notting hill

The next night, Glinda picks her up promptly at 8, as promised. Elphaba opts for a deep green dress, nearly black, a plain but elegant cut. She pairs it with a simple necklace, a thin silver chain with a small white flower charm. She still wears her leather watch, but otherwise opts for a simple outfit. Best not to over-do it, she figures. Glinda is dressed similarly, a light pink short dress paired with a white cardigan. Her hair is down today, cascading in gentle blonde waves down her shoulder. Elphaba’s breath catches slightly at the sight of her when she gets into the car. Glinda’s twinkling eyes suggest she hears it.

The restaurant the actress picked is a quaint one tucked in a corner not far from her hotel. The sun has just set, and the warm glow that emanates from the small establishment makes it look inviting and cozy. As Elphaba steps out into the street, she offers a hand to Glinda, helping her out of the car. Neither move their hands away as they walk to the door, and the small thrill of walking hand in hand with Glinda gives Elphaba that fluttering feeling she’s been getting a lot lately around the blonde. When they step inside, Glinda murmurs something to the maitre d’, and they’re brought to a small table in the corner, slightly hidden by a pillar. It’s private, the lighting softened by a small candle burning on the table, but Elphaba swears there’s a warmth in the air that doesn’t just radiate from it.

As she sits across from Glinda in the booth, her nerves begin to kick in a little. It’s really not every day one takes the world’s sweetheart out to an intimate dinner date. She shifts slightly in her seat, and pushes her glasses up her nose out of nervous habit. As her fingers begin to drum on the table, a soft hand reaches over and stops them, and Elphaba looks up to Glinda’s soft smile and watching eyes. She looks understanding, and squeezes Elphaba’s hand lightly, but perhaps most reassuring is the small hint of nerves in her eyes. Underneath the big star is still only a woman, after all, as desperate for love and connection as the rest of them. Elphaba smiles back and turns her hand face up so that she can hold Glinda’s, and both relax slightly into their seats.

“Yes, I’ll have.. a bottle of the Barolo Marcenasco. And for an entree, the salmon.” Glinda scans the menu, lips quirked as she reads. After rattling off her order to the waiter, she turns to Elphaba and adds, “You’ll love the wine, it’s one of my favorites. Do you know what you’re going to get to eat?” Slightly overwhelmed, the green woman only shakes her head in response.

“Any suggestions, perhaps?” Glinda beams at this, and thinks for a moment before nodding decisively. “I think you’d like the penne alla vodka. What do you think?” When Elphaba nods in agreement, interested, the waiter quickly jots this down, before sweeping their menus away and rushing to the kitchen. Elphaba briefly wonders if they’re usually so pressed, or if Glinda’s presence is frying their brains a little. She does tend to have that effect, Elphaba has found.

As the wine arrives, Glinda pours them each a generous glass, and they fall into comfortable conversation. Elphaba asks about her movies only briefly, sensing that the blonde might be somewhat sick of the topic, and instead asks about her own life. She learns that the blonde is an amateur artist, particularly interested in drawing, and that she has a small flower garden. She also learns she can’t keep a houseplant alive for the life of her, and suspects that her friendly old lady of a neighbor might be the only reason said flower garden is still in business.

“And what about you? Oz, I’m sorry, I’ve just been talking about myself this whole time. What do you like to do, other than sell books and spill your tea on strangers in the street?” Glinda carries her cat-like smirk, and the wine has softened the edges of her eyes. Her hand has reached back over to fiddle with the green woman’s while she talks, but it seems to be unconscious. Elphaba has noticed that, that the blonde tends to seek out physical touch whenever possible. Even if just standing shoulder to shoulder, or brushing a lock of hair out of her face, Glinda seems to love Elphaba’s personal space even more than Elphaba does.

Elphaba tilts her head, thinking. “Well, I don’t know. I don’t believe I’m particularly interesting. I grew up in Munchkinland, my father was the governor. He was never particularly interested in.. well, in me, to put it frankly, so from a young age books really were one of my dearest friends. I just felt that they were a constant, this guaranteed haven I could escape into no matter how my day had gone. It’s a little corny considering my occupation but my hobby really would have to be reading, I’m afraid.”

