Need You Now
A/N Heard Lady Antebellum's Need You Now over the radio and my head started to think of Fiyeraba again. I am so obessed it is not healthy!
Please review!
Elphaba sat on the couch in the small living room of her apartment. She had changed out of that uncomfortable black dress and was wearing a well-worn long sleeve shirt with track pants. On the table next to her was a glass of wine. She knew that she should not have poured this second glass, having taken one glass earlier at Oz's Pub. But that first glass had not sent her to sleep as she had expected, and she was hoping that this second glass would. She had just made a phone call at the spur of the moment, and had regretted it the moment the line connected.
She looked at the photo that she was holding in her hand. The photo was taken years ago, during her days at Shiz. Galinda had bought an Ozlaroid, one of those funky looking cameras that would print out the photo immediately (she got a pink one, of course) and the first few weeks had taken the camera everywhere she went, taking every opportunity to take snapshots of herself, her friends, and her surroundings.
Picture perfect memories
Scattered all around the floor
Reaching for the phone 'cause
I can't fight it anymore
Galinda had asked one of their classmates to take this snapshot. Four times, simply because Galinda had insisted that each of them should have one copy, and Ozlariod photos cannot be reproduced at the photo shop.
On the right was Boq. Dependable and predictable Boq. Not surprisingly, he had gone back to Munkinland after graduation and took over his father's farm. Using his knowledge of modern agriculture and business that he had learnt from Shiz, he had revamped his father's typical farm to focus on organic produce. He also came up with clever marketing ideas to promote organic produce with a tie-up with a higher end supermarket chain. The promotion worked and his venture paid off so well that Boq had recently bought over two of his neighbours' farms to expand his organic business.
What was surprisingly though was that Boq had married Milla, one of Shiz's high maintenance girls, (or maybe what was surprising was that Milla had married him) and had four kids, with one more on the way, and no end in sight.
Elphaba skipped looking at herself who was next to Boq, and looked at Galinda. Beautiful, popular Galinda who was also her roommate and best friend in Shiz. Galinda who would brighten up anyone's day just by being there. The Galinda who stuck with her when the other students in school had shun her due to her skin colour, her smart Alec remarks, her unfriendliness. The Galinda who kept her up at night talking about everything and yet nothing in particular.
Galinda dated Fiyero, the most popular boy in school, for almost a year. They broke up when Elphaba was away on her internship, thousands of miles away. The blonde had called Elphaba long distance in the middle of the night and cried over the phone for more than one hour.
"He said it is not fair to me to be with someone who does not love me anymore", she had wailed, her distress evident even over the terrible reception of the phone call.
The breakup took her a few weeks (far too long for Galinda's record) to get over, but she did get over it and dated a string of other guys in Shiz before marrying a man twice her age soon after graduation after a whirlwind 2 months courtship.
Elphaba had gotten an invitation to the wedding, but as usual she was far away in some secluded part of Oz busy saving animals illegally removed from their natural habitats for sale. She had sent a gift and a handwritten apology instead.
The last person, next to Galinda was Fiyero. The most charming boy in school. When that picture was taken, Galinda and Fiyero had just started dating and it was their honeymoon period. Both looked extremely happy together in that photo.
Fiyero.
She had not expected to see him that night.
She had not expected to bump into him at all on this trip since it was only for three days.
On those rare occasions when she was back in EC, she would either be cooped up in her small apartment doing her work, or at supermarket buying groceries, or at the bookstore. Not in a pub.
But Charles had wanted to go for a drink after that business dinner, and had mentioned that he had heard of good reviews about the band that was performing at Oz's Pub.
And of all things, he had gone out to answer a phone call when a familiar figure had sat down next to her and put his arms around the back of her seat.
"Hi, when did you come back?" was his first sentence.
