in all her life that she got down and dirty, with Luz, nonetheless.

She paused, a flush appearing on her face at the words she used so wrongly. Thank goodness she did not say that aloud or she would have found Luz grinning at her from ear-to-ear, wiggling her brows teasingly because she knew it annoyed Amity when she did that.

How expected.

Amity wondered if her parents were going to scold her for the mess in the courtyard, or if they would not care at all since none of them came out to linger in this place. Either way, she could ask help from the people that tended to the garden to fix whatever she and Luz had done if they were unable to clean up after themselves (that was on her person).

Hopefully, it would not come to that tonight.

Amity listened as Luz talked excitedly, her arms flailing around in exaggeration. The action made the former flinch when chunks of soil flew around them, though it did put a big smile on her face when Luz began to explain conspiracy theories about aliens, coupling the stories with inhumane sounds that made her snort.

Earlier that day, Amity received a text from Luz that she would not be able to take her home like she usually did. The last time that happened, Luz executed a big event that ended up including most of the students on Hexside grounds, if only to cheer for the girl. Other than that time they tiptoed around each other in a careful awkwardness, Luz never missed a day where she drove Amity back to the manor. When the heiress remembered that, she was filled with suspicion that Luz was once again up to no good.

That was a strange way to begin whatever they had going on. When Luz called her out, Amity hoped that anything she had planned to do at least for now, meant a perfectly normal evening; but then again, it was Amity’s fault for expecting something ordinary.

Not that she hated this- in fact, no one else bothered to do something like this with and for her.

Luz had put up battery-charged fairy lights above them, even decorating the hanging pots on the metal wall that surrounded the area, once dull, now bright and contributing to the cheery atmosphere. The effort was endearing enough and relieved Amity of the stress she was carrying, but it did not end there; Luz placed a purple blanket in the middle of the scene, just under a large tree that Amity knew all too well throughout her childhood.

All in all, it started out great and Amity had a pretty good opinion about her person’s romantic antics and was even going to genuinely praise her for it.

Until Luz brought out the watermelon.

They got into a small disagreement when apparently, Luz believed that watermelons could summon aliens. At this point, Amity thought Luz was ridiculing her by linking fruits to an alien invasion; the splattering of its blood will bring them here! Luz said, it would be fun! She continued. Amity had an inkling that Luz wanted to take over the world and would execute her plans as soon as she got aliens on her side. If she did, she would have first passed a universal law about a mandatory menu for blue food.

Amity decided that she did not want that version of the world if there ever was a chance that could happen. Also, if that were the case, then this dinner was a sham and Luz was only using her so she might as well leave right now.

Oh, if only she wanted to.

She grimaced at what was supposed to be the best and last night of the month, where she hoped that they had some sort of big romantic moment that could have probably make or break the deal at the last moment, but no, here they were, experiencing thrills and spills.

“Watch me Ames, I can do it!”

“Please don’t- ”

Too late.

If there was a reverse switch for time and it happened to accidentally fall into Amity’s hands, she would have changed anything that led up to this point. She never knew that the watermelon’s insides were called blood, but she attributed the belief to Eda as soon as Luz mentioned that she found the circle spell book in the woman’s study. She noted that Camila most likely knew all of these already but it did not hurt for Amity to tell her in case she did not, though she had no doubt the mother had given up on persuading Luz of these beliefs.

Unless, of course, Luz was actually joking with her.

She reflected on the things that placed her in this situation, all while she stared at her person. Luz stuck out her tongue in concentration as she positioned the watermelon and Amity resisted the urge to facepalm.

Okay, so maybe she’s actually serious.

The longer Luz took in whatever shenanigans she was about to pull, the more Amity realized that the circles were not actually random, as she noticed that they were drawn around the vicinity of the blanket they were settled in. Though, the watermelon did not make much sense, other than it being an offering to the aliens in the skies above, instead of filling their stomachs as it should have.

How did they come to this?

Amity’s mind drifted back to where she believed the plan was in motion.

_

Ever since the dinner date in the Noceda household, Amity had frequently picked Luz up in front of her house, much to the other girl’s chagrin. In all honesty, the top student had felt bad about the fact that ever since they started this relationship, Luz always brought her car around to the manor, at the earliest time possible. Now that she conveniently knew where Luz specifically lived, Amity took it upon herself to return the favor.

Surely, it was not because she wanted to continue getting on Camila Noceda’s good side.

On the one hand, after Amity’s rare breakdowns last week, Luz turned texting into calling. She made an excuse and said that Emira let slip how busy the heiress was and chose to accompany her, even without a physical presence. Needless to say, that relieved Amity immensely.

The teenagers had been calling each other every night and bickered about random and mundane things. One time, they argued about the Good Witch Azura sequel that was coming out soon, with regards to the ending that left them hanging that time they went to the ice rink. Another time, Amity tried to prove her person wrong regarding the definition of communism that Karl Marx proposed from the current interpretation of people and to her joy, Luz bowed her head in defeat. For some reason, they ended up always calling until morning and it was only when Amity saw the sun rise in front of her eyes that she thought, O-kay, they were going to fail classes at this rate.

Other than that, the thought that Amity was getting used to the calls invaded her mind recently. They only had a few days left before the month ends but there seemed to be no sign from both sides that they were aware of that fact.

Well, Amity had been ignoring it.

See, when the end was near, what was a person supposed to feel?

For some reason there are people who know exactly what to do and have welcomed their fate, while there are those who are numb, and it would not hit them until after something was already done. Then there are those that are in pain and struggle to accept that things are supposed to come to a close.

Amity had a sinking feeling that she was the second kind of person with how normal things have been going on, or at least, she liked to think so. But no, the more she thought about it, the clearer it was to her that she was a mixture between the second and third kinds of people, her pride just would not let her admit it verbally.

But was it still pride when she knew about it?

Deep in her heart she knew that it still counted that she was aware, even if she did not admit it to everyone in the whole area.

She and Luz had a few days left and nothing has changed. By that, she meant they were still glued together by the hip, exchanging banters and light punches that accompanied snarky words. All in all, it was nothing out of the ordinary; but Amity expected them to get into heated arguments rather than go on as if there was no sight of an ending.

Not that Amity hoped there was.

Though overall, it stressed her out.

As if she had not reminded herself enough, the people around her cooed and teased her about how she and Luz were about to reach the halfway mark to a year in their [fake] relationship. Every time, it felt like a stab to the heart whenever they would nudge her or ask if they had planned anything special for each other. It did not register immediately, seeing as Amity was imagining the difference between she and Luz from other couples. Where others would have butterflies in their stomachs and felt flutters in their chests at having reached an anniversary date, in its place, was a sickness Amity understood as guilt at pretending, and sadness at how fake it all was.

But at their question, she rolled her eyes.

How exactly would it be a surprise if they were asked about things to do for each other, much less by people who were not involved in the relationship?

Before she could reply in spite, Luz raised her hand to stop her. Since her person was the more, so to say, tamed, between them, she waved the strangers off with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. Amity on the other hand, had no problem showing her distaste when people stuck their noses in her business.

So Amity was stressed.

Usually, there was one whole season every year where she was at her worst, and this must have been one of those moments; what was different however, was that this time it was not about her academics or family. She always had been stressed, and sure, she had a lot of breakdowns before so it could be taken as perfectly normal in the Blight household (unfortunately), but that was before she had someone to help her through it. Or distract her. Either one was welcomed, and Amity was more than willing to have that than being left alone to deal with it.

Back then, she was agitated and always jittery; her eyes darted around to check if there were any unimportant things that she could hit without getting in trouble and it was usually the time she crossed the line as soon as she decided to call Luz out to a fight. She lunged headfirst, not even giving the other girl time to get ready, and Luz would hit back with as much force. The injuries would have been dire if Luz did not stop her every time she aimed for the face.

The last time Amity was filled with such rage, Luz pinned her down to the cold, hard ground after the heiress accidentally clawed her face, long, black nails digging into dark skin, enough to draw blood. A warning look was enough to snap her out of seeing red and she apologized by buying Luz a blue slushie, which appeased her easily enough.

If she was still able to move with ease back then even after a physical fight, Amity wondered why she felt so crippled by her emotions, which should have been, to her belief, less hurtful.

Then again, her mind offered, an invisible sting to the heart is harder to heal than an injury seen by the eyes.

Huh. Amity guessed that there were times her mind was actually rational.

But even so, it seemed as if her heart and mind found it hard to compromise because neither could settle on a single course of action. Uncertainty filled her heart as to what to do or how to act because Amity and Luz’s actions connote something that was continuing, and not near-end, and everything just puzzled her. While her brain was worried about whether she should have gone with the flow or if she should put a stop on the things that indubitably made her happy, even though there was a logical option that people would have deemed clear, it was all just vague to Amity.

Yet, she was supposed to be smart.

Get over it, being book smart doesn’t mean you’re street smart.

As much as that was true, she visibly deflated at the desperation to be both in this situation. Other than that, her indecisiveness proved to have been a bad idea because the frustration only grew until it was not something she was able to keep to herself.

That was when the heavy burden on her shoulder doubled in weight.

It had been so bad that she lashed out against her siblings more so than usual, and even threw Luz in for a ride. Amity glared at her menacingly, which only left her person confused and she avoided her as well as their normal affectionate gestures when the thought of ‘The End’ perturbed the top student’s mind. After an anger episode in the confines of a bathroom stall which she designated as her thinking space, Amity would calm down again, the madness switching into that of dread. Her mother would have scolded her if she knew how low the teenager had gone, but the stall was the only place no one would break into and disturb her when she ran away. One time, when she reappeared at Luz’s side in the next period, Luz must have had the wrong idea from her behavior because she gave Amity a pack of tissues.

She chucked them back at Luz’s face afterwards.

Others could have concluded the reason for the snarky behavior to be because of the piled-up tests, and while that was partly true, it was something- someone - else entirely.

She spent most of her time in her room, hunched over the study desk as she scrapped pieces of papers that held vague plans of what to do when the moment of separation finally came. She was too absorbed in her work, not even noticing that she had not locked the door. Emira used that to her advantage and popped her head in to call her out for something which startled Amity, and in a programmed defense, the youngest threw the crumpled balls of paper across the room and groaned when her sister ended up unfazed.

To be fair, the poor, scrapped notes that held Amity’s failures did not even reach half of the room.

“I know you want me out, Mittens but it’s already dinner time and you haven’t come out of your room. Also, Luz texted me that you haven’t replied to her yet,” Emira paused and even without turning, Amity was certain that a teasing grin found its way to her sister’s lips.

“-She asked if you were okay or if she needed to bring her bat.”

Well, Luz having her siblings’ numbers did not come as a surprise to the youngest of the Blights. Her eyes narrowed however, when it occurred to her that the twins were probably leaking private information to her person and she did not know whether she had enough evidence to put all three of them in jail, then bail Luz out later.

Her siblings could stay there willingly, for all Amity cared and knew.

Amity was pretty sure Luz would hit her without hesitation if she knew that the reason she was not in a good place was because of the deal that the heiress had created herself; though she would have played it off as it being lighter than it actually was on her mental state. While she did not mean to leave Luz’s messages unread, she was far too focused on finding other solutions to her emotional turmoil.

 Emira stood at the doorway, nonchalantly reading the messages she got from Amity’s person and coupled it with relentless teasing for God knows how long that Amity zoned out in exhaustion. The pounding of her head was too much, and she felt as if she had not slept in two days; even though she physically went to bed, her accursed brain was too rebellious to follow through.

The nerve of her inner self.

She imagined the inner Amity trying to comprehend the words said to her, because it was, for the first time, silent.

Tell her to come over and cuddle!

Of course, Amity stood corrected. She really should have kept her dialogues to herself.

She literally said she was coming to bash people’s heads with a bat. Are you a masochist? Amity scoffed.

...Are we?

If her mind was still considered sane, then she might as well be made crazy by the annoying “end” that plagued her mentally and emotionally every passing minute.

“Anyways, I’ve done my job as your girlfriend’s messenger. Now come down, Mittens!”

The youngest Blight only grunted in response and waved her hand to shoo her sister off. Amity was certain that if she decided to eat after being under extreme stress, she was going to puke and it would be a waste. She was glad that Emira left without prying further, although Amity felt bad that her sister let out an audible sigh when she did so. Even she must have sensed the atmosphere that could not be immediately fixed with just a talk here, and a ‘Mittens’ there.

When she was once again secluded in the confines of her spacious room, Amity contemplated on the verbal contract she and Luz agreed on prior to all of what transpired. Unlike the previous thought where she had created an impeccably biased plan where the ending was supposed to be a non-emotionally attached separation, she cursed under her breath at her stupidity of not creating a back-up plan. That was on her; it was pretty much bad enough that she was the reason the agreement backfired, and how there were multiple instances where she proved to have almost messed things up by taking Luz’s lips any time, but having no exact ending?

Yeah, no.

Amity could not bear being shown the steps of her blueprints being torn apart at the seams.

Even if the original thought meant having a zero possibility of falling, she should have known to have prepared for something unexpected. She hated the helplessness that crept upon her and she buried her face in her hands as if to drown the heaps of scorn she was bringing on herself. The fact that Luz had done more for a fake relationship with her more than the girl who proposed it did not sit well with Amity. She abhorred that, and it was one of the reasons as to why she wanted to return more than half the effort made for this. Even if Luz was doing more than told for the relationship, at least Amity knew that she herself was not doing this for the same thing and was giving the corresponding work for the sole reason that it was Luz she was doing it for.

After all, it was something she deserved, and Amity was willing to give her all the good things available in her power.

It was just, she hoped this time around, Luz would do something again. Start something, propose an offer, do anything, it was fine because Amity just did not want the responsibility of breaking herself. It was not about pride because she had given up on most of hers as soon as she was well-aware of the fact that she liked Luz so much that it hurt, but she wished that she could say the same thing for giving up on the deal she herself had to stick to.

She had to. Not because she was a Blight, but because she was a keeper of promises and this could just jeopardize everything without her fully knowing the consequences of her actions, to Luz and to herself.

There were too many ‘what ifs,’ and Amity was not willing to take the chance of not having reciprocated feelings. Unlike the twins, she was far more prone to real rejection and fake acceptance. The hope that Amity held about someone seeing that one day dwindled into nothing years ago. If people saw her as a snobby, rich kid who had powerful parents, then Amity would let them. Sure, Luz called her pretty before, but that was her physical appearance, and she was having a difficult time believing that it was more than just fake words from a fake girlfriend.

Even though that same fake girlfriend ignited the hope in her heart again, no matter how small the flame was.

Amity grabbed the phone on the nightstand and scrolled through, surprised to see that Emira was honest when she implied that Luz flooded her phone with different texts from multiple chat rooms outside Penstagram. Some were just a bunch of random emojis that she probably wanted Amity to decipher, while others were questions that genuinely begged for an answer from her.

Her heart swelled and her face warmed up at the thought that Luz showed interest in actually talking to her. Some of the time stamps showed that many of the texts were from yesterday morning until just earlier, with barely hours apart.

The last message was sent ten minutes ago, stating, Have you eaten yet?

A small smile found its way onto her lips as her eyes scanned the text. The teenager was slightly annoyed by the rapid beating of her heart at something so simple, and yet, simultaneously special because it was from the person she hoped to have the attention of. But as soon as that crossed her mind, she wiped the smile off her face and sucked in a sharp breath.

Luz probably did that with all of her ‘friends.’

Amity did not even know if she fell into that category.

If possible, she just wanted to sit back and enjoy the remaining time they have left as a couple before she inevitably goes back to being nothing to Luz . It was unfair, how she was designated to have the power to make or break things. She laughed bitterly at how that began as an advantage, only to end up mourning the fact that Luz told her that she had the power to do things, and Amity had decided for herself that she did not want to act on whatever it was her person thought she had jurisdiction on.

She would do anything to give Luz the choice, rather than be left with it alone, or share it. But that was nearly impossible to do if she wanted to keep her feelings in a bottle, safely tucked in the deepest parts of her heart. Amity had no doubt that if she suggested sharing the decision, it would leave her exposed under the scrutinizing gaze of her person, making her more vulnerable than ever before.

The conclusion made Amity frown deeply. It was scary and she was not afraid to admit that it terrified her. She could handle a slightly lower score in a random test, she still held her head high when she left her pose as captain in the rugby team and she never cried in a physical fight, but none of those compared to the emotional turmoil that hit her full force, caused by just one person who never did anything wrong.

She stared down at the neat handwriting on her notepad, only for a question mark to greet her back. Amity thought she scribbled more than just that but out of the abundance of her heart, the question mark spoke for itself. Amity sighed, expression morphed into disdain as she buried her head in her hands, all the while silently praying that Luz had a dilemma of her own about her.

At the very least, the texts were an indication that Amity was on her mind.

Right?

Was that what Amity wished for?

Of course not.

What good would come out of it if Amity preferred to have a companion in this emotional hell, just for her own sake? If anything, she should be glad because their deal protected Luz from experiencing whatever she was on. It was a small price to pay for someone she liked so much.

That was not at all convincing; instead, the dishonesty in her statement proved to be more irritating and she slammed her fist on the desk. She never could have imagined the difficulty in liking someone to be this plenty- it not only affected her mind, but even in every action she took in. The realization made her heart drop, puzzled at how she heard different stories before, where a relationship brought people a sickness that made them happy. The happiness part must have skipped Amity if she was experiencing the same thing they mentioned.

She squeezed her eyes shut, lips quivering as she took a shaky breath.

There should have been more to this feeling than this.

-

Logically speaking, it was impossible to have a superpower where one could hear the thoughts of others. Unless an individual was a psychology major, then they had more of a chance to interpret Amity’s behavior and that was the closest thing she could have to a supernatural.

But Luz was neither of those.

Sooner or later, her person was going to bring their agreement up because if there was one thing Luz was good at, it was trying to keep her promises and the end of the deals. The trait enamored Amity, especially when she recalled the time where the former stood up to Boscha back when they were fourteen, just to keep a promise she had with Willow and their newfound friendship.

However, that same trait is something Amity dreaded in the present.

While the girl expected a serious conversation after being a terrible girlfriend to her person, she guessed Luz had a funny way of starting that very same topic.

Amity stared at the small, purple note in her hands, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She found it inside her locker during break, and to her luck, she recognized the scribbles of writing in red ink that surely belonged to a girl with just as much personality as it held.

I SAW YOUR MURDEROUS PLANS, BLIGHT,

YOU’RE SUCH A MEANIE >:(

Just kidding, hello princesa uwu

           She was momentarily confused by the ordeal, until it dawned on her what it meant. She raised a brow and ran her thumb over the thin paper, feeling the sense of familiarity wash over her. A low hum escaped from her lips as she went over it again.

For one thing, what in the world did uwu mean? It definitely did not sound Spanish, and Amity was sure that whoever (obviously Luz) wrote this had a large possibility of claiming to have created her own language. Second, how suspicious it was, to find the stack of purple notes that she deliberately kept hidden as it was one of her favorite-colored notes to draw on, to be missing, only for one to turn up in her locker the following day. How very convenient it was that Luz snuck in her room yesterday to bother the top student after she forgot to reply by immersing herself deep in her studies, only to be nowhere in sight in the present.

In short, how dare she steal Amity’s precious notes.

           Amity loved sticky notes.

           If there was anything constant in her life, it was that she had a stack of colored sticky notes, neatly piled on her study desk, ready to be used at any moment. When she was younger, she had the habit of making charts and schedules for most, if not all, the events she was involved in. She relied on them for reminders, organization, schedules and encouraging You can do it! notes that helped her ace every test Hexside had to offer.

She decided that if she was going to dorm with someone after she moved away to an Ivy League university, they would have to get used to being greeted by notes on the walls, desks, and maybe even the bathroom. Okay, maybe not the last one, since Amity was an organized woman with goals in mind and her precious notes would get wet and soggy which would lead to having Amity clean the ink off the tiled walls.

The familiar sight of these colored papers calmed Amity down to the point that they have already become a part of her; often she wrote things on it, but on some occasions, she had doodled a lot of unorthodox drawings of her siblings, Boscha, and obviously, Luz Noceda, who was pretty much always present. Amity probably drew countless threatening images that either saw the light of day or was hidden deep in the built-in drawer on the side of her bed.

And Luz would never know about the animosity she held since their meeting.

At least, that was what she told herself until she realized that her favorite pad of sticky notes disappeared from the same drawer.

           She raised her head and searched the crowded halls, nose wrinkled in distaste when it settled on an approaching figure. Luz stared straight at her, and if possible, her face brightened even more when her brown eyes landed on the sticky note in Amity’s hands. The tall girl was wearing the signature purple beanie and a corresponding purple shirt, where the top was a lighter shade than the lower half. She paired it with black, ripped jeans and worn-out converse.

Principal Bump must have been too tired of scolding her about what ‘proper’ school clothes were.

Luz’s usual jacket was nowhere to be seen, much to Amity’s disappointment.       

           While Amity should have felt bad about those deadly plans Luz probably went over based on the capital letters in the note, she thought against apologizing since Luz stole something precious in the first place. So maybe her person deserved to see the murderous thoughts that past Amity conjured.

           “There you are, mi reina!” Luz chirped and batted her eyelashes when she was finally right in front of Amity.

           Amity quirked a brow, unbothered by the cheery tone. Luz’s eyes were pretty, yes- like she could probably explore the whole milky way in those eyes and get lost in the depths that goes deeper than the ocean, sure-but that was not going to be enough to get her out of trouble. She glanced over Luz’s broad shoulders and saw that she was alone, Gus and Willow probably headed to class first.  before she raised her head to meet Luz’s playful gaze, knowing that the latter was expecting a reaction from her.

           The two never really stopped talking to each other, because as much as Amity was not one to reply to messages online, nor was she much of an actual talker, Luz was lucky enough that she replied to most of her message on every application. But the pinnacle of unresolved tension always came when they were face-to-face, exchanging glances and knowing looks.

           Luz leaned on the red locker besides Amity’s own, a smirk on her soft-looking lips. She crossed her arms, and Amity swallowed at the sight, just noticing how they were finally out of the ‘nerd arms’ category. Her mind flashed back to the pull up bar she saw in Luz’s room, coupled with the weights and the-dear, God-the push-ups. Her face warmed up at the memory, annoying her slightly because the fact that she knew the girl was working out just made her so much more attractive.

Ugh. Stop being weird! She snapped at herself.

           At first, Amity thought that I can’t breathe was enough to cover all the things Luz made her feel, but when she accepted the fact that no words could ever capture how deep it went, other than three overused, couple vocabulary, she became highly aware about things regarding her person, more than before.

           She did not know how long she stood there, spaced out, even though her eyes focused on the girl in front of her. Luz waited patiently and whistled a song, as if she was channeling a mental message saying, I can do this all day.

           Going back, this was a new form of communication between them, even though they only had seven days left. Amity did not want to hope that Luz was also ignoring that fact, and that was why she sent her this message that was completely unrelated to the future, only to be mostly attached to the past.

           If that was so, then Amity would play her game and have the most fun out of it.

           The top student took out a black pen from her back jean pocket and grabbed another set of sticky notes from her locker. She spun the pen in her hand as if she were trying to impress the girl in front of her, before she turned her attention to the small pad. Unlike Luz’s quick scribbles, Amity was more careful in writing. She took her time and savored the impatient tapping of Luz’s foot against the floor and though the message she thought to write was very simple, Amity knew exactly what would make it explode as soon as Luz read it.

After Amity was done, she pivoted and flipped her hair, stepping closer to her person, who was startled by the sudden show of confidence. Luz blinked owlishly at her when the shorter girl beckoned her to lean down. Her girlfriend shot her a suspicious look before she did as gestured, taking a few hesitant steps forward. Accompanied by the rapid beating of her heart, Amity immediately coiled her hand around Luz’s nape before she pulled her close, noses bumping against each other. To say that Luz’s stunned face did not make Amity feel giddy would be a lie; she enjoyed the way her eyes widened, mouth falling agape. The way they gazed at each other hotly sent shivers down Amity’s spine, and it did not help that they were in a public place, with people inevitably turning their heads to see their indecent show of affection.

If it were any other couple being this close in public, they were considered too much in Amity’s book; or perhaps she was just bitter that they had someone to do that with because after all, she was not in their shoes to be able to judge since she might have done that herself. Oh, the irony of being the one who initiated it now. Without answering the questioning look on Luz’s face, Amity pulled her forward.

           “Wha-” Luz almost jolted back, and she would have succeeded if Amity did not hold her firmly by the back of her neck. Inwardly, she cheered because of the strength she still had, kudos to the sport experience that still enveloped her body.

Amity tightened her hold and pressed her lips firmly against flushed skin, waiting until Luz relaxed into it. She smiled into the kiss when Luz’s hands brushed against her waist, fingers ghosting over her hip bone. But before those strong arms wrapped around her smaller frame, Amity pulled away and quickly smacked the pink sticky note on the other girl’s forehead. The force and unexpectedness of the action made Luz stumble backwards and Amity slammed her locker shut, before she walked past the girl, with a smile tugging on the corners of her lips.

She did not turn back to see if Luz recovered, but Amity did strain her ears to hear the girl for when she read the message. It was nothing complicated, though she did end up speed running the words in her head as she wrote it down. Amity tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear as she continued to walk away, an evident bounce in every step. While she was still confused by the whole deal they had and what she should do when the time came, she could still allow herself to be happy with the small things they had left.

Especially when she heard a loud, indignant gasp that turned into a scoff, before Luz screamed, “This is war!” in the hallways.

I bet you like being the subject of my secrets.

You’re such a masochist, babe.

_

           It was a good thing that Luz was in a different class or they would have used up all the sticky notes by now. What happened that morning filled Amity with confidence and a sense of relief after everything that had been on her mind for the past few months. While the nagging thoughts were still present, however, it was well-blocked by the anticipation of the sticky note war that she began. Though it was not evident on her face as she kept it as stoic as possible, excitement bubbled inside her, with fingertips trembling and tapping against the polished, tiled table in the science lab as if to help make time go quicker.

           Beside her, Boscha groaned in her chair, mumbling complaints Amity could care less about. As if to keep up the façade of being a productive top student, the heiress pulled out a notebook and proceeded to write what her friends-barely friend-thought to be notes for class. In the corner of her eye, she saw Boscha raising a thumbs up, probably thinking Amity was going to share the class notes, but unfortunately for her clique, she already studied all of it beforehand and had organized, colorful notes at home, so there was no need to repeat that.

