said "I'm fine," but it wasn't true -
I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you.
and I snuck in through the garden gate,
every night that summer just to seal my fate.
and I screamed for whatever it's worth
"I love you," ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?
The studio was cold, as they usually were.
Her dress had long sleeves, though they were off-the-shoulder and made of a gaudy polyester chiffon, doing little to combat the relentless attack of icy AC.
The set of the latest Good Witch Azura movie was currently quite lavish, decorated from floor to ceiling with a faux stone wall meant to mimic a palace throne room, its appearance curated to replicate the very specific artwork that'd been included within the official book's release.
This was the second-to-last scene to be filmed with her as a character, all of the previous ones having been in a historic castle several miles north of LA.
Amity's character was overwhelmingly minor - her presence was a mere commodity at this point, if she were to be honest. She was there for consistency, for a few key close-ups to draw attention to her before breaking Azura and her team out of the dim, dingy dungeons.
The dungeons were the final scene they had to film with, after today. It was the most important one, where Azura and her character - a nameless princess - bond briefly before Azura runs off to save the land and never return.
Her character wasn't even an important role in the books, the only line containing her being at a feast, where Azura takes note of her "pretty teal curls". Amity's hair was far from curly, and quite short, but that hadn't stopped them from dying her brown hair a vibrant sea-foam color for this minor role. They'd simply braided her hair back and added in expensive extensions to match the iconic "elven" look.
Originally, Azura had picked the lock of her dungeon cell, sneaking out to meet Malin Gael the Mysterious Soothsayer at the city's edge.
It was a jarring, minor divergence from the books. Her presence was simple publicity, sure to attract her own followers and undoubtedly angering a few die-hard Azura fanatics.
…still, she loved the Azura books, and this was the one project she was actually somewhat excited for. Even if that meant the movie strayed from book canon in order to include her nameless, throwaway character.
(It beat modeling for luxury perfume brands, at least.)
"Rolling!" a voice shouted, and Amity casually straightened her posture.
She was currently seated on a throne - albeit a very uncomfortable one - beside the man who was meant to play the king in this particular scenario. This scene had been particularly tense in the original book, with Azura having been framed by Hecate for the theft of a large sum of gold.
Amity's gaze shifted down to Azura, who would be the main focus of this scene.
The actress - Luz Noceda - was Amity's age, having been only sixteen when the first movie was released two years ago. They were both eighteen at the moment, though Azura was still technically seventeen until the next book… or, in this case, the next movie.
Luz was the perfect fit for the role, in Amity's opinion. She captured the character of Azura perfectly, and based on the interviews featuring her (which Amity absolutely 100% did not stay up late binging) she was so obviously a complete fangirl when it came to the books. Amity was glad they had someone like her to play Azura.
The director called out "Action!"
Immediately the guards surrounding "Azura" launched forwards to contain the apparent thief of a witch, and Amity watched with the concern and worry expected of her throwaway princess character, as she had for the past thirteen takes.
The camera near her shifted, and Amity knew the lens was once again zooming in on her expression.
"Good riddance," the king-actor at her side claimed, as per his script. "You need not worry, my dear. She'll be off and gone come morning."
Amity's eyes narrowed where Azura's actress struggled against the "guards", not once wavering as the king-actor's hand came down to pat her own where it sat on the stiff armrest of her throne.
Luz wore a wig - her character's hair infamously long and unnaturally colored. If no one had told Amity, she wouldn't have known. It looked so realistic on her.
It suited Luz, Amity thought. More so than the green hair suited herself.
The director called for the scene to end, but Amity continued to watch Luz. The actress stood, laughing with the guard extras.
Her smile was pretty.
Luz turned, catching her eye. Her smile faded, briefly, upon the realization that she was being watched, before exploding into an even brighter grin, her hand lifting to wave enthusiastically in her direction.
Amity could feel herself blush, with the sudden note that Luz Noceda was waving to her .
Amity lifted a hand in response, barely returning the gesture before her mother called to her from off-set, and she was once again swept away to the next portion of her schedule.
(That night, when Amity finally settled down in the plush pillows of her bed back in the Blight Manor, she opened Twitter to find that Luz Noceda had followed her - though she couldn't return the gesture, her parents had long since purged the entirety of her following list.
The Luz Noceda.
If her stomach churned with butterflies and her chest grew warm with giddiness, nobody needed to know.)
The final filming day for Amity Blight started early, dragging her from the warm embrace of sleep at the early hour of 5 a.m. for hair and makeup.
It was fine, though. Most of her days started relatively early.
It was 7 a.m. by the time Luz Noceda entered the studio, dressed so incredibly normal that it was difficult for Amity to picture the girl as anything but a normal highschooler. A purple and white cat-ear hoodie engulfed her frame as she flung herself in the seat next to her.
Her hair was short and brown. A major contrast to the wig she wore on-screen.
"Hey, bestie!" she called, leaning an elbow on the counter.
Amity had to hold back a laugh, though the artist doing her hair didn't even make an effort.
"You're in an awfully good mood for being up so early," the stylist said.
Luz brushed their comment off, making a note about how it was a stealth scene, and she hadn't yet gotten to do one of those yet.
Instead, Amity allowed herself a small smile, "Good morning, Luz."
"This is our last day working together, right?" she asked, "That sucks, we barely got to talk at all."
Amity tried to desperately push down the conflicting feelings that arose at Luz's words.
"I mean, my character isn't really even in the books," she decided to note, "I'm surprised they decided to drag me into this project at all, if I'm being honest."
Luz's expression shifted, and before Amity could question if she'd said something wrong, Luz spoke again.
"Wait, you read the books?"
Amity blinked, a bit confused as to why she was asking, "Yes? It's my favorite series. That's why I agreed to play this character, even if I'm pretty sure it's just a publicity stunt."
Luz's eyes seemed to light up at Amity's words.
The hairdresser patted Amity's shoulder, mentioned something about her being done, and slunk out of the dressing room.
"Oh my god, you have no idea how happy that makes me," Luz gushed, leaning further into the point that Amity was slightly concerned that she'd fall off of the chair she sat in, "Hecate's the only other 'main character' actor I've met that grew up with the series, everyone else either read the books just for their role or only watched the movie!"
Amity was vaguely stunned by the sudden spout of pure, unadulterated excitement that seemed to spew from Luz's very presence.