He was wearing a light green shirt opened at the neck with office pants. The sleeves were rolled up slightly, showing off the tattoos on his forearms. The green shirt somehow brought out the turquoise that was usually not obvious in his eyes, and Elphaba thought that he was even better looking than before (if that was possible). And there was an newfound confidence that she had not seen when he was in Shiz.
She asked, and he told her, that his father had pulled some strings after graduation and got him a senior position in private investment at the Bank of EC. She knew that of course. A recent tabloid article had recently labeled him one of the top 20 bachelors of Oz, with his good looks, royal title and his achievements in the banking industry. The article of course did not fail to mention that the scandalicious prince was now single, having broken up with an actress a few months before.
Fat pay. Fast cars. Pretty women. That sounded prefect, she told him, knowing about his string of conquests of models and celebrities from other tabloid headlines that she had glanced at when she was at the airports, or train stations or supermarket checkout counters. He had looked embarrassed, and mumbled something about people not looking past the surface.
Charles came back at that moment and told her that they had to leave as he needed to rush some documents out that night and she had left with him. Before she left, she turned to look at Fiyero for one last time, but the expression on his face was unreadable.
And I wonder if I
Ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time
Elphaba took a deep sigh and decided that a cold shower was in order.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fiyero came out from the shower. The cold water had not cleared his mind. Going to the bar table in that bachelor pad of his, he poured himself a glass of whiskey.
He was going to get a hangover tomorrow but now that was the least of his concerns.
Another shot of whiskey
stop looking at the door
Wishing you'd come sweeping
In the way you did before
He had seen her tonight.
He had joined his coworkers at Oz's Pub that night for some drinking and networking as he did not have a date for that night. They had joked that Fiyero not having a date was as rare as a blue moon, since he was usually either in a relationship or casually dating.
Sometimes, the way he went through relationships embarrassed even himself. But every time he met someone new, he would think that perhaps she would be the one that will fill up that gaping hole in his heart. Someone that would make him forget about a particular someone, who was constantly in his mind. He wanted to give himself that chance to move on, but somehow that chance was never given to him.
He had stayed back in the office to complete some work, and when he arrived at Oz's Pub, his coworkers were nowhere to be found. He ordered a drink, and then another, and yet they did not turn up. He then texted them, and one of them texted him back that they were having dinner a few doors down and would be there shortly. He did a scan around the room, people watching, when his eyes rested on a lone figure at the other corner of the room.
Raven hair, green skin.
He took a double take. For a moment, he thought that he had drunk something too strong. But she was still there, looking lost like she always did in a social setting like this.
She still kept her hair long, but now they are curled, framing her face and making her face looked smaller, her eyes bigger. She wore a black dress with a low neckline. She had crossed her legs, and the short skirt ride up, showing more skin that she intended to.
Fiyero finished the drink he had in his hand and moved across the room.
The walk across the room seemed like eternity, and he had feared that she would disappear whenever someone cut across his path and blocked his view of her temporarily.
But he made it to the other side, and she was still there.
'Hi, when did you come back?' He asked her as he sat down next to her. He looked at her, and noted that she still did not have the habit of wearing any accessory, the only one being a well-worn watch with a metallic chain (she had refused to wear any watch with a leather strap).
She looked at him, and it seemed that to him that she did not remember who he was, until she said his name.
"Fiyero."
He repeated his question again. And she told him that she only came back for a few days for business.
"So where are you staying?" He had asked.
"I am staying at the apartment at Chatsworth," she told him.
He laughed, incredulous. He knew that Elphaba's parents had bought the place for investment a long time ago. The group of friends had stayed over in that apartment when they came to EC during one of the holidays. The girls had slept in the one and only bedroom, and the boys had slept on the couch and the floor. Those were the good old days. "Your parents never sell it?"
She shook her head. "It is being used for rental purpose now. Still brings in pretty good returns. And I can use it whenever I come back. So how are you? I've been seeing your face in the tabloids quite often."
"Still alive as you can see. My father pulled some strings and got me a job at the Bank of EC. Private banking. Sounds more glamorous than it really is." He admitted.