           Instead, she tried her luck and started doodling out her next pick-up lines, accompanied by a badly drawn face of Luz. Amity stuck out her tongue as she scribbled using the purple pen in her hand, only coloring the beanie on top of what only she could tell as Luz’s unkempt hair. She really should have tuned in to what the professor was saying, but her brain was failing her as it continually drifted back to the certain girl and the troublesome stuff she most likely readied for Amity as soon as the girl stepped out of the room for lunch, which urged her to mentally step up her game.     

When the bell rang and signaled the beginning of lunch, Amity was not surprised to find Luz waiting for her outside, a smug look on her face. A smirk played on her lips as she leaned against the locker doors, with hands tucked into her jean pockets. Compared to the bustling crowd that did not even stop in their tracks, Luz stuck out in the hallway as she remained unmoved. Amity pursed her own lips, trying not to giggle at the abysmal sight of her person’s pose, which radiated an energy exclaiming, I am the coolest! So notice me!

Amity approached her, not even hiding her amusement. They could be blocking the way, and if she were the passerby, she would have definitely been irritated by two, dense ‘idiots’ (which were her exact words months ago) who did not know their own limited space. But since things were different, she promised herself she would not get in the way of bumbling lovebirds ever again.

Luz was handing out a challenge, with her chin raised and jaw stiff, waiting for Amity’s impending words. Amity opened her mouth to speak but stopped short when she surveyed the situation at hand. To be fair, she did not know what to say to Luz face-to-face, as she expected a note to be handed back to her. Other than that, she literally had nothing else to call Luz other than her person, which was another dilemma she dwelled on. Luz did not need to know that though, so in order to keep her composure, Amity stalled by running a hand through the green wisps of her hair, grooming her expression into something she hoped was a confident and smug look just to deceive the taller girl who observed her every move.

She raised her head to meet the taller girl’s eyes and showed no signs of weakness, even though her mind was running at the speed of light to try and conjure some kind of non-generic pet name. But when it proved to be futile and she was evidently taking too long, she gave up and settled on a distastefully, cringe name.

“Got something for me, babe? ” She started, forcing herself not to scowl at the word.

Luz blinked back at her, somehow rendered speechless by the words. Amity could not blame her, it was the first time she called her something other than ‘Noceda’ and ‘Luz,’ which the more she thought about it, was literally just her name and nothing more endearing. Personally, it was perfect; it rolled out of Amity’s tongue easily and affectionately more than babe.

Ugh. It sounds so bad.

Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her because she could have sworn that Luz reddened at the question. She visibly swallowed, before raising her hand and promptly placing it in a claw-like style atop Amity’s head. The latter felt herself being forced to turn another way and she obliged, even though she was confused.

“Lunch.” Luz coughed out, albeit hoarsely.

To Amity’s ears, her person sounded flustered. The conclusion ended up making her stomach flip with familiar butterflies, but thankfully, her back was turned away from Luz, so the latter could not see that she too, was flushed red. With a firm hold, Luz ran her hand down Amity’s mint hair towards the middle of her back, which made the latter’s breath hitch. It lingered there, before she settled it on Amity’s shoulder, wrapping her in a somewhat semi-hug. Amity melted in the touch, only realizing then that it had been way too long since Luz held her and if this were the last, she might as well enjoy it. A sigh of contentment slipped out of her lips as she snuggled Luz’s side, which made walking difficult, but the latter did not seem to mind. She supported Amity’s side with a chuckle and an eye roll as she led them towards the cafeteria where they would most likely meet up with Gus and Willow.

Amity led her guard down the longer Luz talked about her classes, complaining how she almost made something explode in chemistry and blamed it on her classmate with a name that almost sounded like a mole.

When they entered the large room, the queue for the terribly expensive cafeteria dishes was already painfully long. Luz volunteered and ‘sacrificed’ herself by getting them both something to eat. Amity learned not to argue with her over food during their first month of fake dating; seeing as even if Luz said something to eat for ‘both’ of them, she only meant that they were eating from the same tray.

Amity sauntered to the table in the back, near the large window panes, where Willow and Gus always situated themselves. While she only guessed that they would be there, she caught the sight of Willow’s favorite pale, yellow trench coat, which was enough of a confirmation that they were present today.

Gus was the first to notice her, with ears perked and pearly whites shown through a wide smile. If Amity recalled correctly, he was two years younger than them, and his innocent grin was heart melting, reminding her of the children she used to read to in the public library back when she was fourteen. He waved at her, drawing the attention of Willow who already started eating and sent her an acknowledging nod.

“Hi, Amity! Where’s Luz?”

Being left with Luz’s friends was not odd per se, but it rarely happened so Amity was still not used to speaking to them without the stiff politeness, as she was still a bit weary that she might step over a line. They were really nice to her and while Willow was quite direct and mischievous which made Amity comfortable in her own skin, she was insecure about them getting up and leaving as soon as all of this was over, so she kept them at arm's length.

They probably still think of me as their friend’s girlfriend.

As a response to the question, Amity turned slightly and pointed with her thumb, to Luz who was still in the middle of the line. Afterwards, she slid in the seat across the two who stared at her in puzzlement. The top student did not notice at first and decided to tuck her notebooks into what she assumed was Luz’s sling bag which rested innocently beside her. It was a purple bag which, to be honest, looked as empty as it was. Since she pitied the bag for not being used other than for display, she was going to do it correctly and have her person carry it. Usually, she would leave it in her locker, but since Luz waited for her and directed her to the lunchroom, she was unable to do so.

“Amity?”

As soon as she was done placing her things in Luz’s bag, she looked up and tilted her head in question at the two who shot her weird looks. They glanced at each other, as if contemplating who was going to speak, until Gus sighed in utter defeat at whatever mind game he and Willow were playing. He turned to her nervously, with hands clasped together and eyes darting from the table to her.

“You’ve got uh…something stuck on your back.”

At that, Amity’s ear twitched.

Ah yes, why would Luz be sweet without any corresponding motive? Amity should have learned by now that everything is motivated by something. Her heart was filled with dread as she already thought quickly about how Luz must have tricked her earlier, that annoying ( amazing) hand of hers running through her locks and stuck on her back; how come she did not notice earlier? Her lips formed a thin line as a grimace took over her face when Gus reached over to pluck what Amity felt was a thin piece of paper, indeed on her back.

Dear God, had she been walking all this time with that?

Gus read it silently, with brows furrowed, and Willow sneaked in a look as soon as he settled back down in the seat. She pushed the glasses back on the brink of her nose before she quirked a brow and snorted, much to Amity’s chagrin; hopefully she would not choke on her food even though Amity really wanted her to. It must have been really bad if it elicited a laughter from her, after all. She cursed under her breath, eyes narrowing dangerously into slits as she looked back just in time to see Luz grinning at her from ear-to-ear. She definitely saw the exchange and that was why she was standing way over there where Amity could not reach her.

That sly, dumb-

“What did she say?” She stared daggers at Luz who returned a smug gaze. Behind her, the two grew silent, but even then, Amity did not break their staring contest.

“ Gus, what did Luz write on it?”

He gulped and stuttered out incoherent words before Willow audibly sighed and Amity assumed that the girl snatched the paper from Gus because she heard a yelp before it was read aloud.

“Do you have a band aid? Cause I scraped my knee falling for you. Also, if you turn back to look at me, that means you love this line.”

That little-

Her pale skin would not have been able to hide the blush that crept on her cheeks. Also, judging from how Luz was trying not to laugh, the color of Amity’s face was certainly visible from where the girl stood.

What a terribly lame but slick move. It was so Luz.

Unfortunately, Amity left her sticky notes in her locker, and going for it now would feel more of a loss-especially with that annoying grin plastered on Luz’s lips, which spoke of a triumphant victory this round. She wished, Amity thought before she broke off the staring contest and turned back to the two who were watching. If there was anything she hated the most, it was losing. Amity was going to get her back, double in amount.

“Gus, give me a card.”

She thrusted her hand out, tone leaving no room for arguments. She did not really know if Gus did have notecards with him, but best she tried her luck. He was a brilliant student and Amity recalled Luz saying that he always had something essential with him for class, much like Amity does most of the time and she assumed that he had blank paper for emergency purposes. Her demand was fortunately met as the boy nodded vigorously, quickly taking out unused, blank cards from his hoodie pocket and handed it to her.

The action made Amity feel as if she just took someone’s lunch money instead of paper cards.

Either way, she snatched them without hesitation and swiftly uncapped the pen that was previously clipped on the neckline of her dress. A shadow fell over her face as she wrote a hasty reply, resisting the urge to just walk up to her person and kneeing her in the groin. Instead, she poured it out through writing, and formulated the accompanying actions as soon as Luz would be approaching the table in a few minutes, give or take.

You better prepare your kneecaps, dumbass Noceda.

Luz deliberately took her time, leisurely walking towards them with a tray of food Amity deduced to be more than it was worth. She was also correct with the speculation that they would be sharing food. The problem was that her patience was wearing thin and being hungry was not helping at all; Willow and Gus were already finished with their meals and were only waiting to greet Luz as soon as she arrived at the table. They were probably going to leave immediately afterwards because Amity was certain that they sensed the malicious aura she emitted while she wrote down the next message for her lovely girlfriend.

“Hey, hermosa, ” Luz greeted cheerfully, giving Amity a peck on the cheek when she set the tray down in front of her. If Luz thought that her magical kisses were going to defuse the situation, she was dead wrong. When she sat down and made herself comfortable, tension rose between them when Amity left her unanswered. In the corner of her eye, she could see the two observers nudging each other silently like a signal to leave, and Amity would have been grateful for that, if she was not consumed by rage that made her prefer more people present to witness what she was about to do.

She watched as Luz glanced at the notecard face down under her pale hand, the grin slowly falling away from her face. Amity stared at her hard, golden eyes, almost boring holes in the other girl’s head, and the latter tried to ignore it by picking up a piece of chicken fingers and presenting it to the heiress’ lips, only to receive a deadpan expression in return.

“C’mon, princesa, don’t be mad about that, I was kidding!” Luz squeaked, evidently nervous as she tried to poke the chicken fingers to Amity’s lips. Sadly (for her that is), the heiress had other plans as she just smiled back, sickeningly sweet.

Others would have deciphered it as a lovesick grin, but Amity knew that her person was aware of the dangerous glint in her amber eyes. They have known each other for years, exchanging murderous gazes and nose-breaking punches, bloody bites, and secret nights; from there, she learned that were was still some kind of softness in Luz’s hands and concern laced in her demeanor when she wrapped the bandages around Amity’s arms. She saw firsthand that Luz was caring and forgiving, doing her utmost best even if she was not required to.

It made her wonder if Luz figured out that the reason why she could not breathe was because of her. Still, even if Amity remembered all of those traits, there were fewer instances where she herself showed initiative in presenting the same.

Which was why she was going to do it now, even if it was late into the near end of the sixth month.

She hummed lowly and bit into the finger food, taking in the utter relief that appeared on Luz’s face as she must have thought that the situation had been placated. Amity took in a few more, holding out against biting Luz’s fingers off. She chewed slowly, eyes never leaving her person’s; her concentration must have been superb because she stopped paying attention to their spectators.

  As soon as she noticed the other greasy food on the plate, Amity shivered, noting that she had enough of it, so she raised a hand to cup Luz’s cheeks firmly.

It was time to put the plan into action.

Compared to the person she was dating, Amity’s hands were smaller, which was a disadvantage whenever she would try to squish Luz’s face. Heck, if she were being honest, the only thing Luz was afraid of was when Amity chose to claw her face with the rugged, black nails she had-perfectly imperfect since she needed her hands to do stuff that got in the way of pedicures. She rubbed her index finger against the rich brown skin of an unsuspecting Luz, who froze at the action. Amity felt her stiffen under her hold, with a guarded expression appearing on her face and trying to slowly slip away, but the shorter girl dug her nails firmly into sculptured cheeks, making Luz wince.

Did you just compliment her?

I think we’ve been doing that unconsciously.

But never once, did Amity compliment her verbally, without any jabs mixed into it.

Luz’s hand paused mid-air, fingers wrapped around another piece of chicken which irked the top student. Being a former jock made her retain a lot of its routines: a healthy diet, her physique, and the avoidance of too much greasy food. Although now that she mentioned it, Luz must have exercised like crazy after all the things the two have eaten in the past few months in order to stay the way she was.

The cacophony of deafening student chatters around the cafeteria grew quiet as she tuned them out and calmed the beating of her heart. The mint-haired girl was mildly aware that Willow and Gus were still checking to see where this was going, holding the same curiosity in their eyes like Luz had as she focused on her. Her brows were knitted, accompanied with lips jutted out into a pout, like a puppy who had just been scolded by its owner. Slowly, Amity lifted her arm and snaked her hand around Luz’s, with her pale and smaller hand hovering over the other girl’s larger ones. Luz peered at the action, before locking gazes with Amity once more, the latter biting her lower lip and trying her best not to quiver and back out of the idea she had earlier.

Luz sat still as Amity left lingering touches on her hand before she grabbed the finger food, never breaking eye contact as she unhurriedly pushed the chicken back towards Luz’s lips, the latter’s brows rising higher as she did so. In her mind, Amity practiced her lines over and over, the paper in her other hand feeling softer when she wrapped her clammy fingers around it.

Ugh, why does my hand have to be damp whenever I get nervous?

She cursed inwardly, slightly put off by the tremors going through her body at how oddly out of character her actions were in the present, but she would do anything to get pay back so she held it in, along with the cringe in her next statement. Amity brought her face closer to Luz, giving everyone else around them the expectation that she was about to make out with her. But in hindsight, she would not be doing that, especially not after she just finished eating chicken skin.

Luz’s breath hitched and Amity could feel the hot air on her lips, taking note of the fruity scent of watermelons.

How expected of her, Amity snorted.

When she deemed the proximity close enough, she opened her mouth, a teasing lilt leaking out of her sultry voice.

“I think it’s your turn to eat, my light. ”

A bubbly feeling leaped up from her stomach to her chest at the sight of Luz’s mouth falling agape and Amity wasted no moment in shoving the food inside the girl’s mouth, using the back of her hand to push below her jaw to clamp it shut. Her person almost spit out the food but thought against it when Amity gave her another mischievous grin which was enough of a warning that if Luz had done that, the former had back-up plans under her sleeves, ready to be executed.

Luz’s voice was muffled when she tried to ask a question, only to stop when Amity threateningly pushed another piece of chicken in her mouth. Luz shot her a dirty look, quickly turning remorseful as Amity assumed that she finally thought of her unreasonable and lame move just before.

Ha, serves you right!

Amity’s plan was simple. Embarrass Luz as much as she could and take the initiative to make her a flustered and stuttering mess. If, for the years that have passed, Amity ended up being tomato red because of the many times Luz pranked her, she might as well return the favor.

While still in quiet shock, Luz began to chew the greasy piece of chicken, making Amity’s smile grow wider. She traced the rough edge of her person’s jawline, muttering a ‘good girl’ under her breath which only encouraged brown skin to warm up and turn red. From the looks of it, the slight shine in Luz’s eyes told Amity that she must have liked the new pet name she formulated, just days before she would not be able to use it.

Honestly, Amity only figured out that nickname after she wrote down the fiery reply to Luz’s lame but fitting note. She owed it to her though, for expanding her knowledge in Spanish and also to Google who had always been there to translate the things she was unable to understand. At the very least, she was able to remember the words spoken to her, although they were misspelled whenever she typed them down.

A rough translation was good enough anyway.

“Are they fighting or flirting?”

Her ears perked up at the fear and confusion present in Gus’ voice as he failed to keep his whispering to himself. She found Willow facepalming and shaking her head when she glanced at them, as if the older teen were tired of explaining everything to the supposedly brilliant student. The banter made the mint-haired girl beam in amusement and left the question unanswered as she paid attention to Luz, whose face was squished between her fingers.

She was eyeing Amity, expecting something coming up and Amity grinned back at her cheekily.

After all, it was not every day that she was able to surprise her person.

She lifted the note just as Luz opened her mouth to speak and then pressed it on the taller girl’s lips.

“There’s your kiss.”

The reply was not directed to anyone. Some might have been eavesdropping, the others may have been watching, by now, Amity was used to it. The only thing that mattered was how those deep, chocolate brown eyes looked as if they were about to fall out of their sockets with how deeply unsettled she was at the change of character from her girlfriend. They were so wide that Amity thought Luz’s brows were about to skyrocket and the image sent her into a fit of giggles.

Oh, you like being on your knees for me, don’t you, my light?

;)

She patted Luz’s cheeks twice and batted her eyelashes, continuing the flirtatious streak she had from her high since that morning, before she got up, already satisfied with how lunch went despite not eating a lot. Amity was used to it after all. She smoothed out the wrinkles of her dress and tapped her flats against the floor, whipping her hair back in some sort of quiet victory.

Luz would be too concentrated on the note in place of being able to quickly shoot out a retort once she laid her eyes on Amity’s well thought-out words. It was not on purpose however, that she added a few remarks and actions here and there to make sure that Luz would short-circuit.

Okay, maybe it was on purpose.

With that, she left the three in disbelief as she walked out of the cafeteria, her head held high as she hummed a love song on her lips. She did it. Amity cannot believe that she actually plucked up the courage to say something so aggravatingly suggesting in front of a public audience. Okay, not entirely public, because Luz was the only one who read it (she hoped), but still, she somehow regretted not staying long enough to see her person’s face morph into something different from her usually chill expression.

Like, Amity even drew a wink to further her goal!

The more she contemplated the event, the lesser her doubt was that if she had done that without something motivating her, she would have passed out.

That was the only conclusion she could come up with.

Amity glanced at the wall clock as she passed by the rusty lockers near the gymnasium, joining the flurry of students who were trying to get wherever they were going, until Amity stopped dead in her tracks in the middle of the crowd, only to find that she had at least thirty minutes to spare before the bell would ring until she was due for next period. She shuffled forward without any concrete place in mind, just to satisfy the thought of leisurely walking around campus and continuing her mental celebration of not stuttering out her words or turning red as she often had in front of the girl who was always amused at the reactions she got from teasing the heiress.

Not today Luz! Amity cheered, Not today!

She was unquestionably her best self after feeling like garbage during the weekend.

It was a feat, especially when it was something Amity struggled with, even though she really preferred to do what her brain encouraged her to do, with silent screams that go, you can’t be like this! Everyone fears you and is in awe of you! Bring her to her knees! The insistent comments gave Amity a surge of impulsive faith that whatever she wrote down in a fit of embarrassed rage, was excellent enough. It was a biased opinion as she did have experience in cramming tests before and still got above average scores, which was probably what spurred her brain to become highly conscious of her hardships at being smooth.

How she could hold a conversation with herself, who had different opinions, was unfathomable.

Years of secluded studying and having no one to talk to made Amity stiff in front of people, with words either hurting, awkward and gritty, or just plain misinterpreted. Surely, she got her point across and straightforwardly this time, because if Luz were someone else, Amity would have given up her yearning a long time ago.

If the person was denser than Luz.

Amity blinked. When they were fourteen, Luz was definitely the densest ball of sunshine she has ever seen. It was more restrained now, but the girl still held the remnants of her past traits, slipping through a lot of actions in a more aggressive way. It made Amity lightheaded, to have seen the dormant softness of her rival turned friend turned fake girlfriend during the their relationship.

The more she lost herself in her thoughts, the lesser she paid attention to where her feet were headed. It was only when she nearly bumped into someone twice her height that she stopped in her tracks and found herself standing in the hallways, right in front of her next class.

Without her noticing, Amity had circled the school campus and weaved through the crowded halls in record time.

I guess my body remembers the schedule.

She sighed, now coming down from her high. Exhaustion clung to every limb, and as quickly as her emotions were in order at the beginning of lunch period, they were now all over the place.

Luz was annoying like that-she had this crazy power that made Amity’s mind go haywire, which led her to think that she was prepared to seize the day only to be toppled down by an unexpected hindrance that originated from only one person.

The top student entered the class and stared at the front seats, devoid of any other students. It was not a weird thing to see, the other teens were always usually quiet around her, which she was thankful for. Amity was not sure she wanted to feel irritated by white noise as of the moment, but still, she stalked towards the chair in the middle, which by now, should have had a label with her name on it because people left it alone, and sat down.

The chair was a bit higher for her small frame as she tried to lean back only for her feet to leave the ground. She grunted and cursed her genes for not inheriting her father’s height as she moved her arms around to get comfortable and adjusted.

We’ve been in school before, why does today feel different? She groaned.

When the bell rang, everyone abruptly stopped their conversations and settled into their seats.  Amity sighed, her fingers impatiently tapping against the tiled desk in a rhythmic manner as she waited for the room to fill up, with students occupying all the chairs. Just in the nick of time, Skara and Boscha entered the class, which made her raise a brow at how early they were considering the fact that they were always fifteen minutes later than the teacher because, as quoted from Boscha’s slightly snarky remark about how being fashionably late means everyone’s eyes are on you.

Why she wanted something like that never interested Amity so she never really cared to know the reason why.

The two sat on both of her sides, with Skara waving and shooting her a smile which she returned with reservations. Boscha however, only rolled her eyes at her when Amity flipped her off for no reason other than she just felt like it. At the very least, the good thing that came out of this class was that it would get Luz off her mind.

What can I say, a good way to deal with stress is to stress about something else.

You know, I’ll probably never really know how we lived this long with that mindset.

  Technically, none of those two were ever stressful before until today, but right, let’s not do that at all.

Amid her internal banter, the entrance of a tall woman holding an opened textbook in her hands quieted the remaining mutters of Amity’s peers. She looked up just as the teacher reached the table in the front and clapped her hands loudly to make sure everyone’s attention was on her. She scanned the classroom with piercing blue eyes and Amity swore it lingered just a bit longer when it passed over her, before the older woman shot a glance at the textbook and spoke with a rough voice.

“Today we’ll be learning about the concept between the public sphere and private spheres in accordance with the book I had you read last week. I hope all of you will follow me through the research dialogues I have collected for this very purpose.”

She heard a few groans that included both her friends echo around the room, though it did not deter the professor in the slightest. It seemed like it actually brought a smirk to her face as she turned away to draw a diagram on the board.

While she had more than decent grades, Amity was still relieved that she read in advance. It lessened her anxiety at not knowing things. It was at this moment that Amity usually brought out her things and strained her ears to listen intensely to lectures about the real world which had some practical uses even though she already knew them like the back of her hand. It did not hurt to hear some insights from other people, since it widened Amity’s perspective on things.

Don’t you just wished they would discuss their love lives, huh?

Like a habit, she unclipped the pen she brought with her, other hand reaching over to her side to bring out a notebook from a pile of books she brought from her locker. But she stopped short when she grasped on nothing but air, before she recalled that she did not bring anything with her.

Hold on.

“Shit.”

She had been too occupied with setting things into motion and leaving the cafeteria in the coolest way possible that she forgot her filler notebooks (with doodles of pickup lines around Luz’s face) in her person’s bag.

Never mind her confident streak and triumphant actions, this was not her day.

It was wrong of her to be stupidly confident about getting the upper hand and she knew it as soon as she purposefully turned her head to the door, where the small window showed a flash of purple before Luz appeared and pressed her goofy but attractive face on the glass. She grinned widely, waving the strap of her bag in her hand. Amity assumed the girl outside rummaged through it, suddenly taking out a purple note and taping it to the glass, with the message facing inwards.

Forget being slick and chic, just kill me now.

Unfortunately, her wish was left unheard because the teacher, who evidently loved the sound of her students’ tortured groans, noticed the girl outside the door. She paused in writing, with a perfectly formed brow raised, the display also drawing the attention of the other students. Instead of ignoring the stupid note like she did her students’ pleas, she crushed Amity’s hopes as she walked towards the door and leaned forward with squinted eyes, obviously reading whatever Luz wrote.

After a tensed silence, she chortled and turned to the teen in the front row. Every pair of eyes followed and landed on her, which made her eyebrow twitch. Amity sank lower in her seat, slightly miffed at the attention and temporarily regretting how Luz announced to the whole school that they were dating because now she was paying the price for a decision she did not even directly made.

This teacher was notorious for embarrassing students who thought they were strangers to her, and Amity had a precise prediction that she had won her attention for today. It was as if the wrinkles on her teacher’s face disappeared when she grinned and swiftly headed back to the table.

“Ms. Blight,” She coughed out and if possible, Amity just wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

“Ms. Noceda had a message for you.”

Amity grimaced and buried her face in the palm of her hands, resisting the urge to groan loudly. Her ears turned bright red when the professor continued to stare at her hard, voice laced with ridicule as she repeated the words Amity wished she had read in private.

Princesa, you do know that forgetting your bag after

leaving me yearning for more

is just lame right?

The implication of that statement was unbearably obvious as it was purposefully worded in that way. She could imagine Luz snickering just outside her classroom door, proud of the fact that she just ruined whatever innocent belief everyone still held about Amity (she doubted they still had some left anyway). Still, her jaw dropped, and she was flabbergasted at the audacity of how Luz would just plainly let everyone know something that did not even happen during lunch period.

Boscha mimicked puking noises while Skara stifled her laughter with the other students, only fanning the flames as Amity’s face erupted into a bright, red flush.

“Ms. Blight, please tell your girlfriend that there is a time and place for everything. We really don’t need to know your…private life. Especially on school grounds.”

That’s it, she was going to commit murder.

I’m going to burn her alive. Amity promised to herself solemnly.

The senior received a look akin to contempt as if the professor thought she was the source of that scandalous reply. She squeaked out a weak response along the lines of yes ma’am, in return and committed the reaction of her teacher to memory.

So much for staying on her teacher’s good side.

After that unsightly event, the teacher nodded in acknowledgement and began her lecture, continuously receiving collective sighs and scoffs from the students. Amity grimaced and focused down on the pen she spun between her fingers while Boscha laid her head down on the table, designating this period to be nap time.

How undignified, her mind let out wryly.

Shut up, Amity retorted, I shouldn’t have listened to you.

