Rekindling (Lani)

[Adrianna Carstyn]

It had been about a month since her mother died, a month since they all got back from California and a month since she'd really talked to Lani. It was no longer because she was upset with him and had no desire to speak to him, but rather, the time had gotten away from her. She was preparing for college, still pushing away any attempts her father made to pay for it and trying to get her life in order before starting the next stage of her life. Everything had just gotten so hectic after her mother's death that she was stressing so that she could get everything sorted and didn't have to worry about it when she was taking all of her classes. She still wanted to find a job and make her own money as well seeing as how she was on her own (even if it was her choice to do it alone).

And to top things off, Venn was back and she was still getting used to that again. It was another reason she hadn't spoken to Lani though because she didn't want to make him angry anymore than she wanted to upset her boyfriend. They both were so stubborn in their views of each other and she knew that no matter how long she spent with Venn, they would never just get over it. Adrian didn't know why they had it out for each other because they had switched roles in her life and she thought it was better than shoving one out violently while the other took up all of her time. Then again, she knew she hadn't helped the situation when she told Lani that Venn left during her time of darkness, or that Lani had gotten her kidnapped and almost killed...yeah she knew it was her fault. But things were better now and she didn't understand how they'd be towards each other.

Venn didn't know about what Adrianna went through when he was gone. He didn't know all of the horrible things that had happened and that she put herself through. She had no desire to ever tell him either. Someone like him, she just didn't know how he would react to knowing she had come so close to going off the deep end and it was partially because he wasn't there to comfort her the way she needed. It would tear him apart if not more than it had when she told him her mother died. That wasn't something she could handle in a short amount of time that he had been back, so she kept it to herself.

Adrian was sick of not talking to her best friend though because she knew that it wasn't fair for her to depend so much on him when her mother passed (just as much as she had depended on Guy) and then leave him in the dark while she still consistently spoke to her other best friend. Granted it could have been justified since Guy and Ellie were now a thing and she was living at Ellie's until the dorms opened, but she knew that wasn't the only reason. So she texted him earlier in the day telling him that she wanted to meet up at the lake and talk. It probably sounded worse than what she really wanted, but she didn't know exactly what would happen. She knew she wanted to be friends with him again, but they needed to figure things out together before they could be.

She sat at the edge of the lake as she waited for him, occasionally glancing at her phone to see if he was running late or if he decided to bail on the whole thing.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani had been pretty much driving everyone bananas with his anxiety. It seemed almost as if his life were reaching a climax and everything was going to come down to the events that were coming up. He’d been working with Odion now on a plan that would finally get his boss the hell out of his life and he had been talking with Caroline about telling his parents about himself and Odion. Caroline didn’t seem to understand the problem with just telling them. Then there were still the fights, the lies that were coming to light and the strain it was causing on his relationship with his boyfriend. And Adrianna. She hadn’t spoken to him since her mother passed away. Lani paused giving a thought to the wonderful woman who raised Adrianna. May her memory be eternal. As much as Lani wanted to pester and poke her to know that she was alright he knew she needed space to deal with it on her own.

There were so many things that he still needed to apologize for and so many things he was worried about. He’d called his mother, even to talk about it. She suggested leaving Adrianna be until she was ready to talk about it. It was killing Lani not talking to her, a million times he started to call or text her only to cancel it. So when he got a text from Adrianna he’d been more that ecstatic. At least until he read the message. She wanted to talk. If they were still dating Lani might be more worried but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was in trouble for something. Well, he did have a lot to apologize for. Lani was in the midst of pouring over plans, notebooks and maps all strewn out over his bed and several pencils hovering in the air ready for when a thought called them to need. A bundle of nerves it was a good thing no one walked in or they might easily become a pincushion.

However, Lani was in a state of disarray and by the time they were supposed to meet Lani had gotten so into his plan making that he’d neglected to shower. Making it quick and cleaning his face of stubble put him a little behind schedule. Sliding his sunglasses up his nose he went outside making his way through the streets to the lake. Dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a solid dull green tee, Lani found himself fully enjoying summer. With a pair of sneakers on his feet he was slipping from street to street taking shortcuts through alleys and more than once through the backdoor of a building. He had to make up time somehow. He wondered for a moment if he should take something like flowers. But that would probably be weird and he was already behind so he tossed the idea.

He caught her at the edge of the lake and suppressed a groan. Damn water. He was not going to be afraid of a puddle! Even if that puddle was rather large. Pacing on silent feet he gently touched her shoulder. “Sorry I’m late,” Lani said offering no explanation. If she asked he’d tell the truth but he didn’t think she needed to know that he’d forgotten to shower. Maybe she could see it in the dampness of his hair. He sat down next to her and angled himself a little toward her but keeping an eye on the lake. They were awfully close, if it had waves it might be able to reach up to them. Lani looked at Adrianna, really looked at her and examined her features. “How are you holding up?” He asked wanting and needing to know that she was doing alright. Well, perhaps not alright, but holding herself together in her grief. It had been a hard thing to watch when Amelia had finally passed away. It was hard on all of them but devastating to Adrianna. He couldn’t even imagine.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna didn't mind waiting a little longer for him. It was all just part of being used to him and knowing he was more often than not, late. She wondered what he had against punctuality, but decided not to get into that. It didn't really matter anyway seeing as how he always showed up, late or not. Besides, it was nice just sitting out at the lake and taking everything in. She hadn't become one of those people that started worshiping the earth now that her mother was dead, but she did appreciate how beautiful life could be and she was disappointed in herself for coming so close to ending it all. Thankfully she had gotten help before those dreams could become a reality. Thankfully...she had people who cared enough for her to take risks with her, but in the end knew that what they did was right.

