Accidents Will Happen

Chapter Twenty-Six

The doorbell rang, and for a split second, Galinda panicked. She didn't expect anyone, didn't want to see anyone. What if the person on the other side of the door was some harbinger of bad news? She shook the idea out of her head and reminded herself to think rationally. There was no reason to expect anything sinister. It was just the doorbell. Most likely, it was the mailman and not the police or whomever else her worried mind might imagine.

She and Elphaba had had a fight. So what? Now Elphaba was gone, not answering her phone. For Oz's sake, she was probably just pissed at her! Not that she really should be; yet it was a natural, human way to react. With her head a little more level and clearer than the night before, Galinda could see that much at least. By taking a deep breath and releasing it, she forced herself to also release her wild, fearful fantasies.

"Coming," she shouted and put her mug down.

She fiddled with the keys, her hand trembling a little, obviously not following her brain's instructions to not be alarmed. When the door swung open and she raised her gaze from her own hands up to where the stranger's head would be, she looked straight into deep, dark brown eyes, set underneath a pair of expressive, furrowed brows amid a face of green.

Elphaba's jaw moved, and she looked off to the side, shifting her weight.

"Sorry. Forgot to grab my keys on the way out."

Without a trace of hesitation, without thinking about it at all, Galinda fell into her and embraced her. Desperately. Fiercely. She took in her scent, even though it was mingled with that of dirt and exhaustion. She took in her warmth, even though it had somewhat of a humid feel to it. Heedless of everything that wasn't perfect, she wished that she'd never have to let go of her again.

The girl in her arms stood rigid and quiet, perhaps too startled to move or speak, or maybe too aghast. Galinda didn't care. She should be grateful that she wasn't trying to murder her then and there. Closing her eyes, the she pressed her cheek harder against Elphaba's chest, getting as close to her heartbeat as physically possible. She needed to hear its rhythm, needed to know if she'd managed to make it beat a tad faster. She liked to think that she had.

"You had me scared to no end," she said softly and screwed her face in pain at the thought.

She hadn't meant to make such a confession. She hand't meant to embrace her like this either. She'd meant to play it cool, to let Elphaba squirm and writhe under her icy stare whenever she finally deigned to return, be it sooner or later. She'd meant to make her suffer for what she'd done to her. It wasn't easy to play it tough when the one to be punished was one's weak spot.

They stood like this for a while longer, until she finally managed to peel herself away from Elphaba. Their eyes met again, and Galinda didn't quite know what she was trying to say.

"I'm not off the hook yet, am I?" asked Elphaba.

For a moment, Galinda's look intensified to an outright glare, but she couldn't sustain it.

"Just... come in," she murmured and stepped aside to let her through.

Watching her as she passed by her, she noticed with faint satisfaction that Elphaba was wearing her head low, very much aware that the matter was not forgiven and forgotten. That made it easier for Galinda to allow herself to be at least somewhat hospitable.

"Are you hungry? You've been out for quite a while."

"Nah," replied Elphaba with her usual offhandedness. Stopping in front of the dining table, however, she raised her hand to awkwardly rub her neck. "Maybe a tiny bit. I haven't eaten yet."