As if she were trying to salvage what little was left of her predicament, Amity raised her head and glared menacingly at the door, knowing that Luz left quickly after the stunt she pulled. She was in for a beating, that was for sure; it has been a long time since they left stinging bruises on each other’s skins so Amity was sure Luz would not mind having them again.

She placed a hand on Skara’s shoulder, which jolted the girl from taking notes. Her friend swallowed nervously and let out a small “ Eep! Yes?” while her hands fiddled with the edge of the notebook she brought out. Amity tightened her hold when she was reminded of her things being in Luz’s possession. A shadow came over her face as she muttered lowly, conscious of the shiver that must have run down Skara’s back as her face morphed into a nervous expression.

“Skara, give me some paper.”

Hey, dumbass, are you a newspaper?

Because you bring me a new issue every day.

_

Are you lightning?

Cos you’re ma queen! KACHOW!

What the fuck is that?

I’ll do you one better:

Mom said I should take out the trash.

Is 7 p.m. good for you?

:( Ames, you meanie.

But on a serious note, are we going

to a delicious place?

Would you still go if I said

I’m the main course?

Amity gave the latest note to her person during a shared period in gym class. Her hands trembled as she did so, with cheeks threatening to combust any moment from how terrified she was as she ruminated on the possible reactions she would get from the other girl.

She just wanted a successful attempt to make Luz flustered right in front of her.

Right, right, try not to squeak out your response when you talk to her.

It did not help that Luz found her when she was in the middle of crossing through the court, passing by the volleyball net, and when their eyes met, Amity’s heart was a wreck; pounding loudly against her chest until suddenly, breathing became harder.

Luz sat on the bleachers, with hair disheveled and sweat glistening on her skin. Her class had just finished with their playful match against Amity’s, which she sat out right after they placed Luz in on the other team.

“You’ll get distracted,” her professor said. “This is a friendly match, but I still want us to win, Ms. Blight.” He continued.

Amity rolled her eyes at that, knowing Luz well enough that they would play fair because both of them hated losing. If anything, the match would be decided by those two, based on the fact that that was what happened every year when they were up against each other.

The thing is, it’s different now.

As she stood face-to-face with her person, she noticed more things that she really should not have if she wanted to keep what was left of her sanity. Luz heaved and tugged at her shirt, flapping it back and forth to fan herself. There was a half-empty water bottle in her free hand and Luz sighed in relief, mumbling about how thankful she was that the period was almost over. As Amity scanned her person, she begrudgingly agreed with the teacher’s decision earlier to bench her, or else she really was going to be distracted by Luz’s ehem, really good anatomy.

Anatomy, her mind snickered.

Shut up, you.

“Got something for me, Blight?” Luz breathed out, her brows raised playfully. Her voice was airy and somehow higher than it normally was, thus sending a shiver down Amity’s spine.

The former jock wanted to scold her for sitting down just when she finished a sports event because when she was a player, they were not allowed to do that. But her brain short-circuited as she opened her mouth, only to forget everything she planned on saying. She pondered for a few seconds, regarding the execution of a cheesy action here or a sweet, wiping her sweat off there.

Is that sarcasm?

Of course it is, Amity scoffed. Why would I do something she could do on her own? Just thinking about it makes me sick.

Since her pride would not allow her to lose face, she composed herself and put out her hand, a folded pink note in its grasp. Hopefully, her slight trembling would go unnoticed. Luz let out a sweet laugh, making Amity purse her lips to keep herself from being infected by the sugary grin that appeared on her person’s face.

“I guess you do. Cat got your tongue, mi amor? ”

“No, but I’m sure it’ll catch yours after you read my amazing response.” Amity managed to not stutter out the words, which she mentally fist bumped to.

Luz hummed in reply and took the note, though not without pulling Amity by her wrist first, making her sway until she stumbled forward, where Luz left a sweaty kiss on her palm.

“You’re insufferable,” Amity sputtered and hid her hands behind her back. She had the urge to wipe the hand made victim on the side of her shorts as she was slightly rattled by the unexpected affectionate display. Amity continued to complain quietly, hoping that Luz would not catch on at the incoherent words mixed in. She drew in a sharp breath when Luz left her unanswered in order to open the folded note, coupling it with popping the water bottle open to take a sip.

That’s not good, Amity thought.

She stepped back just in time for Luz to cough out violently, probably finished reading the flirtatious remark Amity left her. She spat out the water as Amity hesitantly reached out to give her a pat on the back for comfort, though she could not help but allow a grin to overtake her lips because of the surprise Luz’s reaction brought about and she wondered if she should have felt guilty about how she was trying not to laugh while Luz tried to breathe.

           For sure, Amity preferred not to be immersed in water mixed with Luz’s saliva.

So maybe Luz was flustered, or maybe it was because of the hot air in the gym, or maybe because of the water she choked on.

Either way, Amity was taking it for her win.

_

The note war went on for three days. They bickered back and forth, slipping notes in each other’s pockets, bags or hair , trying to one up the other on random pickup lines mixed with playful insults.

Luz had the brilliant idea to copy from her and coupled the sticky notes with the cheesiest actions yet, which were vastly different from the actual message in writing. Her touches were firm and confident, tentative at the beginning and gentle at the end, just enough to make Amity comfortable. She peppered the pale girl’s faces with random kisses before hugging her waist and letting her hand rest around it during their free period. Even if Amity pulled away (which she did not), Luz would loop her arm around her again and again.

There were times that she stuck the notes to random places and Amity learned to brush her hands wherever Luz’s fluttering touches would be to check there was another stupid note on her body. Sometimes they gave out pickup lines that were too cheesy, but there were also those notes that were probably sweet, but they had no idea what it meant which ended up becoming futile.

Of course, having no context about stuff one liked was difficult to reply to when the other person did not know the references.

Are you a Minecraft fence?

Because I can’t get over you ;)

<3 your light

                                                                                                                                                                                                 I don’t even play Minecraft, you dolt.                                                                                                       But do call me a hydraulic press,

because I’m crushing on you.

Ames, that is too complicated for my brain, we can’t understand

each other. This isn’t working. :’<

           After that, they had a silent agreement that they would use the ones they both knew the meaning of and would easily allow them to reply to each other without conducting research or having evident confusion in their writing.

Frankly, Amity was not looking to embarrass herself by replying to something and pretending she understood it, only to have failed in that little venture by saying something wrong and super unrelated.

You know, whenever I go to your manor,

I always think that I’m in a museum.

Because you really are a work of art.

Har har, you literally don’t go anywhere

Other than my room.

That reminds me, do you know how to use

Excel? Because I’m pretty sure you want to

spreadsheets with me.

Wow, Ames…

Your pickup line is like, on a

Different level than mine.

Did you somehow get some help

With that?

Amity wanted to thank Google for those pickup lines.

She gave herself a pat on the back for witnessing Luz’s cheeks turn rosy after that last one. Amity was somewhat worried about coming off strongly or if it was considered appropriate for this banter, which Luz assured her that it was, relieving her of the sentiments she previously held.

Amity returned the physical affections that Luz started with much more vigor, kissing her person on places other than her cheeks and wrapping her arms around her leaner waist. The girl was sometimes half aware that she slipped her hand under Luz’s cotton shirt, tracing circles on the roughness of her back, which either elicited an involuntary giggle or a yelp from her person. In the end, Luz would bury her face in the wild, soft green of her hair, then run her hand through it. It made Amity forget that she originally restrained herself from doing that in public because people would get the wrong idea.

Though one thing was for sure-

It was fun.

           She enjoyed it so much that it slipped her mind how they had limited time left in their fake relationship.

           She wished she did not remember though.

It was when she laid in bed, awake on a Wednesday night, staring blankly at her room’s ceiling when her phone vibrated to tell her that Luz sent her something either really important or stupid.

Or a serious but dumb question, Amity would not put it past her.

She turned to her side and reached for the phone on the nightstand. She rubbed her eye to get it adjusted in the dark before she turned the screen on, only to squint and groan at the sudden flash that greeted her.

Jerky Noceda: Hey, Ames. What are you going to do after this month is over? 12:53 a.m.

           That put her to a standstill.

           From witty remarks and pleasant jests, she was instantly put to a stop just because of a simple question that she avoided throughout the week. It was true that hope blossomed in her heart at the prospect of Luz making the first move; even so, it did not ease the frustration that was threatening to tip over as everything promptly came crashing down on Amity like a bucket of cold water.

           She rose from her bed and peered out the window.

           There were two things she could do: Answer that question or continually distract herself and Luz, by going through with the note war. Or, The voice in her head began, You could just come clean and tell her you don’t know.

           If she went with the first choice, there was nothing else to say other than I don’t know. She had been so used to Luz’s presence that it irked her how it could disappear from her life without a trace; as if everything they went through can just be thrown down the drain that easily.

Before Luz, she had her whole life planned out. It revolved around herself, maybe with a few instances where her siblings were involved, but other than that, there was nothing else but to grow up, succeed through university, trudge around the business industry and succeed because of her hard work and then retire into a comfortable house for herself.

Luz thwarted everything on that checklist.

           The time she was not in the picture, the heiress had it all figured out. If it were the Amity that did not get close to that delinquent who took her studies seriously, she would have laughed and called her present self brainless for letting one person change her whole life plan.

That isn’t the case.

           She yearned to include Luz in every situation she was going to go through in the future.

           Go to her dream university but hoping it was close to where Luz wanted to be, support her person in whatever venture she preferred to ride on, meet up for lunch or pick each other up to go back to a shared space they could call their own.

Maybe that roommate she mentioned before was Luz all along.

           Amity did not want a high school sweetheart-she wanted a partner that would go through thick and thin, who would face her parents with her and become a home that she could go to as she becomes the same for the other person. Her life may not be anchored on Luz that she would give up everything that she worked hard for, but Amity was certain she would risk every decision she could make as long as she saw Luz just beside her, with her usual laid-back smile, and eyes that held the sun in its midst.

           If she chose the alternative action, then they could play the game until the last day and part ways on a simulated peace. If that happened, Amity was capable enough to create an explanation that things did not work out and they decided to stay friends; Luz might agree with those terms. Her parents did not need to know, and they could act just like how they did before, with the exemptions of the physical affections that she had gotten used to.

She could still keep Luz in her life.

But you’d have to watch her fall in love with someone else.

           Amity recalled the fake photos from before and how torn apart her heart was. She remembered quivering and muffling her cries because it was unbearable to ponder on the possibility that Luz could have anyone she wanted: people who were better and much more understanding, the ones who were actually more deserving than Amity Blight.

She considered that.

           As of the moment, it seemed to be the best course of action where she could still share in Luz’s space as a friend, then partake in the happiness that her fake ex-girlfriend would gain after their separation.

Then maybe Amity could learn to take her heart back from the unsuspecting girl and mend herself quietly in the background.

With that in mind, she stood up from her bed and tossed her hair back. It was not as if she had an ounce of sleep this month anyway and though that was unhealthy, she would have forced herself to close her eyes only if she did not dream of fleeting kisses and prolonged touches that gnawed at her heart.

Amity searched for the outline of the desk in the dark, her arms extended to guide her around the spacious room. Truthfully, she had no more pickup lines left. She ran out yesterday and relied on the internet for ones she could use, but majority of them were already words that Luz already knew; cliché and worn-out lines that did not actually get a girl’s heart racing.

Plus, how many of the notes were genuine?

Sure, some of them made Amity smile and Luz flustered, it was just…she was unable to convey her feelings properly.

She asserted flirtatious remarks that were far from what she preferred to say. It was out of her comfort zone-something she did not do often until she imagined the likelihood that Luz’s heart might have skipped a beat at her attempts.

An indication that Luz saw her as the partner to be with.

           Amity rummaged around the room, cursing under her breath when her hand grasped nothing but an empty pen holder. She must have forgotten some of the colored pens in her bag somewhere. She huffed and stood there in the middle, bare foot tapping against the carpeted floor.

What to do in a sleep-deprived state, where she had no pen or paper to write on?

           Her brows slanted in concentration as she murmured schemes that were almost immediately discarded when she deemed them incomplete.

Until an idea came to mind and her eyes fluttered open.

           “Ah, the things I do…” She mumbled to herself before turning on her heels. She opened the closet and pulled out the closest bomber jacket her person owned. Afterwards, she grabbed the keys from the hanger and tiptoed down the hallways, swerving left and right towards the backdoor that led to the garage.

           The night was still young, anyway.

_

           She was nervous.

           Amity shivered as the cold air hit her. She pulled Luz’s jacket around the small of her back as she breathed shakily, taking in the scent of wet grass and pinecones. She shifted from one foot to the other, contemplating whether she should go through with the idea in her head or to turn around and leave.

           You’ve come this far. It would be a waste of gas if you turned back now.

           Amity could care less about gas since her parents could buy the whole station if they wanted to, but she lied to herself and hoped it was convincing enough anyway.

           Any more of standing around outside and she would freeze, prone to be delicious food for the creatures that lived in the forest behind the Noceda household. It has been an hour since Luz sent her that message and Amity speculated that the two residents were already asleep. She raised her phone and tapped away her reply, nervously shuffling around as she did so, reasoning out that it kept her warm.

I’m outside, please open the door. 1:53 a.m.

           The first few minutes made Amity doubt that Luz was awake, and she would rather walk back to the car and speed off than call her person because of the risk of embarrassment slipping into her voice. She busied herself by staring at the oak door in front of her, maybe it was going to magically open with her fingerprint or something.

Then something that should have been really noticeable caught her eye.

Her attention was quickly drawn to the top of the door, which made her tilt her head in confusion. Was that there before? She regarded it wearily, recalling that it must have, but since Luz dragged her inside briskly, she had less time to take in her surroundings and had overlooked it.

A little bit above her head, was an embedded, wooden owl. It was made from pale wood, the design simple but jarring. It was an owl head, but it was shaped roundly, with carved lines on the edges of the circle. Its lifeless, beady eyes stared back at Amity, the beak protruded into a somewhat faint smile that felt mocking in some way.

It was disturbing.

           Unfortunately, Amity did not bring a lighter and the only thing she was able to do was talk to Luz about the weird contraption that did not look like a doorbell and more like a nightmare. There was no need to ponder whose idea it was to place a creepy owl on the front door, but it did make Amity think twice about staying here any longer.

           Just as she was about to retreat to the car because of how unbearable the cold was getting, she saw the light on the second floor turn on, signaling that someone had woken up. All of a sudden, Amity’s heart raced. Her lips quivered when she took in a breath, highly aware of how her fingers shook and how her knees were buckling up from the chaotic, internal war she was having with herself.

I was so sure about this earlier, now I want to bolt.

No, channel your inner mother! A Blight doesn’t run away from feelings!

           Then Amity might as well get herself disowned right then and there. But before she could make a decision, her ears perked up at the sound of a lock being opened, speedily diminishing her chances of escaping the plight of facing her fake girlfriend slash also crush.

Screw it.

           She had a rundown of everything she was going to say, practicing the words in her head until the door swung open, revealing her person. Luz stood before her, brown hair tousled, locks tangled into an attractive mess. Amity found that she became numb to the frigid night air the more she studied her partner.

           The taller girl slouched, rubbing her eye as the other one squinted at Amity. Her grey, muscle tee was rumpled, an indication that she got out of bed not long ago. She caught a glimpse of purple underneath the oversized tee, making her wonder how Luz could withstand the cold with those clothes on, but if she dared ask, she might as well get teased by her own curiosity. She stayed silent when Luz yawned and stretched, before finally focusing on the petite girl on the doorstep.

“…Mind telling me what you’re doing here so early, princesa? ”

           Her voice was gruff, but there were no signs that she was annoyed with Amity. But before the girl replied, Luz tried to lean on the side, almost slipping if Amity was not triggered to move forward and catch her before she tumbled into the bush. She grunted at the weight as Luz slumped against her, taking advantage of the situation.

This idiot.

           Luz groaned into her neck and Amity would have dropped her in lieu of keeping the jacket around her shoulders (Laundry was a bit more difficult than her person) but she thought against it. She could reserve causing trouble another day. The houseowner struggled to stand on wobbly legs, still slightly disoriented because of the time but that only drove Amity more into the edge. All the heiress could do was chew her lower lip nervously when Luz blinked away the sleep from her eyes to become more sober.

           See, if someone drove all the way to the other side of town to see the person they like a lot, one would expect them to have a grand confession, with giddy words on the tips of their tongues, coupled with the romantic atmosphere brought by the night setting which would typically end in a making up (out). It was the build-up people prayed for in fictional stories (Amity would know, she read a lot), and if Amity was brave enough, she might have done that.

Minus the last part.

But since she was afraid of the consequences of her actions, she digressed.

“Do you have a pen and paper?”

           If someone asked Amity that after she had just woken up, she would have mauled them alive. The disbelief obvious in Luz’s features was understandable; Amity bet it was even the accurate reaction anyone could muster when asked the same thing.

“You came to my house at two in the morning…for that?”

There were only a few times where Luz called her crazy; during the times she secretly wanted to commit destructive arson and destruction of private property, during the time she speculated that Azura was not going to be the one saving the world because it was going to be Hecate, and when she raised the idea of fake dating together.

           Well, she did not really call Amity crazy, but the tone was enough to convince her that Luz thought of it this time around.

           Luz searched her for some kind of lie, but then again, what kind of person would go this far in order to prank someone? Amity was sleep-deprived, stressed and had a big crush on a dumbass. She had no time to commit pranks.

           Amity gazed back at her confidently. She had nothing to hide other than her feelings. Currently, she was torn between wanting Luz to be as dense as she was when they were in their early teens, while the other half of her was also cheering on the possibility that the girl would catch on. It went like that for a few more seconds, before Luz broke eye contact, scanning the affluent teenager from head to toe. It was then that Amity realized that she was faintly shivering from standing there too long, the cold most likely already turning her nose red.

           Luz must have seen it because she broke into a grin and reached out to poke Amity’s nose, making her flinch at the frosty touch. When she was about to recoil, Luz stepped forward and grabbed the edge of her jacket, pulling her forward. Amity squeaked, her smaller hands wrapping around Luz’s wrists to stop the ticklish touches. The midnight guest’s breath hitched under the scrutinizing gaze, chocolate brown eyes boring deep into Amity’s golden ones. She really did not mind getting lost in those pupils; there was just something there that she could envision-something secretive, as if she held undisclosed information as valuable as that of the stars above and- when did I become so sappy?

She must have made a face that elicited a chuckle from her person, the coldness of the night allowing a small cloud to form when she let out that heart-clenching laughter. Slowly, Luz traced the rough edges of her- their jacket, the fleeting touches reaching the hem where she grabbed it gingerly, her face pensive but tender. She zipped up the jacket before she laced her fingers in Amity’s, tugging her onwards.

           “Come inside, I’ll get you the pen and paper.”

           The next thing Amity knew, she was in Luz’s room, the promised items in her hand. The jacket was discarded in exchange for a thick blanket that her person gave her. Luz was sprawled across the disarranged bedsheets, where trying not to doze off had become taxing. Amity chuckled at the scene, a soft smile finding its way to her face.

           Originally, she came here to write simple words on paper, something she could have done back at the manor to be presented to Luz the following day; but as she inched closer and crouched just in front of the other girl, watching as Luz kept herself awake (and failed), another idea came to mind. Amity observed the peaceful expression on Luz’s face and snickered when she started to drool. Her hair fell over her face which seemed to annoy her as an eyebrow twitched under the uneven bangs. Amity reached out to brush the strands away from her girlfriend’s sleeping face.

           She uncapped the ballpoint pen and hovered over the teen, trying to make the littlest noises possible. Amity stuck out her tongue in concentration as she wrote on Luz’s cheek, her touch feathery light. When she was done, she withdrew and stared at her handiwork, taking pride in it as the giddy feelings came back in her chest, full force.

You’re pretty.

           The words were sincere. None of the cheesy pickup lines to fuel any tomfoolery. Nothing between the lines that needed interpreting.

Because Luz was fairly pretty, inside and out.

           It was then that Amity discerned the recognizable feeling of sleep wanting to take over. She suspected that it might have been from finally getting a small amount of the things off her chest. Now that she was finished with what she came here to do, she glanced lazily at the clock in the corner of the room, noticing that it was quarter to three.

Amity will only lose more sleep if she goes back home.

           “Luz, wake up.”

           She shook the taller girl gently, her voice not above a whisper. It took a few more repetitive words before Luz opened her eyes grumpily where Amity gestured for her to scoot over. She muttered incoherent words and grunted before she obeyed, the delicate girl hastily positioned herself on the bed, snugged against Luz’s chest. Behind her, Luz buried her face in mint hair, murmuring stuff she probably would not remember in the morning. Amity slowly pulled the covers over them and nuzzled in the comfort of the blankets, a contented sigh leaving her lips.

When she shut her eyes, she felt an arm loop around her waist, pulling her close, as if Luz was accustomed to this and that they have done it plenty of times. Before she was lulled to sleep by the steady breathing of her person, Amity was mindful of their tangled limbs under the warmth of blankets.

           “Good night,” Amity mumbled, vaguely aware that Luz returned the words with less eloquence before her mind finally shut down in peace.

           The morning after, Amity woke up alone in bed, tucked under the weight of the bedcovers they had last night. When she got up to use the washroom after hearing distinct noises from the kitchen downstairs that suggested Luz was there, she found poorly scribbled writing on her forehead, which made her whine.

           In blue ink, Luz replied to her words in Spanish.

Tu también eres bonita.

_

The morning she woke up in the Noceda residence and after she went down to her person’s kitchen to find out that Camila had already gone to work, they bickered over a breakfast of toast, eggs and bacon because Luz claimed that she did not know what rich people ate. The conversation was more about how Amity resisted the urge to commit homicide at daybreak, rather than mentioning the skin scribbling fiasco the night before.

She ended up going to school in Luz’s Hexside cheerleading sweater, which could have been inconspicuous, until people read the large letters that spelled NOCEDA sewed on the back. When she asked about the one Luz wore during her game a few months ago, her girlfriend refused to give it to her.

One would have thought that a sweater with BLIGHT printed on it would have been the logical choice for Amity to wear but Luz told her she was wrong. If the heiress was not worried about a quiz that afternoon, she would not have hesitated in throwing Luz out her own window before justifying herself in a courtroom after.

She just hoped that Luz did not keep the sweater to throw unknown curses her way through wild rituals Eda taught her.

But judging by her tendency to experiment, Amity would not be surprised if she did that.

Still, Amity was at a loss.

None of that explained the issue at hand of why Luz prepared an evening picnic.

At Amity’s own house.

They spent an incredibly small amount of time there, yet here they were-in the open air where her family could look out the windows to spy on them.

Luz positioned the watermelon between her legs, right in front of the girl. She mumbled about needing to do the sacrifice by those means, which only filled the observer with amusement, the action only proving an earlier point in her mind.

It’s either she actually believes it, or this is some kind of testing.

Her eyes wandered to Luz’s lower half, quirking a smile as Luz struggled to squeeze the watermelon. Her person might have been witty and perceptive at times, but mostly, she was a show off and Amity enjoyed being smug every time the unruly teen failed during the very same situations she set herself up for.

I mean, Luz is fit. I can’t say she’s strong enough to crush a watermelon with her legs, though.

Imagining the satisfaction of basking in Luz’s unsuccessful attempt was hankering at Amity.

“Want any help with that?” Amity offered with a smirk.

Luz shot her a dirty look and huffed, her reply coming in the form of leaning backward and raising her legs more. The poor watermelon had no signs of cracking any time soon, neither did the skies show the potential visitors Luz talked about (not like Amity believed it at first).

I don’t get it.

What was the point of this?

When Amity saw the hanging lights and a picnic blanket set on the ground after a long day, her jaw dropped. At first, she was set on scolding her person with the thought that she skipped school, but Luz had been expecting it, immediately shooting down her speculation by bringing up how her siblings were the ones who decorated the place at her command.

Just like that time Amity prepared the dinner in The Owl House.

“I don’t have enough money to reserve us a restaurant, but I am a good cook!” Luz said sheepishly, though she hid it well (not) by puffing out her chest in fake confidence.

But then she quickly drew Amity’s attention to the watermelon dirt ritual which was, to a certain degree, suspicious. It was as if Luz was just making excuses. Before tonight, Luz acted normal. She was the same doting but infuriating fake girlfriend for the past few months. It was not until the last day that Luz reacted out of the ordinary. The notes or pickup line after the one Amity initiated in the dead of the night stopped abruptly, which made Amity’s anxiety grow.

She was too scared to question it though.

Instead, Amity waited. Waited for…something. She busied herself with distractions whenever Luz was out of sight-doing extra credit, talking more than ever in class and even attending a practice match of her former teammates, offering to supervise them much to Lilith’s approval.

With all the effort she spent on being a busybody and overworking herself to the bone, to her woe, she was unsuccessful.

There was this remorseful feeling that increased within her that reminded the girl of how she could have done more for things to have worked out. The heiress could have been braver, maybe acted on the preference to have initiated the physical affections when given the chance.

Maybe she could have explained why she had a hard time breathing instead of waiting for Luz to fall asleep before she confessed words that she was wholeheartedly afraid of.

Amity felt sorry for herself.

You shouldn’t. Saying sorry means you regret it.

That was something that plagued her mind, along with having no clue on how to savor their last day together as the time to tell Luz had possibly gone already. Plus, the one who planned it all already set her mind on her person’s happiness, no matter what her personal qualms were.

Though that did not erase the question that afflicted her during Luz’s absence.

Why was it that Luz did not act like this was their last?

Her face fell.

Or maybe Luz was in the right.

That explained why Amity had not seen the beanie that very day, then received a text where Luz avoided her only to be found in the premises of Blight Manor, with a simple tea party for two in the courtyard after sending the resident of the mansion home by herself.

Luz was going to send her off with a bang, so it might hurt less even though she did not know that.

But it wouldn’t hurt to hope for something else, right?

Regardless, Amity went along with it and changed into more comfortable clothing. She passed by her siblings who were situated by the window that overlooked the courtyard, not immediately noticing that the youngest Blight was there. She grabbed one of the dusty Styrofoam apples on display in the halls and threw it at them, hitting the back of Edric’s head before she stormed off into her room, knowing that the twins would hold a grudge for later.

She denied the fact that she comforted herself when she was alone, with words that were unsure and instead of doing the opposite, it only increased the confusion and fear she held ever since she realized that she started to like the person she told herself would have been the easiest to form detachment to.

