the garden
Once the dinner is over, it’s nearly midnight. Boq, Glinda, and Nessa chat on the couch while Elphaba washes dishes in the sink with Fiyero, the latter two occasionally contributing to the conversation that drifts over from across the room. All are content and rather stuffed, but eventually they agree they’d better leave, considering the next day is a Tuesday. Boq is the first to leave, picking up his briefcase and kissing Nessa on the cheek with a final birthday wish before striding out the door. Not long after, Elphaba and Glinda bid farewell to Fiyero and Nessa, and step out into the cool night air.
It’s nicer out than either had expected, barely any clouds to cover the twinkling stars. The moon, a waxing crescent, covers the Emerald City in a gleaming blue filter of light. Glinda’s pale face seems particularly faint, her warm features almost ghostlike in the moonlight. Her blonde hair gleams, gently tucked behind one ear, and she bites her lip absentmindedly as they walk. Elphaba wonders if this is what it feels like to be in love. The butterflies in her stomach when Glinda catches her eye strongly suggest yes.
The two amble down the street, no particular destination in mind. It’s understandably deserted, which brings an odd sense of calm that the Emerald City rarely has. The streets seem almost like they’re missing something without the constant bustle of people they normally are filled with. The green buildings glimmer in the night, less vibrant but somehow still beautiful in a way. Before long, Glinda stops Elphaba by tugging on her arm, and points to a small gate. The gate is part of a wall, a bit taller than the pair, and various plants and trees peek out from above it.
“Oh Elphie— I can call you that, right? Or shall I stick to Faba-“
Elphaba clears her throat pointedly, ignoring the flutter in her stomach at Glinda’s responding giggle. “Elphie is quite alright. You were saying?”
“Elphie, we must go in there! It looks like some sort of neighborhood garden, imagine how pretty it’ll look at night.”
Elphaba shifts her weight from one leg to the other, hesitant.
“Well, it is private property..”
Glinda huffs, raising an eyebrow. She crosses her arms and looks pointedly at Elphaba until the green woman caves, blushing under the scrutiny of the actress, and steps toward the gate.
It’s a wrought iron gate, bars lined horizontally and vertically to make a wide grid of sorts. Through it, she sees the dense foliage of the park, and steels her resolve.
Grasping into a bar with each hand, she steps one foot up, brings up the other, and promptly slips and falls back a step.
“Oh gosh,” Elphaba mutters, dusting her hands as her ears turn deeper green with embarrassment.
Glinda meanwhile, is nearly doubled over with laughter, and at her companions small comment only laughs harder.
“Oz, there’s no way you just said Oh gosh. What are we, 70 years old?” The blonde snickers, but the comforting pat on the arm she gives Elphaba rather quickly erases her embarrassment. Funny how Glinda has that effect on her.
“Well then, let’s see you try, Miss Dainty Actress,” Elphaba huffs in faux indignation.
Glinda clears her throat primly, and then steps toward the gate, hoists one leg up, then the other, left, right, and then hops down on the other side. The entire process is done with a grace and effortlessness that Elphaba has likely never displayed once in her life. Glinda smiles sweetly, tilting her head in challenge.
“Oz, fine. Give me a second.” Elphaba attempts it once more, and thankfully this time ends up on the other side with Glinda, though she lands with a bit of a stumble, causing her to swing her arms wildly to keep her balance. Glinda snickers once more, but loops her arm in Elphaba’s and pulls her deeper into the park.
They come to a stop near the middle, and Elphaba is still somewhat miffed from her earlier embarrassment. She crosses her arms and turns to Glinda.
“Now what on Earth in this garden could be worth that ordeal?” She raises her eyebrows in question, and Glinda looks at her with that mischievous look in her eye.
“How about this?” And before Elphaba can blink, Glinda is leaning in, and soft lips are touching her own. A faint smell of lilies and vanilla fill her senses, and soft hands are cradling her face. Elphaba hesitates only a moment, frozen in surprise, and then her hands are landing softly on Glinda’s waist pulling her closer. As she kisses her back, she feels the blonde smile against her lips, and she feels lightheaded. The world fades away, and all she can see and think and feel is Glinda, Glinda, Glinda. It feels like an eternity before they part, more out of necessity for air than want to.
