No Confessions

Ch21

"Luce, I'm off to Alexander's! I'll be back around mid evening." Mina called up to Lucy who was fiddling with her shoes on the landing.
     "Okay, I'm going out with Jayne tonight so I'll most likely be back quite late. Are you staying here another night?" Mina nodded with a smile. "Catherine will let you in then."
     Mina nodded, caught herself staring at Lucy a little bit too long, and set off to call a carriage.  

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    "Right so, understand that I do love your company, but must you come to me at any new action of Lucy?" Alexander asked Mina, sitting himself down in the foyer.
     Mina laughed. Yes, well, this time it's different." Alexander looked at her quizzically. "I'm going to pose some questions. Starting off, background information."
     Mina spoke about her latest night with Lucy. The half kiss Mina enacted and how Lucy pulled away. How she had pressed her lips to Lucy's neck without thinking. How Lucy gasped, sending her mind places, but rooting it back in reality with her rejection of it. 'Of course. What an idiot she'd been.'
     "Do you think perhaps I went too far? Lucy still has affection for me, right?"
     "Yes of course, Mina. Knowing her, I doubt she could or would lose those affections for you." Alexander said thoughtfully, He truly meant it. Alexander, being Alexander, is observant. He has noticed Lucy's very apparent feelings towards Mina. He also noticed to painstakingly blind she was to Mina's advances.
     "But she rejected the kiss..." Mina pointed out. "She said she'd never reject a kiss from me." Mina locked her eyes to the ground, refusing to let Alexander see the amount of emotion in her eyes. Her eyes burned but she blinked away her tears.
     Alexander continued with his reasoning, sensing the pain coming from Mina. "It was also open-mouthed and on her neck. She could have interpreted it as, not a kiss, but as what some would call a hickey. A mark which someone has on their body as a result of being sucked or kissed by their partner when they were kissing or having an ahem—passionate—moment." Alexander finished, blushing slightly of embarrassment.
     Mina blew red. "Oh." Alexander hummed in amusement at Mina's shocked face.
     "Ignoring how indecent that would be in a normal situation, Lucy isn't married, so she would have no way to cover it up or make an excuse for it." Alexander stated. "How would she explain such a mark if someone asked? Perhaps it was less of a rejection and more of self defense in foresight."
     Mina nodded solemnly. "I suppose..."
    "She loves you, Mina. You must see that." Alexander spoke. "She may be terrible at showing it, but she does. Lucy loves you."
    "She–she loves me? More than just friends?" Mina's tone was hopeful, desperate even.
    Alexander sighed at the love-struck woman in front of him. "It's quite clear. You really must become better aware of people's affections for you."
    "Plural?" Mina asked. "Who else? If you mention Jonathan–"
    Alexander cut her off.
"Those such as I."

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    Jayne opened the door to an out of breath Lucy. "Lucy? Sweetie, what happened?"
    "Mina!" Lucy panted, having nearly run to Jayne's housing. "She–she kissed me," Lucy said between breaths. "Again."
    Jayne sighed. She thought something disastrous had happened to her favorite blond. "Is that bad?" Lucy shook her head. "Mm, surprising." Jayne hummed half heartedly.
    "Shove off." Lucy laughed. "There's a small issue, though." Her eyes roamed Jayne's face. She needed advice and something she would normally never admit she needed. It was something she loathed asking for: help.
    "And that would be?" Jayne asked, gesturing for Lucy to come in. Lucy tentatively stepped inside. Something was strangely different this day. Jayne's butler, nor any other men, were visibly present in the building. "Oh yes, there are no men in the house today. There's no specific reason. I just had some women scheduled to come by later in the day. What's the issue with Mina?"
    "I rejected the kiss."
    "And yet you–"
    Lucy held up a hand. "Don't even."
    Jayne rolled her eyes playfully. "How did she react?" she asked.
    Lucy sighed heavily. "Poorly." She mumbled. She came to Jayne for a reason; because she trusted her. Jayne was the only woman Lucy could ever talk, openly, about her feelings towards Mina. There was Catherine, but due to class and working hierarchy, it would be unprofessional. So she went to Jayne.
    "Okay..." Jayne exhaled. "How so?" she asked as she took Lucy's hands and led her to the foyer. Jayne set Lucy down and called for tea.
    Lucy stuttered over her words. "Do–do know what–what a hickey is?" Jayne nodded. Of course she would. It's Jayne. "I thought she was going to give me one!" Lucy said so quickly it was nearly incomprehensible. Her voice was oddly high, causing a look of concern from Jayne.
    "Are you feeling okay?" Lucy nodded frantically, mouthing 'help'. "Right then. Why did you think Mina was going to give you a–a hickey?"
    "It was open-mouthed and on my neck." Lucy admitted. Red creeped up her face at the memory and her entire body felt hot. "It–it made me feel–things. Different things."
Jayne gave Lucy a quizzical look. "Calling feelings different when you're in love is like saying that all people look like...people."
Lucy looked over at Jayne. Her eyes told an intriguing story, but Jayne assumed her words could tell a better one. "When her lips touched me, it was like electricity. One moment I had the warmth of her laying her head on my shoulder and the next my heartbeat was in my throat and the warmth was all over. My mind was a mess and I made up some utterly ridiculous excuse to get away from all the...stimulation." Lucy rambled. "She had to remind me that Jonathan and her broke up. That's how stupid it was."
Jayne nodded. "I'm sure Mina didn't think much of it." she assured Lucy.
"I pulled away from Mina! I hurt her!" Lucy cried.
Jayne rushed forward to comfort Lucy. "I'm sure you didn't. Mina is a very strong girl and she loves you very much. It would take a lot to hurt her."
Lucy looked up. "She–she loves me?"
Jayne's eyes widened in disbelief. "Clearly. You haven't noticed?" Lucy looked at Jayne with concerned eyes.
"What?" she whispered.
"So you haven't." Jayne sighed. "Right. Of course not. Lucy, sweetie, you really must become aware of those around you. Especially aware of their affections. You seem particularly blind to those."
Lucy exhaled in defeat. "I don't see what you mean. WIth Mina, yes. But not in any other way. Who else should I be aware of?"
"Me."