What's Up Neighbor? (Beta Lumity College AU)

Song On The Beach

AMELIA POV
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warning: angst again

It had been 10 days since I had last seen Lucia. I hadn't called or texted. I had no idea what she was doing, but I knew I wasn't with her.

I wished I was.

Even something in my head missed her. I dreamed about her every night... About the way she would stroke my hair and hold me in her arms; the feeling of her chest rising and falling under my head when she was asleep; the way she would play soft piano songs almost every night, something she never showed anybody else.

I was in the midst of one of these dreams one night, when I had some kind of feeling that wouldn't let me sleep. That same feeling made me want to go down to the Owl House Cafe to get some food. Then again, I remembered all the times Lucia had played the janky piano in the corner of that place when nobody else was there, but only after I basically begged her to.

I grabbed a jacket and some cigarettes and then headed out of my dorm. I could see my breath as soon as I walked outside. The early winter air made me a little sad, realizing fall was leaving.

I cried a little bit on the walk there, which was pretty usual at this point. When I walked in, there was about 4 people there, probably starting their day seeing as it was around 4:30. I sat down at the bar and waited for Raine or Eda to come take my order.

While I was sitting, I heard a very faint sound of piano, coming from the back corner of the cafe. I listened closer to hear what song it was, when it finally caught my ear: Song On The Beach. The same song I would ask Lucia to play every time there was a piano around.

I didn't say anything, I just walked over to the piano in shock. I stood by it and listened to the ambient song for a few seconds before practically whispering:

"Lucia?"

The brunette whipped her head back in shock. She stopped playing and stood. We held each other's eyes for a second, and while tears formed in my eyes, so did some in hers.

Some switch turned on in both our heads at the same time and we embraced each other in a shaking, sobbing hug.

We didn't separate as I whispered: "I'm sorry."

"No," came the response, "I'm the one who should be sorry."

We separated after a while and sat at the bar, in the same spots we were in when we met. We didn't talk. When I looked over at her, she didn't look back at me. I could understand why. We sat there, ordered, drank our coffees and left.

"Can you come to my place so we can talk?" Lucia asked when we were nearing the doors of the dorm building.

"Of course."

Lucia POV

My mom's surgery was successful.

So was whatever prohibition Willow ordered on me.

I didn't drink for 10 more days. I stayed by my mom's bedside most of the time. I had to handle the pain instead of drowning it out. Which was hard.

Really hard.

I wanted to text Amelia. I could've texted Amelia.

I stayed for a few days after my mom's surgery. I waited until she was discharged from the hospital and then texted Willow. She took me home, comforted me for a while. I had never needed to be "comforted" before. I felt so different.

Empty.

After I had been home a while, I had a random thought when I was in bed: piano. I had hated piano lessons as a kid, something my mom made me do. I remembered how I told Amelia that I used to take lessons, and she looked so shocked. She begged me to play something, so I played Song On The Beach on the little keyboard I had in my dorm living room.

I walked out of my room and towards the crappy keyboard that sat by my TV.

C D A C E

I wanted to play the song, but couldn't seem to on this keyboard at the moment. It was about 4 in the morning, so the Owl House should just be opening up. They had that beautiful, ambient piano there.

I grabbed my coat and made the short walk to the cafe.

When I got there, I sat at the piano immediately. I played Song On The Beach. I played it again. And again. The bell rang a few times as people started to come in and I just kept playing. The same song. The bell rang 3 times, then 4, then 5. I was just beginning the melody again when somebody walked up behind me.

Gay reunion time skip

I told Amelia everything. What happened to my mom, what I did, what I did again, how my little sister had to help me get sober. I lost track of how many times I said sorry. I lost track of how many times Amelia said it wasn't my fault.

I lost track of how long I sat sobbing in her arms.

But she was there. She was there for me and with me. She didn't leave.

We fell asleep on my couch, but I woke up a few hours later. I got up and picked her up, like she was a child. I carried her to her dorm and put her in her bed and laid her under the covers. I kissed her on the forehead before going back to my dorm.

ANOTHER POV SWITCH
AMELIA POV

I woke up in my own bed. It was Sunday, which meant I had one more day with Lucia before I had to actually focus on classes, in preparation for the midterms.

The first thing I did when I woke up was reach for my phone. I was going to text Lucia to ask to hang out, when I saw a text on my home screen:

Lucia: if it's okay, i wanted to take you out today so we can talk some more

Lucia: how does a little drive sound

I barely thought before texting back.

Amelia: absolutely

She read my text almost as soon as I sent it and responded:

Lucia: okay, I'll pick you up in an hour

a/n okay guys sorry for the long wait i think the next chapter should be out tomorrow since i have some ideas

also, i wanted to thank you guys so much for 5k reads, not only am i doing something i love, but you guys are commenting and that all just makes me smile and laugh and i just thank y'all so much for all the support

love you guys byeeeee