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It’s not like Galinda hasn’t thought about it. Of course she has! Galinda thinks about EVERYTHING. This particular thought is actually one that she’s been turning over in her head ever since she had made that vow to make Elphaba popular.
Her stubborn roommate had always made her feel things… new things that Galinda couldn’t even come close to understanding. She knew “loathing” didn’t quite fit, and yet it was the only thing that had made sense. But now she was even questioning that…
It wasn’t exactly Galinda’s brain that had motivated her to follow Elphaba with the cub. Oz, she was even going AGAINST her brain with this one!
It was just… the look on Elphaba’s face made something click within her. Then there was the fact that she had been the only one that Elphaba’s magic had kept awake.
Was there a reason?
Galinda found herself hoping that it had something to do with who she was as a person and not just that she was the most convenient option. Elphaba always led with her heart, so… maybe it was her heart that had chosen Galinda?
There wasn’t much time to ponder this during the adrenaline-filled action of running away with the cub and biking over to the forest. It made Galinda feel alive in a way she wasn’t used to.
It was rare that she directly defied authority like this. It’s not that she didn’t question authority, she was always wondering if the decisions these nameless, faceless higher-ups made were at all sensical.
Yes, Galinda did question authority, but she was also content with waiting her turn. It was always her plan to risk in the rinks before setting out to fix things from a place of power. But Elphaba… she just took things. She made her own power. Galinda admired it. Being around Elphaba always made her feel a little bit more brave.
“The cub… it must’ve scratched you…”
Elphaba’s touch was feather-light and hesitant. Galinda wondered why she was holding back. Was she scared to touch her?
Almost instinctively, Galinda leaned into the touch. The welcome warmth of Elphaba’s palm helped to ease her anxiety.
“It’s okay to touch me, Elphie, I want you to” Galinda wanted to say it, but she couldn’t find the words. She could only feel right now. And she was feeling a lot.
The gentle trickle of the water contrasted so severely against the racing of her thoughts. Galinda tilted her head, gently nuzzling Elphaba’s palm without even thinking. Her lips now brushed the inside of Elphaba’s thumb. Galinda wanted to kiss it.
She felt both nervous and at peace. What was this feeling?
It’s not like this was the first time Elphaba and her have ever touched, so what was different now?
Maybe it was the care which Elphaba was taking as she gently pushed a few wayward strands off of Galinda’s forehead to inspect her cut. It’s funny how even the sting of that wound seemed to dull from the moment Elphaba had reached out.
For the first time in her life, Galinda felt as if she wasn’t thinking but instead simply feeling. Even though she didn’t know what this feeling was, she desired nothing more than to lean into it. She wanted to sink her head into Elphaba’s touch and do nothing other than drown in the feeling of Elphaba’s presence.
The gentle way Elphaba caressed and held Galinda’s head with such care made Galinda feel a pull to drop into her arms and just let Elphaba hold her. She didn’t want to think anymore, she just longed to be held by Elphaba within the tranquility of the forest.
Before Galinda could pin down exactly what message her heart was trying to send her, Elphaba began to pull away, just slightly.
It left Galinda feeling lost as she reeled back and looked up at Elphaba. Without the touch to keep all the thoughts at bay, they raced into Galinda’s mind at top speed. The hand that rested on her skirt gripped tightly on the fabric in an attempt to ground herself as she tried to calm her mind and breathing.
Elphaba’s expression was hard to read. Galinda told herself that it was confusion and not hurt or betrayal. If she allowed herself to register Elphaba’s expression as hurt, then Galinda wouldn’t be able to resist reaching out to place her hand back on her cheek.
But she wasn’t brave enough for that. Galinda wasn’t as brave as Elphaba. She was just as cowardly and scared as this cub. Except Galinda’s cage was one which she had created for herself.
She was realizing just how cold it was now that she’s lost the warmth of Elphaba’s hand. She wasn’t sure how long she could stay here with Elphaba staring at her like that. She wasn’t sure if she could stop herself from blurting out feelings she didn’t quite understand yet.
It would be so easy… all Galinda had to do was take Elphaba’s hand and kiss it like she wanted to do earlier. She didn’t have to think so much, she just had to act. For once in her life, she finally needed to follow through on something she cared about!!
“Well! We should probably get that cub to safety!” Galinda chirped out instead, like the coward she was.
Elphaba’s eyebrows furrowed in what looked like concern, “Galinda…” she started.
Before she could say anymore, Galinda promptly stood up and held the cub, plastering on the most dazzling smile she could muster. “Well can’t have people growing suspicious now, can we?!”
Galinda tried her best to ignore the fact that she had her own suspicions about what the feelings she had for her roommate really were confirmed in that split second touch. She had leaned into it without even thinking… and now all she could think about was how badly she wanted to feel that gentle touch again.
Elphaba was still crouched on the ground, looking up at her with a disappointed and almost defeated expression. Galinda recognized it. It was the face Elphaba made when she was proven wrong about something she had previously believed to be true. It only ever showed when they were doing work together. What could Elphaba possibly have been wrong about while they were out here?!
“Make sure to get back safe, okay?! BYYYEEEEEEE!”
Galinda fled the scene before Elphaba could get another word in. As she clutched Brr close to her chest, she pretended that she was comforting the cub instead of the other way around.
She couldn’t believe she let herself slip up like that, she had been so foolish! It was those same feelings that came over her during the Ozdust dance. Except this was different. They were alone in the forest. There was no one around and they had with nothing to prove, and Elphaba had been the one to touch Galinda first…
It couldn’t mean anything, could it? Elphaba had just been worried about the scratch on her head, right?
Now Galinda could feel it throbbing in pain as she searched for somewhere to place the cub. It did nothing to held the array of thoughts racing in her head.
It didn’t matter what Elphaba had meant by that action, and it didn’t matter what Galinda was feeling. Because either way, she wouldn’t do anything about it. Galinda was just as cowardly as the lion. But things were different for her. Because for Galinda, there was nowhere that she could run to.