"I love you," Elphaba whispered. She pulled Glinda to her and kissed her. This wasn't any different than usual, but...but it was. This was a lot different. The way Elphaba kissed her wasn't the same. It held a tinge of desperation in it, of longing. But why? They were going back to Shiz University. The meeting with the Wizard hadn't gone that well, but that was okay. Because they still had each other.
"I love you too," Glinda whispered back. Another kiss, this one even more desperate than the first. And...were those tears? She pulled back slightly, and sure enough, Elphaba's face was slightly burned. "Elphaba, what…?"
"I can't stay. Go back to Shiz University, finish your education. I have elsewhere I need to be." Elphaba turned away briefly before looking back at Glinda. It was clear she was trying to hold back her tears. "I love you."
And then she was gone. She walked briskly away, leaving Glinda standing there. Glinda, who is now heartbroken and wondering why Elphaba left when she told her she loved her.
She returns to Shiz alone and with tears long since dried on her cheeks.
That first night that she's back, Glinda realizes Elphaba hadn't planned to leave. She still had some of her clothes left. For some reason, that stung a little more than if she had planned this. Was Glinda just not enough for her?
Slowly, she grabbed a piece of clothing and held it to her, beginning to cry again.
As she does so, her mind swirls with questions. Did Elphaba miss her? What made her choose to leave? Was it the Wizard? Or was Glinda just not good enough for Elphaba anymore? Did Elphaba really love her? Or did she lie? And if she did truly love her...why did she leave?
How does she become someone Elphaba would miss?
It's too late, anyway. Elphaba's gone, leaving Glinda here, sobbing into her clothes that she left abandoned here.
Glinda would admit it to anyone who asked. She's a romantic. Often, she'd imagined her and Elphaba together, living together, even after they've graduated. She'd imagined them moving in together, wherever they ended up, be it the Emerald City or anywhere else.
She wanted to live her life with Elphaba.
But now Elphaba is gone. They've had their last kiss - she shudders at the thought of that - and Elphaba abandoned her. She'd never imagined Elphaba would leave her, in all her fantasies. They'd always end with the two of them together, happy.
"Elphaba..," she whispers. Elphaba, forever the name on her lips.
Elphaba stared at Galinda at the Ozdust Ballroom. Her eyes are narrowed and she's untrusting of the blonde that has caused her nothing but trouble the entire time she's been here. But seeing Galinda do that silly dance, the same one that Elphaba had been doing...Well, it's different. Suddenly everything is a lot different.
And watching her...Maybe things won't be so bad between them.
Even so, Elphaba rolls her eyes at Galinda. And then she's pulling her in, and Elphaba finds herself dancing with Galinda.
She was never good at dancing, as clearly evidenced by the horrid dance that she's now doing with Galinda. But with the way she's looking at her...Elphaba decides that yes, she can dance. She will dance if it means getting to look at Galinda this way with her looking at Elphaba. She'd do it for Galinda.
Months later, and they've established a relationship. More than just friends, they're lovers - though Elphaba wouldn't go as far to say they're girlfriends. The term seems too real, too permanent. And she doesn't know if they'll be together forever. There are too many things that need to be done, many things that are much too dangerous. Too dangerous for the now-named Glinda.
But that doesn't matter now.
Now, Elphaba is talking about Animal rights and how something must be done, and Glinda is listening. Or, at least, Elphaba thinks she's listening. She's too busy to pay much attention. She's going off on a tangent now, and she can feel it, but there is just so much that needs to be said. There is so much that needs to change!
She pauses to take a breath, and that's when Glinda speaks. Suddenly, Glinda's mouth is on hers, cutting her off as she kisses. Elphaba's a little shocked at first before quickly kissing her back. She finds the interruption a little annoying, but she loves Glinda. They've never told the other they loved them, but Elphaba knows she does. She loves Glinda. And she's sure Glinda loves her.
So she doesn't miss the interruptions. In fact...she misses them.
Elphaba sits on the floor, trying desperately not to cry but failing miserably. She can feel the tears burning her skin, leaving their mark, but she doesn't care. Not now.
The pain reminds her that she's real, that all of this is real.
She wishes that she still had something from Glinda, something physical to remind herself of the girl she loves.
Instead, she's left with nothing, wondering how badly Glinda even still misses her.
No, that's not true. She's left with something.
With the memories, of being near her, of holding her close. Of their last kiss.
She almost regrets Glinda. She'd almost hoped Glinda would have come running after her, insisting that she come with, but she also knows she'd never let her. And Elphaba had walked away too fast.
Much as she misses Glinda with all her heart, she was safer at Shiz, whereas Elphaba was safer anywhere that isn't Shiz.
But before it had become too dangerous for this, she'd always imagined they'd live together. Happy. Not separated.
It was too much to wish for. There was no way it would have ever been able to happen, not with the world the way it is.
Still, it's nice to imagine.
It hadn't been long after they'd gotten together - though even that didn't have a definitive start - before they were sharing the bed.
Elphaba, ever the insomniac, would often stay awake, watching Glinda as she slept. It was always one of her most favorite parts of the day. (Or rather, the night). She'd always had trouble falling asleep, but after even just some time of watching Glinda, it didn't take her long before she was fast asleep, holding her close.
With her arms wrapped tight around Glinda, she could always feel her breaths. Deep and slow as Glinda slept, it helped her to sleep too.
She misses Glinda. So, so much.
She rarely gets any sleep.
It was a surprise to Glinda to see Fiyero. It had been many years, and she hadn't expected to see anyone after their graduation. Least of all him, who had surely gone back to the Vinkus.
In their conversation, Glinda knows he's seen Elphaba. She can tell by the way he reacts when she mentions her. Face blank, though obviously trying to keep it that way. He tried to hide it, and did a rather good job of it, but Glinda had learned at a young age how to read people. And she could see right through him.
She tries to get him to tell her where Elphaba is, but he's resistant. He manages to escape before she demands that he tells her.
She sighs and hopes she's okay, wherever she is.
Before Fiyero can leave for good, she calls out to him. "Tell her I miss her still." And then she seems to struggle with herself.
Fiyero leaves before she continues, not hearing the last words she says to him.
"Tell her I love her."
Months after she saw Fiyero, Glinda was walking through the city.
The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. However, she pays little attention to that as she sees a shadow, darting around a corner. It's stupid, ridiculous, and there's no way it's true.
But somehow, she just knows it's Elphaba.
So she follows it.
Glinda had been following the shadow for a while when it finally stops in an alley far from the main streets. But she's not scared. She's absolutely certain it's Elphaba, and that Elphaba knows she's being followed by Glinda. Why else would she allow herself to be followed? Years of this, and surely she knows how not to be followed.
As Glinda gets closer, she can feel her heart rate start to speed up. Finally, years after being separated, she can finally see Elphaba, her love, again!
The figure turns around, facing Glinda, and lowers her hood.
And there. There is Elphaba's face, looking nervously at her. She doesn't look much different. Same green face. Maybe a bit skinnier. This all goes to the back of her mind however as she's suddenly running toward Elphaba.
Elphaba, anticipating her, quickly opens her arms and she crashes into them, immediately wrapping her arms tightly around her with no intention of ever letting go. She can feel Elphaba's arms around her as well, and she immediately relaxes into the embrace. Nothing has ever felt better than this.
"What are you doing here?" She has to ask, has to know.
"I had to see you," is Elphaba's reply.
And then they're kissing, and it reminds Glinda of the last time they kissed. It's full of sadness and tears, but it's a kiss. And Glinda had needed this so, so badly.
She pours her heart and soul into it, because maybe this one will be their last.