"Wait, are you for real?" Amity asked, "They play their characters so well, though!"
"I know, right?" Luz said, "Apparently they're just really good at their jobs."
Amity laughed at that, the sound slipping between her lips before she could stop herself.
"Okay, wait. Important question," Luz continued, and Amity fixed all of her attention on the other girl, "Hecate and Azura, or Malin Gael and Azura?"
"Oh, that's easy," Amity replied without thinking, "Hecazura for sure."
Seconds after the words left her mouth Amity began to process what she'd just said.
…she'd just confessed to preferring a queer ship, to one of the current most famous actors in the world. God, her parents would kill her if they found out.
Luz let out a high squeal, pumping a closed fist in the air as if she'd just won the biggest lottery known to man, "Oh my titan, this is the best day ever."
The small terror of someone discovering what she'd just said was temporarily stalled by what Luz had just said.
"Did… did you just say 'oh my titan?" Amity asked.
"Yeah," Luz smiled, "I guess it just kind of sticks after referring to the 'titans' in all of the Azura scripts."
Amity nodded, checking the time on her phone.
7:12 a.m.
She had to be on set in around half an hour to film the one solo scene portion of the scene, sneaking down to the dungeon with the keys to rescue Azura.
But before she left…
"Oh, um, Luz?"
"Yeah."
"Could you… could you not mention me shipping Hecazura to anyone?" she asked, guilt blooming in her chest as she did so. "It's just, the contract I'm under and stuff… my company is a bit conservative in views."
Nevermind the fact that it was her parents who currently vouched for her. It was her parents who'd pulled the strings behind the scenes and owned one of the richest fashion brands in the world, which she was currently working for under one of the top modeling companies. If anything got out about her… her career would be far from the only casualty.
"Oh, yeah," Luz said, "it kinda sucks, but I know how some contracts can be."
Amity began to thank her, only for the door to the dressing room to open, Luz's stylist entering and chatting up a storm as she prepped the material's for Luz's normal wardrobe.
Amity took that as her cue to leave.
Hours later, she was once again in the presence of the pretty Azura actress, going through their one shared scene for what felt like the millionth time, the dreary dungeon set dimly lit and freezing, as per usual.
"Thank you," Azura-Luz said, her expression startlingly genuine. "I mean that."
Luz's acting was phenomenal, as it always was, and Amity could feel her cheeks growing red, despite her efforts to push away the frivolous emotions swarming in her chest.
Why did Luz have to be so dang cute?
"Yes, well-" Amity's voice cracked in pitch, and she cursed herself for breaking character, albeit briefly. "The guards will make their rounds soon. You'd best be gone before they return."
Azura-Luz nodded, flashing a smile before rushing off down the hall of the set, and Amity's minor character was to never be seen or mentioned again.
Amity didn't see Luz again for another year, when they were both set to attend the official release of the new Good Witch Azura movie - The Field of Deadly Fates.
Lights flashed as Amity pulled herself out of the car, a false smile plastered across her face as she lifted a hand to wave at the crowds of reporters and photographers. Her hair had been dyed green again, per the request of her mother, to fit her character's appearance on-screen.
(The few other officials in the company had, of course, agreed to Amity re-dying her hair. It'd been incredible publicity the first time she'd done it, appealing more towards the audience of alternative fashion and widening the Blight brand's audience).
It was a normal routine at this point, the process of walking down the needlessly long carpet, posing for photos at the designated spot. In comparison to the actual stars, it was incredibly lax.
She found the first, small, formality portion of the event to fly by very quickly, and her seat in the theater left her near the edge of the row, sitting quietly next to her sister Emira - who'd agreed to be her plus one after something came up last-minute with her model-friend Boscha.
(The absence of Boscha was actually quite relieving, if she were to be honest. She didn't have to play pretend at friendship with Emira, and with the lack of Edric her teasing was a million times more bearable.)
The movie, as expected, was incredible. Amity was fully engulfed with it, the world drifting away until it was just her and The Good Witch Azura, the series that'd comforted her throughout the entirety of her life.
And now, she was at the premiere of the movie.
Because… she was in it.
It was a rude awakening when she saw her own face appear on screen, her sister squealing and hitting her arm as the camera panned over to her. A lone princess, quiet and obedient in the shadow of her overbearing father.
She had no lines, but the camera had a habit of zooming in and capturing her reaction to certain events.
The gold going missing, the mysterious Hecate slinking down the hall in a feigned form of innocence, Azura being falsely accused and dragged down to the dungeon.
…they'd kept in her flubbed take. The final one they'd done, where Amity fumbled over her words and blushed a soft crimson.
Amity could only pray that the small scene fell from the minds of the audience by the end of the movie.
There was an after party for the premiere, as there always was.
It was overwhelming for Amity, and as soon as her sister wandered off to reconnect with some of her famous actor friends - namely Viney, who'd been playing one of the side characters in this film.
Amity saw the way they looked at each other, but she pretended she didn't - simply opting to glance the other way and disappear the moment she came into view. Her sister deserved the stolen moments, lord knows they never had the opportunities on a normal basis.
The venue was one of the larger, more lavish places in LA - which meant countless extra hallways and rooms that were out-of-use, reserved for bigger events or conferences that needed the extra space. The balcony Amity made her way to was deserted, though close enough to the main area that there was a fully stocked fridge for her to steal a sealed water bottle from.
"Running from the crowds?"
The voice startled Amity, causing her to drop the bottle she'd only just grabbed and spin on her heels to face the newcomer.
"Oh," she said, fumbling to grab the water from its crumbled position on the ground. "Hey, Luz."
"You look nice," the actress said.
"You do too," Amity replied, with only the smallest hint of confusion upon seeing Luz's outfit. It was a weird combination of a suit and… was that a tutu? "Strange, but nice."
"I'm pretty sure my manager is pissed at me," Luz confessed, twirling so that the short skirt flared out with a poof. "Eda thought it was hilarious, though."
Amity nodded. If her memory was correct, Eda was the one playing one of Azura's companions - an elderly witch who served as her mentor. She hadn't personally met the woman, but she'd heard good things. Mostly. If you omitted all of the scandals.
"So," Luz began, stepping forwards to lean against the tall railing that bordered the entirety of the terrace, and Amity joined her, "what exactly are you doing out here?"
