ten years. [lrh]

five.

11 years later.

'Alright, we lost them. For real, this time,' Luke said as he halted to a stop. Amanda collided into his back, her nose squashing into the fabric of his shirt.

'Can I take them off, now?' Amanda mumbled, keeping her head down as she struggled to look at him. Luke hesitated, before nodding.

Amanda couldn't quite place what was different about Luke, apart from, you know, everything. It was the little differences, the ones she couldn't quite put her finger on, that ticked her off the most.

She decided that she understood why he told her to cover up. He had a wife, for God's sake. His name would be linked to Scandal if the cameras managed to capture her face. There were probably rumours spreading right at that moment; she had turned into some Mystery Girl.

'Sorry about that.' Luke said, placing a hand on his hip with an apologetic look on his face. Amanda lifted a shoulder, trying to seem nonchalant. She wasn't. She was confused, and still surprised at the events that were taking place.

'Are you hungry? Do you wanna, like, eat something?' Luke asked, uncertainty dripping off his tongue. The sound of Awkward was reverberating all through the alley they had stopped in. He clearly wasn't ready to address the elephant in the room.

'Yeah.' Amanda replied. 'Yeah, alright.'

She deserved this, right? It wasn't wrong. She was just having a late night snack with the only man she ever loved. Sure, she wasn't getting answers yet, but she will. She had to. This was her one chance.

'I know this place,' Luke said. 'It's never crowded, and it's not too far from here.' He started walking through the alleyway, making sure his steps weren't too long for Amanda. She noticed him stumble a little. Taking half steps weren't easy for giants, like him.

They walked in silence, turning into an averagely quiet street. Amanda was watching Luke's shadow, the same one that had accompanied her everywhere ten years ago. It was different, too. She wanted to reach down and catch it, so it wouldn't run away again.

'You're keeping up with me.' Luke noted, looking down at Amanda by his side.

She rolled her eyes. 'That's because you're letting me.' She beckoned towards his short strides.

Luke shrugged. 'Still,' He said. 'You were never able to before.'

'Maybe I grew.' She quipped. They stopped at a crossing light, at the foot of a busier road. Luke tapped his feet against the curb, waiting for the green man to flash.

'Grew?' He scoffed, giving a fleeting glance up and down Amanda's body. Again. 'Bullshit. You're still a bug.'

The wind caught in Amanda's throat and she choked upon hearing him. Her gut suddenly felt sore, as if someone had punched her repeatedly.