AN:
Hey, lovelies!
I hope you're all well and had a nice Easter and all.
Got a new chapter for you and I hope you'll enjoy it.
A special big, fat Churrfrey trigger warning for RavenCurls and whoever else might need it lol
Take care and happy reading!
xoxo MLE
(=^_^=)
Chapter Twenty-Six
Before she knew it, September came creeping up on her, serving as startling testimony of how fast time had flown by. Strangely enough, the air had already grown colder over the second half of August, and the sunny season was now positively on its way out. Not, however, without one final glorious hurrah, which evoked rather conflicting feelings in Glinda. While she, by and large, revelled in the final throes of summer-sweet sunshine, she couldn't help but resent its concurrence with Chuffrey's highly anticipated trip down to Lake Chorge. The picture-perfect weather seemed all too much like an unwelcome blessing from the gods to her, especially after the relentless rain and wind that had dominated the previous days, and Glinda was all the more sullen for it. The last thing she needed was some sort of celestial encouragement for Chuffrey's schemes.
At four in the afternoon, Glinda grudgingly gathered her belongings and cleared her desk for the weekend. Chuffrey had had the brilliant idea to book a consultation with her, effectively allowing her to leave earlier than everyone else. Oz knew what kind of preposterous tale she would later cobble together for her otherwise meticulous records. If Nikidik were to catch on to the fraud… Well, she mostly tried to not even think about it.
She spotted Chuffrey the moment she pushed open the main door, and her heart jolted in horror. There he was, cyber yellow convertible and all, arms crossed proudly and grinning like he owned the world. But what else did she expect? Knowing perfectly well that subtlety was not the man's strong suit, she probably should have insisted on a different meeting point. This mistake undoubtedly was on her.
Her eyes darted towards the windows of the fourth floor, praying not to find Nikidik standing there to peer down on them, already composing her dismissal notice in his head.
By the looks of it, the coast was clear. Eternally grateful, she took a deep breath before continuing down the stairs to greet her troublesome beau.
"I'm glad this worked," he said in greeting and placed a fleeting kiss on her cheek. "How do you like your carriage, my lady? I borrowed it from a friend."
Glinda's lips twitched.
"Not very inconspicuous," she remarked, once more looking up to reassure herself that they weren't being watched.
"What is that old goat going to do about it anyway?" laughed Chuffrey. "Fire you?"
Swallowing the growl that rose in her throat, Glinda busied herself with locating a silken scarf in her luggage to tie her long curls down with. Ideally, she would have brought a sunhat for that purpose.
The more than two hour long drive was pleasant enough. The wind in her hair soon blew away most worries about Nikidik, and the refreshing change of scenery easily took care of the rest. Without Chuffrey beside her, this could have been a truly splendid getaway. But of course, there was no point in overthinking the downsides, as long as there were still benefits to be found and enjoyed. At least she'd spent enough time with him by now to be adequately prepared for lengthy periods without any spontaneous diversions. Being almost effortlessly civil with him had become second nature, and so she passed the time entertaining him with topics she knew he appreciated, in turn keeping more uncomfortable lines of enquiry from his side at bay. It was an acceptable compromise.
Pulling up into the hotel's driveway, Glinda gave a small chuckle when she realised that she knew the place, had stayed there before with her parents. But that was a lifetime ago.
"My lady," Chuffrey said, bowing slightly as he opened the passenger door for her. "Welcome to the Caprice-in-the-Pines."
Carefully, she stepped out of the car and untied her scarf. A bellhop came scurrying their way to attend to their luggage, followed by a valet who politely requested the keys.
Their suite was situated on the top floor, overseeing the blue lake and a generous part of the pine forest surrounding it. It offered a large salon, which was shared, as well as two individual bed- and bathrooms with private access to the hallway and—even more importantly: locks. Still, Glinda stood there for a moment, teeth assaulting the soft insides of her cheek as she stared at the open door to her room, agonising over the lacking distance between her and Chuffrey's quarters.
"Is it all to your liking?" Chuffrey's baritone suddenly hummed right behind her. She jumped a little when she felt his big hands on her shoulders.
A nod was her first reply when words could not immediately be summoned.
"It's lovely," she said rigidly, turning around to flash him a fleeting smile.
Chuffrey laughed.
"You hate it."
"I do not," she protested. "It's just… rather intimate."
Shaking his head in apparent amusement, he rummaged through his wallet for a note for the bellhop before dismissing him. Next, he handed Glinda a swipe card and a little silver key.
"Barricade yourself if you wish. I'll try not to take it personally."
They changed quickly and returned to the lobby, joining an eager crowd of fellow guests. Glinda couldn't help but notice the dull homogeny of the group, entirely comprised of expensively dressed Gillikinese couples and a few single gentlemen, skin either perfectly pale or fashionably sun kissed to just the right degree. She couldn't change being who she was and how she was born to look, but blending in so perfectly irked her, and she suddenly longed for her more colourful friends' company. The hotel shuttle arrived too soon for her to further explore her feelings on the matter, promptly whisking them away for an evening trip to the nearby vineyard.