The city was bright and luminous across the distance, flashing lights and bright colors blocking out any chance of stars and filling the air with the distinct sight of light pollution. Amity could see the glimmering shine of the Hollywood sign in the distance, a familiar sight when you've lived in and around LA most of your life.
"Parties aren't really my thing," Amity said.
"Really? I'd pegged you as the type to love fancy events like this, considering how many parties Blight Industries throws."
The smile that crept onto her face was involuntary, "Yeah, well, my parents just love publicity."
"Okay, but your mom owns a modeling brand and your dad is like, the world's most famous fashion designer. That means you meet a bunch of cute models, right?"
"I guess, yeah."
Amity didn't have the heart to say half of the "cute models" she met were only after Odalia and Alador's favor.
They sat there in silence for a long moment, the early-summer heat diminished by the lack of sun. Luz's hair was ruffled by the wind, the product holding it in place loosened by the elements that pulled and tweased bits of hair out of its embrace.
She really did look quite pretty in her tuxedo-tutu-thing. In a strange, uniquely Luz type of way.
"So, how did you like the movie?" Luz asked eventually, her gaze shifting from overlooking the city to meet Amity's gaze.
"It was nice," Amity said, "your acting was phenomenal, by the way."
"Thank you! Yours was too!"
Amity tried to ignore the way she blushed at that comment. "They really gave Hecate a bunch of character development compared to the book, didn't they?"
"I know! It's like they're teasing their future friendship so much more, I love it!"
"The epic enemies-to-lovers trope in action," Amity joked.
Luz laughed, nodding her head vigorously in agreement. "There's still one more book scheduled for release, I'm holding out my hope for it to be canon."
Amity's phone buzzed then, a familiar text-tone ringing out and sending a tendril of dread into the pit of Amity's stomach. She checked the notification quickly, confirming that yes - it was her mother requesting her presence at home.
She sighed, pocketing the device and mentally preparing herself to re-enter the chaos in order to find her sister.
"You okay?" Luz asked.
"Yeah. It looks like it's time for me to go."
"Oh, wait!" Luz quickly reached into her suit pocket bringing out a beat-up smartphone in a bat-shaped case. "Could I possibly get your number? I need someone to rant about Hecazura with."
Amity smiled, holding out her hand. Luz unlocked the device, and Amity quickly entered her number into a new contact, bidding the other girl farewell.
A soft buzz of something warm fluttered in her chest, and she desperately tried to force the lingering anticipation of a new text from her mind.
"You made friends with Luz Noceda?" Emira asked as they got in the back of the car.
"Yeah."
"She's cute," her sister mentioned.
Amity didn't reply.
(A week later, when the movie was released to the public in theaters, Amity awoke to find her name trending on twitter. They praised her acting, book lovers and movie-only fans alike hyper-focusing on her subtle and believable expressions that really sold the character of the nameless princess.)
They started hanging out, after that.
Completely platonically. As friends.
(The thought of having Luz Noceda as a friend was enough to make her knees weak.)
Her parents, upon learning that she'd befriended the Oscar-nominated actress, had been uncharacteristically supportive, already scheming about how they could possibly use their friendship for monetary gain; though they'd adamantly deny it if Amity ever tried bringing it up. That didn't stop them from loudly suggesting very public, very crowded, paparazzi-riddled locations to hang out.
Surprisingly, their friendship remained very under-the-radar, with the two of them usually opting to visit Luz's small LA apartment and binge-watch cosplay skits or discuss their favorite theories for the incoming final Good Witch Azura book.
Today was the very first day they were going out in public together. Something that seemed much more scary than it should've been.
Perhaps it was because she just knew their faces would be plastered on the front page of every gossip magazine in the coming weeks.
"Hey, we don't have to do this if you don't want to," Luz mentioned offhandedly as Amity climbed into her car, parked casually at the front gate of the Blight Manor, nestled not-so-snuggly at the center of Beverly Hills.
"It's fine, it's bound to happen eventually."
And it was. If they continued to slink around out of the eye of the public, someone would inevitably start to notice, and then the rumors would begin, and the paparazzi would catch onto said rumors, and any photos that happened to emerge would be riddled with outlandish theories and their entire friendship would turn into a huge scandal.
Because, apparently - in the eyes of gossip - nothing innocent was worth hiding.
Such is the world of fame.
"I was thinking of going down to a small café I know," Luz said, "it's called The Owl House, an old friend of Eda's owns the place. He's kind of weird… but Hootsifer is a nice man."
Amity agreed without question.
The ride over there is quiet, tense in anticipation of the publicity and unsolicited paparazzi photos that would be plastered onto the face of every gossip magazine.
The café was small, tucked away on a street corner several blocks away from any mainstream stores. A small parking lot was situated down a thin alleyway, and Amity couldn't help but wonder how on Earth Luz's car didn't scrape the walls of brick surrounding them.
The alleyway, like every other one in LA, reeked of trash. She and Luz were quick to hurry down the trash-lined street and onto the main sidewalk in front of the café.
A bell chimed as they walked into the small space, and the lingering scent of the LA alleyway was completely overwhelmed by the potent aroma of freshly ground coffee beans.
"Morning, Hooty!" Luz called.
"Hooty?" Amity asked.
"It's a nickname," Luz explained.
As promised, the coffee was amazing.
As also promised, Hooty was… strange. Eccentric.
He took a photo of the two of them, when asked - going out of the way to arrange things and make it seem artful whilst casual. He also talked. A lot.
Two separate photos were uploaded onto Instagram later that day, simple captions mentioning the very first meeting of an "Azura book club!" and signaling the start of a somewhat public friendship.
(The paparazzi photos were published a bit later, and Amity couldn't help but laugh as Luz's phone exploded with texts from her Azura group chat with the rest of the cast. Co-stars questioning her and complaining about their exclusion from the meticulously planned outing.)
"Okay, what I don't understand is why Catra didn't just, I dunno, go with Adora?" Luz was laughing as Amity spoke, the words pouring out into a jumbled up rant of plot-holes and frustration at the clear lack of communication. "It would literally solve all of these problems!"
"I have a feeling you're really going to enjoy the next five seasons," Luz said, a teasing sarcasm thick in her tone.
"Please don't say that."
The old, flat-screen TV in Luz's apartment held a faint yellow tint as the scenes passed, dancing across the living area in an attempt to match the bright, saturated colors the cartoon seemed to favor.