Elphaba clears her throat. “Not too bad of a garden, I suppose.” Glinda laughs at her dazed expression, and smiles teasingly. Her brown eyes gaze up at Elphaba, half-lidded, and Elphaba nearly leans back in before the blonde promptly turns on her heel and tugs her further into the garden. That can always be saved for a later date, she supposes.
They walk in a comfortable silence for some time, their hands linked. In the moonlight, the garden has a certain magic to it, still but moving, quiet but loud. Leaves sway in the faint winds, and unseen critters scramble through the grass. The neatly paved path curls through the green area, a small pond in the middle and various types of trees scattered around it. It feels so different from the rest of the industrial city, like a small pocket that’s just theirs in this moment beyond time. Elphaba feels the softness of Glinda’s hand in hers, swinging slightly as they walk, and she wonders if she ever wants this day to end.
Eventually, they reach a small bench, facing the pond. The water shimmers under the clear sky, stars’ reflections speckling the clear surface. The bench is engraved, and leaning forward to see it, Glinda reads softly, “To Dawn, who loved this garden. From Kim, who always sat beside her.”
She looks back at Elphaba thoughtfully, a look the other can’t quite decipher on her face. She searches the green woman’s eyes, as if looking for an answer, but Elphaba isn’t quite sure what the question is.
“Some people really do stay together forever,” the blonde says at last, with a tone that seems almost wistful. Not sure how to respond to that, the other woman can only nod slightly, and squeeze her hand.
Glinda moves to sit on the bench, letting go of Elphaba’s hand. She looks around the garden, taking it in silently. Her hair has fallen slightly from its half-up style, and a shorter strand falls on her face. Elphaba fights the urge to reach out and tuck it behind her ear, instead stuffing her hands in her pockets. The actress, usually gleaming and polished, suddenly seems rather small on this park bench, hands sitting primly on her knees, eyes lost in thought. The bench’s engraving seems to have put her in a melancholic mood for a reason her companion can’t quite put a finger on yet.
Elphaba stands there as she thinks, unsure, until the blonde looks back at her. Glinda smiles faintly at the hesitant look on the brunette’s face, and tilts her head slightly.
“Come sit with me?”
Elphaba sits slowly, an inch apart from the actress. Glinda raises an eyebrow, and scoots closer, until their shoulders touch. She leans her head on the green woman’s shoulder, and wraps a hand around her arm. At last, the two relax, tension seeping from their shoulders, and they spend the rest of the time in a peaceful silence. Somewhere in the trees above them, a bird chirps quietly, hauntingly, like a song they can’t quite put their finger on.
. . . . . . .
Eventually, Elphaba clears her throat slightly, and checks her watch. It’s been an hour since the two left Nessa’s, and while she definitely enjoys Glinda’s company, she does still have to work tomorrow (or rather, today).
“I’m afraid I might have to head home soon. Can I accompany you back to your hotel?”
Glinda smiles, sitting up, the dimple in her cheek prominent in the gaunt moonlight.
“Why of course. What a gentleman,” she teases. Elphaba snorts slightly, and as she stands offers her hand to Glinda.
The two walk back out of the park, hand in hand, and Glinda calls her driver. The two ride back to the Diggs Hotel in silence, watching the city blur past through the car windows. Once at the hotel door, Elphaba steps out with Glinda and walks her to the door.
“When will I see you again?” The brunette asks, flushing slightly. Glinda’s face brightens, and she steps closer.
“Well, what are you doing tomorrow night? I know this very cute restaurant.”
“I believe I’m free,” Elphaba replies, beaming.
The blonde nods primly, and adds, “Perfect. I’ll send my driver to your address at 8? No need to dress up too much, something casual like tonight.” And leaning in, she kisses Elphaba softly, sweetly, before turning and going into the hotel. Elphaba stands there for some time, mind reeling, and even when she lies in bed later that night she still smells the lingering scent of lilies and vanilla.