No Confessions

Ch4

    "Your hands are really warm, Mina." Lucy breathed. Immediately, Mina started apologizing. "Oh, Mina. Mina? Mina dearest? Darling!" Lucy pleads, stopping Mina mid apology. "May I ask where the negative connotation came from? Why in the devil's name are you apologizing? It's better to have warm hands than cold, Mina. I don't mind."
    "But Lucy..." Mina started.
    "No, no, no. Hush, Mina. No apologies." Lucy whispered, taking off the last layers of her outfit, leaving her in her undergarments just as Mina. "You are dreadfully tired and your mind is not right. Come here, Mina. Let sleep take you." Lucy urged, pulling Mina towards her bed. Pulling open the covers, smoothing the sheets, Lucy sat down, pulling Mina to sit aside her.
    "Lucy..." Mina muttered, sitting bedside her friend. She can't help but admire how stunning Lucy looked, especially with her more caring side showing. It's something Lucy doesn't show just any-person; for that, Mina feels she is...important...to Lucy.
    She only shakes her head, her hands finding the other girl's shoulders. "No. Your mind is not right, you need sleep. Come on, lie down. Sleep darling. I will be here in the morning." She whispered, patting the pillow as she got up.
    "Wait."
    Lucy froze immediately, turning back. "Yes? What's wrong, dearest?"
    Mina shifted into a lying position, eyes fixed on the blond woman in front of her. "Don't leave me. I know its stupid and all but..." She trails off, her eyes roaming elsewhere.
    "Mina." Lucy said, capturing Mina's attention. "My room, my bed, my Mina. I'm not going to leave you. I'd never leave you. Besides, where else would I sleep?" Lucy joked, letting out a chuckle. She shut up at Mina's expression.
    With a raised eyebrow and the smallest hint of a smile, Mina asked "Your Mina?"
    Lucy inhaled, surprised that that was the one thing that caught her attention. "Sorry. I suppose it just slipped out. You are in no way 'mine'; you are engaged. You are to be married, making you, using the same terms, 'his'."
    Mina sat up, stuttering, trying to find her tongue. Confusion and a look Lucy couldn't quite place covered her perfect features. Did something she had said hurt her? Offend her? "What in the blazes do you mean 'his'? Lucy, don't be ridiculous, I belong to no man!" Mina's laughter rang through the bedchamber.
    "Nor woman." Lucy added quietly. She had no expectation of Mina hearing it, nor her questions about it.
    "Whatever do you mean by that? 'Nor woman', are you referring to yourself? Do you believe you've offended me?" Mina asked. She sounded genuinely interested; and Lucy wanted to tell her. To pour her heart and to tell her of her feelings. 'No.' She tells herself. 'Keep Mina close, but your feelings ever closer.'
    "Lucy? Are you alright? Is something bothering you? You've not offended me, if that's your worry." Mina assured, coaxing Lucy to sit behind her. "Lucy dear, come here, Luce."
    "No, I'm sorry Mina. I suppose my mind is elsewhere. The night hours seem to be getting to me." Lucy whispered, moving to the other side of the bed. "Let sleep take you, Mina.  Disregard my last statement, good night."

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    "Lucy? Lucy, are you ill? Lucy? Lucy!"
    Lucy awoke, cold sweat and adrenaline pumping. She'd suffered a terrible nightmare. A man had...turned her into...a monster. The man had said just before, "if you insist on acting like a monster, I shall make you one". It was a punishment for Lucy wronging Mina. Hurting Mina so badly, she never wished to see Lucy again. It was a frightening dream. Frightening enough to transfer to the waking world; enough to wake Mina with her squirming, whimpering and crying. Lucy could never imagine herself doing anything to hurt or to wrong her dear Mina.
    "Mina?" Lucy whispered. "Mina dear, is that you?"
    "It's just me, Lucy. It's Mina, I'm here. Whatever happened? Are you ill?" Mina's voice filled Lucy's thoughts, calming her down a bit. Mina looked beautifully disastrous. Her hair was a mess of curls and knots. It was a pretty halo around her head in the candlelight where Mina's fingers had messed it up a little when they were asleep. Her nightshirt was misshapen and falling from her shoulder, showing cream coloured skin. Oh, how Lucy wished to kiss that skin. Her face held a look of worry, fear and concern; it hurt Lucy's heart, creating an already growing pit in her stomach.
    "Mina, oh Mina darling!" Lucy cried, moving to hug the brunette. "This is foolish of me to ask, but you have fondness for me, yes?"
    Mina seemed to shift strangely at the question. Her arms held Lucy ever slightly closer as she spoke. "Yes. Yes of course, Lucy. Did you have a nightmare that I had lost those affections for you?" Lucy only nodded best she could while hugging Mina. "Oh, my dear Lucy. I could never lose my affections for you. There is not a thing in all of the world you could do to lessen my likeness to you. Not a thing." Mina assured, stroking Lucy's hair. The blond started crying softly, burying her face into Mina's shoulder and hiding in her hair. Despite what Mina told her, Lucy still believed that her dream had some sort of meaning; and that Mina simply couldn't think of something in the moment. Lucy said nothing and buried herself deeper into Mina's hair. It smelled of lavender.
    Holding Lucy impossibly closer, Mina soothed her; she called for tea and most surprisingly, kissed her. Just on the forehead.
It was a common occurrence for the two to kiss, in private of coure. Kissing was highly conspicuous and a quite indecent act, even just between two girls. Even married couples abstained from the act. Yet behind closed doors, the girls did so. On the cheek as a greeting, the hand, but not once anywhere near the face meaning intimacy. It was quite a shock to the mewling Lucy.
"My stars, Mina! Whatever was that for?" Lucy asked, terribly confused. "Mina?"
Mina was a bright red from the realization of what she had just done. She had pulled away, just a bit; her caring side still wanting to comfort Lucy, of which still had tears in her eyes.
Stuttering, Mina managed to heap together an answer, or an excuse. "It's just something—my mother—she used to kiss me like that whenever I was upset but something as a young girl. I thought it would do as it did me, and help calm you. I apologize."
"Why in the blazes are you apologizing? I don't believe I said I was against it. Society would be, but I'm not bothered by it." Lucy laughed dryly, still visibly upset. "But what would Jonathan think? You're kissing another, let alone a girl." Lucy joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Mina merely smiled and said something under her breath. Lucy decided against asking. "The—the tea should be here soon. You heard me call for it, right?" Mina's voice seemed tense. As if she was eager to leave the subject of what happened.
Lucy nodded. "What kind did you get us?" She asked, forcing a smile. "I hope it's green."
"Oh? Why green?" Mina asked, smiling. She had a small idea of why but still, she wished to confirm.
"Green tea is your favorite, Mina. Or have you changed it? If you have, I can get whomever you asked it from to change it, I'm sure they won't mind." Lucy beamed. She fully meant it. The people in the house worked for her, they couldn't mind it.
"Oh no, it's still the same." Mina assured her. She was mildly surprised that Lucy would go to such lengths for simple, old, Mina. But then again, why wouldn't she? She's Lucy Westenra. She'd go to the depths of Hell for Mina; even if Mina didn't know it.