They'd been watching the Netflix show for a few hours at that point, and were a little less than halfway through the series' first season. Luz had jumped to watch it when they'd opened up the streaming app, after Amity mentioned she'd never seen it.
"Oh, god," Amity lamented, leaning back onto the arm of the couch. On-screen, Catra fell down to the waves below, drenched completely in seawater. "I haven't been swimming in forever. I miss it."
Luz didn't reply immediately, the scenes in the episode continuing on as the "best friend squad" celebrated their win and Mermista agreed to join the Princess Alliance.
"I can't argue with her reasoning. I'd probably join an army if a pretty, tall girl asked me to, too," Amity admitted. She was playing with fire, saying that.
"I know, right?" Luz agreed, "I fall in love with every other She-Ra cosplayer I see."
Amity's chest burned, her heart-rate spiking at Luz's words.
"Like… in a platonic way, or…?"
"Oh, no. I'm bi."
Right. That was a dumb thing for Amity to ask, especially considering the tricolored hearts in Luz's social media bio.
"Oh. Cool."
Amity should've stopped there. She should've voiced her quiet support, then turned away and continued to watch the silly gay kids' cartoon.
Instead, she awkwardly blurted out "I'm lesbian. It's not public information, 'cause of contracts and all that. But yeah."
"Nice."
The silence seemed to draw on, as the characters celebrated on-screen.
"We can go now, If you'd like," she eventually said. "Swimming, I mean."
Amity shifted in her seat, adjusting the pillow that she held close to her chest, "Wait, really?"
"Yeah!" The episode ended with the familiar roll of end-credits, and Luz reached over to the remote to exit out of Netflix before the next episode played. "There's a rooftop pool here. It technically closes at ten, but they always forget to lock the door."
"It's 2 a.m."
"Yep."
Amity pondered it for a moment, before wholeheartedly agreeing. "There's just one problem - I don't have a swimsuit."
"That's fine, you can borrow one of mine!"
Twenty minutes later, Amity was dressed in a slightly too-big one piece, and slinking down the long, expensive hallways of Luz's fancy rich-person apartment building with the other girl. A cheap, canvas beach bag that held two soft, plush towels and their phones was clutched tightly in her arms as they ran down the carpeted floors barefoot, the sharp presence of AC sending goosebumps along Amity's arms as they entered the elevator that led to the roof.
Luz's hand took Amity's as the door opened, and the action itself made her thoughts stall for a long moment, the thoughts of "oh god a pretty girl is touching me" briefly overloading any coherent emotions.
Their fingers intertwined, and Luz took off running down the small, tile hallway that led to the rooftop pool, a ring of light giggles echoing out.
The thick, humid night air of LA offered a small relief from the relentless pursuit of freezing AC, and the rooftop was warmed with the lingering effects of the sun. Though early June was far from hot, and Amity knew they'd probably be freezing in a short while.
Luz dropped her hand, and Amity tried not to let the action linger and sting as Luz ran over to what looked similar to a small fuse box, flipping the switches inside and illuminating what Amity now saw as a long, deep infinity pool, overlooking the glimmering lights of Los Angeles.
It was a type of pool Amity rarely saw - not for lack of interest, but more along the lines of "this is our hotel but you have work in eight hours so there's no time for leisure activities."
Luz set the bag with their things onto the hard concrete, not even hesitating to sprint the short distance to the pool. She jumped, tucking her legs to her chest as she hit the surface, water spraying outward and streaking across the pavement. It took only a couple of seconds for Luz to surface again, her hair sopping wet with chlorine and mushed up against her forehead.
Luz turned to her, a laugh ringing out across the quiet rooftop. She waved Amity over, grin wide and bright and her movements enthusiastic and filling her chest with a familiar feeling of butterflies.
The water held a chill when Amity crossed over to enter by the steps, the late hour and lack of sun effectively sapping the daytime warmth. Luz rushed over to meet her, her sharp movements slowed by the chlorinated pool water. A hand reached up to meet hers, and Amity barely had time to process what was happening before a sudden rush of cold engulfed her, her feet struggled to press against the floor of the pool with her sudden weightlessness, and Amity held onto the body in front of her with a panic-riddled strength.
When she finally steadied herself, her entire torso and half of her hair completely drenched, a bubbly laugh sounded from beside her.
"You jerk!" Amity accused, freeing one hand from its grip on Luz and quickly dipping into the water to slosh the cold liquid at the girl's face. She tried not to think too long about how warm Luz's touch was, or about how cold the water around them felt in comparison.
Luz simply laughed in response, kicking off the concrete floor of the pool and shooting away from where Amity stood, kicking up waves of water to splash over her face. The warmth she'd brought was gone, and her hand seemed to burn from the lingering heat of her touch, the sudden change in temperature almost painful.
The pool light cast a yellow glow across the pool floor, and the pattern of water cast intricate shadows across Luz's face.
Chlorine clung to Amity's hair, the overwhelming scent uncomfortable and reminiscent of childhood summers, where Ed and Em would make up various water games to play in the small pool that was built into the back patio of their house - their dad watching the three of them play on the occasional off day while their mom was off doing whatever extra work she'd created.
Luz stopped down by the pool's wall, where water flowed freely over the edge and into a fountain one floor below, cycled and taken back to the pool above. Amity moved to join her, water resistance making her movements sluggish and slow.
"So, I heard that filming for the next Azura movie started," Amity said, "how's that going?"
Luz didn't respond immediately, her hands moving to trace patterns in the flowing water.
"I may have overheard the director talking with someone. I don't know who, but it was one of those bigger executives," she said. Her tone was light, casual, but Amity could sense that something was bothering her. "They were talking about the final Azura book. Apparently there's been some disagreements with the plot."
"What kind of disagreements?"
Luz's eyes refused to meet Amity's own, and she reached a hand up to meet Luz's shoulder - hopeful that the action conveyed some sort of comfort.
"You know the whole Hecazura buildup? The enemies-to-friends pipeline?"
"Yeah. It's the most popular relationship in the series."
"Apparently Mildred Fetherwhyle tried to pitch the series ending with their relationship actually becoming canon. The executives in charge of everything didn't like that."
Amity let the words linger, her gaze drifting out over the city. She could see the Hollywood sign from here, the lights flickering and bright across the night.
"So… you think Hecazura isn't going to happen in the movies? I thought the industry was becoming more accepting. She-Ra has all of those couples."