When she came down, clad in a pink top, grey sweatpants, and her person’s jacket-the very first one she took-tucked neatly under her arm, Luz had already drawn the first circle.

The heiress felt a mixture of emotions; being simultaneously frustrated and scared, hopeful yet prepared to embrace the inevitable ending of the night. This egged her to shimmy up to her knees and inch forward to place her hands firmly on each of Luz’s knees, much to the latter’s surprise. With as much strength as she could muster, Amity pushed them inward, ignoring how Luz yelped and almost lost her balance. The former jock gritted her teeth and moved her hands up to her person’s thighs, where the watermelon was wedged in, before she pressed them together in an aggressive manner. It almost felt like she was doing a grip exercise but with Luz’s legs.

Maybe she should have stayed in her seat instead.

The watermelon popped open, its blood splattering over Amity’s face and oh, it definitely left a mark on Luz’s pants. She moved away and wiped the disgustingly, juicy chunks of red before she squinted at Luz who stared back in shock. Amity most certainly still had pieces of the watermelon’s flesh (they were too hard to ignore!) stuck to her face but she did not know if it was as worse as it was on Luz; it had seeped through her white shirt and stained it. It must have felt uncomfortable judging from how Luz wrinkled her nose and looked down at herself.

Amity bit her lower lip, bemused at the dark spots that started to form on the sides of the other girl’s jeans, and she was secretly thankful for the melon lumps still on her face, which covered the blush that dusted her cheeks.

Silence descended on them as Amity continued to process what just happened. On the other hand, Luz blinked, her eyes on the crotch point where the watermelon laid (which sadly did not break completely), before she raised her head to give Amity a blank look. For a second, the heiress was afraid that she ruined their night by ruining Luz’s clothes or by interfering. The mint-haired girl panicked and snapped out of her daze, arms flailing around and a sorry excuse of an explanation on her lips.

It was not until her partner broke out in a fit of giggles, with shoulders shaking and palms slapping against her ruined jeans, that Amity paused in puzzlement.

“What? What’s funny?”

She was slightly distracted at how the lights illuminated Luz, embracing her in rich gold. Even when she was covered in a food mishap, with her beanie nearly falling off her head at how she guffawed, Amity could not help but notice the way Luz was literally a ball of light- radiating a joyous atmosphere everywhere she went, whether it was day or night. It was a mysterious thing, how Luz was still really pretty no matter what the event was. Like sure, Amity has seen her in the morning, before she washed up or brushed her teeth and yet none of those seemingly unattractive things (for other people) deterred Amity’s feelings.

Then Luz spoke through sniggers.

“Look what you’ve done, Ames. You made my pants all wet.”

It did not take long for Amity to get it. Her brows creased at the statement, before the cogs in her head turned and clicked into place. She gasped loudly, astonished at the implication and her face scrunched up.

“ Luz!” Amity hissed.

With sticky hands, she grabbed random chunks of the melon on the ground and threw it at her companion where Luz reflected it with her own arms, unfinished with snickering at her own joke. Amity growled at her and got up on her knees, readying to tackle the girl out of the picnic blanket and into the cold dirt but Luz caught on as she raised her hand to stop the mint-haired girl. Fear flashed through Luz's eyes, which she quickly groomed into a serious (failing) expression to convince Amity that she was going to stop.

“Okay, okay, don’t kill me, we haven’t eaten yet!”

On que, Amity’s stomach rumbled loudly, annoyingly proving Luz’s defense to be right; she can kill her after dinner. She grumbled before setting herself back down, sitting with her legs crossed. Luz let out some more chuckles, dusting herself off before she finally stopped due to being reminded how her shirt had a large, pale red stain on it which definitely made her midriff sticky; then there was also her ruined jeans and Amity assumed that it dawned on Luz how uncomfortable it was to sit in those.

“No.”

Luz blinked, utterly confused.

“No?” She repeated slowly, as if she was not used to Amity saying no.

Amity shook her head childishly before grabbing the folded green jacket on her side, throwing it to Luz. Luz caught it, lifting it slightly to check if it had fallen onto the damp parts of her clothing. She kicked the watermelon to the side and Amity flinched at the waste of good fruit. Luz tilted her head in puzzlement before she addressed the other girl, something unfamiliar laced in her voice.

“Why are you giving this back?”

Amity was not going to give it back, per se...

“You wear it, genius.”

She mimicked zipping up the jacket and recognition flickered on Luz’s face. Amity would have rather stayed here than go all the way up to her room just to fetch her person some carefully picked clothing. Based on last time, Amity would have taken too long trying to find something oversized to fit Luz’s figure and that would be consuming (they were on a clock, give her a break) so choosing a temporary solution was better than spending less moments with her light on this night.

Luz scoffed at the comment before she signaled Amity to turn around. Amity obliged, turning her whole body to face the other way. Under the stillness of the night, she strained her ear to listen to her person’s sighs coupled with the ruffling of clothes being changed. Amity assumed the girl took off her shirt to replace it with the jacket and when she heard it zip all the way up, she peeked to check that Luz was already turned to her side, taking out something from the picnic basket she brought. She smiled when she caught Amity staring before she went back to checking the food basket.

  “Ever had Spanish food, mi amor ?”

Amity shook her head in response. She beamed when Luz brought out two sandwich-looking wraps, which awed her. High-class meals made by chefs were great and filled with efforts of people who studied the art, but there was just something different about an actual homecooked meal made by someone Amity was fond of. The smell wafted through the air which made her hungrier, not noticing that she leaned in closer than before, much to Luz’s amusement.

 “Oh, wow. I haven’t even told you what’s in it but you already want one,” Luz laughed heartily as Amity shrugged.

“It’s not like you can poison me within the premises of my house, babe .”

 Luz cringed at the nickname and stuck out her tongue.

“Touché, Ames, touché.”

She handed Amity the wrap, which the girl took gratefully, covering Luz’s larger hands with hers and tapping a finger against her person’s dark, rough knuckles as a silent thanks. She listened as Luz explained the food which Amity found to be a- quasadilla? quasedilla? She hoped it was either of those two so to avoid being wrong, she decided to stay quiet. Apparently, it was a heated tortilla with melted cheese inside and anyone could put whatever they wanted in it, At least, that was what Luz said. The skeptic that she was, Amity doubted anything could actually be placed in it. When she unwrapped the food, her eyes lit up.

“Oh! I think I’ve seen this served in a restaurant before.”

Luz hummed and wagged her finger in the air, before she replied, “Hah! None of those restaurants can ever mimic someone who actually knows how to make it! I’m pretty sure that this tops.”

“I wholeheartedly believe in you.” And Amity was not being sarcastic.

They continued to talk, already moving on from the watermelon fiasco. Amity paid attention eagerly as Luz explained more kinds of food that she and her mom liked to cook, none of which were served at The Owl House, Luz adding that her family wanted to keep it a secret for them only.

“Then maybe I should go to your house more often,” Amity joked, and truly, it was just for laughs as she nearly forgot that she might never have the chance to actually have dinner with the Nocedas again, but that playful sentence seemed to trigger something in Luz because as soon as she bit into the tortilla, she pulled back and coughed wildly.

Oh.

Oh shoot-

Amity reached out to pat Luz on the back, golden pupils frantically darting around to see where Luz placed the drinks. There was one inside neatly placed in the basket, which she swiftly grabbed, popped open and gave to her person. Not knowing what else to do, she whispered reassuring words, still continuously rubbing Luz’s back.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Luz wheezed after a few more fits.

At that, Amity moved away in unease, regretting how she spoke up in the first place. It was perceptible that Luz saw it as soon as she calmed down. She frowned and flicked Amity on the forehead to get her out of her deprecating thoughts.

“Yo, hey, I’m fine, see?” Luz’s voice softened as she shoved her face just a few inches away from Amity and placed her hands on her petite shoulders. Amity blinked rapidly and she pursed her lips as she recalled the reason everything this dinner was for. Luz must have sensed the change in the air because her frown deepened. Amity averted her gaze and wrung her hands together, not knowing how to go from here, but Luz picked up the conversation without being asked to.

“...You could.”

Huh?

“You uh- you should I mean-have dinner. I mean, mom would like that.” Luz’s voice shrunk the more she talked. Amity’s heart skipped a beat, her mouth falling agape at the answer and shyly, Luz rubbed her nape before she scooted back to her original seat in the blanket.  It was strange. Amity expected a rejection or Luz to do what she came here for, Amity was prepared to get it over with after all, she thought about it a thousand times even though she knew that she started this and should have been the one to end it.

But...

Would it hurt to try?

Amity gulped and lifted the quesadilla, nibbling on its side. She kept her eye on Luz in the corner, who did the same, but she was contemplative about something. Amity should bring it up, but she preferred keeping with the pretense for a few more minutes.

Maybe hours.

Can this last forever?

“I would...also like that.” She replied quietly, after swallowing.

The food was delicious. There were hints of sliced mushrooms and green onions, something Amity has had a lot of times before. If she were not hung up on her dilemma, she would have melted completely. When she turned back to Luz to voice out her opinion, she found that she could not when Luz leveled her with an unreadable stare.

Amity’s voice died down.

She tried, anyway.

“This is great. You should put up a restaurant.” Amity suggested, raising the wrap to distract Luz from whatever she was thinking. She sighed in relief when that snapped Luz out of whatever it was, and a small smile found its way to her lips.

“Then mind funding it for me when you become a bigshot?”

Amity scowled and stuck her tongue out. “What, you trying to use me now, is that how it is, light ?”

Luz sunk her teeth in her own meal, not being bothered to savor it, then made a finger gun gesture. Amity rolled her eyes, while her shoulders relaxed at the banter that started up again before she continued eating. It was quiet again, save for the flickering lights that chimed above them as it swayed with the breeze.

Tick tock.

What time was it?

Amity did not care to check, knowing that she would become more impulsive than before, when all she wanted to do was live in this very moment. She dragged herself to the other side of the blanket, submitting herself to the yearning of her heart before she laid her head on Luz’s shoulder. Unexpectedly, Luz shifted and leaned back on the trunk, Amity following suit to make themselves more comfortable.

This is the life.

It really was.

Amity felt much more comfortable than she did earlier, and she assumed Luz was too. Above them, the skies were clear-the dark, magnificent blue stretched out into what seemed like an eternity. Stars dotted the heavens, like a painting that was carefully crafted into a masterpiece, all centered around two teenagers on an evening picnic.

Tick tock.

But even the night had an end.

“ Princesa, we need to talk.”

There it was.

Amity’s stomach dropped. She lifted her head, weary of where this was headed; not wanting to be too close to Luz in case she got her heart broken, she inched away once more before she nodded stiffly with her shoulders tensing once more.

“You uh…remember what today is, right?” Luz pressed and Amity knew that this was something unavoidable.

She fumbled with the quesadilla in hand, still surprised at how sudden Luz changed the topic. That few minutes of stargazing nearly made her forget the initial goal of this dinner, which she pretended not to have figured out while they had fun and she wished it could have lasted a little longer. But as she glanced up to be met with an unreadable look, Amity was filled with dread at the impending words to be spilled just as she was halfway through one of her first ever Noceda cooking.

“What is it?” Her voice was high-pitched.

She cursed under her breath, sensing the drop in the mood as Luz surveyed her, not believing the sad lie. Amity breathed through her nostrils and swallowed the last bits of Luz’s cooking, praying that she could stomach it before apprehension took over and made her puke.

If Luz noticed it, she did not say anything. Instead, she rewrapped the food and placed it back on the blanket. Amity watched Luz get lost in thought like a drunken stupor, gaze somehow far away as if she saw more than just the outline of the food. For personal reasons, she painstakingly hoped Luz was just thinking of ingredients rather than serious things.

But isn’t this what you’ve been waiting for?

She braced herself.

Tick tock.

Maybe she could still change how this night could go.

Into what? What are you going to do?

Amity tucked a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear, aware of how her fingers trembled. Stop, She scolded herself, Why would you still cry over something you already knew would happen? Stop. It was spilled milk, that much Amity knew. She closed her eyes and breathed.

“Amity, I-I have a proposal to make.”

           Luz’s voice was shaky, which sent a shock down Amity’s spine. Her person was a straightforward girl, who did not show her fears if only to be the brave one out of all of those around her. Once upon a time, Amity found it frustrating, but it gradually grew on her and became endearing. So hearing her stutter was something new and unlike the Luz she came to know over the years.

           A proposal.

           This all started because Amity made a proposal that Luz had rejected, only to offer her own version. What happened to the Luz that was going to keep her end of the deal?

           Luz’s shoulders slumped as she stuffed her hands in her jacket’s pockets. She coughed and articulated her voice, which only made Amity even more nervous. While she disliked the fact that Luz tried to lighten the mood on multiple occasions instead of taking it seriously, Amity found that she hated it when Luz did take their predicament soberly.

“Is it enough?”

           What?

           “What?” Amity sounded dumbfounded.

           Luz did not miss a beat. “Six months. Your parents might believe it, but when I stop coming around, wouldn’t they start matchmaking you again?”

           Does-Does she-

           Amity kept her cool and replied as casually as she could, a hopeful edge to her soft voice. “I-I suppose it’s enough. I can tell them that we broke up and they would probably give me enough time to cope.”

           That answer left a bitter taste in her mouth. It was her initial plan, the ending she conjured up the first month. Besides, if Luz decided to bring it up, then Amity might as well speak out what she believed. “I don’t want to trouble you.”

That was the truth. It was what Amity struggled with for weeks.

She kept Luz from doing what she wanted far too long.

           “It’s no trouble.”

           Amity paused, hesitantly shooting a glance at Luz.

           Is this real?

Luz shrugged, “I mean,” she started with a practice coolness, “I wouldn’t mind. If-If you know, you need a longer time to convince your parents.”

           Luz bit on her lower lip and Amity was disoriented by how the girl dove into a change of topic so fast-paced. The quesadillas laid forgotten on their sides as Amity scanned the other girl carefully. They were walking circles around each other, that much was certain. Trepidation filled Amity’s lungs as she dug her fingers into the thick fabric of her sweatpants.

           Luz babbled on and Amity noted that she did that whenever she was nervous or hiding something.

           “What if-What if your parents come after me after we ‘break’ up?” She made air quotations, “What if Mr. and Mrs. Blight come to visit at school and curse me? Or what if Edric and Emira would challenge me to a fight for your honor or something?”

           All those reasons were ridiculous. Err, most, of those reasons were fallacious with the exception of Edric and Emira challenging Luz to a fight. That would probably happen. Amity’s brows furrowed, and she became more bewildered at the implication of what Luz was doing.

           What a productive dynamic they had.

           It was silly, and Luz’s pale face must have told her the same thing. Amity’s parents were not witches who could voodoo people and she doubted that they would set foot in Hexside after being high on their horses since graduating. Furthermore, was Luz telling her this because this was it? Her benefit?

Or was it a disadvantage to her if they broke up?

           “I mean,” -Luz had been using ‘I mean’ a lot tonight- “Would you-Would you like to continue this for another six months? So you know, you’d have peace of mind?”

           The sentence was simple. There was no dramatic pause before it and Luz did not go overboard with the new proposal. But Amity was overwhelmed. Her insides screamed at her, celebrating something vague that it made her dizzy and all she could hear was the erratic beating of her heart before her mind started chanting.

She feels the same way?

Luz was serious?

No way!

Did I overthink things again?

“What do you say?”

           Her tone was steady, not giving away anything at all. Amity’s brain went haywire, and all she did was blink rapidly, her mouth formed into an ‘o.’ The logical choice was to shoot Luz’s reasoning down- but Amity had long been irrational in thought and action.

           From the looks of it, Luz must have thought about this a lot. She might have been tormented by the ending, unlike what Amity made her out to be.

Yes.

Yes! Amity desperately wanted to tell her that. Luz looked at her hopefully, and Amity noticed how she twisted the black ring around her finger nervously, a habit she rarely saw her do during the course of their fake relationship.

She took in the sight gingerly, waiting for Luz to drop the act, spring up and scream, Surprise! That was a joke! And she did not know how long she was quiet for but judging from how Luz hung her head low, it must have been a while. She wanted to make sure. She wanted it to be sure.

That it was not some kind of trap she might walk into.

Amity opened her mouth and balled her hands into fists, with knuckles turning white. As she was about to voice out her agreement to the plan that she had no more use for, she stopped.

That was it.

She had no use for a plan that she did not want.

What she desired, was a real relationship where there was no motive or goal behind it, where they wanted a forever and not a simple extension of just a few more months. Amity did not want something temporary anymore. She would have to go through the same dilemma and fear of it ending, there was no enjoyment down that path, if ever.

Plus, Luz reasoned out that it was for Amity’s peace of mind with no set of suitors in sight once more, but what was she really in for?

Amity studied the sentences in her mind again. Luz would not mind waiting a few more minutes because this decision could either break them (Amity) or make them and frankly, she just wanted actual peace of mind rather than go through another excruciating turmoil of emotions. She thought back to how this started and the reason as to why Luz agreed even with no actual benefits other than the thing, she claimed to be the best reward.

What was it again?

“If you’re wondering why I put up no fight, I think the greatest reward is seeing your reactions after you experience my amazing girlfriend skills. It’s a win-win for me! ”

Amity’s heart sank.

Oh.

Her lungs felt constricted. The greatest reward is seeing your reactions. Luz’s efforts. The way she gave Amity flowers or chocolates every day or how she took her out for dates. Experience my amazing girlfriend skills. That was what Luz was after?

           It was as if she was punched in the gut. The situation was almost laughable-Luz had nothing to gain from this at all; how could Amity be so stupid? Everything had a motive and Luz must have gone that far because it was amusing to her.

Because Amity falling must have been funny.

The blushing, the stuttering, the feelings?

           She trembled, her mind clouded in a haze, unsure which emotion was much more prominent-Anger? Sadness? Hurt? Fuck. Luz embarrassed her a lot. Luz pulled her in only to keep her at an arm’s length, teased her and left her alone on days where she schemed. Luz thought of her as ugly. A stuck-up rich kid. That was what she called her before.

None of that changed?

She was going to vomit.

           Amity should have been used to it, she really should have. Everyone who did not know her that well called her that. Sure, Luz accidentally called her pretty one time, but she never denied her original statement. And it hurt. It really did hurt. Or maybe Amity was wrong? But then why else would Luz suggest an extension? She genuinely did not know what Luz would gain from that.

Luz tried to convince her to continue dating for another six months. Because she wanted protection from her parents? Because she was afraid of what the twins would do? Was it because the Blights had power to hurt her if they broke up?

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she took a shaky breath, reminded about how they had stopped the street fights after becoming fake girlfriends, and it must have been Amity’s mind playing tricks on her or not, she was not sure anymore. Maybe it was neither? The evidence was stacked right in front of her though and that was what she mostly believed in.

She kind of wished that they stuck with messing each others’ faces with punches rather than affectionate kisses. Amity preferred a broken body than a shattered heart.

           “Ah…”

Amity was used to rejection. She embraced it and held her head high. She was well-aware of how she was far more prone to real rejection and fake acceptance. This was much worse. Luz was doing neither and ended up choosing a third option which was more heartbreaking than the other two: Not rejection, but not acceptance either. Luz just needed her.

Luz was not that bad, was she?

But if she was, then that meant that they  were not friends. Friends would not do this to each other.

It meant Luz did not see her as one.

Fuck.

           Amity buried her face in her hands, the tears falling nonstop and Amity felt the blanket shift under her as Luz crawled forward, alarmed and worried. “Amity, I-What’s wrong? Why are you crying?!”

Cruel.

           Amity was a fool. She should have taken the first step; she should not have stalled and just went on with it. She should have told Luz at the beginning of this shitty picnic. This was just heart wrenching, unbearable even, it was all too much.

The pain was overwhelming and crying was not solving the problem.

“ Noceda,” She hiccupped and God, she sounded pitiful. “That’s just cruel.”

           The heiress could not make out Luz’s expressions through her blurry vision. Amity cursed a bit more, her sobs silent but angry. She was having a breakdown. Right in front of the person who meant the world to her. Luz was not saying anything which only made Amity hate herself more.

She clenched her teeth, eyes shut so tight that it gave her a headache. Amity really did get into more trouble than she asked for. But she knew she was not going to be angry at Luz for long. Her lips quivered as she sighed, but it came out as another heartbroken sob. No matter, Luz was a kind person to those who she cared about.

Maybe she just saw Amity differently and treated her accordingly.

Even so, Amity tried for a smile, finally seeing Luz clearly. I don’t understand. Luz blinked at her rapidly as well, mirroring an expression that Amity had, but it only felt mocking. Her person- No - The teenager’s brows were slanted angrily, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Luz’s shoulders drooped and her quivering lips were formed into a thin line. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Amity stared at her pleadingly, hoping for some kind explanation that told her she was wrong and was just concluding incomplete facts. Or maybe it was helpless and she hit the mark when Luz shook her head but still stayed quiet.

“No, Amity it’s..I-I don’t-” Luz struggled, confused yet at the same time somehow understanding. “-Why am I...You don’t want that?”

Do you want that? Amity had the urge  to say back. Luz seemed smaller than she actually was. Her eyes had gone completely dark, her back was hunched over in doubt and there was no sign of her knowing what was wrong with what she said. None of the consideration that Amity hoped to see.

The sight made it harder to breathe.

Luz always made it hard to breathe.

And Amity already knew why.

That was okay.

She loved her and she was willing to throw away everything, even if it meant that she would not get something close to what she actually wanted. Amity smiled crookedly. She was right after all- she did not want to trouble Luz. She was going to assure the girl that her parents would not interfere, and all will be resolved. Luz did not have to use her because she was terrified of what the Blights would do.

She stared at Luz softly, taking in her features for the final time before she spoke with a hoarse voice.

“I don’t want that.”

           Amity should have felt lighter, her lungs should have been free after saying what was on her mind.

But she was still unable to breathe.

Chapter Text

10 

Distance may make the heart grow fonder, 

But I’m just trying to keep you longer. 

Ksssshhh! 

Amity flinched as the chalk squealed deafeningly when it skidded through the board. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, dropping the pen against the notebook that laid open in front of her. When Amity looked down, her neat handwriting greeted her. She was slightly impressed with herself at how she was able to write notes regarding the political culture of Almond and Verba, even though she was basically daydreaming the whole period away. 

She placed her attention back to the teacher, only realizing then that he was not finished with the lecture yet. He moved his hands around animatedly, presenting the charts in front like they were the most interesting things in the world. Any other day, Amity would have found herself enamored with the comparison between the parochial and subject cultures of five countries, but this was probably the first time in her life that she has experienced being this bored. 

She did not need to look around the room to know that other students felt the same. From the corner of her eye, Skara was leaning forward, her eyes blinking unbelievably fast in an attempt to shake the sleepiness off. Boscha, on the other hand, was already in dreamland. The image of her two companions of being uncaring of their grades had never appealed so much to Amity until now. If only Amity was not worried about her straight A’s, then she might have given in to their influence. Unfortunately, she had to keep it up, so Amity forced herself to listen, even though her eyes were already half-lidded. The only thing that kept her awake was her nails that scraped against the desk. 

While she groomed her expression into something fit for a top student, her mind wandered elsewhere. The heiress listed off her schedule for the rest of the week; surprisingly, it was not that hard to think of them and the eerie silence of the class helped her to do so clearly. 

After this last period, Amity was tasked to head over to the library and read to the children who reside in the left wing of Hexside. She brought over a childhood favorite as a preparation for them with the thought that they would not like the repetitive books suggested by the librarian. Afterwards, Lilith invited her over to the practice game of the Banshees to either bring her back to the team for the nth time, or to just sit and observe as a junior coach. She would have loved to see Boscha’s face when Amity would list down the advice she had for the current team captain. 

Even though Principal Bump mentioned that those activities could be considered as extra credit, Amity would have accepted, nonetheless. Honestly, she needed all the activities she could get to keep herself from staying stagnant and crying into her pillow as her free time occupant. 

Her next agenda consisted of her driving home to join the mandatory dinner with her family, where she would be forced to strike up a conversation about her recent test grades. 

At that she wrinkled her nose. The youngest has not joined her parents at the table for months, ever since she kept dropping by in that rundown café on the other side of town. But what made her more nervous was that her siblings might not be there; Amity did not know where they had gone after her recent rebellion, only remembering the excuses about how they were heading over to a sleepover or a party, and then not coming home even after promising that they would. At first, it frustrated Amity greatly because they left her in a tense atmosphere where she could not even eat without feeling everyone watching her, but recently, they were being nice enough to mention that they would come, as long as Amity asked them to. 

Amity was not sure that even if she did, they would comply with her request. 

No matter- 

Hopefully, after the uneventful dinner that Amity dreaded, she would head to bed with no difficulties. She would go back to her routine of studying for a little while, then sleeping for eight straight hours without thinking of anything else. 

That was the plan for the next few months. Or forever. Amity did not really know anymore. 

Either way, graduation was just around the corner and Amity was looking forward to finally moving away from this old town and living all on her own, in the premises of an ivy league university, like she always dreamed of. 

Err, well- 

That was the idea she used to love. 

The shuffling of papers snapped Amity out of her thoughts, and she turned her attention back to the teacher. It was a good thing that she was able to remain calm even as the professor suddenly shoved a paper in front of her face. She blinked dazedly, before taking the paper gingerly into her hands. It dawned on her that she was going to get every test back today and she had forgotten all about it. 

A first time for everything, I guess. 

“You did a great job, Miss Blight.” The teacher praised, a prideful lilt to the statement. Amity murmured a thank you before she scanned the paper. The score written on the top right was eye-catching enough, a ninety-five written in thick red, coupled with a smiley face. 

Amity hummed, unsurprised. If anything, she should have been happy or satisfied; because all those sleepless nights paid off, especially considering that she was in an emotional turmoil for the most part of the time. There was still a nagging voice in her head that scolded her regarding how she could have done better, but as if to combat that, there was also this still, small voice in her mind that whispered, You worked harder than anyone else.  

It was very familiar.  

For the past six months, it had become a steady foundation for Amity, simultaneously soothing her and leaving a hollow and bitter feeling afterwards. 

