Rectification

Chapter 16

She heard shuffling footsteps inside the room and the door cracked open, revealing Luz's bandaged face. "Hi," she said hoarsely. She looked and sounded exhausted, but her brown eyes lit up when she saw Amity. "Thank goodness it's you," she murmured, and fell slightly forward, wrapping her arms around Amity's midsection and burying her head in Amity's shoulder. Amity returned the embrace.

"How do you feel?" Amity asked when Luz stepped away. "Better, I hope?"

Luz shrugged and flexed each arm in turn. "I can move," she reported.

"Does it hurt?"

"A little."

"Then what are you doing still standing here? Go lay back down and relax!"

A slight smile appeared on Luz's face. "Of course, Your Majesty Amity Blight." With one last feather-light touch to Amity's arm, she turned around and made her way back into her room.

Amity followed her in and gazed around for a moment. She hadn't been in here since the first Grom, and even now she could see the corner of the otter onesie peeking out of Luz's chest. Luz's sleeping setup seemed to be the same- a few pillows and blankets and a sleeping bag sprawled across the wooden floor, with a picture frame set up right next to where Luz would lay her head. Amity crouched down and saw that it was a photo of Luz and an older woman who she presumed to be Luz's mother. An unexpected pang of sadness sliced her heart. She hadn't really thought about that whole Luz-going-home thing lately.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Luz chirped. She sat down cross legged on her sleeping bag and tapped the space next to her, and Amity obliged the silent request. She didn't say anything once they were both seated, and neither did Luz, so a strange silence stretched between them. There was very clearly a demon in the room that neither girl was willing to address.

After a minute, Luz cleared her throat. "So," she began awkwardly, and Amity instantly knew what the human was about to bring up. "About... what happened in the hospital."

Amity flushed red from the tips of her pointed ears down to her neck. "Yeah..."

"I'm sorry," Luz said.

"What?" That had been the last reaction she'd expected from Luz. A you're actually a terrible kisser, so never mind, or even an Amity Blight, I am totally and irrevocably in love with you would have made more sense. But she hadn't expected an apology.

"That was dumb of me," Luz confessed. "To just, uh... kissyoulikethat. Sorry."

"Luz, I... I liked that."

Now it was Luz's turn to blush. "You did?"

"Why do you think I kissed you back?"

"Oh." Luz seemed to ponder this for a moment. "I'm not sure."

Now Amity's nervousness was beginning to catch up to her again. "Unless you didn't like it. I won't ever do it again if you didn't. Not that I was thinking about ever doing it again anyway. Not even the realm of possibility. Unless you want it to be. Or if you think that's creepy-"

"Amity, stop." It might have been Amity's imagination, but she thought Luz scooted just a hair closer to her.

She shut her mouth.

"I like you," Luz insisted. "Like, I have a crush on you. Wow, that is terrifying to say out loud. For the longest time I couldn't even think it!"

Amity's mouth fell open.

"I've been pondering my feelings for a while," continued Luz, "and I think I've finally figured them out. I really like you, Amity. Like, a lot. And I wasn't sure if I should at first... maybe a lot of my denial was because of the fact that logically, I could never truly be with you. We'll always be a whole world apart. And when I go home... I wouldn't want to lose you."