Glinda nods thoughtfully and opens her mouth to reply when the waiter practically materializes beside them, dishes in hand. He sets down Glinda’s salmon, artfully plated, in front of her, and places Elphaba’s equally nice-looking pasta in her place. He nods at them slightly and then departs nearly as quickly as he appeared.

They quickly dig into their food, words forgotten in a blink at the sight of the dishes in front of them. The pasta, still steaming, is delicious, and they nab a bite of each other’s plates to try a bit of everything. Once full, plates practically scraped clean, the two lean back with a contented sigh. As Glinda reaches for her wine glass, a voice drifts through the air from the table behind them, and both tense slightly as they listen to it.

“Oz, that Glinda Upland girl? She’s everywhere lately, isn’t she? I swear there isn’t a bus stop in Emerald without her face plastered all over it. It’s like, give me a break, she’s really not even very good.” The speaker is a man, somewhat loose-lipped from the whiskey he sips, and he sits at a table with a bunch of his friends. All sport business suits, no doubt here straight from work, and from her seat Elphaba can see them all nod in agreement at his words. Her stomach turns uncomfortably, and she clenches her fist. Wordlessly, Glinda sips her wine, suddenly avoiding any eye contact.

“I mean come on, sure she’s pretty, I’d definitely go for it. But she’s like every other actress, I’d say. No generational talent or anything, it’s a shame. Probably only where she's at because of her good looks if you catch my drift.” The other men laugh loudly and boisterously at this, and the speaker sits back, chest puffed in misplaced pride at the reaction to his words.

Elphaba catches the sudden twist in Glinda’s face, the eyes that swam in joy not 5 minutes ago suddenly fixed to a point on the table, squinted slightly. Her jaw is set, and she sits tensely, wine glass long abandoned. In passing, Elphaba notes that it’s the first time she’s seen the actress sit still. Usually fidgeting somehow, or gesturing animatedly as she talks, the blonde now sits like a statue, blank faced. Before she can stop herself, the brunette is standing up abruptly, chair scraping loudly against the floor. At this, Glinda looks up. She takes one look at the look on Elphaba’s face and shakes her head sadly.

“Oh Elphie, don’t, it’s really not worth it. They don’t know what they’re talking about, I really don’t.. It doesn’t matter, I don’t mind.” Still, the green woman steels her resolve and practically marches to the men’s table, crossing her arms defiantly as their conversation slowly stops at this unexpected presence.

“I had the misfortune of hearing the conversation you just had, and I’d just like to say.. those are really rather awful things to say about someone you don’t know. That’s a real person you’re talking about, you know. It’s really just plain weird and disrespectful.” She juts her chin defiantly, staring them down, and a few have the decency to look somewhat ashamed. The man who spoke earlier, however, only snickers and takes another sip of his drink.

“And who are you, the kindness police? Oz, it was just a conversation among friends, no need to get all worked up. And as if Glinda Upland would be in a hole in the wall restaurant near Notting Hill, it’s just harmless chatter.” The others nod in agreement, and before Elphaba can retort, a hand slips itself into the crook of her elbow, tugging her back. She turns to see Glinda pulling her towards the door, coat and purse already collected, and she decides it best to not argue. She catches up to the blonde, searching her face, and says quietly, “Sorry about that.”

Glinda shakes her head, waving a hand dismissively. “It’s alright, I love that you tried. I would’ve liked to give them a piece of my mind too, really-” She stops walking, and Elphaba watches her make up her mind. “You know, I think I will.”

And with that, she marches back down the aisle, stopping at the men’s table. Plastering on a faux sweet smile, she tilts her head innocently. As they gradually notice who it is that’s interrupted them this time, looks of mixed shock and horror spread around the table. She clears her throat neatly and says, “Hello boys. Just wanted to apologize for my friend back there, she gets a little.. sensitive. You’re right, just harmless chatter! You’ll probably never find girlfriends and likely have dicks the size of peanuts, but I suppose you can at least try and use your good looks to get you somewhere, right? Oh wait.. you don’t have those either. Shame.”