With a sigh, she folded the paper and shoved it into her bag along with her notes in an unfashionable manner. 

It has been three weeks. 

Three weeks since Amity tried her best to mend her heart but struggled in the process. She did not know how long it would take to mend a broken heart because if anything, this was her first time experiencing something like this, but she was trying her best to cope and surely that could be enough. 

Unless of course, Amity was healing wrong. 

She tuned out the groans of her classmates regarding their low-test grades and Amity focused instead on the clock that hung above the blackboard. There were only two minutes left before the bell would let out a deafening scream, and then she was out of this stuffy classroom. 

For some reason, the ticking of the clock was louder than anything else, which perturbed Amity. She bristled when a bunch of memories suddenly flooded her mind, making it drift back to a magnetic gaze that held her in place, rich brown eyes that were soft and mischievous, messy, soft strands of chocolate locks and the striking present of a well cared beanie. 

There should have been no reminders from the clock. It was literally the most mundane thing- how can Amity function with it around? 

Amity decided that she absolutely hated time in general. It reminded her that the world stopped for no one, and everything continued its course, not minding the history in the making. 

Time was a fascinating, intangible thing. It existed at the beginning of the world and played witness to the continuous endings of events to when even before humans occupied the earth. 

That included couples getting together and breaking up. 

Why that particularly bitter thought, Amity did not want to elaborate. 

It was not like Amity was consciously counting the days that passed after the…incident. No, she was well aware that it was over and all she had to do now was to let go, even though that was what she had been trying to do for the past three thousand and two hundred forty minutes. 

And thirty seconds. 

Thirty-one. 

Thirty-two. 

Thirty-three- 

Okay. 

Maybe she was counting. 

Just a bit. 

Stop, right there. 

The thought marked the end of the discussion and Amity relented, shooing away the philosophical view on what time did in its free time. 

To her relief, the bell rang and jolted her out of the past events that were invading her mind again. It signaled Boscha to wake up from her peaceful slumber and when she turned to face Amity, the heiress almost choked as she saw the imprints on Boscha’s face. They were most likely from sleeping over her blank “notes,” but no matter, Amity did not have the heart to tell her. Skara though, noticed it as well and snickered before she nudged the pink-haired girl who grumbled in response. 

Boscha rubbed her messed-up cheek before stretching out her arms and sighing in relief. They were moving too slow as Amity’s eyes were already darting towards the door, itching to get out of there and to just get the day over with. 

Not wanting to waste any more free time that could lead her into thinking of other things, Amity waved goodbye to the two players before she completely ditched the classroom and walked out into the hallways. The mint-haired girl composed herself before she weaved her way through the crowd.  

That was the plan anyway. 

However, as soon as the students caught sight of her, they parted like the red sea. This convinced Amity that even they could feel the, ‘ I’m not in the mood , get out of my way,’ aura that began to emit from her. 

She took pride in that, with her head held high, back straightened and steps silent but deadly. Everything felt new; the rusty red lockers of Hexside looked like they were recently polished. The floors were shiny and squeaky clean despite the number of students running over it with worn-out, dirty shoes. Everything looked like it was in place, yet it was all at the same time, somehow chaotic. 

Amity was unsettled at how normal people went on about their day. In fact, she was jealous of them. 

Even if she went about her normal routine, there seemed to be something different- something amiss. 

Involuntarily, Amity searched the halls for that something. For someone. She tried to get distracted, she really did- but her eyes wandered the school, hoping to see a familiar beanie but with no luck. Usually, she lingered longer than she should outside the classroom to wait for someone that did not come, before taking the long route to her destination, passing by the cafeteria first just to peek with the hopes to see familiar faces, only to find strangers occupying the usual table she sat in for the past few months. 

After all those futile things, Amity would go to the library with a heavy heart, just to immerse herself in fairy tales and math problems. 

Three weeks have passed since the dinner party in the courtyard. Amity recalled being left alone with just the blanket and fairy lights that apparently belonged to her older siblings. For a while, she stayed and stared at the stars that seemed to have lost their shine. It was as if the light was also taken from them. Amity was sure that after hearing those words which caused the cracks between them, her answer was the one that created the rift that finished everything off. 

She remembered being frustrated. 

The teenager went back inside the lonely manor, looking lost and helpless. Her shoulders were slumped, and her footsteps were heavy. The twins met her along the narrow halls, with their typical cheery selves, innocently asking her about how her night went. The youngest Blight knew they had good intentions and did not mean anything bad by that question, but for some reason, the reality of what had happened hit her hard. It was when she refocused on the twins’ expressions and saw how it morphed into that of concern, that Amity realized she started crying again. 

While it was true that they should have elaborated more on the matter, the chance to do it has already passed, which left them with nothing but emotional outbursts the next time they see each other again. 

Amity felt overwhelmed by the potential problems and reactions that could come out of them talking about it when the wounds they inflicted on each other were still fresh. It did not mean that Amity stopped trying to figure out solutions that could somehow hit everything at once, even if she was not yet given the opportunity to bring it up with the other party. 

Even if she tried to make that opportunity. 

The heiress did not easily give up on easing the resulting damage. But after the three people she considered friends started to avoid her, the conclusion she could come up with was to just stay away and stop her advances at mending things altogether. 

There was no reason to blame the other person for not showing herself to Amity. If she did not want to see her, then shel would respect that. After all, it was not like Amity expected them to be anything more than friends at the end of the fiasco she orchestrated. 

But some things can still be fixed, right? 

Amity had to try, and bring some closure to whatever they had, because logically, it should have been nearly impossible for her fake ex-girlfriend to not have seen Amity more than a rival. 

Every time her lips made contact with Amity’s skin felt like a burning sensation that the top student would never exchange for anything else. When Amity would return the actions, raising her hand to caress soft, brown skin, the person would lean into the touch. 

But every time there was a bud of hope blooming in Amity’s chest, it was always countered by the memory of that night where she hoped that the feelings were mutual, only to be faced with a proposal for an extension. Amity was too tired to be thrown in another loop of fake affection. 

She thought six months was way too long. 

But it went by so fast. 

Amity was not even sure she did her part as the best girlfriend she could be. 

Now it seemed like they had an unspoken agreement of leaving each other alone forever. 

So much for hoping to at least be a friend to her. 

This was not what Amity wanted.  

Their relationship involved other people into the mix and Amity was trying to deal with the fact that everyone thought the break-up was her fault. She sucked it up and promised herself that after showing her most vulnerable side to the twins, she was going to pick herself up. Word travelled fairly quick and after three days, everyone was aware that the two had split.  

She was bombarded with people’s questions left and right to the point that when her brother and sister caught word of it, they visited the school and threatened some of the students with their devilish pranks if ever their beloved baby sister got hurt. That made some wary enough to leave her alone. 

The events that had transpired left a bitter taste in Amity’s mouth. It deepened the semi-permanent scowl on her face, left her more irritated than before and she became more prone to getting into fights with random students who cowered in fear at her name. 

Nothing’s the same. 

The only good thing that came out from Amity's terrible coping was how she found out more about the crowd she originally spent her time with. To her surprise, the only people who did not ask questions or bother her about the topic that left her sore, were her two friends whom she was not afraid to show her dislike for, and Willow and Gus. 

It felt foreign, how Amity expected the most to ask were the ones who got irritated at the questions from nosy strangers. Before Amity could throw an accidental punch at a sophomore who was only asking for directions, Boscha quickly appeared by Amity’s side to pull her back. Skara then kept most of them at an arm’s length, with sweet words that sent a shiver down the heiress’ spine. 

Another time during lunch, Amity bore witness to Willow having thrown a guy over a table after he asked about a relationship that did not involve him. To Amity’s amusement, Gus even cheered and threatened to pour the spaghetti over the person’s head. It was a rare sight because after that, the two stopped coming into the cafeteria just like how their friend stopped showing her face after the weekend of the incident. 

Nevertheless, the display made Amity feel like they still cared even a little bit about her. 

The teenager was not aware of what Willow and Gus knew, or what they were told. But what Amity decided was a good sign, was that Gus has yet to give her the stink eye. Infrequent as it was, Amity firmly believed that one person she would not want to piss off was that guy. 

Willow though, oddly enough, had not come up to her with the determination to feed her a poisonous plant. 

As for Amity’s two friends, whenever another student came up to bother Amity for the nth time, where the annoyance was already visible on the girl’s face, Boscha would stand up from her seat and chase them off with the usual snarky attitude and threats. 

She did not even need to verbally say ‘ Go away, or I’ll make your life a living hell.’ 

The first time she did that, Amity was shook. Her mouth fell agape, and she felt like her eyebrows were about to skyrocket from how surprised she was. When Boscha turned back to her and saw the reaction, her face reddened, and she sheepishly rubbed the nape of her neck as if she herself was unable to believe what she just did. 

“You might not think of me as your friend, but please,” she scoffed and rolled her eyes, to try and cover up the embarrassment that was seeping through the cracks. 

“Anyone with eyes could see that this is making you uncomfortable. Only I get to do that.” 

Amity wanted to tell her that ‘ Wow, so you aren't a complete piece of shit after all.’  

If Boscha cared through brash actions, Skara was more verbal. The girl would scold the others who looked like they were about to approach with the same curiosity in their eyes and for the most part, it was amusing to see the other students shrink back. 

Amity could not help but feel grateful at the weird show of concern and it made her want to feel sorry about how she thought them out to be before. She promised herself to treat them better and hopefully teach them how to be less of a bully. Maybe she could practice her preschool teacher's ways through them; Violence is never the answer , She could say. 

And if all else fails, she could just throttle Boscha. 

If Amity looked at it from another perspective, everything was as it should be.  

At the very least, everything was more bearable than before.  

Everybody changed one way or the other, and Amity was able to finally see those things clearly. She was startled how that special person occupied her mind, heart, and time so much that suddenly having her not here felt like the top student was living a different life. 

Enough that Amity had been missing all these changes. 

Maybe she felt the same. 

Amity may hate time, but she secretly wished that the statement, “Time heals all wounds,” was true, even if she were a woman of action and a skeptic at that; but then again, sometimes all people needed was closure, and she had a tough time believing that a long time of not speaking to each other would do that. 

Sometimes it could work, other times it wouldn’t. 

You just have to pick your poison. 

Well... 

What she wanted would not matter if the other person preferred something else. Either way, she was tired of dwelling on it. If that person wanted to speak to her, then she would. For now, Amity decided to continue with life and soothe her heart by keeping herself busy. 

There was no use crying over spilled milk and Amity was strong enough to pour a new glass for herself. 

The heiress made her way to the library in the left wing, where the baby classes were held. Her juniors gave her weird looks as she passed by, but no one dared to ask her what she was doing there. Her grip on the backpack straps were tight, and it weighed heavier than usual, most likely due to how she brought a book from home today rather than pick one from the books suggested by the librarian. 

We’ve already read those over and over again! One kid whined when Amity asked them what they thought during her first session with them. 

The last thing Amity would want is to bore them. 

Once she was close to her destination, Amity groomed her expression into something kid-friendly, which was not that hard. Amity loved kids; they were little devils at times, sure, but for some reason, the thought of being able to teach children about fiction and real-life lessons felt so fulfilling that if she ever wanted to switch tracks in college, she would love to be a preschool teacher. 

The kids’ corner had a spacious middle where they could sit down and listen to live storytelling, and Amity found it to be one of her favorite parts of the whole room. It was one of the things that separated it from the rest of the place; plus, no one came to bother them during the session, which she really appreciated. 

As soon as she stepped inside and sent a nod to the librarian, she headed towards the other room where she could already hear the faint whispering of high-pitched voices. The sound placed a small smile on her face, and it only widened when she entered and announced her arrival with a cough. 

The children whipped their head towards her and gasped in excitement. They ran in Amity’s direction, almost tackling her to the ground and a bubbly laughter slipped out of Amity’s mouth when one of them latched himself onto her leg which forced her to limp towards the chair prepped in the middle. 

“Miss Amity, you’re back!” 

Braxus’ voice boomed over everyone else’s, and Amity cooed at how he shuffled towards her with his tiny legs. She reached out to pat his head before she sat down in the chair with a huff. Like it was an automatic response, the children gathered around and sat in an orderly fashion. 

It was adorable but also quite terrifying at how behaved they were at that age compared to Amity when she was younger. 

Immediately, a memory flashed in the teenager’s mind, which made her eye twitch. Unexpectedly, it was not one that Amity recounted every night, but instead, with someone whose company she only had for a couple of times only. 

An eventful evening. A car ride with the last person she thought of being. A conversation she never expected having. 

I didn't finish school and look at me! 

At that time, the older woman shot Amity a look and wailed about how school taught their students to have blind obedience. 

It was from a simple conversation with no deeper meaning behind it. But looking at the children reminded Amity of that car ride with Edalyn Clawthorne before; talking about how she hated school and goodie two shoes like Amity Blight. The older woman’s crass tongue definitely belonged to her alone. 

Her eccentric teachings on the other hand, Amity could see the resemblance with her pupil. 

Odd that it suddenly bothered her this moment. 

Remembering that there were children in front of her, Amity ignored that memory and clasped her hands. 

“Alright, everyone! Are you ready for today’s story?” 

There was a teasing lilt in her voice.  She rehearsed this over and over again- exaggerated movements, wide eyes and evident wonder on her face. It made everything so much interesting, and Amity just loved the excitement that radiated from the children to the point that they were visibly bouncing and cheering quietly. 

Amity pretended to look around before leaning in closer as if to whisper a secret and the kids caught on, mirroring the action. She motioned them to zip their mouths and coupled it with a playful wink. 

“I actually brought my favorite book from home.” 

Cue the gasps. 

Perfect. 

She rummaged through her bag and took out the thick, hardbound book that has been with her through thick and thin. It was rough to the touch, and Amity fondly brushed her thumb against the wear and tear of the joint of the book, before her eyes wandered at the cover where a familiar witch with green hair gazed back. 

Brown skin. Kind eyes. Brave front. 

“Besides, I don’t really have someone to watch this with me.” 

Amity’s expression softened. 

I guess we have a type. 

Shut up. 

Amity inhaled shakily, before she opened it to the first chapter. The children grew quiet and waited for the teenager to begin. Amity started reading the title first, giving a short explanation about what the book was all about, before mentioning how it was her favorite book in passing. It was all brief, but it felt like an eternity for the top student due to how her mind was running through memories of buttery popcorn, a lingering touch of an arm wrapped around her shoulder, and the tight fit of a faded beanie on her head. 

She found it very frustrating that it interfered with how she was voicing out the action the good witch Azura was currently doing. She read through the page, getting more antsy by the minute and wishing that she did not sound like a robot. This was one of her favorite scenes- where Azura faced off against Gilder snake which would have surely piqued the interest of the kids in front of her. 

“Do not underestimate me, Gilder Snake! For I am the good witch Azura! Warrior of peace!” 

By the time Amity got a hold of her head, she was already nearing the end of the first arc. She articulated her voice with the confidence Azura portrayed within the book and accompanied it with exaggerated hand gestures.  

Amity had memorized the lines she had kept close to heart, which allowed her to freely move her body to act like a human snake. Around her, the children cheered, and the erratic beating of Amity's heart sped up in adrenaline, which egged her to continue. She did not notice when they had gotten so loud until the librarian came in with an annoyed expression, which earned Amity her first ever scolding. 

But this was a good sign! They were thoroughly enjoying it and they haven’t noticed how out of it I was just a few minutes ago! Amity mentally gave herself a pat. 

I got this; she chanted like a mantra. Slowly, she regained her confidence back, the distractions in her mind dissipating the more she read about how Azura was winning. 

I got this. 

It was not until she got through the battle that Amity paused in reading. 

“Miss Amity,” Braxus interrupted with the softest voice he could muster, raising his hand in the process. “Why did Azura have to face Gilder Snake alone?” 

Before she could answer, others began to nod and agree with that question. They lifted their concerns in unison like an out-of-tune choir, making Amity even more stressed. 

“Yeah! Was it that hard for Azura and Hecate to make up and battle it together?” Another kid wondered. 

I don’t got this. 

Sweet children, Amity wanted to say in the friendliest voice ever, some questions are not meant to be asked. It was not the first time she would have said that to someone, which kind of made her heart flutter at the memory. No, don’t get distracted! She scolded herself then held her tongue so she could listen to their queries, dreading the fact that they were mostly about the big fight Azura and Hecate got into before the former went to face the snake alone. 

“I mean, Miss Amity, when you know it’s hard to do it alone, wouldn’t you ask for help?” 

Children were too smart these days. 

“Hmm...” If it were academics, Amity would have preferred to do it alone, but she was not dumb enough to charge in unknown territory to challenge something unseen before. 

“Well, I would. But don’t you think Azura and Hecate have too many differences? It would probably make teaming up and beating the monster harder.” 

Amity’s reply came out as tentative and somewhat uncomfortable. They did not mean anything bad, of course- they're young. Plus, they did have a point. Facing a huge problem alone would have done Azura no good if she was an ordinary person. But Amity stood by her words about how it would make everything difficult. 

Some of the students pouted, evidently unsatisfied. To be fair, neither was she. Back when she was fourteen, Amity had similar questions. Only one book came out and she was just frustrated with Azura’s decision. But she also grew up seeing the development between Azura and Hecate in the following books to know that sometimes, they were better at working together for some activities, and other times, they just had to be apart to make certain that things get done. 

It was what made them grow. 

It was what made the ending worthwhile. 

The two learned to work out each other's differences to the point they could understand their actions and reasoning without saying anything. Amity envied them for that; imagine just being so close to each other after all the fights and hurtful things they have been through, only to come back stronger and better than before. 

Maybe we just didn't have the luxury of having enough time. 

Or, her mind piped in, maybe you should take the good points and learn from them. 

Amity hummed in agreement, albeit begrudgingly. 

After the big fight her two favorite characters had in this arc, they talked about it the next time they met, feelings poured out into sharp words and sobs. It ended up working for them in the end anyway. 

Before she could add to her earlier answer though, the librarian walked into the room again and knocked on the wall to signal that it was time for the younger students to go home. She closed the book and smiled softly at the eager kids who whined about the cliffhanger that they themselves instigated because of the questions. Some of those in front tugged at the edge of her skirt, whispering for her to tell them how it ends and for a second, Amity forgot what she was mulling over. 

“Next time,” She whispered back and nudged them to go. 

They grumbled before pushing themselves up and lining out of the room, waving to Amity as they did so. Some of them even came up to hug her and Amity suppressed a squeal at how small they were, hugging her legs. 

When they left the room, Amity fixed herself up and carefully placed the book inside her bag. The silence was not all that nice; Amity pondered on her earlier answer and something unfamiliar crept up her chest, which made her shiver in response. 

It was probably coincidental but having been shown something she had forgotten about Azura and Hecate’s relationship, made Amity irritated. It made her want to pull out a lighter or some matches and set something on fire. That would feel good. Maybe she could also throw her mother’s priceless collection of China dinnerware since they did not use it other than for display. 

“Making the end worthwhile huh...” 

In the end, Azura and Hecate became more than enemies and friends. 

It truly was worthwhile. 

Amity only knew one other person who she could have had an extensive discussion with and would have probably had a better explanation than her, but she was not here anymore. 

Hey, at least you got to introduce more people to our favorite series! 

Yes. Amity was molding the minds of the next generation, pulling them on the right path. At least that was a good thing. She could finally enjoy it with other people who might find themselves to be in love with the same series Amity had obsessed over for years. 

But it was different. 

It was never going to feel the same as the love she shared with the person who was not here anymore. 

It’s time to let go, Amity. 

She sighed, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt before she left, with more questions plaguing her mind. The heiress was stuck in her own cave, leaving her companion at the entrance if only to face Gilder Snake on her own. 

The very least Amity could do after that decision was stay alive. 

_ 

She nearly forgot that she had another agenda. 

It was a good thing that she had set a reminder on her phone or else Amity would have gone home without a care in the world. Amity kept forgetting things these days; it must have been from the lack of sleep from studying. 

Or yearning. 

Aren't you tired of this conversation? Amity fired back to herself, tiredly. 

The more you try not to think about it, the less it actually works.  

When the girl headed out to the rugby field, a crowd of strangers were already on the bleachers, eagerly viewing the practice game between Amity’s former teammates. It was nothing out of the ordinary, especially with one of the most popular teams in town. While it was also far from being full, there were a lot of people who were cheering and shouting specific names that Amity assumed some of them were here because they knew the players personally. 

How supportive. 

For a moment too long, she gazed at an empty space in one of the bleachers, remembering a plastic bag filled with unhealthy convenience store food. She lingered in the corner for a while before she turned back to those in the field, observing the way they struggled to chase a ball that would lose its meaning as soon as the game was over.  

After spotting Lilith on the other side of the field, Amity made her way towards her. When Lilith saw the teen, she seemed very pleased and sent the student an acknowledging nod. The former jock dropped her bag on the bench before she followed suit. The game was already in full swing, and Amity was relieved that her phone rang before she was able to leave campus because otherwise, she would not have looked back. 

She could not believe that even after three weeks, she was still not used to driving her car again instead of sleeping in the passenger seat. It made her crankier and she cursed under her breath at how dependent she had become on something that was temporary. 

After she settled in the old bench, Amity raised her head just in time to see her pink-haired friend tackle another player to the ground, making Amity flinch. 

Ooooh, that’s going to hurt.  

She was one of the persons who had first-hand experience (too many times) of Boscha’s rough tackles before. The last time that happened, Boscha had been furious about something and ended up tackling Amity harder than intended, which then led to Amity's broken leg. 

She would have given Boscha a black eye afterwards, but Amity was too busy being swept off her feet and taken to the infirmary by the person she least expected. Amity's senses were quickly filled by the scent of pines and lavender shampoo. She was way too distracted by the firm hold of dark, rough hands on her back and a little bit past her shorts, the person's steady breathing that was way too close to her ear, and even though the person was running fast enough for Amity to feel the wind on her face, all she knew was that that person's embrace was warm. 

Nope, stop thinking. 

With furrowed brows, Amity refocused on the game, while tapping the pen against her knees, listing off her criticisms that she was going to submit to the coach. It was interesting to see how different everything was when she was benched from the time she was out on the field, commanding the game and teammates with incomparable power. From this view, she could clearly observe every player within the vicinity; while she usually based her team tactics on the expressions of the enemy, this new perspective made Amity try to predict both team’s movements through the smallest motions made by their feet and wide-stretched arms. 

Amity could not believe she was having fun just sitting there, listing off every little thing that Lilith would probably have no use for. 

In the end, Boscha won against Amelia’s team along with her other bundle of acquaintance – friends. Amity stood up to congratulate them for their efforts at a practice game, but before she could go up to everyone else who was gathering where Lilith stood, something caught her eye. 

Amelia separated from her teammates in the corner and ran towards the bleachers where a familiar guy with blond locks sticking out of a black beanie stood. They greeted each other somewhat shyly before the guy tentatively reached out to Amelia’s smaller frame before pulling her into a hug. 

Amity blinked. 

“You’d think Amelia would hold a bit of restraint since she was sweating buckets just a minute ago,” Amity’s ears twitched when she heard a familiar voice behind her. Boscha and Skara appeared at her sides, out of breath. Amity wrinkled her nose at the stench of sweat and dirt, before she cringed and thought, Oh my God, did I actually smell like this when I played? 

“Shut up, Boscha,” Skara said helpfully. 

“You’re going to remind Amity how she did that with you-know-who before.” Skara continued, unhelpfully. 

Too late. 

She remembered how surprised she was when she was lifted off the ground and spun around after her final game as the replacement captain of the Banshees. Her body felt warm at the memory of running past her limits due to the person screaming and cheering for her in a blue sweater and bandages all around her shins. How she was taken into her arms and kissed in front of the crowd. 

And she never complained how badly I smelled. 

Amity shot Skara an irritated glare. Skara got the message and shrugged sheepishly, before she stuttered out an apology. Boscha watched the events unfold before she snorted at the end, which only made Amity flush in embarrassment. If Amity was not so distracted by Amelia's laughter, then she would have pushed her two friends back in the dirt where she deemed them to belong. 

With that retort on her tongue, the heiress was about to give them a verbal beating but unfortunately, Lilith called them over before she did. Amity shot the two a look, promising that she was going to deal with them later. They raised their hands in mock surrender (without even a hint of fear on their faces) before following behind the former captain, who grumbled in response. 

They followed the direction of Lilith’s voice and Amity had an inkling that the two were watching her from behind for what she was going to do. Even though Amity knew that, she could not help but glance back at Amelia and whoever she was with. 

They looked like they were having the time of their lives. 

Her friend was all smiles and flushed ears, while the guy did not look dissimilar; he kept nervously adjusting his hat, eyes darting everywhere else as he stuttered out something inaudible. 

How irritating. 

Amiy’s nostrils flared as she took in a deep breath to calm the bubbling anger down. She had nothing against Amelia and the guy, it was just... 

His mismatched fashion sense reminded Amity so much of someone else’s. 

What a ridiculous beanie.  

When they got closer to the crowd of sweaty teenagers, Amity stood further away from the others. Other than the stench of dirt and sweat, the top student felt out of place even though she was once the captain, whom these very same people chose before. 

The last time they all got together like this, was when they crowded around her during their last game. Where the cheer of someone in particular boosted their spirits and they ended up winning the game that Amity was originally a substitute for. 

Lilith was lecturing them regarding a few fundamentals that some of them have forgotten as Amity impatiently tapped her foot against the dirt. She would have tuned them out if Lilith did not go up to her with an expectant look, asking her to demonstrate what she meant when she said footwork. 

Never mind that Amity was wearing a skirt. 

Amity stared at her former mentor as if she had gone insane. Instead of going through with the ridiculous demonstration, Amity gestured for Boscha to come forward and the pink-haired captain did, but not without a smug look on her face. 

There was a flash of disappointment in Lilith’s electrifying blue eyes, but Amity ignored it, and instructed Boscha to do the motions of what Lilith was talking about. What gave Amity the satisfaction of the action was when she could already see where Boscha could go wrong with her form and techniques. 

After the short display, Amity spoke up for the first time, addressing the crowd. Unlike when she was on the team, some of these new members were not paying as much attention as they would. Amity was not showing off; but she would not be lying if she claimed that the team was falling apart without the usual instilled discipline they had last year. 