"She-Ra is an exception, I guess. Though I wish Catradora became a thing sooner, and the dynamic definitely isn't all that healthy, at least they were allowed to be together." Luz's voice was quiet in the night, and Amity felt as though she could listen to her talk for hours. "Most shows and scripts like to add in a bunch of implied romance, before turning around at the last second and claiming it was all completely platonic. They love each other like siblings, always."
Water glistened against Luz's skin, and Amity found herself watching it, the patterns that formed as water bunched up around her hands as it made its way over the edge of the infinity pool.
"...is this platonic?"
Amity didn't know where the question came from. It slipped out without enough time for her head to catch up, too quickly for rational thoughts. Her chest clenched, anxiety festering and budding up until Amity felt as though she couldn't breathe.
The two of them stood there, quietly. The stone edge of the infinity pool was sharp against Amity's side from where they leaned, interrupting the steady flow of liquid and creating misshapen patterns against the waterfall.
Luz was the first to lean in, though Amity was quick to follow.
The kiss was short, barely more than a brush lip-to-lip, yet it made Amity's knees feel like jelly beneath her. The chill of chlorinated water did little to alleviate the heat flooding her cheeks. Their foreheads brushed, and Amity let the touch linger. Their close proximity was addicting, body heat sapping away the late-night chill.
"Oh… wow," was all she managed to force out, budding panicked thoughts of why did I just do that? draining her ability to think clearly and coherently.
"Yeah," Luz agreed, sounding just as breathless as Amity felt, "wow."
Amity didn't know how long they ended up sitting - or, more appropriately, floating - like that, leaned against the edge of the infinity pool and looking out over the LA rooftops. The silence was awkward yet comfortable, in some strange way that only Luz could help achieve.
It wasn't until goosebumps had stretched across Amity's shoulders and Luz looked vaguely blue that they decided to get out, exhaustion pulling at her limbs as she extracted herself from the water. If she'd been cold in the pool, Amity was suddenly all too aware that the sun's lingering warmth had long since abandoned them.
Luz handed her a towel as they approached the pool door. She was quick to flick off the pool's lights before entering the freezing building. Amity pulled her towel over her shoulders, attempting to block out the chills that raked her body.
There were a couple of vending machines tucked in the corner by the elevators, glowing softly in the corridor. Luz was the one to approach them, shuffling in her bag to search for what Amity assumed was her wallet.
"Here, do you want anything?" Luz asked, "They have Skittles, chocolate, gummy bears…"
Amity asked for a water, ignoring Luz's small complaint of her being "boring" as she shifted over to the drink machine and punched in a number on the small, dirt-caked keypad. "I'm a model, I have a strict diet."
"A little sugar never killed anyone!"
"You sure about that?"
"Look," Luz said. She quickly punched in the code for a skittles pack, the candy falling out of the machine with a single swipe of her card. She ripped the small pack open, stuffing several of the candies into her mouth. "See?" she said, her voice muffled from the candy, "I'm not dying!"
Luz held out the candy, and Amity couldn't help but smile, accepting the sugary offering.
"No. You're not dying."
The sound of Luz's laughter - echoing across the stone walls beside the vending machine's yellowing lights - was enough to make her dizzy.
When Amity agreed to this small trip, it hadn't been without hesitance.
A week staying in a rented beach house further upstate.
A week alone with Luz.
It had taken a bit of convincing to allow her mom to clear the schedule for the week, under the guise of maintaining important connections in the film industry, as well as the plethora of Instagram-worthy pictures to spam once the week was over and done.
The windows were rolled down in Luz's car, the scent of salty air pleasant along the breeze, though the movement of air did little to quell the massive waves of heat that filled the air around them. The AC in Luz's car couldn't keep up with the sun, and Amity was certain she'd have been burnt to a crisp if Luz hadn't insisted on lathering layer upon layer of sunscreen onto her right before they left.
"We need to drive with the windows down," she'd claimed, "for the full beach experience."
Amity mentally thanked her for that small insistence, even if her skin felt greasy and gross from the thick chemical cream.
There's a couple of large, sand-covered boogie boards in the back seat, the length of the boards sticking out into the front of the car - much to Amity's annoyance. But she remained quiet, if only for the cute waves of excitement that radiated from Lz whenever she talked about using them.
It was like surfing, only easier and less extreme. At least, according to Luz it was.
Sand stretched out far around them as Luz pulled off of the road, making her way down a dirt path that led to a large, wooden house. Tall stilts propped it up above the ground, a faded blue color painting the exterior. Tall grass and weeds littered the lawn, sand piled up alongside the several posts.
"We're here!" Luz cheered, shutting down the vehicle and quickly exiting to begin gathering her things.
The property reminded Amity of something she'd see in an old teen movie, or on the cover of a YA chapter book. A small house on the beach, perfect for whatever whirlwind romance the author had planned out between a visiting teen girl and the mysterious stranger she would meet by the water.
A whirlwind summer romance…
"You coming, Amity?"
Luz's words snapped her out of whatever lovestruck fantasy she'd been imagining, and Amity couldn't help the blush that grew as she gathered up her things, shouting out an affirmation to Luz as she followed the girl up the steps and through the rust-coated door.
"Look, over there!" Luz said, her arm outstretched as she pointed a bright yellow plastic shovel at a hitch in the sand. A small crab scurried out from under her shadow.
Amity held back a shriek as the crab wrapped around, circling back and rushing past where she and Luz were standing, feet half-buried in the same. Amity's grip on her flashlight faltered, and the glow flickered as it hit the sand.
Luz let out a bubbly laugh, and Amity couldn't help but blush as she crouched down to retrieve the flashlight.
It'd been late afternoon by the time they reached the beach house, the building isolated on a desolate shoreline downhill from an old, seaside road. The sun had long since set at this point, with the full moon providing a small amount of visibility for the two of them.
It's been Luz's idea to come out here at this hour, the two of them only just having finished unpacking and settling in after their long, four-hour drive up the coast.
Apparently - according to Luz - crab-hunting at night was a must when you were at the beach. Though Amity didn't really see the point, and held a deep-rooted fear of being pinched and injured by the small creatures, she was happy to go along with Luz's antics.
"Amity! You have the bucket, you could've caught that one!"
Luz's words sent yet another wave of redness across her cheeks, and she struggled to find the words for a response.
"I- You're the one who knows how to do this!" she protested, "I don't think I've ever even been at a beach this late."