She smiles again, as if delivering the best of news, then turns on her heel and marches back to Elphaba. The table stays dead silent behind her. As she loops her arm through the brunette’s, she steers them out the door into the cool night, and as they get into Glinda’s car and the driver begins to drive, what she has done seems to hit her.

“Oh my Oz, I cannot believe I just did that. What was I thinking?” She dissolves into small almost hysterical giggles, and Elphaba can’t help but swoon slightly at the proud spark in her eye that still shines despite her mild shock. “Oh Oz, Elphie, that was thrillifying. Horrifying actually, but really thrillifying too. Oh, did you see the looks on their faces?”

Elphaba chuckles slightly, reaching over to grab Glinda’s hand and hold it in her lap. “Yes my sweet, I did. It was rather thrillifying.” She briefly freezes at the pet name that slips out, but the good wine and high spirits of the evening quickly kill her worries. If anything, Glinda leans closer at it, smiling wider.

“Come home with me,” Elphaba blurts out, lost in the doe eyes that gaze up at her, and quickly stumbles over her words at the raise of a perfectly blonde eyebrow in response. “I mean, come over for now. So that the night isn’t over just yet. I’d hate to end it on that note.”

Glinda searches her face for a moment, and then with some amusement lowers the partition and rattles of Elphaba’s address to the driver. Afterwards, she leans back and fixes Elphaba with that look she does, looking for some answer in the green eyes that stare back, and slowly Elphaba thinks she is starting to learn what question she’s asking. She wonders if the soft smile she gives in return holds the right answer.

Once inside Elphaba’s flat, the two move wordlessly, shucking their jackets and heels to go and sit comfortably on the couch. The green woman is hit with a sudden odd sense of deja vu, of Glinda in her house not so long ago, shirt stained with tea and slightly larger than life, still the glowing image off a television screen. Now, a very different Glinda sits beside her, white cardigan ditched for one of Elphaba’s crewnecks over her pink dress, slightly too big and completely mismatching. Her hair flies a little in every direction, and her mascara smudges slightly under her eyes. As she looks over to Elphaba watching her, a lazy smile stretches across her face, and she tilts her head in question. Elphaba suddenly thinks that those who think her beautiful have no idea just how right they are, how much they miss out on from their tiny little screen. This Glinda, messy, perfect, Glinda, might be the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen.

Glinda seems to catch on to the general drift of her thoughts, and smiles wider. Her eyes flit briefly down, to linger on Elphaba’s lips, before looking back up. The green woman’s heart is suddenly hammering, and she finds herself deeply grateful for Fiyero’s note on the kitchen table that he’s over at a friend’s house for the night. She swallows, nervous, and leans in slightly. Her eyes never leave Glinda’s, and after a moment the blonde smiles and closes the gap.

Her lips are soft, gentle against Elphaba’s. Unlike in the park, which held a sense of rushed excitement, she moves lazily, as if they have all the time in the world. And in a way they do, tucked comfortably on Elphaba’s old couch, hidden and safe from the prying hands of the world. In that moment nothing seems to exist besides the warm lips against her own and the hands that softly frame her face.

As they continue, the younger woman slips closer until she’s straddling Elphaba, who raises her hands to rest on her hips. As she traces her hands higher, slowly, Glinda at last pulls back and places a stopping hand on her chest.

“Have you got a bedroom somewhere around here?” Her eyes twinkle with amusement, but there’s a certain gravelly tone in her voice that makes the brunette’s head spin slightly. Nodding quickly, she stands, holding Glinda with a firm hand around her waist, and carries her upstairs. Dumping her somewhat unceremoniously on the bed, she leans back in, this time with more vigor than earlier. As she senses the actress begin to squirm more, impatient, she trails her mouth down her neck, chasing every inch of soft skin.