It began with a tour of the estate—first on foot, then on rustic yet deceptively comfortable horse-drawn wagons. The scenery was beautiful; the light of the setting sun twinkled between red vine leaves, bathing everything in a luscious, golden glow. Glinda certainly would have regretted moving on to the winery and the catacombs if the spectacle had not concluded on its own by the time the horses' hoof claps echoed through the historic courtyard.
The thirsty tourists disembarked hastily, with little regard for anything else, drawn only by the promise of noble, rich wines. Glinda, on the other hand, was in no such rush, deriving much more pleasure from feasting her eyes on the exquisite architecture. Intent on pleasing her, Chuffrey patiently stayed by her side and only beckoned her to take his arm and follow along when their very last cohort had already vanished indoors.
"Beautiful evening," he commented, pretending to take interest in the old sepia photos on the walls as he patted her dainty hand that rested on his arm. "Are you enjoying yourself, baby?"
She inwardly bristled at the moniker but offered him a brief smile, hoping it would suffice as answer.
They were shown to the cellar, carved directly into the rock below the estate. Descending further and further down the uneven and footworn stairs, cool air enveloped them, eventually sending an involuntary shudder down Glinda's spine. Ever the attentive cavalier, Chuffrey shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Despite the warmth it provided, it was an unwelcome offering, reeking of his cologne and his possessiveness. It was all she could do not to tear it away from her body as if it were on fire. Oblivious to her hidden contempt, he smiled and tugged it a little tighter around her for maximum benefit while she ground her teeth in an effort to bear it.
The artificial cave system of the catacombs contained thousands of casks of the best wines the region had to offer. Their guide stopped at one of the barrels which had already been fitted with a tap and filled a glass with the deep red, almost black liquid from within. It was their newest, most exciting project, he explained. An entirely new variant of wine. He let them all have a fleeting whiff, but did not afford them the pleasure of a taste. Instead, he simply emptied the glass by himself and grinningly set it down before continuing with the tour.
Of course, there were plenty of other fancy grape nectars to be sampled once they reached the wine bar, the final destination of the evening. Here, several tables were already awaiting the keen wine lovers, decorated and organised according to the type of wine they represented—from pale white to rich purple, from sweet dessert varieties to more robust and complex flavours. Chuffrey decided which table to try first and guided Glinda in its direction by placing a firm hand on the small of her back. Despite the heat of his palm against her bare skin, she once again shivered, silently cursing the deep cut of the black and gold dress she'd chosen for the event.
"Still feeling cold?" Chuffrey whispered, his lips terribly close to her ear, his nose almost touching her hair.
She drew a shallow breath and shook her head, taking another step closer to the table. Touching the rough, aged wood of its surface soothed her disquiet just enough to clear her mind and allow her to talk.
"Nothing a little alcohol can't fix," she said seemingly easily, her lips tilting slightly upward as they knew they must in order to convince him that she was fine.
The sommelier greeted them, introduced them briefly to the wines he'd been assigned and suggested they all have a small bite of the cheeses, dried fruit and roasted bread from the platters in front of them before commencing the tasting. He asked the ladies and gentlemen whether they had much experience with the assessment of fine wines, to which most of the group responded in the affirmative. The man nodded and selected the first bottle. He uncorked it and doled the golden liquid out in parsimonious doses while providing a few more details about its origin. When everyone's glasses had been filled, he raised his own to eyelevel, commented on the liquid's colour, then swirled it gently. Glinda did her best to follow his and her peers' steps without drawing too much attention to herself. They sniffed and finally sipped the wine. Some of the group were nodding approvingly, others swayed their heads in indecision. The sommelier discreetly spit his mouthful into a brass bucket next to the table, and several of the others followed suit, while a few opted to swallow. On to the next sample.
And so the process was repeated several times, until they were politely asked to move on to another table. Though most guests seemed to pace themselves, Glinda noticed Chuffrey drinking enthusiastically, sometimes even requesting a second helping while taking plenty of notes in a small, black notebook he'd brought along.
Meanwhile, Glinda felt a little lost. Although she did enjoy the occasional drink and had eagerly explored Elphaba's collection in the past, she found her palate for fine wines severely underdeveloped. Having left her parents' nest too young to have gained adequate exposure to this kind of adult lifestyle, her university years had, above all, taught her how to adapt to the more affordable tastes of the generally poorer student populace. While there were some wines that she liked over others, the continuous process of evaluation and reflection soon became tedious and boring. Surely she would have been much more content if she could have chosen but one single bottle and spent the rest of the night sipping the same wine over and over, chatting with a friend about anything other than the drink they casually enjoyed on the side.
At long last, the evening drew to a close. Glinda stood in the courtyard, chatting to an agreeable elderly lady she'd met earlier. Chuffrey had stayed behind to order a few bottles of tonight's favourites and have them delivered to his address in the Emerald City.
"I hope the young gentleman will forgive my intrusion," the lady chuckled, offering Glinda a genuinely apologetic smile.
The blonde shook her head and lightly touched her arm as she spoke.
"Promise me not to worry about Chuff. He's an old gloomy Gus when things don't go quite his way. As you might have noticed, he is not very good at sharing—me or anything, really. But he will simply have to get used to it."
"And right you are," nodded the woman. "Young men are stubborn like that, just like children. But I can see you will have him bent into shape in no time."
Glinda mustered a taut grin. She had no intentions of making Chuffrey her newest project. He'd have to find a proper wife for that. Preferably, when she was long gone, over the hills and far away.