Luz simply laughed, rushing past Amity to follow the oddly shaped crustacean down the sand. The plastic bucket she held was snatched from her grip, and Luz fell to her knees, violently smashing the bucket down onto the soft sand. She let out a cry of triumph, using her shovel to help lift the buck back up while still containing the small creature.
"I caught it!" she claimed, victorious in her quest.
"Let me see!" Amity said, rushing over to meet her.
She shone the flashlight into the bucket, where a small crab sat amidst small piles of sand.
"It doesn't look like the ones back in Connecticut," Luz admitted.
"I'm not surprised, that's on the opposite side of the country," Amity replied. She lifted her eyes, studying Luz as she peered at the crab, "You're from Connecticut?" she asked.
"Yep!" Luz lowered the bucket, setting it down on the sand and looking further up the beach, where the rest of their supplies had been set. "I moved here for the Azura movies, didn't you know?"
Amity shook her head and Luz stood to hurry over to their things, grabbing a separate bucket and hurrying to retrieve water from the steadily rising tide before returning back to Amity's side.
Water sloshed over the side as she sat, leaning over to peer at the crab, who had nestled along the corner
"Do you think we'd be able to catch another?" Luz asked.
"I dunno, why?"
"To make them fight, obviously."
The response caught Amity off-guard. A glance away from the crab and to Luz's face confirmed that, yes, Luz was being very serious.
"You want to make the crabs fight?"
"To the death," Luz said solemnly. Amity took too long to reply, apparently. "Don't worry, they aren't actually going to fight to the death. That would just be mean."
Luz was cute, when concerned about the well-being of tiny crabs.
After another five minutes of scouring the beach for a second crustacean victim, Luz evidently decided that the absence of crabs was an omen.
"There will be no crab fights today, the ocean decrees it."
"You mean like how the cursed forest decrees Hecate and Azura meet again? In book three?"
"And their paths always lead back to each other until they work together long enough to escape? Oh absolutely."
At that declaration, Luz lifted the bucket, carefully tilting it to the side to allow the shallow water to spill out and the crab to escape. It shot off, and Luz dropped the bucket.
"There it goes!" Luz said, beginning an awkward pursuit after it.
"What are you doing?" Amity called, starting after her.
"Following the crab, obviously!"
Amity stumbled in her strides, reaching out to Luz in an attempt to steady herself but only succeeding in dragging her along in her descent to the sand.
The two were a mess of tangled limbs as they scrambled into a sitting position, light-hearted laughter spilling from the both of them as Amity tried to catch her breath. Sand caked her arms and legs, seeping below her tank top and clinging uncomfortably to her damp skin.
Her gaze focused onto Luz, and she couldn't help but zero in on the small details that painted her face. Bits of sand clung to her cheek, where she'd hit the ground alongside Amity. Creases of dimples and the way her nose scrunched up ever so slightly, shadowed by the darkness, illuminated by faint traces of moonlight.
She was beautiful.
"I like you," Amity said.
It took Luz a moment more to catch her breath, laughter simmering off as she turned her attention back to Amity.
"I-" She inhaled, once. "I'm… what?"
"I like you," Amity repeated, "Like, more than friends."
Luz seemed stunned, briefly. Before a grin stretched across her lips.
"Yeah. I like you, too," she said, "more than friends."
"Oh."
Amity didn't know why she was surprised by that answer, all things considered. The talk of sexualities; that one night at the pool.
It made sense, if she really thought about it.
"So… " Luz began, "do you, like… wanna be girlfriends? Maybe?"
"Yeah," Amity said, "I'd like that."
A warm, giddy feeling wedged its way into Amity's heart.
The salt air was damp and chilled the next morning, when they decided to walk down the road to the small, nearby town. Overcast skies stretched far overhead, crowding the horizon with shadows and muted rays of light.
The road was lined with sandy, dry sediment. Sandaled feet walking alongside old concrete as the occasional house shifted to gas stations and touristy junk shops.
Amity's hand was warmed by Luz's, fingers intertwined in a silent promise of "what-if?" as they entered the first shop they came across. AC assaulted them as they entered, goosebumps tracing the skin of her bare shoulders and legs as generic pop music played overhead.
The cashier didn't pay them any mind, not even bothering to look up from his phone from where he sat behind the lines of cheap bumper stickers, plastic jewelry, and surfboard wax. The two of them slinked around the countless t-shirt racks, weaving through the too-small walkways as they looked at the various displays of over-priced snow globes and touristy picture frames.
"I've never been in one of these shops before," Amity admits, examining a small jewelry box, adorned with patterns of glued-down seashells. She lifted the top, only to reveal a cardboard-esq material making up the interior.
This confession seemed to horrify Luz, and her grip on Amity's hand tightened as she leaned forwards. "We need to buy a terrible touristy thing right now! Cringey enough to make up for your poor, sheltered childhood."
Amity couldn't help but laugh at Luz's words, a smile plastered onto her face.
Luz dropped her hand, racing across a small aisle to another line of t-shirts. Amity tried not to linger too much on the empty space in her palm, warmth quickly fading in the artificially icy air.
"Here!" Luz exclaimed, holding up a vibrant, neon t-shirt. "This one's perfect!"
Beach Peach was printed in large, pastel lettering.
It was hideous.
"So," Luz said, "what do you think?"
"It's perfect," Amity said.
They paid for the over-priced t-shirt in cash, leaving the change in the tip jar beside the register. They ignore the way the cashier's eyes linger on them for several seconds too long.
Amity was quick to remove the tags, slipping the shirt on over her tank top and cringing at the feeling of stiff, cheap fabric.
"You smell like chemicals, now," Luz noted.
"You were the one who said I needed a horrible touristy thing."
Luz rolled her eyes, her fingertips brushing against Amity's arm as she pulled ahead of the other girl. The sidewalk was damp beneath them, morning dew and ocean humidity causing the slight discoloration.
"Potato potahto. Come on, I wanna get some snacks from the CVS."
The said CVS was in a building so weathered and faded that it lacked any sort of color. It was as though a monochrome filter had been placed over the place, the sign coated with yellowing salt-stains and caked with dirt from the persistent ocean winds.
Boxes were piled up inside, lining the corners of the store alongside rows of pool floats and innertubes, sand buckets and beach towels hanging in neat rows beside displays of sunscreen and sunglasses.
