Must Be Deja Vu (Lumity College AU)

Chapter Two.

Amity's cat, Ghost, rubs against my leg, purring loudly at me. "Wow she's grown up- she was just a kitten when I saw her." Holding out my hand flat to Ghost when she goes to jump into my lap, she pauses then lays at my feet.

"So luz-" Odalia says as I chew on a tender bit of steak, I hold up my hand with my index finger raised. Swallowing I look up at her and ask with a smile "yes?"
Odalia smiles back, she pokes into a slice of portobello mushroom as she asks gently "how was your stay in DC? you didn't really send any letters back so I'm curious." Intertwining my fingers together I reply with a slight frown "it wasn't great, but it also wasn't bad. I was very busy with schoolwork most of the time and I couldn't talk for a couple months because of a class project in Ontario."

She nods slowly, Alador seems interested in the Ontario subject "please, if you don't mind. Tell us about your project in Ontario." I was so glad he said that, I got distracted last time but now I could explain the full stretch.

"The first part was to get to understand the locals and to learn the metric system, the police captain was very nonchalant to help us understand better." I take a sip of the wine and continue, "and instead of a hotel a man who was an alumni to the University of DC arranged that we could stay at his mansion, it was only ten people so he didn't see a problem with it."

I watch memories flash into my eyes, "a couple of my friends tried taking me out drinking since the legal age is nineteen there. But I was the one to take them to the mansion, so I'm pretty sure you can understand how that went."
Scratching at my chin, trying to remember further, Odalia laughs at my slight sarcasm in my last sentence. "And while we were roaming the mans property about a week later, my friend Aubrey decided to call in a bear, because of her ADHD she makes a line of loud, funny noises and that made yogi and booboo curious."

I took another five minutes running over the gist of the story, then ended it there to not make myself speak for too long.
Odalia smiles at me, looks at her daughter then asks "so.. when are you two getting back together?"
Choking on my wine the liquid splutters loudly in the glass, coughing into my elbow I pull my arm away and say in an embarrassed manner "O-Odalia!!" She only smirks, Amity pipes in with a stuttery tone "mom- you know I'm dating B-"   "Boscha? I know. I just don't like the girl.. she's just going through a repetitive cycle.. cheating on her lover until she finds her true lover."
Odalia clasps her hands together "I'm...I'm just worried she's going to do that to you. And once again.. leave you heartbroken. That's why I asked honestly."

She gives my mom's a certain.. smirk "long distance broke you apart.. though I wouldn't blame you! Cutting off sex for god knows how many years?"
I clench the table trying not to shoot out of my seat and run when everyone laughs but me and Amity, resting my forehead on the table I make a whole bunch of hand signals towards my wine glass, giving a thumbs up when it's filled to its max I take a long drink.
Resting my face in my palms I sigh shakily, vee smirks as I go to take another drink of my wine, embarrassment thick in my expression. Finishing the last bit of food on my plate I say with a strained smile "thank you so much for dinner Odalia, I think I'll roam a bit if that's alright with you." She nods and opens her hand with a flourish "by all means do! This place is so large not even I have covered every room."
Lifting up my plate and dirty utensils I head to the kitchen, rolling up my sleeves I set the plate in the warm water and scrub it down before setting it in the dish washer. The maid looks at me shocked "you didn't have to do that.. truly Luz. I am surprised that habit stuck."

Flashing her a smile I say as I dry off my hands and button my sleeves back up "the least I could do to show my appreciation is give you a break from doing the dishes miss Jane.."
She waves to me as I exit the door and head down the hallway, I took a right at the end of the hall, just letting my feet carry me to somewhere new. I ended up in a.. well taken care of personal garden. The hallway to it was so dusty it seemed impossible for the garage to be so well kept, a door opens behind me a half hour  later"O-Oh Luz! Uh. Um."
I turn to Amity who is no longer in the dress, but in a pair of shorts and a tucked in t-shirt. She's blushing in an embarrassed manner, pointing to the flowers I ask "this was all you?" She nods with a lighter blush, taking the rose bush trimmers I look at her asking silently for approval, she nods.