Her mind had just started drifting back to her best friend when she felt the atmosphere change slightly and she felt the telekinesis practically soaking into her bloodstream. It was a strange feeling when abilities that she was used to came around. With other abilities, most of them just tried piling on top of each other, but nothing stuck unless it was familiar. His was probably one of the most familiar abilities she'd encountered because he was always sort of there. Even when they were fighting. She'd never be rid of him, and that was okay with her because she wasn't sure she ever could handle being rid of him. Adrian loved Lani with her whole heart, but it was the right way now. All of those feelings that had complicated things were now put into perspective.

Adrianna's voice was soft and clear when she answered with, "It's fine." She wasn't angry with him for being late. She was relieved that he was there as she always seemed to feel relief in his presence. For some reason she always expected him to not show, especially in times like this when they had just gotten through something so difficult. Typically that brought people closer together, but with them, it seemed like there was always a waiting period before it became unbearable to last one more minute without the other. Sometimes, Adrian held off because she was testing herself, testing to see if she could handle it if she ever had to suffer without him. In the end it always felt the same, creating an empty, hollowness in her chest. A hole, right next to the one her mother left behind.

He sat beside her and she took a deep breath. Even she knew it showed in her features that she was hanging in there, but it was taking a lot longer to pull herself up from rock bottom especially without her life support there. Amelia had always been her motivation to do things perfectly in life...and now she was gone and Adrian didn't know where to get that motivation from anymore. "I've been okay, preparing to start classes, getting finances taken care of. How are you, Lani?" She asked, scooting a little closer to him, so she could rest her cheek against his shoulder. A gesture like this felt so simple now without the awkwardness of uncertainty. It was strictly platonic. More of a sibling thing for her.

"I'm sorry I didn't call or anything after we got back," She said quietly, looking up at him.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani didn’t know what he would do if he were in Adrianna’s shoes. He would not be handling it as well as she was he knew that for sure. For all that men were supposed to be strong and supportive he didn’t think he could have gone through what Adrianna went through and come out of it whole. She had a lot of people to fall back on but Lani was more than impressed because what he saw was someone catching a hand when she swayed but otherwise keeping her feet and trudging forward. No Lani didn’t think he could do what Adrianna was doing. She was as strong as he had always imagined and all the more strong now. Lani felt a twinge of shame at these thoughts as he walked toward her. If he had realized this a year ago perhaps Adrianna never would have been kidnapped and their relationship wouldn’t have fallen so much into ruin.

He didn’t know when running late had started to become a thing of consistency with him but he would have been devastated to think that she found him unreliable. Sure he’d had his issues and had pulled her well into them but that seemed beside the point now. Everything seemed so small in comparison to the trail that Adrianna had just had to go through. He didn’t know if this was crazy or not but he was certainly willing to keep working on his friendship with Adrianna. Nothing ever felt quite right while they were fighting. And now that he’d come to accept the fact that most of the reasons they were fighting were his fault. It had been a hard pill to swallow but sooner or later he’d have to realize that he did not have all of the answers to the universe. Hell, he probably had less answers that than there were unicorns in the world.

Her voice seemed a little too calm like she was still in shock. She was still beautiful and the stress lines and the strain that shows on her face did nothing if not make her look more refined. There was a new look in her eyes. She wasn’t the happy-go-lucky girl he’d first met. She had aged in her eyes and she now had the look of someone who had seen the world and been let down by it. It was a look Lani knew well and had tried his hardest to keep Adrianna from having. But she was human and life was going to kick her ass more than once in her time. Lani let her get comfortable and wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a half hug. “Glad to hear it. I’ve been doing about the same. I’m taking a few classes at the community college.” He was glad that there were no strange feeling left in their closeness. She was a dear friend and they’d tried to make it work and it had failed.

“Don’t be.” Lani replied shooting the point home with a shake of his head. Lani wanted to touch the subject of her mother but he also didn’t want to pressure her into talking about it if she didn’t want to. He’d learned a few things this time around. “Are you gonna be taking any dance classes?” Lani asked out of the blue. He’d given up trying to learn and he was pretty sure Adrianna and Odion had given up on him as well. He just couldn’t get out of his own head long enough to let the music take meaning. He followed up with another question. “Are you living in the dorms now?” He wanted her to eventually come see his place but he figured it probably needed a good deep cleaning before anyone came in. Things ended up falling through with his first roommate and so it was just him and the place was… well essentially Lani had no reason to keep it clean for a second person and he had exploded over the apartment.