"Good job, fast cars, dating beautiful women. A lot of people will wish that they have your life."
Fiyero had shook his head. "They just don't see past the title and the publicity. The long hours and the hard work. Enough of me. How are you? Still at ARO?" He asked, referring to the Animal Rescue Organisation, a non profit organization that rescues animals taken forcefully from their natural habitats and rehouse them back to their homes or other animal sanctuaries.
Elphaba nodded, and took a sip from her cocktail.
"You never drink cocktail," he noted.
"People change, Fiyero." She told him simply.
He looked at the little black dress that she was wearing. The Elphaba that he knew would never wear something like this. "Yeah," he replied sadly.
Just then, a tall handsome man came over.
"El, is this man bothering you?" He had asked.
Elphaba looked up in surprise. "No, Charles. He is an old friend from Shiz." And she had introduced them.
The man, Charles Tenenbaum, had shaken his hand with a strong, firm handshake. Fiyero took him in. Taller than him, more muscular, and meticulously dressed. A five o'clock shadow that Fiyero pretty sure was groomed intentionally. His voice was low, business-like. Fiyero disliked him at first sight. And he had called Elphaba El. No one had ever survived giving Elphaba a nickname except for Galinda and Nessarose.
That man had then told Elphaba about rushing out some work. She nodded her head, and took her clutch bag (another thing that had changed. The Elphaba that he knew would never carry a clutch bag).
"Goodbye, Fiyero," she had said before Charles guided her out of the place, his hand on her exposed back. Fiyero felt like moving forward and tearing that hand away. But Elphaba had turned back, and he put on his poker face.
And I wonder if I
Ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time
Fiyero had dated Galinda when he was in Shiz. Galinda was beautiful, popular and the two looked perfect as a couple. But after a few months, he realized that someone else was always in his mind. When Galinda swept into his room, cooing sweet nothings and fussing over him, he would inadvertently look behind Galinda to look at the other girl who sometimes would follow along. Sometimes she would stand outside the door, but sometimes she would come in, standing in one corner trying to blend into the background. He wished that she would come in and sit next to him, but she never did.
The only time when she approached him was when she needed help that Galinda could not offer. She had found out that one of the teachers had confined a lion cub illegally in his office. She had gone to Fiyero pleading her case, asking him to help her in getting the animal out. He had obliged of course.
It was during their second year in Shiz that Elphaba found an article mentioning that ARO was looking for interns and she had applied for it. ARO accepted her application, and she had applied for a leave of absence from Shiz. On the day of departure, Fiyero, Galinda, Boq and Nessarose had went to the train station to send her off. Fiyero had gotten her a bouquet of poppies, her favourite flowers.
"Call me when you reach there, Elphie," Galinda had cried as she hugged her friend goodbye. "And I will call you too!"
Fiyero tried to make light of the situation. "I won't call you," he said, grinning. Elphaba frowned. "Perhaps I won't too," she said, biting her lips. He had wanted to tell her he was joking, but at that moment they heard the final call for boarding, and Elphaba gave Galinda a final hug before she boarded the train.
Four months later, he was flipping through the newspapers when he saw a picture of her. She was seated on the grass, being surrounded by many bear cubs, and one of them was on her lap. The headline screamed "ARO Busted Bear Smuggling Ring". Below the picture was a brief sentence. "ARO intern, Elphaba Thropp, with the cubs that were rescued." She had looked so happy in that picture, that Fiyero knew that she was not coming back. He was right. He later heard from Boq (Galinda had refused to speak to him for months after their breakup) that she had written in to drop out of Shiz. ARO had offered her a full time position.
It's a quarter after one
I'm a little drunk
And I need you now
Fiyero shook himself out of his thoughts and noticed the blinking icon on his handphone. There was a voice message. He pressed a few keys to retrieve the message.
"Hi, I… well I guess you are not back yet. I …" And then the line was disconnected. The voice was soft, but there was no mistake whose voice it was.