"Pardon the wait," Chuffrey's voice suddenly rang out right beside her, a mere second before his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, pressing her to his side. His lips pressed a clumsy kiss to her cheek. He appeared to realise his mistake when his somewhat bleary grey eyes met her alarmed blue ones. Tilting his head and raising his eyebrows, he slowly let his arm drop. When his hand brushed against her exposed back, she flinched, prompting him to awkwardly clear his throat.
"Cold again?" he asked, licking his lips before proceeding to remove his jacket yet again so he could gallantly relinquish it to her.
In a bid to set an end to this most uncomfortable and embarrassing feedback loop they had created, she accepted it as serenely as she could. Once she felt that they had both regained their footing, she turned back to her elderly acquaintance with a sweet smile.
"Well, thank you so much for the cheerful conversation tonight. I'm sure we will meet again sometime this weekend."
"Are you not talking the bus back?"
"No," Chuffrey butted in unnecessarily—and rather brusquely at that.
In an effort to soften his words, Glinda took his arm and simpered as though she hadn't taken any note of his rudeness.
"Dear Chuff and I are dining in town tonight. He already arranged for a cab to pick us up."
Nodding approvingly, the older woman wished the couple a good night before making for the bus, lest it depart without her on board.
Glinda quietly sighed in relief and loosened her grip on Chuffrey. The man beside her took out his phone to check the taxi app.
"Our ride will be here in about two minutes," he informed her. "Do we really need to eat in town? Room service should be just as good at the Caprice, if not better."
Her back stiffened at the suggestion, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
"Why not eat out?" she ventured apprehensively. She had sincerely hoped to avoid spending any more time alone in their suite than strictly necessary.
"Aren't you tired? It's been a long day."
"It has," she agreed coolly. "But shouldn't we make the most of our time here?"
Chuffrey shrugged.
"It's a small town. We will have plenty of opportunity to explore it tomorrow."
A silver car pulled up in the courtyard, and Chuffrey opened the door for Glinda. He discussed the change of destination with the driver before joining her on the other side of the backseat.
"Might as well have taken the bus back then," she noted pointedly and turned away from him to look out of the window.
Back at the hotel, Glinda kicked her heels off and disappeared in the bathroom to freshen up, leaving it up to Chuffrey to consult the menu in the thick guest compendium. By the time she re-emerged, he'd already placed an order.
"Let's see what the minibar has to offer," he murmured and bent down to inspect the contents of the tiny fridge under the TV.
Glinda slanted him a disapproving look.
"Is that really a good idea?" she wondered out loud, remembering with worry how little use he'd made of the spit buckets throughout the tasting session.
"I've had no more than a few sips," maintained Chuffrey, producing a bottle of rowan schnapps. "Try this one, sugar. It's quite sweet, but with a satisfying burn at the end."
"No thank you," sighed Glinda, rolling her eyes and crossing the room to open the balcony door in order to let some cool, head-clearing air in. "And please drop the pet names."
"Wow!" exclaimed he. "Why so tetchy? Did you not have fun tonight?"
She primly took a seat at the edge of the couch and began picking a few stray pieces of lint off her dress.
"It was alright. I only wished you would have exercised a tad more restraint."
"I can hold my liquor," Chuffrey grumbled indignantly. "I don't need a babysitter to tell me how much to drink."
A knock on the door heralded the arrival of their dinner and the quarrel was adjourned for the time being. The food looked good, but left no taste on Glinda's tongue. This was truly not how she had envisioned the weekend to play out. It was only Friday night, and she was already failing miserably at trying to make the most of the experience. How could she possibly spend two more days with this man?
Chuffrey finished his plate when she'd hardly eaten two bites. He rose to his feet, either unaware of or unconcerned by her lack of appetite and found himself a different bottle of spirit.
"Chuffrey, please," she pleaded with him and gave up eating altogether, putting her fork down so awkwardly that it slipped off her plate and clatteringly tumbled to the ground.
The noise caught his attention. Bottle in hand, he turned to scowl at her.
"What is wrong with you tonight, girl? Are you trying to kill my buzz on purpose? Is that what you want? Ruin my weekend?"
"Quite the opposite!" she protested. "I don't want you to sabotage this trip."
"Me?" He barked a mirthless laugh. "That is rich. Remember who organised this little jaunt, who paid for it!"
"It's not like I asked for a free ride," she countered, pushing herself up from the table. "You begged me to accompany you, just as you begged me to go out with you in the first place."
"I'm doing you a favour!"
"And I you. I believe we're even."
She levelled him with a fierce stare, but it seemed to have no effect on him. Irritated, she reeled around and returned to her former spot on the couch. The compendium was still lying where he'd left it on the coffee table, and she decided to see if she could find the TV programme in it. Maybe, if she just settled down, he would, too.
Chuffrey had opened his mouth to say something when she strut past him but had stopped short. Finally breaking form his stupor now, he scoffed and took another swig from his bottle.
Hearing the familiar sound of sloshing liquid, Glinda immediately looked up from the heavy book, her face flushing in anger.
"Will you stop already?"
"I'm frustrated," he growled in his defence. "I'm trying so hard, but there is just no pleasing you."
