Chapter Nineteen: Unspoken
Elphaba wiped her damp brow, hat in her left hand. She'd had a long, long day. No in the conventional, time-oriented way, no. She was actually going back earlier than usual, but Elphaba was exhausted. She'd pushed herself more in that small space of time than she had in the last few months combined. She all but limped back to the hotel.
At least I can get a shower in before Galinda gets home, she thought.
Home.
How easily that little, two-room suite had garnered that name. It felt more like home to Elphaba than any place in Oz ever had, or, she thought, ever could. She was so content, working tirelessly and coming home to a now giddy-again Galinda. What had changed to make things so easy between them? What had made Galinda so happy, and how long would it last?
How long would all of it last?
Elphaba shook her head, trying not to think so deeply as she rounded the corner, her boots smacking the sidewalk.
Enjoy it while you can, the voice in her head told her, pity in the otherwise ominous words, and Elphaba immediately knew that she had to take the words to heart. She slipped through the spinning front door of the hotel, left shoulder first, and tossed all doubts and worries from her head. She was meeting the Wizard tomorrow! That was more than she could ever have hoped for. It was time to enjoy life for the night and one, short day the next morning, before she met the Wizard in the afternoon.
Thoughts of being in the Palace flooded Elphaba's mind. What would it look like? She didn't think anything she could ever dream up would be beautiful enough. And the Wizard, what of him? He had to be handsome, tall, strong. He would be impressive simply to look at, not to mention his powers. If Elphaba could make storm clouds and change the color of the grass, she couldn't even begin to imagine what wondrous things the Wizard was capable of!
Elphaba pressed the button on the elevator and leaned back against the wall, the brim of her hat held tightly in her hands. She shut her eyes gently. So many things that she wanted to ask the Wizard, so many things she wanted to tell him! If she didn't get into the shower soon and wash some of the tension and excitement away, she was going to burst!
When the doors opened, Elphaba exited without looking up and took the memorized steps quickly and without thought. Her only want for the moment was to stand beneath the solace of streaming hot water.
When she unlocked the door and finally opened her eyes, however, all thoughts of a shower, or anything outside of the immediate room, were lost.
"Galinda?"
Galinda did not correct her, attributing Elphaba's slip to the shock of seeing the bedroom awash in the warm light of innumerable white candles, flickering silently. The rest of the suite was plunged in darkness, leaving only the bed illuminated, the plain cotton sheets looking regal in the quiet hum of light.
Galinda, though, outshone everything.
"You look so beautiful," Elphaba blurted out. Her hand came to her mouth just a moment later, her eyes wide in fear. Galinda blushed, glowing beneath Elphaba's appreciative gaze. She giggled, tossing her hair from her face. Her full cheeks glowed light pink in the candle light, her golden curls looking even paler, flowing in soft waves over her shoulders, just barely gracing the shoulder straps of one of the many dresses she had purchased already. The thick, silky straps led down to a simple, pretty, slip-like dress.
This dress, in particular, was Galinda's favorite. It was form fitting without being clingy, pretty without being too girly, and well cut without being vulgar.
By the way Elphaba stared breathlessly in the stifling moment, Galinda knew that it was perfect.
"What... what is all this?" Elphaba managed, her voice momentarily returning in the still heat. She crossed the room, her eyes never leaving Galinda as she opened one of the two small windows for ventilation. As she passed, she noticed some plates and glasses on the bed, laid out neatly beside Galinda.
"I thought we could have a nice dinner here, to celebrate... since you're meeting the Wizard tomorrow," Galinda said, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to volunteer any more information than Elphaba asked for.
Standing at the foot of the bed, Elphaba was entirely unsure of what to do. Her eyes found Galinda's amongst the twinkling lights, but she soon looked away, over powered by the honesty in that blue gaze.
What was going on? Elphaba had to wonder. This wasn't by any means odd behavior for Galinda, but there was something about this, the scent of perfume permeating the air, the romantic candle glow, and that dress...
"Galinda," Elphaba said slowly, "Why didn't you just make reservations somewhere? I'm sure that there's some restaurant out there you've tried that would've been appropriate."
"Because this is so much more private," Galinda deapanned and Elphaba was stunned silent once more.
"Private?" Elphaba croaked. Galinda patted the bed wordlessly and Elphaba moved to sit, unable to resist the pull of perfume and golden light. "Why would you want privacy?" she asked, shifting as close as she dared.
Oh, how many answers to that one, simple question, all waiting on the tip of Galinda's tongue. But only one was appropriate for the moment, for what she thought the night would be.
"Well, because I know how uncomfortable you are in crowds and... And there's something I wanted to tell you, but I wanted it just to be you and I..."
Galinda swallowed and licked her lips. Elphaba watched her nervously, her deep brown eyes flickering to green, her lips half parted, waiting. She waited for a good while before Galinda spoke again in careful, practiced words.
"We're not at Shiz anymore, Elphie," she began, inching closer to Elphaba, who fought her instinct to move away, "and I wanted you to know that... that you are i>loved /i>," she said, her hand floating to her chest as though she were coaxing up the more difficult words, "no matter what the Wizard says tomorrow. No matter what happens," she continued, her voice growing weak, "I... will still love you."
Her hand wavered at her chest and her words trailed away with the cold breeze streaming in through the open window. She shivered.
Galinda waited for a response, some indication that Elphaba understood her, but none came. She twittered on the edge of tears, feeling all of her waiting and hoping had perhaps been for naught, weighing her hopes and fears on Elphaba.
Mercifully, Elphaba looked away. Galinda tried to distract herself fromher fearsby grabbing a glass and beginning to pour their drinks, but the sudden touch of a green hand stopped her.
