Chapter 10: He's Mine

It was nerve wracking; knowing that the competition season would be starting that weekend. Elphaba had been looking forward to it since she'd found out she made the team. Now she was even more nervous than she had been for the auditions. And she still had a couple days before she even left! She really needed to get a hold of herself.

Glinda was helping Elphaba pack, and Fiyero would meet them when he finished his own. Glinda wanted one last final movie night together before they left that weekend.

"Are you done already?" Elphaba asked when she answered the door. He grinned and strode in with a nod. "Are you sure?" He'd finished rather quickly.

Fiyero laugjed. "I'll forget something anyway."

Elphaba narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. "Well, I'm still packing so entertain yourself for a while."

"Isn't Glinda helping you?"

"More like chatting while I pack." She rolled her eyes and headed upstairs to her room.

"I'll help you then."

"So as I was saying-oh, hey Fiyero!" Glinda greeted them. They fell back into the routine. Glinda supervised with an endless stream of chatter as Elphaba and Fiyero folded her clothes in the luggage. When they finally finished, Elphaba slipped out for a quick shower.

They talked about the competition season a minute. "I've been meaning to ask you something." Glinda took the opening while Fiyero was alone. "What do you think of Elphie?"

Fiyero's eyebrows shot up, and his heart sped up. Thank Oz Glinda could only see one of those things. "What do you mean?"

"Just, what do you think of her."

"Like, as a person?"

Glinda nodded.

He struggled to find his words. There was no way he could answer this question truthfully without giving something away. "She's one of my best friends. I adore her," he said. That seemed innocent enough, right?

Glinda, however, read between the lines. "You like her!"

Fiyero choked. "What?"

"I've seen this in every romantic movie!" the blonde squealed. "You're friends…one starts catching feelings; the other does, too. Someone pushes them together, and bam! I knew it! You're always a little awkward around her. Elphie may not notice it, but I do. You're so different around her now."

Fiyero didn't dar say anything.

"You've been driving me nuts! I could never figure out why you seemed happy yet always a bit sad when you're around her!"

"Sh!" Elphaba was right upstairs.

"What?"

"Be quiet," Fiyero checked the top of the stairs. No Elphaba, at least that he could see. "She might hear you."

"And?" Galinda narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is there something wrong with Elphie?"

"What? No! Nothing's wrong with her she's…" he trailed off. He sighed in defeat and looked up at the ceiling. "She's absolutely amazing."

"Then what's the problem? Are you scared that she may not feel the same way? I can ask her for you."

"It's not just that," Fiyero shook his head, "I-I feel something…more for her than just a crush." saying the words out loud was harder than he'd thought. He couldn't just yet. Not until he knew if she felt the same way, though he was almost sure she didn't.

"Love?" Glinda gasped, a hand held up to her chest.

He bit his cheek and sat down on the couch, head in his hands.

"Honey, this really has you shaken up," Glinda soothed. "My offer still stands to ask her for you. What do you have to lose?"

Her.

"No," Fiyero whispered. "If she's going to hear about it, I'd rather her hear it from me. I'll tell her."

Glinda perked up. "When?"

"Soon."

She smacked his shoulder. "In other words, 'most likely never'?

"No. I mean soon. I don't know when, she's got enough to worry about for now with all the competitions she'll be attending, but I will. You're right. It's affecting me." In ways he'd never thought possible.

The green girl consumed his everyday thoughts. He'd never felt something so strong so fast. Sure he'd dated before. But his feelings had never gone so deep.

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, and you can't talk to Elphaba about it, you know I'm always there for you right?"

They might not be as close as either with Elphie, but Fiyero and Glinda were still great friends. If he needed help, she'd offer as much as she could. Especially since this involved Elphie.

Elphaba was holding her towel tightly against her chest. She'd been about to yell to Glinda that they needed to get more toilet paper when she couldn't help but overhear.

When her friend yelled "you like her!" Elphaba's heart had dropped. She knew Fiyero would like someone eventually, it was just a matter of time. Then her name came up. She had almost dropped her towel.

Listening to Fiyero tell Glinda that he liked her, and, if she had actually heard correctly, maybe even loved her, she placed her hand over her mouth to stop herself from gasping. She slid down the wall.

Oh Fiyero. Is that why he'd been acting so different lately? Who knew guys could be insecure, too? It all made sense. Happiness thrummed through her.

For a moment she wondered if maybe this was another excuse. Fiyero had come up with many of those when he was feeling down. First, homesickness; then, stomach ache; and later, stress from choreographing. She hadn't believed any of those. What was stopping him from making another excuse? Telling another lie to avoid telling the truth.

But there was something in his words, his voice, that convinced her he was telling the truth. Fiyero sounded so solemn, almost as if he were about to break down. Whenever he'd given her a fake excuse, he said it as easily as if stating that the sky is blue.

He wasn't lying this time.

A guy like Fiyero actually wanted a girl like her. Oz, she could scream for joy right now. So he did feel the same way after all.

The green girl bit her lip and stood up, the biggest smile on her face. Shivers ran down her body, and it wasn't because she was cold. He's mine.

She put on her pajamas as quickly as she could and made her way downstairs. By then, her cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

R&R! :)