"Perhaps it's because you're trying too hard. Right now, all I'm asking is for you to put away this damn bottle and stop drinking."
"How about you try some of this stuff!" he demanded, jutting his arm out and waving the bottle in her direction like a red flag in front of a bull. "Might help you loosen up a little."
Glinda attempted to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat and breathe normally, yet the invisible band around her chest only seemed to tighten further.
"I don't feel safe around you right now," she finally declared, sounding huskier than she'd anticipated. She took another breath. "As of now, you're really not the gentleman I know you can be, and the last thing I'd want is to take away my ability to trust myself."
"So I'm dangerous now?" grinned Chuffrey and set his bottle down at last. He began moving towards her—stalkingly, like a wild cat. "Don't you think that's kinda refreshing? I mean, we all love a bit of danger from time to time, don't we?"
He reached the couch and bent down right above her, placing one hand on the backrest. The rosy colour of Glinda's face yielded to a ghostly white as he leaned down even further.
"So. What do you think this dangerous man might do to you, hm?"
"Stop this shit," Glinda managed to press out between clenched teeth. "You're fucking drunk."
"Just joking, poppet. You know that, right? It's not like I'd ever hurt you."
"No, I don't," she half-whispered, her voice thick.
Her nails dug deep into the upholstery. Part of her wanted to believe him, trust him not to do anything to her. But she couldn't take any chances. Gathering her courage, she ducked her head and slipped away sideways, escaping from the couch. Chuffrey slowly pushed himself back to his full height, fixing her with narrowed eyes as she stood no more than three steps away, undecided and casting about for a solution to this mess. Her gaze fell on the small key on the desk.
"You know what? We're both tired," she said, watching him closely as she began to carefully inch towards her target. "I think it's time I went to bed."
He gave her a strange look, then realised what she was going for. He beat her to the table with surprising speed. Triumphantly, he covered the key with his hand. Glinda shrunk back, eyes still riveted on the spot where the little silver thing was hidden. She took another step backwards, struggling to keep herself from panicking.
"Oz, Chuff…" she breathed shakily, biting back tears. "Stop this nonsense. I know you'll regret this."
A moment of pregnant silence passed, then he laughed. He picked up the key with all the nonchalance in the world and held it high to study it. Eventually, his attention shifted to Glinda.
"Just joking, remember?" he chuckled ahead of tossing the key her way.
She caught it and gripped it tightly, momentarily unsure whether she could trust him not to suddenly pounce on her. All he did, however, was to huff and turn towards the couch. The door was just a short dash away, and within seconds she was in her room, fumbling clumsily with the key to secure the lock.
When it finally clicked shut, she groggily leaned against the door, knees soft as jelly. She hardly noticed her body trembling, but was keenly aware of the tears that had suddenly started rolling down her cheeks. She wiped at them frantically, then tried to concentrate on breathing from her diaphragm in order to calm herself down.
She strained her ears in an attempt to gauge his reacting to her flight. She was unable to discern the soft and muffled sounds from the other side until the TV turned on—some kind of sports program she supposed. Most likely, he was consoling himself with yet another drink from the minibar. It didn't matter much to her now that they were separated by a locked door. At least he was being quiet and not vandalising the place as a way to give vent to his frustration.
Exhausted, she dragged herself to the bed and curled up on top of the comforter, clinging to the pillow like a lifebuoy. The pesky tears returned. A shuddering gasp followed. She was a mess, totally clueless as what to do next. Should she demand he drive her back home tomorrow morning, or should she just take a taxi instead? Or maybe she could just stick it out? After all, she might have overreacted at least a tiny bit tonight. He surely hadn't meant any of this; he was just drunk. It happens. If she'd simply talk it out with Chuffrey after a good night's sleep, they might even make it through the rest of the weekend together. That would be the most preferable alternative, right?
Suddenly, a thud on the door. Glinda's body gave a jerk, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She hardly dared to gasp for air as she waited for an explanation for the daunting sound. It took a while before she could make sense of the rustling and the occasional soft tapping from outside, but when the doorhandle rattled, she knew that Chuffrey had been loitering on the other side the entire time.
"Glinda?" his voice eventually lifted through the wood. He didn't sound very threatening anymore, just a bit sad. Still, she wasn't in the least inclined to answer.
"Glinda," he said again, his voice turning into a whine. "Come out already, I'm bored."
Following his request was not an option, however beyond that, she didn't know whether she should tell him to go away or pretend she was already asleep. He tried the handle again, and she huddled up into an even tighter bundle.
This was when she decided that she couldn't wait for the morning to get away from him. While she might technically be safe from bodily harm as long as she stayed in this room, she doubted she could bear spending the rest of the night like this. She wasn't going to do this to herself. Not anymore. Taking deep breaths, she tried to block out all the noises from the other side of the door, as well as the unnerving rush of blood pulsing in her ears. She needed to figure this out. How was she going to get out of here?
She remembered the swipe card in her purse, remembered that her room was supposed to have a separate exit to the hallway. Gingerly, she lifted her head to confirm that her brain hadn't just made this piece of information up for some reason. By Lurline! She'd never been so relieved, finding the door exactly where she'd expected it. Escaping would be as easy as grabbing her bag and calling a cab.