She recounted every flaw she observed during the game, and it did not slip her notice how the other players shifted their weight from one foot to another because Amity knew she was correct and hit the mark that they hoped no one else would have caught. 

Unfortunately for them, Amity liked to peer into the smallest of things. 

She helped with practice a bit more, getting much more hands-on and personal with the players unlike earlier. After Lilith declared the practice to be over, the players went to the locker room to take the much-needed showers. Amity tended to her own needs, oblivious to how Lilith was approaching until the older woman laid a hand on Amity’s shoulder. 

“Excellent work today, Amity. Are you sure you don’t want to come back?” 

The former captain raised her head to see that there was pride in those electrifying blue eyes, which somehow resembled someone she knew but could not place a finger on. 

They were awfully familiar. It was much more patient and somehow lawful, compared to other people that were in the same age bracket. The teenager may have been wary about Lilith’s strict and intimidating nature, but she simultaneously admired how she could command a room with just her presence. 

She was similar and yet, so different from her sister. 

Oh, wait, she asked me a question. 

Amity blinked out of her daze, seeing Lilith patiently waiting for her answer. But Amity already knew her answer. She already left the life of being a rugby captain behind and joining again was just a painstaking reminder of that time someone called her a chihuahua.  

 “I’d rather not.” She replied curtly. 

Lilith seemed to want to say something regarding her answer, but she hesitated and nodded her head instead.  

“I see. But you’ll always be welcome here.” 

That’s not happening. 

This was Amity’s last year in high school. She had too much on her plate to even consider going back permanently. 

“Because I want to see my girlfriend burn the other team to the ground!”  

And that statement that kept her going for her last game was now rendered void. Inapplicable. Amity was never going to hear that again and it made everything different. She could have all the cheerleaders in the world but if that specific person was not one of them, then her motivation to win the game would go down by fifty percent. 

Even if she hated losing. 

The reason she went back to her last game was because she was given a reason to, and while the final decision was made from her own volition, she had no more reason to pick up something she had already let down. 

Did we really let it down? 

Amity left that question unanswered. 

Lilith said nothing more, but the sympathetic look on her face was something Amity was tired of seeing. In the end, it signaled her that she needed to go home and rest. 

_ 

In hindsight, Amity really should have expected her stress to double. 

At this point, she was not far off applying for therapy. 

As soon as she got home and dropped her bag on the floor, her mother went down to the living room to greet her. She was just in time to see Amity’s rare, disorganized actions and in turn the teen received a disapproving look. Odalia sighed and wrinkled her nose before gesturing for Amity to get changed so she could join them at the dining table. 

To be fair, Amity had disobeyed her parents in more important matters than being untidy with her stuff. She was not scared or intimidated anymore, especially after her parents stopped pressuring her for the first time in her life. 

If anything, Amity hated prolonging something she disliked. The quicker she got changed, the faster she could get the evening over with.  Without a word, she headed to her room and dressed herself in a simple, medium-sized black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the hem tucked into another pair of black shorts out of the other ten pairs she owned. 

Black was an easy color to pair with and it matched with her painted nails. 

Unlike her mother and father who dressed up fancily during a house dinner, the siblings have stopped doing so ages ago. At some point, their parents stopped mulling over it and let them be, so long as “they were presentable.” 

Amity liked to change the statement to as long as she was comfortable. 

She went down to the dining hall on the first floor, passing by the butlers and maids who acknowledged her with a bow of their heads and usually Amity would wave back but she was too exhausted to even communicate today. 

The heiress pushed the large doors open and was greeted by the long, vertical table that she had eaten in ever since she could remember. The oak table withstood the test of time, and what has always perturbed Amity was how it never complimented the rest of their gothic manor. It was impressive though, how it was still in pristine condition, without even a hint of wear and fade. 

It gave Amity some sense of comfort. 

There was nothing much in this room, which was kind of a waste of space. Large family portraits hung on both sides of the room, looming over them intimidatingly. From where Amity stood, the windows took up the entirety of the wall behind Alador Blight. Her father sat at the end of the table, which he called the “King’s chair,” and while Amity found it stupid, she shrugged it off. Besides him, her mother sat with her back straight and hands neatly folded on her lap. To Amity’s surprise, the twins were there, sitting together on her father’s left side. It was their usual spots ever since they were younger, but Amity never sat anywhere permanently. 

Amity could either sit with her siblings or with her mom and she was weary of both options. 

Well, if there are only two options, I just have to create a third one. 

Swiftly, she took her place on the other side of the table, opposite from her father. It has been way too long since she sat with her family, that Amity felt like a stranger in her own house. None of them seemed to mind the distance between them, and on cue, the chefs entered the room when her mother rang the bell that Amity did not notice earlier. 

How could I forget my parents’ rich ways? Amity snorted inwardly. 

She really had been too out of touch with them to have forgotten these “traditional” Blight ways. 

An assortment of dishes was placed on the table, and Amity wondered why they always had more than they could eat. She thanked one of them silently when he put a plate down in front of the teen. Even before looking down, Amity already knew by the strong smell that today’s serving was one of her least liked foods. 

Blue Marlin. 

Heck if Amity knew if that fish was the same color as its name because she promptly refused every invitation to a fishing trip her parents planned. She bit her lip and swallowed her pickiness, before grabbing the utensils on either side of the plate. Maybe she hated this because it had blue in the name, or maybe because she cringed at seafood in general, but whatever it was, she did not want to complain. 

Amity ate nothing today and a fish was not going to stop her from eating her first meal. She was just going to hope that the hunger in her stomach would make even this taste good. 

I mean, no offense to the chef, I’m sure it would be good, but I just can’t stomach the taste of fish. 

It was a good thing that her parents always left the conversation after dinner because if they did not, Amity would have starved every time they opened their mouth to say something that would lead to Amity losing her appetite. 

“Amity, dear.” 

Speak of the devil. 

She swallowed the first piece of fish, wishing that she was not going to be limited to just one bite. Everyone looked at her expectantly and Amity did her best to chew slowly so she could keep them waiting. Amity scanned the room and saw that there was one chef waiting behind her father, who had a notepad out. 

Oh. 

Right. 

Usually, if they wanted side dishes or were craving for something else, then the siblings could do that after the main course had been served. This was to ensure that they did not eat “unhealthy” food or order “low-class drinks” that her parents would not be able to evaluate. 

“It’s no wonder that you’ve forgotten what we Blights do,” Odalia paused, evidently restraining a sigh from escaping her pursed lips. The underlying tone made Amity bristle, but she knew that she should have recalled their past dinners, so she did not have to go through this now. 

If only they knew how many blue foods I’ve eaten out. 

We’ll get kicked out? 

Nah , Amity answered herself, They’ll just make me drink more ginger tea than I could count.  

Instead, she swallowed the fish and mechanically dabbed her lips with the napkin before she answered monotonously. 

“Sorry, Mother.” 

Her mother nodded, seemingly satisfied as her shoulders relaxed and she leaned slightly back in her tall chair. Amity ignored the way her siblings sent her worried looks as she put on a brave face, even though her mind went blank when she looked back at the chef who nervously waited for her answer. 

She did not usually have anything else than water, and that alone would have sufficed as an answer; but the youngest had formed a habit of ordering something for two during the time she rebelled against her parents’ wishes. 

“Blue lemonade.” 

It rolled out of her tongue so naturally that Amity had said it before it even registered in her mind. Silence descended on the table for a moment. It was not like she could look around and say, What are all of you looking at me for? Because before this, she always ordered water ever since she was old enough to speak. 

Sometimes she ordered lemon water, and even that was rare.  

It could have been because she felt bad for the people that were working non-stop all day so she went with something easy, or because she was not a big fan of soft drinks, but either way, she caught them all by surprise. 

Amity had always been used to people shutting up after she had spoken; that was pretty much normal. What made this different was that her parents always had something to say which irritated her. 

She did not know whether to be proud of herself for rendering her family speechless, or annoyed at the fact that the first thing that came to mind was the blue drink. It was such a small detail, and yet had a strong presence after she blurted it out. 

Edric and Emira shared knowing looks with each other and Amity pretended not to have seen that. On the other hand, Odalia stared at her like she had grown a second head, and Amity could guess that she was thinking of something along the lines of, ‘ Are you really my child?’

Her father’s face was much more unreadable. Alador just blinked at Amity and she could see from behind him how pale the chef had gotten. To her credit, Amity already devised an explanation in her mind that could probably convince them if she tried hard enough. 

It’s to pair it up with the fish that has blue in the name! 

Amity wondered if she could pass off as a comedian in the future. 

When the tense silence continued for a few more seconds, Alador shrugged it off and continued with his meal, which snapped Odalia out from whatever trance she was in. To Amity’s shock, she was not given the scolding she always got even though the frustrated look on her mother’s face was obvious. 

Taking that as a sign, the chef scribbled her order down shakily before he left the room hurriedly. 

The only sound that resounded throughout the room after the door closed on the person’s way out, was Alador’s knife clicking carefully against the plate as he cut through the fish. Even the twins seem as if they could not process what occurred and Amity could tell that it bothered them due to how they were clumsily using their own utensils. 

This was a jarring situation. 

Don’t get me wrong, I hate being scolded but this is much worse. 

In the end, Amity sighed and returned to her own food, not stopping even after the server came in again after a few minutes and brought their drinks. Amity refused to look at the drink that was set down even though her eyebrow twitched at how bothersome it was. 

“Here you are, ma’am. It’s made from blueberries and blackberries. No artificial flavor.” The server said quietly before he bowed and left. 

No artificial flavor. 

That made sense. 

While she could have lived her whole life without knowing that, the newly gained information egged her to drink it even though she was not a huge fan. It was just familiar and that was what she reached out for. 

As she tentatively grabbed it, she shivered slightly as the contact with the ice that embraced the glass spread to the tips of her fingers. She was certainly going to lose her voice tomorrow morning as she downed the drink, but her curiosity won her over if only to compare this drink to the ones she has had in the past. 

She raised it to her lips, unaware of how her family shot her puzzling glances, and took a contemplative sip. Immediately, her senses were overtaken by the scent of an ocean breeze, accompanied by the taste of a mid-tone grape flavor and oh, the hint of berries and lemon. 

There was definitely a contrast between this and what they served at The Owl House. 

Yet, I still prefer the cheaper, artificial one. 

“Now, then - Amity?” 

Her mother coughed awkwardly, interrupting Amity’s internal research on the difference of blue lemonade and quickly, the heiress put the drink down and looked blankly at her mother. It seemed all of them were finished and oh no, it was time for the conversation that Amity managed to escape for the past six months and now she was back. 

“How are your grades for this semester?” 

Like a machine, Amity answered automatically, “They’re as high as ever, mother.” 

Odalia’s golden eyes narrowed as if she did not believe her daughter. This inclined Amity to go deeper into the topic and say the specifics. It was easy because she had done the Blight ritual (the siblings joked) before, which of course, was still as mentally exhausting as ever. During her venture into the activities she accomplished, her siblings added some stuff of their own and Amity’s voice only faded out when her mother finally let out a satisfied hum. 

Yay, the hum of approval. 

“It’s good that you’re keeping up despite being distracted, Amity.” 

Okay, what. 

The moment she got home, her mother bit her tongue and did not go with the usual scalding words of criticism. Then, Amity was allowed to order blue lemonade without a care in the world, and the only thing she was asked about today was her grades. None of her relationships, her friendships or even her rigorous studying schedule. 

Amity should have left it at that; when Odalia turned to Edric and Emira, taking the limelight away from the youngest, she really should have been relieved and yet, she was not. The change in their behavior was appalling.  

Amity was freaked out. 

“You’re not going to ask about anything else?” 

She could feel the shift in the atmosphere as everyone turned to her again, and wow, she had been getting a lot of attention lately. None of them were surprised at the outburst, but the way her brother stopped talking abruptly made Amity feel small under their searing gaze.  

Amity dreaded the fact that she was the one insisting on something, anything, which was strange. It prickled at her, especially when she just cut off Edric from discussing what they did in university today. 

Her father raised a brow at her statement, more from amusement than anything else. 

“Do you want us to?” 

Amity blinked. 

Whatever confidence she gathered immediately diminished at the question. Even when she opened her mouth to speak, no words came out, because what else was she supposed to say? Their family was not exactly the sharing personal secrets type- 

And even if they were, Amity had no secrets to tell. 

Her mother drew in a sharp breath which made every pair of eyes turn to her. Amity wondered if it was her thing, but Amity bet that one of the mysteries of the new world included how Odalia Blight still looked prim and proper despite the overtime work she had in the company. Compared to her mother’s flawless, soft skin, the youngest had hollow eyes and sunken cheeks and if Amity found a mirror, she would probably not recognize herself at all. 

It made the older woman much more intimidating. 

“Your show of interest in what we have to say is...new,” her mother started, and Amity cringed at the restrained wordings. 

“However, I’m sure you have enough on your plate, so we could discuss more important matters after your final exams.” 

Amity groaned.  

There it was. Way to put it upon myself. 

She knew it was too good to be true. There was always a catch, and she had an inkling of what they wanted her to do.  

“Please don’t tell me that you’re going to instigate another dinner with one of your partner’s children.” 

Exhaustion seeped into her voice and what irked her was how it took her parents only one month before they cracked and forced the heiress to meet up with people she may not have qualms with, but already disliked. 

Odalia’s lips turned up into a distastefully crooked smile, which egged on Amity’s prior expectations of what it was. So, when her mother shook her head, no one could blame Amity for short-circuiting and taking a while to process what just happened.  

As if to add to her surprise, her father joined in on the conversation. Another shiver racked up her spine at how calm her father’s voice was, and yet, it took up the whole room, like how it does every time he spoke at a big company party. 

“I told you before, that we won’t be interfering with your affairs, Amity.” 

It was not as if he found her question to be ridiculous; it was void of any negative emotions and nothing stood out. Amity could never get used to it, which always left her high-strung. 

“If you want us to, we could immediately establish a partner for you,” He continued with carefully woven words that felt like an arrow aimed at the heart. 

“But seeing as I still respect your choice of person to be in a relationship with and that you’re still doing well in school, we won’t be doing that.” 

But my relationship is over. 

She wanted to say that aloud. 

There was a protest on the tip of Amity’s tongue, threatening to spill even as her heart hammered against her chest for unknown reasons. Three weeks into being ‘free,’ and not having anyone to talk to about this had probably taken its toll on her. Everyone else in the room was watching them with bated breaths and tensed shoulders, making Amity feel queasy, and suddenly she was hesitant in speaking up her mind.  

It was not as if she wanted to pick a fight with them, nor did she care for their attention on her affairs since one of her greatest wishes was for them to just stop disturbing her with what they wanted her to do. 

They were just far too detached from what Amity expected of them. Her conscience whispered at how this proved that the relationship had been successful even after the separation. 

What Amity was just testing if it was also not futile once they figured out that it was over. 

She had substantial evidence to prove it to them if she wanted to, since she was used to proving things to her parents. Plus, it was not as if they had not seen her cry in the hallways, no matter how embarrassing that was; those should have been enough for them to figure out that they broke it off already.  

If those were deemed insufficient, then they would hear it from Amity herself. 

Maybe she could finally get the heavy thing off her chest when she admitted it. 

So she did. 

“It’s over, though...” 

It was supposed to be a brave and sure sentence. It really was over, but this was the first she told someone that of her own free will. Her parents stared at her blankly; there were none of the scowls and triumphant smiles at hearing those words from her. She was just met with a disbelieving look and for a second Amity was not sure if her face contorted into something unconvincing and that was why her father’s next words were far from being accidental. 

“Is it?” He prompted. 

She blinked. 

Her gaze slid from him towards her mother. Odalia rubbed her temples, as if she were the one having a headache from all of this. Surely, her patience was wearing thin. Edric and Emira nervously bounced in their seats and looked as if they were ready to jump in any time, and in spite of that, Amity still found herself much more concentrated on the question. 

Is it?  

If she were being honest, then Amity could easily say that she could answer every question in school. Whether it was considered the easiest, to those that were deemed the hardest, she had all of the answers on the tip of her tongue, rolling them out smoothly with overflowing confidence. 

Even if she were asked to speak in front of a crowd of her parents’ associates, Amity knew the obligations and contracts like the back of her hand. She was always certain of the right answer in every objective situation. 

And yet...  

She could not bring herself to say the obvious answer.  

If her father asked her the same question two weeks ago, Amity would have surely answered with a frustrated yes. 

While silence was said to have meant yes, this scenario had displayed her reply to have been the opposite. 

Suddenly, Amity’s face fell, and she was disheartened at the truth that was presented to her through that simple exchange. 

_ 

Amity guessed that the universe just liked to force her to confront her feelings. 

She thought she was strong enough to not be swept off her feet by the tides that threatened to drown her every time. 

Well, she was. 

The problem was that her siblings were probably stronger than the tides for actually dragging her out of her room by the end of the week.  

After dinner, she went and locked herself in her room, screaming bloody murder into her pillow. Her anger oozed through the cracks of her self-control, and it showed with how she almost overturned her whole closet and was one step away from burning the manor down. 

Emira had thankfully visited her just in time to see her little sister pull out a lighter from one of her secret closets. They had to hold her down from breaking stuff and it was only after Edric bought her chocolate milk that she calmed down and she became a broody, goth teenager sulking about everything. 

Okay, so maybe the stress got to me. 

But Amity could not help it, she was miserable at not knowing the answer. 

So now she was here. 

“Mittens, are you ready?” 

Amity’s gaze fell over her brother who sat in the driver’s seat. Edric had a look of concern on his face as he waved his hand, apparently trying to snap the girl out of her daydream. Next to him in the passenger seat, Emira watched her carefully, a deep frown on her lips. Amity blinked, trying to register her sibling’s words before she nodded slowly, signaling Edric to start the car with a wave of the hand. Her siblings exchanged glances and without a word, Edric turned the key, making the engine roar back to life.  

The youngest Blight turned her head slightly to her right, watching as the sky darkened even as it was barely noon. They were hardly on the road to the city when the first drop of rain hit against the rolled-up window, then the second, and a third. Soon enough, there was a full shower that obstructed Amity’s sight. She vaguely heard Emira scolding Edric to turn on the wiper, and then there was a click! with the rubber smoothing out the drops from the windscreen at a fast pace. 

Amity turned her attention back to the window as silence settled in among them. Earlier that day, the twins made two rapid knocks on Amity’s door before they pleaded that she go out with them. Reluctantly, Amity agreed and without much of a fight, gave up her car at their insistence. She could tell that the air was thick with tension and surprisingly, not even her siblings dared to slice through it with their sharp words. Instead, Emira reached out for the radio and turned it on. It was a simple gesture, but Amity bristled when for some inexplicable reason, it blared out a familiar song that she knew all too well. 

The tune was stuck in her head ever since it was first sung to her a few months ago during an arcade escapade located on the outskirts of town. Just when she figured that she would not be forced to think when she came out of the confines of her room, Amity was proven wrong. 

  We’re in a very weird 

And strange relationship 

We break each other 

(crush) 

And hug each other 

(and hug) 

“Change the channel.” Her voice was clipped. 

Edric looked like he was about to protest, only to immediately deflate when Emira menacingly told him to drop it. Afraid to go against both of his sisters, Amity assumed, Edric kept his eyes on the road while his fingers clumsily looked around for the switch. When he found it, he tuned in to a country song Amity did not know of which made her sigh in relief. She was certain that that sound was the reason why the twins glanced at her with equally puzzled looks. 

They were going to figure it out eventually. She bet Emira would not take even a few more minutes before it dawned on her. 

Amity regretted ever translating that song to see what it meant. She sighed, rubbing her temples as she felt another headache coming. The rain made her shiver and she hugged herself to keep warm. She cursed under her breath, annoyed that she wore a shirt today. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and tugged at the choker on her neck. It was tighter than usual, leaving her slightly uncomfortable. 

It was cold. Her nose was tinted red, and her ears felt vulnerable to the freezing air. 

That made her frown. Déjà vu. Amity remembered the rush of cold air that hit her face in an ice rink months before. She remembered mischievous brown eyes and the feeling of a beanie being placed on her head, hugging the growing brown locks of her hair. 

Ever since she could not answer the question during the dinner with her parents, the memories that she kept suppressing started popping up one by one randomly throughout her day. She thought having agreed to her siblings’ insistence would at least keep them at bay, but she was wrong. 

Her day barely even started and she was already having an amazing outing. 

“Where are we headed?” She pressed, desperate to put her mind off things. 

Her brother’s voice came out a little too quickly, as if he were thankful about the slight dissipation of tension and the change of topic. He turned the signal on before swerving to the right, which made Amity groan because why on earth did she and Emira let Edric drive through the rain? It made things ten times dangerous. She grabbed the edge of her seat, annoyed, but it was either her sibling was too dense to notice, or he was deliberately ignoring it. 

“The theater! We, uh, mentioned it earlier.” Edric’s voice was sheepish. 

From the mirror, Amity could tell that Emira was contemplating something before she replied with a steady tone which made the youngest’s stomach drop. 

“We were going to see the new Azura movie since we know you like it a lot.” 

Amity’s eyebrow twitched. She shifted in her seat, shivering as the cold hit her much stronger than before. If she were feeling it, she would have corrected her sister and called her a heathen with how she described the ‘movie,’ but, she was not in the mood. It almost slipped her mind how the theater was supposedly showing reruns of The Good Witch Azura and accompanying it with scrapped scenes that were never seen before. It was to hype up the fans for the actual finale that was about to come out in the next month. 

Amity would have been eager to watch it. 

She would want that too. 

She took a shaky breath and laced her fingers together. The presence of the green jacket behind her, which she never bothered to take out of the car suddenly felt overbearing. She slid down the seat, shrinking under the chill of the rainy weather, before she answered in a small voice. 

“Oh.” 

The forest of trees kept dwindling until they were no longer in the premises of the path that led up to their lone mansion. Amity stared blankly out the window, seemingly much more interested in how the scenery had changed from muddy soils to cemented roads rather than listening in to the quiet whispers of her elder siblings, who, for some reason, were much more respectful of Amity’s boundaries today. 

She understood why, though. 

Before she and her siblings reached the theater, the rain turned into a drizzle. She sighed as her older siblings bickered about where to park her car, only to interrupt them about how she preferred not to walk through the rain into the mall. It was weird, how the twins just agreed to what their little sister wanted with not so much of an argument in return. 

Oh, we can take advantage of that.  

At that, Amity grinned. 

There was an indoor parking area where Amity could request the mall to have her car cleaned of the mud and dirt that stuck to it, then let her siblings pay because that was what they promised to do today. She remunerated on the events planned where she could make use of her siblings’ money as she played the little sister card. Maybe she could guilt trip them by bringing up the pranks they have committed for years; have them pay their debts of leaving Amity out of the loop when they went out, and now have a time well spent with her in charge of the fun- 

Okay , she held no such grudge. 

Maybe. 

They had been nice enough to schedule an outing with the three of them today and they did keep their promise of joining her at dinner. 

Don’t forget the gradual decrease in their pranks for the last two years! 

Okay, fine, Amity was going to play nice. 

“Mittens, they have air conditioning inside, so you should bring a jacket.” Emira’s voice was clear and serious, but Amity did not have the heart to tell her that she made a repetitive mistake of not bringing a cover. 

It was probably out of habit. 

“I don’t have one.” She replied and before she could hear the twins’ jabs about how there was a thick jacket in the backseat with her, Amity opened the door and stepped out of the car into the underground parking lot. Supposedly, it should have been warmer due to the cars that were recently parked, their engines still cooling down but instead, regret washed over Amity like the chilly sweater weather because it was almost as if this place was thrusted into a mild version of winter. 

“Damn it,” She whispered to herself. 

A grimace found its way onto Amity’s face as she ignored Emira’s eyes boring holes into her thin, white shirt. She contemplated the odds: she could continue being stubborn and suffer the consequences of her actions for the rest of the day, or she could save herself the trouble and just take the damned jacket with her and avoid her sister’s “I told you so” speech. 

The logical choice was obvious. 

With a frustrated sigh and barely missing her chance to get the article of clothing before Edric locked the doors, Amity chose quickly and snatched it from inside, but not without a grunt. Without a pause, she looped it around her waist and tied it into a knot to ensure it would not fall. Emira was smug as she tossed her braided hair back and leaned against the hood which made Amity roll her eyes. She stuck her tongue out, to Edric’s confusion when he came forward and caught the sisters in a silent battle of facial expressions. 

“Can we just get this day over with?” Amity glared before stomping off towards the entrance. 

“Woah, Mittens!” Edric grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her back around. The growl Amity emitted did not deter her siblings from smiling, with stars in their eyes. Edric wagged his finger as Emira came forward and mimicked the action, somehow more mockingly. 

“We got a whole day planned out, but you have to enjoy it!” Emira exclaimed. “It wouldn’t be fun if you were sulking, you know...” She continued a little more quietly. Edric nodded, but at which statement he agreed with, Amity did not know. Probably both. 

I am not sulking! Is what she wanted to answer, but looking at it from a different angle, Amity could tell why they would think that. Her siblings had been there most of her life and while they did get her in trouble most of those times, they tried making up for it for the last two years with much more direct words and actions rather than subtle teasing ones. 

Amity owed it to them and to herself to at least enjoy their time together after so long of not hanging out, at the very least. She took in a deep breath and relaxed her body, surprised at how stiff she had been, evident of the stress that accumulated in her back. 

She was sure there were more knots than before. 

“Alright, fine.” 

It was pleasant to see her siblings’ eyes light up like a Christmas tree as they dragged her towards the entrance, each of them grabbing each of Amity’s hands. 

Maybe she would enjoy today. 

_ 

She was not enjoying today. 

In hindsight, Amity really should have expected reminders every now and then. It was as if she was on a tedious track, trying to avoid things she was not actually certain of. They had time to kill before the showing started and the twins had dragged Amity shopping. She might have hissed like a snake when Edric roped both of his sisters into accompanying him to a figurine and video game shop. 

It was not as if she hated video games. 

Instead, it was more of how Amity might find those Good Witch Azura games that someone had mentioned before, making her worried about buying them on the spot. She was proven correct when she explored the room, with an obvious distance between her and her siblings. 