Luz's eyes locked onto a particular fridge across the store, bright colors glaring out through the glass. "Oh my god, I thought they stopped making those!"
"I'm sorry?"
"Wait. Have you ever tried Bug Juice?"
"Bug what now?"
The bruinette girl shrieked, a high-pitched noise escaping at the revelation. "This needs to be remedied."
Luz ran down the aisle, the line of fridges showing a pitiful display of half-stocked drinks alongside microwave meals.
Amity moved to follow her, but hesitated when a vibrant, pastel color filled the edge of her vision. Purple hair dye, one of the only boxes left. Her roots were growing out, and her mother had offhandedly mentioned dying her hair back to brown before long.
An impulsive decision began to brew in her mind. No one here was dictating her choices, no "permission" was needed. Luz wouldn't stop her, she knew.
Amity had absolutely no experience with bleaching or dying her own hair. She'd heard horror stories of people frying off their hair or permanently ruining it with box dye, every hairdresser on the internet practically screaming at anyone who'd listen to go to a salon!
Amity grabbed the box of hair dye, a bleach kit, and followed Luz through the CVS.
Amity's hair was still damp from dying it - her fingertips stained with a light lavender dye and streaks of purple painting her cheeks - when they decided to start making dinner.
"Making dinner" referring to simply heating up the cheap microwave meals they'd bought that morning.
The so-called "bug juice" that Luz had bought her was, in all honesty, kind of disgusting. It tasted of pure sugar and artificial flavoring, the deep, dark color of the juice undoubtedly staining her lips an ugly color.
"So that's what bugs taste like," Amity said, holding back a grimace as she set the bottle, discarded on the kitchen counter, "some sort of lime syrup."
"Yeah… I remember liking them a lot more as a kid," Luz admitted just as the microwave beeped.
The food was less-than-appetizing, if Amity were being honest. The small, bite-sized chicken nuggets and boiled corn that was organized on the tray in such a way that it mixed with the chocolate pudding "dessert". She picked at the pitiful food, hesitantly taking a bite of the corn. It tasted just about as good as she'd expected.
"What? Is commoner food not good enough for you?" Luz teased. Amity could hear the smirk in her tone. "I'll have you know that this was god-tier when I was a kid."
"I'm sure it was," Amity said.
Luz smiled in response, taking one of the plastic forks they'd grabbed at the convenience store and scooping up a bit of her own pudding. She ate it with a childish giddiness, and Amity couldn't help but laugh at the sight of chocolate staining the edges of her mouth.
"You have pudding on your face," she said, one hand carefully reaching up to wipe at the corner of Luz's lip, her thumb tracing along the tan skin.
Luz went red, and Amity realized how close they were.
It would be so easy to just… lean a bit further in.
Luz's eyes flickered to her lips, and Amity's breath hitched.
They stood like that, for a moment, and all of the sudden Amity was back at that rooftop pool. Giddy and high on the adrenaline of doing something secret, something she technically wasn't supposed to.
The kiss was just as exhilarating as she remembered their previous one being, although this one was much longer than the quick brush that'd consisted of their previous one.
They pull apart, and Luz's brows furrow briefly, before a horrible, adorable grin appears.
"Your lips are green, by the way," she said, "they taste like corn syrup."
"You're the one who insisted I try it!"
"Because it helped forge a generation!"
Amity rolled her eyes, "Remind me why I like you so much?"
"Because you think I'm cute, obviously."
Their lighthearted banter was interrupted by the frantic buzzing of Amity's phone, the sound carrying and ringing out from its position on the kitchen counter.
"Okay, okay!" Amity relented, placing a kiss on Luz's cheek, "I think you're very, very endearing."
Luz smiled smugly, triumphant grin on her face as Amity picked up the phone.
Immediately, her heart dropped. The buzzing had ended, only leaving a long list of notifications.
Odalia's name was at the top of the long string of texts.
Come home, the messages read, now.
It was with shaky hands that she carefully unlocked the device, dismissing the notifications of missed calls and unread texts as she made her way to the social media apps.
"Hey, something wrong?" Luz asked, and Amity felt her presence growing behind her.
She opened twitter, the explore page showing her fears.
"Someone took a photo," Amity said. "Back at that junk shop, this morning. My mom knows."
Only Odalia couldn't have known. The picture was blurred, taken from an odd angle. The two of them weaving between aisles of t-shirts and hands intertwined.
It was innocent enough. Friends held hands all the time.
But this was the internet, and Amity has been in similar situations before.
End your friendship with Willow, the media thinks the two of you seem too close. Hang out with Boscha instead - you work together, a friendship would make more sense.
"What's wrong with the photo? We're just holding hands."
"Look at the trending tags."
"Oh."
This wasn't good.
#lumity
trending with Amity Blight and Luz Noceda
The word was glaring back up at her, teasing and awful in so many ways.
"It looks like people are shipping us," Amity said, "Mom's not too happy about that."
Luz's breath brushed across the back of Amity's neck as she leaned over her shoulder, peering at the screen with a mild discontent, worry and contemplation marring her pretty features.
"So… what are we gonna do?" she asked, and Amity couldn't help but reach down, taking her hand and giving it a soft squeeze.
"Wait a bit, see what happens," Amity said, "sometimes these trends last a day before fading away, other times they persist and grow until some sort of large breakup or publicity stunt."
Luz's hand was soft, though calluses coated her fingertips. Amity could feel the other girl's grip tighten.
Her mother's texts burned through her thoughts, alit with anxiety and foreboding.
Amity squeezed Luz's - her girlfriend's - hand once more.
Come home, the text echoed, now.
Odalia said nothing about her hair. A bitter grimace stretched across her face at the sight, though she remained silent.
The air in the foyer felt too thick, tense and unnerving.
She had been waiting for Amity to return.
"We're just friends," Amity stated firmly, "you're being ridiculous."
The lie felt bitter on her tongue.
"We have a reputation to uphold," Odalia replied, "Blight's only socialize with a select few. Luz is popular, yes, but she's also so openly… progressive. People talk. Her fanbase can't intermingle with yours."
"And why is that necessarily bad?" Amity asked, frustration bubbling up, hot and white with a simmering rage. "More fans means more money, right? Rumors equate publicity."
"The wrong kind of publicity."
"And what do you think me suddenly cutting contact with Luz will cause? The rumors are everywhere now. The only thing that will cause is rumors of a breakup and the negative speculations that surround ended relationships."