Except it wasn't. It was almost as though Chuffrey had bound her to this room by means of some kind of evil spell. Even leaving her secure spot on the bed appeared like a precarious test of courage right now. It didn't make a whole lot of sense. The rational side of her knew that it didn't. Yet that didn't help, as long as the greater part of her was still scared out of her mind.
She could call reception and ask security to pick her up, but for various rather inexplicable reasons, she absolutely hated the idea. Maybe she was too embarrassed, maybe she simply couldn't do this to Chuffrey. She didn't know.
But the idea of asking for help held a certain promise, if only because she realised that she was not strong enough do this on her own.
Willing herself to peel her fingers away from the comforting pillow and to relax her limbs, she eventually managed to sit up straight. Once she'd located her purse next to the nightstand, she crept as close to the edge of the bed as she had to in order to grab it. Inside, she found her phone and a package of aspirin. Without thinking much about it, she popped four of the blisters and took the pills. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she seemed to remember a study Elphaba had once read to her about the calming properties of this inconspicuous miracle drug. It might have been a false memory, or complete humbug, but she reckoned it wouldn't do much harm, and it was at least something she could do to try and control the situation. And there always was the famous placebo effect.
She fiddled with the phone in her hand. Crope and Tibbett were the first names that came to her. Oh, how she wished she could summon them to rescue her from this predicament. They were loyal and would never judge her, having committed enough stupid blunders on their own account. Light-hearted as they were, they'd probably even find the trip adventurous and exciting. Unfortunately, without any means of transport, they were not much help in this case. Lamenting the fact almost distracted her from deciding on a more viable solution.
Her thoughts drifted towards Elphaba, but she dismissed the possibility just as quickly. She couldn't possibly. No. Fiyero. Fiyero was her best friend and, since recently, the proud owner of his own car. It would be a big ask, but there was no doubt about it that he'd drop everything to rush to her rescue, no matter how far. Fiyero was the perfect candidate.
Except.
Except that he didn't know about Chuffrey. Except that she'd lied to him, hidden her relationship with this man for so long. Deceived him. It would be a hard blow once she started to explain. He'd be angry. Even worse, he'd be so disappointed. And he'd be so distraught, so hurt. Just at this moment, when he was finally enjoying a measure of well-deserved bliss. It would be cruel to rob him of that. He would be too charitable to hate her for it, but she certainly would. No, no, no. She couldn't possibly do this to him. Simply couldn't.
This brought her back to Elphaba. Merciful Oz. Why Elphaba? Was there really no one else?
Well, not if she didn't want to sacrifice Fiyero's idyllic ignorance of her complicate affair, which was clearly not his burden to suffer.
But calling Elphaba not only meant asking her for a huge favour, but also confessing to her how ridiculously stupid she'd been. It was beyond humiliating, and Glinda didn't even want to begin to fathom what Elphaba would think about her. She'd never look at her the same way again, that much was for sure. What was more, Elphaba couldn't possibly realise how much Glinda wanted her if she, by all appearances, spent the majority of her time chasing ill-suited men instead. Ignoring and even avoiding her in the process. Glinda had never understood how high the stakes in her gamble were until this realisation set in. At this point, all things considered, calling Elphaba for help seemed nothing short of giving up on ever having her the way Glinda wanted. It was a painful thought, but she had nobody else to blame for this rotten situation but herself.
She'd truly and perfectly fucked up.
Maybe in a few years she'd think back at this experience and see it as a valuable life lesson, but just about now, all she could do was curse her wretched existence, every foolish decision that had led her down this path. For a brief moment she even reconsidered leaving at all. Wasn't it at least possible that she could still have it all if she hung in there for the duration of the night? Just one night.
A dull knock on the door caused a fresh surge of dread to course through her body, and she promptly discarded the notion. She needed to get out, and if her only way out was Elphaba, so be it.
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. Again. She sniffled and wiped them away with her palm.
She tapped Elphaba's name on her phone and coughed softly to clear her voice while she listened to the ringback tone. Seconds felt like hours. Her stomach made an uncomfortable flip with every sound that rung out from the other end of the line, with every clock-tick that went by without an answer. When Elphaba's voicemail message kicked in, she hung up, unable to commit to recording how massively she'd screwed up.
She gasped for air. She'd been so wrapped-up in her previous deliberations that the possibility of either of her candidates being unavailable hadn't occurred to her at all. Checking her phone, she realised that it was already half past ten. What if Elphaba was already asleep? What if they all were?
Casting the door to the lounge a skittish look, she began to listen. The television was still running in the background, but the other noises had stopped. Chuffrey might have passed out at last. Still, the mental image of his sleeping body, slumped against the door, was not a reassuring one.
She reverted to staring at her phone in deep concentration, as though the thing might take pity on her and magically offer some sort of guidance. What should she do? Turn to Fiyero after all?
The decision made itself.
Before Glinda could make up her mind, her phone vibrated in her hands, and Elphaba's name flashed over the screen. Her heart almost stopped.
She told Elphaba only the most rudimentary facts at first. It was still enough to make her drop everything and jump into her car. Glinda almost cried again in relief, then started an endless string of apologies. Elphaba's voice sounded concerned, but also calm and soothing. She stayed on the phone as she rushed to her car, set up the speaker system and kept talking to Glinda throughout the entire ride. Two Oz-damn hours. And she never hung up, never stopped listening to her, never failed to reassure her. She kept her updated on her progress.
