No Confessions

Ch7

    "Come, Mina, let's go out tonight, shall we?" Lucy almost sang to her friend. Outside, the sun sat high in the sky, clouds nowhere in sight. Catherine had informed the girls that it was about two in the afternoon. Mina laughed, disbelieving she had been at the Westenra estate for that long.
    "Lucy..." Mina droned in thought. "What of Jonathan? I am to meet him tomorrow morning. I cannot meet him with a dreadful hangover!"
    Lucy almost scoffed. She meant it lightly, Mina knew so. It is why she did not become furious with Lucy; of course she never could, but technically speaking. "Jonathan will be fine. Besides, you have most of the night to sleep it off."
    Mina pondered the thought. Going out would be nice, especially with Lucy. Not only was she her best friend, but Lucy's love language seemed to be physical touch and gift giving. It would bring Lucy a great amount of joy to treat Mina to an outing. Lucy would buy Mina whatever she wished and more. Mina would be grateful but she would still feel a tinge of guilt whenever she received another lavish gift, party or dance, dress or even supplies for school and her studies from Lucy.
    "Fine. Only as I know how much pleasure you get from them." Mina finalized, sighing. She supposed Jonathan wouldn't mind her being a small bit drunk when he came to meet her.

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    "Mina! Come now, isn't this fun?" Lucy asked her friend. The two had gone to a fancy restaurant for their third meal and then Lucy had dragged them to a club of some sorts. With as much as wine and other beverages the two had consumed, walking home was no option. Mina, who had less of the pair, decided she would be the one to hail a carriage. But for now, she could enjoy the company of a friend. One who was flat out pissed, but still a friend.
"Mina! Are you not having fun?" A very drunk Lucy asked, pouting. "Come dance with me, that'll for sure be fun. Come on now, up, up!" Mina laughed and took her friend's hand. Dancing couldn't be a horrid thing after all.
"Well I suppose." Mina surrendered. Lucy simply beamed like a young child in a sweets store. "Now–oh!" Mina gasped as Lucy whisked her to the dance floor. Drunk Lucy was a very loud, forward girl; anything but lady-like to the streets of London.
Mina took Lucy's hand in hers and the two were dancing, Mina strangely taking the lead.
To Lucy, it seemed Mina was just as drunk as her, laughing, smiling and dancing in a club that she never even knew existed. Lucy could've sworn she'd fallen, yet another time, for the woman who led her through the dance.
To Mina, it seemed as if Lucy was focused on the stars they lay beyond them. Her eyes carried a faraway look. Her mouth seemed to be in a smile of awe when it was not laughing or smiling as bright as the brightest star. Mina couldn't help but wonder what was running through her friend's mind.

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The night flew as did the leaves in the wind. As the girls stepped out into dark London streets, strong gusts of winds tossed and ruined what was left of their pretty hairdos. Lucy laughs wildly at her friend, her hair looking the same way it does when she just wakes. Stumbling toward the street to call a cab, Lucy's skirt or shoe gets caught in a tear in the sidewalk, launching her forward.
"Lucy!" Mina cried, catching her friend by the waist. "Lucy, are you okay? Are you hurt in any way?"
Lucy giggled. "Oh Mina, I'm perfectly well! What about you? You seem to have seen a ghost; or at least something terribly, terribly frightening. What's the matter?" Lucy asked, drawing out some of her words. "Mina, Mina, Mina. Always so worried about me. You must be in love with me!" Lucy laughed at her own joke. Yes, Mina loved her, but not in the way Lucy loved her. Even in her highly drunken state, she knew that fact as if she were completely sober.
"Oh Lucy, you know I love you. We're dear friends, sisters even." Mina told her, cleaning her dress of stray leaves, gifted by the wind.
Lucy shrunk back at the word 'friends' and even further at the word 'sisters'. "Of course." She mumbled. "Of course."
"Here, I'll get us a carriage and we can go home. You seem so dreadfully tired." Mina offered in a soothing tone. She had the instincts of a mother when it came to Lucy. She could never figure out why, but Mina always felt protective over Lucy in a sense.
"Mm, you do that." Lucy hummed, leaning further onto Mina. "Hurry so we can sleep. You and that ass have a date or something tomorrow."
Mina chucked. Even if Lucy was scammered, she would still find a way to show her disfavor to her fiance. "Jonathan." Mina corrected cooley.
"Ass-hat." Lucy retorted with a tired smirk. She was absolutely wasted and just wanted to be at home, asleep, with Mina beside her.
"Let's just get you home.

