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Toni's breathing is still uneven, her mouth drifting back to Amelia's neck in soft, unhurried kisses, her hand warm and deliberate where it rests at Amelia's waist.
Amelia lets herself stay there - pressed close, her head tilted back, her thigh hooked over Toni's. The tiny bed forces them into this intimacy they're in no hurry to escape.
For a moment, neither of them talks. They just breathe each other in.
Toni's thumb traces the curve of Amelia's hip, absentminded and grounding.
"Well, that was..." she murmurs, her lips brushing Amelia's jaw, "...quite the reunion."
Amelia smirks playfully, her pulse finally slowing to something human again. "Most unexpected welcome back party for sure."
Toni shifts, propping herself on one elbow so she can look at Amelia; her eyes a little dazed yet amused, crinkled at the corners. They hover there, close enough that their noses almost touch.
"Hey," she says, her voice dropping lower, "not that I'm complaining, but what just happened?"
Amelia laughs, the sound surprising even herself. "Do I really need to explain that?"
Toni snorts softly. "No, not that. Before that."
Amelia goes quiet.
Her gaze drifts past Toni's shoulder to the pale ceiling tiles, but she's not seeing them. She's seeing lecture halls and late nights with cheap coffee and a girl who handled all of it with a laugh larger than life. A small smile creeps onto her face.
"You reminded me of someone."
Toni stiffens just a fraction. "That doesn't sound good..."
"No, no, not—" Turning her head, Amelia presses a quick, sweet kiss to Toni's temple. "Not some other woman. Don't worry."
With sharpened curiosity, Toni relaxes again. "Okay..."
Amelia shifts onto her side so she can see her more properly. Toni's smile is lazy, her hair doing that chaotic—but endearing—post-sex thing.
"When you said I used to laugh more," Amelia slowly goes on, "you reminded me of me. Young me. Careless me. Or, well, more careless than today's me."
Toni listens without interrupting, her thumb drawing idle circles on Amelia's skin.
"I just realized that... I miss that me," Amelia continues. "So I... claimed her back? I... think?"
Toni squints. "You're asking me?"
Amelia lets out a breathy laugh. "No. I'm just—no. Sorry. I'm rambling."
"Well," Toni says dryly, "I'm glad I could be at service."
"No, no, don't—" Mirroring Toni, Amelia props herself up. "It's not like that. I wouldn't—"
"Amelia."
"Yeah?"
"It's okay," Toni grins, warm and teasing. "I'm not young me anymore either. I stopped running away from birthday parties a long time ago."
Amelia makes a face. "Well, you might want to try again. If it wasn't clear already, I'm basically damaged goods."
Toni considers this. Then shrugs.
"Aren't we all?"
There's a quiet beat between them.
"Listen," she adds, softer now. "All I'm saying is... I don't scare that easy anymore."
Amelia's mouth curves into a grin. "Good."
Toni grins back. "Good."
And then they both start laughing, freely, like they're their young selves again.
"What are we even saying?" Amelia chuckles.
"I'm not sure anymore," Toni admits, shaking her head. "But I know I really enjoyed that... coffee."
"Yeah?" Amelia's eyes lock onto Toni's, holding her there.
Toni lifts a brow, eyes sparkling. "Yeah."
There's more laughter, until it slowly fades into something quieter. Something steadier.
They lie there with their knees touching, their fingers still gently exploring bare skin. Outside, a cart rattles past. Someone calls a name. Life continues like nothing just happened - like nothing just changed.
Eventually, Toni exhales.
"I can't believe it's been... what... twenty years?"
Amelia hums. "We have changed. But the world has, too."
Toni smiles faintly, staring at the wall, fallen quiet again. "I was terrified," she says suddenly.
Amelia pulls back just enough to look at her. "Of me?"
"Of wanting you," Toni corrects. "Of what that meant. Of what would happen if I said it out loud."
Amelia watches her carefully. "Because...?"
"Because as you said, it was different back then," Toni says. "It wasn't something I tried on - well, except for that one drunken time. It was something I hid until I was sure I had a chance. And I wasn't. Not at all."
Her voice stays light, but there's something old in it.
Amelia swallows. "I'm sorry."
Toni shakes her head. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault. You were busy being loud and brilliant and completely unaware of the emotional crisis happening three seats behind you."
When Amelia smiles at her, there's a hint of sadness in her eyes she can't hide. "Still, I wish I'd known. I wish... I could've made it easier." She shifts closer, resting her head against Toni's chest, finding her place again in her arms.
"What would you tell her?" she asks quietly. "Your younger self?"
Toni doesn't answer right away. She watches Amelia's fingers, mindlessly playing with hers.
"I think I'd tell her to be brave," she says at last. "To just... try. Ask you out. Even if it went badly. At least then I wouldn't have spent years wondering."
Amelia's heart gives a small, sharp jump. She looks up through her lashes.
"Do it," she says.
Toni blinks. "Do what?"
"Ask me out," Amelia says. "Now. Here."
There's a beat of disbelief. Then Toni laughs, nervous but bright. "You're serious."
"Completely."
Toni sits up a little and clears her throat dramatically - like she's standing in front of her student dorm mirror again, practicing over and over.
"Amelia Shepherd," she says, "would you like to go out with me?"
Amelia's eyes soften.
"Yes," she says. "I would love to."
Toni's smile spreads slow and stunned. Leaning in, she presses her forehead to Amelia's, a sigh falling from her lips. "I can't believe I waited this long."
Amelia exhales a chuckle. "We were busy growing up."
"Do you think we'll be bad at this?" Toni asks.
"Almost certainly," Amelia grins. "But I'm very good at trying."
They lie there, tangled and quiet, in no rush to move. Toni reaches out, brushing Amelia's hair back from her face.
"I was wrong, you know?"
Amelia blinks. "About what?"
Toni smiles at her.
"You still laugh. And I still like you a lot."
... ...