"Just passed Shiz Gate. Satnav says traffic is clear tonight. Will be there in approximately one hour and fifty minutes.
"Halfway along the Yellow Brick Road. Ten more kilometres to the Neverdale Exit.
"Twenty more minutes or so. No wait, there's an accident on the main road. I'll take the bypass. Add another five, eight minutes. Don't worry, 'kay?"
In the end, Glinda couldn't help but divulge all the harrowing details she'd tried to hide. Elphaba barely asked for any of them, but once Glinda had started talking, it all came blustering forth like foam from a bottle of sparkling wine that had been through a spinning cycle, and she no longer knew how to put the cork back on. At least in this particular moment it felt cathartic to ditch all the secrets and deceptions, so she paid little heed to any regrets she might have later.
"Okay, which floor are you on?" asked Elphaba in a hushed tone as she climbed the stairs rather than risk the phone signal cutting out in the lift.
No more than five minutes later, she stood in front of Glinda's room.
"Right. I'm here. Are you coming out, or—"
The blonde opened the door before she could finish her question, and for a little while the two girls stood in front of each other, both speechless and rooted to the ground. Glinda looked up at Elphaba, wanting so desperately to throw herself into her arms, but not daring to. Elphaba on her part stared back at Glinda with an odd expression on her face that she simply couldn't place. Eventually, the taller girl bit her lip and looked away, stuffing her phone in her pocket.
Interpreting it as a sign of disapproval, Glinda could feel her heart clench at the sight. She drew a shallow breath and bent down to grab the bags she'd prepared. She deserved this. She was lucky that Elphaba had come at all.
"I'm ready," she murmured dejectedly. "Let's go."
Without a word, Elphaba took the big duffle bag from her and slipped the strap over her own shoulder.
It wasn't until they reached the car that Glinda felt completely safe. Having a terrible penchant for drama, her brain had conjured up all sorts of scenarios of Chuffrey charging after them. Luckily, reality fell rather short of her hyperactive imagination, making their trip downstairs an extremely uneventful and quiet one.
Elphaba stowed her stuff away in the trunk of the car. When she finally took her spot in the driver's seat, she turned around in mild astonishment.
"You're not going to sit in front?"
Glinda looked down at her feet, distractedly clawing at the seatbelt that ran across her chest.
"This is fine," she replied softly.
Truth be told, she hadn't been exactly sure whether she'd be welcome sitting right next to Elphaba, after everything that had happened. Now that she was already seated, she thought it even more awkward to change seats again.
The car remained stationary for some time while Elphaba looked up nearby motels and rung them to ask for any vacancies. Three of the closest ones were fully booked; twice as many did not seem to accept calls in the middle of the night. She did, however, manage to find a room in a backwater town forty kilometres north from where they were, taking them further away from the Emerald City.
"Baggers can't be choosers," Elphaba commented, unperturbed, and started the engine.
They stopped at a gas station, and when Elphaba let her know that she'd go inside to pay, Glinda opted to accompany her. Perusing the shelves of the convenience section, she wondered whether motels usually provided toiletries; she'd left most of her travel sized bottles and her toothbrush behind at the Caprice. She grabbed everything she thought she might need, as well as a six pack of some berry flavoured beer mixer.
Elphaba raised her eyebrows as she watched her pay.
"Still got a lot of plans tonight?"
Glinda's face flushed.
"I don't think I can go to sleep right away, but maybe a little booze will help me calm down a notch."
When she followed Elphaba back to the car, she made sure to leave enough distance between them to allow herself to observe her friend's mannerism. When she found no obvious signs that Elphaba had changed her mind on her earlier invitation, she decided to take the leap and hop into the front passenger seat.
Despite their closer proximity, the second leg of their ride was no livelier than the first. Mostly concentrating on the poorly illuminated road ahead, Elphaba said hardly anything unless prompted, and Glinda felt far too drained and self-conscious to be the driving force behind their conversation. She opened a beer and took a wary sip. Chuffrey's behaviour had rather put her off alcohol, but she certainly could do with a bit of liquid courage tonight.
The motel Elphaba had secured for them was a pleasant surprise. The buildings looked like they'd recently been renovated, and the entire complex was decorated with flowers and neatly maintained hedges. Without any firsthand experiences of her own, Glinda's imagination had heavily drawn on the images of crappy dosshouses often perpetuated in gangster and horror movies. Even though she would have trusted Elphaba to keep them both safe either way, she was more than happy to learn that she'd been wrong.
The manager had been awaiting their arrival and stepped out of the office to greet them. Going by the middle-aged woman's short stature, Glinda supposed that she was of mixed Munchkin and Gillikinese ancestry, and the abundance of wrinkles around her eyes and mouth suggested that she smiled and laughed a lot. Glinda suddenly was grateful that the other places had been unavailable, convinced that this must be the friendliest one out of the whole bunch. At last, a fleck of good fortune on this otherwise so unfortunate night.
Their room was rather poky but tidy and boasted a functional kitchen. The bed was an orange sofa sleeper. Elphaba found blankets, pillows and sheets in the storage cupboard, and they both started to work on preparing their shared sleep space.
