No Confessions

Ch14

    "It's done. I am no longer to be married to Jonathan." Mina stated as she walked into Lucy's room. She was let in by Catherine. Immediately making her way to Lucy's bedchamber, ignoring Catherine's strange look of disapproval, Mina burst in with her news.
    "What?" Lucy asked, jumping up. "Mina, what happened? What did Jonathan do?" Lucy's voice dropped to a stern tone.
    Mina pondered a response. Lucy was already aware about her plans. "Nothing you didn't already know." Mina smiled. "Besides, now I no longer have some curfew. Any plans this evening?" Mina asked, setting her ring from Jonathan down on the vanity. In truth, Mina just wanted to be around Lucy without the reminder of being engaged; like old times.
    "I'm not aware of any plans." Lucy said in a querying tone. "Why?"
    "Must I ask?" Mina said suggestively.
    Lucy sighed, a sign of her yielding. "Right. Where would you like to go? With whom?"
    Mina laughed slightly at Lucy's comment. "Anywhere you'd like. And whatever do you mean 'with whom'? You of course! Who else?"
    Lucy shifted slightly. "Charlotte? You two seem close..." Lucy mumbled. "Why not take her with you?"
    "Because Charlotte and I are no longer on good terms." Mina huffed. It was true. After Mina found out about how poorly Charlotte had spoken to Lucy, Mina swore off associating with her. Mina found it utterly preposterous that someone would speak so terribly of someone so openly. Let alone to Mina's face about her best friend.
    Lucy looked confused. "What happened? Or do I know?" Mina's face answered for her. "Does it have anything to do with her calling me a 'Mary Ann'? Or is she calling me any other horrid name of the sorts?"
    Mina was silent for a while before changing the subject. "Never mind that. What time shall we leave? Or would you prefer to stay in? You didn't seem very animated about going out. There's no pressure for you to go out; I'll stay in with you." Lucy mumbled a thank you, not meeting Mina's eyes. "Of course." Mina answered, pushing a stray strand of golden hair behind Lucy's ear. Her hand, absentmindedly, traced its way to rest just under Lucy's jaw line.
    "Mina?"
    "Yes Luce?"
    "I love you."
    Those three words caused Mina to flush. Her mind went blank yet full. She took a moment of thinking before whispering "and I, you".
    "Of course." Lucy muttered. She seemed unsurprised at Mina's response. "Of course you'd say something such as that."
    "What do you–what are you implying?" Mina asked.
    Lucy was referring to all the times the term 'love' has been thrown around so often. How the context has always been skewed and how she only used romantic love in reference to Jonathan, never to Lucy. She was referring to how any time love was used in reference to her, it was only ever platonic.
    Unknown to Lucy, not this time.
    "Luce? What weighs your mind?" Mina asked, taking Lucy's hands.
    Lucy finally met Mina's gaze. "Nothing. What shall we do today?"

____________________

    After a long night of chatting, laughing and some alcohol, the two girls' minds were scammered. Completely.
    "Mina darling? Whyever did you break it off with Jonathan? You must tell me. You know how terribly annoying I get when curiosity takes my head. Besides," Lucy said, slurring her words, a rasp entering her voice. "You know I'll find out if you resist telling me."
    Mina smiled toyfully. "And if you can't find out?" Mina may be drunk beyond clear thinking, but she still wouldn't tell Lucy her true reasons for calling off the engagement. "Then what, Lucy?"
    "Then I'll simply become a nuisance to you until you tell you. Or I'll bribe you." Lucy said with a smirk. "You are particularly swayable when it comes to me. You'll see."
Mina's eyes grew large in a joking alarm. "Lucy, that sounds like a threat...or a promise. Which of the two are you implying?"
Lucy's eyes shone with a mischievous light. "Well we'll see. Are you going to tell me?"
"No." Mina laughed at Lucy's drop in expression. Lucy put on wide eyes and a pout at Mina's response making Mina giggle. "Still no, Luce."
Lucy's mouth opened in disbelief and scoffed with a fake hurt. "Mina! Must you be so cruel? It's just me! Lucy!"
Mina sighed. "I won't yield. You may have to use that threat-promise."
Lucy shifted, moving closer to Mina. "How open are you to my 'threat-promise'?" Lucy asked. "What am I allowed to do? How far can I go?"
"As far as you want as long as it doesn't bring other people into it. If you cross a line, I'll simply tell you." Mina answered. "Why? What are you planning to do?"
"Nothing you won't like, hopefully. Come, stand up." Lucy said, gesturing for Mina to take her hands. "Let's dance." She breathed, and they were off. Spinning, waltzing, laughing.
Lucy laughed, her beautiful laugh as she looked at Mina with the same fondness she usually had in their private moments together. It calmed Mina to see it returned. She stilled their spin and grabbed her best friend by the arms; they were both wavering from the alcohol pulsing in their veins.
"So?" Mina looked at her in confusion. "Why'd you call it off?"
"You'll have to work harder to sway me." Mina giggled.
Lucy's smile softened as she too grabbed Mina by her shoulders, stroking her arms. "You have no intention of telling me, do you?" Lucy asked.
"Never", she mouthed with a smile. "Lucy?" Lucy hummed in acknowledgment. "You–you're quite...short." The topic change from nowhere caught Lucy off guard..
Lucy looked at Mina, offense in her eyes. "I am not."
"But you are." Mina teased her friend. "You appear to be quite a bit shorter." Mina burst out laughing at Lucy's astonished face. She seemed absolutely mortified about being shorter than Mina. "Fine, fine. Lucy come here, turn your back to me. I'll prove it." Lucy did so and Mina tentatively placed her hands on Lucy's waist.
"What are you–" Lucy's voice failed her as Mina softly pulled her back towards her.
"Okay, call me off my head but," Mina whispered in Lucy's ear, making sure Lucy could hear. "Put your hand flat on the top of your head and draw it back until it hits me."
Lucy stepped away and around to face Mina. "I'm not going to hit you."
"Until you feel your hand contact me. Better?" Mina asked.
Lucy huffed. "Fine."
Placing her hands back on Lucy's waist, Mina whispered in her ear before turning her and bringing her against her again.
"Good girl."