No Confessions

Ch6

    "What." Lucy said, tense to the point of spilling tea on herself. "Shit–sorry."
    Mina immediately placed the teapot down, grabbed a tissue and moved towards Lucy. The blond backed up as if a scared puppy and Mina shushed and soothed her friend as if she were one. Mina slowed her movements and hushed her tone.
"Luce. Hey, it's okay." She whispered, glancing at the tissue in her hand. It was her way of asking if she could dry the tea on Lucy's nightgown. Lucy nodded and relaxed. Or so it seemed that way to Mina. Lucy was still on edge, however she hides it well.
    Mina held the tissue to the stain. A precarious place for a tea spill; the liquid finding itself on the left side of her bosom. Mina's tissue rested just where the liquid was, causing a strange feeling in Lucy's stomach.
Lucy however, was much more taken with Mina, who was concentrating on drying the tea from the other woman's chest. Lucy's focus was far from the tea ruining her nightgown and instead, narrowed in on Mina's perfect face. Her blemishless skin. The way her auburn hair falls in perfect curls, even before it had been brushed. She noted the way Mina's blue eyes were always a few shades darker in the morning than in the evening. The very faint scar on her forehead from when Lord Davenport's men attacked her that evening; an event that left her bedridden in her fathers hospital for days. The way Mina's brow furrows whenever she concentrates on a task. Lucy admired the way the corners of Mina's lips turned upwards; the slightest smile. As if she found it amusing that Lucy spilt tea on herself. As if it gave her an excuse to get closer to Lucy, physically.
The smile reminded Lucy of the first time Lucy actually reconciled with her having at least some sort of feelings towards Mina, the exact smile on her features. She did not know at the time that the feeling was called love. The two had been friends for only a small portion of each other's lives, and Lucy had always admired Mina. Not just due to her smarts, her wits nor her beauty, but her charms, her laugh and the way her eyes sparkled whenever she was allowed to talk of her work. Being the only woman attending the University of London, and having misogyny a huge problem, Mina didn't seem to get many chances to talk about her work. Lucy only truly realized her feelings when Mina was asking her about Aurther Holmwood, her, then, fiance.
Mina was bombarding her with questions about the man. Lucy was answering all questions quite impassively. Lucy, internally, found it amusing to herself that she was so placid about her own fiance but was absolutely thrilled to talk of her oh so dear friend, Mina. It stirred something in her and she broke things off with Aurther. Her mother was livid; she begged to know the reason but Lucy couldn't tell her. Wouldn't tell her. She could barely comprehend, herself, on why she had done it. Still, she did no such thing as to question it. If she were to marry a man, she should be at least excited to talk about said man. Yet she was not. She was much more comfortable with Mina than she ever was with Aurther; her greater comfort being Mina's smile.
Lucy's eyes wandered down to the brunette's chest, rising and falling with the woman's breathing. The supple flesh seemed to glow in the morning light, taking even more of Lucy's attention. Impure thoughts wormed their way into Lucy's mind. Thoughts of skin on skin. Closed drapes but open mouths. Her thoughts played with the idea of stopping Mina's acts on the tea stain, checking the door, and leading her back to the bed. Lying her down, kissing her, making her sing in the most sinful way. Having her be the reason Mina's perfect voice becomes breathy and cracked. To be the reason Mina's breathing comes out more as hitched gasps than anything. To have Mina under her, squirming and whimpering due to her. Due to Lucy.
Thoroughly indecent thoughts ran through her mind, they were only broken by Mina's sweet voice. "Luce? Hey, you spaced out on me. What's on your mind?"
Lucy sucked in a breath, taken from her thoughts. Her eyes, again, focused on Mina in front of her, holding a tissue with a dark yellow blotch. "You" she whispered. She meant it, but Mina didn't always need to know what was going through her head.
"Of course. Why is it that whenever I ask you that question, it's always the same answer?" Mina questioned, a smile growing on her face.
Lucy thought for a moment before answering. "You never seem to leave my mind I suppose."
Mina smiled at the comment. She dipped her head down, only to be met with the broken tea cup. "Lucy! Oh, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your floors! I hope you can forgive me." She cried, moving to the floor to pick up the pieces.
"Mina don't." Lucy said, almost ordering the other girl to listen. Mina froze. "Sorry I–I just–I do not wish for you to cut yourself." Lucy stammered, taking Mina's hands away from the broken glass.
"But then who–" Mina started.
"Catherine." Lucy cut her off. "Catherine will clean that, with proper supplies. Don't concern yourself with cleaning that, Mina. It will be fine."
Mina seemed to admit defeat, allowing Lucy to coax her back to her seat. Sitting down again, Lucy poured her another cup of tea. "Better?" Lucy affirmed.
"Much. Sorry again, Lucy." Mina whispered, avoiding eye contact with the blond in front of her. Quietly, her mind ran with guilt.
Lucy reached out, but took her hands back almost immediately. "Of course, don't let it weigh your mind." Lucy assured, folding her hands in her lap. She wished she could sit on her hands to avoid reaching out to Mina, but it would be considered unlady-like and rude, and she would want anything but to seem that way towards Mina.
"Something on your mind?" Mina asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them. "Something other than me?" A smirk.
Lucy seems to think, frowning. "No." She hums "Just you."