Stuffing a pillow into its case, Glinda flicked her friend an anxious side glance. It wasn't that she didn't trust her, or that she had a problem with the concept of sharing a bed with friends. Fiyero could attest to that. But Glinda and Elphaba had never intentionally spent the night in the same room in the past, and this somehow seemed like the most inopportune time to change this practice.
Not showing any signs of similar reservations, Elphaba ploughed on with the work and had soon finished the bed almost entirely on her own. She plopped the last pillow down and moved to the kitchen to rummage through the cabinets.
"Oh, look," she said, pulling out a yellow cardboard box. "There's tee. They probably have those tiny milk pods in the fridge, too."
She prepared a big mug of hot tea for each of them. Meanwhile, Glinda discovered that the alarm clock next to their bed doubled as a speaker and phone dock. After a moment of fiddling, she'd figured out how it worked and started playing a track from her mobile.
"That's clever," remarked Elphaba as she handed over one of the mugs.
Given the obvious lack of chairs in the cramped room, the edge of the sofa bed was the only seat available. Elphaba made to sit next to Glinda, but a weak spot in the spring base caused her to flounder and lose her balance. By some miracle, Glinda managed to take the still half full cup away from her before she fell backwards and onto her elbows, bumping into the blonde's shoulder along the way. A swell of tea spilt over her hand at the impact and travelled down Glinda's arm until it came dripping down onto Elphaba's shirt.
"Shit!" cried Glinda, jumping up and divesting herself of the dangerous liquids. "Are you okay?
"All good," declared the green girl. "Hardly felt a thing."
Disinclined just to take her word for it, Glinda dried her hands on a dishtowel and returned to the bed to assess the damage herself. Without much ceremony, she pulled back the stained shirt.
Elphaba's protests stopped midsentence, as Glinda ran a gentle finger over the purplish blotches.
"Do you have any of your ointments with you?" she asked worriedly.
"Do you put your leg into a cast every time you scrape your knee?" Elphaba rebutted, eyes trained on the ceiling fan.
Without thinking much of it, Glinda placed a soft kiss on the irritated skin, copying exactly what her mother used to do whenever her little girl had inflicted some kind of minor injury on herself. Beneath her, Elphaba shifted and Glinda withdrew, heat rising to her cheeks.
"I—I'll check if there's any oil in the pantry," mumbled Elphaba and shuffled to get off the bed. "I didn't bring any of my own, but in a pinch cooking oil will suffice for an impromptu clean-up.
"Oh, cool." She pulled a jar from the shelf and briefly waved it in Glinda's direction. "Coconut. Pretty fancy."
She cleared her voice, then paused, standing in the kitchen and staring at the container in her hand.
Eventually, Glinda caught on.
"Oh," she half-squeaked. "Do you need a top or something?"
Glad to have packed her oversized off-shoulder beach shirt, she scurried to retrieve it from her duffle bag, then handed it to Elphaba, who accepted it with a nod and a slight blush.
Once her friend had disappeared into the bathroom, Glinda fetched the bottle she'd started in the car and finished it, then emptied a second one with impassive, mechanical swigs. She placed both bottles onto the counter next to the sink where they would be easily visible—in case she needed them as justification for any actions that were to follow.
Elphaba's cleansing routine was meticulous and time consuming, or at least it was tonight. Glinda was well onto her third bottle of beer mixer by the time she awkwardly padded back into the main room. The shirt that almost reached to Glinda's knees barely covered her boxer briefs, and Glinda couldn't get over how adorable she looked in the light blue. It made her appear younger than she really was and reminded Glinda of high school sleepovers with her girlfriends.
"I know it's not your kind of look, but it's cute," she assured her. "Come, let's play spin the bottle!"
She finished her beer bottle and popped the lid back on, then slipped from the bed onto the floor. Elphaba watched her with a look of confusion on her face.
"Oh, come on, Elphie!" pouted Glinda. "I don't even mean the kissing version, just a harmless game of truth or dare."
"In my experience truth or dare rarely is harmless," Elphaba replied with pursed lips. "Besides, there's only two of us."
Glinda exhaled, rolling her eyes.
"Technicalities. Now sit."
She patted the spot opposite herself and Elphaba followed suit, despite her furrowed brows.
The bottle was spun and stopped pointing at the television, midway between the two girls. Elphaba snorted in a told-you-so manner, but Glinda took the most practical approach and adjusted it so that the lid pointed at Elphaba.
"Great. Truth, right?"
"You think I'm scared of your dares?" challenged Elphaba, cocking her head.
"Nope. But I think you might be bold enough to answer a truth."
Giving an indifferent wave, Elphaba surrendered and put her fate into Glinda's hands. Suddenly given free rein, Glinda grappled to come up with a question worthy of her dramatic intro. This might have been a whole lot easier if her mind hadn't already begun to cloud from the alcohol. Deep in thought, she chewed her lower lip, but nothing particularly witty would pop into her head.
She grabbed another bottle to mask her fluster.
"Have you seen Sarima of late?" she asked in the end and drank.
Elphaba blinked, puzzled.
"Is that your truth or are you just making conversation now?"
The blonde shrugged.
"Well… in fact I have. We work together, you know."
"Oh," was all Glinda managed to say at first. She licked her lips and nodded pensively. "Yes. There's that. I almost forgot."
