The Interview

Chapter Eighteen

Glinda's eyes fluttered open, and the first things that came into focus were two empty glasses on a low table. The smell of wine was still strong enough to be detected and made her nose wrinkle in slight disgust. In the background, she vaguely recognised the still blurry outline of a large TV. She blinked, willing away the drowsiness that fogged her mind. She remembered where she was now, but the pieces of information did not quite fit together yet. There was light, she realised, more than the soft shine of the antique floor lamp that stood beside the cocktail cabinet. It was daylight that filtered through the somewhat dysfunctional timber shutters. Guilt and embarrassment flushed her cheeks as realisation set in. She was still lying on the couch where she evidently had fallen asleep the previous night.

As she shifted, she noticed that her upper body was resting on something rather hard and angular. Suddenly fully alert and overcome with trepidation, she slowly moved her head until she could see Elphaba's face. The green girl was awake, propped up on a bunch of cushions, reading something on her phone. Glinda's heart skipped a beat or two, then began to hammer hard in her chest. She didn't dare move and make Elphaba aware of the fact that she was no longer sleeping. Not until she'd figured out the best way to deal with this most unexpected situation.

No matter how hard she tried to think, all she could concentrate on was the gentle heaving of Elphaba's chest beneath her, the warmth of her body, the way her fingers absentmindedly stroked her midriff—wait! What?!

With a jolt, Glinda pushed herself to her knees, scrambling to put some distance between herself and her friend. Eyes wide, breathing heavily, she peered down at Elphaba, who was looking back at her with a calm, searching expression. Her phone had dropped to the ground, but she made no move to retrieve it.

"It's okay," she said after a few moments, her eyes and voice soft and soothing.

Glinda's gaze flickered from her face to the arm that had been curled around her waist mere seconds ago. She contemplated mentioning it, but couldn't find the words, so she simply continued staring.

"I'm sorry if waking up like this made you feel awkward," Elphaba muttered apologetically while scratching her head. "You just seemed so exhausted last night that I didn't have the heart to risk waking you."

"You..." Glinda bit her lip. "This can't have been comfortable for you."

"I'll live," chuckled Elphaba and extended her hand.

Glinda eyed it uneasily.

"You can trust me. You know that, right? And you can lean on me whenever you like, by the way. I don't mind."

Feeling her head grow hot, Glinda lowered her gaze. Out of the periphery of her eyes, she saw Elphaba drop her hand and smile mildly. She briefly looked away to pick up her phone and chuck it onto the coffee table, then changed to a more upright position, leaning against the backrest and folding her hands in her lap. She sat silently, but her attention did not waver away from the blonde. Glinda hated herself for behaving so unnecessarily skittish when Elphaba was nothing but patient and sweet.

Hesitantly, she shuffled closer and looped her arm through her friend's. Soon, her head rested on Elphaba's shoulder. She could feel her body vibrate when Elphaba laughed quietly.

"Shall we start over then?" she suggested before carefully pulling Glinda down with her to a half inclined position.

A small sound of surprise escaped Glinda's lips, but she did not resist.

Elphaba studied her for a moment as if to ascertain that she hadn't overstepped already. When Glinda voiced no objection, the corner of her lips curled upwards.