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    "Lucy? Lucy dear, come on, wake up a bit, you're home." Mina cooed to a half asleep Lucy. Her head came up and some inaudible words came out of her mouth, but Lucy just seemed to turn over in the carriage and fall back asleep. "Lucy, oh Lucy. What am I going to do with you?" Mina chuckled to herself before reaching in and picking Lucy up bridal style.
    "Ms Murray." Catherine bowed, opening the door allowing Mina to bring Lucy inside the estate. "Is that Ms Westenra?"
    Mina sighed, looking down at her friend. Her hair was a mess but her face was one of perfect serenity. "Yes, Catherine. Would you mind assisting me with doors as I bring her to her chamber?"
    "Of course, Ms Murray." The maid said with a bow causing Mina to smile with relief.
    Upon getting into Lucy's bedchamber, she awoke. "Mina? Oh, we're home...good." She sighed, relaxing into her own bed. "Sorry for falling asleep on you."
    "It's fine. Do you want me to call Catherine to help you undress?" Mina asked, adjusting her clothing in preparation for removing them.
    Lucy grumbled something Mina couldn't catch as Lucy turned over then sat up. Looking directly at Mina, eyes of innocence, she asked two words: "Can't you?"
    A very surprised Mina stepped back in apprehension. Not that she couldn't, she simply did not wish to do something so...intimate. "I'll call Catherine up." She said, trying to sound firm as she turned to the door to leave. She was only stopped when a cool hand pulled at her wrist.
    "And if I wish for it to be you and not Catherine? Will you do so then?" Lucy asked, eyes still showing that same innocence. "Mina?" Her voice was quiet. She sounded sincere. It got to Mina. She was bested.
    "Okay." Mina decided. "Turn around. Let's get this done as fast as possible." Lucy eagerly got up, turned, removed her overcoat and allowed Mina to take apart all the clasps and buttons of the dress she wore. Taking the corset off, Lucy whipped around.
    "Your turn!" She half shrieked, half laughed. "Come here!"
    Mina screamed in fake fear. Taking a few steps back to symbolize her 'running away'. "Lucy, I can get undressed myself!" She protested. Lucy was having none of it. Taking Mina by the shoulders, Lucy led her toward her bed against Mina's half-hearted struggles. "Lucy! I can do this myself!"
    "Doesn't mean I'll let you!" Lucy teased back. "Turn, turn! Mina, turn around for me!" Mina does so in a defeated manner, allowing Lucy to undo her clothing layers.
    When both girls were in only their underclothes, Catherine knocked on the door with fresh nightgowns. Lucy thanked the wide-eyed maid, taking a small note of how hard it seemed that Catherine couldn't take her eyes off of Lucy and how they occasionally flitted down to the nightgowns. Taking the clothing from Catherine, Lucy dismissed her and gave one of the gowns to Mina.
    "There's the dressing screen over there if you'd like." Lucy told Mina, gesturing to the one in a corner of the room. "You used it this morning." She added, looking down at her own state. The alcohol still lingering on her, she turned around and started changing where she stood.
    "Right!" Mina exclaimed in a jolt. She never took Lucy to be type to change completely in front of another person. Mina summed it up to all of Lucy's drinks she'd had during their evening.
    Perhaps it was the alcohol or something close to curiosity but Mina didn't use the screen as she did this morning. Instead, she did the same as Lucy. She turned so her back was facing her friends and simply changed where she stood. Lucy was turned away from her so it wouldn't matter if she changed there. Even if she did look, Mina was faced away so it would be fine.
    "Lucy? Oh—" Mina cut herself off after turning around. She had turned to see an almost awestruck Lucy starting quite openly at her. "Lucy?" She called again.
    Lucy seemed to snap out of a trance. "Yeah? Oh, I'm sorry, I spaced out again, didn't I?" Lucy whispered with a small shrug. "I'm going to pass out any moment..." She trailed, moving toward the bed. "Good night, Mina dear."
    "Hm." Mina hummed, following her friend towards the bedside. "Good night, Luce."
    "One thing." Lucy mumbled. "Do me one thing, Mina. You don't have to but—"
    "What would you like?" Mina asked. She assumed it would be to tuck her in or something quite childish. It wasn't uncommon for Lucy to ask her for things such as those. Lucy was always quite bold, but it always tripled whenever she went out drinking. Even so, Lucy's request must've passed that threshold ten times over.
    "Kiss me."