"Yeah," chuckled Elphaba and reached for her bottle. "I think that's the point of the game where I confiscate this."
Glinda pretended to sulk, but gave up her drink without physical opposition.
"And privately?" she probed.
Elphaba tried the beer mixer and made a face.
"This is disgusting."
Jumping to her feet, she emptied the rest of the bottle's contents into the sink and flushed it with a generous amount of water from the tap.
"Yeah, I guess I've seen her. Two nights ago, actually. She came over after work."
Feeling her throat turn dry, Glinda wished she hadn't handed over her drink so easily. She swallowed hard.
"Shell thinks… no, hopes, rather, that the two of you are screwing each other."
Glinda froze the moment she realised she'd actually said these words.
And, Oz, that look that Elphaba shot her now! Glinda decided on the spot to never, ever drink again. All she could hope for now was for the ground below her to tear open and swallow her whole.
Clearing her throat, Elphaba moved to lean against the counter.
"He said that?" she asked, coughing again. "To you?"
With her ears growing impossibly hot, Glinda nodded.
"Yeah. He thought the two of you were well matched. Physically and all."
Making an irritated kind of sound, Elphaba pushed herself off the counter and returned to her place on the floor. She grabbed the bottle and gave it a whirl. It laded dead straight on Glinda.
"That guy we left behind at Lake Chorge;" she started without even giving her the option to choose between truth and dare, "do you have any feelings for him?"
Glinda briefly looked up at her, then averted her eyes.
"Fuck, no." She swallowed. "I told you earlier. I was just trying to get my parents off my back. That's all." Waiting for a reply, she stopped there, but the silence only stretched longer and longer, compelling her to elaborate. "Like with Fiyero, right? We were never in love as such. Our relationship served a purpose. To keep the curious stickybeaks at arm's length."
"It's not the same at all," Elphaba countered, startlingly passionately. "You and Fiyero have a very special relationship from what I understand. One of deep trust and respect. And, yes, love. In a way. Did you really, fully trust that dude before tonight happened?"
Glinda stalled, shifting back and forth and wrapping her arms around her drawn up legs.
"He really tried to do right by me, I think. It was just harder than he'd anticipated."
"Does he know that you're ace?"
Glinda scoffed and shook her head.
"So it isn't like the thing with Fiyero at all," concluded Elphaba. "You weren't as desperate then. But now… it's almost like you're running away from something."
Absolutely stunned by Elphaba's unexpected insight in this matter, Glinda lifted her head to face her, mouth gaping inelegantly.
'Yeah,' she thought, 'from you.'
For a split second, utter shock flashed across her face, as she couldn't immediately determine whether she'd once again given voice to her blunt thoughts. Given her friend's unchanging countenance, however, it appeared highly unlikely that she had, and a hint of relaxation set in.
Elphaba once again reached for the bottle—this time to pick it up and place it next to the others, declaring the alleged game over.
"It's late," she said. "Do you still think you won't be able to sleep?"
"I guess I might."
Glancing at the bed, Glinda felt herself blush again. Part of her wanted to stay up all night, purely to avoid getting too close to Elphaba. It didn't feel right, given the circumstances. The alcohol had done its job well though, and all of her senses practically screamed at her for some much needed rest.
She staggered to her feet. Elphaba took a step forward to support her, but stayed back when Glinda seemed to do well enough on her own after all. Grabbing the plastic bag with her new toiletries and a nightgown from her bag, Glinda disappeared into the bathroom.
It was dark when she re-emerged, safe for a dim light on the bedside table. It was quiet, too. Elphaba must have turned off the music. The girl herself was lying on the bed, reading, and it made Glinda grin.
"You drive to your friend's rescue in the middle of the flipping night, and the one, single thing you bring along is a book?"
Elphaba put the volume aside and smirked lopsidedly.
"You're feeling better? I heard hot showers can do this to people."
"Hot showers dry out your skin," dismissed the blonde with a toss of her hair.
She crossed the room with confidence, but paused in front of the bed. Elphaba offered her a reassuring smile and scootched to the other side, so she didn't have to awkwardly crawl across.
"You'll turn the light off then," she said, with a nod towards the lamp.
Glinda did as she was told before she had a chance to overthink it.
They both snuggled into their respective pillows, turning onto their sides so they faced each other. As Glinda's sight adjusted to the darkness, she could make out the sharp features of Elphaba's face, ever so slightly illuminated by the soft moonlight that filtered through the semi-translucent curtains.
"Elphie?" she whispered and drew a shuddering breath.
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
In the nightly silence, she could hear Elphaba swallow.
"No problem," she murmured back, breathing a smile.
A strange restlessness overcame Glinda, drawing her towards the other girl like a magnet. She wanted to resist the urge. It felt so wrong. In the end, however, she lost the fight, almost glad she did. She skidded closer and closer, until her legs touched Elphaba's. The sensation gave her goose bumps and momentarily halted her advance. Until she took heart and reached out, huddling up against Elphaba good and proper.
"Oh?" Elphaba exclaimed softly when Glinda first stroked her arm, then wrapped her own around her body, snuggling her head against her chest.
Before she fell asleep, Glinda felt Elphaba pulling her arm free from the embrace so she could return the caress.