yours, truly

it had been a few days since elphaba had sent the letter. the decision had been made, she and galinda were going to meet in their school's courtyard. but that didn't make it any easier. now, as the time to meet galinda drew nearer, elphaba felt a strange, unexpected wave of doubt. this wasn’t supposed to be important, right? it was just a meeting, a simple, foolish thing. she was just going to meet galinda, her roommate who’d written to her for weeks without knowing it. the girl who'd throw insults at her back during class.

but then again, maybe it was more than that.

maybe it was the fact that galinda had seen elphaba, not just as the "green girl" (at least in her letters) everyone else avoided, but as someone worth knowing. their letters had been a form of escape. two people, connected in some way through words, not expectations or judgments. it had been a chance to talk about things elphaba never said aloud.

but was she ready to actually meet her?

-

the courtyard at midnight was where they had agreed to meet. elphaba had always been a creature of the night. her solitude felt more natural when the world was asleep. but tonight, it was different. tonight, she was waiting for something that could change everything.

she leaned against the stone wall, feeling the cool breeze ruffle her dark hair. the night was quiet, almost too quiet. her mind raced, replaying the words galinda had written, wondering if she’d be disappointed. what if this whole thing had been a mistake? what if it wasn’t the way it seemed in her head?

"get a grip, elphaba," she muttered to herself, trying to steady her breathing. "this is ridiculous."

she’d never been good at this kind of thing. meeting new people, or rather, meeting someone she’d only ever known through letters. someone like galinda, who always seemed so perfect and confident and... unlike anyone elphaba had ever known.

time passed slowly, the minutes stretching as she waited. she checked the clock on the nearby tower. it was almost midnight. where was she?

elphaba's thoughts were interrupted by the soft sound of footsteps approaching. her heart skipped. she turned her head, and there she was.

galinda.

her figure was bathed in the faint moonlight, her blonde hair shining like gold, her silhouette standing out against the night. for a moment, elphaba just stared. was this really happening?

"hi," galinda said, her voice trembling slightly. she looked nervous, which was strange. watching from afar, elphaba had always seen the galinda who never got nervous about anything, someone who was always in control.

"hi," elphaba replied, her voice barely above a whisper. she was trying to keep it together, but something about galinda being here, standing in front of her, made her feel exposed, vulnerable. her stomach churned, and she could feel her palms start to sweat.

there was a long pause as they both stood there, unsure of what to say next.

"you... you actually came," galinda said, her tone soft, almost surprised.

"yeah," elphaba answered, her heart racing. "i said i would."

galinda took a step closer, then another, stepping out of the darkness, but before elphaba could say anything else, galinda suddenly stopped. her eyes widened, and she froze.

"oh my god," galinda whispered, her hand flying up to her mouth. "oh my god, you’re... you’re... you’re her."

elphaba’s breath caught in her throat as she stayed silent.

galinda took a step back, her eyes wide with shock. "this whole time... it’s been you?"

elphaba’s stomach dropped. "what are you talking about?"

"the letters!" galinda exclaimed, her voice rising in disbelief. "the letters. it’s been you. all along."

elphaba stared at her, trying to make sense of the sudden panic in galinda’s eyes. she had never imagined that galinda would react like this. she thought- well, she didn’t know what she thought. but this wasn’t it. galinda had always seemed so sure of herself, so confident in everything she did. why was she acting like this now?

galinda took another step back, shaking her head as if trying to process the situation. "i didn’t... i didn’t know it was you. i mean, i knew it was someone, but i never thought it would be- " she broke off, her voice wavering off. "i never thought it would be you."

"what does that mean?" elphaba asked, her voice thick with confusion and hurt. she wasn’t sure why it hurt, but it did.

galinda looked like she was about to say something, but then she turned sharply and took off running.

"galinda!" elphaba called out, her heart pounding in her chest. 

but galinda didn’t stop. she ran through the courtyard and disappeared into the night.

elphaba stood there, frozen. she didn’t know what to do. she hadn’t expected this. she was left standing there alone, the night feeling colder than ever.

-

the next few days passed in a blur for galinda. she couldn't stop thinking about elphaba. about the letters, about the meeting in the courtyard. the moment elphaba had spoken, had stood in front of her, had been real. galinda had been overwhelmed. she hadn’t known how to handle it. all the things she had imagined in her head, the thoughts she had built up, had shattered in that instant. she hadn’t expected elphaba to be so... different.

she hadn’t expected to like her this much.

when galinda had run off that night, she had been terrified. terrified of how she felt. terrified of what it meant. for the first time in a long time, she felt completely out of control.

but that wasn’t the part that scared her the most.

it was that she didn’t want to let it go. she didn’t want to run away from elphaba. she wanted to understand this strange connection that had developed between them. she wanted to know more. she wanted to be near her.

the next morning, she couldn’t focus in class. she couldn't shake the image of elphaba’s face, the way she had looked at her with those deep, searching eyes. her heart ached as she realized that she had been running from something she didn’t fully understand.

-

the moment galinda entered the dorm, she spotted her. elphaba was sitting by the window, reading, just like always, her green skin glowing in the soft afternoon light. her presence filled the room in a way that no one else’s could.

elphaba looked up as galinda entered, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. then, in a quiet voice, elphaba spoke. "you came back."

galinda nodded, swallowing hard. "i had to."

"why?" elphaba asked, her voice soft but steady.

galinda took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "because i’ve been thinking about it. thinking about you."

"i didn’t know what to expect," galinda continued, her voice growing more confident as she spoke. "but now i realize... i want to get to know you. really get to know you."

elphaba looked at her for a long time, her sharp eyes scanning galinda’s face, as if trying to determine whether she was serious, whether this was another mistake waiting to happen. then, slowly, something in her expression shifted.

"you really mean that?" she asked, her voice quieter now, almost hesitant.

galinda nodded, stepping even closer. "yes. i do."

they stood there, inches apart, the weight of weeks’ worth of words pressing between them. galinda could feel her pulse hammering in her throat, a mixture of nerves and something else entirely—something thrilling, something terrifying.

"i’m sorry i ran," she murmured, looking down for a second before meeting elphaba’s gaze again. "it wasn’t because i didn’t want this. it was because i did. and that scared me."

elphaba exhaled, a small, breathy laugh escaping her lips. "you think you were scared?" she shook her head. "i’ve spent my whole life making sure no one ever looks at me the way you’re looking at me right now."

"and how am i looking at you?"

elphaba swallowed, like she wasn’t sure she wanted to say it aloud. but then galinda reached for her hand, fingers curling hesitantly around elphaba’s.

"like you matter," galinda said softly.

elphaba tensed for a moment, just barely, but she didn’t pull away. instead, she let the silence stretch between them, her grip uncertain yet steady, as if testing the weight of the moment.

galinda felt warmth spread through her chest, a rush of something light and dizzying and good. she squeezed elphaba’s hand gently, and before she could second guess herself, she leaned in.

it was the softest thing, their lips barely brushing, hesitant, uncertain. but the moment they touched, it was as if something clicked into place. all the words, all the letters, all the unsaid things between them, they all made sense now.

when they pulled apart, elphaba was staring at her, wide-eyed. galinda bit her lip, suddenly shy. "too much?"

elphaba blinked, then, after a pause, she shook her head. "no. just enough."

galinda grinned, giddy and breathless, and squeezed elphaba’s hand one more time before whispering, "so... shall we keep writing?"

elphaba smirked, tilting her head. "i think we’ve moved beyond letters, don’t you?"

galinda laughed, bright and delighted, and elphaba laughed too. together, they stood there in the quiet of the evening, hands still intertwined.