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Amelia's lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, when her phone buzzes on the nightstand. She picks up on the first ring, with no hesitation.
"Toni?"
There's a small exhale on the other end, like Toni hadn't been entirely sure Amelia would answer. "Hey."
Amelia shifts onto her side, pulling the blanket up even though she isn't cold. "Hey."
A beat passes. It's not awkward, just... careful.
"I saw you were awake," Toni says finally. "Or, you know, your phone just was. So I figured..."
Amelia lets out a soft, almost-laugh. "That's either comforting or concerning."
"Which one is it?"
"Depends why you called."
Toni draws in a quiet breath, one that tells Amelia she might not even know herself. She can picture it - Toni leaning against the headboard, knees drawn up, phone pressed to her ear, eyes half-lidded but still alert.
"What's keeping you up?" Toni asks.
Amelia's answer comes easy. "You."
There's a tiny shift on the line. Surprise, maybe, or just Toni readjusting. "That's... straightforward."
"You asked."
"That's true."
They let the quiet stretch again, though this time it's heavier; loaded with everything said, and unsaid, earlier. The conversation that never really finished.
Amelia presses her thumb against the edge of her phone. "So," she says lightly, like she's not stepping onto unstable ground, "how's the avoiding me going so far?"
A small sound escapes Toni - half chuckle, half something else. "Not great, apparently."
"Yeah," Amelia says, a hint of a grin in her voice, "calling me at three in the morning does not sound like part of your plan. Whatever that plan may be."
"I lasted a few hours," Toni counters, though there's no real defense in it. "That's something."
"That's impressive."
"Don't mock me."
"I'm not," Amelia says, softer now. "I'm... taking inventory."
"Of what?"
"This." Amelia gestures vaguely, even though Toni can't see it. "Whatever this is. The late-night phone calls, the avoiding that isn't really avoiding."
Toni is quiet for a moment. When she speaks, her voice is lower. "Sleeping was just easier when we were... together."
Amelia smiles faintly, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Was it?"
"Yes. Everything was."
"Then why—" Amelia props herself up on one elbow, suddenly more awake than she has been all night. "Why aren't we?"
"You know why."
She doesn't. Not in any way that makes sense. But this time, Amelia doesn't say anything.
Another pause lingers between them, even thicker now. Toni is the first to break it.
"I meant what I said earlier."
"I know."
"I can't—" She stops, exhales. "I can't think straight around you."
Amelia closes her eyes at that, the words landing again, just as sharp as they did the first time. "That sounds like a you problem."
"It is a me problem."
"Good," Amelia says, a little too quickly. Then, softer, "Because I don't think I'm doing anything particularly disorienting."
"You exist," Toni says simply.
Amelia huffs out a quiet laugh, surprised despite herself. "That's my big offense?"
"Yeah."
"Wow. I should apologize to a lot of people then."
Toni's breath catches on something that might be a laugh. It fades quickly, though, replaced by something more serious. "This isn't funny."
"I know." Amelia's voice gentles. "I'm not laughing at you."
"I just—" Toni starts, then stops again, like she's still searching. "Things were clear before."
"And now they're not."
"No."
Amelia lets that sit. She doesn't rush to fill it, doesn't try to fix it. For once, she resists the urge to push for an answer.
"Amelia."
There's something in the way Toni says her name—softer, more grounded than before—that makes Amelia still.
"Yeah?"
"I didn't call to make this harder."
Amelia's chest tightens, just a little. "I know."
"I just—" Toni exhales. "I don't like how we left things."
"Me neither."
"I don't want to..." Toni trails off, searching for the right words. "I don't want to pretend this didn't happen. This... you and me."
Amelia swallows. "Yeah."
"But I also—" Toni stops again, frustration threading through. "I don't have an answer right now."
Amelia lets out a slow sigh, steadying herself. "Okay."
"You're okay with that?"
"No," Amelia says honestly. Then, after a deep breath, "But I'm here. If you ever want to let me in on it."
That lands between them, solid and real.
Toni is quiet for a long moment. "You're not making this easier, you know."
"How so?" Amelia asks, shifting slightly against her pillow.
A faint, almost-smile comes through Toni's voice. "By being great. By being... you."
Amelia hums softly. "I'll take that."
They drift into another silence, but it's different now. Less sharp. Still uncertain, but not as charged.
"Hey," Amelia says eventually.
"Yeah?"
"You should probably get some sleep."
Toni huffs. "You first."
"I was asleep," Amelia lies.
"Liar."
"Okay, fine, I was dramatically staring at my ceiling. But I was about to doze off."
"Sure you were."
Amelia smiles, for real this time. "You called me, remember?"
"Right," Toni murmurs. "Sorry."
"Don't be."
Another quiet slips back in, one that's soft around the edges.
"I'm glad you answered," Toni says at last.
Amelia's fingers curl slightly against the phone. "Me too."
"Goodnight, Amelia."
Amelia can hear the smile in her voice, faint but true.
"Goodnight, Toni," she whispers in return, "Try not to avoid me in your dreams, too."
... ...