A/N: Words cannot express how happy I am that you're all eager to read all the way to the end. For that, I thank and love you all XD
Chapter 6: Settling Down
Right after their humble breakfast- which was mainly composed of apples- for the first five hours, Elphaba and Glinda did their best to clean the unreasonably dusty old cabin.
It was modest enough. It had one room in general, where the kitchen, the dining room, and the bedroom were found all together.
"I can't see why you can't use magic in all this," Glinda grumbled as she furiously wiped the grimy windows clean with a worn out rag they found in the kitchen earlier. Elphaba had to talk her into handling it since Glinda simply refused to touch it. "Would've made life much easier—Hey, you're being unfair!"
Elphaba only smirked as she wiped the table. Her broom was sweeping the floor all by itself, sending myriads of dusts out of the door.
They had their lunch by the porch. Apples again. Glinda thought that it wasn't seem so bad. The trees surrounding the farm, the Apple Press Farm. were blooming with apples.
Elphaba sat across her, the Grimmerie open on her lap while she absently munched on her lunch.
It was Glinda's turn to watch her. She just love her in her "studying mode". Elphaba's brows furrowed in immense concentration. Once or twice, she momentarily bit her lip as she reread a line to understand it better. Her brown eyes zoomed left and right so fast that Glinda wondered if she ever took in anything she was reading at all.
She even congratulated herself for her discretion. Whenever the green girl decided to give her eyes some time to rest, Glinda would look away and pretend to gaze out into the trees.
"Anything good in there?" Glinda decided to ask, aching to speak with her. From where she sat, she saw nothing more than squiggles and swirls.
Elphaba looked up. "Everything in it is amazing, Glinda!" she said, her eyes shining with excitement.
Glinda merely smiled as she listened to her without really hearing what she was saying. While Glinda had talked incessantly of the latest trends in Shiz, Elphaba talk of the knowledge of the world.
The rest of the afternoon was spent outside. They found a well, a small lake nearby within the woods, and even discovered stocks of seeds at the back of the barnyard.
"I don't know much about farming…" Glinda said as she watched Elphaba plant some at the back of the cabin.
"Me neither," Elphaba admitted as she clapped the dirt off her hands, "But maybe we'll get the hang of it soon."
When night fell, they sat by the dining table. Elphaba had busied herself with the Grimmerie again, and Glinda sat watching the fire on the candle flicker, feeling fatigued moving around all day.
Only when Glinda yawned widely that Elphaba decided to look up.
"Tired?" she asked.
"Like duh, Elphie," Glinda said, yawning again.
Elphaba smiled lazily "Have the bed," she said, "I can sleep in the barn."
Glinda frowned as she leaned her chin against her palm. "You're not an animal, Elphie," she said, "This is your house as much as it is mine.
"Well there's only one bed," Elphaba reasoned, lowering her eyes on the book again, "There isn't enough space for the two of us."
"Elphie, you've always commented on how slight I am," Glinda said, rolling her eyes, "And besides, you'll freeze to death in the barn. It's cold tonight."
"I have a cloak," Elphaba insisted, shifting uncomfortably on her rickety chair now.
"Elphie, honestly," Glinda said exasperatedly, throwing her hands in the air, "What is with you? We shared a room, for heaven's sake! And it didn't seem a problem to you last night."
Elphaba's face was darkening again. "How did you…?"
"Oh, come on, Elphie," Glinda said, standing up and walking over to the other side of the table, handing out her hand to the green girl. "Let's get some sleep. It's been a long day and you know it."
Elphaba bit her lip in hesitation, looking over to the solitary bed in the other side of the room. In the end, she nodded. She closed the thick tome, took the candle, took Glinda's hand, and together, the two of them walked over to the bed.
Through Elphaba's gifted hands, she was able to fix the mattress hours ago. Due to lack of material, they were going to use her vast cape as a temporary blanket.
Within minutes, the lights were out, and the two of them were safely tucked in underneath the ebony makeshift covers.
Elphaba lay facing upward, watching the light of the moon creeping across the ceiling. She was on her way to sleep when she froze all so suddenly.
Glinda had wrapped her arms around her, resting her blonde head squarely on her shoulder.
It didn't escape Elphaba's notice how Glinda's nose was so near her neck, how her gentle breathing had slightly tickled her jaw.
Her heart was bursting in her chest, pumping so rapidly that it was depriving Elphaba the ability to breathe.
What is happening? Elphaba thought, ever so conscious to stay still, Should I wake her? No, that's ridiculous. Oh Oz, what is happening to me? This isn't normal. She's a friend… Nothing more than a friend… But by Lurline, how much more of this can I take? I am bound to slip in my actions soon… How am I going to explain this to her anyway?...
Elphaba was submerged in her complex thoughts that it mentally fatigued her minutes later. Regardless of her awkwardness on their position, she slowly drifted off to dreams.
A/N: My nerves are not being helpful T_T I'm so nervous for college! Well, thankfully, Gelphie is here to take my mind off things.