Lucy groaned from her place under the sheets. There was an incessant knocking coming from downstairs, but she was too comfortable and warm in her bed to feel inclined to do anything about it. When the knocking started again, Lucy threw away her sheets and stumbled out of bed at the ungodly hour of night to answer the damn door, only to find a beaming Mina standing there in front of her home. "Mina?" she questioned. "Is everything alright?"
"Oh, Lucy!" She cried. Mina's arms encircled Lucy's neck then, followed by Lucy's arms settling at the base of Mina's back in response to the hug. "Everything is just..." Mina searched for the right words. "Perfect! Absolutely perfect." She leaned back to grin at Lucy, but Lucy was far too confused to return the enthusiasm.
Mina took a step away, Lucy's hands falling from around her, and collected herself. "Jonathan and I have reconciled." Mina missed the quiet "oh" that fell from Lucy's lips, as Lucy had the sense that there was more to it than just that. "We're finally, finally," she reached for Lucy's hands, "going to be married."
Lucy let out a noise somewhere between a scoff and a gasp that felt more like someone had thrown a fist into her gut. "That is quite something," she whispered.
Mina squeezed Lucy's hands, too distracted by her joy to notice the despair in Lucy's eyes or the defeat in her words. "I can't believe it's really happening. You see, Lucy? I knew Jonathan would come around. He made a mistake, and he has no intention of interfering with my dream of becoming a physician like my father. Everything is falling into place at last."
Lucy swallowed audibly, forcing a smile. "I am so happy for you, darling." She gently brushed a lock of hair away from Mina's face and let her fingers linger on Mina's cheek. "Truly."
Having told Lucy her news, Mina was able to calm down enough to be aware of Lucy's slightly off mood. "Lucy, what is it?" She took the hand on her cheek and held it tightly between her own, her eyes searching Lucy's to find a reason as to why she seemed so distraught.
Lucy shook her head with a short laugh. "Nothing," she assured Mina, despite her gaze having fallen to the floor.
"No." Mina pursed her lips and shook her head in adamancy. She refused to allow her best friend to be unhappy. With all that was going right for Mina, she only wanted for Lucy to be able to bask in the success, too.
"Mina, please," Lucy muttered, pulling her hand from between Mina's. "It's nothing." Her voice was a mere whisper and almost inaudible to Mina as Lucy turned to ascend the staircase and return to bed.
Lucy took each step with care, for she feared her bones were capable of shattering at any moment. Every plank was an uphill battle, her grip on the handrail tightening as she continued up the stairs. She was vaguely aware of the click of Mina's heels as she quietly, patiently, trailed behind Lucy. What Mina was hoping to accomplish, Lucy knew not. She was just thankful that Mina didn't ask why she was taking so damn long to climb the staircase.
Lucy was eager to collapse onto her bed and pretend none of this was real. Maybe if she closed her eyes she would wake up in a few hours and Mina and Jonathan would still be fighting and Mina wouldn't be getting married to anyone and everything would be the way Lucy liked it.
Upon feeling a tap on her back, Lucy rolled over to see Mina looking at her, a question present in her gaze. Mina tilted her head towards the empty side of the bed, trying to check if she would be crossing the line by asking to stay the night when Lucy was not her usual peppy self. Lucy gave a half-hearted shrug and lay back down on her stomach, trying to ignore the fact that Mina would be within arm's reach. She turned her head to watch the other woman as she settled under the covers as if this was something she had done every day of her life.
Mina shifted to lie on her side and allowed her eyes to roam over Lucy's face. For a moment her hand moved to caress Lucy's cheek, but her fingers twitched in midair and she thought better of it.
"Lucy," Mina spoke softly, careful to preserve the quiet atmosphere around them. "I've never seen you like this. I'm worried for you," she admitted. She had no idea how to help Lucy and it killed her inside; she specialized in treating physical wounds, not emotional ones. This was her best friend, and she was obviously suffering, but Mina was powerless to ease her pain. It was a tough pill to swallow.
Lucy twisted to face Mina more fully and sighed. "I suppose I'm just having a particularly bad day."
Mina narrowed her eyes in silent disagreement. She knew better than to believe that—she grew up with Lucy, after all. It was Mina who saw her highs and lows, her triumphs and failures. This was no "bad day," and they both knew it.
Seeing how different this was compared to any other time Lucy had been sad, Mina relented. She vowed to go easier on Lucy and opened up her arms to invite the woman closer. "Come here."
Lucy sniffled and refused to meet Mina's eyes but scooted against her side all the same. Mina reflexively wrapped her arm around Lucy's side and pulled her closer. Exhaling tiredly, Lucy placed her head on Mina's chest, as was customary for her to do on nights like these. She was stewing in silence and it had Mina concerned, but each time Lucy went to speak, she felt the desperate plea, the broken confession of love, bubbling up in her throat and had no choice but to promptly shut her mouth again.
"What can I do?" Mina begged. She frowned as Lucy simply shook her head.
"Can we sleep?" Lucy asked instead, hand curling into the fabric of Mina's nightgown.
Mina gave a resigned nod and kissed the top of Lucy's head. "We can sleep." She threaded her fingers in Lucy's hair and gently began running them through it. If Mina couldn't solve the problem (or find out what it was, for that matter), perhaps she could offer some physical comfort.
"Is this alright?"
A nod from Lucy as she snuggled closer to Mina. This didn't feel real to her. Mina couldn't actually be here because if she was then that meant that Mina's news was true and Lucy was really, truly losing her.
Lucy couldn't have gotten closer to Mina's warm body if she tried. She just needed the assurance that Mina was there, if only for the night. She needed to feel Mina's soft skin under her fingertips and hear Mina's steady heartbeat under her ear. There wouldn't be many more moments like these and Lucy felt that knowledge pushing her to the brink.
Mina squeezed her eyes tight as she continued running her fingers through Lucy's hair. She couldn't bear to see her dear friend so wrecked. Each shaky breath Lucy took as she fought back tears broke Mina's heart that much more. This emotional turmoil was meant for two, it seemed.
Mina closed her eyes and listened to Lucy's uneven breathing. It was hard to be happy about her engagement when her dearest Lucy was falling apart more and more with each passing minute. She had no choice but to attempt to relax into the silence that had fallen over them, her thumb absently rubbing Lucy's arm.
A choked sob at last escaped from Lucy, and she buried her face against Mina to stifle it as best she could. "Please don't marry him," Lucy whispered helplessly into Mina's chest, warm tears dripping onto the brunette's skin.
Part of Lucy hoped the other woman would hear her weak exhalation, but it seemed Mina was already fast asleep and none the wiser.