Elphaba's skin glimmered like a shining jewel in the candle light, Galinda's gaze fixed on that hand, on the valleys of skin just below Elphaba's knuckles. Her own hand quivered beneath Elphaba's,a shiver climbing up through her and resonating within Elphaba's own flesh.
A second hand nervously joined its brother, enveloping Galinda's tiny fist in heat. The room swayed in light as cold air flowed around the room in a small circle, chilling them both suddenly.
A single tear broke forth and the tiniest gasp escaped Galinda, breaking the silence gently.
Elphaba's right hand came up slowly, turning Galinda's face towards hers. Tears streamed silently down her face, shimmering like lakes of gold on her frightened face. Water dripped over her lips, her eyes shaking as Elphaba's cradled her cheek in one hand.
Searching Galinda's eyes, Elphaba learned more from that moment of silence than she had in all the words that had ever come from Galinda's pouted mouth. Galinda, however, could stand the silence no longer.
"Elphaba, I'm so sorry you ever doubted that I--"
"Shh... don't. Don't say anything," Elphaba said and Galinda was silent again, but a long shudder told Elphaba much more. She chewed her bottom lip nervously, searching for the words, but none came.
She's right, you know, the voice said suddenly, you're not at Shiz anymore. And who knows, if you go with the Wizard, you may never even see her again. This may be your last chance.
My last chance.
Elphaba's eyes refocused on Galinda and she swallowed audibly. She shifted on the bed, resting her thigh against Galinda's, her stockings making a scratching sound as she moved. Slowly and awkwardly, more unsure of herself then than she had ever been in her entire life, Elphaba's other hand sought out Galinda's cheek, blindly, as Elphaba had shut her eyes, afraid to see Galinda's face.
She felt a shudder run its course through Galinda and roll through her, gooseflesh rising on her skin. The heat of the room pulsated, a delicate wind cooling them and fading in and instant. Elphaba drew nearer, shivering from the cold, the heat, the moment. She inched closer, her leg pressed against Galinda's thigh,the silk silent as she waited.
Finally, Elphaba touched her forehead to Galinda's, holding the soft, rounded face tenderly in both hands. The thinnest film of sweat mixed between the two layers of skin and Elphaba painstakingly brought her nose to Galinda's, the tips brushing and then settling against each other. Galinda let out a gentle sound, her breath mingling with Elphaba's. They remained this way for a long while, Elphaba's elbows in the air, Galinda's finger's searching for her. Her hands gently gripped Elphaba's forearms and the air stilled, silence pressing in on them.
Galinda took one last breath of her own.
Suddenly, Elphaba closed the distance between their lips, her thin, dry ones meeting Galinda's quivering, smooth ones as eagerly as unsurely. Galinda's heart did back flips and her mind floated to some wonderful place as she gave into the kiss, opening her lips to the gentle, cautious swipe of Elphaba's tongue. Elphaba was lost in the scent of wild flowers and the taste of Galinda's mouth, the kiss consuming her completely, fully. She could think of nothing but the present, nowhere, no one, nothing else. She took in Galinda, her chest light with the girl's own breath, and her heart fluttered, her entire body quite happily lost in the moment.
Galinda's eyes opened mid kiss and she almost laughed at the sight of Elphaba, eyes shut tight in concentration.
I'm not a spell, Elphie, Galinda thought. But how to tell her?
Show her, Galinda heard.
And so she did.
Galinda thrust her hand into the black net of Elphaba's hair and kissed her fiercely, causing Elphaba to freeze at the sudden motion. In that one action, the two learned much of each other, more than they had in months passed. Words unsaid, caresses unacknowledged, lingering eyes never caught were thrown into the open with the press of two mouths, hungry to learn more, desperate to know what they had only dared to dream of.
In the minutes, hours, however long it was that they moved as one, the two memorized skin, responses, sounds. The grass changed from green to cream throughout the night, colors dancing in the heat and passing breeze. In the quiet hours, they read the passages written only in the unspoken language of flesh and movement.
"Elphie?" Galinda said softly, when they finally lay still, the cool night air settling gently on their warm bodies like a comfortable blanket.
"Yes, Glinda?" she said, exaggerating the name. Galinda giggled and laid her head on Elphaba's warm, damp chest, long,dark tresses floating down over her collar bone like black water. She rested her hand on the green and black forest, lazily twirling Elphaba's hair with her fingers.
"I want it to be like this at Shiz," Galinda said at length. Elphaba took a sharp breath.
"You mean--"
"Yes, Elphie," she whispered softly.
Galinda shifted onto her elbow and looked down at Elphaba with such sincerity in her blue depths that Elphaba could not help but believe what she was saying.
"You, and me, Elphaba. No matter what anyone else thinks."
"But Fiyero--"
"Shh, don't worry about him," Galinda said, lowering her lips to Elphaba's. Her lips swiftly slid over her last few words. "He's worried enough about himself for the both of us."
Galinda curtained their faces in a shower of golden locks and took Elphaba's breath from her, savoring the salty taste left on her lips.
"My pretty," Elphaba cooed between kisses, her mind just barely piecing words together, so happy was she. She encircled Galinda in her arms, pulling her to her, letting the small woman settle in the crook of her arm. Galinda turned into her and Elphaba kissed the top of her head as Galinda laid her arm over Elphaba's chest.
"You, Galinda, and me. No matter what anyone else thinks."
She felt Galinda nod and heard a tiny, tired yawn. Elphaba laughed softly at the sound and stroked Galinda's hair as her breathing slowed.
"Sleep well...
"My sweet."