Wordlessly, Glinda raises her arms and she slips the sweater off of her before reaching for the zipper in the back of her dress. As she slips that off too, leaving Glinda in nothing but her underwear, her breath catches slightly. The room is dark save for a small yellow lamp on her bedside table and the moonlight filtering in, and here, all glitz and glamor left downstairs, stands Glinda Upland, looking perhaps the most pretty she ever has. As the pause stretches on, the blonde reaches up self-consciously, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Well, are you just going to stand there all night?” There’s an uncharacteristic shyness to her voice, and to that Elphaba can do nothing but lean back in and kiss her deeply. Soon her dress is shed as well, and neither catch much sleep that night.

Elphaba wakes to sunlight filtering through her blinds and a strange weight on her chest. It takes her a moment to realize that weight is Glinda, and a very naked Glinda at that. The blonde is practically sprawled on top of her under the sheets, one leg hooked over her hip and an arm slung across her chest. Her face is tucked into the crook of the green woman’s neck, and she stirs slightly as Elphaba shifts to look at her.

“Good morning Elphie,” she murmurs, sleep still heavy on her face. She kisses Elphaba’s shoulder sleepily, and sits up slowly, hugging the blanket to her chest. Elphaba looks up at her, still propped against a pillow, and can’t help the silly smile that spreads across her face.

Glinda, noticing, laughs. “What’s so amusing?” Her words are somewhat muffled by the small yawn she lets out, and she rubs the sleep from her eyes groggily.

Elphaba shrugs playfully. “I suppose I’m just realizing how lucky I am to see you naked.”

Glinda rolls her eyes at her antics, and shoves her lightly. “Yeah, yeah, don’t let it get to your head. As Rita Hayworth said, every man I knew went to bed with Gilda, and woke up with me.”

Elphaba tilts her head, now puzzled. “Gilda? You’re Glinda, silly.” The blonde huffs at this, rolling her eyes once more. “Gilda as in her most famous character, Elphie. She was saying people went to bed with this glamorous dream and woke up to a real person instead. And I suppose they didn’t like it as much. Do you feel that way?” She fixes Elphaba with her eyes, an inscrutable look on her face, playful mood now dissipated slightly, and Elphaba nearly resents the notion. Resents the fact that Glinda has had to be around people that have made her ask that before, have answered yes. She sits up, and looks deep into the brown eyes that tensely wait for her response.

“I think you are lovelier this morning than you have ever been.”

The blonde’s resulting beaming smile is quickly smothered by Elphaba’s lips.

The two sit at the kitchen table, Elphaba quietly buttering her toast while Glinda picks at a bowl of cereal. It’s a lovely day out, and the room is filled with bright sunlight from outside. Elphaba looks up to see Glinda watching her, blonde hair in a messy bun and dressed in nothing but underwear and one of Elphaba’s button ups raided from her closet. She smiles sweetly, mouth full of cereal, her dimple prominent. Letting her impulse win, the green woman leans across the table to kiss it. The domesticity of the scene hits her square in the chest, and for a fleeting moment she allows herself to imagine what life could be like if she woke up to this every day.

Eventually, Glinda gets dressed again, dress and cardigan from last night put back on and hair combed down slightly. She still takes the button up she wore to breakfast with her, announcing with a pout that she simply can’t bear to part with it yet. Elphaba rolls her eyes at the blonde’s antics but doesn’t protest, and watches with some sadness as the blonde puts on her heels. Her press tour starts tomorrow, after all, and she’ll be traveling all around Oz for the next few months. They’ve vowed to stay in touch, but it’s still rather sobering.

Glinda steps over and presses a sweet kiss to Elphaba’s lips, hands resting lightly on her chest.

“It’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon. Don’t look so grim Elphie!”

And then she swings the front door open, and everything comes falling apart.

A huge crowd is amassed outside Elphaba’s door, cameras and microphones pointed at the ready. The chatter is deafening, and at the door opening reporters begin to yell Glinda’s name. Glinda’s driver pushes through the mess and begins to tug her down to the car.

The actress turns, and the despair on her face nearly shatters Elphaba’s heart.

“Elphie? Did you call them? Wh.. how could you?”

And before the green woman can reply, deny it vehemently, do anything at all, the driver is tugging her into the car, and Glinda Upland drives away. Away from Elphaba, away from Notting Hill.