He looked at the phone. His incoming phone had logged her number as 'private number'. He swore. It took him a while before he remembered where she had said she was staying. Chatsworth. Looking at the clock on the wall, Fiyero grabbed a shirt and his remote car key and went out the door.
It was 1.15am.
Guess I'd rather hurt
Than feel nothing at all
He drove his red convertible recklessly through the light traffic. The cold air cleared his head slightly, but Fiyero still had no idea what he was going to do, or say, when he reached her place. He knew that he should not be driving after having drunk so much, but at that moment, he had more things to worry about than a traffic ticket.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Elphaba was about to go to bed when the doorbell chimed. She looked through the eye hole, and while she did not believe what she saw, opened the door a bit.
"Fiyero." She said, wrapping her arms around herself. "What a surprise."
"There's something I need to tell you," he said..
She hesitated, but then opened the door wider to let him in. She closed the door behind him.
It's a quarter after one
I'm all alone
And I need you now
And I said I wouldn't call
But I'm a little drunk
And I need you now
He had wanted to say something, anything, but all rationale thoughts went out the window when he saw her standing there in her shirt and pants, looking unsure of what to do next. He took a step forward, pulled her to him and kissed her.
Kissed her deeply.
Something that he had wanted to do for a long time.
Something that he should have done a long time ago.
"You're drunk," was all she said when he released her.
"I'm not drunk. I'm intoxicated," he told her, obviously not referring to the drinks that he had consumed that night.
He moved in for another kiss again, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.
"I let you in because you said you have something to say. So say it," she commanded, crossing her arms across her chest.
How to talk? How to start talking about something like this?
He took a deep breath.
"I love you."
He saw her eyes grow wide with disbelief.
"I love you, since Shiz. I don't know when it started. Maybe it's on that day when the two of us sneak into Doctor Nik's office and rescue that lion cub that he was keeping illegally. Maybe it's when you started following Galinda into my room just stand there watching me. I don't know. Or maybe it's on that first day of school when you walked into me because you are too busy reading your newly bought textbook. I don't know when, and I don't know how, but I know it."
He looked at her. She did not say a word.
"When you left for your internship, I knew that what I feel is real. I missed you so much. So I broke up with Galinda. I waited for you to come back. I was going to tell you when you come back. But you didn't. You never come back." The last sentence came out like an accusation, which he regretted immediately.
"But you never call." She said almost in a whisper.
"I never call because I don't know what to say. I don't want to tell you over the phone. I had intended to tell you when you come back from your internship. And when you decided not to, I just thought that maybe there is nothing, there is no one in Shiz that you think is worth coming back to. I thought that I should just move on. But I never move on. The long hours at work never stop me from thinking of you at night. All those women, no matter how beautiful they are, how caring they are, they are not you. I need you."
He reached out his hand and touched her cheek.
"And you have called me just now. That meant something, doesn't it? Even though you are now seeing someone ….."
Elphaba raised her hand to make him stop.
"I am seeing someone?" She asked.
"Charles Tenenbaum?" He said, gesturing towards the bedroom where he assumed the man was soundly sleeping.
Elphaba chuckled, the tense atmosphere broken.
"Charles is my boss. And he is sleeping in his own hotel room."
Fiyero did not understand. "You mean.. he's not… you and him… no? But he was touching you, and calling you so intimately."
She shook her head, smiling. "Charles is a close friend, and we've been working together for years. There's nothing between us. Besides, he had a partner. Though for business he still prefers to bring someone who looks good in a little black dress rather than someone who looks good in a suit."
"Oh… " was all Fiyero could say when he realized what she was getting at.
Elphaba smiled, still finding the whole situation comical. And then she took a step toward him, an impish smile on her face.
"And for the record, I'm not seeing anyone." She told him.
Fiyero smiled back as he pulled her into his arms for another kiss.
"Good. Neither am I."
I just need you now
Oh baby, I need you now