Odalia paused at Amty's words. Her expression was logical, calculating.
"Then, we'll just have to fade out the contact slowly. Make it seem natural," she seemed to decide, "The two of you have vastly different careers. Life will grow too busy to continue curating the friendship."
Amity managed to hold herself together, as her mother disappeared down the hall. It wasn't until Amity is up in her room, polished and perfect, that she allowed herself to break.
Amity had expected her workload to spike in the aftermath of their cut-short beach trip.
What she hadn't expected was for the work to take up close to every bit of fleeting free time she'd already had.
The garden the shoot was set at was private, made up of the backyard of some rich person's house at the edge of LA. It was far too warm for this, but the last-minute shoot was important for a brand collab. An end of summer clothing line was set to be released by the end of the month, and Amity's mother had oh-so-graciously volunteered Amity for the job on her one day off that week.
(Amity knew why Odalia had offered up Amity's presence. It made the entire job seem meaningless and trivial.)
She was supposed to hang out with Luz. It'd been Luz's idea, to go tour some random museum and dress up in ridiculous disguises "like they do in movies".
If there was one thing that made this job any more bearable, it was the said girl currently seated off to the side, donned in a stupid, cute cat hoodie that was definitely too warm for this kind of weather. It gave Amity a bitter sort of pride, knowing her mom had specifically tried to disrupt the two of them hanging out, and failing at that simple task.
Luz watched, quietly, sending words of affirmation from time to time as the photographer lead Amity through the various locations, sending her off to change from outfit to outfit, pins and clamps securing the various clothing items in place when the sizing was slightly off.
It was a small job, it was an easy job. Something even a younger, inexperienced model could do without trouble. Amity couldn't help but feel that it was so much harder than it needed to be, alongside the knowledge that Luz was there and watching.
"I have to do an Azura photoshoot soon," Luz mentioned, after the photographer thanks Amity and goes to prepare things for the next model set to pass through, "I always mess up the poses and expressions. You make it look so easy."
"It just takes practice," Amity protested, "I've been doing this my whole life. You've only been doing it for, what, three years now?"
"Almost four," Luz confirmed. She handed Amity her bag, standing and moving to her side.
Amity began to walk down the path that led back around the house, but Luz quickly stopped her.
"Wait, sorry. Could you take a couple pictures first?" she asked, "The flowers here are super pretty."
Amity agreed, of course. She couldn't help but smile as Luz crouched down beside a large collection of lavender plants. The cat hoodie was pulled up, ears pointed upwards with a small "meow-meow" that caused Amity to chuckle under her breath.
Luz posted the photos across all platforms. After a small moment of consideration, Amity asked her to tag her official account as well - crediting Amity as the photographer.
The posts were flooded with comments and shares alike. The tweet ended up going viral.
Amity didn't care about the inevitable lecture she'd receive later.
Amity's current contract ended in three months.
Odalia had already begun drafting up a new one, citing inheritance and pay that correlated accordingly with each of her siblings. The document, in full, was quite simple. Money, in exchange for her continued work and publicity.
Now that she was eighteen she'd have to sign it herself, under witness.
It was a way out. A way to move off and be free from the managers who religiously monitored everything she posted on social media, whether it be what she liked or previewing every mindless tweet for typos and profanity or rearranging a collection of emojis because the original order might've implied something else.
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" Luz asked. Her hands are tangled in Amity's hair, resting on the back of her head.
It's dark in Luz's apartment, and Amity was almost certain she'd been spending more time in the small living room than in her own bedroom back at the Blight Manor. The couch is comfortable, though. And Luz's skin is soft under her touch, bodies stacked against the other from where they lay. The soft sound of rain could be heard outside, drenching the glass balcony doors and bathing the room in a muted dimness that normally could only be achieved at dusk, the only light being a bright white lamp positioned near Luz's desk in the corner of the room.
"My contract ends in November," she said. Her words were barely a whisper. "I don't know what I'm gonna do after that."
"Are you going to leave Blight Industries?" Luz asked.
"Of course I am."
It was an easy decision, running from the security she'd known all of her life. She wasn't quite certain on all of the legal issues. Her bank account was conjoined with her parents, so she'd have to find a way to seperate that. Then there were all of the important documents, birth certificate, passport, social security card…
"...you could live with me for a bit, if you need to," Luz said.
Amity shifted, craning her neck to look back at Luz. Her hands were still in her hair, twisting through the quickly fading lavender color, frizzy and unruly from being bleached far too many times.
"Are you sure?"
"It gets kind of lonely, staying here by myself. We could move to a bigger apartment, if you'd like. One with more bedrooms, so you could have an office and everything for work stuff."
That sounded nice. Really nice, even if it was purely theoretical at this point.
"Maybe," she agreed. "We should find one that allows pets. I've always wanted a cat, but Mom doesn't like them."
"Let's do it, then."
The conversation felt surreal. Like it was simply a dream, forcing its way into reality.
"We could have a library," Amity said, "it could be in the office. We could have full shelves of every edition of The Good Witch Azura."
"That would be amazing."
The conversation dwindled, and Amity hooked her hand around her back to latch onto Luz's, fingers intertwined.
She opened Twitter. Yet another dangerous, impulsive decision brewing in her mind.
"Hey. Do you want to go public with this?" Amity asked. She shifts, pulling herself into a sitting position, much to the verbal distaste of Luz. "My social media is managed by others, but my contract doesn't include you."
Luz's eyes widened at Amity's words.
She sat there for a moment, before quickly fumbling to move, snatching her phone from where it sat on the living room's coffee table.
"Yes!"
A familiar screen appeared as Luz opened the camera app, arm wrapping around Amity's and dragging her closer to the light.
It was far too easy to take the spontaneous pictures, neither of them dressed up or decorated in carefully constructed Photoshop. They looked normal. Amity was the one to press a soft kiss onto Luz's cheek as she snapped the next round of photos.
She didn't hover over Luz's shoulder to see what she wrote, adrenaline flooding her veins as she watched the other girl post the two "best" photos.
A smile crept onto Amity's face as she opened twitter. Luz's account was easy to find, being the first option in her search bar. She liked the photos, the only caption being a string of heart emojis.
Come morning, her mom would be pissed, but that was a problem for future Amity.
For now, all she wanted to do was watch the rain fall on the balcony of Luz's apartment, and hold her girlfriend close at her side.