Clipping a lily a couple inches above the ground I place it atop her ear, "it's.. beautiful. Just like the woman who took care of them." She looks away, flustered by my compliment "you are a flirt.." I can't help but smile, leaning towards her my hands in my pockets she places her hand on my collarbone.
There's a moment between us we stop smiling, staring at each other. We lean towards each other as our eyes close but.. just as our noses brush she leans her head down and says quietly "no.. I can't." Since I'd pulled away before she even said that I bit my lip in a guilty manner. I then say in an apologetic tone "s-sorry.. I don't know what came over me." She looks into my eyes and frowns, "well.. I was going to ask you to dance like we did at prom but, now it seems.. awkward."
Resting her hand on my shoulder I smile nervously, the phonograph starts up as amity sets the needle on the vinyl record. A classical tune starting up.

It started off slow, simple slow dancing. We were still affected by the near kiss we'd almost done, eyes longingly staring.
Moments like this I hated Boscha.. Amity was so beautiful in her grass and dirt stained outfit, comfortable and confident in clothes you'd 'only catch her dead in.' A spark of jealousy rose to a lighter flame then died, I thought deeply about how lucky Boscha was.. to have a beautiful, strong, confident woman to be her girlfriend. My fingers ran over the thick scar on her wrist, I chuckled at how stupid the situation was when she got it. We were running from boscha when she used to be a douche(so basically twelve), laughing because her face was splattered with yellow paint from a water balloon. She tripped on a tree root and ripped open her wrist on a sharp rock, I remember lifting her up bridal style and running.. right to my house.

She was crying pretty hard since she nearly cut a nerve, I remember kissing her cheek as I carefully took chunks of rock from the deep gash with tweezers, holding her hand with a smile as I let water fall at snails pace into the cut, rinsing dirt from the gash. Telling her jokes as I set mesh gauze on the cut with medicated ointment coating it, wrapping up her arm to keep the gauze in place.
The moment she stole my first kiss and murmured 'thank you' to me. I was practically braindead after that, just staring.

...

Like now.. but, this doesn't earn a kiss.
Two friends just dancing.. that's all this was. I was- somewhat okay with it.. not really.
The classical music played on as I closed my eyes to take in the tunes, I ran my palm up hers to intertwine our fingers. She made a noise close to comfort, my lungs inhaled a shaking breath. My heart shaking in my chest rather than beating quickly.
My hands started gripping her tighter as if on impulse, I bent my head down and looked to my left, my heart hurt inside my chest. As the music came to a close she bent her head down, pressing her forehead to mine, I didn't want to open my eyes.. I couldn't.
I knew my face was knit into an expression of pain, a spark shocked me right on my lips, pulling away in shock I rub my palm over my lips. Amity is covering her mouth as if she did something she shouldn't have, eyes wider than saucers.

I raise an eyebrow confused, she shakes her head. I make a surprised squeaky yelp when she pulls me in, that shock returns, conducting tingly electricity to my lips.
"Uh.. I don't think your.. I don't think Boscha would be so- comfortable seeing us this close." My heart flatlines as she pulls away, embarrassment filling her face.

Just to take my mind off.. those near kisses. I reach into the inside pocket of my slacks, pulling out the nonbinary decorated Juul. "M-may I?"
She nods and flicks on a switch, a vent fan turning on above us. Trapping the rectangular smoking object in between my thumb, middle and index finger, I somehow find a way to bring it to my lips without my hand shaking. The smoke floods my mind in a euphoric manner as I let my hand fall back to my side, her eyes pin to my hand. Holding out the Juul to Amity she takes it hesitantly, repositioning the Juul in her hand I smile with a chuckle, smoke exiting my lips. She takes a drag, her reaction is different...she's impressed by the flavor. "What's this again?"
I snort not even five seconds after taking another drag, dense smoke exiting my nose like I'm a dragon. "It's called a Juul- they can get expensive though.." she pauses as she looks at the Juul in her fingers, she looks like she's scheming. "If you help around here in my garden.. I can feed your addiction~"

I look at her with a bit of offense "I have took three drags this whole day! You were present for all of them-" she shrugs, a smirk on her face. I sigh, "I..I can accept that. It's too big of a garden for only one person to care for."
Jumping excitedly as I slip the Juul into my pocket, Amity hugs me around my neck to kiss my cheek before running into the garden. I can't help but follow her.