As Edric and Emira talked loudly in the shop and troubled the employee about things Amity did not understand, she browsed the shelves in the corner. The shop was not big per se, it was very snugged, with shelves making up the walls and a single counter in the middle. It was more or less, half the size of Hexside’s bathroom. Which was also considerably another half of Amity’s room. 

She ran her fingers over the set of games being displayed and stopped just as she reached the edge where the games were covered in dust. Amity guessed these were not that popular with the crowd; either because they were considered lame and ridiculous, or people just could not see that they were actually really cool. She scanned the set of games with an obvious disinterest, until she saw the familiar color palette of her favorite series. A witch staff, coupled with the infamous green hair, which comforted Amity every time her mother asked her to re-dye her own. 

At least she could look like her favorite character. Somewhat. 

Amity frowned, eyes softening at the thought that this video game had been here for so long with the others, the box embraced in particles of dust. The advantage of liking a popular (with the younger generation) book series was that there were a lot of promotions and advertisements. These included cosplaying, items, video games and the like - but as Amity turned eighteen, she could count just how many people she knew who also liked the series as much as she did. With one finger.

Amity was well-versed in anything regarding The Good Witch Azura; other than the movies shown in the theaters (which she begrudgingly watched after a bit of time when they ended up becoming available on streaming channels), one could call her an expert. So, she was aware that The Field of Deadly Fates had a multiplayer option to highlight Hecate and Azura’s teamwork since that was the main theme of the book it was based on. 

Amity wanted it. 

She already knew a person who would volunteer to play it with her without getting bored, and one who understood every context that the game and book held together. Amity would deny it if someone accused her of consciously thinking about that very same individual, but for some reason, it had become natural for that person to invade her mind more often than necessary. Amity’s chest tightened when she imagined how they could have played this game together, only to also recall that it would not have been possible with how things were. 

She really could use a break from yearning. 

Perhaps it was due to her not exactly going out often before everything happened. Now that she was out in the open but with her siblings, everything felt familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. It was not her first time in a mall. If anything, the mall was like a second ‘home’ next to the manor; the only thing different was that she had been here plenty of times with the same old person. 

Being here with Edric and Emira gave her a different feel. It would have been way lighter if she could forget the events that led to her siblings inviting her out. 

“Mittens, did you find anything you like?” Edric called from the counter. 

Amity hesitated. Right, going back to the topic of the game in front of her, which she completely forgot. One of the perks was that she could finally own a game to add to her Azura collection at home. The downside was that it was going to be a blatant reminder of a person she liked just as much as she did her favorite character. 

Her fingers lingered closely to the edge of the video game, and even though she contemplated those things, something nagged at her from the back of her mind to just take it and go. It was without a doubt, not up for debate seeing as her fingers were already brushing against it. 

Wouldn’t you prefer having both in your heart? 

That was possible. 

Maybe there were times that she could have both things she wanted; keeping a video game that she could treasure, even if the person she valued a lot already became a memory. Fresh or distant or neither, she was not here, and that was the only thing that mattered to Amity despite how sad the thought was. 

She did not have to choose between a physical object and a person whose presence was not there- heck, there was no need to. Amity bit her bottom lip before she grabbed the game and clutched it in her hands. It felt right. She trudged towards the counter, slightly relieved at the choice she made. 

“Yeah, yeah…I like this one a lot.” 

After Emira volunteered to pay for the video game, Amity made a mental note of stealing Edric’s console once they went back home. 

It was when they were in the theaters that Amity found herself more distracted than the rest of the week. Before they entered the theater, the siblings walked around the mall, with the youngest tuning out completely which made her miss the conversation that supposedly included her. Emira had them convinced that theater food was overpriced and that it was much better for the economy if they bought from the outside. Which was total bullshit considering that they were sold in the same mall. Although, it did make Amity wonder if the popcorn she shared with the person she last went here with was twice as expensive than it should have been. Either way, Amity did not actually care so much because she was not the one paying for anything today. 

Their feet brought them in front of a fast-food restaurant. Amity’s eyes dimmed, knowing that Edric would order more greasy food than needed, which would directly affect Amity’s athletic diet, and whatever similar thing Emira had going on. Reluctantly, she went inside with them, arms crossed in mock coolness (No, really, it was not because this accursed place had air conditioning in cold weather). There was no line despite how it was time for lunch, so the siblings quickly browsed the large menus that hung on the wall. 

“Don’t you have it memorized by now?” Amity rolled her eyes. 

Edric pouted at that, and he sighed. 

“Mittens, what if they added something to the menu and we didn’t look at it?” 

“You mean like more pickles?” 

At that, Edric shut his mouth and grumbled. He marched towards the counter with such vigor that it left Amity amused. Emira giggled at the scene before following after their brother, who was taking way too long ordering that Amity started to assume he was already complaining to the poor employee. 

She watched as the twins shoved each other in front of the helpless employee who could not butt in even if he wanted to. Amity decided to take pity on him and quickly appeared at their side. Her presence did not seem to ease the employee’s worry; instead, the moment his eyes landed on her, his expression told her, Another green Blight appeared! 

Amity remembered getting asked what her order was, and really, she was craving for burgers. Her answer was way off the tangent and was not related to burgers. It was on the tip of her tongue, and she had to reevaluate her life choices because what came out instead was a question: 

“Do you have any blue food?” 

Amity had never received so many weird looks until today. 

Granted, she shared those weird looks with someone else, and technically she was not alone right now, nevertheless, the twins did not even vouch for her. They even apologized for her strange behavior and Amity had to restrain herself from dumping coke over their heads. 

After almost causing a fiasco in the restaurant, they finally went to the movies. 

What she originally thought was a good idea, turned out to be the exact opposite. 

As soon as she sat down in one of the seats in the corner where she could leave easily, she was hit with the familiar urge of looking for something to cling on. While surely the temperature rose due to them running around the mall, she was suddenly made all too aware once more of how freezingly cold the theater was due to the air-conditioning. 

Edric and Emira did not have a problem with this as they indulged themselves in the movie and the chicken nuggets that they got earlier. It was also because they were also clad in thick, wool jackets of their own which was understandable as it was the rainy season. 

Amity swallowed thickly. She knew that this problem could be solved by untying the one around her waist, nevertheless her pride won her over and she decided to force herself to concentrate on how Azura was now travelling through the woods with the hellhound friend she made along the way.  

The heiress was always immersed in something once she started to pay attention to it. It was something she had done ever since she was a child, and she was probably doing a good job because she successfully kept her eyes glued on the screen which showed Azura to have reached the forbidden forest before Hecate did if only to get the celestial staff- 

Then Amity sneezed. 

The sound bounced off the walls and she sunk in her seat, knowing that some people must have certainly turned their heads to see where the noise came from. Besides her, Emira snickered which made Amity hide behind her hands, groaning in response. 

“Mittens, at this rate, you’re going to catch a cold.” Edric whispered and leaned forward to glance at her. 

Amity knew that. 

She was exasperated. Nothing was going as planned today. Still, with a grimace, Amity chose to want to still see it to the end because it could be worth it. It might turn out to be a good thing in the end. Without further deliberation, she untied the bomber jacket and slipped her hands inside the sleeves. 

It was not as if she anticipated it, she was not dumb enough to disregard the possibility that it could have done more harm than good; even so, her guard crumbled in an instance when she caught a whiff of a faded scent of pines.  

There was a whirlwind of emotions that suddenly shot up to her chest, making her heart clench uncomfortably that she had to gasp. 

I can’t breathe. 

In the weeks that followed the inevitable ending, Amity has not cried. She worked herself to the bone, built her grades up, fixed the friendships she abandoned, and witnessed the changes in her family dynamics. 

She made it so that there would be no more room to think about what has passed. They were memories to keep, yes, and Amity could look back on them in good faith when the time comes, nevertheless, the present was different. 

Amity felt nauseous. There was a pang in her heart, and as she took in a shaky breath, ran her fingers through the brown locks of her hair. There were tremors in her fingertips, and she cursed the sudden overflow of her feelings just because of a damned jacket. 

Even when she wore her own sweaters, it did not stop her person from placing a jacket on her shoulders. 

How was it that her scent has not faded away? 

Or did Amity really just remember it and she was just hallucinating? 

Whatever it was, she felt strangled in this room. 

  It was as if she was going to have an emotional breakdown any moment and she was trying her hardest to deny it. Don’t cry, she warned herself, Don’t cry over spilled milk. She repeated the mantra desperately and blinked away the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes and she was confused as to what was triggering what - 

“I have to go.” 

Her voice was in quiet panic. 

When Emira heard her, she quickly turned to check if Amity was alright. Her brows were creased and filled with worry, and her lips were pursed in concern. Amity looked at her apologetically because today was supposed to be their day off from schoolwork and stressful events, not a day where Amity was bombarded by reminders left and right. 

Her senses were overloaded by a girl who was not here. 

“Go,” Emira smiled sympathetically. 

“Text us if you need a ride home, okay?” 

She was pricked by guilt, and she made up for it with a silent apology and a wave of goodbye before she was already up to walk away in the darkness of the theater. 

Pensive was only half of what could describe Amity’s feelings as she sprinted out of the mall with a troubled mind. 

When she got outside, she found that the rain had stopped, but the streets were decorated with different sizes of puddles. The teenager had no concrete place in mind, nonetheless, she let her feet take her wherever. Amity acknowledged that her boots would get ruined as soon as it made contact with the dirty, murky water all around. Still, she trudged on, unconsciously pulling the jacket tighter around her shoulders. 

It was strange to not have actively thought of someone she held dear for so long, and then suddenly being bombarded left and right by memories of a strong embrace, gentle kisses and lingering touches.  

She breathed in the earthy scent, and the more she walked away, the more troubled her mind became.  

This past week had been filled with endless reminders of things that were physically over. When she thought back to what her father asked, Amity was frustratedly confused at what he meant; yet as she gave in to the thoughts and memories because of the large presence of the jacket that had always given her comfort, it was as if she was slightly enlightened. 

The torment of having these memories of someone that suddenly became a stranger was something not short of Amity’s biggest fears. Yet, even if she claimed that it was truly done, something within her screamed that there was no clear distinction that it was over. 

That somehow, she could feel that it had not ended at all. 

It was just so difficult how messy everything ended up being.  

How can real, raw , feelings come out from something they tried to fake?  

The longer everything went on, the more Amity figured that they blurred some lines somewhere in between everything else.  She was probably just scared of hoping and then getting those hopes crushed. 

But what if? 

What if she developed feelings as well? 

Amity yelped when a private car passed by her abruptly, almost splashing water over her. The suddenness of the event snapped Amity out of those puzzling questions, and she had to check where her feet had taken her. Her face scrunched up when the fog thickened without her realizing until it completely obscured her sight.  

Great, I left the umbrella in the car. 

She took vigilant steps forward, with one hand slightly stretched to scan her surroundings. It was not as if there were no people around, but Amity could only make out their silhouettes as she trekked forward. She was almost sure that she recognized this place, because if her body was able to remember Hexside’s hallways and her classroom, then she should have been able to remember the streets she drove in, especially when there was often a scheduled fight in a random parking lot somewhere. 

Amity was uncertain as to how much time had passed, or how long she had been lost in her thoughts. It was not until she reached a bus stop that she almost stumbled over something and barely caught herself from falling onto the pavement. 

Puzzled, she casted her eyes downward and her face scrunched up when she found a dog clawing her leg, its tail whooshing back and forth excitedly. Any other day she might have had a heart attack and screamed. Today however, she had lost whatever energy she had to yeet the random dog and she ended up staring at it instead. There was a red collar with a golden pendant hanging around the dog’s neck and recognition slowly dawned on Amity. 

“King?” 

The dog barked. 

It clawed at her jeans which made Amity flinch before she crouched down. Quickly, King raised his paws and placed it on her thigh before he started sniffing her. To the heiress’ amusement, he tilted his head as if confused. Amity reached out to pet him only to be avoided as King walked around her to sniff at her clothing again and- oh. 

The jacket. 

“You know this scent?” She asked quietly. 

Of course, he does. 

Did he somehow confuse me with her? 

She doubted being dubbed as a ‘chihuahua’ meant that she and King understood each other. 

Amity glanced around anxiously. His owners did not seem to be in sight but as she squinted, that was when she noticed the familiar signage and bushes that surrounded the area, although barely. She stood under the shadow of The Owl House, bright, flickering lights that pierced through the fog looming over her head.  

Oh, shit. 

That explained why King was here.  

As if sensing her distress, King sat back down in front of her, gazing up in wonder. Amity picked him up, her mind going back to that night she was baking cookies inside the place she was currently standing, of how she smelled of buttery goodness while she danced with the dog in the kitchen. 

“Why are you outside?” She scrutinized the dog in her hands, her fingers slightly rubbing his rough, dark fur. King only answered with a grunt and stuck his tongue out. 

“Right, you’re a dog.” 

A dog that somehow made it past the creaky door and instead of running away, had stayed very close to his house. 

She brought him back down again and sighed, burying her face within her hands. From the onlookers’ point of view, she must have looked crazy for talking to a dog. She could care less about what they thought though; seeing King and The Owl House brought about mixed feelings and Amity did not know the right response to this. 

Her feet took her to the one place she was hoping to avoid. Then again, this place used to be an area of comfort, where Amity sought solace whenever things were bad at school and at home. 

Seeing it made her feel relieved and at the same time, nervous.  

King’s presence was… nice. 

“You know, I’ve been a terrible sister,” She continued before scratching King’s chin. He purred and leaned into her touch, and the corner of the teenager’s lips curled up slightly. 

“I’ve been trying my best to move forward,” Amity did not like how her voice was barely above a whisper and how she had been reduced to pathetically taking her problems to a dog. She hoped it would not stress him out. 

“-I’ve really been trying. I keep telling everyone that it’s over, but none of them believe me. Not even my own parents! It’s frustrating, you know. I was supposed to enjoy this day with my siblings, and go home happy. Move on, maybe. I didn’t ask-” She gestured to her heart and her surroundings, her voice trembling and lips quivering. 

“-for this. Everything reminds me of her, and I really do want to keep the memories, but how could I if I ended it so painfully?” 

She bopped King’s nose and he tried to push her hand away with one of his paws, making her chuckle albeit weakly. 

“I wonder if she’s doing as bad as I am...” 

Amity certainly hoped not. 

King did not give her an answer. That much was obvious. Yet, she felt lighter somehow. Like she had loosened her hold on the burden that threatened to crush her heart. It prompted her to continue her conversation with King, but she did not know when talking about what she wished was different, turned into a rambling of what she missed about the person who occupied her heart but would not dare say her name. 

The whole time, King just laid there on the dirty pavement, much to Amity’s chagrin. What kept her going was how his ears were still perked up, a sign that he was still listening even if he did not understand Amity’s words one bit. 

The perfect person- err, dog- to communicate with. 

“-One time, we got stuck in a closet together. Actually, I wasn’t supposed to be the person there with her,” Amity faltered slightly at the end, but as she reminisced, it brought her back some strength, “-Emira suddenly pushed me in front, and I was the one she chose for that little game!” 

She puffed her chest out triumphantly, her cheeks reddening for the first time in a while. It was always at the thought of her. Talking about these good memories had never felt so exhilarating, and it was apparent that this was what she needed to do all along. 

Talking to somebody. 

Even if King knew it was faked, he would not be able to tell anyone either way. 

He seemed caught up in her excitement as he let out a lively bark. Amity smiled at that. When she got her own flat, she was going to get her own dog lest she stole the little guy in front of her. 

“You were there during the awkward dinner, weren’t you?” She cooed and ran her hand through his fur. He nuzzled into her hand, licking it gingerly, to Amity’s amusement. 

“If you went up along with her mom, maybe you would have bitten me.” 

It was probably a hallucination, but Amity swore she saw King nodded in agreement with her. 

As she muttered more about the memories she has wanted to share for so long, a gust of wind blew, which made her remember how she was currently crouched on a wet and dirty pavement. She quickly noticed the cramps in her legs, signaling that a bit of time had passed. A shiver ran down her spine and she cursed under her breath. She shook her head and tucked a stray hair behind her freezing, uncovered ears, praying that she was not going to catch a cold after today. 

King showed signs that he noticed her discomfort as he began to nip at the edge of the precious jacket Amity kept safe. He pulled her towards the entrance, and she tried not to be too impressed at how well-trained he was. 

“I can’t go in there.” 

The whine King let out made Amity’s heart clench and she whined back. King is the only one who’s going to hear that, she promised to herself. Animals can do wonders. 

“Because Eda might kick me out if I went.” 

“She won’t.” 

At the new voice, Amity froze. She whipped her head back and paled when she thought it to be the owner of the café. Her eyes focused on porcelain skin that seemed whiter than when she had seen her earlier that week. Lilith stood before her, clad in a navy-blue coat and black boots. Her hair was swept to the side, and somehow Amity almost did not recognize her since her expression was much softer than what she wore at school. 

Well, this is awkward. 

Amity stared at her blankly. 

“How long have you been standing there?” She asked with suspicion laced in her tone. 

Lilith shrugged and stuffed her hands in her pockets, unable to meet Amity’s gaze. In return, the heiress’ face fell, and she groaned inwardly at being caught talking about sappy stuff regarding someone who was- if Amity analyzed correctly- awfully close to being Lilith’s niece. 

“If it matters, I didn’t hear you talking about how your ex-girlfriend was stupid but that was what you loved about her.” 

God, please open the ground and let it swallow me . 

Maybe she should have worded that better, because the ground in fact, did not open as she prayed for it to do. 

Her former coach was unbothered by her inner turmoil as she gestured to the door. 

“Let’s head inside, shall we?” 

The teen did not know what kind of force pulled her over to obey, because she was only able to process what had happened after she was already inside. 

The inside of The Owl House was the same as ever. Mismatched furniture, large, edited posters of Eda and a demon King on the wall, flickering lights that Amity knew all too well, and immediately, amber eyes zoned in on a specific table that has always been reserved for her every time she came to visit.  

Due to the chilly weather, Amity was certain that the café would have been bustling with a crowd of teenagers to young adults to hide from it. From the looks of it though, today was not one of those busy days. There were more unoccupied tables, and the noisy chatters Amity had gotten used to during the times she came over were reduced to whispers that fit the weirdly peaceful ambiance. 

Her lungs experienced the sudden urge of being constricted, and she let out a shaky breath at the overwhelming feeling of being homesick at a place that was not her actual home. She shut her eyes tight at the welled-up feeling and at the same time, basked in the familiar scent of sweetness brewing in the kitchen. 

“Lilith, is that you? Did you bring the stuff?” 

Amity cringed at the voice. 

She had the urge to step behind Lilith and try to keep herself small under her towering height, but before she could do anything, she had already seen the familiar mop of grey hair as Eda came into the main room. She was wearing a hairnet that seemed as if it was barely holding her puffy white locks. Her usually, edgy dress was replaced by a white shirt with 30 & Flirty printed on it, and over it was a red apron. 

To be fair, this was the only time she looked like an almost professional home cook. 

Regret washed over the girl, and she started to curse everything before this situation- from how she listened to her mother and dyed her hair again, which made her stand out, to the green jacket she was still wearing, and the guilty expression on her face. Eda paused as she saw her, and the older woman’s eyes narrowed. Her red lips curled into a hard frown. 

“What is Minty doing here?” Amity flinched at how Eda’s voice hinted at a controlled anger.  

She had no doubt that if she even opened her mouth to speak, Eda would snap and kick her out. She shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly, her eyes more interested in her ruined boots than meeting the piercing stare of golden hues. 

“She found King outside and was reluctant to bring him in.” 

Amity glanced at her side, where she found King lazily walking to where Eda was, before his body went slack as he leaned against the owner’s slippers.  Maybe it could help slow down the beating of her heart, but it was futile. She could still feel the burning gaze of the person who, no matter how strange it was, had given her sound advice and defended her in front of a mother whose opinion Amity values a lot. 

“Is that so? Didn’t think she’d come back here after breaking it off with my kid.” 

Amity tensed and swallowed the lump in her throat. There was no accusatory tone in Eda’s voice which made it all the more dreadful because it was the truth. The least the teenager could do was to apologize. As soon as she opened her mouth however, Eda raised her hand to stop her. 

“Don’t apologize to me. I ain’t the person you did whatever you did to… Really, I don’t know why you’re with my sister, and it isn''t my place to ask but we’re closing soon.” 

Amity did not miss the grumpy tone that drastically changed the soft mood of the café. After that, Eda stomped back into the kitchen, with King following in tow. Amity stared at the space where the owner was just standing, processing her words before she stiffened as Lilith gently laid a hand behind her back. 

“Let’s sit down, Amity.” 

When they settled in a secluded corner of the café, Amity leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms. She was surprised to find herself back in this place- much less with someone other than her usual companion. Eda came by again earlier, only to drop off tea but with only one cup. She went straight to the point and said Amity did not deserve her good Owl House tea that had her secret recipe in it (even though Amity already knew it was just green tea bought from the convenience store next door). 

“So why did you call me here?” Amity prompted; a bit irritated. It was better to cut to the chase than to do so through small talk. She had an inkling that it had something to do with what happened earlier that week, but if Amity heard just one more invitation back to the team, she was going to lose it. 

Lilith took her time in sipping the tea, which was kind of infuriating, as if she was rubbing it in. Amity tried not to seethe in her seat (although she did contemplate on the fact that she might actually be able to burn through the wood even without a lighter). After Lilith was finished, she raised a brow and tilted her head. 

“I didn’t call you here. What were you doing outside? I didn’t think I’d see you anywhere around here.” 

Amity had no answer to that. She thought she did not want to have anything to do with these people anymore to keep both of them safe; yet, her body betrayed her and came back here, leaving her siblings behind when they reserved this day to try and cheer her up. 

Amity just wanted to run away from this terrible feeling. 

“I don’t know.” She answered tiredly. 

Lilith hummed before she leaned forward and laced her fingers together, finding the teenager’s answer interesting. It made Amity’s ear twitch. She inhaled sharply and balled her fists, not liking the feeling akin to being a science experiment. 

“Why?” 

It was not actually a question. It had “I know you know, so just say so” written all over it. 

Amity did not like it one bit. 

“My reasons have nothing to do with you,” she kept herself from snapping, as she recalled that Lilith was still a teacher and Amity still had the dignity to respect her elders. Maybe. 

Lilith did not seem scandalized, but the fact that she looked unsurprised only perturbed Amity more. The older woman rested her chin on top of her hands, her lips formed into a straight line. She glanced out the window, where there was nothing else to see but dark silhouettes of lingering bystanders near the bus stop.  

Her next words caught Amity off guard, much to the heiress’ dismay. 

“She has gotten into more fights lately.” 

Amity was not blind. She was not dumb enough to fall for the woman trying to bait her to talk, but there were many times she allowed herself to give in, especially when it included the person she specifically told to call the heiress if she intended to fight alone. 

Maybe a month ago, Amity would have received the awaited call. 

She hated it, how Lilith’s words prickled at her skin. 

“I can’t control what she does in her free time.” 

Her answer was solemn and hollow. Amity cannot help it if people asked because she had no control over them. Her anger bubbled for another reason- the fact that Lilith pretended to be concerned about someone she really was not, and the possibility that she was using whatever this plot was to return Amity to the team she already left, was something Amity will not stand for. 

Lilith shrugged, which rubbed Amity the wrong way.  

“I was simply informing you because seeing you together back then made me think your relationship was well. I did hear from the faculty about how you protected her by kicking out some delinquents,” She paused and for a second, an unreadable expression etched on her face. 

“I guess I was wrong.” 

The statement filled Amity with unease. There was an implication that Amity apparently did not care for the person who made up another world that the heiress was not afraid to call home as much as Amity thought she did. It was irritating. 

A human being could take only a few more hits before they break. 

Amity slammed her hands on the table’s surface which made the teapot and cup rattle. Lilith did not flinch at the clear display of anger, and Amity snarled, the stress from the past few days of questioning accumulating into a rage that, she recalled involuntarily, had been something that person dealt with more than anyone else. 

“Why does it matter? What’s done is done. We broke up.” Amity almost choked- “I don't think you have the credentials to tell me what's true." 

"Look, I don’t know why you’re telling me about her fights, but it’s not like I have anything to do with her life now. She wouldn’t want me interfering. I should have let Eda kick me out before you dragged me inside. I couldn’t bear running into...into that person...” 

Lilith, to Amity’s distaste, looked pleased. The teenager knew it was because she verbally stated her miserable thoughts, and contrary to what she said, the emotions instilled in those words portrayed that she wanted to run to that person’s aid right now, just like that night she came out running from The Owl House, frantically searching for the person she baked those blue cookies for and praying that she was safe. 

And what was discouraging was that those emotions were right. 

“I did not drag you inside. In fact, have you ever asked them if that was what they wanted? If I remember correctly, I heard that the person she called every time she got into a fight, was you. If you really think it's over, then what are you doing here?” Lilith pressed. 

It startled her, and instantly she opened her mouth, ready to deny or at least deflect against the question. Whatever she wanted to tell the older woman or herself, or her parents, the words never formed. In the back of her mind, she knew that the reason why she was here was because of the strange week with only one person in her mind. Then there was her association to this place, and on the formed relationship she had with the owner. 

All of it exists because of that person. 

Is it? 

What are you doing here?  

“I may not have treated my sister and her ‘almost’ daughter the best...” Lilith faltered slightly, and Amity wondered what made her look so guilty for a second.  

“But I know that my sister isn’t mad at you. She’s mad at herself for still wanting you to come around and explain instead of insisting the kid to move on. They just want you to explain. Not to her or anyone else, but to-” She coughed, “You know who.” 

Hearing how Eda did not hate her filled Amity with relief. She cannot recall when she had started valuing these adults' opinions over her, still- back then when she was here to ask advice regarding her relationship, and that time when Eda vouched for her during an intimate dinner with a parent that Amity had wanted to know for so long- 

Her intimate relationship with the person she fake dated had given her the chance to form other relationships in the process and through it all, this place became her safe haven. 

Amity's shoulders slumped helplessly. She had wanted to keep these relationships in her life. Lilith gave her a sympathetic look. Hesitantly, she reached out, her hand moving up to ruffle Amity's dyed hair. The action almost sent Amity over, because of how painful her heart clenched in her chest and how much she yearned for fleeting touches that comforted her during the times she kept to herself. 

"You're allowed to be happy, Amity. You're allowed to want things for yourself too." 

It was difficult for Amity to agree. Not when it came to the person that held her heart- the only person she would allow to break it, even if she did it more than a thousand times. Tears pooled at the edge of her eyes, and she hoped that it was not going to mess up her eyeliner. 

"Why are you doing this?" She replied quietly. 

As if already expecting that question, Lilith's answer came easily, albeit a little rigid. 

"I've been there before. We might think we're sparing them the pain by keeping them in the dark...unfortunately, it doesn't work like that." 

Lilith seemed like she was in a daze. Her gaze was unfocused as if she was reliving a past that she would prefer not to elaborate on. It told Amity that the older woman had the same difficulties applying her advice to herself at one point. 

Her electrifying blue eyes peered at the jacket that Amity wore. Consciously, Amity gripped the edges and pulled it tighter around her shoulders.  

The teenager concluded that what probably made her much more comfortable with Eda was because she was the exact opposite of Amity. On the other hand, her older sister was someone Amity had a lot of disagreements within the past, even though she heard that they had had similar goals when Lilith was a student herself. 

“Anyone with eyes could see that you cared for her deeply."  

Without meaning to, Amity quickly flashed back to that night where she saw the confusion swirling within those brown irises. The recollection allowed her to remember her initial theory that they had miscommunicated somewhere along those lines, which shattered the hope she had for her that built up for months, or even years. 

You cared for her deeply. 

It was a statement Amity nodded to. 

"I still do." Amity finally confessed. 

And she does. She absolutely still cared for that person so much that Amity is willing to do whatever it took to keep her physically safe.

She conceded to the truth of what she had denied so many times. During the relationship, she thought that she had already accepted that it was going to end, and it was going to stay as such. Never did she think she would want something more and actually wished that she was going to do something about it.

It was like a weight off her shoulders; what disgruntled Amity could have just been solved if she actually faced it head on like she always asked herself to. Admitting her honest emotions were disconcerting, new yet so nice to embrace.

Lilith smiled softly; expression morphed into something like a proud mother would wear if her child had gotten an A on a subject.  

"Then don't you think she deserves to know?" 

Amity stared at her, and she breathed.

She deserved to know.

Maybe that was the final step to letting go. 

For the past few weeks, Amity had had a subconscious avoidance of everything that reminded her about the person that left her breathless, with a pounding heart and a playful smile. But today she was everywhere. Luz was everywhere. 

And she deserved to know. 

Maybe breaking her heart was what would help mend it back together again. 

She raised her head just in time to see Eda moving towards them with a grim expression on her face. It was then that Amity noticed that this was the first time she looked at her in the face again, which evidently surprised them both. It was somehow discomfiting that this was why her feet led her here, even though Amity was not the kind of person who was needed or wanted to be told what to do. All her life, she was told not to confide her problems to anyone. That a Blight had to be strong and needed no help in solving her problems because they were her own.

She knew that more than anybody else. 

However, just like with King earlier, there was comfort in having someone to talk to. Comfort in listening and following and in conceding. She searched for it through a children's book, her parents, her siblings and through people who had known them over the months. 

The answer was in front of her, and Amity looked at it directly for the first time. 

"I see little Blight can finally raise her head." Eda began with a totally fake tough voice. There was a hint of reassurance in the owner's voice. Her fingers were curled around another cup, which she brought down and to Amity's surprise, it was a glass of blue lemonade. 

"I'll never forgive you if you leave her hanging, kid." Eda's expression softened just like her sister, and Amity pondered on why they were willing to go so far as to care; but then again, she knew that it was because they have seen firsthand, the torment that Luz was in and at the same time, knew that Amity was also in the same boat. 

"Okay?" 

Amity lifted the lemonade to her trembling lips, and she looked up at them petulantly. 

"Okay." 

I need to talk to someone. Go home without me. 6:13 p.m.  

Disaster 1 (Em) : Okay, Mittens! Bring her home, okay? 6:15 p.m.  

Disaster 2 (Ed) : Whoo! Go Mittens! We'll cheer for you, though that doesn't mean she's off the hook. 6:17 p.m.  

_ 

Seeing her was nothing short of beautiful.  

Amity found her easily. That is to say, she headed straight for her house. Her excitement got the best of her and even though the sisters offered her a ride, she already took off, running. When she arrived, sweat stuck to her face, and she was out of breath. It was not exactly the most ideal appearance to have when meeting up with the person you like, but she digressed. 

Their house was locked. The heiress could have waited at the doorstep to see when they would come home, however, there were two reasons as to why she decided to circle the premises instead. 

One, no way in hell was she going to pathetically sit on their doorstep, accompanied by the monstrosity carved on their door which Luz called an owl.  

Second, she would rather not be there when Mrs. Noceda came home first. 

So, she explored the surroundings first- before she noticed the path that led to the forest, where faint footprints made up the damp soil. 

The rain was on our side! Her mind cheered. 

Luz sat on the steps of an abandoned cabin that was nestled deep in the forest behind the Noceda Household, something that Amity would have been wary to enter on any other occasion. 

She was the same as ever; with two longer locks that framed the front of her face, accompanied by the short cut on the nape of her neck which Amity always found weird and yet so endearing. She had a lost look on her face, which was something the heiress has never seen before when they were together. The jacket that was always draped around Amity’s shoulders was, for the first time in a while, worn by the actual owner. The folded sleeves covered her forearms this time and it was a lot fitter on her frame, and consciously, Amity tugged on the sleeves of the jacket she wore, noticing how it was looser on her wrists. Under her jacket, she discarded the usual striped tee that she went with, in exchange for a black shirt. 

The trees did not totally obscure Amity from what she could tell, but it was apparent that the person that held her heart was too occupied staring at something in her lap. Amity squinted only to make out that the hands that once wrapped her in tight embraces, grasped something that the girl thought had long been trashed. 

Amity pursed her lips. 

She kept it. 

She really kept it. 

The teenager wanted to break down then and there. 

She took timid steps forward, with her heart beating rapidly in her chest, and lips quivering from the overspill of the tenderness she sensed in her body. In this unprecedented meeting, Amity’s mind became quiet. She could no longer deny how relieved she was at seeing the one who changed her whole view on life. She no longer wanted to rebel against the truth of what she felt towards the girl who dressed as an otter during prom. 

For the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to say that person’s name. 

“Luz.” 

That name rolled out of her tongue naturally- it felt so right. Her voice cracked at the end and Amity bit her lower lip to keep herself from flushing in embarrassment. 

Luz looked up. Her jaw turned slack at the sight of her. Amity grimaced when Luz inched away from her; and it hurt- it really did- but she ignored the burning feeling in her chest.  

They had not seen each other for so long that Amity struggled not to reach out to touch her. 

She watched as Luz took in a shaky breath to compose herself. The tall girl straightened her back and stared at her and Amity’s heart sank. Her eyes were hollow, and it looked like she lost some weight. Her brows were slanted indignantly before she spoke so quietly that if they were not isolated in a forest, Amity would not have heard her over the city noise. 

“Blight. What are you doing here?” 

There was an urge within her to lie and say that she came back to return Luz's jackets; even though it would not bode well for Amity to do so seeing as she should have brought six months' worth of clothing with her if she went with that fallacious reasoning.  

Her voice was just as Amity remembered it to be. It was not that deep nor was it that high- there was no spite in the question, and Amity would go as far as to say that Luz actually wanted to see her. Because as much as she tried to hide it behind an estranged tone, Amity came all this way. 

She caught Luz's glance over what she wore, and it alleviated the pained expression on her face. 

Amity looked down and stuffed her cold hands into the jacket's pockets. She wondered how to bring it up again- only having the resolve to see Luz yet, still not knowing what to do about this situation.  

"I wanted to see you." 

There was solace in how she was finally able to tell the actual truth without covering it up with a jab or a snarky remark. Luz was taken back, and she leaned forward in her seat, her dark eyes that were almost expressionless earlier, had a tiny bit of flame dancing in it again. 

Hearing that Luz was not doing better by the passing days- that she was still wallowing in misery after the breakup, filled Amity with affliction. And it showed. Luz was very clearly in pain. Just from the sight of the heiress. Amity swallowed and curled her fingers into fists. 

"It worked." She started off, glanced back at Luz and found that she was staring. Understanding dawned on her, before she slid her gaze back to the ground. They fidgeted at the awkwardness in their movements and Amity was aware that they have been so used to bickers, jokes and close contact that having a conversation at a distance, while talking politely, was something foreign. 

"Oh." 

She knew Luz was waiting for her to say more. Amity recognized those habits all too well. Luz fidgeted and ran her thumb over the beanie, before she paused. It was as if she had just realized that Amity, the person who gave it to her, was here. She tucked the beanie in her jacket's pocket, and Amity wondered for a second if it was a mistake to come here and reopen the wounds. 

If they did close in the first place. 

"I haven't seen you in school." 

Luz weighed that sentence. She coughed and straightened her back, and even when she did, she looked smaller than Amity remembered her to be. There were only a few times when Luz showed her vulnerable sides, and even fewer times that Amity witnessed it happening right in front of her. 

"I volunteered for a ton of shit that took up my time." 

That explained the bags under her eyes. Below her neck, Amity caught a glimpse of colored bandages which gave her goosebumps. It must have been why she also decided to keep the sleeves unfolded today. Her breaths were a tad bit strained, and she could not meet Amity's eyes. 

It broke her heart. 

Luz looked up again, and tried to smile, only for it to come out weak and pained.

“ What are you doing here, Amity?”

There was a plea in those words: ‘ Please don’t make it harder than it already is.’ Amity wanted to tell her that it would be impossible to make things more difficult than it already was, except she knew that Luz deserved a conversation that does not divert from the issue at hand.

"Do you regret it?" Amity's voice was soft- something completely different from her haggard appearance and edgy personality. They both knew what she was referring to; there was nothing else that involved them, other than the relationship they had after all. Luz did not answer for long seconds, and it felt like she did not plan to answer at all, and Amity was scared to accept silence as the answer. 

Nevertheless, she waited. Even when her feet were sore from walking and running around Bonesborough all day; even though she had been standing for who knows how long; and even though she had been exposed to the cold way too much today. 

Because Luz's face was not contemplative. She already had an answer and Amity could feel her eyes glisten in response. 

Luz twisted the black rings that decorated her fingers, something she did when she stressed.  

"I never regretted agreeing to your proposal, Amity." 

Her next words were similarly soft. 

"It was nice being with you every step of the way. It was fun at first, because we never really got to know each other that well...but at some point, I started to..." She faltered. 

Luz seemed strained.  

Selfishly, the girl wanted her to keep going. It was as if they had waited for this moment- waited for the closure that no one dared to take the first step in weeks. In months. Luz restrained herself from babbling, which Amity understood very well.

But they had to try.

Amity swallowed and with slight confidence, she raised her head and was met with those rich, brown eyes that she fell so deeply for. Other than the tension in the air, there was also a shared comprehension- understanding- of what the situation had become. There was a thought that racked Amity's brain; regarding the options that were available to them now. Of which one they were going to choose. If they chose different alternatives. 

It was time.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Luz. For this." 

Amity found it hard when she realized that there were only a handful of times, she apologized to Luz for hurting her, physically, emotionally, mentally- and if possible, she wanted to keep apologizing. 

"Yeah. I'm sorry too." 

The instantaneous reply caught Amity off guard. It tugged at her heartstrings, when she caught the undertone of the other teen that indicated how she shared as much responsibility as Amity did. Her legs trembled and Amity had no doubt that at some point during this meeting, she was going to fall on her knees. She was wary of stepping closer to Luz though- 

Because all she wanted to do was to hold her. 

"I'm sorry for...putting you in the spotlight back then." Luz's voice was hoarse, and Amity gulped, because the longer she stared at her, the more she noticed how Luz's eyes were red and Amity could tell that she thought about what happened just as much. They flinched at the mention of the dinner party, and Amity knew it was genuine, because no one else would fake being this hurt over it. 

If Luz did not care for her, did not care for the intimacy they had developed over the months - years even - then she would not have been consumed by the pain three weeks later. She would not have cried that night. Amity started to see her actions clearly- from the affectionate gestures and gentle kisses to the tight hugs and physical support in times of needs.

"I knew it was going to end soon. That you weren't going to need me to fend off your parents now," Luz's voice was shaky and it only continued to push Amity to cry. She could feel her own body trembling and Amity forced herself to stay quiet even in this strained moment, terrified that she was going to sob and ruin the conversation. 

"You were stressed, I knew that-" She ran her hand over her hair, and she grabbed at it so tightly that it made Amity wince as the frustration seeped through the cracks of her voice. 

"I went and said something shitty. You must have thought that I was using you, right? I'm so sorry, Ames-I-I really am and fuck I didn't know what to do. I wanted to see you after. I wanted to explain that I just wanted to spend more time with you, but I wasn't sure if you wanted the same thing." 

Amity never imagined how heart-shattering it was to listen. She covered her mouth and bit her lower lip so hard that she was going to draw blood sooner or later. Luz thought of her. She wanted to put Amity first. 

And oh , they were just teenagers who had no prior experience in liking someone for real. 

"You already had a lot on your shoulders. You had to study hard to manage a company, you had to meet a lot of different people and I didn’t want to add to the stress. I wanted to be the person who you could go to when it became unbearable...And I know I was just a cover-up and at first it was okay!" The way she raised her voice gradually startled Amity and she stepped back.  

"It was okay." 

It isn't. You're more than that. Amity was desperate to tell her. But she was choking on her words and all that came out were strangled sobs. 

The feelings they bottled up broke through the fragile glass, and their sentiments were finally unleashed. Months on end of stressful thinking that they kept at bay were finally showing and God , how unhealthy were the things they were going through and how they coped with it. 

"Amity." 

Amity watched Luz's neck move as she swallowed and met her tearful gaze. Her name had never sounded so painful to hear. Luz articulated her voice before she said her next words, and the only thing Amity was focused on was what she would do if Luz told her that it was over. 

She came here to let her go- 

Yet, the moment she came face-to-face with her, Amity could not bear to do so. She had been wondering for days, if it was really over- 

But Luz was unexpected. She was always unpredictable, and Amity had given up on trying to speculate what Luz would go into. This time was different. Amity was willing to take that risk- to gamble this time because at least she could say that she tried.

Luz searched her face for something- Amity was not sure- but her shoulders drooped and the smile that overtook her lips did not reach her eyes. With the roughest voice Amity has ever heard from her, Luz let out the most honest statement that Amity has ever heard from her. Luz's voice broke down and at the sound, Amity's legs turned to jelly. 

This time, her heart could not reject those words and say that everything was a lie. 

"I really can't afford to love you any more than I already do.” 

The statement hit her like a truck. It was as if the constant ailment that Amity had nursed over the months disappeared when those honest words came out of Luz's mouth. Her heart swelled with the ardor laced in Luz's tone, even though it was said with a tone that Luz was giving up- that this was going to be the first and last time she was going to let Amity know. 

And Amity cannot bear it. 

She does not want Luz to let go, when Amity was still holding on to it so tightly her hands were bruised. 

It was all she needed to hear. 

She lurched forward to the startled girl and straddled her lap. She wrapped her arms around her and buried her face in the crook of Luz’s neck. From her touch, she felt Luz tense against her, but whatever she was going to say was cut off when Amity tightened her hold. Their bodies already know each other so well that Luz’s hands quickly went under the jacket and wrapped around her waist, pulling the shorter girl closer. 

She missed this. So, so much. 

She pulled back and drank in the sight of Luz's wide eyes, feeling her trembling hands that buried themselves in her shirt and Amity missed these fleeting touches that have obviously turned into something more. 

"Love me," Amity breathed, hoping that she conveyed all the emotions she wanted other than the desperation in her voice. The tears welled up in her eyes and her voice cracked. Amity fisted Luz's thick jacket and clenched her teeth, struggling to keep it together under the gaze that she had longed for, way too long. 

In the good times and the bad, Luz's presence stayed constant. She pulled some kind of imaginary strings that pushed Amity into making real friends and spending time with her siblings where she had the most fun in her life. Luz kept her on her toes and lifted the stress of her shoulders when she studied- even when they did it through parking lot fights and cuddles where Amity temporarily became uncaring of the piled-up work that ate her alive.  

"Because I've already passed the point of caring how much I want you in my life, Luz."  

Their actions were more honest than their words, and the way she felt Luz’s strong arms pressed tightly around her sides were proof enough. Luz swallowed and did not speak for a while. Amity let her be as she basked in the touch she had yearned ever since they ended it that night; and she melted into Luz’s chest, her breaths coming out in stutters. 

Then Luz whimpered and it was as if their façade was finally broken. 

And Amity was finally sure that it was not over. 

Before she knew it, Luz was pulling her closer, equally as hard as Amity did. Her fingers dug into Amity’s waist, and she had to draw in a sharp breath to keep herself from squealing and when she looked up, she was met with Luz nuzzling her face in her neck and breathing in her scent. Immediately, Amity moved her hand up and ran it through Luz’s brown, curly locks, grasping a handful before she turned her head and left a lingering kiss on the side of Luz’s face when the latter pulled back. 

The closeness they had left a burning feeling in Amity’s chest, which spread throughout her body, the desperate longing that piled up for months showed as they held each other tightly- and it was so intense Amity sobbed. She whispered apologies she did not know were for, and in turn, Luz whispered back with comforting words and her own apologies. 

This was so disorienting, that Amity wished she had done this sooner. Whatever her wishes were, it was drowned out by the thought that she no longer wanted to dwell on what had passed. She savored the feeling of being held by the person who held her heart. She breathed in the scent of pines mixed with sweet cologne.  When they finally broke away after what seemed like an eternity, Luz looked at her, so awe stricken that Amity felt her ears flush red.  

Slowly, Luz raised her hand and tentatively traced Amity’s jaw. When she reached her chin, she raised her thumb to trace Amity’s lips. The heiress’ heart thundered in her chest, and it felt like all the blood rushed up to her head, making her feel nauseous. Luz let out a weak chuckle before she leaned closer, and Amity could clearly see the fire dancing within those brown eyes now. It darted from Amity’s stare down to what she was sure was her lips. Luz cradled her face, brushing her fingers against Amity’s reddening cheeks, to the corner of her lips. 

"You always did leave me out of breath." Luz whispered, and Amity could feel the raw emotions behind those words. It was said delicately and the need that Amity recognized all too well within her was almost palpable. Luz’s irises mirrored the same need, however, before Amity could act on it, before she could surge forward, something else rolled out of her tongue. 

“I love you.” 

Luz blinked, gawking at her. For a second, Amity was afraid that she had said something wrong, and she was about to retract her statement, get off of Luz’s lap and run away as a defense mechanism, except Luz did not let her. She held her down by the waist and pulled her close, as if there was still space to do so.

Her touch was electrifying. And the way she looked at Amity- God, the way she looked at her, was nothing short of precious. It was beautiful beyond description, and Amity was bashful. It was like Luz took those words in her hands and cradled it to her chest, as if they were too wonderful for comprehension.

“Don’t you mean you can’t breathe?” 

The gasp the green-haired girl let out was loud. Luz pulled back slightly, her lips breaking into a small smile. Her laughter rang in Amity’s ears which left her flustered. Embarrassed that she was caught when she hoped that Luz never understood the meaning and intent behind those words.

“You caught that?” 

Luz’s smile grew wider. Amity felt one of her hands leave her waist, her fingers brushing against Amity’s arms before it stopped at her hand, and she intertwined their fingers, raising it up to her lips. 

“It took me awhile. I thought you had asthma. Then when I was driving that night after Willow’s house party, I almost got into a car crash when I realized what you meant.” 

Why didn’t you say anything? 

That was the question on Amity’s mind. Luz pressed another lingering kiss on the back of her hand, before she looked up pleadingly. 

“We never agreed to whether it was fine to tell each other those three words. I didn’t know if you wanted me to reciprocate. And I would have. I should have-” 

At that, something clicked. They were still treading around in circles, and they still had so many things to work out. There was still so much to do, so much to know about the enigma that is Luz Noceda.  Luz knew it as well, judging from how she was waiting, instead of letting her emotions lead. 

And there was no disappointment when Amity decided that she could wait a bit more. She rested her forehead against Luz and while she was a bit sad at losing contact when she pulled her hand away, it dissipated as soon as she cupped Luz’s face. 

“It’s okay.” This time Amity said it with sound confidence. “We can fix this together.”  

Luz’s eyes glinted, and mirth filled her face, which made Amity’s stomach churn as the butterflies came back. Luz placed another warm kiss on her cheek, before she whispered near her ear, with just as much confidence as Amity portrayed earlier. 

“And what we don’t know, we can learn together?” 

Amity shivered at the hot breath in her ear, and she ended up wrapping her arms back around Luz’s shoulders. Ah, I love her so much . And she thought of those words with no reservations in her heart, with giddiness overtaking her features as she pouted like a child. Everything felt like it was finally coming back together. Even if they were just beginning again. 

When their gazes met for the nth time, the same need from earlier arose and Amity bit back the urge to kiss her, to do something she always wanted to do because if Luz wanted to do it, she would. Because if Luz wanted to ask her out, she would. 

Nonetheless, Amity was impatient. 

It was as if Luz sensed what was troubling her and she was about to open her mouth to ask, only to be interrupted by the heiress. 

“Can we start over?” 

It was abrupt. Luz stared at her vacantly, as if the question had not been processed at all. It made Amity wonder if Luz heard her or if she needed to repeat the question. She did not have the chance though, because to her shock, Luz’s ears twitched and the hands on her waist felt warmer than usual. Luz’s face reddened and she gawked like a fish. 

“I-Wait, I wasn’t-I wasn’t ready-” She sputtered out, skittishly. 

She did not understand why her own heart started beating rapidly again, embarrassment being the first thing she felt at her own words. She hid her face in her hands and whimpered at how Luz kept going on about the timing which heightened Amity’s agitation. 

“Can we or not?!” Her face burned hotly as she snarled. 

Luz in turn bit the inside of her mouth before replying with just as much passion. 

“I-Ames, you know I’d say yes, because I feel the same, but that doesn’t mean you can just say it out of the blue!” 

“Oh my God-” 

They argued about the ‘timing’ again, bickering back and forth about who was wrong. They did not know how many arguments they had thrown at each other, until Luz finally conceded and buried her face in the crook of Amity’s neck, yelling out a muffled yes, fine! 

Before Amity could rejoice in yet another victory that she could add to the roster, and before she could realize that Luz had just confessed, the latter’s answer was followed by a, “Sheesh, at least I can continue telling people that you asked me out.” 

Amity was about to protest, but it died in her throat once it dawned on her what Luz initially said. It was true that she basically asked Luz out again. While they did not actually say the g-word that they claimed so easily and so casually in the past, the fact that Luz said yes, when Amity wanted to reserve that question for a later time, made her happy beyond description. And she could tell that Luz felt the same. They were unable to continue with the small talk from earlier, immediately getting straight to the point and while they did not mean to spill out everything they were feeling, they could not help it. 

And she was happy they did. 

Without saying anything, Amity went back to hug her. It was indubitably not enough. The loss of contact was probably not going to be enough for a long time. Amity’s heart continued its erratic beating and Luz sighed contentedly in her neck, murmuring I miss you and I’m glad you’re here over and over that it was going to tip Amity over until she bawled her eyes out again. 

So long as Luz was here, Amity felt like she could take on the world without the need to resort to intimidating facades and arrogant attitudes. 

“Ames?” 

Amity hummed in response, not wanting the circles Luz rubbed on her lower back to stop. She sighed contentedly into Luz’s hair before she turned her head to rest her cheek on hers, the chuckle she let out sending vibrations throughout Amity’s body. 

“Are we going to start counting our months from six months ago, or are we going to start all over again, like back to zero?” 

Amity paused for a beat at the ridiculous question. She rolled her eyes and smacked Luz’s shoulder in retaliation for the question, before she muttered, “Dork.” Luz snorted, her hands wandering across Amity’s back affectionately. They could figure that out some other time.

When they pulled away again, the sun already set and soon it was going to be too dark to stay in the woods. Luz was still smiling from her previous comment, and there was a fondness in the way she was looking at Amity. In turn, the latter brushed her hand against Luz’s arm, trailing down until she reached into the girl’s pocket to pull out the beanie. She fixed it in an open display of attachment before she pulled it over Luz’s head. 

Luz quirked a brow. 

“I thought you hated the beanie?” 

As if to respond to that, Amity pulled it over Luz’s eyes, before she verbally answered, “This is my beanie. I get to do what I want.” 

Luz snickered. Even though she could not see through the beanie, she pulled Amity and lurched forward, as if she planned to kiss whatever it was her lips could touch. It ended up on the space between Amity’s collarbone and neck, which tickled the heiress and made her pull on the beanie down some more. They could not help these touches, Amity knew that. Within her, there was this voice that continued to whisper, One more, every time, and to other people, three long weeks might be nothing and that they were overexaggerating, but the yearning that they had exceeded those weeks of separation, even going so far as to when they were fake dating, when Amity had forgotten the reason she asked her out to do such a thing in the first place.

Because all of it felt so real.

And now she was sure that they really were.

They continued to talk, evidently not wanting to separate yet, but hesitantly, Amity glanced at the woods, unease feeling her again. Luz was observing her, and as gentle as she has always been outside of the parking lot they used to fight in, she asked, “Do you want me to take you home?” 

Amity glanced back, and she smiled back, heart clenching once again in her chest, and this time it was not because of heartbreak. 

“I would like that.” 

Even though she said that, she went back to rest her forehead against Luz, not wanting this moment to end at all. Though when she started to think about how she was going to wake up tomorrow knowing that Luz was here to stay, it made everything okay, even if Amity was left choked up in tears. 

Luz stared at her, and her lips moved to whisper, “First date?”

I love you.

Amity’s smile widened and it was almost painful with how much she had been smiling for the past moment she had been with her. And that there were going to be more. And they were going to help each other with the issues beforehand, and grow together.

And this time, Amity knew Luz wanted the same thing.

“Yes, please.”

She was once painted in insecurity, stressed by the questions brought about by feelings that she was yet to understand. Now, she was confident enough to say that she was covered in red- and she had so much to give back to the people who brought her here.

I love you.